This was first in the Inspirational slot.......I chose to put it here. Be Blessed!
May 11, 2009
Editor's Note: This week, our editors will each be offering their unique reflections on the same verse - Proverbs 3:5-6. So much can be packed into just a few lines of the Bible, and God often speaks differently through His Word to different believers. We hope you walk away with a new appreciation for this beloved piece of scripture.
I Just Don't Understand...
by Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil.
Proverbs 3: 5 - 7
Proverbs 3: 5- 7 are often the first words that rise out of my memory bank in dark moments. The reason this scripture resonates so much with me has to do with these six words: lean not on your own understanding.
At Salem Web Network, managers give new employees a book called Strength Finder 2.0. The book is designed to help you identify and maximize your top 5 strengths in the workplace. I scored highest in something called "Intellection." A person who scores highly in this category loves to think -- so much that he or she finds reasons to think just for the joy thinking.
I chuckled at these results. Friends and family have described me as "cerebral" on more than one occasion. Thanks to this strength, I'm really good at thinking through complex issues. I get energy from analyzing many aspects of life. Others come to me when they want a thorough, thoughtful perspective.
Why am I so drawn to thinking? Ultimately, it's because I want to understand. I am like an adult version of my four-year-old nephew, always asking "why?" and "how?" -- especially on matters I feel have eternal significance.
Unfortunately, this drive to understand can easily morph from my greatest strength into my Achilles' heel. Why? Because there are some things in life that even the greatest minds cannot understand.
I was on a forum recently where, in response to recent headlines, someone asked, "How can a man kill his wife, kids, and then commit suicide?" People debated back and forth. But no answer seemed to satisfy.
I had a friend call me recently, devastated over his girlfriend's unexpected decision to break up with him. He wanted to know why. She never gave him an answer. And I couldn't either.
On some level, we all want to understand, don't we? Daily, I receive emails from hurting readers that go like this:
"I am so unhappy with my spouse. Help me understand her!"
"I don't understand why my child does these things. What have I done wrong?"
"I can't seem to get a job. I just don't understand God's will for my life."
When I encounter things that are really difficult to understand, my first instinct is to rev up my God-given gift for thinking to try to figure it out. This is when things start to go bad. I think if I can understand it, I will be okay. I ruminate on the issue, mentally chewing on it over and over again, losing sleep in an attempt to find peace through understanding.
But when the mental gymnastics don't produce results, my irrational emotions kick in. I melt into a puddle of tears (flowing from eyes with dark circles thanks to too many sleepless nights). It's a lovely sight, and one that may be familiar to you.
That's usually about the time my brain is empty enough to hear a still, small voice whisper:
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.
You see, contrary to popular belief, our peace doesn't really flow from our understanding, and in fact, God never promises we will always understand. Instead, our peace flows from a God whose thoughts are not our thoughts and whose ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55: 8).
Accepting that we won't always understand may feel frustrating at first, but ultimately, it's offers you and me relief. We may not understand, but God does, and He will not abandon us. Look at the promise that accompanies this verse, should we surrender our lives fully to Him: and he will make your paths straight.
What a blessing. I don't have to have it all figured out. I don't have to obtain all the answers. I don't have to lie awake sorting out every last detail. I can trust God, my Heavenly Father, to take care of the stuff that doesn't make any sense to me.
This is the beauty of being Christian. We aren't the biggest, most intelligent beings out there. God, the original Genius, is.
At the end of time, we will understand -- clearly -- because God will show us. And there will, no doubt, be some surprises. Until that time, we have a God smart enough to handle the most confounding problem, loving enough to earn our heartfelt devotion, and trustworthy enough to offer us genuine hope for our futures.
So if there's something about your life right now that you just don't understand, that's causing you pain and fueling your fears, meditate on Proverbs 3: 5- 7. Turn it around in your mind. Memorize it. And sleep well, tonight.
Further Reading:
Job 11: 7 - 9
Finding Financial Peace in Times of Uncertainty
Guiding the Family in Times of Uncertainty
May 12, 2009
Editor's Note: This week, our editors will each be offering their unique reflections on the same verse - Proverbs 3:5-6. So much can be packed into just a few lines of the Bible, and God often speaks differently through His Word to different believers. We hope you walk away with a new appreciation for this beloved piece of scripture. You can view Monday's offering here.
The Bow & The Arrow
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6
Wisdom, suggests the book of Proverbs, is prized above all things. And wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord. Therefore, the wisest thing one can do is to trust and honor God.
And trusting and honoring God, according to Proverbs 3, "not only delivers one from evil, but promises certain rewards" (Ryrie Study notes). Among them:
Longevity and peace (vv. 1-2)
Favor with God and man (vv. 3-4)
Health (vv. 7-8)
Prosperity (vv. 9-10)
Pretty good stuff. Stuff we all like, and seek hard after. Barns filled with plenty, length of days, refreshment to your bones. And yet...
The section of Proverbs 3 that we know, love, cherish, cling to, and quote most often is the part that promises not peace, not health, not abundance. It is the part that promises... guidance. "In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths."
Let's not miss that. In this promise-rich poriton of scripture, the part we people cite more often than the others is the part about trusting God more than ourselves so that in our "ways" and "paths," we will know which way to go. We will know what to do. We will get there directly. We will be able to read the signposts planted by the Almighty. The child of God longs for and receives many gifts when he or she receives wisdom. Is it possible that the most highly prized among them is a highly-tuned sense of spiritual direction?
If you've ever listened to peers ponder or authors write about the subject of seeking / finding / learning / doing "God's will," then I think you might agree that the answer could just be yes. We long to serve, to offer ourselves worshipfully. To walk so closely with God that "in him we live, and move, and have our being" (Acts 17:28). Symbolically, what might this sense of direction, guidance, straight paths, and complete trust look like?
Perhaps... an arrow? Consider:
Arrows point the way to other destinations
Arrows indicate which way it is okay to turn
Arrows are straight and narrow
Arrows are colorful, sleek and efficient
Arrows attempt to hit the target, but sometimes "miss the mark"
Arrows can not be projected forward well by anything but the bow, they were made to fit into it ("Trust in the Lord with all your heart")
Arrows are completely dependant upon the bow, and they were made to go out from it ("do not lean on your own understanding")
Arrows discussing how they got somewhere without crediting the bow would sound ridiculous ("In all your ways acknowledge him")
Arrows, if properly knocked, fly true ("he will make your paths straight")
Today's verse appeared on the program for our wedding, because it has always been one of my wife's life verses. It is even more meaningful to me as I re-study it today because of something else I had written for Valerie long before she became my wife. I wrote the following thoughts about arrows for her after we had been dating for two months, just before she moved several states away from me:
I used to teach archery at camp in Texas. It's the kind of sport where it's not hard to find a few life metaphors -- hitting the target, nailing the bull's-eye, missing the mark... But in the arrow itself, I found a wealth of lessons. It's such a simple, effective, and elegant weapon, with its sleek shaft and colorful feathers, but it can't function without help. It needs the bow in order to reach its potential, to drive it forward, or it is worthless.
The arrow also has been prevalent in my doodles for as long as I can remember, probably due to its symbolic significance in direction and guidance. But take another look at the feathers -- do you notice how one, the one facing outward, is a different color? That's called the cock feather. It's unique in that it must face away from the bow, or outward, in order to fly straight when shot. As Christians, too often we cover up what's different about ourselves, and we wind up missing the mark, or sinning. But when our unique side faces outward for the world to see, we fly straight and true, exploding towards the target in a glorious burst of color.
What is unique and different about you? Your faith, poise, depth, and grace, to name a few. Keep those true colors facing boldly outward; trust the Lord's aim as He pulls back the string; fly straight. Let Him choose the targets, and you can't miss.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Wisdom is often called the greatest gift, and no wonder, because it brings with it so many other gifts, not least among them the sense of guidance and direction that flying forth from God's Great Bow brings. What gift of wisdom do you prize above others? Remember the example of the arrow when you wonder what it looks like to trust in the Lord with all your heart, and to acknowledge him in all your ways. A true straight arrow can do no other! It is nothing but ineffective flash apart from the bow!
Further Reading
Proverbs 1:7
Acts 17:28
Seven Lessons from Summer Camp
May 13, 2009
On the Lack of Lightning Bolts
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6
I memorized these verses years and years ago, along with John 3:16 and other verses that good little children in Sunday School learn. In my five-year-old mind, I associated the proverb with a mental picture of a road stretching out for miles until it merged with the horizon. That was the "straight road" that I could so easily understand -- clearly marked, unswerving, and, most importantly, unchanging. All I had to do was trust God and keep following that path. Little did I know, right?
At times the journey has felt more like an anecdote that Abraham Lincoln told of a man traveling through a thunderstorm. Through the mud and the sheets of rain, the poor traveler felt that he would lose his way entirely. The thunderclaps seemed right overhead, jolting his senses every few moments. Only the flashes of lightning helped him keep to the road. Finally, after a particularly loud crash, the man fell to his knees and cried, "O, Lord God, if it's all the same to you, I would like a little more light and little less noise!"
The major and minor uncertainties I've encountered -- and will encounter in the future -- often leave me with that sentiment. I think back to the promise of paths made straight and grumble that the signposts would be a lot easier to follow if they were in neon. We all ask, is this the career path you want me to take, God? Is this the man you want me to marry? Should I buy this house? Are we supposed to settle at this church? In what kind of school should we enroll the kids? God, I could really use a lightning bolt to clarify things!
It's easy to forget that the proverb reserves the promise until the last quarter of the verse, not the first. Review the wording of verse 6 with me. "In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."
I memorized this verse years ago, but I'm still learning it by heart. Task-oriented person that I am, it's easier to visualize myself making "progress" towards a goal than it is to stop and refocus on inner attitudes. It doesn't occur to me that part the plan is simply standing still, waiting, and listening. I demand lightning bolts to see God's working rather than taking responsibility for the part assigned to me. My part lies in the trusting, the repudiating of self, and a settled confidence that he will work all things for his purpose. Then.. the path is straightened. We may not even realize it this side of heaven, but the promise is that he guides our feet when our eyes are on him.
I fully believe that the Lord guides us in specific ways -- through the Word, through the counsel of godly mentors, through nudges of the Holy Spirit -- and yet we get caught up in the road metaphor a little too much. We're so distracted looking for the path that we forget a lifestyle of worship. To an extent, it matters less what we're doing than how we're doing it. As Paul wrote, "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." (1 Corinthians 10:31)
The wonder of God's plan for us lies in this -- in taking our eyes off the road at our feet and looking to him, God finds our way for us.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Step one: trust in the Lord with all your heart. Step tw do not lean on your own understanding. Step three: in all your ways acknowledge him. Result: whatever your path, he will direct your steps and make your path straight.
Further Reading:
Psalms 37:34
Philippians 1:4-6
Waiting on the Promises of God
May 14, 2009
But I Know That's Where I Parked!
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Entertainment Editor
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6, NIV
Sometimes our own understanding can get a little distorted. Or just be flat-out wrong.
That's what happened to me last week. Like the episode of Seinfeld where Jerry and his friends get lost in the parking garage of a mall, so was it for me.
It was a quick trip to return an item of clothing that I had bought online. I'll just stop in and return. No fuss no muss. Or so I thought. As I pulled into the parking garage, I made a note to self that I had parked on Level 2 in the Blue Garage. Perfect! The store is only one floor up on Level 3. I got in and out of the mall fairly quickly. I thought I was retracing my steps and the path I took to get there, and soon found myself back in the Blue Garage. But the only problem was, I had forgotten that I was still on Level 3.
I walked directly toward where I thought I had parked. Okay, there's that white expensive car. And mine should be just a couple of spaces over from it ... right over ... hey, where's my car? Panic set in. My heart began to race. Who would have taken my car? It's six years old. A sport wagon. Not that exciting.
I then decided to walk up a level. Perhaps I had the wrong level in mind. I'll check Level 4. Round the winding ramp I went. No car in sight. Even more desperate now, I quickly walked back down to Level 3. But I know that's where I parked! I can't believe this is happening to me! Why would someone want to steal my car?
I knew I'd have to find the mall security office in order to report my stolen vehicle and then figure out how to get back home. Suddenly (and providentially, no doubt), a mall security car came down the ramp toward me. I waved my hand to flag it down. The guard rolled down the window. Hellooo, Antonio Banderas!< I kid you not. He looked exactly like the actor. Slicked back hair and everything. Cool! He's working mall security incognito now. Probably research for his next film role.
I proceeded to share my predicament, and the guard offered to help me find my vehicle. "Hop in. We'll drive around and see if we can find your car." Then, "Antonio" suggested we go down a level, when we couldn't find my car on either Level 3 or Level 4. Naturally, as soon as we rounded the corner to Level 2, I immediately saw my vehicle. "There it is! Oh, thank you, Lord!" I exclaimed.
It's funny now, but my parking garage saga is a perfect illustration of what happens when we rely on our own understanding. We can't trust ourselves. Our minds will shape our memories or judgments into what we want them to be. And we can easily make our own truth. You may think you're doing the right thing by spending time looking for direction and answers in your life on Level 3, when all along God is trying to lead you back to Level 2.
In times like these, we are not acknowledging the Lord. His understanding is a whole lot different than our own. He knows what is best for us. And he can see what we cannot.
Before heading out on today's path, may I encourage you to write God's Word on your heart? Make mental notes to yourself of Truth and his promises to you. It is the only way--and how we are commanded--to get accurate direction for our lives.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Have you walked some crooked paths in your lifetime? Spend some time reflecting on a particular incident where you relied on your own understanding. Write down the results. Did you eventually submit and acknowledge God's authority to direct your ways? What were the results? We are the ones who cause our paths to become crooked, and he is the one who patiently--and lovingly--makes them straight.
Further Reading
Psalm 4:5
Isaiah 40:3
Editor's Note: This week, our editors have offered their unique reflections on the same verse - Proverbs 3:5-6. So much can be packed into just a few lines of the Bible, and God often speaks differently through His Word to different believers. We hope you walked away with a new appreciation for this beloved piece of scripture.
May 15, 2009
Trust His Heart
by Meghan Kleppinger
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."
Proverbs 3:5-6, NAS
Whether it be financial, relational, spiritual, or physical troubles (and don't they all seem to come at the same time?), it's easy to find ourselves questioning God and His plan for our lives.
Christian singer Babbie Mason's song, Trust His Heart, addresses these times of hardship. I heard this song for the first time when I was a preteen, and its moving lyrics continue to encourage me now in my adult years. I sing the chorus whenever I'm going through one of life's rough patches.
God is too wise to be mistaken
God is too good to be unkind
So when you don't understand
When you don't see His plan
When you can't trace His hand
Trust His heart
These aren't just lyrics of a song, they're descriptions of God's character and reminders of His promises as told through scripture.
1. God is too wise to be mistaken
"To God belong wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are his." (Job 12:13) (NIV)
"But God made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding. (Jeremiah 10:12) (NIV)
"Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!" (Romans 11:33) (NIV)
2. God is too good to be unkind
"O taste and see that the LORD is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!" (Psalms 34:8) (NAS)
"Answer me, O Lord, out of the goodness of your love; in your great mercy turn to me." (Psalm 69:16) (NIV)
"Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good." (1 Peter 2, 3) (NAS)
3. So when you don't understand, When you don't see His plan, When you can't trace His hand, Trust His heart
But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, 'You are my God.'" (Psalm 31:14)
"For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope." (Jeremiah 29:11) (NAS)
Isn't good to know that we when we are afraid or in the middle of circumstance we don't understand, that we can trust the ways of our wise and wonderful God!
Intersecting Faith & Life: Commit scriptures to memory that remind you of God's character and share the confidence you have in Him.
Further Reading
Use Means But Don't Trust in Means, Trust in God, by John Piper
May 18, 2009
Bearing With One Another
by Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Colossians 3: 13-14
Sometimes I think the biggest stumbling block to living the Christian life exists in our interactions with other Christians. Those who profess faith in Christ are very capable of hurting each other -- perhaps even unusually "gifted" at it.
Yes, fellowship within the Church can be wonderfully fulfilling, offering true glimpses of the unity we will experience in heaven. But (as life frequently reminds us) we're not in heaven yet, so our relationships with one another often fall short of the "Beatific Vision."
So what do we do when we're faced with failure in our relationships, especially when our fellow Christians fail to meet our expectations? Much has been said about the necessity of forgiving trespassers. Scripture makes it clear we are to imitate Christ and show mercy to those who have wronged us, and counselors have written extensively on the personal freedom one finds in forgiving even the most terrible sins. But I think sometimes it's not the huge transgressions that challenge us most. Sometimes it's the smaller infractions that wear on our souls.
Perhaps you've observed imperfections in another that open personal wounds, rub you the wrong way or just plain annoy you. Perhaps there is someone in your life that consistently brings out your ugly side or whose presence simply symbolizes something you desire but have not achieved. This kind of pain is often absorbed interiorly. There's no public stand to take, no 12-step program designed to walk you through. Over time, we may find that we begin to keep count of this person's failings. We may catch ourselves gossiping about them or avoiding them in our daily lives. Each infraction is like a small stone that eventually builds a wall around the heart, a wall that stands not only between you and that person but also between you and Christ.
One of my favorite Christian heroes, St. Therese of Lisieux, faced such a situation in her community of cloistered Carmelite nuns. Behind the walls of her tranquil convent, relational strife simmered. Some nuns had maddeningly annoying habits that interfered with prayerful contemplation whereas others displayed a variety of mundane vices like laziness or sloppiness. St. Therese had a personal dislike for a particular nun who often acted unhappy and critical. She sought ways to avoid this person in her daily tasks -- until she realized she was failing to love one of God's children. Therese had personally experienced Christ's love, with full knowledge of her invisible imperfections, so how could she justify failing to love this nun just because her faults were visible?
As her heart changed, so did her actions. Therese chose to smile at this young woman every time she passed her. She displayed unusual grace in their interactions, always ready to help with a task or share a kind word.
The change in Therese's demeanor did not go unnoticed. This nun made note to others that it seemed Therese had an unusual affection for her, and she began to return Therese's smiles.
I realize I would do well to imitate Therese more often. I struggle with the small acts of charity, the little things that only God notices. Yet, the decision to love in even the most seemingly insignificant ways transforms hearts. And while Therese's actions may not have brought on world peace, they brought Christ's peace to her world.
Intersecting Faith & Life: While it's good to speak out against wrong, some situations call for a silent gesture of love and grace. This week, perform a small act of kindness towards a person you find challenging to love. Remember that Christ knows all of our faults, yet His love never wavers.
Further Reading
Matthew 18: 15
The Command to Forgive
May 19, 2009
Anything and Everything
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
Romans 8:32
My children, aged almost-six and almost-four, know my weakness.
They know it's not ice cream, baseball, or their mom's chili... or even a hug or puppy-dog eyes from them.
See, none of the above make me cry (although the chili almost did once). Yes, my children have seen their father cry. It's not something I wanted, or intended. I'm a man, after all. I go to work, show my strength. I coach, help, show, point, and guide. I communicate, discipline, and lead. I pray. I do not cry.
...Except when I read Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree, that is.
And like I said, my children know this. And oh, do they twist that knife, the little devils. We must own a couple hundred children's books, but if it's a night where Daddy is doing the bedtime reading rather than Mommy, what do they invariangly pick (while smirking)? Of course! The Giving Tree!
I've been reading this book, first published in 1964, since I myself was a child, and no matter how many times I do, I am unable to de-sensitize. I mean, when I watch the movie Field of Dreams and Ray has a catch with his ghost-dad, that gets me. But if I see the scene over and over within a certain time frame? Nah. No sweat, no tears. But this blasted children's book... well... what's going on here?
First of all, you're probably wondering that very thing if you aren't familiar with the story. A tree and a boy are the best of friends during an idyllic childhood for the young man where he eats apples from the tree, climbs her trunk, swings from her branches, and rests in her shade. Then things change, as things do, and we see the boy approach the tree at all the various stages of his life, caught up - understandably, even - more in wanting and needing than in just being. Every time he has a "need," the tree obliges... and is happy for having done so. She doesn't have much, but gives all she has until eventually, she is nothing but a stump. At the end of all things, however, it turns out a stump is just what the old man needs - a quiet place to sit down and rest and reflect. "And the tree was happy. The end."
And I am undone... again.
Is it because I am reading the story to my children, and I know our stories will be very much like that of the tree and the boy, where they are my delight but eventually I must simply become provider as they go out into the world? Yes and no.
Is it because our family copy of the book - the one I read to the kids - carries an inscription from my wife on our first Christmas as husband and wife that says, "With God's help, may I love you like this"? Yes and no.
Is it because I once read the book aloud at at emotional family Thanksgiving, illustrating how we too infrequently practice the "giving" half of the word? Yes and no.
Is it because as my father lay dying seven years ago that I told him of the story (he wasn't familiar with it), and how he had been that tree for me? That's definitely part of it. My mother, I remember, commented that she didn't recall it being a "Christian" book. I didn't really have an answer to that, only to what I saw in it. Which is...
Complete love to the point of emptying. Unquestioning sacrifice, even for someone who isn't appreciating or understanding what they've been given. A desire only to have communion. An entering into final rest. In other words, a perfect example of the immensity of what Jesus did for me, desired from me, provides for me, and will carry me to.
That is why I always cry.
So every time I finish the story, eyes full of tears, my kids look at me as if to say, "Are you okay?" My little one asks, "Why you cry, Dad?" And every time I explain, I think she understands just the tiniest bit more. These are tears of being overwhelmed by the enormity of the giver and the gift. I only pray these children will open their hearts and receive it, and that they won't miss the other lesson: all our Giver really wants in return is our time, for us to come to Him as we did as children.
Intersecting Faith & Life: But can any of us actually hope to become more like the tree in the story? Parents know what it means to give every last ounce of everything they are to the betterment of their children. We have reason for doing so. Do you know anyone who empties themselves this way for those they don't have a familial reason to love? What steps can you take to emulate their Christ-like, unconditional love?
Further Reading
Giving is What Living is All About
2 Corinthians 8:3-12
May 20, 2009
The Forgotten Vital Organ
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit." – Proverbs 18:21
I have decided that many, many medical textbooks are wrong. Each and every one of them has actually left out a vital organ. Yes, they've remembered the heart and the brain and even that strange thing called a pancreas (I know it's important, I just forget why sometimes). But look through the books all you want, and you'll find not one mention of the most obvious vital organ of all: the tongue.
Then again, I myself often choose to ignore the importance of the tongue. I'd rather not believe it has "the power of life and death." I'd like to pretend my tongue is more like an appendix or a gall bladder – easy to forget about because it's not that important – but that's just not the case. Snapping at my family when I'm tired, nagging, and complaining all release a poison from my tongue that works its way through my whole being (James 3:6). Not only that, I infect others with my attitudes and motivations. I begin to spread a disease.
Contrast that with the "words of the wise," as Proverbs calls it many times. Their words heal and strengthen as they spread encouragement, wisdom, peace, and the Gospel message. Oh, and – get this – they actually use their tongues less than other people. The more powerful the tongue, the less it needs to be used. It's like the heart of a well-trained athlete – when someone is really in shape, the beats per minute actually decrease as the heart becomes more and more efficient. In the same way, why don't I condition my tongue to speak fewer words with more meaning?
In Genesis 1, God spoke into the darkness, and there was light. Those "mere words" created something from nothing, showing the power of speaking out. My pastor in college told us that this verse had meaning for us, too, since we are created in God's image. We are meant to speak out and bring light from the darkness as He did. That's the power of the tongue in a crazy world. The question is whether we choose to speak light or just add to the darkness.
That little muscle called the tongue holds the power of life and death. That's no small matter. So let's be careful how we exercise it.
Intersection of Faith & Life: Grab a concordance and look up the words "mouth" and "tongue." The reference lists are extensive. It gets even bigger if you include the words "speak" and "words." Then, take a seven day challenge to "tame the tongue" in just one way. Try encouraging instead of complaining. Even taming just that one area is like trying to control a wildfire (James 3:5). Don't get discouraged, but take each opportunity to thank God for the "new song" that He has given you to sing (Psalm 40:3).
Further Reading:
Christians and Cussin'
Prayer or Gossip?
The Tongue: Life or Death in Our Marriage?
May 21, 2009
The Race of Faith and the Scenery of God's Grace
by Mike Pohlman, Editor, Christianity.com
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.
1 Corinthians 9:24
The only thing keeping my feet moving was the scenery. As I ran through my new city of Richmond, Virginia what I lacked in energy I made up for in curiosity. What scenic treasures awaited me along my route?
I stumbled upon the historic "Canal Walk"--a partial restoration of Richmond's historic canal system begun in 1785 and completed in 1840. Various monuments along the way tell the story. It is billed as "George Washington's vision come to life." Before the railroad made the canals basically obsolete in the 1880s (at which time they stretched 197 miles as far as Lynchburg), the waterways teemed with hundreds of boats carrying various goods such as tobacco and wheat along with many passengers.
Once there I remembered a gentleman talking about Belle Island and a 1.5 mile trail that loops through the 54 acre park that once housed a Civil War prison camp for Union soldiers. My pace picked up as I became excited about the destination. Along the nearly two mile journey I was pleasantly distracted by The American Civil War Center, the James River with its roaring rapids and the massive Robert E. Lee Bridge straddling the shores.
I was reminded anew how much easier runs are when you're excited about the scenery. The legs don't hurt as much, breathing isn't as difficult and the pace actually quickens. More than just "getting the miles in," you feel exhilaration in the exercise.
As I exited the pedestrian bridge onto Belle Island my thoughts moved to how the Christian life is like a run. It requires endurance, perseverance, diligent effort. And just as the scenery on a run helps one endure, the "scenery" of God's grace helps weary saints persevere in their faith.
Do I see it? Is it new everyday? Does it excite me? Move me? Leave me in awe?
I was challenged to behold the beauty of Jesus' blood shed for me; the awesome power of His resurrection that conquered death; His unwavering advocacy on my behalf before the Father; the treasure of His perfect righteousness imputed to me. In a word, the cross and all it accomplished and represents for those who trust in Him. This, at least in part, is the glorious "scenery" of God's grace that helps fuel our run of faith.
Intersecting Faith & Life: I want to run in such a way as to win the prize--to hear my Lord say, "Well done good and faithful servant ... Enter into the joy of your master" (Matthew 25:23). To get to that finish line, I pray that God grants me eyes to see the wonders of His grace in Christ Jesus--scenery worthy of our eternal gaze.
May 22, 2009
How's Your Heart?
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Entertainment Editor
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Psalm 139:23-24, NIV
It's easy to be fooled into thinking that your heart is in pretty good condition. And so perhaps you've had thoughts like this:
I'm a good person.
I attend church twice a week.
I go to a weekly Bible study.
I keep up with my daily devotionals.
I volunteer in my community.
I tithe to my church.
I'm kind to my family.
I pray for my friends.
Sound familiar? We can focus on the peripheral so much so that we forget to dig a little deeper and see what's really going on inside our hearts.
Well, I've discovered a sure-fire method that will quickly expose the condition of the heart. That's right. Here it is: it's driving. Yes. D-R-I-V-I- N-G.
When you're driving, its seems like the real you comes out to play. I know that I would never want someone to record the thoughts that go through my mind or the words that exit my mouth when I'm driving. They're not R-rated, but I sure wouldn't want them inscribed on my tombstone.
These thoughts happen fairly regularly. Like recently, as I made my way through a sketchy part of the city. I encountered folks driving way below the speed limit. Other folks cut me off while trying to get in front of other slow drivers in other lanes. And another driver took up two lanes while trying to make a left-hand turn (!!!).
In these incidents, what I thought really shocked me. Afterward, I immediately wondered, Did I really think that? My heart is so ugly. Oh dear God. Please help me!
I'm not telling you what I was thinking, because I am ashamed. But I will tell you this: it enlightened me. My thoughts shone a light in the dark corners of my heart. I saw how horribly corroded and nasty it was-like what you experience when you pull up the stopper from your kitchen garbage disposal. Foul!
I saw the judgment. I saw the pride. I saw the lack of love and forgiveness. It's gunk that needs to be cleaned out-really bleached out-on a consistent basis. But bleach smells, it's strong and it stings. Who wants to willingly submit to that? It's hard to do, but it's absolutely essential if we are to stay spiritually healthy and heart smart.
While I'm disappointed in my condition, I'm thankful that driving is doing such a good job of testing me and exposing what's in my heart. And until I'm old and decrepit and can't maneuver a moving vehicle anymore, I know that my next heart check is just one keyed ignition, one gear change and one gas pedal away.
Intersecting Faith & Life: If not driving, are there other situations or activities in your life that "put the squeeze" on you and really show what's going on in your heart? Maybe it's an individual who just knows how to push your buttons. Or perhaps the ugliness comes out when you're dealing with customer service personnel. Whatever it is that exposes the ugliness, ask the Lord to examine what is there and to change you from the inside out.
Further Reading
Jesus Christ: Heart Radiologist in Residence
Motives Matter in the Workplace
May 25, 2009
The Grunt Padre
by Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. John 15: 13
Memorial Day has always been a mixed holiday. We cook out, laugh, enjoy life, and thank God for our freedom. Yet overshadowing the lighthearted festivities is the price paid for our freedom: the death of our service men and women. Today, I'd like to remember a particular serviceman, a man whose life exemplified what it means to give oneself fully to both God and country.
Vincent Robert Capodanno was born in Staten Island, NY, in 1929. He accepted Christ as a young man, and spent his young adulthood as a missionary priest in Taiwan and Hong Kong.
But, not one to hold anything back from the Lord, he desired to serve God in even more challenging circumstances than these. Father Capodanno requested an assignment with the Navy during a difficult era in our nation's history: the Vietnam War.
As U.S. Navy Chaplain with the 7th and 5th Marines, Capodanno ministered to Marines of all backgrounds, drawing everyone he encountered into a deeper relationship with Christ. According to the official website dedicated to his canonization (http://www.vincentcapodanno.org/), the chaplain radiated the love of Christ and, "gained a reputation for always being there - -for always taking care of his Marines."
On September 4th, 1967, Fr. Capodanno's reputation proved true to the end. The 1st Battalion, 5th Marines encountered a Vietnamese Unit of 2,500 men near the village of Dong Son. The Marines were greatly outnumbered, and a bitter battle ensued.
After sustaining 26 deaths, Company D requested the assistance of Chaplain Capodanno's company. The chaplain could have stayed behind but insisted on joining his men on the battlefield.
Not long after approaching the village of Chau Lam, Capodanno and his comrades became trapped on a small knoll, engaged in intense, close-range battle. Fr. Capodanno bravely ministered to the wounded and dying in spite of his own painful wounds and the danger of enemy fire only a few feet away.
Marine Ray Harton remembers the battle well. He was hit and thought he was going to die. As recounted in a 2006 interview with the National Catholic Register, Harton shared what he experienced while he faded in and out of consciousness on the battlefield:
"When I looked it was Father Capodanno... He was down on his knees, his left arm behind my head. He said in a real calm voice, 'Stay calm, Marine, someone will be here to help soon. God is with us all here today.'"
The badly wounded chaplain could no longer use his right hand, so he gave Harton a blessing with his left. In that moment, God's peace overwhelmed Harton in a way he'd never experienced before.
Just moments later, Fr. Capodanno was killed as he left Harton's side to reach another dying comrade. News of the beloved Capodanno's death hit his men hard.
Father Vincent Capodanno posthumously received the military's highest award for valor, the Medal of Honor, "for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty." While this award is truly special, something tells me that this Marine received an even greater reward in heaven.
Father Vincent Capodanno is just one of the many heroic men and women who forfeited their lives to serve this country -- to preserve, among many things, our freedom of religion. As we celebrate Memorial Day, take a moment to remember those who followed Christ to their own crosses so that you and I might live life more abundantly.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Chaplain Capodanno was a quiet man, but he served the Lord with boldness. In what ways could you serve the Lord more boldly?
Further Reading
Galatians 5: 13
The Grunt Padre by Father Daniel Mode (CMJ Publications, 2000)
Sources:
Pronechen, Joseph. "He Died With His Men." National Catholic Register. 26 May 20006: http://www.catchingthespirit.net/capodanno.htm
Vincent Capodanno Foundation: http://www.vincentcapodanno.org/
May 26, 2009
Immune to Blessing
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:3
Our company has a set of really great tickets to the local Triple-A baseball team, just three rows behind the home dugout. Earlier this season, I got to use them to take my 5-year-old son to his first game. My wife and I took Jordan and his pal Victor, watched them gorge on hot dogs and sno-cones while dancing hilariously to every song blared over the loudspeaker, and had a grand ol' time.
Making the experience even richer was that the boys, who brought their baseball gloves, got not one... not two... but THREE baseballs that night! One was given by an older gentleman who had snagged a foul ball earlier. Another we caught ourselves. The third came when one of the fielders who had caught it as the final out of an inning tossed it into the crowd on his way back to the dugout. Of course, the moment that made me the most proud was when the boys, already with one ball each, decided that it would be nice to give the third one to a kid who hadn't gotten a ball yet. It was hard not to get a little misty watching my son seek out a younger boy of a different race and ask if he'd like to have a ball. I just love baseball.
Then came game two.
The next time we got to use the tickets, we took Jordan and his little sister. Again it was an idyllic evening, but this time... no foul balls. My son was hard to console on the way to the car. The little guy had no framework to understand what I was telling him - that of all the games I have been to in my life, I have never come away with a ball, outside of our last trip to the park. Most fans don't. The reason we bring our gloves just boils down to faith. But he still couldn't get it. How could we have gotten so many balls last time, but none tonight? What did we do wrong?
Game three, just a couple nights ago. It was the sixth inning, and still no balls. Jordan was losing hope, getting a little grumpy. He looked up at me and said, "I've decided that if we don't get a ball I'm not going to be happy. If we do get a ball, I'm going to be happy."
Well... My 'teachable moment' alarm went off, but as usually happens, so did my 'not just for Jordan' alarm. I had a second to carefully consider what to say and use as an example.
I put my hand on his little Red Sox cap and bent down to whisper to him. "That's pretty wise what you said, son, and you might not even realize it. It IS your decision. Since that's true, if you wanted to, you could make a different decision. You might decide to be happy anyway, just because you're here with me, and not in bed yet, and watching a great game on a beautiful night, and hoping like crazy for a shot at a ball. That way, whether we get one or not, we still win, because we're still happy."
He didn't say anything, but somehow, I could tell I'd hit home, probably because his demeanor changed ever so slightly. Then, I spent most of the next inning silently considering the ramifications for myself of what I had just sold my son. Words from my own past and present came to mind. "If I get this job... if I don't hit traffic... if the house isn't a mess... if I get recognized for what I did... if I'm appreciated... if I get a raise... then I'll be happy..."
There's a reason why the Beatitudes intermingle the word "blessed" (meaning happy) with a lot of circumstances that don't sound altogether happy. Meekness, being poor in spirit, and making peace hardly seem like the parts of a happy life or time. But being happy based only on whether things work out how we think is almost as odd to consider as being happy at all because there's so much suffering and hardship around us, whether it's happening directly to us at the time or not.
Joy is consistent, happiness is fleeting, and blessedness is always going on whether we take time to recognize it. But when we do? It's like catching a baseball at every game you attend.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Incidentally, we did end up getting a ball in that third game. A player threw it to me, and a pre-teen snatched it out of my glove. But when he saw who I was catching it for, he handed it to Jordan. I didn't expect that, and neither did my son. That was the blessing that night. On the way out of the park, Jordan walked to the boy's seat to thank him, as did I. He was shy about it, and maybe even regretting giving up his prize. Do you ever regret showing mercy, doing right, or making peace? If life is like a baseball game, what do you think - should we attend expecting or not expecting a foul ball to come our way?
Further Reading
Blessed are the Persecuted
Abundance
May 27, 2009
Trust at High Speeds
Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you. -- Psalm 9:10
I had been on a WaveRunner before. No problem, I told to myself as I climbed on behind my husband this weekend. I looked down at the brackish water that was more chilly than refreshing and told myself firmly, remember, you like going on adventures with him. Sure enough, David looked back and grinned at me when we got away from the dock. Then he gunned it.
Jumping on a WaveRunner seems easy when I'm the one driving, because then I get to decide just how sharply I want to make my little WaveRunner bank to catch that big wake. Or I can keep shooting out towards the Chesapeake Bay and avoid the wake altogether if I want. I can slow down if I scare myself, and I only "catch some air" if I'm good and ready -- which, in reality, is almost never. Riding behind someone else, however, even when I trust him more than anyone, demands a leap of faith. The only thing I have to hang onto is his life jacket, and he gets to make the decisions while I peer over his shoulder. It's hard to anticipate or even see what is coming next, and leaning the wrong way when we bank could throw me into the cold water at 50 miles per hour.
The truth is, I'm a chicken when it comes to jetskis. Out on the open water, the wind stinging my eyes and convincing me that I'm about to fly off my seat, I'm pushed out of my comfort zone and into something more exhilarating than I'd wander into by myself. And the whole experience stems from letting someone else in the driver's seat without even a seatbelt for me. David knows I don't want to capsize, and he directs the WaveRunner accordingly. But he doesn't let me get too comfortable, because then we might as well take the paddleboat out and save gas. He makes sure we get the full experience of saltwater, fun, and incredible views.
I know I can trust my husband because he loves me -- that's why I follow him out every time we head for the Bay, and even ask if he'll let me ride with him. If that's the case, how much more should I trust my Heavenly Father, who knows my fears, needs, and weaknesses far better! God desires to take us on an adventure that let us experience Him and His creation more fully and joyfully than we can imagine.
Focusing on our fear of some abstract unknown keeps us from being open to the adventure unfolding before our eyes every day. We tend to forget God's amazing promise, that "the LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." (Deut. 31:8) Fear and worry indicates that we don't really believe that promise, and that we think we'd do a better job steering. Instead, when we make a conscious decision to trust the Lord -- even when life is way too busy and fast for our liking -- we find the peace to take a deep breath, smell the salty air, and enjoy where He is taking us.
Intersecting Faith & Life: If you're comfortable with life now, are you open to changes in God's plan for you? If life is crazy now, do you try too hard to make sure everything is under control, instead of resting in God's promises? Roll down your car window for a minute today and feel the wind rushing by. Remember that the Lord of the universe, the One who controls the wind and the seas, calls us cast all our cares on Him. (I Peter 5:7)
Further Reading:
Proverbs 19:21
Philippians 4:6-7
The War over Worry
May 28, 2009
Longing for the Last Trumpet
by Mike Pohlman, Editor, Christianity.com
Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.
1 Corinthians 15:51-52
Grandpa Erickson was a Navy man. That's why there was a flag ceremony at his gravesite last Saturday. Having served in the South Pacific during WWII, Grandpa Erickson was appropriately honored with the playing of "Taps" on the trumpet and a "Final Salute" by two representatives from the United States Navy. The presentation of the American flag to his beloved wife Carol left few eyes dry.
I had the privilege of conducting the gravesite service--no little pressure given that we're talking about my mother-in-law's dad. The pressure, however, was welcome as the funeral gave me the opportunity to offer comfort to a grieving family.
I began my brief remarks by recognizing the two distinct emotional currents that undoubtedly flowed through the couple dozen people gathered namely, sorrow and joy.
We experience sorrow at the loss of a loved one because deep down we know death is not the way it's supposed to be. Therefore, we grieve. But as Christians we do not "grieve as others do who have no hope" (1 Thess. 4:13). Death will not have the final word; there is hope beyond the grave for those, like Grandpa Erickson, who die in Christ.
We hear this hope, for example, when Jesus says, "Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death" (Jn. 8:51). A staggering promise, indeed.
I concluded my portion of the service by acknowledging the Navy representative that would come forward to play "Taps" on the trumpet. "As beautiful as this will be," I said, "I want to point us to another trumpet--one that will sound grander and more glorious than anything we can imagine."
It's what the Apostle Paul calls the "last trumpet." The thought of it was, in part, the inspiration behind Handel's "Messiah." And yet, as beautiful as Handel's symphony is, I imagine the last trumpet will make Handel's work sound like a garage band in comparison.
For the last trumpet is what announces the second coming of the Lord Jesus. This trumpet will herald the return of the King of kings and Lord of lords--the time when the dead in Christ shall rise to sing, "Death is swallowed up in victory!" What a choir this will be! It's the sound that will usher in the new heavens and the new earth, and that climactic moment when every knee shall bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. This is the trumpet sound I long to hear.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Ask yourself some probing questions today like, "Am I viewing my current circumstances in the light of eternity?" "What things in my life might be hindering me from longing for the last trumpet?" "What am I doing to help others see life in the light of eternity?"
Further Reading
2 Corinthians 4:7 -- 5:10
The Bible and the Future, Anthony Hoekema
Heaven, Randy Alcorn
May 29, 2009
I Want My Fried Chicken!
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Entertainment Editor
The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him.
Lamentations 3:25, NIV
Ugh. Why won't this line go ANY faster?
I remember thinking this many times while standing in line at Highland Park Cafeteria as a child. At that age, it was my favorite restaurant in the entire world. Why? Because I could select whatever I wanted to eat from a long, long line of hot pans that were overseen by friendly people in white shower caps and plastic gloves.
We only went to this cafeteria for special occasions: out-of-town relatives coming to visit or Thanksgiving (if mom didn't want to cook; and that only happened once that I can remember, so we're talking really special).
Even though I could select whatever I wanted to eat, I usually picked the very same entree: fried chicken. Everything else at the cafeteria was surely tasty and most likely good, but in my mind the fried chicken was the "holy grail" of food and represented what I really wanted most.
As I would wait in line, I would lean over and crane my neck as far as possible so I could see down to where the fried chicken was. I would closely watch the dark meat count (drumsticks and thighs), as I was fearful that there wouldn't be enough for me by the time I got there. What if they run out and I have to wait? I can't hold up the line, and Dad and Mom will probably make me select something else. No!!!!!! I want my fried chicken!
It's hard to remember if I ever did miss out on fried chicken at the cafeteria; it's been so long ago now. But recently I felt like I was missing out on some "fried chicken" as an adult in the cafeteria line of life.
It was during a week when everyone else seemed like they were getting what they wanted while moving through the line--the "good things" that I wanted in my life, too. And I felt like I was left with only a paper napkin and some packaged saltine crackers, while everyone else was getting the "fried chicken." Things like weddings, babies, career success, big vacations and yes ... even cute shoes (it's a female thing). When would it be my turn? How long would I have to wait to get something good?
And then it hit me. Maybe what I think is a good thing is not necessarily what God thinks is a good thing for my life right now. Ohhhh. If I could just rest in this notion (Isaiah 55:8-9) and stop looking around and comparing, it sure would be a lot easier (and less work for my aching, craning neck).
My head knows that if I am truly seeking the Lord and his will for my life, then I will want what he wants for me--including what he thinks is good for my life. My priorities should change and my desires should line up with his. But sometimes it takes my heart a little while to catch up, to surrender my desire for "fried chicken" and to accept what God wants for me.
When I pause to think I about it, I know that I already have good things in my life--and in fact, they are "perfect" for me as defined by Scripture (James 1:17). I just don't always see them as such.
Father, may you reveal today what we are clinging to that may not be good as you define it. Help us to put our hope in YOU for you alone are good, and you are the source of every good thing in our lives.
Intersecting Faith & Life: What represents "fried chicken" to you in your life's cafeteria line? Are you willing to let it go, to seek what God wants for you and to thank him for what he deems "good" in your life? Today, make it your aim to "taste and see that the LORD is good" (Psalm 34:8). And purpose to take your refuge in him.
Further Reading
Matthew 7:11
Ephesians 3:16-19
June 1, 2009
Fiery Faith
by Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
And suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Acts 2: 2-4
This weekend we celebrated Pentecost, one of the oldest feast days on the Christian calendar. It traditionally falls on the 50th day of Easter, marking the close of the season - and talk about ending things with a bang.
The spectacular scene described here has understandably captured the fascination of countless artists through the ages. While traveling in Spain, I was blessed to encounter one such painting by El Greco which quickly became a favorite of mine. The vibrant piece, stretching from floor to ceiling, portrays the Apostles and Jesus' mother Mary with rapturous facial expressions illuminated by the brilliant flames of God's Spirit hovering above their heads. The fiery tongues seem to be the only source of light in the room -- anything outside the reach of the Holy Spirit's glow quickly fades from dazzling color into shadowy darkness.
And yet for all the glory of that moment, the moments leading up to the descent of the Holy Spirit were, according to Scripture, filled with fear and uncertainty. Even after all the stunning events they'd witnessed in the days following Jesus' resurrection, the apostles were hunkered down and hiding in the days following Christ's second goodbye, His ascension. But after a pregnant pause, God came through for this fearful bunch, and the Church was officially born.
Pentecost reminds me that even those who witnessed the miracles of Christ firsthand succumbed to uncertainty and fear. Fickleness, fear, and frailty -- they're all part of the human condition, even among the most faithful.
Pentecost also reminds me that while God often works in seemingly ordinary ways, sometimes He bursts through the veil that separates heaven and earth and wows us beyond our wildest hopes and dreams. He doesn't wait for us to be perfect or holy to bless us with His presence, but instead fills our frail selves with His glory and empowers us to do great things.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Do you remember times in your faith when you were truly "on fire" for God? When His presence was tangible and your heart was willing to go wherever He led you? Reflect on those times, and ask God to renew your fire for Him.
Further Reading
1 Corinthians 12: 4-7
John 20: 19-23
June 2, 2009
Elbows & Ears
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
I will redeem you with an outstretched arm.
Exodus 6:6
Be merciful to me and hear my prayer.
Psalm 4:1
Once, when my son was just shy of three years old, he informed his mother he was drawing a picture of God.
"What does God look like?" she asked.
"Well, I put some elbows and some ears," he replied, and he went back to his work.
I was told that story when I came home from work. Cute, I thought. Not exactly as awe-inspiring as Ezekiel's vision, but sounds like a weird picture. I mean...
Where is the face?
The face of the Lord is not one you could look upon (Exodus 33:12-23), came the voice inside my head.
Where are the hands and feet?
That's you.
Oh yeah, that's true...
So elbows and ears, huh?
Well, I guess God does reach us, and move us, and push us, and hold up the light to our paths. As Wayne Watson sang, "No one in this world can slip beyond the reaches of the long arm of the Lord."
And I know he hears us. He created us for fellowship. He desires praise and prayer. He's absolutely listening. He can even hear things we don't even know we're saying. As Steven Curtis Chapman sang, "The cross should have been mine, But his love broke through time, And heard my heart's cry."
So in one statement about one drawing by one child, I had digested a complete meditation on the nature of God, who he is and what he does, even what he leaves for us to do. As Casting Crowns sang, "If we are the body... Why aren't his hands healing... Why aren't his feet going?"
Intersecting Faith & Life: Consider today what part of the body you are playing, and what other parts (eyes, mouth, shoulders, etc.) describe what you know about the character of your God.
Further Reading
Video: "Proof" Most of us have thought how much easier it would be to follow God if we could just see Him once. The truth, though, is that He is all around us...
Matthew 5:8
June 3, 2009
A Reason to Boast
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
This is what the LORD says: "Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight," declares the Lord.
Jeremiah 9:23-24
The "self-help" and "self-improvement" sections of local bookstores are entirely too easy to mock and deprecate. With titles such as "Maybe Life's Just Not That Into You", "Excuses Be Gone!", "The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist" and "Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking", America's self-help culture can't be denied. If not all-powerful business executives, we at least want to appear sufficiently competent and – well, self-sufficient. These self-help sections just serve to underscore our compulsion to "be all you can be." Especially if someone else will notice.
Think about the quintessential American dream for a moment – the rising career, the house with a backyard, and 2.3 kids enrolled in ballet and basketball. It's what we want to report in our Christmas cards to family and friends. It dates back to the old "pull yourself up by your own bootstraps" mentality that isn't all bad. Still, like the self-help shelves, the dream often boils down to a prideful heart.
Contrast this cultural stereotype with Paul's continued exhortations throughout his letters. We grow accustomed to hearing some of the apostle's key themes – "dying to self," "dead in sin," "servant leadership." I'm guilty on more than one occasion of mentally putting my Bible on the self-help shelf, looking at it as a manual to better myself. Biblical virtues such as compassion and perseverance, so necessary to the community of faith, can be made one more tool in my "self-made" toolbox. Paul's theology becomes my means of achieving the "good Christian life."
How does this happen? I think the answer, at least in my life, is fairly simple. Like those self-help books, like Christmas cards sent out to distant relatives, I begin focusing on the "what" instead of the "who." The late theologian Carl Henry, after he had already written his great theological works, was once asked the "secret" maintaining humility. He said simply, "How can anyone be arrogant when he stands beside the cross?" Our lessons in self-confidence can only seem significant when we lose perspective on the greatness of Christ's sacrifice.
In Jeremiah, the Lord gives only one legitimate example of boasting – and that is centered around his glory. "Let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth," he says. That strips all our self-help lessons of their value. No wisdom, no strength, no anything is worth proclaiming except what finds its root in God's own character and our relationship with him. And if we boast in that, the emphasis doesn't rest on our created sufficiency. It points back to the mercy of a God who loves people – even those obsessed with self-help shelves.
The praise song "How Deep the Father's Love for Us" demonstrates this truth in just a couple verses:
I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no powers, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection
Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Competency can quickly morph into self-sufficiency, followed by pride. Before we know it, we're "boasting" through our actions and attitudes if not our words. Let's forget the "what" and get back to the "who."
Slippery Humility
"Let Him Who Boasts Boast in This"
Galatians 6:14
1 Corinthians 1:28-29
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June 4, 2009
That's What Friends are For
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Entertainment Editor
A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.
Proverbs 17:17, NIV
Remember the '80s ballad, "That's What Friends Are For"? Its chorus wasn't really profound, but more of a feel-good reminder about friendship:
Keep smilin', keep shinin'
Knowin' you can always count on me, for sure
That's what friends are for
For good times and bad times
I'll be on your side forever more
That's what friends are for
It would be nice if all friendships could be as "smilin'" and "shinin'" as the one described in this song. But that's not always the case, such as earlier this spring when one of my friends said to me, "You stink as a friend."
Nice. Well, in hindsight I believe that the Lord was showing me that I truly was not being a good friend at all. And it took the ending of this friendship to show me where I was lacking in all of my friendships across the board.
In this particular case, I apologized and tried to reconcile, but the friend wanted nothing more to do with me. So after crying and wiping away my tears, I decided that I would learn from this situation.
My quest took me to the book of Proverbs: a source of wonderful life lessons that are as simple to understand as they are deep in their layers of meaning. Let's take a look and see what it says that true friends are for. ...
Proverbs 16:28 ... "A perverse man stirs up dissension, and a gossip separates close friends." When friends share their most private thoughts with us, we should file them away for safekeeping. Don't be a source of drama. Instead, protect your friends' personal business and be the tie that binds and builds trust.
Proverbs 17:9 ... "He who covers over an offense promotes love, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends." Have you ever "covered" for a friend before? This is one of those acts that really forces us to mature and put on some big boy (or girl) pants in a hurry. Even when you've been hurt, love doesn't broadcast. It forgives and gets over the wrong.
Proverbs 17:17 ... "A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity." Whether the sun shines or the skies burst forth in torrential downpours, true friends and relatives stick with you through thick and thin and are not of the fair-weather variety. Are you a faithful friend who purposes to remain?
Proverbs 18:24 ..."A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." True, you have to be a friend to make friends. But are you supposed to be bosom buddies with everyone? You can be friendly to all, but it is better to be selective when determining your closest, most dependable inner circle of friends.
Proverbs 27:6 ... "Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses." The bottom line is this: a real friend will tell you what you need to hear and not what you want to hear. Sure, it hurts to hear the truth (even in love!). But afterward, you'll see how much better you feel and realize how much your friend truly cares about you.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Based on the above verses, how are your friendship skills measuring up? Is it time to do a little fine-tuning? Are there some friendships that should be added or subtracted from your life? Take time to assess and thank God for the friends he has placed in your life.
Further Reading
The Making of a Friendship
Do You Yearn for Meaningful Friendships?
June 5, 2009
Giving Up the Funk
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do ... So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Romans 7:15, 21-25
I didn't sleep well the night before. So naturally, the next morning I was prepped to be in a funk. And on a Sunday, no less.
The coffee didn't taste as good, and my morning bagel wasn't that satisfying. Even the butter I slathered over and under and inside and around every toasted nook and cranny did nothing to lift my spirits.
No fun e-mails or messages when I got online either. No witty updates. No crazy photos with crazier captions. No entertaining stories posted by any of my friends. Nothing.
I tried flipping around the tube next, but I couldn't find anything of interest or distraction either. Just news. Gloom and doom. Infomercials to infinity. And some "interesting" religious broadcasting.
I had gotten up later than normal, so I knew I wouldn't make it to the first service at church. Actually, I didn't want to go to the second service either. Didn't want to go to church at all. And so it was official: I was in a funk.
I then decided it was best that I stay home, because I was really tired after all. And how could I possibly drive the considerable distance to church and pay attention throughout a thirty-plus-minute sermon and everything? Especially when powered by such a horrendous night of rest.
As I was creating this rationale in my mind, something told me to call my mom. So I did. I shared my predicament and my stay-at-home plans for the morning. And after I hung up the phone, I thought I would feel better about my decision to skip church and that my explanation to someone else and their agreement would get me off the hook. But somehow, I knew it wasn't right. My cup was empty. Bone dry. And I needed to get it filled. Fast.
So I got it together and made it to the late service, but my funk was still ever present. Everything and anything annoyed me: the fresh 'n' perky greeters at the door, the music man leading the hymns too slowly, the off center tri-fold creases in the bulletin's sermon outline, the special music that wasn't so special, and even the pastor. His message was emotional and caused him to speak slowly and pause often--either for dramatic effect or due to his heart's softness in responding to the important subject matter: God's love and its expression through us (1 John 4:7-21).
Had I been sitting at the end of my row, I would have left. But (providentially, I believe), I was seated in the middle. So there I stayed with my heart of stone. I didn't laugh. I didn't tear up. Everyone else around me did, though. They were open. They were ready to receive what God would say to them that morning about the condition of their hearts.
As I drove away from church afterward and scowled at the sunny day around me, I asked the Lord to help me give up the funk. I didn't know what had caused it, and I didn't know why my heart didn't want to worship him that day.
Like Paul contemplated in Romans, I did not understand why I was doing what I did not want to do. In my mind, I wanted to worship that morning. I wanted to receive. I wanted to love. But my sinful nature was battling and blocking; it wanted to control the desire of a child who really wanted to honor her Father.
Over the next couple of hours, I got to the end of myself. And the stoniness of my heart--the rebellion--began to crumble. I softened. I teared up. "What a wretched woman I am!" I could have shouted, echoing Paul's sentiment. And I know that this transformation--this removal of my funk--was not of my doing.
Who will rescue me from this body of death? Perhaps you need to ask this same question today.
Thanks be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord! That is the answer, my friend. And truly, and ever so gratefully, it's all any of us should say when we understand our condition and when what we hate is what we do.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Are you battling the funk today? Although we still have a flesh nature this side of heaven, we also have Christ in us through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Don't give up. You can give up the funk. Ask your Heavenly Father to help you overcome, so that he may be glorified in and through you.
Further Reading
Romans 8:12-14
Galatians 5:22-25
June 8, 2009
The Quest for Perfection
by Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matthew 5: 48
The Scripture above is one most of us would read with some perplexity. As Christians we know we're sinners in need of a Savior. Every Sunday at church we thank God for His divine intervention through Christ's death on the cross.
Yet the very One sent to die for us seems to be asking us here to be that which we know we can't: perfect. Not just really, really good. But perfect in the way God is perfect.
Now if you're a perfectionist like me, you may already have your pen out to list all your weaknesses so you can strategize the best plan to eradicate them from your life.
This isn't a bad exercise, but I've often become easily frustrated and tired when I set out to perfect myself. That's precisely the problem with this approach -- it's all about me, myself, and I. An old friend of mine, in his quest to eliminate his selfish attitude, would often exclaim with much exasperation: "I keep trying to get rid of my selfishness but in the process of trying to improve myself, I end up focusing on my self all the time!"
It's hard to stifle a smile at his candor. It seems God has something better in mind for us than a glorified self-help program.
Perhaps the verse above is easier to understand when cast in a different light. Peter doesn't use the word "perfect" but instead calls believers to "holiness":
" ... but as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct: since it is written 'you shall be holy, for I am holy.'" (1 Peter 1: 15 -- 16)
Holiness transcends what someone does (or doesn't do) and ties directly into who God is. As believers, we aren't necessarily called to be "perfect" by the world's standards, but instead to reflect God's nature to others. His goodness, truth, strength, and love.
The only way we can accurately reflect God to others is to strive daily to know God. To be in His presence. To meditate on His Word. Unlike the futile self-help approach, the more we focus on God, the less self-focused we become. And the more available we make ourselves to His transforming grace in our lives.
"Above all the grace and the gifts that Christ gives to his beloved is that of overcoming self." ~ St. Francis of Assisi
Intersecting Faith & Life: Do something this week that requires you to "forget" yourself and your struggles. Serving those in need is usually a good way to do this.
Further Reading
2 Samuel 22: 31
Matthew 19: 21
June 9, 2009
Armor 'n Enemies
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel.
Ephesians 6:13-19
Six pieces of armor. Five primarily defensive, one primarily offensive. And yet...
Have you ever used the chest-bumper of righteoueness on someone? How about the head-butter of salvation? The bludgeoner of faith? The shin-kicker of readiness?
Even the sword of the spirit has its proper purpose - to fight our enemies. Who are?
Other Christians? Unbelievers? Mean people?
While we humans can all be so hard on each other, no. One verse earlier, Paul tells us what we're fighting:
our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil (v. 12).
Quite convicting, really. Not only do I clearly go into many days without getting completely dressed, even when I do I'm mis-using my equipment, fighting in the dark, swinging blindly, or wounding with friendly fire.
I don't know about you, but for me, the elemental Bible verses I first learned as a youth (like today's verse) are the ones I need to continually reconsider, because they're the ones I tend to just believe without acting upon.
When times come - like these days we're in now - where there is fierce political thought and lines being drawn and opinions spouted as truth, including the opinion that there is no truth - it's just so easy to get drawn in before we remember to put on our armor or be trained in using it. When that happens, we tend to view our enemies as each other, and forget or deny that the war is still spiritual. And therefore more serious, more wearying, not less.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Get dressed this morning, and tomorrow morning. Once equipped, try emphasizing the defensive uses of most of the armor. Stand up for someone. Protect the reputation of another. Shelter someone in loving truth. Run quickly to someone in need. I pray you'll begin to survive your days much less scathed.
Further Reading
Romans 8:38
Fight or Flight? Weighing Your Instincts Against God's Word
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June 10, 2009
Small Beginnings
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"Does anyone dares despise this day of small beginnings? They'll change their tune when they see Zerubbabel setting the last stone in place!"
Zechariah 4:10, The Message
David almost missed his calling.
My husband didn't pull a Jonah and run in the opposite direction that God was leading. He simply had no exposure to the great needs in special education, and was passing that field by with no particular concern. In college, he had gravitated towards a teaching certification in social studies, and naturally assumed that was where God would use him. But that was before.
After graduation, his wonderful rapport with friendly human resource contacts had yet to turn into job offers, or even first interviews. We weren't worried though -- it was only May, and hiring often didn't happen until June. Or July. Or August. Or maybe even the first week of school... finally, we had to admit that there would be no full-time history position available that school year. It was full-time substituting or nothing.
Well, almost nothing. A middle school almost forty minutes away needed an assistant soccer coach, and offered to set him up regularly as a substitute if he accepted the job. With few options, he took the coaching position and its meager stipend. Meanwhile, gas prices were so high that he actually lost money every day that he couldn't also substitute, because he still had to make the trek for afternoon soccer practice.
That lasted most of the fall semester, before teachers for whom he had substituted told him about full-time position at the school. Except it wasn't a social studies position. It wasn't even a teaching position. It was an instructional aide position in a classroom for kids with mental disabilities.
It wasn't what he planned to do. It wasn't what he had trained to do. But at the moment, it fit the bill and provided some stability and consistency. We asked God to shut the door if this wasn't the right opportunity, but he didn't. So he walked through the door.
A few months -- and more than a few touching experiences -- down the road, David decided to get his masters in special education. He found openings waiting for him in the field. Mentors and administrators kept noting his easy manner in the classroom where so many adults felt awkward or dismissive. David realized he'd fallen in love with the kids. And he knew this was where he was called. The rest, well, it's life as we know it now.
Some might say we adopted a laissez faire approach to his job situation. We weren't incredibly picky about what the door led to -- if it was open, we just walked through it. A divine hand essentially shoved us in a particular direction, and we simply followed that direction until we ran into a wall. And at the wall, there was always another door opening to a new direction.
That's not to say I didn't drag my heels a little bit. In the beginning, only the fact that school had started let me accept that David would be substituting. He was "too good" for something so dismissive of his talents, I knew. The same went for the instructional aide position. He had a real teaching certificate, and I wanted to see him land a real job that he deserved. But David exhibited more wisdom throughout the process; throughout the upheaval, he kept reminding me to "curse not the day of small beginnings." And indeed, the day he took that assistant coaching position set us on a road we never would have discovered otherwise.
One of the great principles of Christian living is this: "Whatever you do, work at it with your whole heart, as working for the Lord and not for men." Even the day of small beginnings translate into big opportunities to serve a great God. And from one small beginning, this great God can change the rest of your life.
Intersecting Faith & Life: What menial tasks have landed in front of you? Our God can use even the barest circumstances to point us to great acts of love and service that reflect glory back on him.
Further Reading:
On the Threshold of Opportunity
When Plans Don't Go As Planned
Luke 16:10
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June 11, 2009
The Redemptive Value of Facebook
by Mike Pohlman, Editor, Christianity.com
You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. --Matthew 5:14-16
Can Facebook be redemptive? In other words, can this social networking phenomenon be a means of helping Christians grow in grace? Can it be spiritually edifying? Can it promote godliness?
Yes.
My "yes," of course, is not without qualification. I realize Facebook can be used for banal, unhelpful purposes. (Carl Trueman, for example, offers a good critique of our Web 2.0 world.) But today God's grace was extended to me through the Internet; today Facebook was a blessing. Let me explain.
I was tagged in a friend's list of "25 Random Things About Me."* While I have yet to fill out one of these lists, I have enjoyed reading them. It is a good (and efficient) way to learn interesting things about a person. And these lists are all the more intriguing when you haven't kept up with someone for, say, twenty years.
The particular list opened with this amazing declaration: "I would change nothing about my life!"
How many people can say that about their life? It's one thing to say, "I love my life." Or, "I have a great life." Or, "I'm living the good life." But to say, "I would change nothing about my life"? That got my attention.
The list of "random" things proceeded with unmistakable joy.
24. "I am very happy."
18. "I am thrilled that I have gotten in touch with so many family members and friends on facebook."
14. "I have two dogs and a cat. I am not big on pets, so having them is a testament to how much I love my children."
13. "I don't feel that I could have a more wonderful husband."
12. "I have four children and wish I had more.....6 would have been nice!"
7. "A perfect day for me is spent with my husband and children."
Reading these things was inspiring as they spoke to my friend's deep love for her family. I smiled as I recalled how I used to play little league baseball and Pop Warner football with her husband. Now we both had four kids. More importantly, I found myself thinking about my wife and children and what a blessing they are to me. But then, as I continued down the list, I ran into these sobering statements:
6. "It is a good thing that my life will never be the way it was before I was diagnosed with cancer."
5. "My life will never be the way it was before I was diagnosed with cancer."
I didn't know my friend had been diagnosed with cancer. I paused to let it sink in. Cancer. That word has a way of arresting our attention like no other. And rarely, it seems, is gratitude accompanied with it. But here in a list of "25 Random Things" was the phrase, "It is a good thing...." How could my friend preface any mention of cancer with "It is a good thing"?
The answer came at the end of the list:
1. "The LORD is always #1."
This is the "thing" that makes all the difference in the universe. When the Lord is first in our lives then everything takes on new meaning--our marriages, parenthood, jobs, ministries, leisure time, and, yes, even cancer. We realize that nothing is truly "random." When we see our heavenly Father in His providence orchestrating all our days then we can say radical things like, "It is a good thing that my life will never be the way it was before I was diagnosed with cancer." In other words, God used cancer to help me.
In Matthew 5:16 Jesus says, "In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." Tami's light is shining brightly today and I'm giving glory to God for it.
[*All references to my friend's "25 Random Things" used with permission.]
June 12, 2009
You Are Not Alone
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Entertainment Editor
Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
Romans 5:3-5
I came in late to the whole Lost phenomenon.
And now, as faithful followers await the sixth and final season of this popular television series, I have only just finished watching Season One. But there's still time to catch up, and that's just what I plan to do over the summer since I'm already hooked on this fascinating, mysterious story line and study of the human condition.
If you've not seen the show before (gasp!), the basic premise is that of a small group of people who have survived a plane crash and ended up on a mysterious (and, at first, seemingly deserted) island somewhere in the South Pacific. Because the plane lost contact with air traffic control before it went down (and had to go off course for some reason), officials are probably not looking for the plane in the area in which it crashed. And therefore, there's not a lot of reason to be hopeful as the situation seems bleak.
Some of the survivors are despondent. Some are bitter and have resigned themselves to living the rest of their lives on the island. Others are resilient and are making the best of the situation. And others are still hoping that they will be rescued soon.
In each episode, the onion is peeled back even further as more and more of the characters' backstories are revealed. And as I find out what was happening in their lives before they survived the crash, the more I understand why they are who they are on the island.
Each character brings his or her own kind of suffering: father issues, troubled marriage, revenge, addiction, loss, deception or fear ... just to name a few. And each episode shows how the characters either work together to accomplish something good or drift apart due to their individual issues or circumstances. Everyone has a choice of how they will act or react. And there are consequences from which they and we, the viewers, can certainly learn.
Suffering and life on the island has brought out the worst and the best in these people. They can choose to feel abandoned and alone, to die in their surroundings, or they can fight to survive by whatever means possible.
As I watch, I've wondered how I would react should I be a plane-crash survivor who's now stuck on an island. Would I be bitter? Would I be hopeful? Would I hurt others? Would I feel alone? Or would the suffering help me to persevere, build character and produce hope?
Life in the real world is really not all that different than on the island. You and I face trials and troubles in our everyday lives, too. We all carry baggage with us. But as believers, we know that we are not alone in our suffering. God is with us, through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit who is our Great Comforter and source of Truth (John 14:15-31).
Intersecting Faith & Life: Remember that today. No matter how desolate your situation may feel, you are not lost and stranded on an island. And you are not alone in your suffering. God knows exactly where you are, and he is with you.
Further Reading
Psalm 34:17-19
2 Corinthians 4:17-18
Romans 8:17-18
June 15, 2009
Be Still
by Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
Be still and know that I am God. (Ps. 46: 10)
The affairs of God are accomplished little by little and almost imperceptibly. The Spirit of God is neither violent nor hasty. -- St Vincent de Paul
The past several weeks have been filled with jam-packed schedules, crowded airports, chattering children and blaring cell phone ring tones -- a never ending stream of noises, technology, and motion. It seems the older I get, the more those lazy summer days of childhood feel like fairy tales from another life.
If you're American, you're probably just as busy if not busier than I am right now. We're a country filled with activity. Studies show we're some of the most sleep-deprived people in the world. We work long hours, come home to more work (completed with the television blathering on in the background) before collapsing into bed to repeat the process again the next day.
Why do we live such frantic, hyper stimulated lives? Sometimes it's out of a sense of obligation -- we feel it's a sin to say "no" so we overextend ourselves trying to fill the roll of Savior for everyone around us. Sometimes our frenzied lives stem from a sense of inadequacy -- "If I work hard and accomplish such-and-such, I will have value." Sometimes it's a mode of escape -- burying ourselves in work or in a TV program keeps our minds off life's disappointments. And sometimes we've just lost sight of our priorities, defaulting to the heightened pace of the culture around us, unaware that we've let our down time slip away little by little.
Regardless of why we're living in the fast (and loud) lane, deep down we all know we need to get out of it. Our souls crave peace, stillness, and silence. And even if we can ignore the cries of our souls for awhile, our bodies demand it when they eventually wear out.
Why do we crave that stillness? It seems the "noise" of life is more often man-made than God-ordained. In Scripture we see that time and again, God calls us to find peace in Him, to lighten our burden with Him, to set aside our anxieties and meaningless business. We see God speak to the prophet Elijah through a "gentle whisper" and tell an anxious Martha that her sister Mary chose the "better" part when she abandoned household duties to sit at Jesus' feet. (Luke 10: 41-42)
After a long day of running here and there, I find myself longing to be peaceful Mary whose only job is to be with Christ. So how can we become more like Mary when the vast majority of us more closely resemble worried Martha? I love the opening Scripture verse -- it's so simple, it cuts through all the junk clanking around in my brain. Be still.
In the midst of the activity surrounding her, Mary made a simple choice. To sit and be still. You and I can make that simple choice too, even when life seems to be pressing on all sides. It may be awkward at first -- we may be tempted to grab for the remote or cut our time with God short. But by seeking stillness we are effectively saying, "Nothing else is as important to me as You at this moment, Lord." When I've spent time at our local Adoration chapel -- a place void of constant noise and movement -- I find I am never sitting in an empty room doing "nothing" but a place filled with God's presence and love, a place I can truly know God.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Visit a local chapel this week where you can sit, reflect and be alone with the Lord for one hour.
Further Reading
Luke 10: 38 -- 42
1 Kings 19
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June, 2009
Only One Way to Achieve Patience
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride.
Ecclesiastes 7:8, NIV
Our senior pastor came into the room for a pre-arranged talk with all of us high school senior guys. He wanted to share something with us as we moved off into the next phases of our lives.
Out of all the applications and biblical wisdom at his disposal, what one topic was on his heart? What advice did he wish to impart above all?
He began by asking us to envision where we'd be in five, 10, 20 years. I'm just now coming up on that 20th year; I'm amazed at how differently some things have turned out, and how similar to my goals other things are. But that's not the point.
Our pastor next told us that the one thing we ought to pursue more than any other was... not holiness, not righteousness, not prayer... but patience. "Boys, raise your hand if you want to be a man of patience."
Okay, sure. Sounds good. Patience, yeah, that could be helpful to me. Hand up.
"Great. I'll tell you what, boys, can I pray with you now? But be aware, only agree with me in this prayer if you mean it, if you really want patience. Because do you know what it takes to develop patience? Problems. Only problems - and the way you react to them and trust God through them - can develop patience. Do you understand? So that's what I'm going to ask God for right now, that He'll bring you all problems. Are you ready?"
Sure. Why not?
Oh boy. Looking back, the last 20 years haven't exactly been hell on earth, but they've sure been full of their share of problems. Right at this moment, I've got one that's forcing me to wait... and wait... and wait for an answer. I feel shamed when I go through a study about Abraham and how long he waited and waited for God to fulfill a direct promise, because I can't imagine waiting any longer than I already have. The only reason I continue to do so is because of the patience and wisdom I've built up having passed through earlier problems and trials, the outcomes of which inform me to keep waiting.
What's the moral here? Be careful what you pray for? Hmmm... maybe... but I think I prefer the lesson in today's verse, that patience (trusting God's way and waiting on His promise) is better than pride (my idea of the best way). To me, it's really eye-opening to think of those two concepts - patience and pride - as the opposites of each other. It suggests patience is akin to humility, and pride the brother of instant gratification. And I guess that makes sense. But why is patience better? Especially in this day and age when so much is there for the taking? When the respected thing to do is reach out and go for it? What had my pastor so convinced that doing the opposite was the most important lesson for sending young men out into the world?
Honestly I haven't completely figured that out yet. Appropriately, it's something I'm willing to be patient to gain the wisdom of. But I suspect it has something to do with that pesky old verse from James:
Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing (James 1:2-4).
Only problems can bring patience; only trials can test faith and make it real. Only endurance can lead to completion.
And when I am complete, I will lack nothing. At which time I apparently will have superceded even patience, as what would there be to wait for if I lack nothing?
It sounds almost mystical, almost unachievable, at least until the end of my life / when I meet God. Until then, I simply pray that the experience of each problem and the eventual result will steel me into calm, patient submission to God's perfect timing.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Are you willing to pray a problem into your life? Why or why not?
Further Reading
Afraid God Will Give You Patience?
Pursue Patience
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June 17, 2009
Remembering Heroes of the Faith
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Entertainment Editor
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:1-3, NIV
We're a people who love to celebrate each other--especially those we consider "heroes."
Just look around you, 'cause you probably don't live too far away from some sort of Hall of Fame. There's the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, Tenn. Further north in Boston, Mass, you'll find The Robot Hall of Fame. The Snowmobile Hall of Fame is located in St. Germain, Wis., and then The National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame has its home in Bonner Springs, Kans.
Now, granted, we can't honor or remember every "hero" who ever walked Planet Earth. But you'll probably agree that there is one group of heroes that believers in Christ should certainly celebrate: heroes of the faith.
Starting in God's Word, we know that Jesus is our ultimate hero. He is the "author" and "perfecter" of our faith. All thirty-three years of his earthly ministry give us a wonderful example of how to live, and we share in the joy of his place on an eternal throne.
There are also a great number of individuals who came before Christ and are cited for their examples in the "hall of faith" passage in Hebrews, chapter 11: Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab and others.
These Old Testament heroes did not live to experience the resurrection and the life of Christ. But they kept their focus on God and His promises to them. Heroes who lived since the fulfillment of the Messiah have contributed significantly to the church and the cause of Christ.
Each one of us has known a hero of the faith, whether in our families, at our churches in our schools or in our communities. Today, All Saints Day, is set apart as a time to remember these heroes and consider how their lives contributed to the cause of Christ. It is an important holiday in the Christian year that we would all do well in celebrating.
The first general observance was ordered by Pope Gregory IV in 837. After the Reformation, Protestant churches celebrated All Saints Day by interpreting the New Testament usage of "saints" as all believers and celebrated unity of the entire Church on this day.
Will you take time to remember these saints and heroes of the faith and learn from their examples today?
Intersecting Faith & Life: Think of the departed saints and those who have been meaningful to you: family members, teachers, leaders, mentors, pastors, biblical characters or others. Share with someone about a "hero of the faith" and how he or she has made an impact in your life.
Further Reading
Hebrews 11:1-40
Redefining Heroism
June 18, 2009
Dark Closets
by Fred Alberti, Crosswalk.com Director of Social Media
He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts.
1 Corinthians 4:5b
I recently helped with cleaning out the downstairs rooms of our church. We found all sorts of stuff in those rooms... we found electric wheelchairs, Vacation Bible School material from 5 years ago, pictures, a sofa... stuff that people didn't know how to take care of. So they just put it somewhere so that it couldn't be seen... somewhere that it could be forgotten about.
We sometimes do this with things in our own lives. We do things we know we shouldn't do so we hide them in the closets of our hearts... someplace where we won't have to deal with them anymore.
Maybe it is something someone said or did to us that hurt us. We hide it.
Maybe it is a line in a tax return. We've already received our refund so there is no need to do anything else... We hide it.
But is it really hidden?
Our verse today tells us that the Lord will bring to light the things we've hidden in the darkness.
How about it?
Are the dark closets of your heart bursting at the hinges?
Intersecting Faith & Life: Take some time to do some closet searching this week.
Further Reading
Hebrews 4:12-13
Search Me, Lord
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June 19, 2009
Child-Like Trust in the Lord
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
O Lord, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty;
Nor do I involve myself in great matters, or in things too difficult for me.
Surely I have composed and quieted my soul;
Like a weaned child rests against his mother,
My soul is like a weaned child within me.
Psalm 131:1-2, NAS
This song, like most of the Psalms, was written by David - the man who would be Israel's greatest king. Is David who comes to mind when you think of someone "not involved in great matters" (kingdom conflicts, maybe)? Or unbothered by "things too difficult" (slaying a giant, anyone)? No, to me, this doesn't really sound like David. Doesn't really sound like me most of the time either.
Let's take a quick look at three things that stand out about this little Psalm:
1) Attitude. David's "heart" - his inner being, his spirit, is not proud... of things he's done, of where he's been and where he's going... but neither is he beating himself up. He is just... content.
2) Appetite. David's "eyes" - his senses - are not haughty. He's not seeking to please them. He doesn't have the look of arrogance. He knows Whose he is, and that his needs are met not of himself. He is not restless to feed like an infant, he is not stalking around asking to eat out of boredom like my 2-year-old.
3) Aptitude. David places the responsibility for this peaceful state upon himself. Not circumstances, not achievements, not even on God. "Surely I have quieted my soul," he says.
All together, this is what trust looks like, and why it brings such soothing peace. Jesus said we must have faith like children to come to Him. Apparently, trust is also best exemplified in little ones. David's "talk" is of not being proud; his "walk" then backs it up by what he "involves" (or doesn't involve) himself in. This doesn't mean God hasn't given him - or you - important stuff to get done, just that David has "declared himself free from excessive ambition" (Ryrie study notes). To sing not of self, to seek not to fill the senses, to seek the will only to be quiet before God - that is trust. A "weaned child" knows instinctively where to find it. By extension, and through the example of "the man after God's own heart," so do we.
Intersecting Faith & Life: "Involve" yourself in a small, humble matter today - perhaps a child's squabble, creating a meal, or going for a walk - and see if you can compose your soul.
Further Reading
Matthew 18:4-5
When Old Men Trust, by Calvin Miller
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June 22, 2009
White Walls
by Meghan Kleppinger
Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, "Build houses and live {in them;} and plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and become the fathers of sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there and do not decrease. Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare."
Jeremiah 29: 4-7
If we were playing the word association game and someone said, "Military life," I would answer "white walls."
Thanks to our travel agency, otherwise known as the U.S. Army, I moved with my family 13 times before I graduated from college. Many of our abodes were Army quarters (houses on army installations for military families). The walls were always white. I determined early on that when I moved out on my own there wouldn't be a single white wall in my home.
From the time I graduated from college until now, I've continued to be in transition which has meant more white walls in my apartments. Well, I just bought my first house and, of course, I'm not thinking about the practical purchases that need to be made (like a washer and a dryer for example), I'm considering color! I'm thinking about the things that need to be done to help me feel settled and at home.
Eventually, I could move to a different town, or I could marry (this one gets my parents' vote), or a number of other things could happen that would require me to move out of this house. Will my probable future keep my belongings in their boxes or the paint in its can? Of course not! If there is one thing I learned as a military kid, it's to make home wherever I am for as long as I am there.
This world is not our permanent home and God tells us our days are like a breath (Psalm 144:4), but He has also given each of us the opportunity to unpack our boxes and make an impact while we are here.
Like the exiles in Babylon, God has put each of us where we are at this time for a reason. While we anticipate a "better country" (Hebrews 11:16), we are to live, enjoy the blessings God continues to give, and exhibit a life that tells others of His magnificent love.
Intersecting Faith & Life: In the words of missionary Jim Elliot, "Wherever you are, be all there." In others words, Get a brush and paint some walls
June 23, 2009
Enduring Hurled Stones
by Fred Alberti, Crosswalk.com Director of Social Media
Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 1 Timothy 6:12
Stephen was just an ordinary believer that God chose to use in an extraordinary way. He was chosen by the church leaders to assist in meeting the needs of the widowed church members. God chose to use him to work miracles and preach.
I like his speech recorded in Acts chapter 7. I can just imagine seeing the religious leaders drumming their fingers as he recounted Jewish history. they knew all of this already of course. But their drumming fingers soon came to be clenched fists as Stephen began to drive home their hard-headedness. It didn't take long before those clenched fingers were clutching stones waiting to be hurled in Stephen's direction.
You know, Stephen could have stopped at anytime. This wasn't his job; he was just supposed to make sure everyone got their food. Who would have blamed him? His life was in danger. But he didn't stop; he chose to allow himself to be swept away by the Spirit.
How about it?
Are you willing to be used by God?
Intersecting Faith & Life: Will you take a stand for Jesus regardless of the cost? Maybe you've been pounded by one to many stones. Take heart... Jesus is standing to the right of the Father. Be brave. Be strong. He will sustain you.
Further Reading
Acts 7
Psalm 46
The God of All Encouragement, by Adrian Rogers
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June 24, 2009
Who Wants to be Humbled?
Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others: "Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, `God, I thank thee that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all that I get.' But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, `God, be merciful to me a sinner!' I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for every one who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted." Luke 18: 9 -- 14
Have you ever picked up an interest or hobby you'd set aside for awhile? At the encouragement of fellow editor Meghan Kleppinger, I revived my love of horse back riding earlier this year by signing up for lessons. It's been five years since I climbed atop a horse and cantered over jumps as part of Virginia Tech's equine program. Thing is, horse back riding isn't exactly like bike-riding -- your muscles forget. I've swallowed more than my fair share of humble pie as my new instructor "teaches" me skills I already "know." It seems all the prior knowledge in my head won't translate to my muscles -- not without serious practice. In fact, my experience seems to act as a hindrance -- heightening my sense of self-consciousness and upping the frustration factor.
After one particularly frustrating lesson, it occurred to me how often my faith journey resembles these hour-long lessons. I became a Christian when I was 19. The first few years, I had a natural love for the Lord, and I wasn't too bothered when I stumbled -- after all, this was new to me. But after 7 years of following Christ, I find there are days I can explain theology and doctrine inside and out yet actually living out sacrificial, Christ-like virtue feels downright impossible. My spiritual muscles are paralyzed by fear or contorted by sin. My prior knowledge only serves to condemn as I wonder, "How is it I can spend years following the Lord, and yet still wake up such a sinner every morning?"
It's easy to step into pride's trap - especially those of us who have been Christian for awhile. We've run the race for a stretch, and holiness may seem just around the next corner. Or, conversely, we lose steam as we slip into despair, discouraged and shocked at our sinfulness when we should "know better by now."
I think we often mistake the gift of humility with this latter struggle. We think if we hate ourselves enough, somehow it'll make us better Christians. In the process, we throw out the good with the bad and find ourselves running -- or riding -- on empty. But my father once explained humility to me like this: Humility is the antidote for both pride and despair because humility is the simple act of acknowledging who you are in relationship to God.
Imagine yourself standing in the Presence of God. Pride instantly melts away as His beauty, purity, and glory overwhelms our small, sinful selves. Yet Scripture tells us that God loves us as His own children -- so we have no right to despise ourselves, no matter how flawed, because God Himself loved us enough to die for us. Our job is simply to acknowledge the truth of who we are today, no more and no less. Once we embrace genuine humility, the door opens for God to do great things through us
Intersecting Faith & Life: Does a lack of confidence prevent you from using your God-given gifts? Does your past hinder your present spiritual walk? What are some ways you can take what is good and leave the rest in order to move forward?
Further Reading
2 Samuel 22: 25- 38
1 Corinthians 12: 5 -- 10
1 Peter 5: 5-7
The Promise of Humility, by C.J. Mahaney
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June 25, 2009
Flying Lessons
by Meghan Kleppinger
"For I know the plans that I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11, NAS
While traveling to Chattanooga, TN a few years ago, I read the autobiography, Dorie: The Girl Nobody Loved, by Dorie Van Stone. The book retraces the past of a deeply wounded child transformed into a woman with heart on fire for the God who loves her.
As a child, Dorie was rejected and abandoned by her mother, and abused by orphanage workers, foster parents, and relatives. In the midst of a horrendous childhood filled with daily mistreatment, Dorie was introduced to the One who did love her and would never abandon her. Her life is now one that reflects not her past, but her Savior.
As I finished reading the final chapter on the plane, I shared with the Lord that I wanted to meet Dorie, give her a huge hug, and thank her for writing the book.
During my layover in Atlanta, I saw a woman resembling Dorie in one of the airport stores. I pulled the book out of my bag to compare the woman in the store with the photo on the back cover. I shook off the possibility and thought the same thing you are thinking now, "There is no way!" I proceeded to my gate promising myself if I saw her again I would I ask if she was, in fact, "Dorie."
I'm not proud to admit that when she appeared at my departure gate, I was a complete wimp and did not approach her. She sat two seats behind me on the plane, and still I said nothing. In Chattanooga's airport she kept popping up, but I continued to come up with excuses for not asking a simple question. Finally, while waiting for my baggage, I heard someone say, "Mrs. Van Stone."
I turned to her and finally asked, "Are you Dorie Van Stone?" She answered "yes" (of course). "Oh my!" was my intelligent response. I continued with, "I just finished your book on the plane."
"What did you think?" She asked, smiling.
"It was wonderful!" I managed to gurgle out. "I promised myself that if I ever met you I would give you a big hug!"
Without hesitation, she dropped her bags and gave me the biggest bear hug imaginable. I thanked her for writing the book and we quickly embraced again before going our separate ways.
I was amazed by the marvelous gift God gave me in meeting Dorie Van Stone. My adrenaline high was cut short with the reality that I could have spent a lot more time talking with her, but was too afraid. God was prompting me, but I ignored Him. Instead of listening, I waited until it was safe to ask. To this day, I regret the lost time I could have spent with Dorie.
I committed to never again allow fear to guide my decisions.
Every day, in little ways, God asks us to step out and trust Him. Sometimes He is asking us to share the gospel or help someone in need ... and sometimes He is answering a prayer or simply asking us to receive a gift. Isn't it easy to make excuses or justify saying "no?" We cheat ourselves when we respond this way. He offers us His goodness, shows us His glory, invites to be part of His work, and all we have to do is sensitive to His prompting and say "yes."
Intersecting Faith & Life: Remember what I learned that day -- When God asks you to do something that is a little challenging or out of your comfort zone, He's not asking you to blindly jump off a bridge to your death, He's offering you a chance to fly! So, prepare for flight, find comfort in the shadow of His wings (Psalms 36:7), and experience His goodness and love.
Further Reading
2 Timothy: 1:7
Your Ordinary Life Can be Extraordinary
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June 26, 2009
Viva La Vice!
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Entertainment Editor
Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
Let's be honest. We all have vices. Each of us has something that is the thorn in our sides, something that torments and tempts us. For some, it's pretty painful. And for others, it may not even register at all. Either way, a vice is something that causes us to stumble.
I used to think that there might be different levels of vices or sin. Maybe speeding wasn't necessarily as bad as having one too many drinks every Saturday night. Or perhaps polishing off most of a half gallon of Jamocha Almond Fudge by oneself wasn't even close to the same league of say, lying or gossiping.
But you know what? The bottom line is, a vice causes us to stumble. And when we stumble, we sin. Webster's says a vice is "moral depravity or corruption." "Wickedness" and a "habitual defect or shortcoming."
Most of us will struggle with a particular vice for the rest of our lives. In fact, many of us can point to the same vice affecting several generations throughout our family lines. And so we ask God to help us break these "generational curses" and so forth.
But sometimes, I think we might also thank God for allowing us to struggle. Celebrate our weakness. And say, "Viva la vice!"
Why is that? In a roundabout way, our vices can ultimately be good for us for they bring us to our knees. And when we're on our knees, we can only look up and reach our hands upward and cry out "Help me, Lord!" as we ask Him to work mightily and powerfully through us.
The apostle Paul had a vice in his life, too. In 2 Corinthians 12: 7, he called it a "thorn in his flesh." We don't know for sure if this was a physical ailment or something else that tempted him and caused him to stumble. Whatever it was, though, it propelled him to call upon the Lord:
"To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong" (1 Corinthians 12:7-10).
Like Paul, we need something to keep us grounded, to keep the focus off ourselves and our "ministry" if you will. A "thorn in the flesh" or a vice, is troublesome and painful, yes. But it keeps us our eyes on the Lord and reminds us daily that despite this weakness and the suffering it causes, it is an opportunity for God to work through us to accomplish great things. And in that, we can certainly boast!
Intersecting Faith & Life: When was the last time you wrote down your vices? Sometimes seeing something in writing makes it more real. Make a list and ask God to help you in your weaknesses, so that His power may be made known in your life.
Further Reading
Galatians 5:16-26
Why Do Bad Things Happen If God Is Good?
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June 29, 2009
Short on Change
by Fred Alberti, Crosswalk.com Director of Social Media
And the King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.' Matthew 25:40
Ever come up short at the grocery stand? A good friend of mine shared with me an experience he had when he was at the store picking up a few items. The lines were long so he jumped in the shortest one but he still wasn't satisfied. But then he saw it... an even shorter line. My friend, not one to waste time, jumped in that line. The lined moved along briskly until it got to the elderly lady in front of my friend.
Snag!
The cashier totaled her bill and the lady suddenly realized that she was short by over $2.00. Oh, what a dilemma! Not quite sure what to do, she began searching her groceries, hoping to find something she could do without. There was no luck.
The Bible says, "Whatever you do unto the least of these, you have done unto me" (Matthew 25:40). You know what my friend did? He stepped up to the cashier, asked how much was owed and then gave her the money that was needed. What a great act of kindness!
There's more to be learned here. The Bible says that "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). Ow, there's that word again: short. You know, when we pass on from this earth, we'll gather before the throne. It is here that we shall lay before God all that we have done in this life. He'll tally it up and say, "You're short." All that you have done won't pay the bill. But there's hope; you see, if you have acknowledged Jesus as your Savior, then He will step up behind you and say, "Here Father, I've paid for this person's bill. It's all right here." And then He'll show the marks in His side, hands and feet.
Oh what amazing love He shows toward us!
Intersecting Faith & Life: Is Jesus paying your bill or are you trying to pay the bill your own way? Maybe you know someone who doesn't know about Jesus. Make a point to tell them. Ask them to get in His line. He'll gladly pay their bill too.
Further Reading
Becoming a Christian
Romans 2:16
1 Corinthians 3:13
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June 30, 2009
Trust His Heart
by Meghan Kleppinger
"But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, 'You are my God.'" Psalm 31:14
Whether it be financial, relational, spiritual, or physical troubles (and don't they all seem to come at the same time?), it's easy to find ourselves questioning God and His plan for our lives.
Christian singer Babbie Mason's song, Trust His Heart, addresses these times of hardship. I heard this song for the first time when I was a preteen, and its moving lyrics continue to encourage me now in my adult years. I sing the chorus whenever I'm going through one of life's rough patches.
God is too wise to be mistaken
God is too good to be unkind
So when you don't understand
When you don't see His plan
When you can't trace His hand
Trust His heart
These aren't just lyrics of a song, they're descriptions of God's character and reminders of His promises as told through scripture.
1. God is too wise to be mistaken
"To God belong wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are his." (Job 12:13) (NIV)
"But God made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding. (Jeremiah 10:12) (NIV)
"Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!" (Romans 11:33) (NIV)
2. God is too good to be unkind
"O taste and see that the LORD is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!" (Psalms 34:8) (NAS)
"Answer me, O Lord, out of the goodness of your love; in your great mercy turn to me." (Psalm 69:16) (NIV)
"Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good." (1 Peter 2, 3) (NAS)
3. So when you don't understand, When you don't see His plan, When you can't trace His hand, Trust His heart
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." (Proverbs 3:5-6) (NAS)
"For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope." (Jeremiah 29:11) (NAS)
Isn't good to know that we when we are afraid or in the middle of circumstance we don't understand, that we can trust the ways of our wise and wonderful God!
Intersecting Faith & Life: Commit scriptures to memory that remind you of God's character and share the confidence you have in Him.
Further Reading
Use Means But Don't Trust in Means, Trust in God, by John Piper
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July 1, 2009
Breath of Fresh Air
by Fred Alberti Sr.; and Fred Alberti Jr., Crosswalk.com Director of Social Media
But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.
Hebrews 3:13
40 years ago, while anchored in the Philippines Islands, I was jarred from sleep by the 'battle stations' klaxons. After finding my way to my battle station, I was told there was a fire spreading aboard ship and was issued an OBA (Oxygen Breather) and sent below decks to search for injured shipmates in need of help.
Two decks below the hanger bay I came across my friend Tony. His eyes were nearly swollen shut and he was semi-conscious. Fortunately he was as skinny as I was, about 130 pounds soaking wet. I removed my Oxy mask and gave him a few breaths of pure air. I put him over my shoulder and struggled up the first ladder. At the top, I stopped to give another breath of Oxy to Tony, then began climbing another ladder to the hanger bay where I slipped Tony to the deck and yelled for a medic.
Like many of the injured, he was transferred to the USS Constellation for emergency medical treatment. That was the last I saw of Tony, until recently. I've since learned that Tony lost 50 percent of his lung capacity in that fire on the Kitty Hawk. He claims that if I hadn't removed my mask and given him some of my Oxy, he probably would not have survived.
Everyday we come into contact with people who are suffering from the choking "smoke" of sin. The easy thing to do is to judge them and turn our back.
"Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction." (2 Timothy 4:2)
Tony would probably have died if he had not been given the oxygen his lungs craved. How many people have you come into contact with who need the fresh oxygen of an encouraging word or a helping, loving hand?
Intersecting Faith & Life: Take some time to help in a homeless shelter this month. Be the bearer of a breath of fresh encouragement.
Further Reading
Romans 12:6-21
Living Free
On the Verge of Collapse
Fred Alberti Sr. served aboard the USS Kitty Hawk 1967-1969. He has two children and lives with his wife. He may be emailed at nukeglow@gmail.com.
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July 2, 2009
Oh Come Let Us Adore Him
by Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?" he asked Peter. "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."
Matthew 26: 40-41 NIV
There is a little chapel I frequent once a week to spend time with the Lord. It consists of a small, modest room attached to a monastery, tucked away on sprawling land in a neighboring county. Every Thursday, my boyfriend and I travel to spend one hour of silence before the Lord.
One full hour. With no breaks, no comforts of home. Just a cheap chair and a beat up old kneeler.
When we first made the one hour commitment, I expected a struggle.10 minutes here or 15 there in the tiny chapel seemed much more reasonable. It's times like this that I empathize with the disciples in the passage above. Indeed, the spirit is more willing than the flesh.
Over time, I am beginning to realize how little an hour per week really is -- and how beneficial this hour is to my relationship with God. It often takes a solid half hour before my soul is even still enough to cease my rambling at the Lord and allow Him to speak. And both of us recently noted that on the weeks we don't make it to Adoration, there is a distinct hole in our lives.
St. John of the Cross once said, "Those who are very active and think they can embrace the world with their preaching and external activities, should remember that they would be more useful to the Church and more pleasing to God, not to mention the good example they would set, were they to spend half as much time with him in prayer."
It's hard to imagine such a stationary activity could be so valuable -- even more so than preaching. Yet, ultimately, all the doing in the world, all those other interesting things that hold our attention, could be rendered meaningless if our relationship with the Lord is weak.
I often imagine the Lord waiting for us each week for that appointment in that chapel. There may be hours where it is completely empty, and yet He waits. As you begin your week, know that time spent with the Lord is time He desires with you. It is never wasted time and may bring Him more pleasure than anything else you accomplish this week
Intersecting Faith & Life: Are your quiet times still and peaceful? Or are they distracted and rushed? What can you do to improve your quiet times? Do you have a special place set aside where you spend time with the Lord?
Further Reading
Jeremiah 29:12-13
Psalm 95: 6-7
Matthew 6:5-8
How to Have a Meaningful Quiet Time, by Adrian Rogers
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July 3, 2009
How I Came to Enjoy Raisins
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. -- 1 John 2:10
Worst advertising slogan ever: "Two scoops of raisins in Kellogg's Raisin Bran." Blech. But apparently it worked on my mother, who bought the stuff like it was going out of style, while referring to delicious breakfast desserts such as Lucky Charms and Crunchberries as "cardboard." So unfair. So there I sat, choking down my raisin bran, or even oatmeal cookies with raisins in them, always suffering the same horrible fate: the bran or cookie part would be chewed and swallowed before the gooey chewy raisins, leaving me a mouthful of not-nearly-as-tasty goop.
I despised raisins. Thought about writing Kellogg's and telling them that backing off to one scoop would be plenty (nothing like getting to the bottom of the bowl and finding no flakes, only 10 little black things. Ew).
Flash-forward a quarter century. I'm having a similar issue to the raisin problem with people. Specifically, I'm loathe to admit, some Christian people. No, I haven't been eating them, but sometimes, I do find us hard to swallow. Part of the problem, ironically, is my job! Here at Crosswalk we often receive angry emails from fellow Christians who don't like the movie we reviewed, the way we said something, the ad we ran, or the author we allowed to appear on the site. Criticism's fine, even justified; I just have a hard time when it comes with a "You call yourself Christian?" or a "Have you even read the Bible?" punch to the gut. Sometimes it feels as if we Christians are concerned more with hammering home universal truth no matter how bluntly, or railing against _(fill in the blank)_ than genuinely loving people and meeting needs. Of course, the obvious irony here is that I then, looking in the mirror, find myself in short supply on genuine love myself. Which is not where Christ wants any of us to be. In fact, in Revelation 12:10, the title "Accuser of the Brethren" is given to our enemy Satan at his judgment. Yikes. Do I really want to claim that monicker for myself?
So what does this have to do with raisins? Well, recently I discovered I kinda like the shriveled little things! I pack 'em for snacks, and eat them with the kids. I like the nutritional value, the fiber, the chewiness. What's changed? My tastes? No. The raisins? No. Not the packaging, not the flavor, not even my effort (I'm not choking them down because they're good for me, I genuinely like them). I realized that what has changed is my perspective. It didn't happen overnight, but about the time "Craisins" (dried Cranberries) came on the scene, I began enjoying all sorts of dried fruits. And here's what I noticed: I like cranberries, ergo I like dried cranberries. I like apricots, therefore I like dried apricots. I love grapes, so obviously I... hate raisins? That didn't seem to make logical sense. Maybe it was time to give raisins another try. Maybe I shouldn't even think of them as raisins. Maybe I should just think of them as "dried grapes!"
That may sound extremely silly... but it worked! I felt like I had come into the light. The texture was suddenly different. The way I savored them changed... everything. And a fun new world of food possibilities has re-opened to me, simply thanks to a different way of looking at something.
1 John Chapter 2 is all about Light, who it comes from, what it helps us do, and what it shows about us when we walk in it. Light is a perspective-changer. It reveals the true nature of hidden or darkened things. It doesn't change them, but it can and does change how they appear, how they are perceived, and the details we notice. Our verse today says, "Whoever loves his brother lives in the light," and I think it also works backwards: "Whoever lives in the light loves his brother." It's not going to be easy for me to see fellow redeemed sinners - especially the angry ones - as Jesus does, but it's clearly possible, and commanded, and in the raisin example it wasn't about my efforts anyway - just turning on a light.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Who's got your goat? Have you ever tried seeing that individual, group, or faceless internet personage in a different light, from a different perspective, or even as God sees them? Have you considered how you might look different to others in a new light? Try filling these blanks in for yourself: "I like ____(x)_____, therefore I like even __________ _____(x)_____."
Further Reading
John 1: 4-11
Light and the Nature of God, by Regis Nicoll
How to Deal with Angry People, by Gary Chapman
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July 6, 2009
When You Can't Catch a Break... and You Want to Know Why
by Meghan Kleppinger
Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."
James 1:2-4
When it rains it pours; it is feast or famine; everything bad comes in threes; it always go from bad to worst; I can't seem to catch a break...
I don't have to ask if you've ever felt like a walking version of one of these clichés - if you're human, you have.
Just the other day, I had an unfortunate run-in with a Papasan Chair - I went to sit down and the top wasn't situated on the base correctly, so I sort of slid off with the top part, fell on my face, and twisted my ankle.
Normally, even I would have laughed at the ridiculousness of this scene, but it came at the end of a very bad day. Like any mature adult, I called my mother to complain about life in general... and that stupid chair. She said, "Well, isn't that the third thing to happen today?" It was - and I called her each time an unfortunate event had occurred that day. She finished with, "Remember things happen in threes, so you should be good now!"
That's not exactly how life works, but naming some rhyme or reason seems to help. The truth is that we can't always explain the "why," and thank goodness, our job isn't to solve the mystery behind our pain. If we embrace the reality of suffering in our lives, however, we can learn about ourselves, God, and how to mature in the Christian walk.
Now back to the Papasan Chair - I don't know why it attacked me, but I've learned and grown from the experience. I will never, ever, sit on that thing again! In life, with "real" suffering, we have a choice: to come out of bad circumstances the same as we were before, or to allow God to teach and mature through it.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Take a few moments to reflect on the various trials God has brought you through and what He's taught you through them.
Further Reading
Psalm 119:50
Suffering: A Chance to Grow
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July 7, 2009
Got Meek?
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Entertainment Editor
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Matthew 5:5, NIV
In the early '90s, the "Got Milk?" advertising campaign was created to encourage the purchase of cow's milk and increase sales after a twenty-year slump in the dairy industry.
Over the years, various celebrities, sports figures and other famous folk have been featured in these creative and compelling print ads--always with a "milk moustache" and always with the headline: Got Milk?
I got to thinking about these ads earlier this year when pondering what it meant to be meek, and who would star in a "Got Meek?" campaign if there were such a thing. Perhaps the acquisition of some meekness needed to happen in my life so that I could appear in one of these ads.
Prior to this, I had often thought someone who is meek must be very quiet and without opinion. Someone who would let anyone walk all over them. Someone with no backbone. Someone... unlike myself.
As I began seeing what the Scriptures had to say about it, I started realizing that this adjective was really describing a way of living and a state of mind--one that I was pretty sure I wasn't doing and didn't have. And pardon my poor grammar, but I didn't "got meek."
Jesus talks about those who are meek in the Beatitudes (part of the Sermon on the Mount in the gospel of Matthew). It's one in a list of attributes or attitudes defining how believers ought to live. If you read through all twelve verses (Matthew 5:1-12), you'll gulp, shake your head and admit that the standards are very high. How can anyone act in these ways all of the time? We can only live beatitude-ly with God's help through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Those who are meek are those who are humble before God. Submissive. They have a proper appreciation of their place and understand how they relate to their Creator. Basically, they understand that the world does not revolve around them, but God. He is the general manager of their universe, and they are not.
If you're like me, that's a hard way to live. No sooner am I done singing "It's all about you, Jesus," in my weekly Sunday morning church service, then I'm already hitting the prideful potholes ("It's all about me, Jesus") on my way driving home.
Yes, it's hard to "get" what being meek is all about. But the more time we spend knowing God and studying who He is and His precepts for our lives, the more we understand our human condition and how desperately we need to bend the knee and submit our will to that of our heavenly Father.
When you get all that, that's when you've "got meek."
Intersecting Faith & Life: Is there an area of your life that you have not submitted to the Lord? Pray that He would help you become meek, as you humble yourself and give whatever you're holding onto so tightly to Him.
Further Reading
2 Corinthians 10:5
Journey with Jesus: Nothing of My Own
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July 8, 2009
They Call Them Black Walnuts For A Reason
by Fred Alberti, Crosswalk.com Director of Social Media
"Although you wash yourself with soda and use an abundance of soap, the stain of your guilt is still before me," declares the Sovereign Lord.
Jeremiah 2:22
I came outside one day to find one of my daughters sitting in a seat with a stick and what looked like a green ball.
"What are you doing honey?" I asked.
"I'm using this stick to make a hole in this walnut so it will dry out and turn black."
Being a "fixer", like many other dads I know, I sat down beside her and pulled out my trusty pocketknife and began to cut into the skin of a green colored black walnut.
As I started to carve away I took no heed of the greenish yellow juice that came out and ran down my hand. I just figured I would scrub it all off my knife when I was finished.
I finally got all the skin carved away and was down to a nice walnut. Ha... she was still poking away with a stick and would have to wait who knows how many days for the skin to turn black. Meanwhile, I had my nut.
I was victorious.
I had conquered with my trusty knife.
Me Man!
Now all I needed to do was head into the house and wash off my hands and my trusty knife.
Ummm... yeah.
Newly discovered trivia... black walnut juice stains hands and fabric.
Oh, at first it is a little greenish but it doesn't stay that way. Over the next few hours that stain will turn blacker and blacker.
For the next two days I scrubbed and scrubbed trying to get the stain off my hands and out from underneath my finger nails.
I can now report that black walnut stains takes about 5 days to come off.
Enter what God said to Jeremiah. We can wash and wash with cleaners of our own makings but we will not be successful in removing the stain from before the Lord.
Fortunately, God has provided the means by which we can be cleaned. He alone has the product that can cleanse us. Acts 3:19 says, "Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord..."
Intersecting Faith & Life: Have you recently experienced the stain of sin in your life? Now is the time to repent and experience the refreshing of the Lord.
Further Reading
1 Timothy 6:11-14
Acts 22:16
Hebrews 10:1-6
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July 9, 2009
I'm Sure I Read that Somewhere
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
There are six things which the Lord hates... Proverbs 6:16
Ordinary day number 10,099, give or take, in my life as a born again Christian. Let's see what's on tap for me to do today...
Hmmm, probably not much need to pray; things are pretty good. I got it under control for now. Definitely don't need to read the Bible. 10,000 days into the journey a guy gets pretty tight with God. Knows his stuff. Remembers the Word fairly clearly. Gets pretty skilled at pointing out how others break the commandments and fail to trust the promises.
So I guess it'll be more of the same today.
Denounce political candidate without same convictions as me.
Complain about salary.
Build tower of righteous anger because the definition of marriage should be so obvious.
Get warm fuzzies while writing tithe check.
Tell sad friend I'm praying for him (but not really). Then, call other friend to disparage sad friend for the misery he's caused himself.
Rail against injustice. Stay firmly planted on seat.
Marvel at idiots who give in to sinful addictions. While doing, let out the buckle on that size 40 belt and relax a bit.
Bark at wife.
Write uplifting devotional.
Wow, full day. But feels a lot like yesterday. Kinda rote. Well, that's just the cross I carry. Because after all, I happen to know a few things about the Word of God.
I know that there are "six things which the Lord hates, yes, seven which are an abomination to Him." And I'm pretty sure those are: gay people, terrorists, atheists, liberals, SUV drivers, and the French.
Likewise, I'm sure I read that it's best to be unwilling to listen, first to speak, and quick to get angry (or righteously indignant. Take your pick. Both are good).
I must have read those things because I seem to practice them so often as part of my Christianity. But, since I'm all about passing on the love, give me just a minute to dig up the ol' Bible here so I can find the references for you, so you can have the same joy I do.
Okay, here they are:
Proverbs 6:16-19: There are six things which the LORD hates, Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that run rapidly to evil, A false witness who utters lies, And one who spreads strife among brothers.
James 1:19-20: This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.
Wait a minute.
That can't be right.
If those things are right, then I must be... wrong?
Haughty eyes? Come on, Father, haughty eyes? How else are my eyes supposed to look? And You're telling me my EYES bother you more than that guy's crime?
(In MY eyes, they both get you into trouble, keep you out of My will. One thing leads to another. Pride leads to destruction).
Okay, but what about taking a stand? You know, speak ye first?! Ignore the arguments of the infidels! Be unyielding!
(What do you want Me to say? Are you going to trust in your own righteousness, or believe My Word that you're not achieving MY righteousness?).
Wow, Lord. I got some thinking to do here. I was so sure I read those things somewhere, so sure You had my back. How do I know one of those things You hate isn't... me?
(I'm instructing and disciplining you, aren't I? Take a look at Proverbs 3:11-12).
Good point. Bring on day number 10,100. Give or take.
Intersecting Faith & Life: The balance between pursuing holiness and loving our enemies is tricky, but God is always faithful to instruct us, and shepherd us when we stray too far to either side. Ask Him to reveal to you places you've forgotten or neglected from the Word, so that you may accept His valued instruction.
Further Reading
Proverbs 15:32-33
James 2:14-20
James 4:17
James 1:26-27
The Perils of Pride, by C.J. Mahaney
Being Quick to Listen, by Cliff Young
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July 10, 2009
Fearing the Father
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding (Proverbs 9:10, NIV).
Many of my best, deepest thoughts come as I'm just rousing from sleep. This morning was no exception, although I was no fan of the circumstances that were involved.
Young Jordan, as usual, got out of bed before anyone else was up. It was still dark. We're trying to teach him that he's not to leave his room until the clock reads 7:00, but he's very attached to his dad, and on most mornings I'm already gone to the gym by the time he wakes, and he doesn't really dig that. So sometimes he will wander out and see if I'm still home. If I am, he likes to crawl under the covers with me. And that's cool - good father/son bonding time and all (though his mother often shares her feelings about these times non-verbally with varying grunts and roll-overs).
This morning, however, Jordan did not lay there peacefully. Nor was he chatty, as he sometimes can be. No, instead, as I lay with my head propped up, somewhere between thinking about the shower and more snoozing, he began to roll around on me. Then pinch my cheeks. Eventually he moved on to tugging at my beard. About the time his fingers were in my nose I thought, "This boy hasn't yet begun his journey to wisdom; I'm about to crush him like a grape."
And immediately, a light bulb went off in my spirit. I always wondered about this concept of "fearing" God. I mean, doesn't He love us? So much? Doesn't He love to provide for me, and teach me? Why does he want us to fear Him? And how does that make me wise?
Well, it's like what Jordan was doing to me - a father who loves him. So much. Provides for him. And teaches him. But oh did I want him to fear me this morning. And oh did I know that doing so would help him grow in wisdom (and stature, and in favor with God and man (Luke 2:52)).
I knew that God doesn't like it when we don't take Him seriously. When we play inappropriate, unwise games with Him. Treat him like He is ours instead of like we are His. When we don't understand the might, power, and magnificence we are dealing with. He could crush us like grapes.
Of course He doesn't. Just like I did not crush my son. The lesson this morning was for me. Later - wisely - I will address this concept of waking time with my son firmly. But I gained insight into a concept that has always jangled around unfixed in my head. We all have our own questions about the nature of this wonderful God. Jordan himself is struggling right now with part of his own God-concept, because he doesn't much care for the song "Jesus Loves Me." You see, it says that we little ones "are weak," but "He is strong." Jordan doesn't like that. He informed me recently, "No - I am strong!" as he flexed his little muscles and made his "mean face."
But I have total faith he'll "get it" soon enough. Or maybe it will take him 37 years, like it took me to nail down this facet of what "fearing God" is about. "Knowledge of the Holy One is understanding," after all. Indeed, and Amen.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Compare and contrast your own deepest fear to the awe, might, and magnificence of the Holy Father. How does it stack up?
Further Reading
Deuteronomy 6:2,13,24
Bigger than Giants, Scarier than Fear, by Rebekah Montgomery
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July 13, 2009
Friends for All Seasons
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Entertainment Editor
I thank my God every time I remember you.
Philippians 1:3 NIV
In different seasons, God brings friends into our lives who may not be in the form, shape or fashion that we expect. But they are always good for us (His definition of "good") when it is part of His plan.
I am learning so much more from friends who are not my age in this current season of my life. Some are still in their summers and others are faring well in their winters. Those ahead of me are teaching me valuable life lessons. And those trailing a way's behind are causing me to step up to the plate and be a good example, while also humbling me with questions that many times lead to conviction.
At the beginning of the church in Acts 2 (vv 42-47), I'm sure the friendships amongst believers came in all forms and fashions, too. And the Bible says they had a deep fellowship.
What the passage doesn't say is that the single people only mingled with the single people. That the young marrieds only spent time with other young marrieds. Or that the families with children only reached out and helped other parents and their kids.
The key point, I think, is that these believers were unified... regardless of their seasons in life. They didn't let their differences stand between them, and these days that type of unity and connection seems to be rare.
You may find yourself in a similar season of your life where you just aren't connecting with friends your age--whether at your church or your workplace or elsewhere. May you be encouraged to be bold and cross borders in search of meaningful friendships and connections with believers whether younger or older. Age really is just a number, and the Lord may be leading you to befriend someone who's not even in your current sphere of influence or peer group.
These types of "unlikely" friendships have challenged and grown me. The Lord has worked through me to reach out to others whose lives may look completely different than mine and vice versa.
This year, the Lord has brought me the friendship of a newlywed couple. They're in their 40s, and are enjoying this new season of marital bliss. While one might think newlyweds would be only spouse focused, they have reached out to me and have shown that they are interested and care about what God is doing in my life.
They have opened their home, and we have broken bread together. We've studied the Word, and we're praying for one another. A bridge has been built, and a connection has been made.
A few months ago, we even began serving meals together during the dinner shift at a local, inner-city mission. This monthly act of service has not only strengthened our friendship but is also ministering to others who are in need of a hot meal, a smiling face, and a loving Father.
I know that our efforts--and the Spirit working through us--will not only strengthen our friendship and fellowship, but will also help add to our number "those who are being saved."
Intersecting Faith & Life: What types of "unlikely" friends has God placed in your life? Open your heart and learn from the wisdom and experience of your older friends. Spend time sowing into the lives of those who are younger and look to you as an example.
Further Reading
Acts 2:42-47
Build Great Friendships
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July 14, 2009
Too Late
by Fred Alberti, Crosswalk.com Director of Social Media
Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."
Mark 10:27
"No," she said, "it's too late for reconciliation. I've put up with this for close to twenty years and I can't do it any longer."
"Please seek the Lord's will first before you tell your husband to leave. The Lord will guide you if you let Him." I responded.
"Don't you understand? I don't even want God to fix it. I just don't care to be with him anymore. I don't want to make it work anymore." She replied.
"Maybe the Lord will use this time to change your husband's heart like a wake up call." I countered. But with a heavy heart I heard her say, "No, it's too late for that."
Ever encounter a situation where you just sit back and say, "No, it's too late?"
You know, Jesus heard this expression quite a few times.
In Luke 8 we meet Jairus, a man whose daughter is dying. Jesus decides to pay her a visit but is stopped along the way when a woman in the crowd is healed by touching Him. During this unexpected delay, the daughter dies and messengers are sent to tell the father it was too late. "Why bother the teacher anymore?"
But Jesus went anyway. There at the house He was laughed at as He stated, "The child is not dead. She is just sleeping."
Too late? Not hardly.
Nain... flip back to Luke chapter 7 and we find the widow woman and the funeral procession. The only son was being led to the tomb by his weeping widowed mother.
"Don't cry," Jesus said.
Now why in the world would you say that to a mother at her only son's funeral? Well, you would if you were Jesus and you had other plans.
"Young man, get up!"
Just imagine the body laying there suddenly gasp and sit up. The mourners are stunned and the mother's tears of sorrow are turned to tears of joy.
Tears... hmmm... "Jesus wept." That is what John records in chapter 11 of his gospel.
You know that Mary had to be thinking, "Jesus, you're too late," when she said, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."
Mary's grief so moved Jesus that we see His first tears ever recorded in the Gospels. It is then that the Son of God raises a man who had been dead for four days back to life.
Too late? No, it is never too late for Jesus to work miracles in the lives of those He loves. His power transcends all bounds of time. His love surpasses all understanding, transforming the hardest of hearts and the most decided of minds.
Oh, that reminds me... the lady who felt that it was too late for her marriage? It turns out that God agreed. He felt He needed to do some work on TWO hearts. After He completed that task, He gave them back to each other as a brand new marriage.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Seek someone who is in need... a situation where, to them, things seem too late. Help them meet that need.
Further Reading
Luke 8:40-56
Luke 7:11-16
John 11:17-44
Releasing Impossibilities
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July 15, 2009
Life is Just Better with Jesus
by Meghan Kleppinger
He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and He will deliver us. On Him we have set our hope that He will continue to deliver us.
2 Corinthians 1:10
A new follower of Christ at eight-years-old, my first experience with true conviction was a powerful one. I was told to clean my room before going out to play. I tidied up everything as asked, but upon leaving, discovered a lone ballet slipper left on the floor. Instead of putting it where it belonged, I stuffed it somewhere and ran outside to play.
Guilt began to gnaw away at my conscience and I clearly recognized that this was different from feeling like I had done something "wrong" and fearing I would be caught and disciplined. My disobedience was sin and I knew I had let Jesus down.
To backtrack a bit, the most attractive thing to me about entering into a relationship with Christ was the promise that He would always be with me. As a military kid, I was often the lonely new girl. The idea of having a "forever friend" meant everything to me.
So, when this wave of conviction occurred, it was a "Whoa - Jesus really is always there" moment.
Later that same year, I went on a field trip to a park with a petting zoo, streams and beautiful hiking trails. I was hopping across a small creek by way of well-placed stepping stones. I remember nearly missing a stone and then feeling like I had been caught before falling. It was another "Whoa!" moment.
The Holy Spirit used those experiences to show my young heart and mind that Jesus would always be there and that He would always catch me.
I had no idea how soon I would need a firm understanding of this concept. A year or so later some things happened in my life that no young child should have to go through. Even though it was a horribly painful and confusing time for me, I was confident that God was there and that He cared for and loved me.
Someone recently asked me how a person could really know whether or not they were "saved." What a wonderful question, and I enjoyed sharing passages about the assurance that can be found by entering into a relationship with Jesus Christ. As our conversation continued, I shared that life is simply better with Jesus. Life is hard regardless of whether you are a Christ follower or not, but a life with Jesus means we don't have to go through those tough times alone.
Jesus knows and understands our pain and our struggles, and He promises to use those experiences for our good and His glory. He also promises to save and deliver us. Unfortunately, He doesn't always protect us from pain on this earth... but we can cling to the promise to be delivered eternally. We are under His watchful eye and care while on earth and then delivered safely home into His loving arms.
Life is just better with Jesus.
"And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am." (John 14:3)
"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you." (John 14:18)
Intersecting Faith & Life: Take time to count the many ways God has blessed, protected, and taught you in good times and during periods of suffering. I guarantee that you'll lose count!
Further Reading
Romans 12:2
Worship the Ever-Present Christ!
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July 16, 2009
A Wilderness Experience
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Entertainment Editor
Give us today our daily bread.
Matthew 6:11, NIV
Back in the early '90s, the contemporary Christian music husband-wife duo Out of the Grey released their debut, self-titled album. In the middle of the track listing is a song called "He Is Not Silent." The lyrics read:
The people said this desert never ends
We have no bread our throats are dry
Our heads are heavy and our feet need rest
Has He left us here to die?
And we've forgotten All His words
As if we never heard
We take our hearts and turn away
One might gather that the inspiration was the Israelites, who wandered in the wilderness for 40 years after the Exodus from Egypt. They were bound for The Promised Land, and along the way they were to learn about God's provision, about laws and worship.
Today, oftentimes life can feel like a wilderness experience as we make our way to "The Promised Land," a term some Christians use in reference to heaven. Like the Israelites in this scenario, we are a chosen people, redeemed from death by our Savior Jesus Christ. We, too, are on our way to The Promised Land.
But, also like the Israelites, we grumble and complain. We get tired of manna and want some meat instead. We question, and we turn our hearts away. We are not listening, and we resist the leading of our heavenly Father.
I don't know about you, but I have done my share of turning my nose up at the manna that the Lord has provided me this year. I want what I want, and I want it now! I think that I know what type of manna is best for me and when and where it should be given.
And that's when I get into trouble: I think that I can create my own manna that is much better than that of the Lord. But I quickly discover that if it is not from Him, then it is not good.
The Israelites had the same light bulb moment when they tried to store extra manna overnight. They had been instructed to only gather enough manna each morning for that day. The only exception was the sixth day when they were to gather two days' worth, so that they wouldn't have to gather on the Sabbath. The Lord was testing them to see if they would obey Him and trust in Him to provide.
Well, of course, there were some Israelites who paid no attention to this word (imagine that). And they kept part of the manna they had gathered until the morning of the next day. Needless to say, there was no grand-slam breakfast special for them--only maggot-infested, smelly manna for those who had little faith.
We can take a lesson from the Israelites and learn to trust the Lord for His providence. He IS the Bread of Life and will provide exactly what we need as we make our way through the wilderness of our lives.
Intersecting Faith & Life: What manna in your life have you not received with true thankfulness this past year? What manna are you tired of and what is the meat that you are now demanding from the Lord? Is it possible that the manna He has given you is exactly what you should be feeding on?
Further Reading
Philippians 4:19
Use Means, But Don't Trust in Means
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July 17, 2009
Are You My Leader?
by Meghan Kleppinger
My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
John 10:27
For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you
John 13:15
In the classic children's story Are You My Mother, a baby bird falls from his nest and spends the remainder of the book approaching various animals, from dogs to cows, asking if any of them are his mother.
When asking the cow, her response is: "How could I be your mother? I am a cow."
Yes, this story about birds, cows, dogs, and so forth reminds me of human nature. By design, we humans desire someone who will step up and tell us what to do. We want someone to say "Don't worry, I have things under control." We crave leadership!
Children often look to athletes ...
Teens look to celebrities ...
Adults look to political and spiritual leaders.
Unfortunately, and only too often, there is news about an athlete abusing and killing animals, a celebrity heavily involved in alcohol and illegal drugs, or a political leader using power for unscrupulous gain. Even more unfortunate, our Christian leaders aren't immune from earthly temptations and failings.
It's enough for us to cry out like that little birdie, "I want my mother!"
In a fallen world, humans will make mistakes, and leaders will fall. We all fall. It's not wrong to have role models and people to look to for leadership. I'm sure that bird learned a lot of interesting things in his travels, but he was not going to learn how to be bird from a cow, a dog, or a cat.
Don't get me wrong. I'll be the first to admit that much of my spiritual growth has come under the mentorship of godly leaders, and that's a good thing. Paul was used as an example of Christ-likeness throughout scripture (2 Thessalonians 3:7; Philippians 3:17) to). We, too, are called to be examples (Titus 2:7; 1 Timothy 2:12).
God uses leaders to point to Him, but we must never forget that they are not Him. He sent a Perfect Example to earth, not only to die for us, but to show us how to live for Him. We learn best to be like Christ from Christ himself.
"For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps." (1 Peter 2:21)
Intersecting Faith & Life: Charles Spurgeon simply said, "You are saved--seek to be like your savior." Seek to know Him and become more like Him through prayer and by studying His Word.
Further Reading
1 Chronicles 16:11
Live Out those Red Words in Your Bible `
July 20, 2009
When God Says "No"
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Entertainment Editor
Consider what God has done: Who can straighten what he has made crooked? When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, a man cannot discover anything about his future.
Ecclesiastes 7:13-14, NIV
Who likes to hear someone say "no"? I know I don't.
Actually, as an average American female I can think of only two questions for which an answer of "no" is gratefully and enthusiastically received: "Do I look fat?" and "Do I have to pay full price for this?"
This year, the Lord said "no" to me regarding two different situations in my life for which I had asked Him--pleaded with Him--to say "yes." In both cases, "no" was painful to hear and not the answer I wanted. So it took me a while to accept.
Many times, it's seems easier to hear God say "no" when you can take a hard look at the facts and see why this is a good thing. But how about the alternative: Everything looks right on paper. This matches with this and that fits nicely with that. The timing is "perfect." In fact, it's the perfect [FILL IN THE BLANK] that you've been waiting for. So why, WHY, isn't it a part of God's life plan for you?
When you break it down, of course everything we can see makes sense to us. And therein lies the problem. We're relying on our OWN knowledge and our OWN perspective to determine what is right.
But what we don't know is everything that God knows. In other words, He knows everything about EVERYTHING that is going on in the plan for our lives. He is sovereign. And we only have an obstructed view through a scratchy, distorted lens.
So one would think that we'd gladly hand over our life decisions to Him. Whatever He says to us is gospel. Literally and figuratively. But we hem and we haw. We struggle, and we hold on tightly. We don't like it when God says "no."
From the Bible, we read of how God said "no" in the lives of Sarah, Moses, Job, Jesus, Paul and others. Sometimes the "no" was in response to disobedience or related to timing. Sometimes it was due to someone taking matters into his or her own hands, and other times there wasn't an explanation at all. But in all cases, God's "no" was part of His plan.
In the end, the same God who says "no" is the same God who says "yes." We can't do anything that will change that, and we won't always understand. But how blessed are we to have a God who cares so deeply about the most minute details of our lives!
In good times and in bad, let us trust God and know that His purpose for our lives--even when He says "no"--is perfect and far better than anything we could ever plan for ourselves.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Has God told you "no" to a specific request? Write down the most recent "no's" and thank Him for His providential hand in your life and how He is working everything for His good--even when you don't understand His ways. Ask Him to help you submit to His will for your life.
Further Reading
Philippians 4:19
The Power of Inward Perception
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July 21, 2009
Care Casting
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
1 Peter 5:5-7, KJV
Peter was a fisherman. It's little stretch to imagine that his livelihood affected his ministry and his writings. At least, that's what I notice when I read one of his most-quoted verses, the one about "casting" our cares.
The word Peter uses here for "cast" is a less-usual one. The only other time the word epirrhipto is used in the New Testament is in Luke 19:35: "they cast their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus thereon." Epirrhipto means "to throw upon, or place upon."
Keep that in mind now as you imagine...
You are Peter. You're in a boat, afloat upon a vast body of water. Your method of fishing is not the rod-and-reel. Instead, you have this tangled, twisted mass that is your net. It's heavy, burdensome. Hard to work by yourself. Even so, you take this soggy, cumbersome thing... and you fling it away from you. Give it up. Let it fall trustingly upon the sea. Leave it to Providence.
The net represents your "cares," your anxieties... whatever is weighing you down. Don't carry it in your boat; that's not what it's for. Believe it or not, it has a purpose. That is, your own twisted mass of cares exists for the sole reason of trusting it to the very mighty arms that are supporting you.
And what happens then?
Well, let's check in on those cares. Go ahead, haul up the net. Chances are, it may just be full of fish. Has the simple act of tossing away your cares brought an abundance back upon you? Did humbly offering your net up to the one keeping you afloat bring back a yield of met needs? What would have happened if you had kept hold of that heavy mass and fretted over it yourself in your little boat? Yeah, nothing.
What's got you in a tangle? Finances? Marriage? Singleness? A dried-up spiritual life? All of the above?
Let it be so. Take that twisted thing from off your shoulders and huck it out upon the ocean. You can trust God. This is your act of submission, surrender. Peter tells us this is a path of humility. Admit that all your net-mending isn't doing a thing to bring in any fish, you fisher of men. So really chuck it out there. Let it land upon Him. And don't even ask why, because Peter tells us why: God cares for you. You are His own "care." He will bear you up for His own purposes.
And when He calls you to check in on those cares again, just be prepared for what comes to the surface.
The very things that entangle may become a snare for blessing and sustinence instead when given to the Lord.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Have you ever handled a real fisherman's net? I haven't, but I intend to get my hands on one and see just how big, mended, and heavy it is. To see how it works. To ask how one knows where to set it down in the water, and how many fish it can bring up. Make a net of your own cares and anxieties and physically fling it out upon God's ocean of grace.
Further Reading
Getting Acquainted with Peter
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July 22, 2009
It's Delightful
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.
Psalm 37:4
Today's verse is one of the first I ever learned as a Christian. You probably know it by heart, too. Seems like everyone quotes it. When I learned it as a kid, I couldn't help but thinking it sounded really good, with overtones of blessings and whatever my heart desired, which in later years came to be symbolized in my own mind as a Corvette... even though I would always be one of the first to tell people that's not what it meant.
But it wasn't until the last few years that I came to understand it on another level. Fatherhood will do that to a guy in a lot of ways. When my kids were infants and dependent upon me and my wife for absolutely everything, I saw our own dependence upon God in a whole new light. Now that the kids are six and four, I'm getting a new take on what it is to "delight" in the Lord.
I of course recognized there should be joy in following God, and that He was in all ways wonderful. But never did I come into His presence like my children now regularly come into mine, especially when I come home from work. The screaming, the jumping up and down, the laughing. The rush to tell me everything about their days, both the triumphs and the things they got in trouble for. The hugs, the requests to be tossed in the air or chased, the search in my briefcase to see if any treasures have found their way home with me, it all comes with a priceless gleam in their eyes as they search me to know themselves better.
That's delight.
And the Bible says that's what causes God to give us the desires of our heart? Honestly, that kind of delight, that kind of amazing high, is kind of a euphoric state of its own. I mean, what more does one need but to feel like that about God? Most days, I'd give anything to feel that kind of rush it seems my kids must feel.
It's almost like that's my heart's desire.
And it's like this verse is saying that desire is right here for the very taking, that all I have to do is act on it. I'm a child of the King, and He's never away at work. I don't even have to wait for him to come home. I'm welcome to come boldly into the throne room and praise the wow out of Him. To marvel, wonder, and laugh giddily at His handiwork and what He's done for me. To rush to tell him everything about my day, both the triumphs and the spots where I got myself into trouble.
Admittedly, though, we do have other desires, such as physical needs being met, love, etc., and I don't mean to suggest that they're unimportant. Just that on this day, I'm thinking about what the desires of my heart have actually been, and almost unilaterally, they've been about freedom. At various times in my life, I desired to be free... from depression, from sinfulness of all kinds, from lack of understanding, from loneliness, from fear. And looking back at how God set me free in each circumstance, I honestly see that I never even had to enter in to those places of searching to be filled or delighted in the first place. He was all I needed, I just wasn't seeing Him as one to delight over.
Each coming year is going to pose more challenges for me and my family, but also more growth, more freedom, and more delight. It's like they are all interwoven and dependent upon each other, just like the two parts of this verse.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Today, consider what your own definition of "delight" involves, and meditate on how that meshes with the truest, deepest, most meaningful desires of your heart.
Further Reading
Isaiah 58:10-14
Sacred Delight
Does God Really Give us the Desires of Our Hearts?
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July 23, 2009
Living Outside of the Box
by Meghan Kleppinger
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well
Psalm 139:13, 14
I'm going to a funeral today.
Both my immediate family and my church family lost a beloved friend this week in a tragic accident. I've been journaling and writing a lot lately about the importance of not limiting God in the way we live our lives.
What I loved about this dear life that has gone on to be with our Father is that who he was wasn't defined by what he did for a living or any of his accomplishments, it was defined by Whose he was. He lived his life knowing He was a child of God and had a love and passion driven by the Holy Spirit.
I started to write the devotional for today weeks ago about not limiting God and living a life outside of the box. It seems that we are born with a need to be labeled.
My fellow editor and friend, Sarah, has an identical twin sister. She told me how annoying it was that people wanted to put the twins in categories when they were younger. "Oh, you're the intellectual and you're the cheerleader," as if those were titles that defined who they were.
This doesn't just occur with twins, it happens to all of us and it starts early. In school there were the smart ones, the athletic ones, the tomboys, the princesses, the divas, the quiet ones, the pretty ones, the nerds, the popular ones, etc.
Then the birth order books were published and sold to the masses to help our parents define who we should be. The oldest child is supposed to be the responsible, straight A's, people pleaser. The middle child is typically the independent and wild one. The youngest is, well, the baby.
When we enter adulthood we become workaholics, stay-at-home mothers, businessmen, career women, or worst of all ... "and this is so-and-so, our single daughter."
Order and definition is good, but putting ourselves in these categories limits who we can be and what God has planned for us.
Psalm 139:13, 14 is etched on the inside of my high school class ring. At the time, I chose it for its significance in the battle for the unborn. As I entered into adulthood, God used it and continues to use it to remind me of Who I belong to, and what I mean to Him.
Wonderfully in Psalm 139:14 is translated from Hebrew to mean "to be distinct, marked out, be separated, be distinguished." God made each of to be special and different from each other, and He made each of us with a specific purpose in mind.
Sometimes I think we feel important or empowered when we carry around the labels of this world, but the truth is they are really just boxes that trap us... What God has planned for us is so much better.
The funeral tonight will also celebrate the life of a man who was a father, a husband, a loyal employee, a friend to many, a dear friend to my family, a servant, and so much more -- and I hope to share more about his life one day -- but he would never say that any of those things or roles defined him. He would simply explain that he was a fearfully and wonderfully made child of God living the life his Father designed just for Him.
Intersecting Faith & Life: The National Eating Disorders Association's current motto is "Be comfortable in your genes." The idea is to encourage young women to be comfortable with their predisposed body types and to help them breakaway from the desire to achieve an unattainable cookie-cutter image. I encourage you too, to break away from the labels of this world and to live the life God made just for you
Further Reading
Ephesians 2:10
Your Divine Design
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July 24, 2009
Look What I Did!
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Entertainment Editor
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
James 4:10, NIV
"So... have we talked about me, yet?"
Several years ago, my good friend Jeremy and I would always kid each other with that question during our conversations. It was said usually after one of us realized we were talking waaaaay too much about ourselves. About our accomplishments. Or about anything that we wanted the other to know so he or she could give up some praise and props.
It was said in jest, but also with an ounce of truth. For we really were so self-focused that the other would periodically enter into the "conversation coma" while listening. You know... the whole eyes glazed over, occasional nodding of the head and maybe an "uh huh" every now and then type of thing.
I have gotten that a lot with my friends over the years. But I used to just think, Well, I'm just very verbal and like to over-describe things and tell really good stories... so that must be why people can't stay focused on what I'm talking about. Right.
Several times recently, the Holy Spirit has checked me on that interpretation. In one instance, I was sharing with a small group about my "ministry" of reaching out to back-burner Christians. I think if I had just simply said that I feel like the Lord surrounds me with these people and has allowed me to speak into their lives and that's all, then that would have been fine.
But ohhhhh no. I had to go on and on and list example after example of how I had "helped" and "ministered" and said exactly the right words to help a brother or sister see his or her bad life decisions, so that they would get back on track with the Lord.
I didn't realize what kind of a peacock moment that was 'til later. I've also noticed that I tend to be less than humble when it comes to sharing about my acts of service. I won't fall into my own trap and list them all out right here and now. But I sure would love to. Why? Because I want the praise. I want the exaltation. I want the recognition. I want to feel like Sally Field at the Oscars and know that "You like me... you really like me."
And that's where I get it all wrong. The Bible says that the Lord is the one who is supposed to lift us up. Not ourselves and not our fellow man.
"This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word." (Isaiah 66:2b, NIV).
Even if no one ever found out what my "good deeds" were or how I prayed for this person or how I gave financially here and there, I should still be satisfied in knowing that God knows. Because everything I do should be for His glory and not my own. It's a tough pill to swallow for someone who enjoys running her own fan club. But Jesus tells us to live counter to our culture and to our fleshly desires.
Let us encourage ourselves--and one another--to seek humility and look to what HE is doing in our lives!
"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from our Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."
--Matthew 6:1-4, NIV
Intersecting Faith & Life: Think about an upcoming good deed that you are planning (providing dinner for a sick friend, babysitting, helping someone move, etc.). Tell no one what you are going to do or what you've done after it is completed. The Lord knows. You will have glorified Him, and He will be pleased. That's all that matters.
Further Reading
Matthew 23:12, NIV
The Promise of Humility
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July 27 9, 2009
The Perfect Heart
by Meghan Kleppinger
"But the LORD said to Samuel, 'Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart'."
1 Samuel 16:7, NAS
"I have made a very important decision," I announced to fellow editors, Sarah and Shawn, shortly after arriving at work today.
Piqued curiosity gave way to undivided attention, so with a stage set, I continued.
"I have decided to marry A) an Englishman, or B) an American willing to live in England, or C) an American willing to put on an English accent for the duration of our marriage."
My co-workers responded exactly the way I hoped they would... and the way I needed them to so I could write this devotional! It was meant to be a somewhat humorous declaration because everyone knows I'm an anglophile. Yes, more than one visit to the country turned me into a lover of nearly anything British including, but not limited to, the actual country, literature, movies, chocolate (Cadbury chocolate is the best ever), and of course the smooth accent.
I did get a laugh or two in response, and, in reference to my seemingly juvenile and superficial decision I was asked jokingly, "So, when will you be turning eighteen?"
Poor Shawn, he walked right into my trap. "How," I asked, "is this any more superficial than someone saying, 'I won't date anyone shorter than 5'9', or with brown eyes, or younger?'" He agreed and mentioned the human habit to create wish lists.
We do that, don't we? We create lists, have ideals, and look for what we think would be the perfect candidate -- whether it be for a marriage, a friendship, or a position for a job that needs to be filled. Once upon a time, back in college, I created my "perfect guy" list.
I found him, too. He lined up with everything on my list down to the occupation he was entering. Not only was he a Christian and genuinely nice guy, he was what I had dreamed about -- the right hair color, height, and age too! He wanted to find the right girl, get married, and settle down... I'm telling you, he was great.
You won't believe this, but I broke up with him! This wonderfully perfect young man, who literally made the list, bored me to tears. The lesson God taught me was two-fold. First, He taught me that I had no idea of what I really wanted or needed, but more importantly, He showed me that the perfect person for me is more important than finding a seemingly perfect person.
When the prophet Samuel hiked up to visit Jesse and his sons, I'll bet he had an idea of what God's choice for Saul's replacement should look like. He probably got excited thinking about the tall, strong, mature and wise leader who would rule Israel. Samuel saw Jesse's son Eliab and thought "Surely the Lord's anointed is before Him" (1 Sam. 16:6b). That is when the Lord shared with Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."
God was looking for the right heart, not the right body. He chose a young shepherd boy named David. I love Ray Boltz' song, "Shepherd Boy." One of the verses in the song that refers to this event goes,
Well it wasn't the oldest
It wasn't the strongest
Chosen on that day
And yet the giants fell
And nations trembled
When they stood in his way
The chorus, and the point of the song is, "When others see a shepherd boy, God may see a king."
So, what is my point? Well, first, when we look at others, we obviously need to look beneath the surface, but that's something we've been taught since preschool. My point is that we need to start looking beneath our own surfaces because that's where God is looking.
There was a time I was up for a position that I was excited about and had the heart for, but I knew I wasn't qualified and that there were better candidates. I was chosen, however, and went in to the job feeling the weight of intimidation and inadequacy. The skill set was way beyond what I could handle at first.
My mother encouraged me by reminding me that God works that way sometimes and that He prefers imperfect willing vessels because not only does it give Him something to work with, and not only does it make His vessel completely dependent on Him, but when success is achieved, it's so obvious that it occurred because of Him.
David knew he was not only small and young as well as untrained, but he also understood that God was bigger than any of his shortcomings. God used this weaker of vessels in mighty way. A Giant fell, nations trembled, and God was glorified through it all. Have you ever wondered what would have happened if David had said, "I can't do that because I'm just a shepherd?"
Don't let what you think you are lacking keep you from what you know God is calling you to do. There may be gaps in your skill set, but if you have the willing heart and workable spirit desires, He will fill those holes with Himself.
On another note, if you know anyone who is English or can imitate an English accent, please let me know! (Just kidding, of course... I think).
Intersecting Faith & Life: Remember that God will equip you for whatever He has called you to do. Pastor and ministry leader, Adrian Rogers once wrote, "There are two things that form the vessel: the touch of the Father's hand and the turning of the wheel. The wheel represents the circumstances of our daily lives. God sees to it that our lives revolve around certain events, and the whole time God is touching our lives and making them what He wants them to be."
Further Reading
2 Timothy 2:21
Why God Chooses the Wounded and Broken
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July 28, 2009
What's There to Gain from Loss?
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Entertainment Editor
At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised."
Job 1:20-21, NIV
In the next-to-last chapter of Dr. David Clarke's The 6 Steps to Emotional Freedom: Breaking Through to the Life God Wants You to Live, a few sentences stand out in regard to our personal response to loss:
"You're stuck if you have not genuinely changed as a person, in your relationships with others, and in your relationship with God. The whole point of loss is change. Each loss ought to move you ahead in these three areas... God wants you to experience positive change, and one of His main methods to promote change is loss."
Whoa. When's the last time any of us has looked at a loss in our lives as something good? As something meant for positive change? As something from which we can gain?
It's so much easier to become bitter, to stay depressed, to go into denial or to lash out in anger at those closest to us.
When I think back about all the loss I've experienced in my lifetime, I don't know if I can see resulting positive changes every time. Divorce, death, job lay-off, broken relationships, a church split... these are some of the losses that have impacted my life so far. Yes, some have grown me and strengthened my spiritual life. But others are still a painful work in progress.
In the Bible, Job has got to be the No. 1 poster child for loss. He had it all: great wealth, good health and multiple children. And then one by one, God allowed it all to be taken away.
There was great suffering. Job agonized and felt alone. He cursed the day of his birth. I can imagine him thinking, Please, God, I am so tired of hurting. I have nothing left. Why are you allowing this to happen to me? I don't know how much longer I can be 'strong,' hold it together and act like everything is fine.
But despite losing nearly everything, Job never curses God (although he is honest about his feelings). He honors His Creator and is faithful. Job sees that God's way is the right way. He repents. And then God blesses him, giving him TWICE what he had before.
God doesn't explain to Job why he allowed the suffering. And Job is okay with that. In fact, he goes on to live another 140 years: "He saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. And so he died, old and full of years" (Job 42:16-17).
We see that Job's loss didn't cripple him. He didn't shrivel up his spirit and choose the bitter route for the rest of his days. No, what happened to Job only strengthened his relationship with God and matured his spiritual understanding. And that is the ultimate gain.
Like Job, we are to be faithful to God even when we endure loss in our lives.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Ask God today how, through your loss, He can help you gain positive change as a person--in your relationships with others and in your relationship with Him. Ask Him to use your experience to encourage someone else who has also suffered loss.
Further Reading
James 5:10-11, NIV
Handling the Losses of Life
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July 29, 2009
Consistently Inconsistent
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
But if you're not sure, if you notice that you are acting in ways inconsistent with what you believe - some days trying to impose your opinions on others, other days just trying to please them - then you know that you're out of line. If the way you live isn't consistent with what you believe, then it's wrong.
Romans 14:23, The Message
Never brag on a four-and-a-half year-old.
This past Saturday, my wife and I could not have been more proud of our son, Jordan. He had been invited to a good friend's birthday party at a local YMCA, where they have a rock climbing wall, and the party was going to be Jordan's first chance to try it out. He'd been gearing up for it all week, even telling the stylists at the hair salon that he was going to get to climb a wall - just like Spider-Man. He also opted out of a post-haircut lollipop, completely on his own, rationalizing that because he'd be eating cake and ice cream later that day, he didn't want to have too many sweets.
Anyway, his mom had in her mind that the party was from 3:00 to 5:00 on Saturday afternoon. But as Valerie drove into the parking lot, she saw people leaving. Uh-oh. Yep... the cake was mostly eaten, the presents were being packed, and Nathan's birthday party had actually been from 1:00 to 3:00.
How would you expect the typical four-year-old boy to react to the news that he had just missed the whole party?
Well, when Val got down on her knees and looked him in the eyes and told him what had happened, he threw his arms around her neck and hugged her. He said, "I love you even when you mess up, Mommy." Nathan's mom invted Jordan over to their home to watch Nathan open his presents (they hadn't done this at the party) and play. Jordan eagerly accepted. To my knowledge, he didn't even have any cake. But when he came home, he told me this had been, "the best day ever," as it had also included going to the gym and to get a haircut with daddy that morning, and now he was going to get to watch some football.
It was his mom who was beating herself up, but the boy was as calm and pleasant and forgiving and full of joy as ever.
That night, at a fellowship for our Adult Bible class from church, some friends asked about the kids, and we told the story of Jordan's day. Jaws dropped. I went to bed feeling like the world's most blessed dad.
Then came Sunday morning.
First, Jordan decided he wanted neither a shower nor a bath, though he needed one. This may sound normal to you, but this boy generally loves getting clean. After we got him dressed he was fine. In the car, he informed me he didn't want to go to church. This wasn't unusual, as it was just a statement, one he has made before. But when we got to the church parking lot... he WOULD NOT get out of the car. When we finally got into the education building... he WOULD NOT go into his class. He was in between crying and screaming. Where did this come from?! We pulled out every prayer and parenting trick we know. Ultimately, we presented our son a choice, and made it clear: go into the class, which would be fun (it always is! He always has loved it and participated and knows the Bible stories), or - go home with Daddy and face not only a spanking but an entire day in his room, without watching sports with Dad, without his toys, without his games. He said he couldn't choose. We told him he had to. He chose option B, one that would literally be, for a boy of his age (and for his parents to carry out as well), Hell on earth for a day. My son, the same one who had mused to me the day before, "I think Heaven is going to be just great," the same one who had wowed us with a positive attitude and forgiveness beyond his years, was choosing, essentially, Hell, the worst possible day we could give him.
But we did give him one more chance. And another. Valerie went into class with him. He screamed. The teacher tried to soothe him with "Mommy's coming back" talk, but this was no separation anxiety issue. This was, for whatever reason, the day my boy decided to exert his will at any or all costs.
I honestly feel bad in some way that we still put him in the class - not only for disrupting it but because we so didn't want to see him suffer the consequences of a choice we WOULD have carried out because HE had chosen it. We just knew he'd be happier going forward with class.
***
So that's where I am right now - in my own Sunday School classroom in the same building as Jordan, at 9:23 a.m., writing this on my laptop (which I only have with me because I take the notes for our class) since I was too bothered to go sit in the service. Nobody else is here yet. But even before I have actually "had church" this Sunday, I have learned two huge lessons:
1) Inconsistency, thy name is humanity. Jordan sure is his father's son. If there were one thing I lack that I would prize above all other things in my life it would be consistency - of actions, thoughts, behavior, character. To not go lax on a health plan the moment people start to notice and give me praise. To not raise my voice or let the wrong word slip a day or two after studying how the man of God should speak. To act like I believe the things I say.
A good friend in college was once asked by a young friend what he thought it was most important for the Christian to achieve. "Consistency," he said. I overheard that... and it has stung like a barb in my brain ever since, as I knew the only thing I was consistent about was being inconsistent. Honestly, it's what I sympathize for my wife most about - that I am not sure she can count on my action or reaction to ever be what she expects, or the same from one situation to another. And oh Lord if that doesn't sting again seeing the same potential in my son. But then there's the flip side: is Jordan really behaving like me, or have I for too long behaved like him? I think that's more likely. And eye-opening. Perfect Christian with spot-on answers one day, sheer rebellion the next. Great in a crisis, raging at petty things. I've been living like an almost-five-year-old for most of my life.
2) That age-old theological question about free will and Heaven and Hell and God's role in sending people to one place or the other? It plays itself out all the time, I see now, in people of all ages. I love my son to no end, but no matter how we tried to "share the good news" with him, he was "hell-bent" to choose utter torment... almost just because he could. At the same time, we loved him so much that we were determined to: make sure he knew the consequences of his choices and actions, give him extra chance after extra chance, and in the end help him find the right way.
I didn't relish what I was willing to let happen if my son had willed it. But let it happen I would have. And rightly, so will our Father, if his children - who are by nature completely inconsistent - insist on their own way.
Jesus was marvelously, amazingly consistent. No wonder He is the model, He is the way, He is life, and the only hope we have to avoid a hellish eternity.
Intersecting Faith & Life: What action can you do today that would show someone important in your life that you are taking steps to be more dependable, consistent, trustworthy, or more grown-up?
Further Reading
Hebrews 13:7-8
Commitment to Consistent Parenting
``
July 30, 2009
Conforming or Tranforming?
by Meghan Kleppinger
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
Romans 12:2, NAS
"Character is always lost when a high ideal is sacrificed on the altar of conformity and popularity."
--Charles Spurgeon
Reading down a top magazine's list of the 100 best English-language novels published since 1923 made my pulse quicken and my heart sink. As an avid and admittedly often obnoxiously-distracted-in-public reader (I always have a book on me in case the opportunity to read arises -- like when I'm waiting for coffee, caught up in traffic, or standing in a line at the department of motor vehicles, to name a few examples), I just couldn't believe what I was seeing.
I nearly had a panic attack, not because of any distaste or disagreement over the books chosen, but because of the number of books listed that I haven't read yet. Quickly, I made my way to both the local library and Amazon.com websites and planned to start building my reserve list and filling my online shopping cart. As I moved my mouse to the search box so I could enter my selection, a little something I like to call "common sense" came over me.
Scolding myself, I whispered with clenched teeth, "Meghan, get a hold of yourself!"
After a few deep breaths, there was a point of rational thinking when I realized that I didn't even know who wrote the list and that more than half of the books selected would never have been personal choices simply because of my dislike for the authors or the types of literature. I know and read what I like. Occasionally, I'll try something new or especially challenging just for fun, but mostly I'm loyal to a small circle of favorite authors.
Isn't easy to get caught up in what everybody is doing? Polls, magazines, television advertisements and movies are constantly telling us how to think, what to wear, who to vote for, what to watch, and in this case, what to read.
As Christians, we need to be especially careful with messages dictating what is "in." This list of books, for example, had several titles I shouldn't read simply because I am a Christ follower. It's not about whether I can "handle" the content, it's about living a life that reflects and pleases Christ. When I choose to read a book, I'm making a decision to commit hours and hours engrossed in that story.
As we choose what to wear, listen to, watch, or read, we need to be remember what Scripture says about how we spend our time and what we spend our time focusing on.
"...Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things." (Philippians 4:8)
A friend shared with me that a literature teacher at her Christian college was constantly putting down Christian authors and their books, and encouraging the students to read "good" literature instead. Our discussion concluded with a couple of great thoughts.
First, just because something is written well, doesn't make it "good" or appropriate for Christians. In the same way, just because something is written by a Christian, doesn't mean it makes for a good read. Most importantly, however, how can we justify spending time on books that don't glorify God when there are countless wholesome and well written books available... written by both Christian and non-Christian authors?
In light of eternity, when I face Jesus one day, I don't think the excuse that I "dwelt" on something that didn't glorify God was because, "It was an award-winning book or movie," will fly. Actually, I would be ashamed to say I let popularity or a good story get in the way of my relationship with Him.
Basically, when my time on earth is through, I want it to be clear that transforming into the likeness of Christ was more important to me than conforming to the culture
Intersecting Faith & Life: As Christians, we need to remember that everything we have belongs to God... and with that in mind, consider how we are spending His time
Further Reading
Psalms 90:12
Choose This Day
How God Develops Christian Character
``
July 31, 2009
A Divine Design
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Entertainment Editor
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
Psalm 139:14, NIV
"I am a divine design... I am created in His image by God's hand ..."
These are some of the lyrics from a song I learned while at Pioneer Girls camp many, many summers ago when I was still young and impressionable. My best friend's mother wrote the curriculum for our week-long Bible study that year, and it focused on the fact that we are all wonderful creations--made exactly as God has designed us to be.
It was a lesson from the Word that came at a perfect time, especially for young girls who were beginning to notice boys and the fact that our attractiveness by the opposite sex was determined by certain factors--mostly outlandish ideals and unachievable expectations--that we couldn't really control.
I was already feeling unattractive by that time in my life. Like many young girls, I wore glasses. Yes, they were great in that they helped me to see the blackboards, the maps of the world and my teachers who were standing at the front of the classrooms. But, they weren't so great in that they made me feel ugly and undesirable. Especially in junior high and my first year of high school (during which time I also had braces--a double-whammy for a gal's image).
But the summer between my freshman and sophomore years of high school, I was allowed to get my first set of contacts. Freedom! How I had so looked forward to this time in my life! No more glasses, and finally I wouldn't be overlooked anymore and might begin to feel pretty.
And I did. For a while. But in college and for most of my 20s, I got sucked back into the vortex and continued to struggle with image and comparisons. Thankfully, in my 30s, I finally started to get it and realized that it was an insult to my Creator when I rejected myself, his carefully designed creation. What matters most is my inner beauty and that will always overshadow anything external.
While I still struggle somewhat with appearance, these days I feel like the battle is more with character issues and mindset. God, why did you make my mouth big enough for my foot to fit in there? Why am I constantly complaining? Isn't there an over-the-counter medicine for oral dysentery? Why am I never content? Why am I so quick to judge? Why can't I be as godly as her? And so forth.
But you know what? All of this--my struggles, my desires, my thoughts, my dreams--is part of God's divine design of ME! I am created in God's image. A masterpiece in the making. Purposeful cracks and all.
Now I'm sure my friends and family would tell you that they have "thankful hearts" over the fact that the mold was broken after I was made. And we're ALL glad that the Designer is not done with me yet. He'll be molding and shaping and using his tools to cut in here and cut away there until I go home to be with Him in heaven one day.
When I think of how God cares about me so much that He still takes time to work in my life so that I will be more like Him, it brings me to tears. He hasn't thrown his hands up in "artistic disgust" and walked away from this lump of clay.
He is constant and remains unchanged so that I may be changed. Thanks be to God!
Intersecting Faith & Life: Are you struggling with something about yourself that you just don't like? If this is something that cannot be changed, know that the Lord can still use you JUST as you are. But if he is prodding you to make some adjustments in your character, seek his direction and know that he can move mountains and conform you into his image.
Further Reading
Genesis 1:27
Your Divine Design
`
August 3, 2009
When We're Wronged
by Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight.
Heb 4: 12-13
She was pretty, charming, and funny. She appeared to be everything you could want in a woman. And she was after my man. With full knowledge of our relationship, this young woman zeroed in on my special someone. All while acting sweet as pie towards me.
There are few things in life that can turn an otherwise sane, amiable woman into fire-breathing, green-eyed, insecure monster -- and another woman moving in on your guy is definitely one of those things.
How. Dare. She.
It's by God's grace that in my hot-blooded state I -- did nothing. Oh, I still had plans to dislike this woman for a very long time. I dreamt up all sorts of scenarios where I wittily drew back the curtain on her true intentions. Where I triumphantly shamed her. But of course, I was too virtuous to actually follow through on such things. So, I managed to exert enough self control to avoid a regretful exchange.
Thankfully, God took this situation one step deeper by expanding my limited sense of "virtue." I'd read about forgiveness, but this was a moment in my life where God clearly set a choice before me: She was wrong. I was right. Now - was I going to forgive her? Or was I simply going to look like I'd forgiven her?
One of the key aspects of Jesus' earthly ministry was His focus on that which is unseen -- our hearts. This took many of his contemporaries by surprise. They were expecting an earthly king to save them from external problems. Yet Christ made it clear He came to elevate the old law beyond its legal purposes, and transform us from the inside out to prepare us for a kingdom not of this world.
You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. (Mt 5: 43-45)
Love your enemies. It sounds downright impossible. Yet God impressed two courses of action on my heart during that time that transformed my anger into Christ-like love.
First, although there really wasn't a productive opportunity to speak with this woman, every time I mentally began hopping down the angry bunny trail, I said, "God, I forgive her." Verbally expressing forgiveness diffused my anger, and helped me focus on God and His grace.
Second, as Christ asks of us in the Scripture above, I began praying for her. At first, my prayers came through gritted teeth, and teetered dangerously close to sounding something like, "Lord, smite my foe..." But after praying for her almost every day for several months, the Lord transformed my heart. I began to see this woman as God sees her. Truly, whatever brokenness inside her that led her to act in such a manner saddened God more than it could ever anger me.
I also became acutely aware that I, in my brokenness, had saddened God too. Suddenly, this woman wasn't my opponent, but a fellow sinner in need of grace and transforming love. Ultimately, this situation worked out for the best, and I ended up liking this individual.
Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us...
Forgiveness doesn't usually come easily. People are capable of tremendous evil far beyond my petty situation above, and depending on the wrong done, we may never realistically like a person. But with God's grace, forgiveness on our end is not only possible, but necessary.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Forgiveness involves letting go and allowing God to bring good out of a situation in His timing. Do you have unresolved hurts inflicted by another person? Entrust your hurts to God, and then ask God for a heart of forgiveness. If you've harmed another, take action to make things right
Further Reading
Mt. 5: 21-24
Life's Most Important Choice
Is Adultery Forgivable?
`
August 4, 2009
More Wormwood than Honey
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
My son, give attention to my wisdom, Incline your ear to my understanding; That you may observe discretion And your lips may reserve knowledge. For the lips of an adulteress drip honey And smoother than oil is her speech; But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death, Her steps take hold of Sheol.
Proverbs 5:1-5
For about 20 hours late in 1998, I had AIDS.
I was a month from getting married. My wife-to-be had saved herself for me, and as such, she had a request: that I, who had regrettably failed to remain chaste in my youth, get tested for HIV before we exchanged vows. Happily I agreed.
The nurse who drew my blood told me one thing several times: "We can't call everyone back, so we will only contact you in the event of a positive test. No news is good news." Fair enough.
A week later, on a Friday afternoon, I returned home from work and checked my voice mail. One message. "Mr. McEvoy, this is Nurse Jones from the Farmville Clinic. I'll need to talk to you very soon, but I am leaving for the weekend. I will attempt to contact you again on Monday."
Oh... no...
My mind raced. The first thought was, "No way on earth I can wait all weekend to talk to her!" Talk about torture. That was followed with most of my past catching up to me. What had I done? Could I still get married? Even if Valerie still wanted me as a husband, would we ever be able to be intimate? Who would I have to contact from the past? Was I going to die?
Val's apartment was two floors up from mine. I called her, she came right down, and I told her the news. "Surely not...," she said encouragingly, but we both had to admit that the nurse had made it completely clear that I would only hear from her if... if it were a positive test. What else could it be? I spoke to my parents, who put up a strong front for me but I would later learn sat over their pizza staring blankly at each other and muttering, "No... Shawn can't have AIDS..."
That night, as you might imagine, I didn't sleep. All I could think about was my total need for deliverance. I'd long before now dealt with my sin and sought forgiveness - from God, and from my fiance. But here was a very real, very possible, very damaging consequence staring me in the face. Had it been worth it? What could we do? Valerie was prepared to give me her everything in marriage; what was I giving her? I prayed, I read the Bible, I sweat, I couldn't eat.
Valerie is a woman of action. She certainly wasn't going to wait several more days to learn our fate. On Saturday afternoon, she finally tracked down my nurse at another clinic, and got her on the phone.
The woman was chuckling.
"Mr. McEvoy? I didn't scare you too much did I? I just need to ask you a question, because you tested positive for syphilis."
"Great," I said to myself in my morbid way. "I'm not gonna die, I just have Syph. Swell."
"Did you happen to be ill at the time your blood was drawn?" asked the nurse. "Or shortly thereafter?"
"Uh... yes! Two days later I developed an awful cold. Why?"
"Ah. Okay. Well, that explains it. You were on your way to that cold when you got tested. It happens. It's called a biologic false-positive. Nothing to worry about, I just needed to make sure. Sorry again to worry you. Best wishes on your marriage!"
Hallelujah. I fell to my knees.
Release. Freedom. Tears. Praise. Hugs. And then Valerie saying, "I'm gonna kill that nurse!"
But we both knew she wasn't the one to blame. My poor choices from so long ago had brought us to that hellish night, and now, I had been given a new lease. Appropriately, the next morning as I drove to church, Shania Twain was on the radio singing, "From this Moment." I knew this would serve as a milemarker for me the rest of my life - the time I learned how damaging and fearfully consuming sin could be, and just how far Christ had gone to separate me from what I deserved.
In college, while studying to be a youth minister, I had once written a sermon for a class assignment based on Proverbs 5 and "the adulteress." I had used an illustration about NBA player Magic Johnson contracting HIV, and spoke of "the mingled taste of honey and wormwood." The professor liked it, writing, "I hope you get the chance to preach this one day" in the margins.
I still have never preached it, but I did indeed live it. The words of wisdom are true.
And yet, everything about our culture tells us otherwise right now. I even had a Christian friend - during a very rough time in his life and marriage - tell me several times that he was convinced that God's rules on purity are "a crock." His logic was that he knew several friends, me included, who had foregone abstinence prior to marriage, but they were now in very happy, sexually satisfying marriages. He, meanwhile, had remained a virgin, and yet here he was in a miserable and sexually unsatisfying marriage. Therefore, his logic went, the rules were messed up, and did not apply. Never mind the concepts of grace and forgiveness, or the laws of cause-and-effect, apparently.
He was hurting, so I never quite told him how his take personally pained me for reasons I've already shared (though I did always remind him his logic was flawed, even if he had hit on something we unwittingly mis-teach our youth - that abstaining carries a 'guarantee' of marital satisfaction. It does not). Now that he's in a healthy place spiritually and emotionally, we have talked about it, and he once again knows the reasons God has for the rules He's laid out for us for our own good and His purposes.
Do you? I'm nobody's ideal role model, and neither am I - by grace of God - anyone's cautionary tale. But I do know the gift my wife gave to me. I know the damage I did to other men who, I can safely say, would have really rather I had respected them by respecting their future wives. I know that any temporary unbiblical gratification in life is not only not worth it in the long run, it may just be tragic.
In the end she is as bitter as wormwood.
Sharp as a two-edged sword.
Her feet go down to death.
Choose life, abundant life.
Intersecting Faith & Life: We all mess up, whether sexually or otherwise. Have you marked the day your consequences caught up with your actions, the day you decided you would never return to travel the route you came? What has been different for you since then?
Further Reading
2 Timothy 2:20-22
Sex and the Single Person
`
August 5, 2009
P.S. I Love You... Period.
by Meghan Kleppinger
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life."
John 3:16
"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
Romans 5:8
Okay -- I admit it. Initially, it was difficult for me to understand that God loved me, and that He sent His son to die for my sins, and that He cared about the most intimate details of my life.
I was nearly nine years old when I accepted Christ. My mother was a new believer and our family became her mission field. She would read stories from the Bible and Christian biographies at night to her three girls.
I shared a bedroom with my older sister, a preteen, so we had different bedtimes. One night, when I was supposed to be asleep, I listened with eyes closed as my mother shared a story with my sister. It was the biography of a lonely teenage girl who turned to witchcraft as a means of finding acceptance, and only after a lot of prayer from a friend did she turn to Christ.
As I listened to the story unfold, I recognized the loneliness this girl felt, as well as her need for a Savior. That night I prayed to receive Christ as my personal Savior. In Jesus, I discovered, I would have a forever friend, something I desperately longed for as a frequently uprooted military kid.
The next day, as I thought about telling my mother of my conversion, I was afraid that she would be upset with me... after all, she was reading to my older sister and the story wasn't meant for me.
Needless to say, she was far from upset, but for a long time I could not shake the feeling that I was an add-on. What I mean is that I felt like God extended His grace to me because I happened to be here with all of the people He really loved. It was sort of like He was saying, "I love all of my creation... oh, and P.S. Meghan, since you're here I might as well love you too." The funny thing is that I was okay with being a tag-along as long as it meant I was saved and got to have Jesus for a friend.
I'm not sure if it was time, experience, spiritual maturity, or all three, but slowly I began to understand that God loved me, period, and not just too or in addition to.... Through scripture, I learned and came to accept the most amazing thing of all, that He would have sent Jesus if I were the only person left on earth!
As an adult who has grasped this truth, my heart is burdened as I consider how many people have a hard time believing that Jesus loves them.
We live in a hurting world full of people desperate to know that someone loves them and cares. A recent study showed that an overwhelming number of Americans feel they have no one to confide in.
As believers, we know a loving God who does listen, plays an active role in our lives and will never leave or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:8). We know a compassionate God who delights in His children (Nehemiah 9:17). We know a God who understands our pain and holds every tear we've cried (Psalm 56:8). We know a God who sent His son to live and die so we might live (John 3:16).
We know our Father and of His eternal love.
But do they?
Let us live our lives in such a way that not only reflects His love for us, but shows others that they are undeniably and wholly cherished by the Creator of the universe who calls them His beloved... period.
Intersecting Faith & Life: John really put it well when he wrote, "By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another" (1 John 4: 9-11).
Further Reading
God Loves His Children
God's Power to Heal You from the Inside Out
`
August 6, 2009
Getting Over Yourself
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Entertainment Editor
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
2 Corinthians 5:21, NIV
If you're having a hard time "getting over yourself" lately, then you might be due for a self-righteousness check.
Usually, a trusted confidante or loved one is involved in these routine examinations. Just like the one I had not long ago with a really good "friend" of mine. A friend who's closer than a brother. Actually, make that closer than a sister, and she looks an awful lot like me, too.
Perhaps you've had a similar conversation with someone recently. Someone, perhaps, much like yourself ...
You: Self, it's time for a self-righteousness check. You've been measuring yourself with others. And um, basically... you need to get over yourself.
Self: But I'm not doing anything wrong. I didn't say an unkind word or anything. In fact, I even reached out to this person. And went out of my way to help that one over there. But this guy here... see, he's the one who's not treating me right. He's done this and this, and he hasn't even reached out to help me in my time of need.
You: Self, why are you looking at others for how you're measuring up and what they are or aren't doing, when you should just be looking up?
Self: [mimicking] "Self, why are you looking at others for how you're measuring up and what they are or aren't doing, when you should just be looking up?"
You: Oh, THAT'S really helpful and grown up. I see your childish ways are still very much alive and active. That perfect Sunday School attendance and your prominent position in the church choir are realllly helping you out.
Self: But I didn't do anything. That guy over there was the one who ...
You: And that's the point. You're so focused on what someone else is or isn't doing to or for you, that you've completely lost sight of what you are or aren't doing in the sight of the Lord. What about what He thinks?
Self: Right, right. I know... God is my co-pilot and all. But what about the guy who's not treating ME right? Is he just gonna get away with that and no one's gonna call him on it?
You: Self, as you grow and mature in Christ, you will realize that it's not about keeping score. It's not about who's done you wrong and who's done you right. Leave that to the Lord, and learn from Jesus' example when he became flesh and dwelt among us. Your concern is that you are becoming more and more like Christ. We need to work on there being LESS of you and more of him, as his glory is revealed in your life.
Self: Oh. But...
You: No buts. Just bend your knee. Ask for forgiveness. And get over yourself.
The God-setting-things-right that we read about has become Jesus-setting-things-right for us. And not only for us, but for everyone who believes in him. For there is no difference between us and them in this. Since we've compiled this long and sorry record as sinners (both us and them) and proved that we are utterly incapable of living the glorious lives God wills for us, God did it for us. Out of sheer generosity he put us in right standing with himself. A pure gift. He got us out of the mess we're in and restored us to where he always wanted us to be. And he did it by means of Jesus Christ. God sacrificed Jesus on the altar of the world to clear that world of sin. Having faith in him sets us in the clear. God decided on this course of action in full view of the public--to set the world in the clear with himself through the sacrifice of Jesus, finally taking care of the sins he had so patiently endured. This is not only clear, but it's now--this is current history! God sets things right. He also makes it possible for us to live in his rightness.
Romans 3:22-26, The Message
Intersecting Faith & Life: Has someone "done you wrong" recently? Did you do something good and no one acknowledged it? Leave your "case" and your grievances with the Lord today, and let him be the Judge. Let him rule in your life, so that his righteousness may prevail.
Further Reading
Luke 18:9-14, NIV
The Problem of Pride
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August 7, 2009
A Nickel's Worth
by Fred Alberti, Crosswalk.com Director of Social Media
But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you. Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Luke 12:31-34
I admit I enjoy teaching my children things. I especially enjoy it when it means I can mess with their minds (I know, I'm evil, but you show me a parent who hasn't experimented by giving their baby something really sour just to enjoy their screwed up little faces and I'll show you a parent that hasn't take full advantage of the joys of parenting).
One joy is messing with their poor uneducated minds by offering the child the choice between a nice shiny nickel and a dirty cruddy dime. Ninety-nine percent of the time the child will take the nickel. You can stand there and argue with the child in your attempts to convince them that the dime is worth more but they'll still choose the nickel.
The dime is clearly worth more but it just can't beat the appeal of the nickel. Aren't we the same way? We scramble and squirm to get the treasures of this earth. At the same time we squander our opportunities to accumulate true wealth in heaven.
A missed opportunity to share what Jesus has done for you... a squandered treasure.
Giving a cup of coffee to a homeless person to warm his heart... a moneybag in heaven.
If our hearts are right with the Lord and if we are attentive to His leading we will not miss these opportunities for His kingdom. With the Lord's leading we will be able to see beyond our present circumstance to view these hidden treasures.
I'm reminded of the story in 1 Samuel 16 when Samuel was choosing a new king for Israel.
He was directed to go to the home of Jesse to anoint a new king..
When Samuel saw Jesse's first son he immediately concluded that this fine specimen of Israeli goodness had to be the one. He was shiny and clean and all consecrated for the sacrifice. But God had other plans. He said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."
God has his eye on someone else. Someone Jesse or Samuel had not even considered. David. He had to be brought out of the fields stinking of the sheep and the sweat of his brow. I imagine, being the youngest, that David was not content to just sit around while tending the flock. I imagine he was throwing stones, practicing his slingshot, and fighting imaginary lions and bears... just as any normal boy would.
It was this young man who came before Samuel... a young man sweating and stinking from the efforts of fighting his imaginary adversaries when God said, "Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!"
The grimy, dirty, dime... the true treasure of heaven.
Where are you investing your treasure?
Intersecting Faith & Life: Make a donation of dirty coins to your local homeless shelter or church mission fund. Start by collecting all the dirtiest coins you have in the house. Then go to your neighbor's house and ask them to also make a donation of dirty coins for you to add to your donation.
Further Reading
Proverbs 27:24
Matthew 13:22
The Riches of Christ
`
August 10, 2009
Run the Race
by Meghan Kleppinger
Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.
Hebrews 12:1b, NAS
"...And finally," the Vice-Principal announced over the intercom, "Meghan Kleppinger won the bronze medal for the 200-meter dash."
Yes, I won the third place medal for my high school during a track meet the previous Saturday against the local German school. It was now Monday morning and I smiled sheepishly as my class cheered after hearing morning announcements. I was a student at an American international school in Athens, Greece, and we took every sporting event, which often looked like a mini-Olympics, very seriously.
So with this win, I was proud and the school was thrilled, but the truth is that my classmates and teachers only knew part of the story.
Here are some interesting and important facts leading up to my win.
1. Most of our team was out of country for a tournament so only a few of us were left to race at the German school.
2. I was a distance runner - not a sprinter - and had never even been to a track meet, much less run in one. I was a soccer player and had joined the track team to stay conditioned.
3. I didn't have any special gear or the proper running cleats. I had a pair of regular Nikes that my father had picked up while back in the U.S. and they were brand new and a half a size too big... a deadly combination for any runner.
4. The first- and second-place winners, both from the German school, were at least twenty feet ahead of me as they crossed the finish line.
If you were to watch this sad scene unfold on video, which I have, you would hear my mother say, "Poor Meghan, she just isn't a runner..." Which was quickly followed by my younger sister whispering, "Mom, I'm taping this." I seriously looked like I was moving in slow motion.
5. ...and finally, the rest of the story is that there were only three runners in the race to begin with.
Yes, the fact is that I won by default. While it was slightly embarrassing and extremely humorous, I was just happy to be wearing a medal around my neck.
If I hadn't run, we wouldn't have medaled and our overall score would have suffered. Our team needed a runner so I ran. My coach told me beforehand that all I needed to do was run and finish the race. He reminded me that regardless of place, I would win a medal.
I didn't run the event that I was best at; instead, I ran the race set before me. I ran the event that needed a runner.
Likewise, we as Christians have been instructed to run the race God has set before us.
I love the way C.H. Spurgeon explained this verse in his Exposition on the Epistle to the Hebrews. He wrote, "Having therefore no room for doubt let us throw our whole strength into our high calling, and run with patience having our eyes always fixed upon Him, the beginner and finisher of our faith, who has run the race Himself and won the prize, and now sits down on the right hand of the throne of God."
Jesus has already run the race and rewards those who follow in his footsteps to the finish. Winning isn't the issue, for we have already been promised the prize. All we need to do is to get in and run the race to completion.
"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith." (2 Timothy 4:7)
Intersecting Faith & Life: You may not be the fastest runner, and that is okay because the race of faith set before us is one of endurance, not speed. Build up your strength through prayer, studying and meditating on God's Word.
Further Reading
Going for the Gold!
Learn a Marathoner's Mentality
Philippians 2:15b-16
1 Corinthians 9:25-27a
Acts 20:24
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August 11, 2009
When God Whispered
by Fred Alberti, Crosswalk.com Director of Social Media
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:16-17
My four year old son had to learn 2 Timothy 3:16 for AWANA. One of the leaders was concerned and stated that there was just no way the children could grasp the idea of Scripture being "God-breathed." So we decided to ask my son to explain what "God-breathed" meant.
You know I think we are sometimes too quick to underestimate a child's ability to understand the truths of the Bible. We are so quick to dismiss their abilities yet this is what Jesus had to say in Matthew 11:25, "At that time Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children."
Jesus knew what children could understand.
I recently was walking through a nature trail. The leaves rustled underfoot and the sun shone out over the lake next to the trail inviting me to stop and reflect on God's glory. I found a bench and while I sat there I heard the breeze whispering through the tops of the trees. Just a slight hushed sound and my thoughts. That's when I pondered on my son's words.
What did my son say?
He said, "Well, God-breathed means that..." and here he lowered his voice, "God whispered it."
Wow... God whispered His Word.
Peter said, "...you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:20-21).
Our Bible isn't just some compilation of stories. It is the very Word of God whispered into the hearts and minds of men who were selected to be his special vessels to communicate His good news.
How about you?
Have you, like Elijah, heard the "still small voice" of the Lord bringing you comfort, encouragement, and guidance?
If not, maybe you need to spend some time to just be still and maybe in His time you'll hear His whisper in your heart too.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Go for a walk in a park or through a quiet museum and find a quiet place where you can be still before the Lord.
Further Reading
1 Kings 19:9-18
Hebrews 4:11-13
Inward Stillness
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August 12, 2009
The Corinthian Man-Creed
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Be on your guard, stand firm in faith, be a man of courage, be strong; do everything in love.
1 Corinthians 16:13-14
Today's verse hangs on a board on the wall of my son. But years ago, long before my son was even an inkling, I came across that verse as I was sending my own father one of many letters I composed over the years to share with him the importance of salvation, and the value of life in Christ. My sister, mother, and I came to know the Lord in 1980, but it took another 17 years, seven months, and 26 days worth of praying, heart softening, and brokenness for Dan McEvoy to surrender.
And it wasn't this letter or the above verse that pushed him into it. No, this letter I was writing simply to tell him how blessed I was to have begun dating a woman (who eventually became my wife) for whom faith came first, and I was giving God all the glory and credit and all that good stuff, and probably telling him how God delights in blessing those who trust in Him.
With the letter I enclosed a quick-and-dirty page of graphic art involving the aforementioned verse from Corinthians in some fancy font, with a clip-art picture of a sailboat, kind of as a visual aid to my letter, indicating, I suppose, what it was like for the man of God to live in this world under the Captaincy of Christ.
Well, so. After he died in 2001, I found that letter and piece of "art" in my father's desk, looking as if it had been read and glanced at often. Something in me knew then that if I were ever to have a son, I'd commit to raising him to manhood under these same five principles:
Be on your guard. Be ready, be alert. Expect God to be involved, expect Satan to attack. Let the wonder of creation still catch your eye.
Stand firm in faith. Be unmoved because you know intimately that of which you believe in. Become biblically literate.
Be a man of courage. Fear is not from God (2 Timothy 1:7), so go your way boldly. The worst that can happen -- even death -- still ends in victory and glory for the Christian.
Be strong. Physically, yes, let's take care of ourselves, and present our bodies as holy. But remember that the Lord is the strength of the strong (Ephesians 6:10), and that "when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Corinthians 12:10).
Do everything in love. Here's your motivation, because he that doesn't love doesn't know God (1 John 4:8), and the world shall know you by your love (John 13:35).
So when Jordan was born, and we had the dedication service at our church, that's the verse we selected to have read. When he was about two-and-a-half, he started reciting it by memory and making up arm/hand motions to go with it. We call it our "Man-Creed."
But here's the secret: these couple verses from the closing of Paul's first letter to Corinth aren't first-and-foremost for Jordan... they're for me.
When I first realized that, it caught me, ironically enough, "off my guard." I had been more than happy to tell my own father how to "be a man," and was perfectly willing to raise my son to be one according to the Word. How, I wonder, did I intend to do so without living out the credo, making it my own? The Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible comments upon the 1 Corinthians passage thusly: "[Paul] shows that they ought to make their hopes of salvation to depend not on Apollos or any other teacher; that it rests with themselves." Yes, and on how I am willing to live, or better, whether I am willing to let my life be of greater worth than my words.
I don't know about the other guys out there, but it definitely helps me to have something to live by, to recite, to write on my heart, ponder the meaning of, and connect to other scriptures as I strive to be a man after God's own heart. And it doesn't hurt that this creed I now try to follow is affecting its third generation in my family.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Allow me to recommend teaching your child -- no matter how young -- to recite Bible verses that reflect who they are and can be in Christ, and make it real in their lives. But while you're doing it, "be on your guard." One of them may just become your own credo.
Further Reading
Ephesians 6:10
Creed: More than Words
Why Memorize Scripture?
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August 13, 2009
Worry-phobia
by Meghan Kleppinger
For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!"
Romans 8:15
The word "phobia" comes from the Greek word for fear, phobos. One of my college psychology professors explained a phobia as an irrational fear of something that can potentially be harmful. Arachnophobia, the fear of spiders, for example, is an abnormal fear of spiders. Spider bites can be deadly, but most spiders are harmless and if a person gets bit by one, the chances of it being a lethal bite are minimal.
Still, a person who suffers from this phobia, like me, can't be told to "not worry" when they see one of those eight-legged monsters. When I see a spider, the blood drains from my face, I can't move... actually, all I can do is scream until someone comes to rescue me. I'm not kidding. I, a grown adult, have been known to stand on top of a table and scream until my mother, yes, my mother, comes and gets rid of the disgusting arachnid.
I am very, very, very afraid of spiders... but truthfully, my phobia issues don't end there. Everyone has their "issue." My issue, my vice, my weakness, and my greatest struggle, can all be summed up in one word: "fear."
Out of curiosity, I recently decided to see if there was a phobia for a generalized fear of everything. There is. It's called panphobia (or pantaphobia), and is simply defined as a fear of everything.
As I researched panphobia, I learned that this is more than the every day worrywart sort of fear. It's a medical condition that is persistent, debilitating, and very difficult to treat. It's related to the paranoia typically found in Schizophrenics. After discovering this, I quickly decided that I don't have panphobia.
I realized that I'm not necessarily afraid of everything, I just worry about everything -- and in case you're wondering, the definition for the Greek word for worry (merimnao) has more to do with an anxious concern than a debilitating fear.
I'm one of those people who worry even more if there isn't anything to worry about. I guess that would be called something like "Worry-phobia" -- a fear of having nothing to worry about. Yes, I worry about those people I love, but I also worry about the starving parentless children on other side of the globe that I will never meet. I get worried when it rains one day too many or if too many days pass without a drop.
Okay, I'm exaggerating... a bit, but you get my point. The thing is God doesn't call worry panphobia or worry-phobia, He calls it sin.
For me it is about control, and when I don't feel like I have control, I worry. It is certainly something God is continually and persistently working on in my life. He has been teaching me to trust Him through some painful and scary circumstances lately.
I know I'm not alone in the journey toward freedom from worry, so I'm going to share some helpful scripture with you. The following verses declare that His truth is greater than any worse-case-scenario or real-life-circumstance we can encounter.
"Do not be afraid of them; the LORD your God himself will fight for you." (Deuteronomy 3:22)
"The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." (Deuteronomy 31:8)
"Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows." (Matthew 10:29-31)
"Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him." (Matthew 6:8b)
"Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" (Hebrews 13:6b)
"Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades." (Revelation 1: 17b, 18)
Isn't it great that God doesn't tell us to do something without equipping us to do it first! Through His Word, He encourages and prepares us to face the world, which is after all, can be pretty scary place... especially with all of those blasted spiders!
"Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom." (Luke 12:32)
Intersecting Faith & Life: Hudson Taylor, A British missionary to China in the late 1800s, gave this advice -- "The branch of the vine does not worry, and toil, and rush here to seek for sunshine, and there to find rain. No; it rests in union and communion with the vine; and at the right time, and in the right way, is the right fruit found on it. Let us so abide in the Lord Jesus."
Further Reading
You Can Win Over Worry
A Worried Christian?
How to Stop Worrying and Start Living!
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August 14, 2009
Hope in a Haircut
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Entertainment Editor
And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
Romans 5:5, NIV
Hope in a haircut? What kind of devotional title is that? Well, if you're a woman then you probably know where I'm going with this. Men, stay with me.
Hair is a security blanket for the female set. And, among other things, it's where we can mistakenly place a lot of our self-worth and hope. So you can just imagine how I felt when I thought I got a bad haircut recently (keyword here is thought).
Because at the time, I was not happy. What I saw was not what I had wanted. My world had been shaken, the circumstances were making me uncomfortable and I couldn't control what had happened to my hair.
So, in times like this, a gal will usually will take matters into her own hands. Literally. Especially if you're like me and you're not afraid of the household scissors or the word "fixin'." But after a tearful, anger-filled snip here and there, I finally called the hair stylist and left a message asking her to fix it. But I had to wait about four days until I heard back, because she was on vacation.
Interestingly enough, something very peculiar happened during that lull. I had time to think and get some perspective. And you know what? My attitude changed! I realized that the 'do was actually not as bad as I first thought. And that life would go on.
Now a man could liken my initial reaction to how he feels when his favorite sports team loses (how 'bout that recent Super Bowl, hmmm?). And a "sports funk" can ensue for a few days or so. Because what he thought should have happened didn't. And now he's not happy.
Likewise with women and their hair. We can have a "funk," too. And after going through my own, I realized how stupid it was for me to put my hope in a haircut. When I realized how something as trivial as my hair--and my lack of control over my hair--affected me and my attitude, well I just had to laugh and thank the Lord He loves a selfish and wayward child like myself--who is looking anywhere but heavenward for hope.
Ultimately, nothing here on earth can ever compare to the hope we have in the Lord. Bad haircuts and the stuff of this earth will always fail me and shake up my world. But His love is unfailing.
Thank goodness my "Master Stylist" knows what is right for me. I don't need to wield my household scissors and help out, as God has the perfect, custom design for my life. How can I not feel hopeful after time spent in his "chair" and in his presence?
Intersecting Faith & Life: What's getting in your way of putting your hope in the Lord? Possessions? Relationships? Entertainment? Work? Your hair? Try making some changes or eliminations in one of these areas today (perhaps turning off your television for the entire evening). Then gauge how you feel as a result. God may be telling you something.
Further Reading
Psalm 33:12-19
Walking the Trail of Hope
August 17, 2009
Never Late
by Fred Alberti, Crosswalk.com Director of Social Media
But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
2 Peter 3:8-9
The scene opens with a young man sitting by a tree reading a book while waiting expectantly for a special visit.
In the far distant a wagon creaks and groans down the lane as its rider sings a cheery tune.
Upon hearing the clatter the young man stands with a big grin and without further hesitation runs to intercept the wagon.
Upon reaching the road and rider he proclaims, "You're late."
The singing stops and the old bearded man looks up and states, "A wizard is never late, Frodo Baggins... Nor is he early... He arrives precisely when he means to."
I love that scene as old Gandalf is greeted by young Frodo, and am often reminded of how perfect of a portrayal it is of our own lives.
We sit and wonder, "How much longer Lord?"
Will He come in our lifetime?
Sometimes we face situations when we are ready to just throw in the towel. We think we know the best time and we boldly proclaim, "Lord, you're late!"
Ah, but then there is the rest of that verse: "He is patient with you."
He is patient with you when you lose your self-control and yell at your kids because they didn't finish their school-work.
He is patient with you when you are critical and judgmental of others.
He is patient with you when you refuse to spend quiet time with Him.
He is patient.
And finally the last part says, "... not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."
Is your impatience so important that it is worth the cost in lost lives?
How terrible a balance!
We must, therefore, trust the Lord's judgment. He will return precisely when He means to.
But what does that leave us to do in the meantime?
The end of the chapter gives the answer, "So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him." (Vs. 14)
How are you waiting for His return?
Intersecting Faith & Life: Write down three spiritual lessons you can learn from a book you are currently reading.
Further Reading
2 Peter 3:15
Bible Pathways Devotional
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August 28, 2009
Let Joy Invigorate You!
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Entertainment Editor
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
Philippians 4:4, NIV
Have you ever used JOY? You know, it's that old-school dishwashing liquid that smells kind of fresh and fruity.
You don't soak your hands it in like "Madge" said to do with Palmolive (remember those commercials from the '70s?). And it's not marketed as the soap that "takes grease out of your way" (that would be Dawn ... say, do I know my detergents or what?). No, JOY is billed as the liquid that will "juice up your dishwashing routine and invigorate your senses."
It's odd, but I really did think about think about this kind of JOY and its claim recently when I was studying the book of Philippians. My commentary notes informed me Paul's letter to the church at Philippi is known as the "Joy Book" and is the most-quoted New Testament epistle. In fact, the word joy (or rejoice) is used 16 times throughout!
Most scholars believe that Paul wrote to the Philippians while under house arrest in Rome. He was chained to a Praetorium guard, the crème de la crème of the police force. They were some of the most influential personnel in the government (several Roman emperors were former members of this group).
In a situation like this, Paul could have focused on the negatives, clammed up and worried about his own welfare. But guess what happened? He was invigorated by the joy of the Lord. The Praetorium guards and those in Caesar's household heard Paul teach about the kingdom of God and many became Christians (Phil. 4:22). Because of Paul's example, other believers were encouraged and boldly proclaimed the Good News, too.
"I always pray with joy." "I will continue to rejoice." "I rejoice greatly in the Lord!" Joy... joy... and more joy. Okay, Paul. I get it. I need to have joy, no matter what.
And here's where my JOY thought comes in. How handy would it be to have a $1.79 bottle at the ready any time we needed to wash away the gunk in our lives? We could squirt a little here and there to "invigorate" and rid our lives of whatever is bringing us down and taking away our joy.
But that's not how life as a Christ follower works. We can't make our own joy. Or buy it on the household cleaning products aisle. Or find it in any person, place or thing here on earth.
Real, everlasting joy comes only from the Lord. He cancels out the sorrow in our lives and helps us to see what He has done for us and is still doing in and through our lives. That's when we experience great joy!
And that's what our Heavenly Father wants for you and me. His joy is our strength (Neh. 8;10), and he invigorates our lives and helps us to find our meaning in Him.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Are you weary? Is your focus diverted by uncomfortable life circumstances? Don't know how you could ever find the joy in whatever bleak situation is facing you today? Ask God to help you see your life as he sees it and discover him as the source of true joy.
Further Reading
Isaiah 35: 10, NIV
A Measure of Joy
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August 29, 2009
You Never Do Anything You Don't Want to Do
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.
Galatians 6:5, The Message
If I try, I can remember my friends from 10th-grade Sunday School. In fact, I'm still tight with two of them. I remember our church, our youth group, and our youth minister. What I don't remember so well are the individual lessons we learned from the Bible each week. As I realize that, I give myself another kick for not having gotten into note-taking and journaling. I'd like to have those things to review now.
What I do recall from one particular class session, however, has always stuck with me. And it wasn't even a quote from the Bible. To show how much I've forgotten, I don't even remember the name of the teacher who said it! He was tall, well-accomplished, but still wanting to give of his time to young men. And one day he looked at us and said the following:
"Today's lesson is going to be very short. Look at me, because whatever you remember from today, remember this. Whatever you remember from your time in this youth group, remember this: You never do anything you don't want to do."
That was it. Obviously I still remember it. Why?
I remember challenging the teacher on that day, most of us scoffing and saying things like, "Yeah, right... I can honestly tell you I do not want to do my homework tonight."
"Yes you do."
"No, I really don't."
"What will happen if you don't?"
"Well, I guess I'd be embarrassed when it was time to turn it in, I'd probably have to lie to my parents when they asked if I'd done it yet, and I wouldn't be prepared for the upcoming quiz."
"So I guess the reason you're going to do your homework is because for the motives you just stated, you DO want to do it."
Snap.
Seven or eight high school boys just got handed a logic lesson in responsibility and motivation. All around the room you could see eyes and minds opening to new possibilities.
This is what we'd been hearing about free will. But now contextualized and personalized.
This is what our parents and teachers had been getting at as they spoke to us about becoming responsible young men.
This put my actions all squarely back on me. And oddly enough, that was something I could tangibly handle.
The applications were endless.
I'm still not even sure his statement was absolutely true, or biblical. But to be honest, it doesn't matter anymore, because it informed and continues to inform many things in my life that are true and biblical.
Do I want to lay in bed or do I want to get to work? Why or why not?
Why am I overweight? Well, my bad. Guess I wanted that, too, when you get down to the nub of it. Certainly didn't do the things I knew would prevent it.
One of the doors that opened to me was in realizing that once I got past "my will be done," I could begin to pray as Jesus did, "Your will be done."
Another was in being able to recognize motivation. Why am I going to conquer this lust or pursue this knowledge or accomplish this hard task for God's Kingdom? Because ultimately, what I want to do is to have my heart's desires be the same as Yours, Lord. That's where You tell us delight is, and that's the only place where we know what we want is right.
Intersecting Faith & Life: What action or reaction in your own life have you been blaming on other people or circumstances? Write down all the ways you yourself can own up to it.
Further Reading
1 Thessalonians 5:12
Philippians 1:23
We Are Responsible for Others
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August 31, 2009
Stain on the Brain
by Fred Alberti, Crosswalk.com Director of Social Media
I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
Psalm 119:11
I watched Caleb as he sat there in deep concentration just staring at the book. Finally, I asked him what he was doing. His response was one I had never heard before. He said, "I'm staining it into my brain."
He was memorizing Scripture verses for AWANA Club.
The thing is he knew what he was doing. He knew that he was trying to burn the words into his memory so he could pass on to the next challenge.
I like how today's verse applies to Caleb's staining power. The psalmist gives the reason why he is hiding God's Word. What is it? So that he will not sin against God.
The reason for Bible memorization is to help us to abstain from sinning.
Oftentimes we resist Bible memorization. Instead we choose to stain our brain with TV shows depicting adultery, murder, and obscenity. Then we get ourselves into a moral bind and we wonder how we got into that place. We shouldn't wonder. We should realize that what we choose to watch and/or memorize is what is going to stain into our brain.
"Oh, that sex scene isn't so bad, at least they muted the sounds."
"Why yes, the whole point of the show was that the husband didn't get along with his wife and had an affair. But at least he was able to get a divorce and the mom was able to keep the kids."
"Well, sure there was a lot of swearing but the story was great and the murder scenes were so realistic. Cinematography has really advanced these last few years."
Folks, these are stains. They will stain your conscious and your heart and those of your family.
What are you staining your brain with these days?
Intersecting Faith & Life: Spend some time this week with your family memorizing key scriptures about salvation, like Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23, Acts 16:31, and 1 Corinthians 15:3-4.
Further Reading
Why Memorize Scripture?
Teaching Memorization and Speaking Skills to Your Children
2 Timothy 3:16-17
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September 1, 2009
No Longer Stumbling in the Darkness
by Meghan Kleppinger
For you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light.
Ephesians 5:8
The electricity went out for less than five minutes last week, but the brief outage, caused by severe winds, was very frightening. Thankfully, in less than five minutes, before I could even make my way to the cabinet with the stowed flashlight, it came back on.
Oh, the things that go through a girl's mind when it's pitch black and she is all alone!
I'm sure you know what I mean. Whether electric outages scare you or not, one thing is for sure, we all go into survival mode. For me, I start running down an invisible checklist: find dog, find flashlight, find cell phone, look down the street to see if it's just me, check alarm system, light candles, etc.
Of course, the entire time I'm going working through this process, my heart is sitting in my stomach, and I'm hunched over with arms held out in front of me to block any potential harm-causing items. I'm clumsy in broad daylight, so you can imagine the bruises that pop up after a power outage!
When the lights came back on the other night everything changed. Immediately I abandoned the survival mode I was operating in, straightened up, and released a sigh of relief. Why? Because, I could see!
The power outage and the contrasting emotions that I experienced reminded me of Ephesians 5:8.
Life without Christ is a lot like what I experienced during the power outage - survival mode in pitch darkness. Without Christ, there are no absolutes. Hope, truth, and even morality, is relative. Whether we admit it or not, when Christ is not the foundation, one's existence is simply a life spent stumbling around in the dark hoping not to bump into anything. How many times do we hear friends say, "Well, I guess I'll just wait and see and find out in the end whether I was good enough."
Thankfully, there is an alternative to a life of uncertainty an darkness.
Of course, I'm referring to a life with Christ, who offers assurance and a grace that sheds light in the darkness. When we become Christ followers, truth becomes absolute, and we don't have to wonder whether or not we're "good enough." It's not hit or miss.
This power outage reminded me that being a Christian doesn't mean that life will suddenly become easy, mistakes won't be made, or that periods of darkness won't be encountered; however, when times do get tough, I'm reminded that I no longer need to crouch over into self preservation survival mode. all I need to do is reach for the Light.
Intersecting Faith & Life: "It is not darkness you are going to, for God is Light. It is not lonely, for Christ is with you. It is not unknown country, for Christ is there" (English novelist, Charles Kingsley).
Further Reading
Ephesians 5:8 calls us to walk as children of light. I encourage you to study the rest of Ephesians 5, because it tells us exactly how to do it.
Who Knows What Evil Lurks
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September 2, 2009
It's Good for Your Character
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Entertainment Editor
Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
Romans 5:3-5, NIV
I grew up in a very special church back in the '70s and '80s. It was nondenominational, had tremendous traditional worship and congregational singing, and was attended by many seminary professors and students.
Seeds that were sown in my life in those early years of my spiritual growth are now sprouting, and I'm drawing upon what I have learned as I make my way through adulthood.
From time to time, I flip through a bound collection of meditations or sayings that my pastor put together. He would regularly refer to these life principles from the pulpit, and today, whenever I hear them (or similar concepts) being said by others, I remember what he preached on them many years ago.
"It's good for your character," he would often say. And here's how he explained that further:
"God uses the routine, the difficult, even the painful to develop in us qualities of Christlike character that can be learned in no other way."
When we begin to see our lives from this perspective, that's when we've turned a corner. But in order to keep thinking in this way, we have to make daily readjustments, as we don't always want to see the routine, the difficult and even the painful in this way.
But it is the right way to look at any uncomfortable situation in our lives. The classic passage regarding trials in James 1:2-4 is wonderfully helpful and instructive:
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Let's break down this outlook:
Consider it pure joy. How do you do this when you're going through a divorce? Or in the aftermath of a departed loved one or the loss of a job? What will it take to see the joy despite the circumstances? Only God can give us this joy and change our perspective.
Testing develops perseverance. In order to learn how to persevere, we have to go through some trying times. Think back on the trials in your life. What were the results? Did you make changes in your life? Did God help you get through them? Remember that as you continue to serve him.
Perseverance must finish its work. We can't go from diapers to dungarees in the snap of a fingers. Living takes time. And there are "pains" that go with it. Sure, it hurts sometimes, but know that the uncomfortable seasons mean that you're growing.
Be mature and complete. When you were a child, you didn't have a bulging file folder of life experiences to draw from. Now that you're older, hopefully you can see how you have grown closer to the Lord and how he has changed you. Draw from past lessons as you choose to live and think differently today.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Can you look back on "the routine, the difficult, even the painful" times of your life and see how God has developed your character? List some specific trials and the resulting changes that have been made in your character and praise your merciful Savior.
Further Reading
2 Corinthians 4:7-12, The Message
How God Develops Christian Character
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The Devotional
Thursday, September 3, 2009
September 3, 2009
What are You Drunk On?
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
And they all continued in amazement and great perplexity, saying to one another, "What does this mean?" But others were mocking and saying, "They are full of sweet wine."
Acts 2:12-13
"These men are not drunk, as you suppose," Peter told the bewildered crowd at Pentecost. "This is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel." The Holy Spirit had been poured out, and I've always found it fascinating that its effects could be mistaken for the pouring out of, shall we say, less holier spirits.
To be sure, the Bible instructs Christ-followers to be "sober-minded" (1 Cor. 15:34, Titus 2:6). And there's honor and maturity in a steadfast, stoic reaction to life's trials. But then there's this fantastic scene in Acts that just fills me with tiny bubbles of delight. There's so much joy and power and overflowing involved with the Holy Spirit, that sometimes, well, we Christians just seem a little bit crazy. Flipped-out. Punch-drunk. Downright giddy.
And who wouldn't like to see more of that side of us these days?
Reflecting on this kind of Spirit-trusting, God-leaning fun reminds me of my three summers as a Christian youth camp counselor. The labor was hard but not in vain. The purpose was evident. The craziness was everywhere. "Go nutso-picasso," our Director would say, and show these kids that being a Christian isn't some droll, fun-killing existence, but something real, life-giving, sustaining, and joyous.
And indeed it was, and is. My closest friends and I had an odd high school experience, in that we had a hard time understanding why our peers found it so fun and/or necessary to involve alcohol - illegally, even - in their weekend plans. We were having more laughs and fun than we could imagine without any drugs. What were we filled with? Why didn't we need anything else?
Later, when I worked at camp, one of the things we would do is create a video of each week for the students to take home with them. One of the features on each week's video was a "blurb" from one of the counselors, an off-the-cuff, from-the-heart snippet of encouragement. I recently found the videotape of the week I was interviewed, and my response reminded me so much of what today's verse means to me, what real life under the guidance and excitement of the Holy Spirit is about. Here's what I said:
I think so many times in our youth groups back home we get tired of hearing the same things: don't drink, don't do drugs, don't have sex. And that's good advice to be sure, but why? So many kids here at camp and the ones I knew growing up weren't doing these things anyway; don't we have any more to offer them? Do we have any explanation for what is filling them, and what they can do with it? It just seems to me that those I've come across who are involved in these so-called "greater sins" are often engaging in them just to fill a void caused by, maybe, disobedience to parents, rebellion, lying, or a poor self-image. So what I like to do is show them that Jesus has given them everything they need to be content, secure, high on real life. And it takes a lot of energy to do that, but I find that the energy is there when I need it, and anyway, if it means leading a young person to the Lord or just reconciling someone to their parents, hey, that's worth it to me.
That's healing through a Holy infectiousness. Won't you take a sip and pass it on?
Intersecting Faith & Life: Are you in a prolonged stupor, or are you tipsy on the outpourings of the Holy Spirit in your life? What's holding this back? Is there a dam keeping the river from flowing forth out of you, keeping it fresh and alive? Take the first step to remove it by looking back to a time when you were first saved or relying entirely on God to do work in His Kingdom.
Further Reading
1 Corinthians 14:23
Acts 7:51
Expect the Holy Spirit to Work in Your Life
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September 4, 2009
How to Live Peacefully
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Entertainment Editor
Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.
1 Peter 3:8-9
In college, I did my fair share of watching soap operas.
Now I'm not saying this was an uplifting way to spend my time or something ripe with great Truth. But I will say this: daytime soaps showed me how I didn't want to live.
There was always turmoil and unrest. Just when I thought one storyline was going to resolve, that's when the twist would happen. And it usually involved someone having a secret life, a secret past, a secret twin, a secret love child, a secret hideaway in the secret woods, etc. You get the idea.
The "secret" would be exposed, and chaos ensued. Characters were angry or distraught. Trust was broken. What was "right" was now "wrong." And vice versa. We're talking major discord!
So suffice it to say, daytime soaps are a great place to start if you want a good idea of how not to live peacefully.
Thankfully, as believers, we know how to live peacefully. In 1 Peter, chapter 3, Peter wrote to Christians who were experiencing persecution as aliens and strangers in the midst of a pagan society (can you relate?). Verses 8 and 9 offer practical instructions for those living in such conflict with their culture. ...
Live in harmony... Serve others as Christ served. When the Word became flesh, how did Jesus interact with the world? Learn from his example of how to reach out to those who believe differently than you.
Be sympathetic... Are you interested in others? Are you concerned? Do you take time to listen? People gravitate and bond with those who are sensitive and kind-hearted.
Love as brothers... Most people give their family members special treatment. That includes top priority when it comes to our time, our resources and our affection. What would the world look like if we treated everyone else in this manner?
Be compassionate... Are you a softie? Because of the way God has wired females, it's not hard for us to reach out, shed a tear or share a smile. If you're male, this may take a little bit of work. Start small (children and domesticated animals) and work your way up.
Be humble... Are you drawn to someone who is pretentious and overbearing? Probably not. Humility doesn't come naturally to any of us. Have a sit-down with your pride today and see if you can work in more time for meekness.
Do not repay evil with evil... This is hard not to do. Especially when someone wrongs us. Really wrongs us. Turn the other cheek and "kill 'em with kindness." It won't be easy, but it will speak volumes to the offending party.
Seek peace... If you wonder why you can't ever escape conflict (work, home, relationships), you might first consider yourself. Are you the common denominator in these equations? Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with you.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Kick-start your "living peacefully" crusade by starting with the outside first. Try eliminating an insignificant activity in your schedule or giving something away this week. See if taking an exterior baby step leaves you more at peace on the inside.
Further Reading
Matthew 5:9, The Message
Pursue Peace
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September 7, 2009
How Should You View Your Work?
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Entertainment Editor
Whatever you do, work at it with all of your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.
Colossians 3:23, NIV
Do you remember what you were thinking when you started your very first job?
Like me, you were probably excited about this new season in your life. The responsibilities. The business cards. The paycheck!!!
And then maybe several months later after toiling away in a dreary cubicle and getting your first "hand slap" from your boss, you might have felt differently. Reality set in. And you perhaps wondered if this was as good as it was going to get. For the next 40 or so years. Ugh.
I've been there, too, and have gone back and forth between viewing my work as a blessing and as a curse throughout my career. Has it been dependent on the job? Not really. More so on which way the wind is blowing. Yes, it's that scientific!
But seriously, as we observe Labor Day, it's good for us to pause and consider what is the proper way for us to view our work.
We first hear of the work concept in Genesis 3:17-19, and it is not a pretty picture:
Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.
Nice. It's going to be hard. We're going to perspire. And we might get stuck with sharp plants. But not all of the time. Ecclesiastes 5:19 paints work in a different light.
Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work-this is a gift of God.
So our job satisfaction and our prosperity comes from the Lord. That is a good thing! It's not wrapped up in how much we make or how many perks we are afforded. God is the one who gives us the ability to enjoy whatever he has purposed for us in our careers. From ditch digger to Fortune 500 Co. president.
Backing up one book, let's don't forget about the original lady who could bring home the bacon and fry it up in the pan--the amazing Proverbs 31 woman. Multiple phrases in this chapter reference her work .
... And works with eager hands.
She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks.
She sees that her trading is profitable.
She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Let her work bring her praise at the city gate.
What a fantastic example! Whether male or female, we should all strive to set such a high standard for ourselves whether in the workplace or in managing our families and homes.
Then, Colossians 3:23-24 gives us the ultimate perspective:
Whatever you do, work at it with all of your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
Yes, we all have an earthly boss (in various forms or fashions). But our Heavenly Superior is who matters most. We must first do that which glorifies him. And that means giving your best, every time and in every endeavor.
Whether you are working in an office or in the home, choose how you will view the work God has entrusted to you this day and for the days (even if it's 40 years!) to come.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Is it time to rethink your current job? Or is God asking you to be content with where he has placed you? Spend some time writing out your thoughts. Ask him to give you a right attitude and perseverance as you serve him.
Further Reading:
Work Can Be Worship
How's Your Job Fit?
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September 8, 2009
Even Jesus Grieved
by Meghan Kleppinger
Jesus wept.
John 11:36
My seven-year-old cousin died when I was in the seventh grade. The viewing, funeral service, and wake, all of which were firsts for me, provided an introduction to bereavement that I wasn't quite old enough to comprehend.
Family members, I observed with confusion, were dealing with the grief they were feeling with anger, denial, depression, shock, and guilt.
I was confused and scared, and as the days after the funeral slowly passed, I felt an overwhelming sense of guilt when life returned to the way it was before.
Fortunately, my cousin's death was the first and last I encountered until I was well into my twenties. This last year or so, however, has been another story.
People I care about have been diagnosed with terminal illnesses and others have gone on to be with the Lord. Some friends were lost in tragic accidents and others passed away naturally. I've spent hours sitting in chairs next to loved ones in hospital beds, and I escaped, more than once from bedsides, to shed a few tears.
In my grief, I found myself as scared and confused as I was when I was a pre-teen grappling with the loss of my cousin. The difference this time was in the guilt I felt. I didn't feel guilty when things began to return to normal, I felt guilty because I didn't want anything to be "normal" again. I felt the stabbing pain of grief for those I loved and was frustrated with myself for feeling this way.
Christians often feel guilty about their response to loss. We think, as believers, we should handle death and sickness better than we typically do. Because we know Christ, and believe our lost loved ones did too, we should somehow be thrilled that they're in a better place. We feel guilty because we're not happy. We feel selfish because we want them back and guilty for missing them.
Dealing with the crises of this past year, prayer and study became essential. I began praying through my guilt and God began to show me a few things. Mostly, He brought the story of Lazarus to my attention. I read,
"Where have you laid him?" He asked. "Come and see, Lord," they replied. Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, "See how he loved him!" (John 11: 34-36)
It burdened Jesus' heart to see Lazurus' sisters in pain. He wept when He saw the body of the friend He loved. He knew grief. He knew the pain of loss. It was a comforting reminder to me that He understands, from experience, our pain and grieves for us and with us.
The eye opener that really caught my attention was that Jesus cried even though He knew Lazarus was only temporarily dead! Have you ever thought about that? Wow! Even though Jesus knew there was a purpose for the death of his friend, and even though the plan was to raise Lazurus from the grave, Jesus mourned. Knowing that Jesus suffered through this loss, as I have suffered, made me think about things quite differently.
It's okay to be sad and miss our loved ones. It's okay even though we know we'll see them again if they had a relationship with Christ. Of course, we need to cling to Christ and His promise that we will not only spend eternity with Him, but that we will see those we love again.
That being said, too often we hurry ourselves through mourning. I just think it's important to remember that it isn't a sin to grieve for our losses, but to remember that it is in fact an important part of the journey towards healing.
Intersecting Faith & Life: When thinking of our own lives and the lives of those we love, remember "When the time comes for you to die, you need not be afraid, because death cannot separate you from God's love." C.H. Spurgeon
Further Reading
When Death Comes Unexpectedly
Grief
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September 9, 2009
Making Faces
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord. - Exodus 34:29
Once upon a time, armed with a couple brushes and makeup cakes, I specialized in turning 20-year-olds into 70-year-olds.
My time backstage in the college theater resulted in curious, long-term fascination with age lines and facial features. I more than once found myself ignoring a professor's lecture to study his face - ironically, studying the faces sometimes gave me a clearer insight into who my professor was as a person, and what his expectations might be. I've carried that quirk with me as I meet new people at church, at work, or at massive family reunions.
Here's the thing - sure, everyone gets crows feet as they age, but only some people have the unique quality that upgrades the "wrinkles" into "laugh lines." The eyes in those faces possess a permanent twinkle that makes me wish I had all day to listen to their tales of dare'n'do. Other faces have the stern, vertical jowl lines indicating a person might not have spent enough time smiling. It's easy to spot the people who talk with their eyes just by looking at their forehead and observing how prominent the creases are.
Backstage in college, these observations played an important role in every theater production. As part of the makeup crew, my goal was to create immediate character recognition and visible personality for actors before they even opened their mouths to say their first lines. This was especially important when creating older characters. The artifice of the theater let me speed through the years and imagine - if this sallow character was 50, 60, or 70 years old, what toll would their personality have taken on their expression? Add a line here, a perceived fullness there, a slight curve or shadow, and my college-age friends would (in theory) walk out not as themselves, but as a visual portrayal of a character. The lines served as an outward sign of an inner temperament.
Theater makeup allowed me to put the habits of a lifetime onto someone for just a few hours. After that, an actor could just wash off the brown and crème lines and "old age" foundation. The rest of us wear - and are always creating - more permanent lines.
The visual character sketches I used to create constantly reminded me that people either get "better or bitter" as we grow older. Our attitudes and values subtly reveal themselves on our faces from childhood on. Dorian Gray was a caricature, but actions do tend to work themselves to the surface whether we want the world to know or not.
You can look around to see what a lifetime of self-centered crankiness will do to a person's looks. On the other hand, if your church is like mine, you can also find faces that show a lifetime of peace in Christ. Those faces - and those eyes - are tied to a world that has more than a few difficulties and anxieties, but that's not what shines through. It's the joy of Christ that gives those eyes a constant twinkle.
Intersection of Faith & Life: We ultimately display what's in our hearts right on our faces. Moses experienced this everyday truth in a supernatural way every time he spoke with God (Exodus 34:29-35), when everyone could tell just by looking at his "radiant" face that he had met with God. After his heart had been fully focused on God, his face reflected it. When people look at your face, what do they see? Are you building attitudes and character traits today that you want reflected on your face in a few years time?
Further Reading:
Acts 4:13
Proverbs 15:13
Are You Glowing?
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September 10, 2009
Merciful Redeemer
by Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. 1 Timothy 1:16 NIV
Paul is one of the most beloved Saints of all time. His love for the Lord, preserved in the canon of Scripture, inspires many to this day. Yet, even this extraordinary man was a sinner -- according to his own words "the worst of sinners." How can this be? Surely he is just exaggerating for effect? Or taking humility a little too far?
But I like to take Paul at his word here. After all, this man had persecuted Christians before his conversion. He had done horrible things in the name of righteousness. Surely, he knew his shortcomings more intimately than you or I. So, let's say Paul truly was the worst of sinners -- and yet we see God did not withhold His mercy.
One of the most moving stories in the Bible is that of another terrible sinner - the woman with the alabaster jar. Interrupting a dinner party at a Pharisee's house, this woman (in what I think would be a very socially awkward moment) wept over Jesus' feet, wiped them dry with her hair, and applied perfume from the jar.
Simon, the hosting Pharisee, was disgusted at this public display of humility, especially by a woman known to be a sinner. Jesus replied to his indignation with this story:
"Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?"
Simon replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled."
"You have judged correctly," Jesus said. (Luke 7: 41 - 43)
Jesus went on to say, "I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven -- for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little." (v. 47)
So often, when we think of our sins and shortcomings we feel ashamed. We want to hide from God like Adam and Eve hid after eating the forbidden fruit. We think God, in His divine perfection, could never want us back or look on us again with the same love as before. Perhaps you've even experienced this kind of rejection in a tangible way - through the abandonment of a family member or loved one.
But this isn't the way God works.
The amazing thing about God's mercy is its accessibility. The bigger the sin, the more anxious God is to pour out His mercy at the first hint of repentance. The Bible tells us that when one sinner repents, heaven rejoices (Luke 15:10). And through Paul's testimony, we can know without a doubt of Christ's unlimited patience and unfailing love. God seeks the love of sinners -- no matter how many times you've sinned or how dark the sin, He desires to shower you with His mercy if you are willing to receive it.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Matthew 5: 7 says Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. We are called to show mercy just as Christ shows us mercy. Is there someone in your life in need of your mercy and forgiveness? Give it.
Further Reading
Hebrews 4: 16
Proverbs 28: 13
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September 11, 2009
Much Ado About Something
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.
2 Timothy 4:3-4
Recently, I finished reading the latest book from a well-known author.
Previous titles by this best-selling scribe have been released from various Christian publishers. I won't reveal his or her name, but if you've spent any time in the Christian bubble in the last 10 or so years, then you've most likely heard it.
I had high hopes when reading the title in question, but by its end I must say that I was rather disappointed in the bland taste left in my mouth. Definitely more humanistic than God-centric. Sure, there was a mention of the Creator here and there and a reference to Scripture in occasional places. But in terms of a substantive, meaty Christian worldview--in terms of who or what should be guiding our lives--I could not find it and felt like I'd only had a small salad for dinner. Bleh.
At the same time, I have been studying in 2 Timothy--a letter written by Paul (to Timothy) while he was imprisoned under Emperor Nero (approx. A.D. 67). The overall theme? Faithfulness in hard times and taking care to root out errant messages disguised as Truth.
But what kind of hard times were going on in that day? And what kind of messages were being communicated?
... People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God--having a form of godliness but denying its power .. (2 Tim. 3:1-5).
Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these men oppose the truth--men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected ... (2 Tim. 3:8).
Oh. So kind of like ... today?
That's right. In some ways, the world hasn't changed too much since the New Testament times (on one hand that's a little shocking, isn't it?). And the fact of the matter is--if you're paying attention--the times are only getting worse.
But we are not surprised. Because "everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted" (2 Tim. 3:12); as heirs we will suffer for the cause of Christ (Rom. 8:17); and we, like sheep, are still easily led astray (Prov. 10:17, 1 Peter 2:25). And anyone--even faith-friendly, self-help speakers or all-positive-all-the-time evangelists--who tells you otherwise is not preaching the whole Gospel but a false idea.
As believers, we should be concerned about what is going on around us. We should carefully consider anything we read or hear. We must distinguish between Truth and heresy. And how do we do that? By knowing what we believe and measuring everything ... everything ... against God's Word.
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Tim. 3:16-17).
And now, truth time. When's the last time you were taught, rebuked, corrected or trained by something you heard? By something you read? Are you drawing from the Well of Truth or are you sipping from the "Spring of Feel-Good" or the "Fount of What-I-Want-to-Hear"? Take a moment to think about that. (I will, too.)
It's easy for any of us to get caught up in what our "itching ears want to hear." But we must remember to consider the source--its trustworthiness and its credibility--as well as the reliability and infallibility of God's Word. By doing due diligence in this way and making much ado about something, we can help safeguard our lives against falling away from Truth.
Intersection of Faith & Life: Take some time for personal inventory today. What are you listening to? What are you reading? Who or what is informing your faith? How much time are you spending meditating on Scripture? Consider your intake. Are you being deceived? Perhaps it is time to make some changes.
Further Reading:
Hebrews 4:12
1 Peter 5:8-9
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September 15, 2009
Back on the Sidelines... Why?
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
"You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him;
you are only a boy, and he has been a fighting man from his youth."
1 Samuel 17:33
Once upon a time, my life contained elements of the song "Second String" by Wes King, the chorus of which goes:
I know
What it feels like
To be second string.
I know
What it feels like
To just sit on the bench
And watch your friends play
And wonder why you're even on the team
I know, I know
Second string
King even includes a verse in the song about David, and how he too sat waiting on the sidelines to be given a chance to prove where his strength came from against the giant from the Philistine army.
And like I said, once upon a time, that was me -- chomping at the bit, ready for whatever, not worried whether I was good enough or ready (whatever that really means). Just waiting to do great things - big or small - for the Lord's team. Wondering when I could go off and join the intergalactic rebellion... or whether I would be involuntarily stuck, like Luke Skywalker, by forces beyond my control, tending to the Tattooine harvest for "just one more year."
Then not just one, but more than 20 years passed. Many opportunities came. My turn did arrive - several times and in several ways. I might even say that I got more than I wanted, such that somewhere along the line, somehow, my priorities unwittingly turned less towards getting in the game, and more towards recharge, me-time, unclenching... even flat-out laziness and withdrawal.
And I didn't even realize how bad it had gotten until this weekend. There I was at the first week of my son's first-grade season of YMCA soccer. He's been playing since he was three, and is quite good. Part of that is because I played the game growing up and have passed some things along to him.
This year's team didn't have a coach. Nobody had stepped up. We were being told that unless one of us parents took the reins, our kids, who had mostly asked to be placed on a team together, would all be split up and sent to different teams. That's when one of the parents spotted me helping Jordan and a couple other boys practice and said, "That guy looks like he knows what he's doing! Make him the coach."
So I became a youth soccer coach... begrudgingly.
I obviously had not come with a practice plan, but something amazing happened when I took over with those boys. Immediately my mind and body were zapped back to my days as a Christian youth camp counselor, teaching activity classes like soccer, tennis, archery... I became aware of a smile on my face under the Virginia September sun... I even forgot that I was suffering horrible abdominal cramps as a result of several days' consumption of way too much low-quality red meat. We ran drills I hadn't run since I was a junior in high school. The boys actually listened, and picked up some strategy beyond just clustering around the ball. What was going on? All I had wanted was to get through this, get back to my bathroom, and hope to forget my troubles once college football kicked off.
The next morning, Valerie and I were discussing this on our ride to church. Despite the successes of the day before, I was a bit grumpy. Feeling suckered. For whilst sitting on my rear watching said college football, I had also viewed a commercial where two moms sat chatting happily about supplemental insurance at a youth soccer game. They looked so content and unemcumbered. And the thoughts had started: "Ha! No relaxing free hour on the sidelines for you! Fool! Those other parents used you! You probably need a break more than ANY of them, and now you have to run around on the field with children... getting exercise. Exercise! BOOOOOOOO!"
I vocalized these thoughts to my wife in the car. Only this time, no sooner did I get through the word "sidelines" than I didn't require the lovingly reproachful look on Valerie's face. The bolt struck my own brain, and the lesson held.
HOW had I gotten HERE? From "put me in coach" to "why can't I sit on my rear end, too?" Wow. Conviction. Even more so for me because for one thing I have written often about how freedom and maturity aren't about building to a place where we can do whatever we want all the time. I believe that results in us becoming our own little gods. I need exercise. I love kids. I pray for God to use me (do I really mean it?). I'm good at stuff like this. And a few years ago I had learned a similar lesson in a similar way -- that Christianity is a team sport. Going solo doesn't work.
Put it all together and I was really baffled at how far I had let myself go in the name of comfort, desserts, and fairness.
I'm not recommending you run out and coach youth soccer, or even suggesting that I am suddenly a very important and unselfish volunteer. It's simply the attitude paradigm re-shift I needed that I want to convey today. David -- and once upon a time, probably you -- couldn't wait to join the fight. Until this weekend, Shawn -- and perhaps you -- couldn't wait to hide from it at the end of every tiring day and exhausting week. Thankfully the alarm clock went off, and I'm awake again.
Saturday I was sleepwalking, but even so, there was the energy, the qualification, and the reward, as soon as I said yes, even bedrudgingly.
Today youth soccer. Tomorrow, something grander.
`
September 16, 2009
Once'n'Done Theology
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." - Philippians 1:6
It's not uncommon for me to reach a conclusion, and then work backwards to justify it. As my husband can tell you, I often enjoy the closure of a thing done, a project completed, or a decision made more than the process of doing it, so it's sometimes easier to just make the decision and then decide how to live with it. Forget the research and deliberation, that's for people who like options. When I see progression (ergo, progress), I'm happy.
Because of this linear tendency, being forced to redo projects - or even slow down - is cause for great consternation. It messes up the simplicity of moving from A to B to C. I desperately hate the feeling of moving in circles without a direction. Here's the spiritual catch for me - this personality trait can translate into a "been there, done that" attitude in my faith. My conversations with God can look like this:
Okay, Lord, I'm constantly confronted with the importance of the Gospel, but shouldn't it be coming from somewhere like, say, Hebrews by now? I've known the Christian message for years, and I'd like to think I'm beyond that "milk" stuff onto the "meat" course. John 3:16 seems a little old by now, don't you think you could teach me something else, Lord? We've covered this ground before, and I feel like I'm ready to move on. Teach me something new, something exciting. My conversion was a once'n'done deal, so now we can move onto the more important parts of theology. Like the mystery of the Trinity or something. No, Lord, I don't want to learn about repentance again...
On Sunday, I was confronted with just that: a lesson that needed to be relearned. My pastor had chosen a prayer from the Valley of Vision to include in the bulletin:
But in my Christian walk I am still in rags;
my best prayers are stained with sin;
my penitential tears are so much impurity;
my confessions of wrong are so many
aggravations of sin;
my receiving the Spirit is tinctured with selfishness.
I need to repent of my repentance...
I don't like hearing that, after all this time, I'm still in rags. That I'm still an imperfect Christian. That even my repentance needs to be purified.
Too often, my image of salvation is someone on their knees praying the sinner's prayer, then popping up with a smile on their face and the mental white robes. Boom, instant Christian! Every day in the Christian life newer, better, deeper, further down the road of sanctification. A linear path to transformation.
In reality, the proper illustration is probably closer to the story of Michelangelo carving one of his great sculptures. The real beauty of the piece isn't found in the shape of the stone - we would've forgotten David long ago if Michelangelo had stopped with the mere likeness of a man. What makes the piece incredible is the intricate detail, the painstaking perfection of a stone so like a man it stuns us. It's so much more than a dull reflection carved out of rock. The sculptures find their meaning in the tiny chips that smoothed the rock into the likeness of life. Each chisel mark brought art closer to the surface. Ron DiCiani visually portrays this illustration with his own piece, "The Chisel," in which the hand of God chips a man free of his imprisonment. This is not a linear process - instead, it requires the constant return to the same spot until the master says he is finished.
The Christian life is not a once'n'done affair. Our faith requires - thank God! - learning the same lessons over and over, in fresh ways that jolt us back to the reality of radical grace.
"Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose." - Philippians 2:12b-13
Intersection of Faith & Life: Do you find yourself frustrated to learn the "same lessons" over and over again? Running smack up against those old lessons serves as a reminder that we're never done with any part of the Gospel. It will take all of our time here on earth to understand the magnitude of what we've been given. That same Valley of Vision poem ends with this plea:
Grant me never to lose sight of
the exceeding sinfulness of sin,
the exceeding righteousness of salvation,
the exceeding glory of Christ,
the exceeding beauty of holiness,
the exceeding wonder of grace. `
September 17, 2009
Is that Fruit any Good?
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Entertaiment Editor
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. Against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23, NIV
It's the age-old question that you may have asked yourself this morning: How can I tell if a cantaloupe is good or not?
I'm not a mind reader, but I think it really is possible that you may have already asked that today. Since cantaloupes are now available year-round (and not just in the June to August peak season), chances are you might be purchasing one very soon. If not today.
So, naturally, you'll want to know what techniques you should have at the ready when it comes to figuring out which cantaloupe is good.
Well, there are different tests that can be employed. Lora Brody, author of The Kitchen Survival Guide (which, incidentally, is a great gift for new cooks, the college-bound, nearly-weds or newlyweds), explains:
Selecting a ripe melon can be tricky, so I suggest you ask the produce clerk for assistance the first few times. Melons, and this is more true with cantaloupe than honeydew, should yield slightly to pressure when pressed at both ends. Make sure to choose melons free of soft spots. A melon should smell nice and sweet. This means it is ripe or nearly ripe.
Well, thanks, Lora. Now we all know how to identify good cantaloupes. Another important point to note is that cantaloupes will not ripen once they have left the vine. Interesting. That's something to keep in mind as we consider other types of fruit. Virtual fruit, if you will. Like the fruits of the Spirit we should bear as Christians.
But how do we know if we are bearing good spiritual fruit? Perhaps we could apply this same cantaloupe test to our lives to see if we are yielding anything good...
We should ask for help... If you're unsure about your fruit-bearing-if it's good, bad or nonexistent-it's best to always check first with the No. 1 Fruit Expert. Seek the Lord, for his fruit is better than fine gold (Proverbs 8:17-19).
We should yield slightly to pressure... How we react when trials and suffering come our way says a lot. Are we hard pressed on every side, but not crushed? Perplexed, but not in despair? Persecuted, but not abandoned? Struck down, but not destroyed? (2 Corinthians 4:8)
We should be free of soft spots... Are we protecting our vulnerable areas from the enemy? Have we put on the full armor of God so that we can take a stand against the devil's schemes? (Ephesians 6:11-18)
We should smell nice and sweet ... Are our lives a fragrant aroma or a stale stench? Do we emit the gospel of grace through our words and our deeds? (2 Corinthians 2:15-16)
We should stay connected to the vine to ripen ... As Christ followers, we have to stay connected to the Vine for our ripening process lasts a lifetime. Christ produces the fruit in our lives. Apart from him we can do nothing (John 15:4-5).
When was the last time you employed a fruit test in your life? Spiritual fruit, like the cantaloupe, is always in season. Try testing yours today!
Intersecting Faith & Life: Which fruit of the Spirit could use some work in your life? Write it down on an index card (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control). And focus on this virtue for a week. Ask the Lord to help you to stay connected to him as he "ripens" this area of your life.
Further Reading
Jeremiah 17:7-8, NIV
When Your Efforts Seem Fruitless
`
The Devotional
Friday, September 18, 2009
September 18, 2009
The Epic Battle Sequence Within
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does--comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.
1 John 2:15-17
"Hey, we're going to go see _________ at the movie theater on Friday night. Want to go with?"
The older I get, the more that question is one that is met with internal conflict and less with joie de vivre or devil-may-care attitude (when in all actuality, the Devil really does care!). I'm more cautious now and am concerned with what types of moving pictures and dialogue I'm allowing into my head and heart.
When I was a high schooler, I only followed the rating. If it's R-rated, then I know I can't go. Mom and Dad won't let me, and I'll get in trouble if I go see this movie. So, of course, my intake was more limited. That time period also marked the beginning of the PG-13 rating which didn't push the limits then nearly as much as it does now (in case you hadn't noticed, in the twenty-first century PG-13 is the new R). So I was usually pretty safe with any movie below an R rating.
Or ... was I?
I remember some films that I watched back then that, had the "adult me" had a short conversation with the "teenager me," I probably would have thought twice about seeing them. It never occurred to me to consult a review of a film before going to the theater. All that mattered was the rating, who was starring and what the story was about. With those few bits of info, I was ready to make an "informed" decision.
These days, I know too much. I read about films long before they hit theaters, and I learn what kinds of objectionable content are going to be at play. And this is where the epic battle sequence within begins.
You know those type of scenes. Think of some of the greatest battles ever portrayed on film, and you'll get the picture (Saving Private Ryan, The Lord of the Rings, Braveheart--and maybe some of the Star Wars movies which somehow haven't aged quite so well, but I still love them anyway).
Swords and shields, tanks and machine guns, force fields and light sabers--they're all making a metaphorical racket inside of me when contemplating, Is this movie too "of the world" and is it against God or righteousness? During these moments, it's truly a fight for me. For my allegiance. To whom do I belong? And who will win?
As I strive to grow in my faith and allow the work of the Holy Spirit to transform me, to correct my wayward thinking and to propel me toward paths of righteousness, I have to decide what I should or should not let invade my life (Rom. 12:2)
Will this film play a part in the renewing of my mind? Will I learn something from it that I can apply to my life? Will it draw me closer toward or lead me away from God? Or am I being too strict and need to recognize that some movies are pretty much harmless to my Christian walk?
At the end of the day, each of us must decide for himself or herself what is acceptable and what is God's will for our personal cinematic consumption. Whether it's choosing which films to watch or any other life decisions, it's when the epic battle sequence within ceases that we know we have real problems.
Intersection of Faith & Life: Yes, life goes by very fast. But we need to pause. We need to ponder. We need to see what's going on inside of our hearts and minds. Take some time today to think about what recent life choices you have made (whether it's movies you've watched or otherwise). How did you arrive at your final decisions? Were you conflicted? Should you have been?
Further Reading:
Philippians 4:8
Can Anything Good Come from Hollywood?
September 22, 2009
To Become Small
by Meghan Kleppinger
He must increase, but I must decrease.
John 3:30
Where do you go to become small?
Or, where do you go to remember... to remember that you are small?
A friend recently told me that it was her greatest desire to be number one in her class. "I've never ranked first in anything," she confided. "Just once, I want to be number one."
It's easy to empathize with her isn't it?
There is something in us that strives to be more. We want to be successful at work and in our personal lives. Seeking significance, we look for ways to make an impact in our communities. At the end of our days, we want to leave something behind that says, "I was here and I was important."
It isn't wrong to strive for excellence or to do our best in all things; in fact, we are to do these things. The problem comes when we strive, not for excellence, but to become excellent for ourselves. It's in our need to be the best.
The ocean.
That's where God reminds me of how small I am.
I used to tell people that I must have been born in the water. The ocean is a place where I've always felt connected, comforted, and challenged. Because my parents and their families are from the Eastern Shore of Maryland, when I was growing up, the sea became my second home.
I love the smell of salt water, the feel of grainy salt between my toes, the never ending salty breeze that swirls around in all directions. I love swimming and surfing and the sun, but strangely, my favorite time of year to visit the beach is winter.
More than once, in the middle of the cold months, I've made my way down to the water's edge, bundled up in my warmest clothes, from the ankles up anyway, and stared out at the awesome site before me.
An empty beach,
Crashing waves,
Biting January winds,
Salty air,
... and a massive sea staring back at me.
There has never been a time when I've stared out at the water that I haven't experienced a sense of awe. The ocean is huge. I can't see where it ends. From the time I was a small girl until now, one thing has remained the same; no matter how much I've grown, the ocean is still huge in comparison.
God reminds me that the same is true with him. He uses the ocean to humble me as He shows me His awesomeness. No matter how "big" or important I become, He will always be greater.
There is comfort in knowing this, isn't there? It isn't about self esteem; it's about remembering who God is.
God is bigger than all things - not just us, but our problems, our pain, our struggles, and our sin.
Somehow, when I see the ocean and am reminded of God, the need to be number one diminishes.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Let our great and awesome God guide you in all that you do.
Further Reading
Hebrews 13:20-21
The Secret to Knowing God
God's Provision
September 23, 2009
The Heart of the Debate
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless.
Titus 3:9
"Well, I'm not sure Barack Obama isn't the antichrist. The Bible says to be on guard against the evil one. And given his policies of late - and this video I saw on YouTube - you ought to consider the implications."
"How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?"
"WHAT?! This church doesn't believe in infant baptism?! The Presbyterian tradition goes all the way back to the early church, how can you not see that?"
"So, could God make a rock so big he couldn't lift it?"
It's true, pursuing a full understanding of Scripture necessitates some conversation and debate with fellow believers. How else will iron sharpen iron if we aren't willing to engage in lively - and loving - exchange? We can never assume that our own wisdom is the final word on spiritual matters.
But there's a problem. If we're not careful, our iron-sharpening-iron debates degenerate. Almost before we recognize it, our hunger for knowledge becomes its own end.
During my freshman year of college at a small Christian school, I was often drawn into theological "debates." The conversation often included predestination, but was just as likely to include some esoteric unknowable like whether God could make a rock so big that even he couldn't lift it. Initially, the polemic in me enjoyed these intellectual tête-à-têtes. Like many others, I was driven by a desire to see the Bible in the right way, and I learned to appreciate some differing viewpoints on some topics. But the thrill of scoring a point on a verbal sparring partner was a little addicting.
As the semesters passed, many of us found that we were better off serving alongside each other than debating each other, regardless of differing views on infant baptism and the like. But some of us... well, the metaphor changed. Often, those who continued to "debate" theology got more and more entrenched within their positions and stopped really listening to whomever they were sparring with. The goal changed from wholehearted pursuit of truth to wholehearted pursuit of debate for debate's sake. Those iron-sharpening-iron sessions became more like a session of bulls locking horns over theological territory.
As Paul wrote Titus and the church in Crete, some conversations don't truly help us in our walk as Christians. In fact, they're just plain "foolish." They may not be so painfully, obviously unhelpful as the number of angels on the head of a pin, but they still fall into that broad category of "useless." What's worse, when we spent our mental energy on these spiritual rabbit trails, it just distracts us from what's truly important.
None of us possesses perfect knowledge or understanding of Scripture. If we did, and knowledge of God could be quantified, he wouldn't be the infinite God we know. Now, I'm certainly not saying we should quit trying - part of the wonder of the Christian life is learning to know God more, and appreciating his character the better for it. What I am saying is that we can lose sight of our motivation for "knowing." Like the church in Crete, we can quickly start debating the finer points of theology - or Christian living, or whatever - to prove ourselves right. And when that happens, the Gospel gets tossed to the side. The main point gets lost among the minor details. What is - and always will be - most important is the wonder of God reaching down to pull us up. Christ died to save sinners even before they were repentant - that's the heart of the Gospel. And that, my friends, needs no debate.
Intersection of Faith & Life: Anything that takes priority over the Gospel - including worthless or overzealous arguments - acts as an idol in our hearts. What cherished theological minutiae are getting in the way of your fellowship with other Christians? Even with your view of the Gospel?
Further Reading:
1 Thessalonians 4:11
Why My Way Is the Only Godly Way
The Devotional
September 24, 2009
What Brown Did for Them
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them.
Psalm 34:7
"God sends his best troops to oversee your life," writes Max Lucado in his book Fear Not. "Imagine the president assigning his Secret Service to protect you, telling his agents to motorcade your car through traffic and safeguard you through crowds... Heaven's many, mighty angels watch over you."
In our lives, my wife and I have seen the Lord minister to us mysteriously just like that. In her life, the amazingly-timed angelic intervention has tended to be more in the area of housing and shelter. In mine, it has centered more around transportation.
I was 11 years old and stuck on the side of an empty desert road with my mother and 9-year-old sister. It was very hot, and we had a flat tire on the old station wagon. Unfortunately, it was one of those older models that required a special tool to remove the hubcaps... and as luck would have it, we were without the tool. Or rather, we were until a man on a bicycle appeared over the horizon. He biked up to us, asked what the problem was, and produced the specific tool from out of his pocket. He changed the tire, smiled, and rode off again, leaving three people with their bottom jaws in their laps.
Another time, before we were married, I was helping Valerie move from South Carolina to Virginia. We had loaded the U-haul, and then secured her Toyota to an auto-transport trailer behind it. Our journey took us up and down bumpy hills, over railroad tracks, through a rainstorm, and onto the interstate before we stopped for gas... and realized that we were missing Valerie's keychain, which included her car keys, keys to her new residence and her old residence, and don't-lose-them-or-we'll-charge-you-$600-each keys to certain buildings at the University of South Carolina. We searched everywhere but could not find the keys. Finally, I got out of the car intending to call the U-haul dealer to see if we had left them there. That's when I spied the keys resting oh-so-gingerly upon a 1-inch-thick beam of the auto-transport trailer. Apparently I had left them there as we were securing the Toyota. I touched them so slightly and they fell to the ground. How they had remained there through our journey to that point was a mystery. All we each knew was that it could not have been physically possible, and we praised God.
This weekend at church I heard an even greater story from an Australian band called Revive. The lead singer shared a testimony of how they came to be in America, how they stepped out in faith to move their families to the other side of the world at the urging of the much-more-well-known group Third Day. They had bought an old white bus in which to tour from place to place... and it turned out to be a lemon. They referred to it as their "tic-tac on wheels." The old tic-tac had been to see about four or five mechanics - some of whom were rip-off artists - before it broke down yet again. The band was out of money, so desitute that they laughably pulled out one of their CDs as they explained their situation to this latest repair guy. "We're new in the country... we've got to get back on the road by tomorrow... we don't have much money... can we give you some free merchandise?, etc. etc."
The mechanic was like, "Ahh... I'll see what I can do," and he dropped the CD back onto the counter next to the register.
What happened next is a bit of a mystery to the band, because they didn't experience it first-hand. But from what they have been able to piece together...
The next day, a UPS delivery guy brought a package to that same repair shop. He saw the CD still on the counter, and somehow, he had heard of this new-in-the-country, fledgling Christian band. He struck up a conversation with the mechanic about their situation.
Later that day, when the band came to pick up the tic-tac, completely unsure of how they were going to pay for the repairs, they were informed that their bill had been paid in full. Says the mechanic, "This UPS guy comes in to deliver a package, sees your CD where I left it on the counter, and asks about you. He paid for your repairs. The bus is ready - runs great - and you guys can get going."
As he told the story to our congregation, the lead singer said, laughing, "We have delivery folks in Australia as well, and I know we're new here, but I'm pretty sure this sort of thing isn't standard. So we now refer to our mysterious helper as our angel in little brown short-shorts."
Intersecting Faith & Life: Was he human, or was he angelic? Has UPS been hiring extraordinary Good Samaritans? What about the guy on the bike? Does it matter? Either way, God sent willing ministers to the aid of those traveling to spread his Word, to those willing to put complete trust in him. Pray that you will have both the opportunity to bring this kind of aid to someone else, and to experience it yourself, even as you know that the only way you will get to see it is through a problem, trial, or inconvenience. But that's where miraculous and angelic intervention occurs... for those who fear God.
Further Reading
God's Secret Agents
Touched by an Angel
`
September 25, 2009
What Are You Hiding?
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
Psalm 119:11
My parents enrolled me in a Scripture memory program at a very young age: three years old.
I remember the very first memory book that was used for preschoolers. Each letter of the alphabet coincided with a verse:
A: "All we like sheep have gone astray."
B: "Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another."
C: "Cast all your cares upon him for he careth for you."
D: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."
And so on. ...
My mother worked the most with me in helping me to memorize each week's allotted verses, and then I would recite them to a "hearer" at my church. A "hearer" was a neutral-party person, and in my case it was a fellow church member who happened to be the mother of one of my good friends. She was very kind and when necessary, gently corrected me or prodded me along as I would recite my memory verses to her.
As I got older (grade school, junior high and onward), I began to resent having to memorize Bible verses. It was just another "chore" in my weekly doings, another task to cross off the list. I also memorized Scripture at church: in Sunday School classes, in Pioneer Girls club, in "big church" and later on in the high school youth group and in other Bible studies.
They were just words to me during those years. I knew it was good that I was memorizing from the Word (because Scripture told me so!), but it just didn't mean a whole lot to me then. Seeds were being planted, but nothing was growing in my heart. Everything lay dormant.
Until ...
Many, many years later, something began to happen. After living life my way, after numerous mistakes and poor life choices, I finally gave up and gave in to God. I was broken. Humbled. And crying out.
"Lord, I know you can redeem the years I have wasted. Please invade my heart. Take over. Make something good out of the mess I've made."
And he did. Slowly but surely I began searching the Scriptures (hungrily and in desperation this time) to help me apply Truth to my life. And the verses I had memorized came back to me! The treasure that had been stored years ago had not been snatched away. It was still there, hidden in my heart. And it was growing! Perhaps I couldn't recall all of the references, but I knew the words. And I still do to this day.
Friends, God's Word is powerful. It is so worth your time. And it is our lifeline here on earth. If you want to see real and radical change in your life, if you're looking for hope in a hopeless world, if you desire to know who God is and if you want to share this Good News with someone else, then get in the Word and start hiding it in your heart.
I promise you this: as you draw closer to God in this way, he will draw closer to you. You will grow in your faith. And you will never be the same.
As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it (Isaiah 55:10-11).
Intersection of Faith & Life: It is never too late to start hiding God's Word in your heart. Begin with one verse a week. Write it on a sticky note and place it on the bathroom mirror where you live or the rearview mirror in your car. Speak it out loud, consider its meaning and ask the Lord to help you memorize it and apply it to your life.
Further Reading:
Hebrews 4:12
Why Memorize Scripture?
September 28, 2009
Who, Me?
Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. .
1 Corinthians 15:58 NIV
I agreed to help teach religious education at my church this year. It sounded like fun when I signed on. ("Sure, I'd love to work with the high school kids!")
Yesterday, I got to meet those kids, or should I say... young adults. Some of them were taller than me. Some clearly expressed their desire to be elsewhere. All of them sat silently, awaiting direction from the lead teacher and me.
As I stood at the head of the class with the lead, I silently wondered if this was such a good idea. What would I say to these kids? Would they even listen? And where is a podium to hide my fidgety hands behind??? (The room was set up so that the teachers just stood in front of the class ... no desk or podium).
I don't know, God. Surely someone else is more qualified to teach this class than me.
Perhaps some of you can relate. With our recent economic woes, insecurity is high. Searching for just the right job can be almost as painful as searching for the right spouse... rejection takes its toll, our personal weaknesses internally gnaw away at us, and temptations to play the comparison game skyrocket.
As I wrestled with my own feelings of inadequacy, I remembered a story told at a conference I attended a few years ago by a wise priest from the Bronx. His name is Fr. Benedict Groeschel, and he spent some time working with Mother Teresa during her lifetime. When he first met Mother, she put him in charge of something important. After repeated failures, Fr. Groeschel approached her. Their conversation played out something like this:
"Mother, I just don't think I am the right person for this job. In fact, I think I am the least qualified priest to do this job."
Mother gave him a stern look. "That is why I chose you."
Perplexed (and undoubtedly humbled), Groeschel inquired why she would choose him based on his lack of qualifications.
"Because then people will know that any good you do comes from God, not from you. That is what I pray for my own work. That people do not look at me and see me as someone special, but look at me and see God. I pray that when I die, I will be replaced by the most humble, least loved, and least adequate nun. That way people will clearly see that the good that comes from this work has little to do with me and everything to do with God."
Puts things in perspective, doesn't it?
When I reflect on Mother Teresa's thoughts to Fr. Groeschel, I am reminded that God doesn't necessarily expect me to be the most qualified candidate for every job - he may not even want me to be the most qualified candidate.
That's not to say God doesn't want use our gifts or our brains. But it's easy to lose sight of the fact that the work we do, in every realm, is really more about God than it is about us. And if we lean on him and let him work through us, we'll be up to any challenge.
Intersecting Faith & Life: : Is there a job you've been asked to do that you don't feel qualified for? Relax, do what is asked of you, and let God do the rest.
Further Reading
Busy for God
:angel:
September 29, 2009
Level the Trail
by Fred Alberti, Crosswalk.com Director of Social Media
"Make level paths for your feet," so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed. Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless...
Hebrews 12:13-16a
My kids and I have been developing a nature path in the back woods of our property. I just love to take them back there and enjoy the sounds and smell of nature.
In the back woods trail there is an area that has holes in the ground that are mostly filled with leaves. This can be a rather treacherous area for ankles and we call it the booby trap zone. One of these days I'll have them help me bring back some buckets filled with dirt to fill in these hazardous little traps.
Today's passage brought this little area to mind. What does it mean to "make level paths for your feet?"
I think the verse is intertwined with the one that follows, "Make every effort to live in peace with all men and be holy."
I think as we journey down our trail of faith there are people with whom we will come into contact. Good or bad, lengthy or brief, our journey with them will leave a mark on their lives. Will they experience healing from their interaction with us or will we sow bitterness? Our charge is to, as much as it depends on us, bring peace to them through our holy living and to make sure they are exposed to the opportunity of experiencing God's grace and salvation.
How level is your path?
Are you leaving pitfalls of bitterness, sexual immorality and activities that promote godlessness?
Start making your path level today.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Take a prayer walk in a park or on a local nature trail. Pray that God will help you to be an agent of peace to someone you have recently had a conflict with.
Further Reading
Mark 9:50
Prayer for Peace
:angel:
September 30, 2009
Before It Gets Better
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! - 2 Corinthians 5:17
The Britton family recently bought their first house. Yes, this is cause for much rejoicing and excitement (and financial reshuffling), but my enthusiasm as been slightly daunted over the past two weeks. No, it's not the packing and unpacking of boxes and the physical move that has caused me to pause at the enormity of this step. It's not the size of the mortgage that we'll be hauling around for the next three decades. It's not any of those things.
It's the smell.
My handyman husband and I tackled a foreclosure for our first house, and the dear little house has a few issues. The foundation is sound, the pipes don't leak, and the appliances work, but... well, I sure hope there's a diamond in all that rough. The walls smell (and look) like a pack-a-day, and I try not to imagine what happened to the irredeemably stained (and equally smelly) carpet. We bought the house warts and all, knowing it just needed some TLC. With a steel brush, I told myself.
Now, two weeks (and supposedly halfway) through the cleanup job, I can look around and see what we've accomplished. The carpets have been ripped out to leave subflooring. The hole in the bathroom ceiling is cleaner but much bigger than before. And the wallpaper has been stripped away to reveal bright yellow walls with dozens of spackle-spots.
Turning this foreclosure into something habitable has required some counterintuitive action. As my husband David so gently put it, "Things have to get worse before they can get better."
The process has meant stripping the house down to its bare essentials and starting over with clean floors, new paint to seal away the old smells, and sturdy drywall to replace what's crumbling. And ever so slowly, the house is slowly acquiring a new softness and freshness. But only after getting rid of putrid aesthetics and enduring a period in which the house felt uglier and more unlovable than ever.
In a few weeks, I hope I can look at our house and say, "Yes, the old has most definitely disappeared!" I want the love we poured into that house to shine out in a stunning transformation. And the vile carpets and drywalls and grime? That will all be in a garbage heap far away. I'm prepared to stick with this project until the house isn't just better - the job isn't over until we have a completely new creation.
Intersecting Faith & Life: The miracle of transformation seems to take one step forward and two steps back in my life. Too often, I've found myself trying to move forward in my walk with God before addressing the underlying issues. You can guess the result - the problems keep creeping back, like a smoke smell lingering in old carpets. Christ demands us to deny ourselves completely, and fall back on the very foundation of who we are in him before the work can progress. Only then does a new creation truly emerge.
Further Reading
The Gospel of Don Quixote
The Ultimate Makeover
:angel:
October 1, 2009
All Things
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
So that you may approve the things that are excellent.
Philippians 1:10
The Apostle Paul was gloriously obsessed with the victory of Christ that created freedom in Christ under the Lordship of Christ. How else to explain the non-stop use in his letters of the phrase "all things"? With these two little words, over and over again Paul reminds us just how much authority has come unto Jesus. If it doesn't take hold to hear that all authority in heaven and earth has been given him... that every knee shall bow and every tongue confess... that the battle has been won once for all... he goes further, into specific areas of our lives, to drive the point home.
Consider what Paul tells you that you, because of Christ, can now...
Endure
I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13
Become
I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some. 1 Corinthians 9:22
Know
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28
Love
[Love] bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 1 Corinthians 13:7
Trust
For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities - all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. Colossians 1:16-17
Profit
All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything 1 Corinthians 6:12
The list doesn't end there, either. These powers and this dominion go beyond even Superman. Way past any government or earthly authority. And you serve The One who has them, and rather than oppressing you with his might, he leaves you free to live and move and have your being (Acts 17:28). Truly, his is...
...an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will (Ephesians 1:10-11).
Intersecting Faith and Life: All you have to do is make him Lord of your life (which he already is anyway - what you must do is actively acknowledge it), and with those kind of mad skills at his disposal, why wouldn't you? That's one tremendous inheritance!
:angel:
October 2, 2009
Do-It-Yourself Analytics
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! "Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?" "Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?" For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.
Romans 11:33-36
I had dinner with a friend recently. I'll call him David. Because, well, that's his name.
We enjoyed a great home-cooked meal (if I do say so myself) and had a rich conversation in which we discussed life and faith and the oddities of being single in the twenty-first century. But then, we got down to the really important matter at hand: analyzing a man's nonverbal and verbal communication and trying to figure out what it means!
That's right. I proceeded to pepper David with multiple questions regarding a certain situation, and then we laughed at how women have to analyze every little single move a man may make.
Bless his heart, David was so patient with me. And he had some great feedback, too. "Pretty much what a man says is exactly what he means," he said. "We're fairly simple." He definitely helped me gain some perspective (and get a grip).
This one conversation, though, only begins to hint at my "greatness" as a DIY-analytics specialist (take that, Google Analytics!). No degree or outside study was necessary, as I come by these skills naturally (and sin-naturely). My mind is always, always processing and coming up with different scenarios and possible interpretations of life situations.
As if you don't already know, my DIY-analytics specialist status is really code for "worrying." And hashing and rehashing, having anxious thoughts and not trusting that the Lord is in control of my life is just sinful. I know this.
So I must go back to the Bible on a continuing basis for correction and for help. For there, as a believer, I am reminded that I am not promised instant, and fully fleshed out understanding or revelation. No, I am promised so much more.
I am instructed to trust God:
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6).
I am informed that his ways are not mine:
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9).
I am told that God does care about me, despite who I am:
As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. (Psalm 103:13-14).
And I am reminded of who I am in light of who he is and what he has done:
When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? (Psalm 8:3-4)
Gulp. It truly puts a lump in my throat to read this last set of verses from the book of Psalms. This is who God is. This is his majesty. If he is the Creator who has carefully planned and still manages the moon and the stars (the gigantic, complicated, very important moon and stars!), then surely, surely, he has got my life--my very small existence--under control.
As Romans 11:36 says, all things are "from him and through him and to him." Our God is sovereign. The Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. That's more than enough times infinity. And that's all we need to know.
Intersection of Faith & Life: Are you a DIY-analytics specialist as well? The next time you catch yourself worrying, fretting because you don't understand a certain situation and not trusting the Lord, then confess and meditate on the verses below. Pray that God would help you keep your eyes on him--no matter what is troubling you. He'll take care of the rest.
Further Reading:
Job 11:7-9
Psalm 147:5-6
Ecclesiastes 8:17
:angel:
October 5, 2009
You Are Not an Accident
Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Matthew 6: 25- 27
Did you know...
You have two basic types of proteins in your body? Fibrous proteins make up your skin, hair and nails, and do not dissolve in water. Globular proteins exist in your blood and cells - they are water soluble. If the two switched, you would melt the first time it rained.
The pH of your body is between 7.34 and 7.45? If it got too high or too low, you would get very sick and die. Thankfully, your body has buffer systems, regulated by your kidneys and respiratory system, to keep your body's pH within the narrow range required for life.
Your body is made up of approximately 75% water? Unlike many other liquids, water can mix with, dissolve, and transport vital nutrients, chemicals, and proteins which sustain life.
Your eye sockets contain a layer of fat that acts as a cushion to protect your eyes every time your rub them?
When you cut yourself, cells attach themselves to the wall of your blood vessels and send signals that other nerves and cells respond to, resulting in clotting? When the tear is properly sealed, more signals go to your brain to put an end to the clotting process. All this happens with no thought or effort on your part!
If there's one thing studying the human body has taught me, it's this: you and I are not accidents. Our bodies have very specific, complex designs. The other day, in the middle of his lecture, my professor (an M.D.) stopped explaining the various proteins of the body and exclaimed, "And to think: there are crazy people out there who claim our existence is random!"
The truth is, you and I are children of God, made in his image. And our Father, the Creator, definitely knew what he was doing when he created us! Whenever I get anxious, whenever I feel like the world is just a spinning mass of chaos and heartache, I remind myself that God indeed has a plan... and we can see evidence of his careful designs all around us if we look closely enough.
Not only does God have a plan for the world, but he has a plan for you and me. Even though the human body has some universal characteristics, there are no repeats: there's only one person exactly like you in the world, and that's you. Not even my identical twin is perfectly identical to me.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Do you have fears about the future or about something going on in the present? Entrust your life to God. He has a design for your life.
Further Reading
His Eye is On the Sparrow
Psalm 139: 13
:angel:
October 6, 2009
Liar, Liar
by Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. (John 8: 44b)
"Out of all the voices calling out to me, I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth." Casting Crowns, "The Voice of Truth"
Have you ever been lied to? Betrayal is a pretty awful experience - it shakes our confidence and damages our ability to trust. But, while most of us are quick to feel disgust at the harm done by a blatant lie, if you're anything like me, you fall prey to subtle lies on a regular basis. These lies may not necessarily come from overtly malicious sources but from the well-meaning yet flawed thinking of a friend, the hurtful perception of a parent, a distorted reality promoted by a marketing campaign, or even our own faulty thinking.
Let me share a few examples of lies that have rattled around in my head in the past:
"You're not pretty."
"You're not competent - you'll never make it on your own."
"You'll never be really happy. God blesses others, but not you."
Pretty awful, huh? While I'd never say such terrible things to another person, at some of life's toughest moments, lies like these have masqueraded as truth and threatened to crowd out healthy thinking and good judgment.
As people seeking to follow Christ we need to be particularly sensitive to lies that may have seeped into our beliefs or thought processes. Not only can they send us down the wrong paths in life, but they can greatly hinder our walk with the Lord. In the opening verse, Christ reveals there is one who delights in deception and falsehood, who works hard to keep people spinning their wheels with false beliefs and fears. He is Satan, or as Christ refers to him here, the "father of lies." Deception is his "native language" and his lies prevent you and me from hearing the truth Christ wishes to speak to us.
So how do we discern the voice of truth? How do we know God's voice from the thousands of other voices that bombard us day in and day out? I believe the answer is rather simple (it seems the truth usually is rather simple): Measure your thoughts against God's revealed truth in the Word.
I've found that when I begin acting or thinking in a questionable manner, if I take a step back from the situation and dismantle my thought process in the light of God's Word, the lie is often exposed rather quickly. If my thoughts remain muddy, I am learning to be patient, pray, seek wise counsel, and continue to immerse myself in the teachings of Christ. One truth we can all count on is that God never abandons those who seek Him.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Search your life for beliefs or behaviors that are not rooted in God's truth. Identify scripture verses that speak to that particular issue (I've found typing key words into Crosswalk's Bible Study Tools is a quick way to do this).
Further Reading
Luke 11: 9
John 14: 6
Are You Hearing Voices? :angel:
October 7, 2009
What Remembering the Persecuted Looks Like
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering - Hebrews 13:3
How relevant is the persecuted church to your everyday life?
I keep a daily pulse on religious freedom issues, and channel my findings into Crosswalk.com's Religion Today newsletters. But for all of that awareness, I've realized that I don't really do that much for my fellow believers worldwide. Not on a personal level, anyway.
Safe in the U.S., the persecuted church often exists more as an object lesson in perseverance than as individuals I can relate to. These men and women in North Korea, Egypt, Somalia, Uzbekistan, China, and beyond are so far removed from me physically that I forget the unity we share as believers. And after all, the most I can do is support ministries that directly help these Christians, right?
Lately, I've questioned this attitude not just for its impersonal nature, but for its faith implications. If faith is hoping and praying for things unseen, then why don't we apply this to our relationship with believers on the other side of the world? It takes a bigger faith than I've had to consistently pray for that something and someone I'll probably never see, never know by name.
Consider James 5:16, where the early church father wrote that "the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." That's not efficacy as we think of culturally, with measurable results and visible signs. James's vision extends so far beyond that, into an eternity where all of God's children from around the world will worship around the same throne. Do we believe that God uses our prayers to support our brothers and sisters today, on this side of heaven, as well?
Researchers guess that about 176,000 Christians worldwide may have been killed for their faith between mid-2008 and mid-2009. Many of those believers died in secrecy, as in the North Korean prison camps, and were cut off from other believers at the end. Now, consider that we have a daily opportunity to partner with these men and women in prayer. I have to think that's what the author of Hebrews really meant when he encouraged us to "remember" imprisoned believers.
I'll be the first to admit it: I'm guilty of not remembering my brothers and sisters in Christ. My unfaithfulness to them reflects a heart that hasn't quite grasped the enormity of the power of prayer. And yet there James is, telling me that the Christian's prayers have more impact than perhaps we'll ever know. So - how about it?
Intersection of Faith & Life: The International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church is November 8. What if we all pick a country and pray for the believers living there in the coming month? I'll be praying for North Korea, and believe me, there are plenty of places to go around. Let's remember that we serve a God who delights to use our prayers in ways we can't even imagine. Let's remember the persecuted church.
Further Reading
Watch List Shows One Constant: Increasing Persecution
Matthew 5:10
Never Stop Praying for the Persecuted Church
:angel:
October 8, 2009
Fits Any Niche
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.
Psalm 119:105
All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.
2 Timothy 3:16
As the editor responsible for all devotional content here at Crosswalk, one of the questions I'm asked most frequently by our beloved users goes something like this:
"Your devotional offerings are great, but could you please include one for cousins of divorcees with sleeping disorders who have befriended agnostic vegetarians? Because that would be really great."
Okay, that's an exaggeration (but only barely). And it's not like we dislike filling niches. We have devotionals for women, the workplace, weight loss and the list goes on. We're continually adding to the selection and have plans for a men's devotional, a children's devotional, a singles devotional, and more. To an extent, we're at the mercy of what's well-written, theologically sound, recognizable, and most of all, available.
But when I'm asked a question like, "My fiance and I are interested in a devotional for yet-to-be-married couples living in the mid-Atlantic from different church backgrounds who are both post-millenialists. What do you recommend for us?" my answer is always the same:
Just study the Word, man.
Whether you find it here or somewhere else, locate a ministry, author, preacher, or regular old Joe/JoAnn whom God has gifted with insight into his holy scriptures, and read their take regularly. Follow that up with your own deeper individual study. Take that into praying with a spouse, accountability partner, disciple, or mentor. Join a group Bible Study. And take notes during sermons.
It's not much more complicated than that. We sometimes make it so. We pigeonhole ourselves or our current life situation or level of belief, and so risk hindering the effective wholeness of the Word.
Besides, if there's one thing I've noticed through almost a biblical generation of life, it's that our specific situations are many times made more complex by our non-stop obsession with them, and are often made more simple by backing off and getting at them indirectly through solid study that may not at first seem related to what we are going through.
There's nothing wrong with wanting to hear which verses were blessings to folks who have gone through heartbreaks or challenges similar to what you are now experiencing. What I'm suggesting is that the Word of the Lord never returns void. And that there have been several topics I've tried to understand (and been disappointed in the lack of direct guidance the Bible appears to give on the subject), or several life situations I've wanted to study (and not known where to start or how to find others who have biblical wisdom to offer in the form of a devotional) that have been solved when I stepped away and just studied sound teaching with prayer.
One example is when, as a young man, I wanted to find everything the Bible said about the "big sins" our youth ministers were so concerned with keeping us from -- sex and drinking. I shortly exhausted all the verses that dealt directly with these topics. But it wasn't until I backed away from a focus on these issues and began more comprehensive studies of what God had to say about all things that the picture grew bigger and the reasons for abstinence, purity, sobriety, and not causing others to stumble became clear in the light of grace, righteousness, sacrifice, and ministry.
Another example is the time I was battling a crippling depression. I found few answers and little comfort in attacking the problem directly - even if there didn't seem to be a lack of correlative verses or devos, which only would have reminded me double of the state I was in. What did help was reading other topics from the Bible, and books from established Christian authors and preachers about the Bible itself, about faith, about truth. Eventually the clouds lifted, and I was stronger for having gone through the darkness and for the overarching principles that brought me home.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Let me encourage you today not to wall yourself off from the full richness of the Word, but to seek out sound doctrine and study on general principles regularly that I promise will apply to your specifics, whether directly or indirectly, immediately or eventually.
Further Reading
A Plea to Use the Bible Every Day
How to Have a Meaningful Quiet Time
:angel:
October 9, 2009
Who's Doing the Heavy Lifting?
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
Matthew 11:28-30
Raise your hand if you love carrying something heavy.
That makes neither of us, right? I never relish towing a burdensome load, but it seems like there's always one sitting around just waiting for me to pick it up.
During my college days, I learned how to carry all of my heavy groceries up three floors from the parking lot to my campus apartment in just one trip--car to kitchen counter. My continuing goal was to be "One Trip MacCorkle" and not to have to go back downstairs a second time. Ever.
Back then, paper bags were still in heavy rotation and no one seemed to be toting reusable cloth bags quite yet. That meant it wasn't always easy to carry all of one's groceries from store to abode (there were no handles, you see), So it was precarious to say the least, but I took great pride in carrying all of my own bags in just one trip.
I remember another time years later when I was carrying some other heavy things. I was racing to make a connecting flight in the Lambert-St. Louis International Airport with only about 10 minutes to spare between landing, de-planing, running through the various concourses and getting to my next flight--all while carrying a jam-packed tote bag, a heavy winter coat, a suitcase and wearing boots. Yikes!
I don't think I'd ever run so fast in all of my life. The coat and suitcase were flailing on either side of me, and I'm sure I clipped a passerby or maybe knocked someone completely over as I hoofed it full speed. But the hour was late, I was traveling alone and I didn't want to spend the night in St. Louis. So I muscled up and I did what I thought I had to--no matter who got hurt in the process. By the time I got to the gate, I was a sweaty mess, very close to tears and ready to crumble in a heap.
These acts of carrying heavy things are examples of what most of us go through internally each and every day. We all carry something. Either out of pride and feeling good about what we can do all by ourselves or out of fear and desperation because our situations look bleak and we don't know what else to do.
But you and I are not made to shoulder these physical, emotional or spiritual burdens all alone. And when we try to, we hurt other people (and ourselves) as we start dropping things and falling apart. So why don't we make an automatic beeline for Jesus and take his yoke upon us instead?
"Jesus' yoke is not lighter because he demands less, but because he bears more of the load with the burdened" (Craig S. Keener, A Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew).
When we give our lives to Christ, when we ask him to be Lord of our lives and submit to him, when we give him whatever we are carrying, he will lead us and he will shoulder the heavier things.
If you haven't already, invite him into your heart today. And discover a new way of doing life with a gentle, humble Savior. He is waiting and wants you to experience his rest.
Intersection of Faith & Life: What is weighing you down today? The threat of world war? Uncertainty about your future? Fear of losing your job or frustration in not finding one? A relationship that is unraveling or one that hasn't yet materialized? Whatever it is, ask God to help you enter into his rest, to take his yoke and to learn what he wants to teach you.
Further Reading:
Psalm 55:22
Let Go of Your Burdens
:angel:
October 12, 2009
The Good Teacher
Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: `Do not kill, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.'" And he said to him, "Teacher, all these I have observed from my youth." And Jesus looking upon him loved him, and said to him, "You lack one thing; go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." At that saying his countenance fell, and he went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions. Mark 10: 17 - 30
Autumn is still young, but it has already been filled to the brim with teacher-student relationships. I'm taking two classes and teaching another. Each class is a reminder to me of how difficult it is to be a good teacher... and a good student.
Take my anatomy and physiology class, for example. This particular teacher is gifted at what you might call "tough love." He challenges his students.
This past Saturday was particularly tough. We began class with a difficult exam. The exam was followed by 6 hours of class lecturing and participation. Our professor likes to interact with his students, and if you don't know the answer to a question, you're not off the hook. He'll spend 10 minutes pulling the answer out of you. Most students panic when he calls their name.
As "bad" as this teacher may sound, a closer look reveals the negativity lies more with the students. Amid the grumbling, angst, and exasperation over this professor's teaching style, you can find one lost learning opportunity after another.
Case in point: many students drop his class, but those who complete his class are often some of the most knowledgeable students at the school. And he isn't mean. He tries to instill confidence in his students, and he gives you more study guides, clues, and outright answers to test questions than any other teacher I've known.
He's fond of giving this spiel over and over again:
"I am not here to make you feel bad. I am here to help you. You might not like me for it, but I know which methods work for mastering this material. Just trust me, do what I say, and you'll walk out of here with an A or a B."
Sometimes I feel Jesus, the Good Teacher, says something very similar to us. "Just trust me. I am here to help you. I am going to give you all the answers you need!" Yet even with countless pages of holy scripture to turn to and help from the Holy Spirit, we struggle to be God's students.
We can see the difficulties of the teacher-student relationship in the opening scriptures. Jesus answers this man's questions. But the man doesn't like what Jesus says and walks away.
Had the young man stayed, he would have inherited more treasures and wisdom than he could ever have acquired on his own. But he didn't stick around long enough. Like so many students in my class, he leaves before the learning has really begun.
How often do we feel like God has taken on the role of the impossible professor, expecting us to live up to standards we feel are unfair? How tempting is it to take out parts of the Bible that make us uncomfortable or don't make sense to us? Perhaps you even know someone who has walked away from the faith because of a hard teaching.
If you're struggling to embrace a teaching of the faith, I encourage you to stick around a little longer and reap the rewards of perseverance. Trust the Good Teacher with the answers you seek.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Instructing the ignorant is a spiritual work of mercy. If you know someone who is confused about a particular aspect of the Christian faith, help them find clarity.
Further Reading
Hebrews 4: 12 - 13
:angel:
October 13, 2009
Are You Walking the Walk?
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Entertainment Editor
Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.
1 John 2:6, NIV
A few years ago I bought a treadmill for my home. It wasn't the result of getting sucked into a late-night infomercial's claims. No, it was the by-product of some cost-cutting measures.
You see, I had just moved into my first home and had just paid my first mortgage payment. Realizing that something had to quickly go in the ever-dwindling budget, I decided to cancel my gym membership. And thus, the treadmill was purchased so I could work out more inexpensively - and more conveniently - in the comfort of my own home.
For a while, I did what I said I would do and what I said I believed: I walked on the treadmill many times a week, and my health and fitness level were good. But pretty soon, the treadmill became more like a piece of sculpture sitting in the corner. I wasn't walking on it, and it only gathered dust.
My shake-up, wake-up call came many months later at my annual exam with my doctor. She noted that I had gained a few pounds since the last visit and that my cholesterol level was too high. Well, to say I felt like a failure is an understatement. I cried and was upset with myself, because I knew I hadn't done what I said I would do, and I was left with an unhealthy lifestyle and declining health.
I vowed to make exercising and a better diet a higher priority in my life. And now, over two years later, I'm pleased to say that I've kept to my word. I walk (or run) on my treadmill every other day, and I don't have to dust it nearly as much as I used to. Bonus!
A few years before this diet and exercise regimen transformation, though, I had a spiritual shake-up, wake-up call of sorts. After reaching a low point in my life and coming to a crisis of faith, I made a decision: I have to live what I believe... I have to walk with the Lord. Only He can heal me and make me spiritually healthy.
I think I had been "stuck on the recliner" for many years before then, watching others exercise what they believed and seeing them grow in their faith. I wanted what they had, and I wanted to be filled with the joy of the Lord, too. I knew what I needed to do. But I just wasn't doing it. Words + no action = nothing.
Slowly, but surely, the Lord drew me closer. I joined a Bible study and began reading Scripture. I listened more intently to the sermons at church. I began asking questions to older, more seasoned, believers. And God met me everywhere I turned in order to deepen my relationship with him.
What about you? Are you purposefully walking the walk today? Or are you stuck in the "recliner" in your life? If you are willing, God will help you take a step toward the "treadmill" as you seek to truly live in him.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Meditate on this verse-and the blessings from walking with the Lord-from the great hymn, Trust and Obey:
When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will, He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.
Further Reading
1 John 1:7, NIV
Walk Around the Clock
:angel:
October 14, 2009
The Context of Stillness
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"Be still, and know that I am God." - Psalm 46:10
How many times have you heard this verse? A hundred? A thousand? This snippet of a psalm is a pet verse of mine. It constantly pops into my head when I start getting too busy or stressed out. Ironically, I hadn't taken time to read the whole psalm in months, and I had no recollection of the verses surrounding my favorite one-liner. Here's a sampling of the other verses in Psalm 46:
"Though the earth gives way..." (vs. 2)
"Though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea..." (vs. 2)
"The nations rage, the kingdoms totter..." (vs. 6)
"Be still and know that I am God... I will be exalted in the earth!" (vs. 10)
"The God of Jacob is our fortress." (vs. 11)
I had been picturing an idyllic, Psalm-23-ish passage as the context for my pet verse, but the context is completely different. The psalm is actually the meditation a man holding back fear with faith. In a setting of uncertainty, war, and all-around "trouble" (vs. 1), the psalmist focuses on the peace that comes from being the presence of God - even though the earth around him threatens to fall apart. The verse holds even more power in this context than in my imagined setting, doesn't it?
I love the Psalms because of their deep meditations on humanity confronted with God's holiness and faithfulness. I can see real men writing the lines, reminding themselves of the bigger context for their troubles. I see men who - like me - wondered what would happen next in this life. But every one of them comes to the realization that they serve a God who supersedes their worries and replaces them with worship. These men heard the command to "be still and know" and found that God blew their imaginations.
I often look at the global economic crisis, America's own shaky position, etc. and start getting jittery, wondering about outcomes and impacts. In these times, I slip into this mentality that thinks "being still" and listening to God can only happen in green pastures. But the real context of Psalm 46:10 tells me otherwise. God's amazing peace works most powerfully when the world's craziness reaches a crescendo. Like they say, context is everything.
Intersection of Faith & Life: Look up your favorite one-liners of the Bible today, and read the surrounding passages and chapters. How does the context add to your understanding of the verse? What more does it reveal about living the Christian faith?
Further Reading:
Psalm 37
Be Still and Know
Where is God in the Midst of Crisis?
:angel:
October 15, 2009
"Whatever": Simultaneously the Worst and Best Word We Have
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
On the one hand, it's always good to get scientific affirmation for something you believe or suspect.
On the other, it's never fun when you've been planning to write a devotional or blog post about that same belief or suspicion for over a year and someone goes out and steals your thunder.
But that's okay - this Fox News report on a survey by Marist College on the most annoying words in American conversation just gives me the excuse to get around to it now.
The article states,
47 percent of Americans surveyed in a Marist College poll released Wednesday [found "Whatever" to be the most annoying word we use].
"Whatever" easily beat out "you know," which especially grated a quarter of respondents. The other annoying contenders were "anyway" (at 7 percent), "it is what it is" (11 percent) and "at the end of the day" (2 percent).
"Whatever" -- pronounced "WHAT'-ehv-errr" when exasperated -- is an expression with staying power. Immortalized in song by Nirvana ("oh well, whatever, nevermind") in 1991, popularized by the Valley girls in "Clueless" later that decade, it is still commonly used, often by younger people.
It can be an all-purpose argument-ender or a signal of apathy. And it can really be annoying. The poll found "whatever" to be consistently disliked by Americans regardless of their race, gender, age, income or where they live.
Exactly! I've felt that way for years. When someone uses "whatever" on me in a conversation or email, it's a kick to the groin of non-importance. Beyond annoying, it's rude and dismissive. It's also ignorant, especially at the end of what was supposed to be a friendly debate or argument, because it illustrates that the person had no better retort and is now summarily ending the conversation with a parting shot connoting that nothing you just said mattered anyway. "Whatever!"
In a country sorely lacking in civility, manners, and conversation skills.. and ripe with apathy and self-importance, "Whatever" is the motto du jour.
Then again... what a powerful word it can be for our walk with Christ.
It's kind of like when you are reading a play, or preparing to act in one. You have the script before you. There are minimal clues for how any word in the text should be read. What inflection, what level of voice, what tone shall I use? What does the context and the setting and the personality of the character tell me in regards to how this word or line is going to sound? Ultimately, you and the Director decide.
And I've decided that "Whatever" can be, if we so choose, the defining word of the Christian life. Because while few other words carry the same potential for dismissive rudeness, no other words hold the same potential for all-out surrender and steadfast faith.
I find you guilty in your sins.
Whatever you say, Lord, I repent and accept the sacrifice of your Son who atoned for them.
This situation you're in is going to hurt.
Whatever. I know my faith will be made strong through trials, and that I can do all things through your strength.
You don't know what the future holds; only I do.
Whatever it is, you deserve glory and honor and praise. Bring it on!
I want you to [go to Africa / give to this homeless person / quit this job / plant this church / preach my Word]
Whatever!
I know you think this is unfair compared to that person's situation, but do not let comparison steal my joy from you.
Whatever, God. Whatever.
***
I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am (Phil. 4:11). Whatever you say.
Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31). Whatever you say.
Whatever a man sows, this he will also reap (Gal. 6:7). Whatever you say.
Whatever good thing each one does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether slave or free (Eph. 6:8). Whatever you say.
Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things (Phil. 4:8).
Whatever.
:angel:
October 16, 2009
Choosing Your Own Adventure
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Come, follow me, Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed him.
Matthew 4:19-20
I remember loving the Choose Your Own Adventure books when I was a child.
At the end of each page or scene, the reader was given different options. "Turn to page X to find out ______ or turn to page XX to continue _______." You could control your own adventure and make it go any which way you wanted. And then you could go back to the beginning and try it a different way. And then do it again. And again! The possibilities were nearly endless.
Similarly, the possibilities for real-life adventure seem just as great. I've experienced this many a time as an adult when I've chosen my own adventures over the years. I've controlled as many variables in my circumstances as possible. I've tried to think through every possible scenario and attempted to forecast what could or couldn't happen should I do this or should I decide to do that. Basically, I've lived a lot of my life any which way I've wanted to.
Sounds empowering and freeing, but it's actually quite exhausting to live like that--always plotting and planning and manipulating events and relationships and opportunities that could affect my life. Always looking for the pathway that will take me to the greatest happiness, the biggest reward and the most amazing adventure.
I was thinking about this recently when I shared with a close friend that I was tired of my life (again!) and was ready for "a new adventure." "I want to live in a foreign country." "I want to try something new." "I want to feel like I'm reaching my potential." "I want an exciting life!"
Well, all I can say is how blind I have been and continue to be most days. It's a study in contrasts between my definition of adventure and what is God's. In my book, it's about me going after what I want. Me taking advantage of any and every opportunity I can to make my life more "exciting." Me turning to whatever page I want and choosing to steer my life into whatever I want it to be.
But in God's Book--the Bible which he inspired men to write for followers like you and me--it's quite different. And if we are following closely, then there are simply no "choose your own options" ...
As Jesus walked beside the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed him (Mark 1:16-18).
So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him (Luke 5:11).
The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, "Look, the Lamb of God!" When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus (John 1:35-37).
See any patterns here? "At once" and "left everything" and "followed." No one stopped to say, "Hold on, Jesus. I need to look at my schedule first and make sure I don't have any conflicts with work or any previous social engagements." Or "Jesus, wait just a minute. I need to make sure I'm not missing the annual shoe sale at Macy's or the big college game next weekend." Or "But if I follow you now, does that mean I won't ever get to get married, have children or buy that vacation home on the lake?"
In Christ, the adventure lies in the immediate obedience. The instant trust. The life-saving faith that was placed in someone who had come to change the world. The yielding of our lives to Almighty God, who is sovereign and in ultimate control of everything that was and is and ever shall be in our lives.
Will you let God choose your own adventure today? Will you drop your big dreams and important plans and follow wherever he wants to lead you? Yes, there is a cost when you yield yourself--and your choices--to him. But the outcome will be far greater and more exciting than any adventure you could ever imagine on your own.
Intersection of Faith & Life: What's the worse that could happen if you didn't finish your to-do list today? If you made time for coffee with a friend, even though your schedule is jam-packed? If you listened and acted upon the leading of the Holy Spirit to give financially despite a low balance in your bank account? Make it your mission to choose to open your heart to whatever adventure God wants to take you on today and see what happens.
Further Reading:
Matthew 10:39
James 4:13-15
:angel:
October 19, 2009
Fear Not
by Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.
1 John 3: 1
You certainly don't need me to remind you that this is the time of year when our culture makes light of heavy subjects such as death, demons, witchcraft, and evil. Even if we want to avoid it, most of us can't. I learned this the hard way.
Last weekend I visited a local amusement park with friends. We planned this outing because we had free tickets and were in the mood to relive our carefree, rollercoaster-riding days of childhood. It wasn't until we passed through the front gates of the park that we saw the Halloween set-up.
During the day, the pumpkin-and-haystack theme looked charming and festive. But as night fell, the park took on an entirely different appearance. Fog machines filled the air with mist while off-key carnival music began to play. As we wandered through the park, clowns of all shapes and sizes appeared.
Suddenly, the first screams rang out as a cackling clown chased a teenage girl through the crowd. As the pair raced past us, we got an up-close-and-personal view of the clown's gory make-up. These were not the friendly sort you meet at the circus.
My friends and I spent the remainder of the evening huddled together, moving slowly through the shadowy landscape designed to obscure demented carnival creatures. The only things the darkness couldn't conceal, of course, were the screams of terror.
After we'd made it safely to our cars (and the adrenalin stopped pumping through my body), it occurred to me that while I wouldn't go back inside even if you paid me, our experience might have actually held some real spiritual merit. Don't misread me - I'm not advocating the glorification of darkness or evil. But here are some thoughts I took away from that evening:
Life can be scary, but with God we need not fear. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.... Psalms 23: 4
God tells us to "fear not" countless times in Scripture. His frequent command indicates two things: (1) God anticipates that we will face scary situations, but (2) He is bigger and more powerful than any scary situation. We can find great comfort by taking God at His word.
Death is part of life. "For the wages of sin is death...." (Romans 6: 23)
My friends and I saw images of death and decay everywhere we turned. Skeletons hung on lamp posts, and well...I'll leave the rest to your imagination. As we wandered among the "living dead" I couldn't help but realize how different this experience would be if my friends and I didn't have hope in Christ. After all, every skeleton statue proclaimed our destiny. Yet, my friends and I knew we weren't staring at the end of the story. Paul's words come to mind here, "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" (1 Corinthians 15: 55).
Evil can be attractive. "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it." (Matthew 7: 13)
As my friends and I dug our nails into each other while attempting to avoid hoards of terrorizing clowns, the fact that this horrible set-up had been created to give people a night of fun did not escape me. And judging by the massive crowds who paid big bucks in admissions fees, the goal was accomplished. But outside the realm of silly Halloween festivities, how often do we see our fellow human beings attracted to that which is scary, dark, or evil? And how often do we see "wrong" masquerade as beautiful, attractive, or right? It is only through the light of Christ that we can discern clearly that which is truly good and that which only appears good.
Spiritual warfare exists. For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6: 12)
A few weeks ago I wrote a little bit about the nature of angels. My experience at the park gave me a glimpse into the nature of demons. It's easy to get lost in the everyday worries of life, and forget the greater spiritual reality. The trip to "Fear Fest" was a tangible reminder for me of our need to put on the armor of God (Ephesians 6: 13 - 18), and persevere in the faith.
Which brings us to the good and holy side of Halloween: All Saint's Day. I can't think of a more encouraging way to spend my Halloween than reflecting on the lives of fellow Christians who have fought the good fight, faced death, and now enjoy victory with Christ. Their witnesses inspire me to keep going even when the darkness closes in, when death threatens, or when evil looks like the better option.
Intersecting Faith & Life: I can't count the times reading the biography or writings of a Christian hero has deepened my understanding of what it means to live as a Christian in the world. Get out that list of books you've been meaning to pick up "someday" and read one of the greats of Christian literature. Need Suggestions? Try 131 Christians Everyone Should Know by Mark Galli and Ted Olson (Broadman & Holman, 2000).
Further Reading
Revelation 7: 9 - 10
Rethinking Halloween through 7 Scary Stories of the Bible
Christian Alternatives to October 31
:angel:
October 20, 2009
See the Sure Way
by Meghan Kleppinger
"Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. Look to the LORD and His strength; seek His face always."
1 Chronicles 16:10, 11
It has become apparent that my dog, Keeper, has a bit of a problem. Basically, she has quickly morphed into a butterball.
Of course, the worrier in me immediately began compiling a list of possible reasons for this seemingly-overnight weight gain.
It took everything thing in me to keep the promise I made with my vet to stay away from researching rare canine infirmities on the internet (seriously, last time I brought Keeper to the veterinarian, I had a list with ten possible diseases my dog could be suffering simply because her skin was dry... turns out it was just dry skin).
So, in a very Meghan-like fashion, this problem with Keeper began to consume my thoughts.
Was it her meds?
Was it some disease?
Could she have eaten something that was causing her to retain a lot of water?
The rescue place told me she was spayed, but maybe... um, better not go there.
Could it just be that she was fluffy from not having a haircut? I had her groomed, and with the fluff gone, she just looked like a clean and sleek butterball, instead of a furry one.
Minus the already-ruled-out fluffy hair theory and the possible pregnancy, the weight gain honestly could be due to any of these previously mentioned things.
When I stopped to breath and actually think this thing through for a moment, I realized that yes, the extra pounds could be a result of an illness, or it could be from her epilepsy meds, but I admitted to myself that I really should start my investigation by looking at the typical and less serious causes for weight gain.
For example, one of those obvious and frequently overlooked causes is... oh yes, me.
Apparently when you feed your dog too much she will gain weight.
Oops.
Don't we do that all of the time? I mean when something goes wrong in our lives, we look for the culprit, but rarely do we start by looking at ourselves as being the problem.
If we can label something that is amiss in our lives as an illness or better yet, if we can find someone else to blame, don't we? Why call it sin, when we can get a doctor to write a prescription or tell us an addiction isn't our fault?
I'm not saying mental illnesses, addictive tendencies, and bad people don't exist. They do. and I'm a firm believer in outside intervention and treatment for them. Unfortunately, I also think too often we swap words like "addiction," "sin," and "lack of discipline" for less offensive terms like "illness" and "disorder."
Back to Keeper, it's possible that it could be a medical concern that has caused the weight gain (and don't worry... I'm still looking into it).
But what if it's not? Wouldn't it be wrong and irresponsible to medicate my dog for a problem that doesn't exist? I don't want to put a band-aid over something that can be easily remedied.
I'll never forget something the grandfather in the movie Misty told his grandchildren about gentling horses. He told them that there is the quick way and then there is the sure way to do it. The same is true when we seek solutions to the troubles in our lives.
Many times, we think the quick way - medication, the blame game, etc. - is the easy way to solve a problem. The truth is, if the problem is with us, we're only masking the issue.
We need to admit the problem is with ourselves and then seek the sure way. Jesus is the sure way and He is much better than any human-made band-aid we use to cover our sin issues.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Consider this - "God knows our situation; He will not judge us as if we had no difficulties to overcome. What matters is the sincerity and perseverance of our will to overcome them." C.S. Lewis
Further Reading
Hebrews 10:26
1 Peter 3:11
If We Confess Our Sins
:angel:
October 21, 2009
Adoring the Gospel
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"... showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior." -- Titus 2:10, ESV
Which part of a diamond ring is more valuable: the diamond or the setting?
The diamond determines the price of the ring, but without a good setting, the stone won't look too special. A good setting props up the stone in such a way that it catches the light better, giving it that exquisite sparkle. The setting can't really add value to an intrinsically valuable gem, but it can determine whether that gem catches your eye or not.
As my pastor talked about "adoring the Gospel" recently, I found a new way of relating grace and works. We're saved by grace alone, and we can't add anything to the Gospel. At the same time, our Christian walk does what a good setting does for a gem - it displays the real beauty more fully. As Paul encouraged Titus and the church at Crete, how we live "adorns" the truth of Scripture. He packs a lot into Titus 2, but here are just a few examples of what "adorning" the Gospel looks like.
Be sound in love and steadfastness. We have the ultimate model of steadfast love in Christ, in the God who kept pursuing us through all our sin. What kind of love are we offering to those around us? Is it love that puts others ahead of ourselves, whether they are family or that certain unlovable someone? This kind of love impacts relationships closest to us, and how we serve those that we barely know.
Practice sound doctrine. "It is the normal state of the human heart to try to build its identity around something besides God," Soren Kierkegaard said. Similarly, we start to make God in our image, with our convictions (or lack thereof), leaving out the full biblical picture of who he is. Unless we're constantly studying the Word for ourselves, and sitting under solid teaching, our image of God warps to fit our whims. What does that do to our understanding of the Gospel?
Cultivate self-control. Titus mentions two examples in this area: excessive drinking and unbridled tongues. That's just the start of the list. Being self-controlled goes beyond the basic notion that "we probably don't gotta have what we think we gotta have." Keeping our desires in check and not letting them have free reign opens up a whole new realm. It gives us freedom to serve Christ, because those other things don't have so much of a hold over us.
Model good works. Again, we find the ultimate model in our Savior, who spent his time with sick, the needy, and the destitute. As others have written, we don't need a ministry degree to have a ministry. What needs has God pointed out to you? What household could use that hospitality? What child needs that mentor? What family needs that anonymous Christmas donation? We know that God has gifted each of us in different ways. Let's not waste the talents the Master has given us.
Speak in a way that "cannot be condemned." That's a high standard! As James so aptly points out, a small spark can set a whole forest ablaze. How are we guarding our tongues? Paul exhorted the Ephesian church to speak "only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." (Ephesians 4:29) Are we encouraging those around us, or breathing negativity into their space? Most importantly, are we ready to proclaim with our mouths that Jesus is Lord?
We can't add anything to the Gospel, but we can choose how we display it. Are you adorning the Gospel in a way that is attractive to others?
Further Reading
Philippians 2:14-15
Christian Cosmetology
:angel:
October 22, 2009
Tough Decisions Ahead? Ask for Advice
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Don't go to war without wise guidance; victory depends on having many counselors.
Proverbs 24:6, NLT
How do you make decisions? Do you jump in with both feet, or do you paralyze yourself with what-ifs and fear of potential regret? Are you overly impulsive, or are you wise? Do you take time to pray, or do you lean on your own understanding? There are all sorts of methods, and all of those methods and our usage of them have brought us this far, whether for good or for ill. Either way, here we are now.
And "now," unfortunately, is a very tough time for a lot of people. The stakes are probably higher for a lot of choices you must make. What to do? I don't intend to answer that for your specific case today, of course, but I do want to encourage you not to forget those who are in the fight with you, and those who have gone before!
Decisiveness is a strength of mine, one I'm very glad for. Many's a time I have watched a colleague or peer twist in the wind over something while already being comfortably down one road or the other myself. My wife meanwhile... well, her strength tends to be less in making the decision than in gathering (and gathering, and gathering) the research that presumably is supposed to aid in the making of the decision. We like to call it a good balance, and part of the reason we make a good partnership.
But neither of us alone nor even together complete the circuit. God is to be sought, both in His Word, and in prayer and listening. But even then, we still aren't using every resource He has given us.
Have we forgotten that Christianity is a team sport, rather than an individual one? This applies to practicalities like doing ministry and missions, as well as to more of the "theory" of Christian living, like thinking about the meaning of certain passages and doctrines, encouragement, prayer, and the passing on of wisdom.
Henry Ford was once asked the key to making good decisions. He said, "How do you make wise decisions? Experience. How do you get experience? By making stupid decisions."
Ha ha, true. Thing is, though, we don't always have to be the one making the stupid decision. One of the great things we redeemed sinners share is a litany of bad decisions in our pasts. Don't let those go to waste. Ask about them, and offer them regarding yourself to others.
As our verse today says, don't go into war without guidance!
Intersecting Faith & Life: What's the best piece of advice you ever received? Pass that along to 2-3 other people this week. If you're in need of advice, seek out someone who has lived through your current stage of life and just listen to what they have to say. Whether you accept their counsel or not, chances are it will guide your eventual decision one way or the other. And should you feel led to share unsolicited advice with others, perhaps you'll first accept this piece of advice from Logan Pearsall Smith: "The true secret of giving advice is, after you have honestly given it, to be perfectly indifferent whether it is taken or not, and never persist in trying to set people right."
Further Reading
Proverbs 20:18
Luke 14:31
Free Advice for the College Bound
Learning to Give Great Advice
Finances: Finding Good and Godly Counsel
Worthwhile Advice for the Engaged and Newly Married
:angel:
October 23, 2009
Making Beautiful Music
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Do you sense the Creator, world?
See Him above the canopy of stars!
Brothers! Brothers!
Above the canopy of stars surely a loving Father dwells.
— Beethoven, Symphony No. 9 in D-Minor, Opus 125, "Choral"
Comparing the body of Christ and our relationship with our Creator to a symphony orchestra and its conductor is nothing new. I've read these analogies before, as I'm sure you probably have as well.
But this past week, I was smack dab in the middle of all of the symphonic action and really started to think about the comparison as the music swirled around me.
A member of a civic chorus, I was able to sing in two performances of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 in D-Minor. Back in the day, this symphony marked the first time a major composer had incorporated voices into a symphony (a chorus and four soloists sing in the final movement). The words were taken from a poem written by Friedrich Schiller called "Ode to Joy." You might recognize that title, even if you're not familiar with classical music, as Beethoven's accompanying melody was adapted into the beloved church hymn "Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee."
While sitting in dress rehearsals for our performances, I soaked in everything that the conductor was saying either to the chorus or to the orchestra playing in front of us. Frequently, he would stop us and give direction as to dynamics and tempo and overall interpretation of the work.
From his vantage point, the conductor was hearing the entire ensemble in a way that none of us could from where we were positioned. He was able to see—and hear—the big picture. He knew what would make for the biggest impact when we performed and what would translate best to reach the hearts and please the ears of our audiences.
We had performed this particular symphony many times before—and once with this same conductor. But this time, he asked us to change several of the markings in our score. "Why is he asking us to crescendo here when we didn't do that before?" Or "why would we break here and not carry over the phrase? We didn't do that the last time." "Why is he doing this?????"
These were the murmurings I could hear all around me (and I may have uttered one or two myself) from fellow chorus members. We didn't understand why he was making these changes or how it could possibly be any better than how we had performed the symphony in the past. But the conductor is the conductor. You do what he says. You follow the stick. And you keep the vowel on the beat. Those are the rules, because that's what makes for beautiful music and an overall spectacular concert experience.
After our performances, I marveled at how the conductor's changes and his direction made all the difference in the world. He was right. And I could feel that our performances outshone what we had done in the past. The audiences stood more quickly to give us standing ovations, and the applause lasted longer than usual. This conductor, this skilled musician, this general manager of instrumentalists, vocalists and soloists, knew exactly what he was doing. He had a plan and a purpose. He had our best interests at heart. Why would I ever have doubted him?
As I pondered further, I couldn't help but think of our heavenly Father, "The Great Conductor in the Sky," if you will. Is he not directing the music of our lives? Has he not written the melody that each of us must sing? Does he not know which lives will harmonize best with others? Is he not the one who gives us a reason to make music in the grand symphony of life that he has orchestrated?
Brothers and sisters, let us follow the glorious direction of our Creator today. Our best efforts will only lead to a cacophony, but he is the one who can make beautiful music in and through our lives.
Intersection of Faith & Life: Is your life a pleasant melody to the audience around you? Or is it harsh and out of tune, a dissonance that is hurting the ears of anyone with whom you come in contact? Aim to sing a new song today for God is the one who puts the music of love in our hearts (1 John 4:7-12).
Further Reading:
Romans 12:4-8
Ephesians 5:19-20
:angel:
October 26, 2009
Living a Consistent Life
Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
"He must increase, but I must decrease
John 3: 30, NIV
Teaching high school religious education can be an educational experience - not just for the kids but us teachers, too. High school kids have so many questions, and their questions often reveal their struggles to live out their faith.
The year is still early, but I've noticed that many of the questions our students ask reveal inconsistent thinking. When teaching on the sanctity of life, the class seemed to agree with the beautiful Christian ethic that calls upon each one of us to respect human life from conception until death and protect those vulnerable among us.
Then they proceeded to cook up every scenario they could think of where it would be "okay" to terminate an innocent life. They wanted to push the limits with us, get us to bend on truth. They also wanted assurance that if they felt strongly enough about something, they too could bend the truth.
Of course, my co-teacher and I could not give them that reassurance. As painful as some situations can be, we're called to conform to God's truth, not the other way around.
As tempting as it may be to blame the teens' questions on their ages, don't we all play this game? We embrace the Christian faith with conviction... until it becomes uncomfortable. Then we start asking the same questions these teens asked, but perhaps a bit more artfully.
Surely, God would understand if I go against his Word this time... I mean, this situation is different, isn't it? Then we start rationalizing, like teenagers trying to get our of our parents' well-designed rules.
It's a struggle to live consistently with God's truth, isn't it? I'd say it's a lifelong struggle. Thankfully, God gives us the grace to conform to his will if we're open to it. He increases in us as our former self decreases. Little by little, our inconsistencies become clearer to us and less appealing.
If you're struggling with an inconsistent life, remember that were sin is present grace abounds. (Ro 5: 20)
Intersecting Faith & Life: Examine your life this week. Are there areas that are not consistent with God's Word? Are there areas you've compromised? Seek out God's grace to bring your life in conformity with his will.
Further Reading
Romans 12: 2 :angel:
October 27, 2009
Seven Habits of Truly Effective Living
by Alex Crain, Editor, Christianity.com
"They will still yield fruit in old age; they shall be full of sap and very green."
Psalm 92:14
The phrase, "begin with the end in mind" probably strikes a familiar chord with readers of the popular life management book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Even if you aren't familiar with the phrase (or the book for that matter), you most likely get the general idea. In sum, it is best to ask the question "How do I want this to turn out?" before you begin a task or project. I agree. This question helps sharpen focus and lead to more effective action. What is missing from the book, however, is the God-sized perspective that we see in Psalm 92. Frustration is actually the result for the individual who may lead a life of effective action, but whose only source of vision and motivation is the self.
Apart from God, the ends we picture for ourselves come only from minds and hearts that are hopelessly tainted with sin--fallen from perfection, peace and fulfillment. Only by seeking the mind of God can we pursue that which is truly desirable--the end which God envisions.
We often envision our ideal life as one surrounded by beauty, valuable possessions and our favorite people. We want plenty of leisure time and the health to enjoy these things. But without God, such a life is depicted in Scripture as empty and deceptive. If we are to be highly effective at living, we must begin with God's end in mind.
In Psalm 92, the ideal end God depicts for one's life on this earth is that of the righteous person who is "full of sap and very green." In other words, he is filled with spiritual vitality, even at the end of life when the temptation to grumble and express radical selfishness is often the strongest. Instead of complaining, his lips are filled with praise--declaring that there is no unrighteousness in God, his Rock (v. 15).
The roots for such vigor of soul are woven throughout the preceding verses where we see seven habits of truly effective living unfolded for us. They are:
#1 Seeing thankfulness and praise to God as desirable, not as duty (v. 1).
#2 Focusing on God's lovingkindness in the morning and His faithfulness at night
(v. 2). For the righteous man, each day begins and ends with God, implying that God is central in his thoughts throughout the entire day. Literally, lovingkindness refers to God's covenant loyal love, which features His promise of salvation. The righteous person is not self-righteous, or externally moralistic. Rather, he looks to God's promises and unchanging character as the basis for his right standing before his Creator-Judge. The Lord Jesus Christ is, of course, the fulfillment of these promises. So, the one having faith in Christ is counted righteous and delivered from a petty life of vain pursuits.
#3 Enjoying resounding music and singing for joy at God's great works (vv. 1, 3-4).
#4 Pondering the deep thoughts of God (v. 5)--not being characterized by a shallow, pragmatic view of God that sees Him merely as a means to get other things.
#5 Praising the transcendence of God--declaring that God is the "Most High" who is above all His creatures. The righteous one realizes that man is in no way equal to God. Thus, he can never legitimately view God with suspicion or call Him into judgment (v. 8).
#6 Resting securely in the fact that, in the end, God will have the final say on all matters. He will deal justice to the enemies of righteousness (vv. 9-11).
#7 Depending continuously upon God for strength--for "fresh oil" (v. 10), knowing that yesterday's supply never carries over to today.
Perhaps you know an older believer who embodies these seven habits. "Meme," my 89 year old grandmother, is one such saint. At the time of this writing, she lay in a hospital bed with very serious health complications. During a recent phone call, I listened as she expressed delight over truths that the Lord had shown her in her well-worn Bible and what hymns she had joyfully sung that morning. Her prayer at the close of our conversation was full of gratitude and praise to the Lord, evidencing a deep, personal knowledge of and trust in God. While I listened, I thought to myself: This is what Psalm 92 is all about. Here is a person who, by God's grace, has learned to practice the habits of truly effective living.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
How will I end my latter days of life on this earth? What kind of person will people say I was? Am I beginning today with God's end in mind? How regularly are the seven habits of truly effective living practiced in my daily life?
Further Reading:
Philippians 2:12-18
Numbers 14
:angel:
October 28, 2009
Life among the Boxes
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised."
Hebrews 6:11-12
Mary Poppin's whistling trick didn't magically influence the mounds of boxes and their content to fly just where they belonged. No, just a few days after moving into our new house, the boxes are still staring at me defiantly. In my head, I know that we've made progress; looking around, however, the mess seems to have multiplied.
Here's what I mean. Saturday, I worked hard to get a handle on the house. I actually made some visible progress. That progress convinced me that I deserved a complete break on Sunday, and I took one knowing that I had paid my dues. On Monday morning, however, I woke up to a terrible sight - all those unpacked items, so carefully put in temporary spots on Saturday, were now strewn across the house. Yes, entropy had commenced in a 24-hour period. My unpacking progress undone, I sat down after work and tried to figure why I had to take two steps back before continuing.
Essentially, living in the clutter had encouraged me to set down items wherever I pleased on Sunday. I had convinced myself one more item out of place wouldn't matter. Besides that, I had decided that all those pesky chores, like washing the dishes, could wait until after the big ones were finished. I got lazy after one day of work.
My situation only brings out what's already in my nature. My hands - and my heart - lack the diligence to make real progress. I like to make about one valiant effort a week at cleaning up, when I can't stand the mess any longer. Then I tolerate it while it grows again. Sounds familiar?
My heart requires the same kind of attention as my poor house. I must admit that I often walk away from a sermon determined to get rid of sin, and I furiously root through my attitudes and actions for a day or two. I make some progress. Then I get tired of digging and reorganizing my priorities. I default back to my old nature, thinking I can pick up the fight again when I'm well-rested.
You know what happens after that. After I quit actively guarding against sin, it creeps back in and spreads its mess all over again. Progress isn't just stopped; it's undone. Scripture's promises are for those who do not "become weary in doing good," (Galatians 6:9) not for those who take a break from pursuing a clean heart and God's righteousness. If I truly believe that my heart is Christ's home, I want to diligently prepare it so He is always welcomed.
Intersection of Faith & Life: Diligence outstrips the mightiest of clean sweeps. Commit to "doing good" and fighting sin daily, not just when you can't stand the visible mess any longer. We have to know what God's standards of cleanliness are before we can follow them, so take time to preach the Gospel to yourself every day.
Further Reading:
Spiritual Spring Cleaning
Hebrews 6:11-12
1 Timothy 5:15-16
:angel:
October 29, 2009
Are You in the Belly of a Big Fish?
by Fred "Fritz" Alberti, Crosswalk.com Director of Social Media
But the Lord provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights.
Jonah 1:17
Being a homeschool family we sometimes have some rather interesting experiments that we get to enjoy as a family. George is one such experiment. George is a goldfish whose bowl-mate sadly perished. My son's task was to teach the goldfish to come to the top of the bowl when he tapped on the glass. After several weeks of tapping and feeding and tapping and feeding the fish finally learned to come to the top of the bowl.
Big deal right? Right, that is until the fish started to do more. Anytime someone would walk by the bowl he would get all excited and start moving his mouth like he was yelling at whoever it was that was walking by the bowl. This became rather normal and we would just ignore him or comment that he was yelling at us in Spanish.
Then one day my kids were listening to an FFH song titled "Big Fish." It was then that George decided to really show off what he could do. When the song played George would begin to swim around like he was dancing in the water and would seemingly move his mouth to the words. (Move over Ashlee Simpson).
I particularly like the first verse of the song which goes like this:
Are you in the big fish
Are you sitting in the belly of a world gone mad
Have you turned your back in His wish
On His will for your life, have you made Him sad
Do you want to get out of the big fish
Listen to God and follow His plan
And you won't be part of the main dish
He'll spit you out on to dry land
I've sometimes felt like I was in the belly of a big fish. I had decided to do something my way instead of first seeking the Lord's guidance and leading.
You, whoever you are, God has a plan for your life. Maybe you feel like you are wasting your time at a dead-end job. Or perhaps you have no job but would desperately like one. Maybe you think you have the dream job but the Lord has been speaking to you in a still small voice to give it up for something else. Like Jonah, you may not particularly like the mission God has for you but He has the intention of making you ideally suited to carry that plan out.
Will you follow His plan or will your turn your back?
Maybe you've already chosen to turn your back and feel that there is no way out now. If that is the case I've got good news for you. The Bible has this to say about Jonah, "From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God." (Jonah 2:1) God is the God of second, third, and fourth chances.
Commit your way to the Lord today.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Buy a goldfish if you don't have one already. As you feed it remember that the Lord has a purpose and a plan for your life. Ask Him to reveal it to you daily.
Further Reading
Jonah Runs From God
Jonah and Me
Hebrews 13:20 - 21
:angel:
October 30, 2009
A Peculiar People
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
"But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD ... Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God."
Genesis 6:8-9
Even the strongest among us feels this pressure at times: the pressure to fit in.
In our flesh, we don't really want to stand out for the wrong reasons. Who wants to face ridicule or intense scrutiny for being different? For having a life that doesn't look like everyone else's. For making choices that run countercultural to those of others--even our family and friends.
It's dangerous to stand out sometimes and even social suicide on many occasions. Junior high, anyone? Or high school? How about just this month at the office? Or even in your small group?
For me, standing out happens most when I'm focused on being obedient to what God is calling me to do. That could be simply living my life as an "older" single woman (quelle horreur!), being discerning in my entertainment choices or choosing not to engage in gossip or become judgmental should a conversation take that turn. There are a myriad of ways to be considered "peculiar" in this day and age of blurry morality and anything-goes Christianity. You don't have to try very hard.
I'm sure Noah must have had the same sort of conflicting thoughts and feelings when God asked him to build an ark when he was nearing 500 years old. Talk about standing out! Can you imagine? To me, that would be akin to God asking me to sell all of my possessions (gulp, even my fancy shoes) and move half a world away from my family to work in some remote village with no high-speed connection to the outside world. Strange and totally bizarre.
So must have Noah felt when he was given specific instructions on how to construct something that was one and a half times as long as a football field and higher than a three-story building. I'm sure there had to have been some questioning in his mind ("Really, Lord? Are you sure I'm supposed to do this?"). An ark is not just some type of furniture you build on the weekends or a small woodworking project you've got going on in the back of your garage. No, it was pretty big, pretty bold and pretty obvious. And it was an assignment that took him 120 years to complete. That's a century and some change of sticking out and being peculiar.
What must his friends and neighbors have been thinking? Times probably weren't that much different than they are today. "The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time," says Genesis 6:5. Hmmm. Sounds familiar.
So I'm sure Noah got a whole host of comments: "What are you thinking, old man?" "Why don't you work on a more realistic woodworking project?" "How can you do this to your family?" "Have you lost your mind?"
But Noah was undeterred. He was productive. And he was peculiar to those around him. God told him do to something big and out of the ordinary, and he obeyed. "Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God" (Gen. 6:9).
Can the same be said of you? God handpicked a man of faith to do something different. How is he calling you to stand out, to live out your beliefs and to fulfill his perfect purposes today?
Intersection of Faith & Life: Here's a question: how "peculiar" are you willing to be? God may not be asking you to build an ark per se, but is there an area of your life where he is asking you to step out of your comfort zone and do something out-of-the-ordinary in order to better serve him? Ponder this, as you consider your life and your priorities in light of obeying your God.
Further Reading:
Matthew 5:16
1 Peter 2:11-12
:angel:
November 2, 2009
Seasons of Hope
Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance..."
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
It's the time of year when nature inspires a sense of awe in us. As leaves die, they give forth one final burst of color brighter than the paint on an artist's palette. The sky takes on an unusually crisp blueness and the sun's low, golden rays cast whimsical shadows. We feel energized as autumn breezes stir up the color around us and chase away the dense summer air.
For me, Autumn has always been a "second Spring." A playful time, promising us that life, although soon to be hidden in the dead of winter, will only be invisible for a short while. When the days are gray, cold, and hard, I remember that only a few short weeks ago, the world was light and lively and in only a few weeks more, color will return.
As the author of Ecclesiastes reminds us, God designed life to run in cycles or seasons. Yet how often do we approach this life with expectations of perpetual summer, only to struggle with anxiety and disappointment when winter inevitably interrupts? I know I am guilty of this.
I spent time with my twin sister over this beautiful Fall weekend, and in the course of conversation, she revealed to me how approaching life as a series of seasons gives her perspective as a young wife and mom. "I've seen couples apply much pressure to their family life, expecting every week to live to the standard of the last, just as happy or productive, just as evenly paced. I think it takes a lot of burden off when you accept that this week will not necessarily look like last week, and that some seasons of life will be better than others."
Knowing there is a natural rhythm, a "time to weep and a time to laugh," gives us permission to let go of perfectionist expectations of our lives. It lightens our burdens by giving us hope for the future in the midst of trial and prepares us for times of struggle - until the day comes when there will be no more winter and no more tears.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Are you currently experiencing a scorching summer or a frigid winter? How can you embrace this time as a fruitful season even if it's not your ideal? Are you reveling in a season of joy right now? Give thanks to God for His outpouring of blessings, knowing all goodness comes from His extravagant love.
Further Reading
Psalm 30:4-5,
Revelation 21:1-4
Embrace Your Season
:angel:
November 3, 2009
All Saints Day
by Alex Crain, Editor for Christianity.com
"Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us."
Hebrews 12:1, NAS
The self-absorbed thinking conveyed in the line, "Well, me and Jesus got our own thing goin'," may have worked for Tom T. Hall's now passe American country song, but it is hardly the defining characteristic of true believers. Being willing to stand alone against error is one thing, but individualism in general is nowhere commended in Scripture. Such thinking flies smack in the face of God's emphasis on building local communities of believers who are universally united in Christ around the true gospel.
Blind spots, flaws and all, it is fortunate for us that God calls saints those who embrace the humble path of justification by grace through faith in Christ alone (Eph. 1:1, 15). Incredibly, He not only calls us saints and imputes the righteousness of Christ to us (2 Cor. 5:21), but He uses us in every generation to build His kingdom.
All Saints Day is officially commemorated on November 1st each year, serving as an annual reminder that every follower of Christ is a part of something very, very big and... ancient.
According to one source, the tradtional day dates back to "about A.D. 610, when the Pantheon, turned into a Christian Church, was dedicated to to all saints. Its great idea is the Unity of Christians of all ages, countries, and races in Christ, and the perfection of that unity in heaven" (1662 Book of Common Prayer).
All Saints Day also reminds us to be thankful to God for His grace. It is only by His grace that anyone is able to get the gospel right. We pray to God, the giver of grace. We do not pray to the saints (Matt. 6:6), through the saints (1 Tim. 2:5) or for saints who have gone to glory (seeing that they're already in heaven and don't need our prayers). Rather, we remember the saints and to allow the memory of their faith spur us on to deeper worship and greater service to the Lord. Hebrews 11 gives us examples of the great cloud of witnesses who are called so, not because they are watching us, but because they testify of God's grace to them. The testimony of past saints resounds to us: "God is faithful." "The Lord is good, trust always in Him." "God's grace was sufficient for me and it will be for you too."
As the classic hymn "For All the Saints" was played during our local church's worship service this weekend, I reflected over the landscape of the past 2000 years of Christian history and pictured millions now enjoying their rest in the presence of the Lord as well as the thousands of believers here on earth—the final two stanzas conveying the unified thought of all of us saints, both in heaven and on earth:
But lo! there breaks a yet more glorious day;
The saints triumphant rise in bright array;
The King of glory passes on His way.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
From earth's wide bounds, from ocean's farthest coast,
Through gates of pearl streams in the countless host,
And singing to Father, Son and Holy Ghost:
Alleluia, Alleluia!
Intersecting Faith & Life: Are there believers from your past who are now in heaven? How does their testimony encourage you? What Christian biographies have you read that you might recommend to others? Re-read Hebrews 11. What were the ancients in this chapter commeded for?
Further Reading & Listening
Sample two completely different, yet quality, recordings of "For All the Saints" at the following locations: Majesty Brass version ... Indelible Grace version
"For All the Saints"
(words: William How; music: Ralph Vaughan Williams)
For all the saints, who from their labors rest,
Who Thee by faith before the world confessed,
Thy Name, O Jesus, be forever blessed.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
Thou wast their Rock, their Fortress and their Might;
Thou, Lord, their Captain in the well fought fight;
Thou, in the darkness drear, their one true Light.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
For the Apostles' glorious company,
Who bearing forth the Cross o'er land and sea,
Shook all the mighty world, we sing to Thee:
Alleluia, Alleluia!
For the Evangelists, by whose blest word,
Like fourfold streams, the garden of the Lord,
Is fair and fruitful, be Thy Name adored.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
For Martyrs, who with rapture kindled eye,
Saw the bright crown descending from the sky,
And seeing, grasped it, Thee we glorify.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
O blest communion, fellowship divine!
We feebly struggle, they in glory shine;
All are one in Thee, for all are Thine.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
O may Thy soldiers, faithful, true and bold,
Fight as the saints who nobly fought of old,
And win with them the victor's crown of gold.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
And when the strife is fierce, the warfare long,
Steals on the ear the distant triumph song,
And hearts are brave, again, and arms are strong.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
The golden evening brightens in the west;
Soon, soon to faithful warriors comes their rest;
Sweet is the calm of paradise the blessed.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
But lo! there breaks a yet more glorious day;
The saints triumphant rise in bright array;
The King of glory passes on His way.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
From earth's wide bounds, from ocean's farthest coast,
Through gates of pearl streams in the countless host,
And singing to Father, Son and Holy Ghost:
Alleluia, Alleluia!
:angel:
November 4, 2009
Defying Gravity
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand."
1 Chronicles 29:14
While I was in elementary school, family friends made the decision to leave the States for Kiev, Ukraine. This family of seven, including children my age, had to downgrade from a four bedroom suburban home to an 800 square foot flat. That meant getting rid of a house full of clothes, toys, yard tools, furniture, dishes - a whole host of personal preferences and "needs." Each family member had the luxury of one big trunk as they moved halfway around the world.
For this family, however, the joy of sharing the Gospel in a former USSR satellite nation outweighed all their possessions. My dad asked his friend how he was handling the sudden "loss." His answer was telling.
"Actually," the new missionary responded, "this is the most freeing thing I've ever done."
This family found a special freedom far before I began to sniff it out. For me, this reorientation is coming slowly, helped along recently by a little book called The Treasure Principle. In it, Randy Alcorn uses a science metaphor to explain why our friends felt unshackled rather than empty. He writes:
It's a matter of basic physics. The greater the mass, the greater the hold that mass exerts. The more things we own—the greater their total mass the more they grip us, setting us in orbit around them. Finally, like a black hole, they suck us in.
Consider our materialism that way - the more stuff, the more mass. The more mass, the greater its gravitational pull. And the harder it is to escape.
Compare this to David's exhilaration in 1 Chronicles. He is humbled not by how much God has blessed him with - but by how much God has allowed him to give away. The king of Israel, a center of the ancient world, found his joy not in the palaces and the women at his disposal, but in the act of returning to God was rightfully God's. How many of us can say the same?
We live in a physical, material world. But we have the chance to defy its hold on us with every cent, toy, and "need" that comes our way. Are you ready?
Intersecting Faith & Life: As we enter the holiday season, I want to relearn the joy of giving in a more tangible way than ever before. As Alcorn puts it, "We give because He first gave to us" the most valuable gift of all. What ministries, families, or other kingdom cause is on your heart this holiday season?
Further Reading
2 Corinthians 8:2
2 Corinthians 9:15
:angel:
November 5, 2009
When Life Gets Hairy
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
In him all things hold together.
Colossians 1:17
"It's just hair; it'll grow back. She'll still look cute."
My encouragement was falling on deaf ears. It was all my wife could do to hold it together. We had just picked up our 4-year-old goldilocked girl at a friends' house, and my wife was met at the door by a teary-eyed mother whose daughter had just practiced for pre-K cosmetology school.
Me? I was just glad everyone still had their eyes and ears, and that Lauren had not been the one doing any cutting (though letting someone do that to you is an issue in its own right). My son - he didn't understand what the big hairy deal was at all. His sister was still his sister, and we were still going out to dinner for his excellent report card... weren't we?
Everyone had their own point of view and their own set of facts. Nobody else's views or words were doing much swaying. All that was going to fix this was a detour to the one who can fix all wrongs, by which I mean, of course, Desiree, the woman who was familiar with my daughter's hair from having trimmed it on several occasions.
She worked a miracle I didn't believe was possible. The women rejoiced. "Why is Mommy hugging the woman?" asked my son. "Come, son," I said. "Come with me. Let me explain to you what hair means to a woman."
My daughter does look cute again. A special spritzing scrunching product helps you not be able to see the jagged cuts. A pleasant side effect is that her blue eyes look bigger and really pop now. Already, my wife feels silly for having reacted like she did (though I do have to point out she was gracious and forgiving to the mom of the little girl who did the dastardly deed). We have heard from untold numbers of folks who have experienced something similar. We have even begun to look back on this - as I suggested right after it happened - as a funny story.
But at the time? Nothing was going to be right, nobody was going to convince anybody else of anything, no words were going to be meaningful until everyone and everything came together in The Great Fixer.
It's no different with real-life events, real points of view, real pains, real cuts, real well-meaning people. Until we slow down and see the miracle, it's all just noise and chaos.
He makes all things new.
He makes all things hold together.
He makes you look back and shake your head at yourself and maybe even laugh.
He is the judge, doctor, professor, artist, miracle worker. And his office is always open. After he does his thing, you can count on hugging and rejoicing and chances for bonding. Multitudes will be able to relate.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Don't panic. Don't argue. Just go see him. Bring your friends and family, too. See what he can and will do.
Further Reading
All Things
Why I Believe in God
The Trend of 'Believing without Belonging'
:angel:
November 6, 2009
Available and Vulnerable
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
When we choose to be a servant, we give up the right to be in charge. There is great freedom in this. ... When we choose to be a servant, we surrender the right to decide who and when we will serve. We become available and vulnerable.
—- Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline
When I first read the words "available and vulnerable" in the above quote, my mind immediately went to what a personal ad might say. But in this case, it would be a "personal servant ad" in the fictitious Ministry Daily News ...
AVAILABLE AND VULNERABLE ...
SWF seeks 24/7 ministry opportunities. Creative, outgoing and loves serving the King of Kings. Leadership skills in abundance, but also comfortable as a team player in group settings. Local projects are a plus, but will consider long-distance. No task too menial or small. Money, time and personal agenda not a problem. Ready to sacrifice and serve at a moment's notice. Acclaim and reward not required.
Well, if only that were accurate, right? What seems to stand in the way of me living a life of true service and being "available and vulnerable" like this is just plain old me. I'm not unlike James and John who also struggled with what it means to serve Christ:
Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. "Teacher," they said, "we want you to do for us whatever we ask." "What do you want me to do for you?" he asked. They replied, "Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory" (Mark 10:35-37).
They wanted the honor and the visibility. But what they didn't get, at this point, is what is also required in Christian service: sacrifice.
"You don't know what you are asking," Jesus said. "Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?" "We can," they answered. Jesus said to them, "You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared" (Mark 10:38-40).
Only Christ could bear the wrath of God's judgment and die in our place on the cross. Only his blood could atone for our sins. As Christ followers, James and John shared in his sufferings (as do we all). But their places of honor would be determined by God.
Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 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 10:43-45).
Some of us might say, "Oh, but I love to serve!" and "I have a servant's heart!" or "I serve whenever I can!" And perhaps we truly do. OR ... perhaps we serve only when it feels right, only when the popular people are involved or only when it works out with our schedule or only when it is for a cause that is "big" or only when it involves traveling to an exciting destination. See how we can easily place these perimeters and try to control when and how and whom we serve? I do it, too. If I'm serving, then it's going to be on my terms. But that's not true service ...
"Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them" (John 13:14-17).
Washing someone's feet. Think about it. That is truly making yourself available and vulnerable. Especially if the condition of the feet are rank and unpleasant to behold. To me, foot washing represents the tasks that I don't want to do. It's the ministry opportunity for the person who drives me nuts. It's the service project that cuts into my "more important" appointments. It's the mission of mercy that will cause my finances to be stretched beyond my comfort zone or will require me to give up some of my belongings for someone else. It's the less glamorous, undercover giving opportunities that no one ever sees or hears about. By and large, it's something that—in my flesh—I just don't want to do.
True service is not a feeling, but a way of life that is patterned after Jesus Christ. Will you give of yourself and make yourself available and vulnerable? Let us learn to serve our Savior as he has served us.
Intersection of Faith & Life: If you are ready to serve like this—if you are ready to let go and quit gripping so tightly to your life—then ask God to present an opportunity to you right now. Ask him to open your ears, eyes and heart so that you will recognize and accept whatever he is calling you to do.
Further Reading:
"Rise" by Robbie Seay Band
Slow down, be still
Let go, we will
Be here, be now
Slow down, be still
Breathe in, refill
Be here, be now
If you choose to love
To know that the call
Is to give all you are
To give love away, away
Rise, rise, people of love rise
People of love rise, give yourself away
Rise, rise, people of love rise
People of love rise, give yourself away
Give yourself away, give yourself away
Slow down, just breathe
Be still, believe
Be here, be now
Slow down and see
It's all you need
Be loved and free
And to hear the call, is to give your love away
And to hear the call, is to give your love away
And to hear the call, is to give your life away
Is to give your life away
We're not safe, we're not safe
But we will rise
:angel:
November 9, 2009
We Are Idol Factories
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Entertainment Editor
Of what value is an idol, since a man has carved it? Or an image that teaches lies? For he who makes it trusts in his own creation; he makes idols that cannot speak.
Habakkuk 2:18, NIV
"We are idol factories."
One of the pastors at my church said this in his sermon last Sunday, and I wrote it down and underlined it. I immediately took this statement to heart, because I know that I am truly gifted at making idols. It's a skill that required no college degree or specialized training.
It just comes naturally to me, placing other things, people, ideas or goals ahead of God in my life. In fact, I can make an idol out of something probably faster than you can switch on your 73-inch, flat-panel, plasma HDTV with surround sound. Actually, maybe even faster, because I've improved over time.
I heard this "idol factory" illustration just a day after having breakfast with a dear friend who I had not seen in several years. As we were sharing about our lives and what God was teaching us, she told me that she had gotten rid of her cable television. "Why is that?" I asked. "Because I spent too much time watching The Food Network, and before I knew it it was time to pick up the kids from school," she admitted.
At first, I chuckled a little. It seemed pretty harmless. What's a wasted day or two spent watching The Food Network, and how harmful really could that channel ever be?
Without cable, my friend went on to say that she's now more productive during the day as a stay-at-home mom. She's reading more. She's getting back to the writing she's been wanting to work on, and she's focusing more on what matters to her family and how she can best serve them and their needs as a wife and a mother. Basically, she's gotten her priorities back in order.
Whoa. All of that from not watching a channel that really does have some good information on it. But, it just goes to show that that is how easy it is for us to make idols out of anything in our lives.
Don't laugh or discount this notion. 'Cause we all do it. Your weakness or idol may not be The Food Network. But just insert whatever or whomever it is that occupies your thoughts and your time. What or who is that you could spend hours focused on and not realize that the time has flown by? What do you think about the most when you're away from it? What controls your schedule? Can you look back and say you are glad that you spent your time or expended your efforts in this manner? Is any of this honoring to the Lord?
I bet you can come up with a list pretty quickly, can't you? I sure can. And I'm ashamed to see what occupies my thoughts and my time (and how much of it is wasted). I'm making idols left and right in my life. And it's time to have a fire sale. Get rid of the clutter that doesn't amount to anything of value for the Kingdom. And get back to what should be the sole focus of my worship: God.
The Westminster Shorter Catechism asks us this:
What is the chief end of man?
And the answer is ...
Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.
If I sifted each of my priorities through this question-and-answer filter, what would my life look like? Of what idols on the assembly line would I need to cease production?
As the foreman of my life, the Lord issues a pink slip each and every day to me. Am I surrendering to his authority? He doesn't want me to keep the idol factory in business any longer in my heart. I know that only he can help me shut it down and focus on worshipping him.
Intersecting Faith & Life: We all have prominent idols in our lives, and they're usually the ones we look to get rid of first. But what about the more hidden idols-ones we are blinded to in our lives? They are just as destructive as those that are obvious. Ask the Lord to reveal your idol factory's entire inventory, so that you can make changes in your life starting today.
Further Reading
Romans 11:36, NIV
Psalm 144:15, NIV
:angel:
November 11, 2009
A Hump Day Meditation
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!" - Psalm 118:24
It was not a good way to start off the week. Monday had me sick at home with a cold instead of heading to the office. My husband came home with the announcement that he had a case of the Mondays too. It was definitely a day of joining the Mamas and the Papas in singing, "But whenever Monday comes, but whenever Monday comes / You can find me cryin' all of the time." We both went to bed early and hoped for a better Tuesday.
Tuesday was not Monday. That was about its only advantage.
Today, though, is Wednesday. Happy hump day! At lunchtime, I will mentally congratulate myself for making it halfway through the workweek. Friday is already beckoning in the distance, where it was just a speck on the horizon on Monday. Oh Monday, Monday, can't trust that day. But today, rejoice! We're getting through our responsibilities on the job and on our way to thanking God for Friday.
Unless, well.... God, you do realize that Mondays are a direct result of the Fall, don't you? A curse on mankind even greater than that thorns and thistles? You do know how much we suffer on account of that day, right?
"This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!"
Plenty of days begin with me hitting the alarm and wishing that psalmist had stuck with writing about shepherds and sheep. How foundational, and yet how forgettable, is the truth that we wake up every day with a glorious choice - do we view our time as our own, or as another day to serve the Lord?
Hump day mentality reveals the underlying attitude that we resent being "owned." On most days, we think we only resent that someone or some entity owns 40 hours of our time during the week. But what about when we consider that our time belongs to the Kingdom of God? Then who is that Monday mentality railing against?
That question brings us to the weekend - our time. Those chores that can wait just a little while longer, that new novel that has to be read, those boxes that don't really need to be unpacked, that church service that needs to end precisely at noon. Do you sometimes find yourself in a passive-aggressive resistance to that time constraint during your weekend, like I do?
As I wrote last week, a little book is again confronting me about how I view my stuff, my time, my resources, and my God. I'm asking myself whether I'm living my life as a stewardship of what God's given to me or as an owner who has rightfully earned all that she has. And I'm discovering little roots that keep me more attached to this world when I should be - including the belief that my time is my own. When it's my time, I'm scrambling for every morsel of me time, and hoarding it like a personal treasure.
Contrast this to the express vocation of the psalmist: "My tongue will speak of your righteousness and of your praises all day long." (Psalm 35:28)
How's Wednesday looking for you?
Further Reading
Dueteronomy 4:9
Joshua 24:15
Dreading Monday? Take a Fresh Look at Sunday
:angel:
November 12, 2009
Scripture to Comfort
by Meghan Kleppinger
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Matthew 5:4, NAS
If you have ever suffered a broken relationship and/or heart, the loss of a loved one, or any number of other devastations, than you know about "that" pain.
It's that pain that originates in the bottom of your stomach and initially feels like a big numb ball. Later it develops into a raw gnawing that can only be equated to burning stabs of fire. It makes it way up through the intestines and finally settles in the throat, choking out all attempted spoken words and creating such an excruciating sensation that tears are sure to follow.
Like any other person who has spent more than a few days on this planet, I know "that" pain well. It comes quickly and when it does, it's difficult to believe that it will ever go away. It brings about sorrow, grief, and as it eventually begins to fade away, it brings guilt.
This has been a tough year for my family. We've lost friends and recently, just a few short weeks ago, my grandfather. I know I'm not an anomaly and that people all over the world are suffering a similar pain, so as I began to pray about what I should write about for this week, I started thinking about what has really been helpful for me during these times.
Friends and family have been great, but most, of all, scripture has been comforting me. My hope is that the scripture I share with you will be beneficial to you as you grieve or that you can use it to minister to others who are suffering.
"Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful." (John 14:27)
"And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us." (Romans 5:5)
"The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed n spirit." (Psalm 34:18)
"The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever." (1 John 2:17)
"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." (Psalm 147:3)
"And He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away." (Revelation 21:4)
And finally...
"For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words." (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)
Intersecting Faith & Life: Go to the Word of God for comfort. In the words of Matthew Henry, ""The Word of God gives us great help in attaining the peace we need. It is living, very lively and active in seizing the conscience of the sinner, in cutting him to the heart, and in comforting him and binding up the wounds of the soul. It is powerful. It convinces powerfully, converts powerfully, and comforts powerfully.""
Further Reading
Revelation 21:3-5
Why Does God Comfort Those Who Mourn?
Learning True Comfort :angel:
November 13, 2009
How to Get Up When You're Feeling Down
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40:30-31
At this time of year, a lot is heading downward.
Leaves are falling. Temperatures are dipping. And with the time change, the sun is setting a little earlier. For many, these changes bring about depression, lethargy, fatigue and other problems. In its most serious form, it adds up to Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).
But symptoms such as these don't occur just in the fall or only at times when there is less sunlight. In their lesser form, these feelings can come about quite easily in day-to-day living.
Like when an unkind word from a co-worker crushes your spirit and sets the rest of the work day into a tailspin. Should you be surprised? Or when your best friend is the one who is getting married or having a baby or got a promotion. And you got... nothing.
Or perhaps you've said yes to organizing and leading every church committee, every parent-organized school event, the community Bible study and your neighborhood's monthly block party. Your mind is mush, your body is shutting down and you have nothing left to give.
See? We can quickly sink to the depths of despair in our spirits or become quickly fatigued taking care of everything and everyone else and not ourselves. We're tired and weary, stumbling and falling. And ... we're human, after all.
But thankfully, when we are feeling weighted down, the Lord will help us to soar. He is the one who raises us up—not any 12-step plan or self-help book or 10-week audio tape series. Now while these are worthy aids—and God can work through systems and processes designed by men—we must look to him and his Word first for direction in how we should live.
David was a man who understood this. Many passages in the book of Psalms read like his personal diary of sorts and record the times when he felt down and sought the Lord.
He had it right when he said in Psalm 62:5-8: "Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; He is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge."
When we focus on our circumstances and what is or isn't happening in our lives, we will feel down. Like David, we need to go to the One who will lift us up. It is in God alone that we will rise above and find our rest.
Intersecting Faith & Life: What is bringing you down? Is the Lord asking you to make a change in your life? Is it time to simplify in some area? Take some time this weekend for quiet reflection and seek God's direction for what he would have you do.
Further Reading
2 Corinthians 4:7-12
Encourage Yourself in the Lord
:angel:
November 16, 2009
Unfulfilled Desire
by Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
"I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4: 12 - 13
"For a long time I have not belonged to myself since I delivered myself totally to Jesus, and He is therefore free to do with me as He pleases." ~ St. Therese of Lisieux
Do you have unrealized desires? They have a way of burning up our insides, don't they? Perhaps you wish to be married, but year after year remain single. Or you wish for children, but remain childless. Or maybe you want to write books, but never make any headway.
Confusion and despair over unrealized desires feel the most intense when they seem natural and God-honoring. Doesn't the Lord want me to be married? Didn't He place in me this desire to be a pastor? Didn't God give me these gifts? So why do all the doors remain closed?
I've been noticing a theme lately in the stories of revered Christian heroes. Most of them had personal desires that were put on hold or even went completely unfulfilled - at least from the outside observer's perspective. Some of these desires seemed especially holy.
Take St. Martin of Tours for example. From an early age, this Christian convert's sole desire was to be a monk. But the laws in 4th century Rome required him be a soldier - an occupation that did not suite him well. Even after the military finally released Martin, his plan to dedicate his life to solitary prayer never played out as he hoped. Martin's unique spiritual wisdom drew crowds to him and ultimately, the beloved monk was ordained a Bishop against his wishes.
St. Therese of Lisieux is another example. This French beauty from the 19th century longed to be a Carmelite nun and a missionary. While Therese's first desire came true at the early age of 15, her second never did. At 22, tuberculosis limited her to her French convent.
Why does God allow some desires to go unfulfilled? There's no simple answer to that question, however, I think it's fair to say that when good desires lay dormant, God does important work through us that might not otherwise have been possible. Paul articulates this when he is torn between two holy desires: a desire for heaven and a desire to continue to build up the Church on earth. Through eyes of faith, he sees how God can work through both outcomes.
I am torn between the two I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith Philippians 1: 23 - 25
The same peace we see in Paul can be found in the stories of countless Christians who set their personal preferences aside.
In her autobiography Story of a Soul, Therese reflected, "God cannot inspire unrealizable desires. I can, then, in spite of my littleness aspire to holiness." Therese recognized that her earthly desires really boiled down to a desire for God, and while her personal limitations frustrated her, they did not limit God's work in her life. Therese spent her remaining two years on earth "in the mission fields" by praying for and corresponding with missionary priests who drew much strength from her support.
St. Martin of Tours also accepted God's calling with peace in his heart. He made an excellent Bishop in spite of his introverted ways. The key to his contentment? His love for God enabled him to love needy souls more than his solitary lifestyle.
While it's hard to accept that our personal desires sometimes have to be put on hold, it's also incredibly freeing. I think if you had a chance to speak with Paul, Therese, or Martin they'd all agree that life is much more fulfilling when the Creator of the Universe is in control instead of our little selves. What desires can you hand over to Him today?
Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalms 37: 4 (emphasis added)
Intersecting Faith & Life: What dreams have been put on hold in your life? Think of ways God has worked for good in your waiting. Write down one (or more) blessings you may not have received had your original dreams come true.
Further Reading
James 4: 1
Realizing Your Dreams :angel:
Nov. 17, 2009
The Hunger: Is It In You?
Alex Crain: Editor, Christianity.com
"...like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk so that by it you may grow up in your salvation."
1 Peter 2:2, NIV
Crave is a word of intense longing. According to this text, the type of appetite we are to have for the Word of God is that of a newborn child, desperate to feed. Peter isn't talking about being infants in Christ. That's not his point. Rather, he's simply talking about hunger. He is talking about desiring the Word.
The Greek word (epipotheo) means to long for greatly, to earnestly desire and even to starve. Such hunger is natural. All living things crave nourishment. Dying and dead things do not. If hunger isn't present, there's something wrong.
Interestingly, the wrong things that Peter mentions in this passage are not the "big ones" you might think of—the grosser sins of the pagan life. Rather, they are the common everyday vices that destroy relationships. These are the sins that undermine the mutual acceptance and belonging that ought to exist between believers, regardless of skin color, birthplace or position—whether social, educational or economic.
I once heard these sins called "tuxedo" sins because they seem to be tolerated even by people who appear to be most respectable. Because they are so common, we can sometimes think of them as small and harmless. Not so, according to Scripture.
Having Malice? Ill will? Don't we all do that? Yes, but God says: "Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor" (Rom. 12:10).
Deceit? God says: "Put away lying, let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor, for we are members of one another." (Eph. 4:25)
Hypocrisy & Slander? Yes, these too need to be put away as God says they:
are characteristics of the devil himself: (Rev. 12:10)
separate friends (Prov. 16:28)
cause strife (Prov. 26:20)
sow discord among the brethren (Prov. 6:19)
destroy neighbors (Prov. 11:9)
can lead to violence and murder (Ps. 31:13)
The truth is, we must be UNTAUGHT these fleshly, ordinary responses that are so deeply rooted in our minds and hearts. Lack of zeal for God and His Word; being bored with or indifferent to the Bible are clear indicators that these sins are still there, robbing us of spiritual nourishment.
Like any good doctor, Peter not only points out the problem but also gives the solution—not striving in our own strength or trusting in our confession of sin but trusting in the gospel of Jesus Christ. The price He paid for sin is enough. We can have forgiveness, cleansing and renewed hunger for the Word in Christ!
Intersecting Faith & Life:
If you have a good appetite for the Word of God and are enjoying daily nourishment from reading it and meditating on its truth, pause and thank God for that clear sign of life, health and maturity. If not, ask God to give you eyes to see what may be keeping you from longing for His Word.
Further Reading:
Eph. 4:25
Rev. 12:10
Prov. 16:28
Prov. 26:20
Prov. 6:19
Prov. 11:9
Ps. 31:13
:angel:
November 18, 2009
The Misbegotten Search
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture editor
This is what the LORD says to the house of Israel: "Seek me and live." - Amos 5:4
It seemed like a good idea at the time.
On a recent trip down memory lane, my sister and I laughed about our short careers as archeologists. We were big on dinosaurs, finding Noah's Ark, learning about the tells being excavated in modern Palestine, the works. I was fascinated by these artifacts, and I dragged my younger sister into my dust-gathering antics.
After I saw the first Indiana Jones film, the hunt for my own artifacts began in earnest. I knew just where to start. Logically speaking (to an eight-year-old), fossils were likely to pop up where you least expected them. After all, how long had King Tut's tomb remained unopened? Or how about those Native American arrowheads my grandfather found on his property? I knew that Native Americans had traveled my area pretty well at some point. And probably dinosaurs too. I firmly believed that "dig and ye shall find."
Being well-versed in archeological techniques and protocol, I knew that all good artifacts were likely to crumble as soon as they breathed the 20th century air. So we didn't actually dig. We brushed.
With thick, kids' craft paintbrushes.
At the dirt.
Under the backyard swingset.
This expedition lasted for at least a summer, and during that time I firmly believed that we were that close to discovering the next species of dinosaur. The packed dirt and rocks under the swingset did take on some curious shapes - just enough to keep me on the verge of discovery - but the great dig amounted to nothing. And eventually, we moved on to other pursuits.
No one can say we weren't earnest. To the contrary, I firmly believed that I was making the best possible use of my summer, and probably my life. But the search for these artifacts in that impossible place was doomed from the beginning. We had no evidence pointing to such a find in such a place. We had no idea what we were really looking for. And yet there we were, day after day, brushing away the dirt while the swings above us hung abandoned.
As children, such a pursuit encouraged our natural curiosity and taught us a few things about tenacity if nothing else. If I took up my paintbrush today, however, I'd be hailed as less of an Indiana Jones figure than a cracked pot. I know better now, and the effort would be completely inappropriate. And yet... I continue in the misbegotten search.
I am like the child that C.S. Lewis described in The Weight of Glory. He wrote,
We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who want to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at sea. We are far too easily pleased.
Intersecting Faith & Life: We've glimpsed the sea, and yet we continue making our dreams of earth. Are you more entertained by the mud pies than the promise of eternal treasure? The search is still on, but it's time to put the childish ways behind us (1 Corinthians 13:11) and seek after the genuine. That's the only treasure worth finding.
Further Reading
Choosing Your Own Adventure
Matthew 6:19-21
:angel:
November 19, 2009
Members without a Club
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through me.
John 14:6
"I don't respect [believers] who don't proselytize. I don't respect that at all. If you believe that there's a heaven and a hell, and that people could be going to hell, or not getting eternal life, or whatever, and you think, well, it's not really worth telling them this because it would make it socially awkward... how much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytize? How much do you have to hate somebody to believe that everlasting life is possible, and not tell them that? I mean if I believed beyond a shadow of a doubt that a truck was coming at you, and you didn't believe it, but that truck was bearing down? There's a certain point where I tackle you. And this is more important than that."
Wow, great words. Completely sums up what's at stake with Christian evangelism, and why it's so impotant, not to mention commanded. Who said that? Famous pastor? Leading revivalist? World-traveled evangelist?
An atheist. One who later in the same speech will say, "I know there's no God," and "religion does a lot of bad stuff," but who was nonetheless touched by a genuine gesture a simple, normal, respectable gentleman made in giving the gift of a Gideon Bible.
The atheist in question is Penn Gillette, of the famous magic act Penn & Teller. You can check out his story of being offered a Bible following one of his shows on YouTube.
I am sure Mr. Gillette and I - and you - disagree on a lot of things. But he's so right about this. Our pastor was recently addressing some of the tough questions about Christianity in a sermon series, including the one about how can Christians claim to know the true way; aren't all ways equally valid? And he settled on our verse today - John 14:6 - which is our beloved starting prooftext for how Jesus himself stated that no other way would work.
While that is blessedly true, our pastor suggested we tend to have inverted if not perverted the subtlety of the message. We've behaved like we're privileged members of an exclusive club, one that has created all sorts of rules to keep others out. One that gets to tell them how wrong they are. One that should be full of joy and open arms, but is instead full of stern sobriety and pointing fingers. One that nobody would really want to join anyway, even if it were a club, which it isn't. For one thing, we're on a journey toward perfection, and in the same chapter Jesus told his followers that the many rooms in his Father's house were being prepared. We aren't living in them yet. Our clubhouse is not our current home. We have merely started on the journey, and yet...
We forget where we come from.
Christianity is flawed in part because it is full of losers - those who humbly admitted their own shortcomings and acknowledged The Answer was outside themselves. My own father - before his conversion - said he viewed Christianity as a crutch for weak people. "Exactly," was my response. Christ did not come for the healthy, but for the sick. That was us. We have no claim to exclusivity. The message, similar to how eloquently Mr. Gillette put it, is that anyone can be INcluded, provided they believe. Our job is to tell them that truck is bearing down, politely and sincerely. To give the Bible and to have read it ourselves. To model a life not based on legalism or even moralism, but on the joy of every day's opportunity along the narrow road and the freedom we have to choose to follow it or not.
When Jesus told his followers that he was the way and the truth and the life, it was a comfort. He had just told them he would be leaving, but that if they had seen him (and they had) then they had seen the Father, and that "you know the way to the place where I am going."
Intersecting Faith & Life: Comfort others with this verse. There are a lot of hurting people in this world who point to this text as the source of their conundrum with Christianity. Remind them that we're not about keeping people out, evoking a membership privilege to remind them who and what is wrong, or even condemning them to a more dire fate. In fact, it has so little to do with do's and don'ts, and everything to do with grace, freedom, and acceptance. I was lost, and someone pointed me to this road. Many others had tried before, but their words finally took hold and my eyes were opened to see it was indeed the right road. Yours can be too. Pure blood was shed for you as it was for anyone who would accept it, repent, seek forgiveness, know joy. Here's a Bible. Won't you read it and join us on The Way?
:angel:
November 20, 2009
The End All, Cure All for Hiccups
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees ... May your unfailing love be my comfort, according to your promise to your servant. Let your compassion come to me that I may live, for your law is my delight.
Psalm 119:71, 76-77
Well, it finally happened. The fall temperatures dipped low enough this week so that I could start drinking a cup of hot tea before bedtime!
So there I was one evening, sitting on my sofa and relaxing after a very full day. Then I took a premature sip of the piping hot herbal tea. And then I remembered what I had forgotten across the vast reaches of springtime and summer when iced water is my usual beverage of choice: hot liquids can very easily bring on hiccups. Very easily.
Now there are all sorts of home remedies and old wives' tales that people follow to cure themselves from these breathing interruptions: having someone suddenly scare you, drinking an entire glass of water quickly and without breathing, keeping a spoonful of sugar in your mouth for five minutes, eating peanut butter, etc.
For me, the glass of water method usually does the trick. But that particular evening, I just didn't want to get up from my cozy spot and go to the kitchen. I mean, I had the afghan wrapped around me just so, and my cat was perched on my lap—curled up cinnamon-roll style and purring away—and I couldn't reach the remote to pause the movie I was watching. So ...
What was I do? Well, I sat there and hiccuped for about an hour. That's right. I refused to make any changes because of the hiccup situation. Ridiculous! Really. I knew the simple solution to the problem, but I was too stubborn to get up and go there. I thought I could handle it on my own, and I did not want to get myself uncomfortable just to get some relief.
Life's hiccups can also be like that, can't they? There you are, feeling comfy and "secure"—in your finances, in your relationships, in your job, in your church, in your small group, in your health—and then whammo! Disruption. Problem is, though, we can't swig some water or ingest some peanut butter to remedy the situations on our own.
But the beauty of these spiritual trials is that they give us the opportunity to quit relying on self and call out to the Lord. To get off of "the sofa," to take a step of faith, to get uncomfortable and get on our knees while we submit ourselves and trust in him as he carries us through.
The point of seeking out this divine end all, cure all is not how swiftly the Lord will deliver us from whatever is causing disruption in our lives. It is in the blessing that comes from walking through dark times, when we seek out God and yield ourselves to him. If you are a child of God and have gone through anything that has shaken your faith, then you know this to be true. You either draw closer or you drift away. There is no in-between.
When David underwent times of persecution and isolation, God didn't instantly change his situation after David first cried out to him. Instead, he worked in David's life and comforted him throughout his suffering, as he drew this warrior-king closer to himself and to his Word (Psalm 18).
Thousands of years later, God is still the only remedy worth pursuing today. He is waiting, willing and able to be our rock, shield and stronghold—no matter what hiccups our lives may bring.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Not all hiccups are just minor, momentary inconveniences in our lives. Some are ongoing, long-term sources of intense pain, heartache and struggle. Whatever you are experiencing today, don't settle for a self-help cure. Get up and go to the Father to receive supernatural-strength comfort and peace.
Further Reading
Psalm 34:17-19
Psalm 55:22
:angel:
November 23, 2009
The Gift of Family
by Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. Romans 12: 4-6
Holidays - how we would love for them to be simple. But they rarely are. My mom and I recently realized, through tearful laughter, that we can identify our holiday get-togethers by the key awkward moment that occurred that year.
Don't get me wrong - our family overflows with love and fond memories. But it's a rare family that can gather into one room without bumping into an issue.
One long-term challenge in my family involves comparisons. If you have siblings, you know what I mean. A sister might have been the "favored child" growing up. Or a brother has achieved remarkable career success while you struggle to find your niche. There are as many ways to compare one another as there are people in the world. And, adding to the fun, there's often one family member who feels a driving need to vocalize the perceived discrepancies among individuals. There may be big family events where you leave wondering, "God, what were you thinking when you threw us all into the same family pot?"
Not only do comparisons hinder our ability to love one another, they are a waste of energy because they are based on surface perceptions which can be inaccurate. In recent years, I've come to find freedom from the comparison game by lining up my way of thinking to be more like the opening verse.
Paul's words to the Romans reveal God's design for His spiritual family, but these words could apply to our biological families, too. Paul's words above remind me that while each person is valuable in the eyes of God, no one person can achieve it all - no matter how perfect he or she may appear. Furthermore, each one of us has special gifts, and we depend on each other to fill in the gaps for the areas we lack.
For better or for worse, each member "belongs to all the others." Pondering God's gifts revealed in my family members helps me focus on the true heart of Thanksgiving - As a day set aside for gratitude
Intersecting Faith & Life: What are your gifts? This Thanksgiving, see if you can identify the various gifts each member of your family possesses, especially for that one family member you find difficult to love.
Further Reading
Mark 9:33-35
1 Corinthians 12:7-11
Of Comparisons and Rulers, by Awnali Mills
Comparison or Contentment? Find Joy in Your Marriage, by Whitney Hopler
:angel:
November 24, 2009
"Y'all" - A Southern Grammar Bible Lesson on the Church
by Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"...like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word,
so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation..."
1 Peter 2:2, NAS
In a recent Crosswalk Devotional (Nov. 17, 2009), we looked at the passage above evaluating our personal degree of hunger for God's Word. The command seemed simple and clear enough: "you crave, you long for the pure milk of the Word," but there is a dimension of the passage that is not so simple and clear.
Our English language doesn't distinguish between the singular and plural pronouns for "you," so the mistake is common and easy to make. Typical human that I am, at first glance I saw the passage as being directed toward an individual, as if to say, I cannot grow and I cannot have a healthy appetite for God's Word as long as I harbor any of the sins mentioned in the text.
I suppose such a meaning is true in the broad sense—no one can simultaneously love God's Word and cherish sin. But such an emphasis on the individual obscures a major point of the passage. Why? The "you" pronouns in 1 Peter 2:1-3 are all plural. And yes, this is important.
Why? Let's look. When Peter says "long for the pure milk of the Word so that by it you may grow up in your salvation" (v. 2), he is saying "you all" may grow up, or as a Shreveport native like me sometimes says... y'all.
So, since Peter is talking about our collective experience of growth in such a way that health and maturity is to be expected as the normal course of life together, we should be shocked when we find a local assembly of believers that is anemic or riddled with trouble.
Is this the view of a naïve idealist? No. Apparently, it's Scripture's view (see verses 4-9 ff.). Wherever there is an unhealthy church there must exist some level of malice, and/or deceit, and/or hypocrisy, and/or envy, and/or slander. First Peter 2:1-3 tells us that just one of these sins kills the collective body's craving for spiritual nourishment. Thus, the normal result of growth and maturity will not be experienced.
Here again, we see Scripture affirming the importance of churches that work, thrive, grow, and reproduce.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Since this is a matter of spiritual life or death, let me ask you—how are y'all doing?
Do you tend to think of your spiritual growth as something that can either help or hinder your fellow believers, or do you see it as something that just affects you?
Further Reading
1 Cor. 12:14-27
:angel:
November 25, 2009
A Child's Thanksgiving
by Katherine Britton Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." - John 10:10
Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name." - 1 Chronicles 29:13
Sometimes it takes a children's sermon to remind me what's important. Thanksgiving should be a simple affair, but my adult brain had overcomplicated this heart attitude without much effort. The past few months had been filled with many moments where I had said, "So far, so good" but doubted the future. The provision at hand was enough, to be sure. Yet I wondered if what looked like adequate provision today would diminish over time. I doubted God's intention to replenish what I used up.
On Sunday, I listened to the children's sermon with special attention when the kids talked about the Mayflower and the Pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving. Each child quickly displayed their knowledge of Pilgrims and Indians - including Squanto - and incredible dynamic that played out that harvest season. Their teacher slowly enlarged their descriptions to include the previous winter's deaths, the desperately short food supply, the hope of a new planting season, and the summer's withering drought. By the time harvest rolled around, crops had been gathered in - not in abundance, but certainly sufficient compared to the previous year. The Pilgrims knew it, and reveled in the adequacy of their harvest. Edward Wislow, one of the only primary sources on the day, wrote this about it:
"Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together, after we had gathered the fruits of our labors; they four in one day killed as much fowl, as with a little help beside, served the Company almost a week, at which time amongst other Recreations, we exercised our Arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and amongst the rest their greatest king Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five Deer, which they brought to the Plantation and bestowed on our Governor, and upon the Captain and others. And although it be not always so plentiful, as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want, that we often wish you partakers of our plenty."
Almost four hundred years later, I stand convicted by Winslow's words. The man had stared death in the face, and had little idea what future lay in store for the Plymouth colonists. In spite of that, he had literally tasted God's provision and found himself satisfied. The meal was so filling, he wished that even if "it be not always so plentiful... we often wish you partakers in our plenty."
I wish I had Winslow's faith, to happily look at today's provision and consider each simple wonder. We are "so far from want" in those moments. We serve a faithful God who is more than enough for all of our needs. It's like the praise song says:
All of You
is more than enough for all of me
For every thirst and every need
You satisfy me with Your love
And all I have in You
Is more than enough
Happy Thanksgiving!
Intersecting Faith & Life: As you tally up the things that make you thankful, consider Edward Winslow's observations of God's faithfulness. Do you see the abundant life laid out before you?
:angel:
November 26, 2009
Not Just Thanks, but Giving... Anything and Everything
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
Romans 8:32
My children, ages six and four, know my weakness.
They know it's not ice cream, baseball, or their mom's chili... or even a hug or puppy-dog eyes from them.
See, none of the above make me cry (although the chili almost did once). Yes, my children have seen their father cry. It's not something I wanted, or intended. I'm a man, after all. I go to work, show my strength. I coach, help, show, point, and guide. I communicate, discipline, and lead. I pray. I do not cry.
...Except when I read Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree, that is.
And like I said, my children know this. And oh, do they twist that knife, the little devils. We must own a couple hundred children's books, but if it's a night where Daddy is doing the bedtime reading rather than Mommy, what do they invariangly pick (while smirking)? Of course! The Giving Tree!
I've been reading this book, first published in 1964, since I myself was a child, and no matter how many times I do, I am unable to de-sensitize. I mean, when I watch the movie Field of Dreams and Ray has a catch with his ghost-dad, that gets me. But if I see the scene over and over within a certain time frame? Nah. No sweat, no tears. But this blasted children's book... well... what's going on here?
First of all, you're probably wondering that very thing if you aren't familiar with the story. A tree and a boy are the best of friends during an idyllic childhood for the young man where he eats apples from the tree, climbs her trunk, swings from her branches, and rests in her shade. Then things change, as things do, and we see the boy approach the tree at all the various stages of his life, caught up - understandably, even - more in wanting and needing than in just being. Every time he has a "need," the tree obliges... and is happy for having done so. She doesn't have much, but gives all she has until eventually, she is nothing but a stump. At the end of all things, however, it turns out a stump is just what the old man needs - a quiet place to sit down and rest and reflect. "And the tree was happy. The end."
And I am undone... again.
Is it because I am reading the story to my children, and I know our stories will be very much like that of the tree and the boy, where they are my delight but eventually I must simply become provider as they go out into the world? Yes and no.
Is it because our family copy of the book - the one I read to the kids - carries an inscription from my wife on our first Christmas as husband and wife that says, "With God's help, may I love you like this"? Yes and no.
Is it because I once read the book aloud at at emotional family Thanksgiving, illustrating how we too infrequently practice the "giving" half of the word? Yes and no.
Is it because as my father lay dying seven years ago that I told him of the story (he wasn't familiar with it), and how he had been that tree for me? That's definitely part of it. My mother, I remember, commented that she didn't recall it being a "Christian" book. I didn't really have an answer to that, only to what I saw in it. Which is...
Complete love to the point of emptying. Unquestioning sacrifice, even for someone who isn't appreciating or understanding what they've been given. A desire only to have communion. An entering into final rest. In other words, a perfect example of the immensity of what Jesus did for me, desired from me, provides for me, and will carry me to.
That is why I always cry.
So every time I finish the story, eyes full of tears, my kids look at me as if to say, "Are you okay?" My little one asks, "Why are you crying, Dad?" And every time I explain, I think she understands just the tiniest bit more. These are tears of being overwhelmed by the enormity of the giver and the gift. I only pray these children will open their hearts and receive it, and that they won't miss the other lesson: all our Giver really wants in return is our time, for us to come to Him as we did as children.
Intersecting Faith & Life: But can any of us actually hope to become more like the tree in the story? Parents know what it means to give every last ounce of everything they are to the betterment of their children. We have reason for doing so. Do you know anyone who empties themselves this way for those they don't have a familial reason to love? What steps can you take to emulate their Christ-like, unconditional love, especially during the holidays?
Further Reading
Giving is What Living is All About
2 Corinthians 8:3-12
:angel:
November 27, 2009
The Day After
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Make a glad sound to the Lord, all the earth. Give worship to the Lord with joy; come before him with a song. Be certain that the Lord is God; it is he who has made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep to whom he gives food. Come into his doors with joy, and into his house with praise; give him honour, blessing his name. For the Lord is good, and his mercy is never-ending; his faith is unchanging through all generations.
Psalm 100
It's the day after Thanksgiving. Did you eat too much? Do I even have to ask?
Besides being a holiday when I have permission to indulge, to me thanksgiving is also a word that reminds me of how my grandfather would end his prayers: "And with thanksgiving, in Jesus' name, Amen."
I always wondered why he used a word that made me think of cornucopias and construction-paper turkeys. But now, I think I now understand. In that one word, he was saying "Thank You for giving." You, being God.
From my grandfather's example, I see that Thanksgiving is more than a one-day family gathering. It is a way of living, a daily act of expressing gratitude to our Maker who first gave to us. I love how Psalm 100 gives many directives that can help us all live in this way ...
Make a glad sound to the Lord ... We are to make our praise known and not feel bashful about it. Now that doesn't mean we have to go to the nearest street corner and wildly applaud our Savior to the passersby. Perhaps a solo retreat is more suitable. In your silence, consider one attribute of God during each hour of the quiet that surrounds you.
Give worship to the Lord with joy ... Many of us don't wake up "with joy." But getting the joy down in our hearts shouldn't be too hard to do, as rejoicing in the Lord is an honor to Him. Try taping a Bible verse or even just the word joy to your car's dashboard and see if your traffic scowl doesn't turn into an almost smile.
Come before Him with a song ... Singing songs of Scripture is a great way to prepare our hearts to focus on the Lord. It's also effective in memorizing the Word and hiding it in our hearts. You'll never think of a verse in the same way again once it is set to music and committed to memory.
Be certain that the Lord is God ... God is God, and we are not. Remembering that you are not the "general manager of the universe" can be helpful in so many situations. Write down your daily worries in a separate journal and ask God to help you trust him and know that he is sovereign.
Come into his doors with joy, and into his house with praise ... We are always in God's presence whether we realize it or not. It's not only when we enter a house of worship or when we sing a praise song. His Kingdom is always at hand. A scriptural flip-top calendar on your desk is a good visual reminder of this.
[Remember] for the Lord is good ... His mercy is never-ending ... His faith is unchanging ... Get ready to take the sticky note challenge: go around your home and attach a note on anything that is "bad" or "short-term" or "changing." Anytime you feel that you're placing your worship or trust elsewhere, you'll be reminded that the only One who matters and is eternal is the Father.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Even though Thanksgiving is officially over, you can continue the spirit of the celebration going forward. This weekend, honor the Lord by reaching out to others. Call or visit someone who is alone or having a hard time (for whatever reason). Then, share why you are thankful for him or her.
Further Reading:
Psalm 150
Grumbling or Gratitude?
:angel:
November 30, 2009
The Last Days
Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
"And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and upon the earth distress of nations in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, men fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, look up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." Luke 21: 25 - 28
Most of us don't love to wait. We want to get on with things. Tie things up neatly so we can move on to the next thing. We often forget that in some cases, the opportunity to wait is an expression of God's mercy.
You see, this past Sunday was the first Sunday of Advent 2009. It came quickly this year. I was so busy preparing for Thanksgiving, I almost forgot about Advent. Thankfully, our reliable pastor was decked out in purple this Sunday, scripture readings and hymns ready to go.
Advent isn't really an event so much as a season set aside to wait for an event. We can choose how we want to practice Advent. We can see it as a burden, an afterthought, or a hindrance. Or we can see its greater application to all of life. We can recognize it for what it is: a reminder to stop, clear away some of the normal "stuff" of life, and remember that throughout our life here we are waiting for something big, something that needs our attention and preparation: The second coming of Christ.
Many times I've heard fellow Christians express the desire for the day to just get here already. Can't we just end the wars and suffering... the waiting... and get on with Christ's return? Many pick apart the Scriptures, looking for details, for signs, that Christ is coming soon. Groups form and debates rage about the finer details of the end times.
While I am sure God appreciates our interest in and desire for his arrival, I am not so sure we really know what we're asking for when we say we wish he would hurry up and appear.
Think about it. Are we really ready? Is the world really ready? If you had to stand before Christ tomorrow, would you be ready? I don't mean "ready" as having correctly predicted the dramatic events that would unfold during the end times. I mean would your life reflect service to him? Love of him? Submission to him?
Mine wouldn't. At least not to the extent that it should. I'd like a few days, or um decades, to straighten things out. And to the best of my humble abilities, help a few more of those living in the dark find the light.
Suddenly, waiting doesn't seem too bad. God's plan to give me and the rest of the world a little more time doused with a lot of his grace doesn't seem so frustrating.
After reading the dramatic scriptures above, our pastor did not delve into prophecy or speculation about the last days. He backtracked a little, and instead opted to focus on the here and now. He challenged us to avoid the "drowsiness" that comes with our everyday cares and concerns. He challenged us to become disciplined people, Christians whose lives are truly transformed by Christ instead of by the seductive "spirit of the age." He held up examples of fellow Christians who came before us and conquered their own contemporary challenges.
He reminded us that we will each have our own "last day" even if our lives here do not witness the Last Day.
That's what Advent is really about... grace today for whatever may come tomorrow. It's about God's incredible patience and love for children who have much to learn and need plenty of precious time to allow for stumbling along the way. As for the final days, set aside the speculation and leave that to God's perfect timing. He'll know when we're ready.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Our pastor wisely pointed out that a disciplined prayer life opens our lives to God's transforming graces. Set aside a little extra time every single week, from now until Christmas, to spend time in prayer.
Further Reading
Jeremiah 33:14-16
Psalms 25:4-5, 8-9, 10, 14
1 Thessalonians 3:12 -- 4:2
Luke 21:25-28, 34-36
:angel:
December 1, 2009
The Time for Radical Action is Now
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"...if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live."
Romans 8:13
Aron Ralston's grisly experience during a climbing expedition illustrates a spiritual truth that makes me wince. If you aren't familiar with the story, take a look at his book, Between a Rock and a Hard Place (© 2004 Simon & Schuster), which is a detailed tell-all of his ordeal that occurred in late April 2003.
The experienced 27 year-old outdoorsman jumped into his truck that spring morning, bringing just enough food and water for the day. He took off by himself, driving 150 miles south of Salt Lake City to his favorite spot—a remote canyon area that used to be the hideout for wild-west outlaws Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
By afternoon, he was suspended seventy-five feet high off the canyon floor—climbing in a crevice that was just a few feet wide. It was a near perfect day. But then without warning, a boulder suddenly broke loose from the rock wall above him, hurtled down and trapped Ralston's right arm against the wall, completely crushing his hand. At that instant, Aron's hand—one of his greatest assets—had now become his greatest liability.
Five whole days passed as he tried various ways to free himself—all to no avail. His efforts to chip away at the boulder with a pocket knife only made a small dent. Rigging up a pulley system to move the boulder proved fruitless.
Finally, a moment of decisive clarity came. The thoughts came fast and furious: he could break his forearm, cut through the muscle with his dirty pocket knife, detach his arm, and use a piece of rope as a tourniquet.
Aron explains that he was driven by "some sort of autopilot" as he went about the gruesome task of amputating his own right arm just below the elbow. After he was finished, Aron lowered himself down and began trudging slowly in the direction of his truck. Later, he stumbled across two hikers who used a mobile phone to call in a rescue helicopter. Amputating his right arm was a radical act, but it was one that saved his life and reunited him with his family.
God calls us to deal with sin in our life in a way that is surprisingly similar. The Bible doesn't offer a laid-back, live-and-let-live approach at all. It's so radical, that we don't really like hearing about it or talking about it. Recall what Jesus said in Matthew 5:30, "If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell." While Jesus was not literally talking about physical amputation, He was saying that sin's deadly effects call for extreme measures. Even though it hurts, we must rid sin from our lives. In fact, our eternal destiny hinges on how we deal with sin.
Really? Well, why else would Jesus talk about hell in the same breath that He talks about how we are to deal with sin if He didn't mean to teach that our eternal destiny hangs in the balance? Clearly, it's a matter of preferring one destiny over the other. Outward behavior indicates what the heart primarily loves. If Aron Ralston had stayed there on the canyon wall with his hand pinned down by the boulder, he would have died. But because he was willing to kill his hand, his life was saved.
The same goes with us as we deal with sin. It really comes down to what we value most. Colossians 3:5 says, "Put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry." The world may tell us to laugh about sin, to lighten up about it, to tolerate it, and just let it be... that it's not idolatry; it's not an issue of worship. God says the opposite is true.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
What has you pinned down?
What are you trying to hang on to that is robbing you of the blessings of abundant life or, perhaps, preventing you from being restored to a brother or sister in Christ?
What is keeping you from treasuring the Lord above all other things?
Read the first two links below as you have time, but most of all pray for grace to heed God's radical call to amputate sin from your life.
Further Reading
Romans 8:10-18
"Is Christianity just a bunch of rules for how to live?" (by John Piper, DesiringGod.org)
Between a Rock and a Hard Place (by Aron Ralston, © 2004 Simon & Schuster)
:angel:
December 2, 2009
Something about Light
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world." - John 1:9
Folks in Richmond, Virginia, strive for an odd honor around Christmas time. The best and the bravest - and the most creative - set out to earn themselves a spot in that famous lineup, that renowned tour so many Richmonders take during December. Yes, my friends, they are vying for a coveted spot on the "Tacky Lights Tour."
According to the rules, one's house must be decorated by no fewer than 40,000 lights. Many of the die-hards start putting up their strings in September, readying their show for December 1. In a word, it's incredible.
Despite all the goofy supersized snowmen, gingerbread houses, and flying reindeer I've seen on this tour, I have to admit I love driving around to look at Christmas lights. I know that many of the houses I look at will not belong to Christians. Nonetheless, all those little lights twinkling in the winter darkness show just how much light has entwined itself into Christmas, even for those who merely celebrate the cultural tradition.
It's ironic, in a way - even those without faith recognize the beauty of light casting out darkness. And some of them make a really big display of it!
From "tacky lights" to the star on top of the tree to the quiet tradition of the Advent wreath, this holiday is littered with reminders that Jesus came as "the light of men" (John 1:4). Even among those who "do not understand it," the light comes again this Christmas season. Amen.
"The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned." - Isaiah 9:2
Intersecting Faith & Life: As you put up the Christmas tree and deck the halls, may you see the truth behind the traditions. From the evergreen tree to the holiday lights, may every symbol echo the glory of the eternal Light that shines in the darkness.
For Further Reading:
Hanukkah: Bringing More Light into the World
Renew Your Family's Faith by Celebrating Advent
:angel:
December 3, 2009
The Thrill of Hope
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13
"A thrill of hope; the weary world rejoices, for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn." ~~ O Holy Night
Does Christmas thrill you?
Children get excited at the coming of the season, and often we might feel a bit of a charge through experiencing their amazement, but the chores we go through to provide that for them are often the very things that rob us from knowing the wonder for ourselves. Plan the party, trim the tree, max out the MasterCard, wrap, ship, take a trip. And that's assuming we aren't one of the multitudes who find themselves with a case of the Holiday Blues.
So if Christ's coming into this world offers hope, and hope, as the song says, provides a thrill, how do we locate that experience amid the distraction and disillusionment of December?
Well that's the cool thing about Hope. Just as total darkness can't hold back the light of a tiny flame, so does even the smallest increment of Hope provide joy and purpose.
Here are a few scriptures I've been mulling over on the subject:
"Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1).
Notice the parallel between "things hoped for" and "things not seen." Talk about a paradox; try applying "assurance" to something your five senses can't detect. It's a challenge. The plus side is that hope, through Christ, is available to you no matter what you see, hear, or feel. It's above your circumstances.
"We also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance [brings about] proven character; and proven character [brings about] hope; and hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us" (Romans 5:3-5).
Do you ever hear people say, "I don't want to get my hopes up" because they're afraid of being disappointed? What would you make of Paul's claim that "hope does not disappoint"? Might the disconnect have something to do with what we're hoping for or expecting? Max Lucado thinks so:
"Hope is not what you'd expect; it is what you would never dream. It is a wild, improbable tale with a pinch-me-I'm dreaming ending... Hope is not a granted wish or a favor performed; no, it is far greater than that. It is a zany, unpredictable dependence on a God who loves to surprise us out of our socks and be there in the flesh to see our reaction."[1]
"Love... hopes all things.but now abide faith, hope, and love; but the greatest of these is love" (1 Corinthians 13:7,13).
Ever wonder why faith, hope, and love are the greatest virtues, and apparently in that order?
Maybe hope isn't actually something we do, but something we receive, like grace. If it's true that "without faith it is impossible for us to please Him" (Hebrews 11:6), perhaps it's conversely true that without Hope it would be impossible for Him to please us. The same verse says that God is a rewarder of those who seek Him. Is hope that reward?
I mean, if faith is what we give to God, and hope is what He gives to us, then we have the dynamic of a relationship. With that in place, we can love. So love is built on hope, which is built on faith.
For hope to exist, unfortunately it looks like there has to be hopelessness first. A perfect world wouldn't have any need of hope. Deliverance arrives undeservedly and perhaps unexpectedly, just as in the unlikely way God came to earth to provide a once-and-for-all substitute for the sins of all men on the first Christmas. That's why things can look bleak, but that's where hope lives.
The good news is: you simply can't hope big enough, which goes back to the idea of our minds and senses being inadequate to judge God's design and methods, and hope being more a function of God's involvement than our desires. I readily acknowledge I could not have conceived of the plan of salvation or the virgin birth. I couldn't have imagined the plan for the walls of Jericho to crumble, for hungry lions to turn into Daniel's pet kittens, or the Red Sea to part and offer up dry land. So neither do I know how my problems will be solved, or what miracles I'll be blessed to see this Christmas.
Isaiah 9:6-7 concerns the hope of the prophecy being fulfilled that brought us a "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, and Prince of Peace." The last sentence of verse seven says it's "the zeal of the Lord" that will accomplish this. God is excited! He's zealous (enthusiastic, passionate, obsessive even) to bring us this hope!
Romans 15:13 is my Christmas prayer: "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
Why is there hope? Because Jesus was born. O holy night. What a thrill. God is at work.
[1] From God Came Near, page 89
Intersecting Faith & Life: What does hope out of despair look like? There are lots of examples in any Christian's life, but in terms of contemporary cinema, I know of no better example than the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Go back and watch those movies again over the holidays, keeping an eye out for allusions to hope and hopelessness.
Further Reading
Isaiah 9:6-7
The Promises of God
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The Devotional
December 4, 2009
Less Is More
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
"... And they will call him Immanuel"—which means, "God with us.
Matthew 1:23
I put up my Christmas tree last weekend, right after Thanksgiving. Perhaps you did, too.
This year, however, I only hung up about two-thirds of my ornaments. Also, many of the holiday knickknacks that I normally display I left remaining in their boxes. I didn't even run to the store to replace two strands of twinkly, white lights that quit on me while I was wrapping them around the tree. No, I just made do with what I had. And I was okay with it.
In fact, I decided that I like seeing some more of the Christmas tree. Negative space is good, and I don't need to cram ornaments and white lights into every nook and cranny where there's some green showing. Know what I mean?
Up until now, I wouldn't have believed that I would have been okay with the above two paragraphs. I was compelled to put out everything I owned that had a Christmas theme so it would all be on display. Then, I had to purchase several ornaments each year to augment my collection so that it was always growing and featured the latest and greatest in holiday decor.
But this year, something is changing inside of me. And I think I'm finally learning that Christmas is really more about less ...
Less of me and my perfectly displayed decorations
Less of me and my "impressive" gift-giving to family and friends
Less of me and my attendance at see-and-be-seen holiday parties
Less of me and what I want for Christmas or how I want God to bless me
It's more about what God has given to all mankind. ...
More of Christ and what his coming to earth means to us all
More of Christ and my response—the giving of my life—to him
More of Christ and sharing the gift of the Good News and not burying it beneath other gifts
More of Christ and making time for others, as my words and deeds are a reflection of him
The prophet Isaiah foretold it: "Immanuel ... God with us." And then Matthew quoted him years later in the New Testament. But what does knowing that God is "with us" really mean to me?
He lives in my heart, but I wonder how differently I would feel if God was sitting on his throne in my very own home—right there in my living room where I could see him. If he was visible, in all of his splendor and blinding light, I would certainly take notice. I would live differently, wouldn't I? My priorities would surely change. I probably wouldn't care about anything else this holiday season: the decorations, the baking, the gifts, the parties. I would just want to sit at his feet and worship him.
I am reminded of Mary's response to Christ in the story of she and her sister Martha in Luke 10:38-42:
As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."
"Immanuel ... God with us." What more does Christmas need to be to me? To you? All we need is Jesus. He is what is better. And he is more than enough this Christmas. Let us ask him to help us focus less on our holiday agendas, as we spend more time at his feet worshipping our King.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Are you caught in the web of "more is more" this Christmastime? Try scaling back in one area: decorating, baking, gift-giving, parties you attend, etc. And then add in some time for reflection. Meditate on Matthew 1:23: "Immanuel .. God with us." What does this mean to you? How should you respond?
Further Reading:
"Emmanuel, God with Us"
Composers/lyricists: Amy Grant, Chris Eaton, Robert Marshall
And the years they come,
And the years they go,
Though we may forget somehow
That the child once born in Bethlehem
Is still among us now
Emmanuel, God with us,
Emmanuel!
Emmanuel, God with us,
The son of Israel
:angel: :) :angel:
December 7, 2009
When the Fog Settles In
by Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction,
that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope.
Romans 15:4
One of my favorite scenes in children's literature can be found in one of C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia, The Horse and His Boy.
It occurs well into the story, when the main character -- an orphaned boy named Shasta - has endured many battles and adventures with his talking horse companion by his side. Now he arrives at a part in the journey where he must travel alone in order to warn a neighboring kingdom of impending attack. As he travels in the wilderness, fog settles in.
As the fog thickens into opaque clouds, Shasta suddenly senses another presence walking beside him. Heavy breathing, large paws...a lion is within inches of him and his common horse. Paralyzed with terror, the boy rides on for quite some time, awaiting his tragic end. Finally, the wait becomes too agonizing, and he cries out to the presence, demanding to know who it is and why he's there. What follows is a beautiful conversation between Shasta and King Aslan - who has been anxious to speak with him for some time.
But it doesn't end there. As Shasta reaches Archenland, he is able to complete his mission, and the reader sighs in relief. But when he looks back at the path he traveled, he is stunned to see what the fog concealed - a narrow and treacherous mountain pass with deadly cliffs on one side. Only then does it become clear to Shasta and the reader that Aslan's presence and encouraging words quite literally saved Shasta's life.
I may be young, but I know this journey. I know what it's like to look down a winding path that seems to stretch endlessly into murkiness. I know what it's like to feel alone, afraid, and confused and you probably do too. You question if you'll have the endurance to see the trial through, to make it to your destination.
We obviously don't have a Narnian lion to converse with and walk beside us when life gets tough (wouldn't that be nice?). But God does walk with us and speak to us in the real world, even when the road feels lonely and frightening.
In this second Advent reading, we see God gave us His Word as a source of hope and encouragement. He has not left us alone here, blind and fumbling through the fog. He has words of wisdom He is anxious to share with you.
God also reveals his steadfast and encouraging nature through fellow believers. The second part of the verse above reads: "May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus" (v. 5). I can't count the times I have received invaluable support during a difficult stretch from another believer's wisdom or love
Intersecting Faith & Life: Even when we feel alone, we aren't. If you're struggling, make time to find God in His Word and in the fellowship of other believers. If you're joyful, what ways can you reach out to someone who is going through a trial this holiday season?
Further Reading
Exodus 34:6
Hebrews 10:36
What Does God Sound Like?
:angel: :) :angel:
December 8, 2009
Forgive the Neighborhood Bullies?
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors."
Matthew 6:12
My family is blessed to live on a cul-de-sac where our seven-year-old boy freely rides his bike and plays for hours without having to contend with busy traffic. The contention he faces most often is unfortunately the unkind words and actions of the other boys around the block.
Knowing that our little guy isn't perfect, my wife asked our son after one recent occurrence if he had done anything to provoke the attack. "No, mom" he replied as he held the little spot on the side of his head where a hardened dirt clod missile had made impact just a few moments earlier. "He's just mean. I'm never playing with him again." She commended him for walking away from the fray instead of taking matters into his own hands—an impulse which generally tends to make matters worse.
While we have tried to help our son (and ourselves) understand that we live in a sinful world in which things like this happen, we still struggle to respond in a way that demonstrates the grace of the Lord to neighbors He has called us to reach. One habit that seems to bring about the right change in our hearts is to talk to the Lord about it as a family during nightly prayers. We often close our time reciting "the Lord's prayer," which gently reminds us of our own sins as we say the line: "...and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors."
Thomas Watson, the great Cambridge scholar and Puritan preacher from the 1600s, wrote commenting on that phrase (in Matthew 6:12) "We are not bound to trust an enemy; but we are bound to forgive him." (Body of Divinity, p. 734). Going further (p. 734), he asks: "When do we forgive others?"
Answer: "When we strive against all thoughts of revenge; when we will not do our enemies mischief, but wish well to them, grieve at their calamities, pray for them, seek reconciliation with them, and show ourselves ready on all occasions to relieve them--this is gospel forgiving."
Watson, being the biblical scholar that he was, did not derive his answer from thin air. Each part of it comes straight from Scripture:
Resist thoughts of revenge: Romans 12:19, "Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,' says the Lord."
Don't seek to do them mischief: 1 Thessalonians 5:15, "See that no one repays another with evil for evil..."
Wish well to them: Luke 6:28, "Bless those who curse you."
Grieve at their calamities: Proverbs 24:17, "Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles."
Pray for them: Matthew 5:44, "But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you."
Seek reconciliation with them: Romans 12:18, "If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men."
Be always willing to come to their relief: Exodus 23:4, "If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey wandering away, you shall surely return it to him."
Today, there was peace in the neighborhood. All the boys were getting along again climbing up the tree fort and playing on the rope swing in our backyard. This side of heaven, our battle with unforgiveness may continue to wage; but Watson's biblical counsel and God's grace form the right strategy of gospel forgiving.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
In what situations are you tempted to harbor unforgiveness?
How does God look upon unforgiveness? (read Matthew 6:15).
Is there a situation in your life today in which you can apply "gospel forgiving?"
Further Reading
Psalm 73
Thomas Watson, A Body of Divinity
Thomas Watson, The Lord's Prayer
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December 9, 2009
An Eternal Moment
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning." - John 1:1-2
The very concept of time fascinates me. Add the prospect of eternity, and I get as dizzy as anyone. Still, I can't help contemplating the mysteries of my little life running parallel to a greater human history, running parallel to a universe that doesn't measure time in rotations of the earth but by the speed of light. And then - no longer running parallel to, but encompassing that straight line of history into some greater sphere - comes eternity. Or rather, there is eternity. Or will be. Or... well, you can see why my head starts hurting when I try to visualize this mystery.
A lot of my fascination with time and eternity centers on the eternal God (Isaiah 26:4) who allowed himself to be constrained by that which he had created - time. The tangled and complex poetry of T. S. Eliot best expresses my fascination with the Incarnation:
"Then came, at a predetermined moment, a moment in time and of time,
A moment not out of time, but in time, in what we call history: transecting, bisecting the world of time, a moment in time but not like a moment of time,
A moment in time but time was made through that moment: for without the meaning there is no time, and that moment of time gave the meaning." (from "The Rock, VII")
Consider that last line again: "... time was made through that moment: for without the meaning there is no time, and that moment of time gave the meaning." The first step of redemption began when the Jesus, who was "with God in the beginning," stepped into time and allowed himself to be bound by it for a time.
I wonder if that act of limiting himself was how he began to enter into our suffering with us. He stepped into a world where the end point is death, and after that - a meaningless eternity away from any outside purpose. It took divine intervention - a breath of eternity - to change that.
As I ponder these high and lofty mysteries that go way beyond my comprehension (Psalm 139:6), it's tempting to let my head run away in the clouds with no practical application. But Ephesians says something very different:
"See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil." (Ephesians 5:15-16)
There is a parallel from eternity to our days. Christ provided time with meaning, and modeled what it means to "redeem time" quite literally. All of the prophets and apostles lived with the light of eternity in their eyes, and that made their days all the more valuable. Instead of dropping off into nothingness away from God, we are galloping toward the moment when time becomes so full of meaning that it bursts into eternity. Let's follow their example, shall we?
Intersection of Faith & Life: How do you treat your time? Do you use it wisely, deliberately, for a purpose? Or do you still treat it as if it has no value? A former professor once said that leisure time is important because it shows us where our hearts are, and what we value most. What does your leisure time say about you? Make a commitment with me to live deliberately this coming year, in the joy of what Christ has done for all time.
Further Reading:
Ecclesiastes 3:9-14
Eternal Instants
A Supernatural Faith
:angel: :angel: :) :angel: :angel:
December 10, 2009
Peace on Earth?
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:7
Our Adult Bible Fellowship class just finished a study of Rick Warren's The Purpose of Christmas. First, I'd like to tell you that I highly recommend this material, especially the DVD for families or groups who will have Christmas visitors. It's easy to watch and delightful to follow as Pastor Warren - as always - delivers the gospel in such a warm and welcoming manner.
But speaking of the angst and dis-ease in the world, here is one of the claims Warren makes in Part 3 of The Purpose of Christmas DVD:
"There will never be peace in the world until there is peace in nations.
There will never be peace in nations until there is peace in communities.
There will never be peace in communities until there is peace in families.
There will never be peace in families until there is peace in individuals.
And there will never be peace in individuals until we invite the Prince of Peace to reign in our hearts.
Jesus is the Prince of Peace."
I think he's right. One criticism unbelievers often have about Christ is that if he was supposed to bring peace, why do we have wars, why is there strife? The answer, as well as the question, is summed up in Warren's quote above.
But one question remains - how to achieve peace? The angel did say, after all, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men" (Luke 2:14). Yet the world is in conflict! What to do? Do we need Compromise? Tolerance? Conquest?
None of the above. We need Reconciliation, the catalyst of peace.
Warren's DVD cites 3 kinds of peace that begin with a person reconciling their sin with God, which can only be done through Christ:
Peace WITH God, which is Spiritual peace, and brings...
Peace OF God, which is Emotional peace, and fosters...
Peace WITH OTHERS, which is Relational peace.
Interesting how that works - from the inside out. It's something we all know about the peace Christ brought, but perhaps we don't always feel or apply.
That's why today's verse struck me in a new and interesting way today. Not only is God's peace mind-boggling ("beyond comprehension"), and calmly assuring (minds and hearts at rest), but it is also its own gate-keeper.
That's right. Paul writes here that such peace - once reconciliation is achieved - serves as the very GUARD against the agents and circumstances of unrest. That's a pretty amazing thing when the very bridge you hope to erect is self-sustaining and the very wall you seek to build is self-defending!
Intersecting Faith & Life: Follow Paul's charge to young Timothy, and "pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart" (2 Tim. 2:22). Start with reading the verses below. Merry Christmas! Peace on Earth, good will toward men!
Further Reading
Hebrews 12:14
1 Thessalonians 5:13
Psalm 34:14
:angel: :angel: :D :angel: :angel:
December 11, 2009
Tell Your Story
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:14
"Everyone has a story to tell."
I have heard, seen and read this statement many times in the past year. In the pulpit, in books and on-screen.
On of those times was in the over-the-top movie Australia, the Baz Luhrmann epic starring Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman. Jackman's character, Drover, says this in reference to the process of finding out who you are. He implies that in order to have a story, you have to live, take risks and discover what makes you YOU.
Our stories are what we share with others. And to them we say: "This is my story. This is who I am."
I also have heard a pastor reference our individual stories at church during a sermon series. In his case, though, he discussed the shepherds in Luke 2:8-20 and what story they had to tell:
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."
So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
The shepherds sought what they had heard about. They wanted to discover more about this baby, this Christ. And when they did, they didn't sit on what they had experienced. They didn't keep their story hidden from their daily lives or in their interactions with others.
No, they LIVED this story! They were "glorifying" and "praising" God for what they had heard and seen. The greatest story ever told had now become their story.
I was really challenged while hearing the pastor preach through this passage in Luke, because I have a story, too. When I was three years old, my life took an entirely new direction. It was then that I understood what Christ had done for me. I accepted him into my life, and he took over and began writing my story. He is the author of my life, and it is he who has made it more satisfying than I could have ever imagined.
Each day, you and I have the opportunity to share the stories of our lives with others. If we have given our lives to Christ, then we must tell them that Jesus is Lord. He is the One, the Savior, the Divine Rescuer! And this is why we celebrate his coming to earth. It is Good News! And as we surrender to him, we yield our lives so that he may write our stories.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Choose one person with whom you will share your story this weekend or sometime this month. Schedule a time over coffee or a meal when you can meet and speak from your heart. Tell him or her what makes you YOU and what Christ has done in your life's story.
Further Reading:
Mark 16:15
1 Timothy 1:8-10
:angel: :angel: :D :angel: :angel:
December 14, 2009
Rejoice!
by Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
I rejoice heartily in the LORD, in my God is the joy of my soul; for he has clothed me with a robe of salvation and wrapped me in a mantle of justice, like a bridegroom adorned with a diadem, like a bride bedecked with her jewels. Isaiah 61: 10
"Gaude, gaude! Emmanuel / nascetur pro te, Israel." (English translation: "Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel / Shall come to thee, O Israel.")
I've been privileged to be a part of two weddings this month. One occurred last weekend and the other will take place this coming weekend. These weddings hold a particular joy for me not only because all four individuals are my friends, but also because each spouse gave their hearts to God before they ever gave their hearts to one another. Their marriages are truly callings from above, and I am excited about their futures.
Surprisingly, the typical hubbub surrounding wedding preparations has not detracted from my holiday season but added a new layer of meaning. There is much I have learned from the joyful anticipation of planning a wedding that applies to our anticipation of welcoming our Savior on Christmas day.
My friends do not have perfect lives or perfect circumstances. Both faced frightening and unexpected medical emergencies, and both couples endured periods of unemployment during their engagements. On top of these major hurtles, they also tackled the normal challenges that come with uniting two lives. Both couples weathered the ups and downs of dating. Both attended intense spiritual retreats and prayed over their life-altering decisions. Both tried on countless wedding garments, stressed over guest lists, and fought over finances.
But both couples glowed with an unquenchable joy throughout the process. They knew these hardships were worth it, and would ultimately be used by God for good. They had confidence their joyful wedding days would come, and they lived accordingly. They also maintained faith that they could overcome any trials their future married lives might hold. They oriented their days of preparation around the "Big Day," taking great care to be ready to enter into a profound union.
As believers, we too are anticipating a profound union. This past Sunday, our pastor pointed out that Jesus' arrival as a vulnerable baby was a marriage between divinity and humanity, a day when "the two became one." On the first Christmas, Christ's sanctifying presence built a bridge between a sinful world and a holy God, opening the door for you and I to become part of His family.
As we prepare to celebrate that momentous occasion, we also look to the future when an even greater marriage will take place: Christ's second coming. Scripture refers to this day as the great wedding feast of the Lamb, when Christ, the Bridegroom, comes for His Bride, the Church, never to be separated from us again. Death, sorrow, and sin shall be no more.
From start to finish, the Bible tells the greatest love story of all time: the love of God for His people. The truth of God's unfailing, eternal love for us - greater than any earthly spouse -- should fill us to the brim with joy.
The big question remains -- do our lives reflect joyful preparation for the "Big Day?" Or have distractions, life circumstances, or despair diverted us away from God's profound love ?
Intersecting Faith & Life: This past Sunday was the "pink" Sunday of Advent, traditionally called Gaudete Sunday. Gaude is Latin for the word rejoice, found throughout Scripture. Set aside any unnecessary holiday preparations this week that sap you of your joy in Christ and replace them with preparations that focus on the truth of Christmas.
Further Reading
Is 61:1-2a, 10-11
Lk 1:46-48, 49-50, 53-54.
1 Thes 5:16-24
Jn 1:6-8, 19-28
:angel: :angel: :) :angel: :angel:
December 15, 2009
Francis Schaeffer and the Struggle for Spiritual Reality
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"...be filled with the Spirit... singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always
and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Ephesians 5:18-20 ESV
Among the unread good books I've had sitting on my bookshelves for years there is one five-volume set that recently seems to be calling out: "When are you finally going to make time to really read me?" Yes, I partially read The God Who Is There some ten years ago. And I've dipped into True Spirituality here and there as well as The Mark of the Christian, Art and the Bible, and How Shall We Then Live? But I've never actually sat down and given the five-volume set: The Complete Works of Francis Schaeffer the comprehensive reading it deserves.
I don't like to be rude to anyone, and particularly not to people offering good things. But I feel that I've been rather rude to Dr. Schaeffer since buying his complete works some years ago. It's as if I've been keeping this prominent thinker standing at my doorstep, patiently waiting for me to journey with him closer to the heart of God while I run off to another urgent meeting.
For those not familiar with this man, a helpful overview can be found here. A recent, very interesting biography can be found here. In short, roughly fifty-five years ago, Francis and Edith Schaeffer began a ministry in the Swiss Alps called L'abri (French for "the shelter"), which was and still is greatly used to bring many to God. The ripple effects from their life and ministry will certainly be felt throughout the world for generations to come, especially in light of the rich contributions to Christian thought and life being produced by the alumni of L'abri (case in point, Nancy Pearcey's Total Truth: Liberating Christianity from Its Cultural Captivity).
What was attractive about the Schaeffers?
Part of what attracted people to the Schaeffers and what attracts me as well is the authenticity with which they were reputed to have lived. A deep and abiding spiritual reality was apparently present in their everyday lives that others attested to again and again.
One who spent extensive time with the Schaeffers is Professor Jerram Barrs who served for 16 years as director of the L'Abri Fellowship in England. Barrs' long and close association with Dr. Francis Schaeffer gives him a unique perspective as director of Covenant Seminary's Francis A. Schaeffer Institute. According to Jerram Barrs' free online lectures about the Schaeffers, which I've been listening to over the past several months,
"[They] sensed a tremendous urgency for prayer and they acted on this urgency as if it mattered, as if it would make a difference in history... they saw real answers to prayer and the power of God seemed to rest on them in perceivable ways—both small and large—every day..."
Author Cal Thomas endorsed Schaeffer's posthumously published The Finished Work of Christ: The Truth of Romans 1-8 (©1998 Crossway Books, Wheaton, Illinois): "[They] was God's gift to a generation of doubters and questioners. The power of his mind and the greater power of God's Spirit in him continue to draw thinking men and women, not to religion, but to Jesus Christ" (italics added).
This spiritual reality in their lives might never have happened apart from crisis.
In True Spirituality, Dr. Schaeffer explains that the spiritual reality at the core of their lives and ministry would not have come about if there had not been a great time of crisis first. Prior to the time that L'abri began, Francis went through a period lasting several months during which he resolved to honestly work through a problem he could no longer ignore. The problem was the disturbing disparity he saw in himself between the large amount of Bible data he claimed to believe and the lack of genuine spiritual joy in his life on a daily basis.
Over those months as he walked in the mountains, Francis rethought his reasons for being a Christian and at last
"...saw again that there were totally sufficient reasons to know that the infinite-personal God does exist and that Christianity is true.
"In going further, I saw something else which made a profound difference in my life. I searched through what the Bible said concerning reality as a Christian. Gradually, I saw that the problem was that with all the teaching I had received after I was a Christian, I had heard little about what the Bible says about the meaning of the finished work of Christ for our present lives.
"Gradually the sun came out and the song came. Interestingly enough, although I had written no poetry for many years, in that time of joy and song I found poetry beginning to flow again—poetry of certainty, an affirmation of life, thanksgiving, and praise. Admittedly, as poetry it is very poor, but it expressed a song in my heart which was wonderful to me."
(from True Spirituality, p. 196 in The Complete Works of Francis Schaeffer, vol. 3 © 1982 Crossway Books, Wheaton, Illinois).
That time of crisis served to settle the issue of spiritual reality for the Schaeffers. Francis saw and believed that the finished work of Christ really is the source of the Christian's life. He grew deeply convinced that the Christian life is not just about conversion, but about moment-by-moment living out of the grace of God today, in the present by the power of the Holy Spirit.
What if the Holy Spirit and prayer were removed from the Bible?
A significant and challenging question that Francis thought long and hard about came up in conversation one day with his wife Edith (she later recounted the words on p. 356 of her book, The Tapestry)...
"I wonder what would happen to most of our churches and Christian work if we woke up tomorrow morning and everything concerning the reality and work of the Holy Spirit, and everything concerning prayer were removed from the Bible?
I don't mean just ignored, but actually cut out—disappeared. I wonder how much difference it would make?"
How much difference would it make? Personally, I find this extremely convicting to think about as a pastor of worship who can all too easily become consumed with selecting and arranging songs, and with sorting out musicians' schedules and running rehearsals. As a music team, we open and close our times together in a time of prayer as a matter of course. But there seems to be too great a tendency (in me, at least) to forget the mindset of being dependent on Christ amid all the busyness of pulling together the details of an upcoming church service. I want the presence and power of the Holy Spirit to be obvious and necessary and truly central in my life and in our church's gatherings. Since this was a hallmark of the Schaeffers, can it not become mine as well?
Long walks in the Alps with Francis:
I was a high school sophomore when Dr. Francis Schaeffer died (May 15, 1984), so I never would've had the opportunity to be personally mentored by him. But Schaeffer's convicting question rings down fifty-five years later and calls me away from sporadic dependence on the Holy Spirit. At the same time, it kindles my interest to learn from one whose life exuded spiritual reality. Here, at my fingertips, I have the opportunity to be drawn into a living dialogue with someone who can help me if I will just listen.
So by God's grace, I embark on this intentional journey through the complete works of Francis Schaeffer. It's a daunting mountain of words, but a climb that has inspired thousands and should continue to inspire countless others. Will you be one of them? If you care to come along, please join us on Tuesdays here at Crosswalk the Devotional beginning with True Spirituality on January 5, 2010. We begin there because in Schaeffer's own words: "This book was published after a number of the others, but in a certain sense it should have been first. Without the material in this book, there would have been no L'abri."
The first step of our Tuesday expeditions begin 1/5/2010 with chapter one of True Sprituality "The Law and the Law of Love." I hope to see you then.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
What would happen to your life and Christian work if you woke up tomorrow morning and everything concerning the reality and work of the Holy Spirit, and everything concerning prayer were removed from the Bible? I don't mean just ignored, but actually cut out—disappeared. How much difference it would make in the way that you live your life?
Is there anyone who knows you well who would testify of the presence of spiritual reality in your life? What evidence might they give?
Spend as much time as you need to rethink through the reasons why you became a Christian. Reflect on what it means to have an authentic relationship with the infinite-personal God who is there.
Further Reading
John 6:68
Ephesians 4:17-32
Ephesians 5:1-21
Psalm 16
:angel: :) :angel:
December 16, 2009
A Revealed Savior
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture
"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." - Jeremiah 29:13
I wish I could ask the Magi what it was like after they returned to their homeland. After watching the skies for years, journeying for weeks, and seeing Jesus with their own eyes, how did they return to the life they once knew? Did they ever hear about the rest of the Jesus's life? Did they realize the Jew who was killed on the tree was the same child to whom they offered gifts befitting a king? Did they understand that his birth was a precursor to a far greater event?
We don't know much with certainty about these men. They brought three gifts—gold, incense, and myrrh—but there may have been dozens of Magi who went on that journey. These wise men were certainly Gentiles, probably from Persia. They acted as something close to astrologer-priests in their homeland, we think, marking the movements of the heavens to find out its impact on man. Judging by their gifts and their titles, their status and wealth came close to royalty.
Now consider what we definitely know about them: these Magi considered it worth their time, efforts, riches, and worship to come worship at a Bethlehem house.
"When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh." - Matthew 2:10-11
These pagans searched for the Messiah as no one else did. Their adventure is an extraordinary tale of God's grace mixed with man's hunger, as they followed the star God set up in the heavens with a single-minded devotion. They were on a search for God, who had given them the signs to find him. I think these men, who knew so much less than I do about the Messiah, sought him harder than I ever have.
Consider Matthew Henry's commentary on what transpired:
"They might have said, 'If such a prince be born, we shall hear of him shortly in our own country, and it will be time enough then to pay our homage to him.' But so impatient were they to be better acquainted with him, that they took a long journey on purpose to enquire after him. Note, Those who truly desire to know Christ, and find him, will not regard pains or perils in seeking after him."
Personally, I don't think the Magi were ever the same after their encounter in the Bethlehem house. They invested themselves to finding the King of the Jews, and he revealed himself to them. I think all other stars must have paled in comparison.
Intersection of Faith & Life: Like the psalmist sings, the "heavens declare the glory of God" (Psalm 8) to each one of us. Those signs are God calling us to seek him with our whole heart, so he can reveal himself to us more and more. This Christmas season, I want to follow the Magi's example. I want to find the mystery of the Gospel so incredible that I pursue it with all my heart, and all my strength, and all my soul. I pray this mystery captivates your heart this Christmas!
Further Reading:
Matthew 2
Why Did the Wise Men Search for Jesus?
:angel: :) :angel:
December 17, 2009
Care Casting
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
1 Peter 5:5-7, KJV
Peter was a fisherman. It's little stretch to imagine that his livelihood affected his ministry and his writings. At least, that's what I notice when I read one of his most-quoted verses, the one about "casting" our cares.
The word Peter uses here for "cast" is a less-usual one. The only other time the word epirrhipto is used in the New Testament is in Luke 19:35: "they cast their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus thereon." Epirrhipto means "to throw upon, or place upon."
Keep that in mind now as you imagine...
You are Peter. You're in a boat, afloat upon a vast body of water. Your method of fishing is not the rod-and-reel. Instead, you have this tangled, twisted mass that is your net. It's heavy, burdensome. Hard to work by yourself. Even so, you take this soggy, cumbersome thing... and you fling it away from you. Give it up. Let it fall trustingly upon the sea. Leave it to Providence.
The net represents your "cares," your anxieties... whatever is weighing you down. Don't carry it in your boat; that's not what it's for. Believe it or not, it has a purpose. That is, your own twisted mass of cares exists for the sole reason of trusting it to the very mighty arms that are supporting you.
And what happens then?
Well, let's check in on those cares. Go ahead, haul up the net. Chances are, it may just be full of fish. Has the simple act of tossing away your cares brought an abundance back upon you? Did humbly offering your net up to the one keeping you afloat bring back a yield of met needs? What would have happened if you had kept hold of that heavy mass and fretted over it yourself in your little boat? Yeah, nothing.
What's got you in a tangle? Finances? Marriage? Singleness? A dried-up spiritual life? All of the above?
Let it be so. Take that twisted thing from off your shoulders and huck it out upon the sea. You can trust God. This is your act of submission, surrender. Peter tells us this is a path of humility. Admit that all your net-mending isn't doing a thing to bring in any fish, you fisher of men. So really chuck it out there. Let it land "upon Him. And don't even ask why, because Peter tells us why: God cares for you. You are His own "care." He will bear you up for His own purposes.
And when He calls you to check in on those cares again, just be prepared for what comes to the surface.
The very things that entangle may become a snare for blessing and sustinence instead when given to the Lord.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Have you ever handled a real fisherman's net? I haven't, but I intend to get my hands on one and see just how big, mended, and heavy it is. To see how it works. To ask how one knows where to set it down in the water, and how many fish it can bring up. Make a net of your own cares and anxieties and physically fling it out upon God's ocean of grace.
Further Reading
Getting Acquainted with Peter
:angel: :) :angel:
The Devotional
December 18, 2009
Is It Really the Most Wonderful Time of the Year?
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
The people walking in darkness have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.
Isaiah 9:2
My birthday was earlier this month, and then Christmas is just next week. So, like the song says, it should be "the most wonderful time of the year." Right?
Well, it's not. In fact, right now it stinks.
For starters, at the beginning of this week I had to turn off the news. I just couldn't take it anymore, and the state of the world, the downward spiral of politics, the pervasive greed and corruption of society and the indiscretions of public figures were just upsetting me too much. So I filled my thoughts with Christmas music instead.
But initially, even that didn't help as much as you'd think. Nor when I performed in a few evening Christmas concerts with a civic chorus, and we did indeed sing the Andy Williams classic: "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year"...
It's the most wonderful time of the year
With the kids jingle belling
And everyone telling you "Be of good cheer"
It's the most wonderful time of the year
It's the hap-happiest season of all
With those holiday greetings and gay happy meetings
When friends come to call
It's the hap- happiest season of all ...
Those are nice sentiments and all, but it's just fluff. Really. So I scoffed at them as I was singing. What about the real-life, bring-you-to-your-knees situations that are happening beyond the parties, the hosting and the ridiculous marshmallow toasting? How wonderful is that?
I thought of a friend who'd just received word that a much-hoped-for job opportunity would not be going through as planned. I thought of others who are undergoing physical ailments—some who have a long way's to go (though healing is in sight) and then others who don't yet know what their diagnoses will be.
I thought of a family in which ongoing adultery has just now come to the fore and is threatening to tear a long-standing, influential marriage apart. And then still another who are now facing difficult obstacles in an adoption process that's underway overseas.
No, on the outset this is not the most wonderful time of year for any of these friends. In many cases, it's heartbreaking, painful and hopeless. More like the opening scene of "In the Bleak Mid-Winter" ...
In the bleak mid-winter
Frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron,
Water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow,
Snow on snow,
In the bleak mid-winter,
Long ago
That depicts the chill of life right now for many of us who are down in the valley. For those who feel no warmth. For those who are in the shadow of death.
But then, the carol takes a hopeful turn ...
Our God, heaven cannot hold Him
Nor earth sustain:
Heaven and earth shall flee away
When He comes to reign:
In the bleak mid-winter
A stable place sufficed
The Lord God Almighty
Jesus Christ
In the midst of the "bleak mid-winter" circumstances of the world, a child was born. The son of God. Born to a virgin. In a lowly manger. What an unbelievable, miraculous and supernatural event that broke through! The world would never be the same. Love had come.
Lyrics such as these have helped me try to focus on Truth and not on the bad news and difficult life circumstances this week. I've reminded myself that the only way to know what is truly "wonderful" about this season is to continually give myself over to God who, because of the gift of his Son, is now with us. In him alone, do we find our peace, our hope and our eternal rest.
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulder. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this (Isaiah 9:6-7).
Intersecting Faith & Life: You may feel less than wonderful today, and your situation may seem bleak. If you feel like you have nothing left to give, you can still give what you do have: your heart. A Savior was born for YOU. Immanuel. God with us.
Further Reading:
"Love Came Down at Christmas"
Words: Christina Rossetti, 1885
Music: Irish melody
Love came down at Christmas,
Love all lovely, love divine;
Love was born at Christmas,
Star and angels gave the sign.
Worship we the Godhead,
Love incarnate, love divine;
Worship we our Jesus:
But wherewith for sacred sign?
Love shall be our token,
Love shall be yours and love be mine,
Love to God and to all men,
Love for plea and gift and sign.
:angel: :D :angel:
December 21, 2009
"Blessed are you among women!"
Sarah Jennings, Family Editor Crosswalk.com
In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to the city of Judah, and she entered the house of Zechari'ah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and she exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord."
Luke 1: 39 - 45,
You don't need me to tell you Christmas is fast approaching. Less than a week remains to prepare for the big day. Chances are, you're rushing around trying to get last minute errands completed. I have a mental list of "must do's" running through my own head.
So as I read this gospel for the final Sunday of Advent, I am struck by how Mary prepared for Christ's coming. Mary received the biggest news of human history, the coming of the Messiah (through her!?), and what does she do? Mary sets aside her own agenda and "went with haste" to visit her cousin Elizabeth. At this point, Elizabeth's pregnancy is entering the final trimester and no doubt this older mother is tired and in need of assistance.
I imagine Mary must have had a lot of thoughts running through her head on the way to Judah. "Is Elizabeth really pregnant in her old age? She must be... but really? And how am I going to explain my situation to Elizabeth? Will she believe me?"
Mary's arrival is one of those great moments in history - a moment that reverberates throughout the ages that follow. This simple story of two pregnant women meeting carries so many implications. Some of the themes that stick out to me include:
1. Mary's faith. Mary was obedient to God and put faith in him. She set aside her own comfort and questions to help Elizabeth. Mary's virtue shines through here, and God throws in a little reward - a miraculous and joyful greeting from Elizabeth.
2. Elizabeth's selflessness. Elizabeth's news is a pretty big deal. Her husband receives a vision from an angel and she conceives in her old age after years of waiting. Yet, her first response focuses not on her big news, but on Mary's. This reveals Elizabeth's virtue and also adds emphasis to the reality that Mary's news holds even more profound implications for humanity than Elizabeth's miracle.
3. The humanity of the unborn. In those days, pregnant women didn't enjoy the luxury of ultrasound technology. Yet, God makes the humanity of these little ones very clear here. Elizabeth exclaims, "And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" Elizabeth refers to Mary as "mother" in the present tense and she refers to the growing baby inside of Mary (who probably wasn't even showing yet) with his proper title: Lord. God was "with us" the moment Mary conceived, and even the unborn John the Baptist recognized this!
4. God works through fellow human beings. God could have found any number of ways to communicate his message that day. He chose to speak through Elizabeth and John and the communion between Mary and Elizabeth. He also brought help to Elizabeth during her last trimester through Mary and comfort to the newly pregnant Mary through Elizabeth.
5. God's love for women. How can there be any doubt that God has a special place in his heart for the fairer sex after reading of Mary and Elizabeth's stories? God could have arrived on earth in any form he chose... and while the rest of the world remained ignorant, two women basked in the presence and knowledge of the Lord.
I am sure great theologians can extract even more from this story, but I'll leave it here for today. As your schedule ramps up in these final days of Advent, imitate Mary who "treasured up" the mysteries revealed to her and "pondered them in her heart." (Luke 2: 19)
Intersecting Faith & Life: How is God present in your life this holiday season? Think of the little ways God makes his presence known and brings you comfort and joy even in the midst of trials.
Further Reading
Psalm 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19
Hebrews 10:5-10
Women of Advent and Christmas: Elizabeth
Women of Advent and Christmas: Mary, Not Just a Womb
:angel: :) :angel:
December 22, 2009
Not What You Wanted?
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you?"
James 4:1
One segment of a recent holiday edition of the TV show "America's Funniest Home Videos" contained a montage of children opening presents on Christmas morning. My family sat together and endured clip after clip of responses that were just, well... downright childish. Apparently, the humor of receiving an unwanted gift is lost on most small children.
As soon as the ribbons and wrapping paper were torn off, a child now holding an unwrapped pair of socks threw her head back and erupted in uncontrollable sobs. A matching outfit given to another child produced an angry tantrum across the floor followed by stomping footsteps up the stairs. Other children glowered with sullen frowns and snarls. Some screamed and hurled the unwanted gifts back in the faces of the givers.
At the end of the dismal display of immaturity and ingratitude came a bright ray of hope as a little brown-haired girl in pink pajamas ecstatically jumped up and down with glee. She held in her hands a tiny chestnut and spun around to the camera exclaiming, "A nut! A nut! I got a nut! I don't know what kind it is, but I got a nut!"
James 4:1-6 says that sinful responses erupt from hearts that are controlled by overwhelming desires. They don't have to be sinful desires necessarily. The degree to which "harmless" desires become sinful is shown by what happens when things don't turn out as you hoped or expected. Whether it is irritability, or an angry tantrum or a sulking frown; sinful responses show that something in the heart has replaced God.
Notice verse 1 where James asks the question (paraphrasing), "Why are you so upset? What's the real problem in your heart?" And then he answers with divine wisdom, "I'll tell you what the matter is: it's your pleasures—your desires—that are waging war within you. And the result is sinful fights and quarrels."
Certainly, there's nothing inherently sinful about simply having desires in life. God created us to have desires. There are many good things to desire in life: having adequate food, clothing and shelter, having a happy marriage, getting a promotion at work, buying a nice car. There is nothing wrong with these kinds of desires... nothing inherently wrong, that is.
The problems come when, in our hearts, those desires turn into something else. The word translated as "lust" in verse 2 is actually "desire" with the added element of "strong craving." Epithumeo is not a word that necessarily means "lust" in the sexual sense. The idea conveyed in the original text is "you are controlled by desire." In other words, some desire—perhaps, even for a good thing—has gotten so wrapped around your heart, that it has become more important than God to you.
Whenever this happens, the result is sinful behavior. And the sin of the heart that must be confessed first in cases like this is no less than the sin of idolatry. False worship occurs whenever worship of the true God is replaced with the god of "my way."
What a peaceful contrast is painted in verse 6. God gives grace to the humble. That is, those who humbly submit their desires to God and trust Him as the sovereign provider of needs are given grace. Grace here is the desire and ability to obey God and respond in a way that pleases Him. Such recipients of grace are able, then, to deal with whatever happens—whether the present under the tree is a pair of socks, a cool skateboard, the keys to a new car, or a tiny chestnut.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Does your situation today resemble what you expected or wanted in life? What is your response to this?
Think back to a recent outburst of anger, or incident in which you showed irritability. Trace it back to the unfulfilled desire that had control of your heart. What was it that you wanted?
Ask God to reveal any desires seeking to control your heart so that you can humbly submit them to Him and release them to His sovereign care. Repent of any lingering idolatry. Ask Him for grace to deal with whatever happens. Trust Him to provide for your needs.
Further Reading & Listening
Isaiah 40:12-31
Listen to an example of what humility sounds like here
(Indelible Grace Acoustic "By Thy Mercy")
Thomas Watson, The Lord's Prayer
:angel: :D :angel:
December 23, 2009
A Big Christmas
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"In that day you will say: 'Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted. Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world.'" - Isaiah 12:4-5
My felt Advent tree gains one velcro ornament each day until Christmas. I love this new calendar, because each unique ornament tells a little bit more about the story of redemption from Genesis onward. A grey felt heart stands for the Fall into sin. A beaded crown reminds of the Prince of Peace and Wonderful Counselor foretold in Isaiah. A fuzzy lamb represents John the Baptist's announcement of Christ's purpose.
The calendar is paired with devotional readings for children, which have surprised me in their simplicity and breadth. Like the ornaments, these readings tell a continuing story, in which Christ's life is not the beginning or the end, but the event that makes sense out of both. With this bigger context, an otherwise chaotic history becomes simple enough that a child can understand.
How often do we take time to contemplate the magnitude of this story, which began in the Garden of Eden and won't finish until Christ's second coming?
I think my Christmas cheer is too often confined to the stable. To use a loose analogy, I'm a bit like the dwarves in C. S. Lewis's "The Last Battle," who convince themselves that their dingy stable-prison could not possibly hold the miracle of a whole new Narnia. And so, the dwarves get left behind in their imaginary confinement with nothing to celebrate when everyone else begins to explore the beautiful new world. Like the dwarves, I can put my little Christmas story in a little room, and forget to see the whole miracle of redemption.
Sunday's sermon about Herod's massacre in Bethlehem reminded me why the grander picture is so vital. You'll remember the story - only a short while after the angels announced "peace on earth," Herod's blazing temper led to the mass murder of baby boys in Bethlehem. The arbitrary deaths of these little ones seems so disconnected from what we celebrate, so outside the realm of God's grace. That event - like so many other injustices - seems to overwhelm the baby sleeping peacefully.
We can compartmentalize Christmas so it remains untainted by such events, can't we? But that's just it - as the grey heart on my felt Advent tree me, Christmas has to begin with an understanding of sin. We have to see the world's desperate need for grace before we understand why a baby requires such a hullaballoo, and we have to look back at God's plan to see how a baby can redeem even those situations. Therein lies the astonishing glory of what happened at Christmas, and the beauty of what we proclaim to the world.
As the days go by and my calendar grows fuller with symbolic ornaments, I get more and more excited about Christmas Day. Into this world with so much baggage came a child who remained in it and not of it, who knew what we are and loved us anyway. By God's grace, my understanding of Christmas keeps getting bigger - and with it, my reasons to "let [it] be known to the all the world" what he has done, is doing, and will continue to do!
Intersection of Faith and Life: Christ's incarnate birth makes little sense if we forget why he had to come and what he came to do. As you focus on the manger scene with your family, encourage each other with the bigger story of Genesis to the end of time, knowing that this little baby redeemed every moment in time. May your Christmas be big as your consider the grandeur of redemptive history on both sides of the manger!
Further Reading:
The Forgotten Chapter of the Christmas Story & the Women in Jesus' Family Tree
White Christmas
John 1:1-18
:angel: :) :angel:
December 24, 2009
It's Delightful
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.
Psalm 37:4
Today's verse is one of the first I ever learned as a Christian. You probably know it by heart, too. Seems like everyone quotes it. When I learned it as a kid, I couldn't help but thinking it sounded really good, with overtones of blessings and whatever my heart desired, which in later years came to be symbolized in my own mind as a Corvette... even though I would always be one of the first to tell people that's not what it meant.
But it wasn't until the last few years that I came to understand it on another level. Fatherhood will do that to a guy in a lot of ways. When my kids were infants and dependent upon me and my wife for absolutely everything, I saw our own dependence upon God in a whole new light. Now that the kids are four and two, I'm getting a new take on what it is to "delight" in the Lord.
I of course recognized there should be joy in following God, and that He was in all ways wonderful. But never did I come into His presence like my children now regularly come into mine, especially when I come home from work. The screaming, the jumping up and down, the laughing. The rush to tell me everything about their days, both the triumphs and the things they got in trouble for. The hugs, the requests to be tossed in the air or chased, the search in my briefcase to see if any treasures have found their way home with me, it all comes with a priceless gleam in their eyes as they search me to know themselves better.
That's delight.
And the Bible says that's what causes God to give us the desires of our heart? Honestly, that kind of delight, that kind of amazing high, is kind of a euphoric state of its own. I mean, what more does one need but to feel like that about God? Most days, I'd give anything to feel that kind of rush it seems my kids must feel.
It's almost like that's my heart's desire.
And it's like this verse is saying that desire is right here for the very taking, that all I have to do is act on it. I'm a child of the King, and He's never away at work. I don't even have to wait for him to come home. I'm welcome to come boldly into the throne room and praise the wow out of Him. To marvel, wonder, and laugh giddily at His handiwork and what He's done for me. To rush to tell him everything about my day, both the triumphs and the spots where I got myself into trouble.
Admittedly, though, we do have other desires, such as physical needs being met, love, etc., and I don't mean to suggest that they're unimportant. Just that on the eve of another new year, I'm thinking about what the desires of my heart have actually been, and almost unilaterally, they've been about freedom. At various times in my life, I desired to be free... from depression, from sinfulness of all kinds, from lack of understanding, from loneliness, from fear. And looking back at how God set me free in each circumstance, I honestly see that I never even had to enter in to those places of searching to be filled or delighted in the first place. He was all I needed, I just wasn't seeing Him as one to delight over.
This year is going to pose more challenges for me and my family, but also more growth, more freedom, and more delight. It's like they are all interwoven and dependent upon each other, just like the two parts of this verse.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Today, consider what your own definition of "delight" involves, and meditate on how that meshes with the truest, deepest, most meaningful desires of your heart.
Further Reading
Isaiah 58:10-14
Sacred Delight
Does God Really Give us the Desires of Our Hearts?
:angel: :) :) :angel:
December 25, 2009
What We Want vs. What We Need
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
So in the course of time Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son.
She named him Samuel, saying, "Because I asked the LORD for him."
1 Samuel 1:20
Did you get what you wanted for Christmas today? Or did you get what you needed?
What we want and what we need do not often go hand in hand. I should know. There are things that I have wanted in my life for a long time now, that apparently the Lord has not seen to be necessities. At least not yet.
I know he knows what is best for me, but it is still hard to wait. And it is difficult not to look longingly at what others have received and wonder why I, too, cannot be the recipient of such things in my life.
This kind of struggle is not new to any of us. And Hannah, who we read about in the first chapter of 1 Samuel, is a great example of how to live when what you want is not yet something God says you need.
For years Hannah had wanted to become a mother. To bear a child. To give her husband, Elkanah, a son—just like his other wife, Peninnah.
Being barren was considered a disgrace for a woman in those times, so Hannah most likely felt ashamed and alone and perhaps like a societal outcast. Instead of turning away, though, Hannah took her sorrow and her request for what she wanted to the Lord.
We don't know for sure how long she waited (perhaps years)—and we don't know the exact purposes of God's timing in her life—but we can still learn a great deal from Hannah's example ...
She was persistent and continually sought the Lord. She did not give up and stop asking the Lord for what she wanted. Like clockwork, Hannah kept bringing her request to God, year after year at the temple in Shiloh (v. 7). No doubt her want continued to drive her to the Father and most likely deepened her relationship with him.
She was blessed with a lifeline. I am quick to forget that the beauty in the midst of Hannah's pain is that Elkanah loved her very dearly (if not more than Peninnah). I am sure this buoyed Hannah to make it through the years when she may have wondered if God would ever answer her prayer for a child. God was gracious in giving her a loving husband (v. 5, 8).
She did not give in to ridicule or naysayers. Even when Peninnah (who was fruitful and had children) provoked her and taunted her because she was barren, Hannah did not add insult to injury (v. 7). She did not become nasty and retaliate when ridiculed for her condition or her faith.
She shared her "want" and was encouraged by others. When the high priest Eli observed Hannah praying in the temple and inquired as to her condition (he thought she was intoxicated because she was praying silently, but her lips were moving—v. 14), she shared with him what she was asking of the Lord. When Eli saw what was really going on, he encouraged her and asked God to answer her request (vv. 12-17).
She gave back to God what he had given to her. When God blessed Hannah with a child, she did not cling tightly to him. She kept her promise, let her son go and dedicated him to the Lord (v. 11, vv.21-28). How unbelievable is that? To accept and then release back to God something he has given to you that you have prayed and prayed and prayed for? That is model faith!
Like Hannah, are you waiting on the Lord to give you something you want in your life today? A new job? Reconciliation in your marriage? Blessing in your finances? A cure from illness? To find your soul mate? Victory over an addiction? A baby?
Each of us has something we want in our lives. But is up to God to decide if this is something we really need. May we continue to come to him with joy and thankfulness, as we acknowledge that he knows what is best for us in our lives.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Do you know that God has already given you what you need for this very day? Ask him to help you accept his plans and timing for your life—even when you don't understand. Then, make a list of all the lifelines he has given you while you wait (people, circumstances, things, etc.). Post this somewhere you can see it, while you continue to lift your requests to him.
Further Reading:
James 1:17
Matthew 7:11
:) ;) :D :angel: :D ;) :)
December 28, 2009
Divine Love
Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. ~ Colossians 3: 14 - 15
"To pick up a pin for love can convert a soul." ~ St. Therese of Lisieux
When I was still an undergraduate, the home group leader at my student church assigned us a special New Year's exercise. She told us to write down one prayer request for the year and to put it in a self-addressed envelope. The following year, she would mail the envelopes out to us, and we could reflect on the past year in light of that request.
Being the ambitious young lady that I was, I wrote, "Lord, help me to love people more like you love them." Love is a beautiful thing, right? Who doesn't want more love? Especially the perfect, divine love of Christ?
Well, I've since learned that this prayer can be as "dangerous" as praying for patience. Because not only will God answer it - every time - but at least in my case, he answered it not by filling me with warm, fuzzy feelings of love towards others but by putting people in my life I found very difficult to love. People who required me to draw from the love of Christ because I simply didn't have enough natural love within me to offer them.
I've been reflecting on that prayer request lately because even ten years later, there are still a few people in my life I find very challenging to love.
I think we all have one or two challenging people in our worlds. Those who seems gifted at pushing every emotional button. Those one who, time and again, leaves us feeling sad, mad, frustrated, or disappointed. Those we walk away from feeling like a failure, a bad Christian witnesses, or even struggling from the pride of "knowing" you're right or "better." Sometimes the struggle is with a fellow Christian and on top of the relationship tension, spiritual strife ensues. (There's nothing like getting into an angry, scripture-quoting match to make you feel like a complete failure as a believer).
Equally humbling is the realization that the very person you find difficult to love may feel the same way about you.
Yet, our calling to love does not go away just because we encounter a person who challenges us. Christ came for all - even the worst of sinners. It is his will that we experience his peace in our hearts and in our interactions with one another, and thankfully, his divine love is available to you and me to help us grow beyond life's imperfections, sins, and petty hurts.
Whenever I get discouraged, I think about St. Therese of Lisieux, who spent her young life in a convent with sisters she struggled to love. When she felt incapable of loving a difficult soul, she chose one small act of love to perform for that person. Even if that person did not recognize her act of love for what it was, she was one small step closer to healing that relationship and just a little bit more open to the transforming love of Christ in her own life.
It also helps to remember that Jesus' life wasn't void of personal hurts and relational pain. His life didn't resemble a Norman Rockwell painting any more than yours does (although, I am sure Mary and Joseph offered him a good start). Yet, God bravely entered the world as a human being - with vulnerabilities, feelings and desires capable of being trampled on. He "gets" your pain, too. He empathizes when you're misunderstood or treated unfairly. And he loves you enough to help you change the areas that really do need to change.
One of my New Year's resolutions this year is to persevere with that prayer from long ago. I now know that my prayer was not a one-year prayer but a prayer for a lifetime... a prayer God answers slowly as he refines our characters, our faith, and our families.
Intersecting Faith & Life: If you're struggling with a difficult relationship, ask for God's help in 2010.
Further Reading
1 John 1:5 -- 2:2
Psalm 124:2-5, 7-8
Matthew 2:13-18
:angel:
12/29/2009
Resolution #1 for 2010
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed,
knowing from whom you learned it, and how from childhood you have been
acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise
for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus."
2 Timothy 3:14-15
To know God well, we must know His Word. It seems just about as obvious a statement as, "To live well, we must breath air and put food and water in our mouths each day." Yet a recent survey about how different generations view and use the Bible found that 59% of the people who profess to be followers of Christ admit that, during a typical week, they are not spending even 15 minutes of time completely alone with God to read the Bible and pray.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not one to crack the whip or pile on legalistic guilt trips. The motivation to dig into God's Word cannot and should not come from sheer grit and determination to keep up a merely external standard of righteousness. In fact, for a great review of what should motivate our pursuit of God take a look at the December 24th Crosswalk Devotional by my friend Shawn McEvoy.
But something's wrong with the church in America if only 41% of professing Christians are engaging God in regular Bible reading and prayer. Just imagine the all-out panic and health crisis our nation would experience if 59% of its citizens only fed on cotton candy and popcorn.
By God's grace in 2010, let's resolve to grow deeper in relationship with God this year through regular times of prayer and grace-dependent Bible study. For those of us with the responsibility of leading families, let us seek to give our children the heritage that Timothy had in the opening passage of Scripture above. From childhood, he had been acquainted with the sacred writings. These ancient words are still able to make our children wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
"You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them
when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way
and when you lie down and when you rise up."
Deuteronomy 6:7
Intersecting Faith & Life:
How would you be able to respond if a survey question about your Bible reading and prayer habits were posed to you?
What do you delight most in?
If you have children, how well are they becoming acquainted with Scripture because of your efforts to "teach them diligently?"
Further Reading
Psalm 119
"An Urgent Message on Family Worship"
Recovering the Lost Treasure of Family Worship
December 30, 2009
Faith Worth Remembering
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
Jesus said to them, "Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her." - Matthew 26:10-13
The woman with the alabaster jar knew something that I don't fully grasp.
She knew she didn't belong with Jesus. She knew that he had every right to shun her, to see her life of sin, and turn away. Comparing Matthew's account with other gospels, she was probably Mary Magdalene, the fallen woman. Even by our cultural standards, her lifestyle barred her from polite company; in her day, her gender prevented her from coming too close to the honored guest. She had no right to enter that dinner, and she knew it. So why does this woman win such a place in Jesus' narrative?
I tried to unravel her story in one of my few stints as a short story author. Picture a woman entering a room full of men, all of whom notice her impertinence. Perhaps she second-guessed her intentions for a moment. But I bet that once her eyes settled on Jesus, she never looked away. Not this woman, Mary. I can't think of any other compelling reason for her to walk forward, break a jar that cost a year's salary, and pour it over the head and feet of Christ.
What did she know that today's Christians, me included, miss?
I think that answer lies in where she looked. She kept her eyes trained on Jesus, refusing to look at her own moral standing and flaws. It's not that she wasn't aware of them - that's the very reason she loved Jesus so much. But she didn't allow herself to dwell on the laws she had broken and the time she hadn't spent loving him. She was too caught up in his face to notice anything about herself.
When I approach God on Sunday mornings, I must admit that my heart drags its feet, coming with eyes downcast. What I consider most often are the ways I fail—how I didn't read my Bible enough or I wasn't patient or loving or whatever enough. And yet, my focus is still on... me.
The woman with the alabaster jar died to herself long before she entered that dining room. She had denied herself and decided to focus only on Jesus. Her self faded into the background as focused on delighting in her Lord. She was one of the first people to understand what it meant to take up the cross and follow Jesus. For that, Jesus promised that her story would be told "wherever this gospel is heard." That's faith worth remembering.
Intersecting Faith & Life: How hard is it to enjoy your best friend's company? Or do you focus on all the ways you could be a better friend but fail? When we're in the presence of people we love, the meeting becomes less about us and more about enjoying their company. How would our lives be transformed if we took that same approach to our faith? In 2010, I pray that we will remember the woman with the alabaster jar and follow her example. Let's train our eyes on the face of Jesus.
:angel:
December 31, 2009
Free Radicals
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
"Woe to you when all men speak well of you..."
Luke 6:26
How deep does my arrogance run? Put it this way: you didn't ask, but I'm going to tell you anyway. The biggest reason I've not yet written the book I've got jangling around in my brain is that deep down I still actually believe a complete impossibility: that hidden between my mind and my keyboard are the magic just-right words that will get everyone to agree. On everything. Or at least, on everything as I have interpreted it. The words that will get Christians to start treating sinners as they treat themselves, and sinners to stop sinning. Phrases that will be so beautifully turned that neither liberal nor conservative will have aught to say about them. A book that will bring everyone together and that, most importantly, will not cause anyone to write me nasty letters, claim I am deluded, or call me an idiot.
The irony, of course, is that my goal is already shot. The ideal itself is delusional, and pure idiocy. And as the saying goes, if you want everyone to like you, nobody will.
So what should be the goal? Well, truth, sure. And being obedient to just be the vehicle through which God wants to impart a particular take on His Truth.
But why is that so hard?
I think it's because Jesus, Who already lived here before me, Whose words are already recorded for anyone to read, and Who called Himself 'the Truth,' gave us a version of how to walk on this planet that is so contrary, so impractical, so frustratingly (if I hope to be honest about it) radical.
Beginning with what I already admitted at the top of this devotional, bear with me as I turn Christ's Great Sermon from Luke 6 into something of a dialogue...
Jesus (vs. 26): Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for in the same way their fathers used to treat the false prophets.
Me: Ew. Cut to the chase, why don't You. So I've set myself on the path of the false prophet, have I? Swell; I knew I couldn't trust myself. But Lord, anything else I say or write or do is going to lead to having enemies, people who are upset with me. What do I do about that?
Jesus (vs. 27-28): Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
Me: Oh. So it's an action thing. Pretty mind-boggling concepts. I can't help but notice You didn't say, "bash those jerks' heads in with rightness." Because that feels more natural, Lord. But assuming You're on to something, what does that look like?
Jesus (vs. 29-30): Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either. Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back.
Me: Yeah, ya see, the thing is, Lord... there's a lot of people who might take advantage of that. And what in the world are You saying that there might be people who want to hit me on the face? Is that what I signed up for in following You? I gotta be honest, it doesn't sound like a very comfortable, or even practical, way of living in this day and age, this country, this world. Can't you simplify it for me?
Jesus (vs. 31-33): Just as you want people to treat you, treat them in the same way. And if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.
Me: Wow, that just blows my mind, Lord. Of course You're right... what is there to separate me at all from anyone else, even the most vile of sinners, except how I react to situations and treat people? But don't You know how hard this would be? What am I saying... of course You do..., but... please forgive me for saying so, Lord, but it just feels like giving some bully my coat, shirt, or other cheek is somehow crazier, tougher, more insane in 2009 America than first-century Jerusalem. I hate asking, but if I'm gonna commit to this, I gotta know... what's in it for me?
Jesus (vs. 35, 37-38): Love your enemies and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men... Do not judge and you will not be judged... pardon, and you will be pardoned... Give, and it will be given to you.
Me: Man... and here I was thinking that I was the one who needed to come up with the words that helped us treat sinners as ourselves, and to what ends. You truly have covered all things and lived all things, Lord. Now, I just wonder, Lord, if I can really do this, even for the rewards You promise.
Jesus (vs. 46): Why do you call me, "Lord, Lord" and do not do what I say?
Me: Because it's so contrary, upside-down, and radical that it's seriously hard to trust... even to trust You, Lord. It just seems like there's so much to lose. Help me to be free. Help me to take this risk, to think not of myself, my safety, my comfort first, to love people as You love them. It's almost like You were fortunate to "have no place to lay your head." But still, despite my handicaps, I want to try, Lord... I want to try.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Now here's a challenge -- but it's straight from the mouth of Christ: the next time you are wronged, hurt, or had something taken from you... can you give the person responsible even MORE of what they took? And believe you'll be blessed for it? And if not, why not?
Further Reading
John 12:25
Rich Man, Poor Man
Faith and Assertiveness
:angel:
January 1, 2010
Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
James 1:2-4
During the holidays, I have used my oven quite a bit.
Because it is electric, it automatically has a mind of its own. It heats up very quickly and will char whatever is baking much faster than the time required for completion. That means I have to adjust the times for any recipe that I'm attempting to follow.
So, as you can imagine, for the home cook this is extremely frustrating. It means I must constantly be monitoring whatever is inside the oven. Putting on the potholder gloves. Opening up the door. Pulling out the rack. Checking the top of whatever's baking to make sure it's not burnt to a crisp. Closing up the oven. Waiting a few minutes. Putting back on the gloves. Opening up the door again. Covering with foil to protect as needed. Waiting some more. And then testing with a toothpick near the center to check for doneness, while hoping that the bottom isn't blackened and ultra crispy.
Ugh. What ... a ... pain!
One of the recipes I made was for some bar cookies called "Brandied Cranberry-Apricot Bars." Dried fruit, brown sugar, vanilla, butter, pecans ... what's not to like? The instructions called to bake the crust first (flour, sugar, butter). And of course my oven baked it much faster than the 20 minutes ("or until golden") that was required. It was actually more like "or until darkest brown" by that point.
Still undeterred, I pulled it out and then poured in the filling (fruit, eggs, pecans, vanilla and more flour and sugar). Next, I baked it for another 35 or so minutes. All the while, though, I was worried that the already partially-baked crust would be blackened by the time the cookies were done. I couldn't see it (since it was on the bottom), but I kept thinking maybe I should take out the pan before the time was up (Was my oven baking at warp speed or not? How annoying! And what to do?).
Eventually, I decided to let the cookies stay the course. And thankfully, they weren't scorched beyond recognition. But they were done.
Despite the small culinary victory, situations like this always frustrate me. Why? Because the heat is on! And I need it in order to complete what I'm baking. But, it also forces me to make adjustments while it's doing its thing. And that isn't something I'm clamoring to do.
Maybe it's how a lot of us feel in our walks from day to day. We probably don't go out in search of fiery trials to bring into our lives. But rest assured, they will find us anyway. And when the heat is cranked up in any given situation or relationship, this means we can either get a little crispy or get the heat that we need (and is actually for our good!) in order to continue on our way toward spiritual maturity.
When life seems to be feeling "hot, hot, hot," we can either refuse to make adjustments in our attitudes or choose to find the joy in knowing that the Lord is at work. As his children, we know that he is always checking on our conditions.
It's what it means to be loved by God. He cares too much to leave us alone, to be burned up. And he wants to move us—even through allowing fiery trials—toward completion as part of his eternal plan.
Intersecting Faith & Life: You've heard the saying, "If you can't stand heat, get out of the kitchen," right? As Christians, though, our God is with us—no matter the intensity of the heat of our circumstances. He is asking us to "stay in the kitchen," to persevere and to look to him. Whatever is baking you to a crisp today, know that nothing is impossible for God. If you ask, he will help you find joy as you are maturing in your faith.
Further Reading:
1 Peter 1:6-7
Hebrews 10:35-36
:angel:
January 4, 2010
Grace for Families in 2010
Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh."
Genesis 2: 24 NIV
Part of my job as Crosswalk's Family editor includes receiving letters from you, the readers, about family issues. Something that struck me this past year was how many Christian families suffer - truly suffer. Some struggle from financial woes, others from the behavior of rebellious teenagers, and some from painful relational problems within their marriages.
While I can't offer quick fixes in this small devotional entry, I want to reflect on some scriptures here that will hopefully offer you some encouragement if you are among those facing a difficult family situation.
"The man said, 'The woman you put here with me--she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it." Gen 3: 7 - 12.
First, if you're facing a broken situation or relationship, remember you're not alone. With the fall of man came the fall of family life. We can see this in Adam's dysfunctional words as he blames God and Eve for his own sinful decision to eat the forbidden fruit.
You may compare your family to others and feel like a failure - like everyone else has this family thing figured out. But truthfully, we are all sinners who marry sinners and give birth to sinners. While this truth doesn't excuse a person's hurtful, sinful behavior (God himself is grieved by such behavior), it helps ground me a little more in reality when I find myself playing the comparison game or building up unrealistic expectations of others.
"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord." Ephesians 5: 8
Second, we're not doomed to this sinful state forever. Becoming Christian doesn't necessarily make family life easier, but it does make healing possible. It is through the sanctifying grace of Jesus Christ that not only can we be transformed as individuals, but our relationships can also be transformed, successfully reflecting the Trinitarian love of God to each other and the world. This is God's desire for every Christian family, not just a privileged few. For as many disheartening letters as I receive from distraught spouses and parents, I receive encouraging letters and articles from those who have found true transformation and healing in Christ. If you are a believer, know that you have profound spiritual support to overcome your family trials.
"Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them." Ephesians 5: 8-11
Third, transformation requires humility, help and work on our part. This may seem like I am stating the obvious, but sometimes it's helpful to me when a loved one reminds me of basic truths. Just as we didn't instantly become perfect upon our acceptance of Christ, neither will our families. Each day we have choices - choices to choose Christ and accept his grace or to turn our backs. Occasionally we have breakthroughs - giant leaps forward in sanctity - but most of the Christian life consists of small, everyday decisions to seek God and live in his truth.
Sometimes we need help from fellow believers to live successfully as children of the light - even Christ, who needed no help, graciously received help from Simon in carrying his cross (Matt 27: 32). I encourage you to plug into a local support group or check out some of the resources at the end of this devotional if your family is hitting particularly dark days.
"My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done." Matt 26: 42
Fourth, God grieves with us. He doesn't rejoice in our pain or sit back and watch indifferently. Whatever trial you're facing, he is there, wanting the very best outcome even if sometimes we don't feel his presence or understand why things are going the direction they are going. When I find myself questioning God's loving presence, I reflect on Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane where he accepted the painful cup of sacrifice out of profound love for you and me.
"I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." John 10: 10
Fifth, while being Christian means embracing our crosses, it doesn't mean we'll never know joy or peace in our lives or families. There is hope. My prayer for you is that you will have renewed strength, happiness, and faith within your families in 2010.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Sometimes it's easy to get overwhelmed by our situations, and we forget to remember the positive. List at least one good trait in each family member and reflect on these positives during your quiet time.
Further Reading
The Power of Rewriting Your Story -- Dr. David Hawkins
Resources:
The Marriage Recovery Center
Retrouvaille
Love Path 911
Heartlight Ministries (for parents with struggling teens).
January 5, 2010
Restoring Authentic Joy
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit."
Psalm 51:12
Today marks the first Tuesday of the new decade and the first of many Tuesday visits yet to come with Dr. Francis Schaeffer. Decades ago, Schaeffer walked with his students in the rarefied air of the Swiss Alps and applied Christian theology to all of life. While the alpine option with him is no longer available to us, we follow his trail of thought by way of his writings.
Edith Schaeffer wrote of her husband in the book L'Abri that he was a man who wanted his life and work to be "a living demonstration of the existence of God," which it most notably was. But prior to the time of his most fruitful ministry years in post WW II Europe, Francis went through a period of severe crisis in which he felt he had to honestly address the lack of genuine spiritual joy in his life. What came out of that crisis is the content of his book, True Spirituality.
Assuming that you share Dr. Schaeffer's interest in having a life characterized by authentic joy, let us consider together some of the initial points in True Spirituality (chap. 1) as we embark on the first steps of our journey with Schaeffer through his Complete Works.
At the onset of chapter one, Dr. Schaeffer begins True Spirituality with a necessary discussion of first things so as to be clear about what it means to be a Christian:
1) We were created for fellowship with God, but there is a barrier in that God has a character. He is a holy God. We are sinners by nature and by choice.
2) We cannot breeze past these facts. Before we can become Christ followers, we must acknowledge our alienation from God and that we have real guilt deserving death and hell, not just guilty feelings requiring a therapeutic faith solution.
3) Only the finished work of Christ upon the cross as the Lamb of God—in history, space and time—is enough to remove our true moral guilt so that we can be brought into fellowship with God.
4) We must not attempt to add anything on our part to the finished work of Christ.
5) The only instrument for accepting that finished work of Christ upon the cross is faith alone.
a. Faith is not a leap in the dark—trying to believe in something that you doubt is true.
b. Rather, faith is...
· believing the specific promises of God,
· no longer turning your back on them,
· no longer calling God a liar by suppressing the testimony of Scripture, attested by history
· but raising the empty hands of faith
· and accepting that finished work of Christ as it was fulfilled in history upon the cross.
This is sufficient food for thought for today. But not just for today. Schaeffer's recap of the gospel—how we can be right with God in Christ alone, by grace alone, through faith alone—provides that which is absolutely essential not only to the initial discovery of joy, but the ongoing recovery of it every day. The gospel is utterly foundational to authentic Christian living and it must be personally rehearsed again and again in all of its dimensions.
One gospel resource that resonates with Schaeffer's recap here is a book called A Gospel Primer for Christians by Milton Vincent. It is amazingly helpful for reviewing the deep truths of the gospel every day. For instance, this past Sunday, I shared the following excerpt with our congregation at the close of the service:
The gospel reminds me first that what I actually deserve from God is a full cup churning with the torments of His wrath (Rev. 14:10). This cup would be mine to drink if I were given what I deserve each day (Psalm 75:8). With this understanding in mind, I see that to be handed a completely empty cup from God would be cause enough for infinite gratitude. If there were merely the tiniest drop of blessing contained in that otherwise empty cup, I should be blown away by the unbelievable kindness of God toward me.
That God has, in fact, given me a cup (Psalm 23:5) that is full of "every spiritual blessing in Christ" (Eph. 1:3), and this without the slightest admixture of wrath leaves me truly dumbfounded with inexpressible joy... Life's blessings, however small, always appear exceedingly precious when viewed against the backdrop of the wrath I deserve. (pp. 47-48 A Gospel Primer for Christians, Milton Vincent)
Let's walk on now and be restored to authentic joy in the good news of peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1).
Intersecting Faith & Life:
How blown away are you by the blessings of God in your life?
What is the reading on your authentic joy meter?
How central to your life is the habit of daily rehearsing the gospel?
Further Reading
Ephesians 2
John 6:68
January 6, 2010
The Beauty of Waiting
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." - Psalm 27:14
Waiting seems to be a common theme in my circle of friends right now. For some, like my friend who was laid off twice in eight months, the long-awaited hope is a stable job in a tough economy. Others are biding their time, trying to find useful ways to serve and stay busy until God speaks. Some can see their heart's desire just across the room and yet must act as if it's a world away. Those finishing graduate school and starting new jobs find themselves waiting on new friends in new places.
This weekend, two of my dear friends reached the end of their wait. Their story waited for three years while they grew ever so slowly together. They might have constructed a different narrative for their story back then if they had had a choice, but as I watched her walk down the aisle, I wondered if she still felt the hurry. This bride and groom's circumstances refused to follow the seemingly most desirable timetable, and the monumental effort they both invested sometimes seemed ineffective. But I witnessed a tender moment as my friend walked towards her groom - her eyes never left his face, and he couldn't stop smiling at her. Those three years slipped by in a moment to reveal two people refined and beautiful.
I crave a destination, not the trip, so likening waiting to some over-spiritualized journey is lost on me. But I am a person who goes endures the racking climb to see the spectacular vantage point - I want to see the beauty of the Lord made known. Seeing my friends walk down the aisle gave me a similar feeling. I saw the beauty that had come from waiting - and that made the wait beautiful too.
Sitting at home tonight, my thoughts keep drifting back to Hannah, the prophet Samuel's mother. This dear woman endured years of childlessness, wanting a son so badly that the waiting made her sick. Her prayer was "remembered" after many tears and pleadings with God, and ultimately she gave the reward of her waiting. Yet her story concludes with a song, a beautiful meditation on the paradoxes of waiting on God to fulfill his promises. As she delivered her son to a lifetime of service - away from her, no less - she proclaimed, "My heart rejoices in the Lord... for I delight in your deliverance." This was a woman whose night of sorrow lasted for years, but even she saw the beauty of the morning.
My driving heart would like to think that good things come through waiting, but perhaps that understanding narrows the beauty of redemption. Why don't we extend the beauty to the waiting itself? As the song goes, "He makes all things beautiful in his time." Yes, even the waiting.
Further Reading
Why Waiting is Really Trusting
"The Fullness of Time" .
January 7
Letter from Dad
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Abba! Father! All things are possible for you.
Mark 14:36
My son was having a problem at school. Not with his schoolwork, or even socially. It was a personal problem, and it was minor, but it was of some concern to his mother and me. And if he didn't solve it soon, it would become of greater concern to him as well.
We tried all sorts of encouragement (even forms of discouragement). We did everything we could within the bounds of letting him feel secure, making sure we knew he was excelling at the important first-grader-type stuff, making sure he didn't develop a complex. Still, nothing was working. Basically, he'd get so involved and engrossed in whatever he was doing that day or at that hour that he just couldn't remember to take care of other important items. A multi-tasker he is not yet. Nor must he be. Laser-like focus and concentration is a trait I know many parents wish their children displayed.
Anyway, as with many things, the solution came from him. One morning as we were praying and encouraging him about the issue before school, he suggested a note. He said it might really help him if I wrote him a note - a special, secret note in a code just for us - that he could keep in his chair-pocket at school, one he could take out every day and read and think of me and remember what he was supposed to do.
Immediately I got out some paper, wrote out a message of love and encouragement that also contained a hidden meaning for Jordan, and sent him on his way, not knowing what to expect.
More than three weeks later, he'd not had an instance of the problem. He credits the letter from dad, says he takes it out before every class. It makes him smile, it makes him feel loved, it reminds him who he is and what he needs to do.
We all have one of those, you know. A letter from Dad. Something to read at the start of every day that tells us we're loved, encourages us, challenges us, reminds us who we are and what we need to do. A note that has surprising power to heal our woes and solve our problems.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Have you read yours today?
Further Reading
Proverbs 3:3
Deuteronomy 6:6-7
:angel:
January 8, 2010
Living in 300 Square Feet
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
He makes me to lie down in green pastures.
Psalm 23:2
It's a new year, and it's almost time for the new Ikea catalog to hit the mailbox. I couldn't be more excited.
Not only am I a fan of browsing through its offerings, but I thoroughly enjoy walking through the different departments of the local Ikea store—or the "First Church of Ikea" as I affectionately and jokingly call it.
I marvel at how they can cram so much stuff into such small spaces and at such low, low prices. The Swedes are genius! And the Swedish meatballs aren't too shabby either (be sure to check out the in-store cafeteria—it's cheap and surprisingly tasty).
Probably my favorite area of the store is where there are different "living" displays that have been set up. As in, "Living in 300 Square Feet" and so forth. It's usually a bedroom, a living room, a kitchenette and a tiny, blink-and-you'll-miss-it bathroom all in one, with Ikea's products making the space seem like a cozy home. But you also can't help but wonder how someone could live like this (college students, big-city apartment dwellers, and perhaps people in pods somewhere). It brings out the claustrophobic in me and makes me want to bolt for wide, open spaces and just, well, more freedom.
It makes me think of how I could view the Christian life right about now and about Psalm 23. (Yes, Ikea and Psalm 23 somehow miraculously coincide in my world, where all things—and for the purposes of this devotional—work together for good.)
Truth be told, life feels small right now. I've already checked out this corner and that. I'm tired of being in this room and in that one over there. And now I'm ready to break out and experience something new. But I also know that God is asking me to be content "living in 300 square feet." He's not leading me anywhere, and he's clearly showing me that he wants me to stay put and wait on his timing.
In my study of Psalm 23 this week, I'm reading from Elizabeth George's Quiet Confidence for a Woman's Heart where she takes the reader through a study of how we as sheep relate to the Great Shepherd.
Here's what she has to say about "restless and discontent sheep" ...
These sheep jump into other fields or climb into bushes and onto leaning trees. They sometimes fall and break their legs. They're nervous and dissatisfied and cause the shepherd endless trouble. Are you settled—at home with and abiding in the Shepherd? Are you one who trusts ... and rests ... in the Lord? Is the Lord all you need? Are you content to be nothing more than his sheep and delight in what he gives you?
Much like sheep, perhaps the Great Shepherd keeps us in what feels like a more confined setting for our own protection. To keep us away from that which will entangle and snare. To prevent us from wandering off. To shield us from harmful people or situations. To offer us rest for our souls. It's definitely something to think about.
Today, as a restless sheep, I am praying that He will settle my heart. May He help me to abide in Him as I open my life, redirect my desires and priorities and make my heart a home for Him.
Intersecting Faith & Life: You might feel like the walls are closing in on you today. How can you ever learn to be content in such circumstances? Look up, my friend. Look to your Shepherd. He is there to comfort, to provide, to love and to guide. Remind yourself of these things with Psalm 23.
Further Reading:
"My Heart, Your Home"
Words & Music: Watermark
Come and make my heart Your home
Come and be everything I am and all I know
Search me through and through
'Till my heart becomes a home for You
A home for You, Lord
A home for You, Lord
Let everything I do open up
A door for You to come through
And that my heart would be a place
Where You want to be ...
You are my portion, filling up everything
You are the fortune, that's causing my heart to sing
That it's amazing ...
That You could make Yourself at home with me
:angel:
January 11, 2010
Wisdom for All Ages
Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
A wise man's heart guides his mouth, and his lips promote instruction. ~ Proverbs 16: 23 NIV
Last week we explored the four cardinal virtues: wisdom, justice, courage, and temperance. While these virtues sound nice on paper, what do they really look like in the life of someone committed to Christ?
Take wisdom for example. If someone asked me to draw a picture of wisdom when I was a child, I would have drawn an old, wrinkly, robed man meditating in a tent. I imagined wisdom as something that belonged to those focused on the "higher things," people isolated from the day-to-day grind of life. But this is a faulty understanding of wisdom. True wisdom contains both clarity of insight and the ability to apply that insight to real life situations
In my recent reading of The 33 Doctors of the Church, I came across an ancient Christian who exemplified both aspects of wisdom. While his name is not well-known, God worked through St. Ephram to greatly influence the early Church.
Ephram was an eastern Christian, born in Syria during the 4th century. His native language was Syro-Chaldaic -- the same language Jesus, His family, and His apostles spoke in everyday life. Born of Christian parents, Ephram developed a thirst for God's Word early in life. He soaked in the Scriptures line by line, delving into the nuances that came more easily to him than you and me today.
Ephram's deep study of Scripture inspired him to employ his gift for language by writing countless poems, hymns, and homilies for God's glory. Unlike most writers, he never seemed to be at a loss for words. Bishop Gregory of Nyssa, a contemporary of Ephram's, joked that if you needed a cure for writer's block, you should just ask Ephram for an idea he already "prayed away."
In some ways the studious, poetic Ephram resembled that old, robed man in the tent because he lived as an unmarried hermit. But Ephram hardly isolated himself and was known for applying his deep-seated knowledge of scripture in practical ways that benefitted the common people. He often wrote to instruct the confused and played an active role in shepharding youth.
One of his more famous uses of his poetic talent came in response to a heresy spreading among the local community in the form of a collection of popular hymns. He witnessed young people embracing the songs' messages and falling away from godly living. In response, Ephram borrowed the melody and wrote new lyrics. He taught the new words to the community while also instructing them in God's ways. Ephram's version of the hymns, superior in artistry and taught with fatherly love, ultimately became so popular the old hymns were all but forgotten.
Ephram's love for God's Word also inspired him beyond his writing and music. He often pitched in to help the local community during times of need, and he was so loved that even bishops abroad insisted Ephram embrace priestly ordination (he refused the honor). Ephram was a sensitive, kind man known for joyfully weeping with those who rejoiced and sorrowfully weeping with those who mourned. He died from exhaustion in his 60's after assisting his suffering community during a famine.
Ephram's legacy continues to resonate with the modern world. He lived in a time and place not unlike our own, surrounded by war, sadness, confusion, and even rebellious youth. He could have retreated from the world entirely or he could have thrown his hands up and said, "What difference can a poet make?" Yet he did not shun the surrounding culture but wisely employed his gifts to engage and change the hearts of those around him. In fact, Ephram's gift for hymnody was so great that today much of eastern and western Christian worship has its foundations in his prolific and profound writings. Many churches even continue to sing Ephram's hymns today just as he wrote them 1,600 years ago.
Intersecting Faith & Life: St. Ephram cultivated wisdom by immersing himself in God's Word. This week, read a chapter of the Bible you've never read before and study up on its meaning.
Further Reading
Proverbs 16: 21
The Incomparible Worth of Wisdom :angel:
January 12, 2010
The Most Important and Least Important Day
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you,
unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."
John 3:3
The nursery quietly awaits the arrival of its little master. The crib stands assembled and accessorized with matching mobile, blankets and padding. Diapers, booties and footy pajamas hide in a three-drawer changing table. The oak rocking chair sits sturdily in the corner nearest the tall window. As God wills it, in a matter of days a tiny life will fill this little room with cries, coos, and all manner of baby sounds. And the Crain home will be filled with great joy.
For now, a mood of patient and grateful expectation is upon us. There is an unexplainable excitement that surrounds the beginning of physical life—from the miraculous moment of conception to the long-anticipated time of holding a newborn closely in arms.
As soon as the day of birth arrives, however, it will simultaneously become the most important day and least important day of his life. It is the most important because, without it, he would not be able to enjoy life; but it is also the least important because it is only the starting point and then it is history. After the moment of birth, the most important thing is, of course, living.
Obvious as this seems, I was reminded again this week while reading Francis Schaeffer's True Spirituality that many professing Christians seem to languish in denial of this fact regarding the moment of their own spiritual birth. Ask a friendly, "how is your relationship with the Lord?" and you may hear an answer emphasizing a past decision, a moment of crisis, or an experience—as if past events were all that mattered.
"In one way, the new birth is the most important thing in our spiritual lives, because we are not Christians until we have come this way. In another way, however, after one has become a Christian, it must be minimized, in that we should not always have our minds only on our new birth. The important thing after being born spiritually is to live." (ch. 1)
Yes, we are grateful for the past. We look forward expectantly to the bright future ahead with Christ in His manifest presence. But our present walk with Christ, right now, is the most important moment. Romans 14:17 says, "The kingdom of God is [present tense] ... righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit."
First John 1:7 reaffirms this emphasis on the present—true spirituality is concerned with walking [present tense] in the light "as He is [present tense] in the light, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, cleanses us [present tense] from all sin."
Intersecting Faith & Life:
What do you do if your mind is stuck in the past, or if your present fellowship with the Lord is broken? The next two verses (1 John 1:8-9) illumine the pathway, instructing us what to do: "If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Ask if any sin needs to be confessed. What is His response to confession? Trust His promise of forgiveness and cleansing in Christ, and begin walking in the light with Him again. Take one step, then the next, then the next, the next... The important thing after being born spiritually is to live spiritually.
Further Reading
Psalm 86:7-12
Continuous Revival, by Norman Grubb (Chapter 1: "The Walk")
January 13, 2010
Fixing a Drafty House
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast--as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. - 1 Corinthians 5:6-7
The joys of home ownership continue in the Britton household. Our "real estate with potential" is now home after five weeks of renovation and two months of unpacking, but we're still discovering the quirks and "personality" of our old house. For instance, the hot water promptly disappears after 15 minutes of showers and certain appliances sound like they hiccup as they recharge.
The most recent discovery came with the chill in Virginia weather. After a couple weeks of outside temperatures hovering around freezing, we were finished wearing five layers in the house and still shivering. (I'm always cold, but that's beside the point). Thus began a quest for the chilly culprit marauding about our first floor. I'd like to say we quickly dispensed with him, but we're either slow learners or in homeowner's denial.
The process began when we realized the chimney flue had been left open for who knows how long (yes, we felt smart). With this overlooked detail amended, the wood floors were no longer painfully cold, but that wasn't saying much. We graduated to stuffing rags under the drafty back door, and begrudgingly turning up the thermostat a tiny bit. That difference was negligible. We programmed the thermostat to turn on a little earlier and invested in warm house slippers. Better, but not much.
Next came the space heaters that we broke out for our frequent haunts, like the den and bedroom. Those worked, but underscored the contrast between the chilly rooms and the warm rooms. This week, we took the desperate measure (or perhaps it was the pièce de résistance?) of attacking the still-drafty fireplace with microfiber, packing tape, cardboard, and decorative pillows.
If you could only see my lovely green living room with its boarded-up centerpiece now.
Here's my guess. We endured a lot of chilliness (and wasted heat) due to our not-so-efficient fireplace, and we probably should've noticed the draft a lot sooner. I think part of our dullness came from thinking "we fixed that" by closing the flue, and part from not wanting to deal with another "home improvement" opportunity. Now that we've acknowledged the problem area, however, we're ready to figure out what one does to better insulate an old chimney and hearth. Besides use decorative pillows, that is.
I suppose it's only fitting that my house issues mirror my faith issues. The temptation to say, "I already dealt with that, God, can't we move on to something else?" frequently suggests itself to me. And... a few weeks (or months) later, guess what I'm doing? Going back to the original problem, and discovering that I hadn't properly dealt with it originally. Like the drafty air into my house, my sinful attitudes will find a way into my heart if I don't block them entirely.
Paul twice warned churches, in Corinthians and Galatians 5:9, to stand guard against even the tiniest amount of sin, discord and bad doctrine. As he writes, "a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough." It's not enough to keep most of it out. Even that little bit will make itself known, whether it's cold floors, yeasty bread, or a selfish attitude.
Intersecting Faith & Life: What truth is God impressing on your heart right now? Are you in a hurry to learn, get it over with, and move on to bigger and better things? In my own life, the challenge is to slow down enough to hear God's voice the first time, to grow consistently and humbly. The haphazard quick-fix just won't cut it.
:angel:
January 14, 2010
A Mathful God?
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
God doesn't count us; he calls us by name. Arithmetic is not his focus.
Romans 9:28, The Message
Thank God that he calls us by name, that our names have been written in the Book of Life. He knows us intimately. We are not just numbers to him, as the scripture above reminds.
That said, have you ever looked at the face of a calculator and marveled at how completely God is involved in all of those functions? He adds, he subtracts, he multiplies, he divides. Positives, negatives, rationals, irrationals, imaginaries, radicals... all indicate some aspect of God and what he does, how he interacts with his creation.
Let's take a look at some examples of the most basic of these functions, and how they suggest a perfect sum of completeness and trust. He's worked it all out. The numbers add up. The whole world - its time and history and future - is well calculated, and safe in his hands.
ADDITION
Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved. --Acts 2:46-47, NAS
So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. --1 Corinthians 3:7, KJV
"Nothing in Scripture and in the life of Christ could be clearer: Wealth is not an objective of the spiritual life. When we encounter money on the path of life, we are encouraged to do one of three things with it: Turn and walk in the other direction; pick it up and give it away; or use it for the necessities of life. It's this last part that I think has become skewed over time. Our list of 'needs' is much greater today than it was in 1900 and their list of needs were certainly greater than during the time when Christ walked the Earth. Now I know that here in the year [2010], it is countercultural to give money away. It is countercultural to seek your security in things that aren't man-made. But, remember what Jesus promised, 'But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you' (Matthew 6:33, NKJV)." --Steve Scalici, "Should Christians Strive for the American Dream?"
SUBTRACTION
The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! --John 1:29, NAS
If you subtract from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will subtract your part from the Tree of Life and the Holy City that are written in this book. --Revelation 22:19, MSG
"Our spiritual engrafting provides an eternity of new life. While the struggles of our present earthly existence cause momentary, light affliction, the life to come for those who are in Christ Jesus will last forever. There will be no more heartaches, no more pain. He has taken our heart of stone and replaced it with a heart of flesh. He died so that we might live." --Peter Beck, "Engrafted for Life"
MULTIPLICATION
For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. --Hebrews 6:13-14, KJV
Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. --2 Corinthians 9:10, NAS
"I would be afraid to bring children into this world if I did not know God. But because I know God, I am free to encourage you to have children... God's people are the ones who ought to be bringing a godly seed into this world. What does the world need? Jesus. How are they going to hear if the light goes out?" --Adrian Rogers, "Bringing Children into the World"
DIVISION
So you shall divide this land among yourselves according to the tribes of Israel. --Ezekiel 47:21, NAS
And the people of all the nations will be gathered before him. Then he will divide them into two groups, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. --Matthew 25:32, GNT
"God is in the business of division. As in creation, He divided whatever was necessary in order to bring order. He divides light and darkness today also. That is why His people are in this world but not of it. God's children are separated from the world as they are sanctified, or set apart, for the things of God. As Christians, we think of the Lord as One who wants to make "everything ok" or to bring peace to a given situation. However, the Lord Jesus clearly said that He came to divide. 'Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword' (Matt. 10:34)." --Tonilee Adamson & Bobbye Brooks, "Division"
The Sum of the Equation
I know that whatever God does will last forever; there is nothing to add or subtract from it; and God has done it so that people will fear him. --Ecclesiastes 3:14, CJB
Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped. He said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, And naked I shall return there. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD." -- Job 1:21, NAS
You can't take any of this stuff with you. Enjoy it and praise God for all of it. Instead of counting widgets, count blessings, count it all joy. Let him do the math of your life: be your accountant, buyer, salesman, financial planner, marketer and profiteer.
:angel:
January 15, 2010
Be a Friend to Have a Friend
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
A friend loves at all times.
Proverbs 17:17
Christmas is now four weeks past us, but the remnants remain on a bulletin board in my office.
There, I have thumb-tacked various holiday family pictures and newsletters that I received in the mail from all different sorts of friends and acquaintances. I decided that that's how I would actively "handle" these materials this year, instead of putting them in a pile to collect dust and go unused and forgotten.
As I look at the bulletin board each day, my heart is warmed as I see the faces of friends who have played different roles in my life: comforter, truth-teller, listener, hugger, encourager, constructive criticizer, food 'n' fellowship provider, relationship decoder/investigator, and so forth.
So many ways of serving and giving from so many different types of friends! I am blessed as I am reminded of what they have done for me. And then I am also convicted: What am I doing for my friends? How am I pouring into their lives as they have—and still are—pouring into mine? How is God moving me to be part of their worlds?
Ralph Waldo Emerson famously said: "The only way to have a friend is to be one." And he was so right about that. Friendships don't just happen. They take time. They take effort. They take upkeep. And that means we all have to do something if we want to cultivate, grow and nurture relationships with others.
When I look at my bulletin board of friends, if I am truly willing to be a friend "who loves at all times," I know that that means I have to always be ready to shelve my plans in order to help meet the varied needs of others.
It's something God has been working on me for a while now. Am I willing to lay down my agenda and sacrifice my time and my desires for my friends? Or is it more important that I get done today what is on my list and what I think is right for me? Am I seeking the Lord for his direction? Am I paying attention to the Holy Spirit for conviction?
Let me warn you, though. Don't ask God to move in your life in this way unless you really mean it. Because when you do ask him to help you be a better friend and to help you reach out to others, he will open your eyes (and heart) to plenty of opportunities that you may or may not like or may or may not be what you had in mind.
You might be asked to ...
Offer your professional skills to someone else in need for free (lawyers helping someone navigate a legal matter, hair stylists cutting and styling where needed, teachers offering tutoring to struggling students, etc.).
Forgo your after-work errands or "must do!" agenda to just sit, listen (for as long as it takes) and offer a warm hug to someone's who's trying to be "strong" in a traumatic situation and just needs to let it all out.
Give up your entire Saturday to get down and dirty and make a difference while helping someone to move, paint a house, organize some closets or run a giant garage sale.
Better yet, you might be moved to ...
Give financially to someone you don't even know to help them raise support to adopt a child.
Befriend the "different" or "difficult" person whom no one else likes and get past the oddities or prickly barrier to reach the heart and connect with who this person really is.
Not take careless words or confusing situations/messages personally and instead choose to "cover" these minor offenses with love when you think someone has stepped on your toes or wounded your pride.
That's what a true friend does. Gets outside of themselves. And gives. And gives. And gives! Are you up to it? I'm asking myself the same question. For friends both new and old, how can we be true friends to someone else today?
Intersecting Faith & Life: No doubt, at some point in your life you've known what it's like to be on the receiving end of someone who has been a good friend to you. But what's it like to be your friend? Do you take more than you give? Are you ever around during the hard times? Do you take time to listen and care about others' concerns and life matters? Take a friend inventory today and see what changes you might need to make in your outreach to those you call "friend."
Further Reading:
John 15:13
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
:angel:
January 18, 2010
Ordinary Holiness
Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of working, but it is the same God who inspires them all in every one. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 1 Corinthians 12: 4 - 8
We've now entered "Ordinary Time" in the Christian calendar. Christmas is officially over and Lent has yet to come. The label "ordinary time" may sound boring, but it's not meant to be a useless season. Most of life is spent in "ordinary time," and so it's our task to figure out what pleases God as we live an "ordinary" Christian life.
As I was posting an article in our Careers channel this week, I was struck by a point the author made. In his article "Is Secular Work Valued by God?" Os Hillman reminded readers that most of Jesus' life was spent as an ordinary carpenter. A working class man toiling beside St. Joseph, getting his hands dirty.
I think it's easy to forget that fact. So much of Scripture focuses on his last 3 years of life - yet Jesus Christ lived 30 years before that! He walked among us as an infant, a child, a young adult, and a career man. He loved his family and participated in his community. Hillman cites St. Bonaventure's thoughts: "His doing nothing 'wonderful' [in His first 30 years] was in itself a kind of wonder."
As Americans, I think we struggle a bit with being ordinary. We want to be extraordinary. We tune into shows like American Idol to live vicariously through these ordinary folks who rise to extraordinary heights. We look at the dedicated missionaries traveling the world and imagine their lives are more meaningful than ours. We dream about making our own unique mark on the world. Yet, our Lord did not spend most of his life seeking the extraordinary - at least not externally.
There's nothing inherently wrong with wanting to be extraordinary. But sometimes it can become more about self than about God. We forget that there is "wonder" in the ordinary, and that God places great value on the most ordinary of tasks if completed out of love for him and in imitation of him.
In fact, God's willingness to live an ordinary life consecrates the ordinary, making it extraordinary. The most mundane task can now be a channel for God's grace. Hillman points out:
"God values our work even when the 'product' seems to have no eternal value. His design for work is multifaceted: not only does He desire us to worship Him through our work, He is concerned about meeting human needs and has created each of us with unique DNA to be a conduit for Him to provide for those needs."
The opening scriptures reminds us that "there are varieties of working, but the same God inspires them all in every one." While your daily responsibilites may look ordinary on the outside, God has a hand in your life. What are your gifts? In what ways does God want to use you to reach others? Don't be afraid if what you have to offer seems "ordinary."
Intersecting Faith & Life: Write down one or two ways you can serve God and others in your every day life this year.
Further Reading:
Isaiah 62:1-5
Psalm 96:1-3, 7-10
1 Corinthians 12:4-11
John 2:1-11
:angel:
January 19, 2010
You Never Do Anything You Don't Want to Do
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.
Galatians 6:5, The Message
If I try, I can remember my friends from 10th-grade Sunday School. In fact, I'm still tight with two of them. I remember our church, our youth group, and our youth minister. What I don't remember so well are the individual lessons we learned from the Bible each week. As I realize that, I give myself another kick for not having gotten into note-taking and journaling. I'd like to have those things to review now.
What I do recall from one particular class session, however, has always stuck with me. And it wasn't even a quote from the Bible. To show how much I've forgotten, I don't even remember the name of the teacher who said it! He was tall, well-accomplished, but still wanting to give of his time to young men. And one day he looked at us and said the following:
"Today's lesson is going to be very short. Look at me, because whatever you remember from today, remember this. Whatever you remember from your time in this youth group, remember this: You never do anything you don't want to do."
That was it. Obviously I still remember it. Why?
I remember challenging the teacher on that day, most of us scoffing and saying things like, "Yeah, right... I can honestly tell you I do not want to do my homework tonight."
"Yes you do."
"No, I really don't."
"What will happen if you don't?"
"Well, I guess I'd be embarrassed when it was time to turn it in, I'd probably have to lie to my parents when they asked if I'd done it yet, and I wouldn't be prepared for the upcoming quiz."
"So I guess the reason you're going to do your homework is because for the motives you just stated, you DO want to do it."
Snap.
Seven or eight high school boys just got handed a logic lesson in responsibility and motivation. All around the room you could see eyes and minds opening to new possibilities.
This is what we'd been hearing about free will. But now contextualized and personalized.
This is what our parents and teachers had been getting at as they spoke to us about becoming responsible young men.
This put my actions all squarely back on me. And oddly enough, that was something I could tangibly handle.
The applications were endless.
I'm still not even sure his statement was absolutely true, or biblical. But to be honest, it doesn't matter anymore, because it informed and continues to inform many things in my life that are true and biblical.
Do I want to lay in bed or do I want to get to work? Why or why not?
Why am I overweight? Well, my bad. Guess I wanted that, too, when you get down to the nub of it. Certainly didn't do the things I knew would prevent it.
One of the doors that opened to me was in realizing that once I got past "my will be done," I could begin to pray as Jesus did, "Your will be done."
Another was in being able to recognize motivation. Why am I going to conquer this lust or pursue this knowledge or accomplish this hard task for God's Kingdom? Because ultimately, what I want to do is to have my heart's desires be the same as Yours, Lord. That's where You tell us delight is, and that's the only place where we know what we want is right.
Intersecting Faith & Life: What action or reaction in your own life have you been blaming on other people or circumstances? Write down all the ways you yourself can own up to it.
Further Reading
1 Thessalonians 5:12
Philippians 1:23
We Are Responsible for Others
:angel:
January 20, 2010
A Hope for Haiti
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." - Matthew 25:40
What is your first reaction to tragedy on the TV?
Fear?
Concern?
Shock?
How about your second reaction to tragedy on TV: Sadness? Turning away? Thankfulness that it's not you?
Maybe even that learned apathy?
When those familiar images of death and destruction flash across the TV, I find my own self-centeredness blocking the picture. We live in a society that has brought close the deaths of those far away, while the LCD screen shields us from the pain behind the images. I want to know what faces those who are hurting, but on my own terms. I want to get back to whatever movie I rented from Netflix soon enough.
One of the most telling reactions to Haiti's devastation came to me over the radio, when a reporter was trying to describe the scene before his eyes. This veteran journalist was watching a little girl whose lips were shivering from cold and trauma. Every other moment he would stop to take a deep breath and steady himself before going on. Finally, however, the sight before him was too much, and the reporter's voice broke as he cut the interview short.
Later that day, people wrote and called in their responses, some of them berating the reporter for not maintaining a professional distance and impartial tone. I have yet to report a tragedy like that firsthand, but I was appalled at those demanding an "impartial tone" from a man staring at a hurting child. Journalism certainly deserves to be called out for sensationalized reporting at times, but only because that distorts the true picture. At its best, journalism pieces together truth we might otherwise miss. In this case, it was easier to miss the truth than hear something so heartbreaking.
It's so much easier to debate Haiti's "curse" than it is to face thousands of hurting faces. To say the homeless guy on the corner will spend the $5 on drugs and alcohol than to acknowledge that he has no place to sleep tonight. To distract ourselves into self-absorption again.
Jesus' own example encourages us to weep with those who weep, even though we know something better is on the other side (John 11:35). Part of redemption comes from acknowledging that "all creation groans" until Christ's return (Romans 8:22). And isn't part of denying ourselves looking to our brothers and sisters in need? The faces of Haiti show us who and where we could be but for God's mysterious grace. That's a grace that should humble us deeply, and shake us out of our distraction.
Intersecting Faith & Life: I don't know how God is calling you to respond to last week's earthquake in Haiti. Maybe it's through giving, maybe through prayer, maybe through a long-term sponsorship of a child, maybe in weeping for a fellow human being. But I do know the mandate of "doing for the least of these" means I'm not allowed to insulate myself against human suffering. Join me this week in praying, supporting, and weeping for our brothers and sisters in Haiti. And let's be ready to rejoice with them at the promise of resurrection.
Further Reading
Live with Haiti in Your Heart
Does God Hate Haiti?
:angel:
January 21, 2010
My List of the Most Influential Christian Books of the Last Decade
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
I devoted myself to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. What a heavy burden God has laid on men!
Ecclesiastes 1:13
Soon, our sister site Christianity.com will release a list (compiled mostly by smarter and more qualified people than me) of the books that have been the most important, most influential, most ground breaking to, by, and for Christians since the turn of the milennium. As one of the perks of my job is scoping out the many fantastic books that come across my desk as review copies from publishers, and being an avid reader myself, I've not been completely ignorant of the many inspirational and paradigm-altering titles that were published in the 2000s.
The books below excited me, challenged me, opened my eyes, or strengthened my spiritual walk in just the right way at just the right time. I wonder if they might not perform one of the same tasks for you.
Absence of one of your faves from this list is not in any way a detraction. It probably just means I didn't read it, or it didn't impact me (or I didn't perceive the impact on the culture) the way these others did.
unChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks about Christianity, by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons (Baker Books, 2007).
The Culturally-Savvy Christian, by Dick Staub (John Wiley & Sons, 2007).
Evangelical Feminism: A New Path to Liberalism? by Wayne Grudem (Crossway, 2006).
Heaven, by Randy Alcorn (Tyndale House, 2004).
Blue Like Jazz, by Donald Miller (Thomas Nelson, 2003).
Wild at Heart, by John Eldredge (Thomas Nelson, 2002).
Real Sex: The Naked Truth about Chastity, by Lauren Winner (Baker Books, 2006).
Vintage Church, by Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears (Crossway, 2009).
Worship Matters, by Bob Kauflin & Paul Baloche (Crossway, 2008).
Epic, by John Eldredge (Thomas Nelson, 2004).
Intersecting Faith & Life: Don't neglect enriching yourself and the depth of your faith by reading the words of others God has blessed with wisdom, knowledge, and fresh takes - even those you disagree with can help you grow! Consider checking out one of the above titles or another recommended book today.
:angel:
January 22, 2010
Those Pesky Land Mines
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.
Joshua 1:9
I stepped on a land mine recently, and I lived to tell. Actually, I'm quite battered and bruised, but I was able to walk away still relatively intact.
I'm speaking figuratively, of course, as I am not engaged in military battle nor do I live in a war-torn country where there might be real, live explosive devices such as these buried in the ground.
Regardless of the specifics of the situation, I realize that all of life is really a battlefield with land mines that are set to go off at any moment, anywhere and everywhere around us. We never know when we will encounter a situation that will blow up in our faces on a weekly, or even daily, basis.
I think it's no coincidence that I've also been continuing my study of Psalm 23—pondering more on "rest" and "lying down in green pastures"—as well as considering my priorities and private world by rereading the book, Simplify: 106 Ways to Uncomplicate Your Life, by Paul Borthwick (Authentic Publishing).
But back to land mines ... if you've ever been blindsided by one, then you know it can leave you scarred. And it will mess with your mind, your heart and your resolve.
Isaiah 43:2 came to me shortly after I was hit:
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.
Notice this verse does not say "if" but "when." That means we can expect to encounter a land mine or two. But should we then live in fear? Not engage in life? Stay sequestered in our homes and forgo connecting with others or pursuing great opportunities?
No. It just means we must be prepared for whatever might happen. Being ready for spiritual battle requires time spent with the Lord and in His Word and in fellowship with seasoned believers. And all of that requires time, which means taking a hard look at our lives, at our schedules and at our priorities.
I am learning that I really need this time in order to find "rest" in and to "wait" on the Lord. To be the sheep who is made to lie down in green pastures. And to soak up everything the Great Shepherd has to provide for my soul.
Borthwick says it well in Simplify:
When we simplify—taking attention off ourselves and looking to Almighty God—we find refreshment for our spirits and relief from our tensions. The needs of the world fall under God's responsibility. He ordains us to participate, but our frantic pace implies that God is helpless without our help. He sent us a Messiah (Jesus) so that we can find rest and fulfillment in Him.
It's interesting that a land mine quickly slowed my "frantic pace" and caused me to immediately find a green pasture. This time of introspection, of quiet and of restoration has been refreshment for my weary soul. My heart has been badly dinged, yes, but the Lord has applied a soothing balm and has comforted me with his Truth.
Like you, I am a member of the "walking wounded" and know that each day brings forth its own unexpected disturbances and hurtful moments. Join me in taking time to rest in the Lord today, so that we will be ready wherever we tread in tomorrow's battlefield.
Intersecting Faith & Life: How are you preparing yourself today for the next potential land mine in your life? Is there clutter (activities, relationships, anything that is diverting you and impeding your Christian walk) that needs to be cleared, so that you can regularly look to the Lord and be renewed? Make any necessary changes, and make time to study in the Word and to hear from the Father.
Further Reading:
Isaiah 41:10
Psalm 27
:angel:
January 25, 2010
Sharing the Good News
Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
I have not hid thy saving help within my heart, I have spoken of thy faithfulness and thy salvation.
Psalm 40: 10
Rule number one of polite conversation: Never talk about religion or politics.
I was on a train from New York to Richmond when a young man took the seat next to me. At first, we kept to ourselves, I immersed in St. Therese's Story of a Soul and he flipping through a magazine. At some point in the 7-hour journey, he glanced at the cover of my book, and observing the black-and-white picture of a nun on the cover, inquired about my faith.
I affirmed, that yes, I was Christian. He looked at my youthful features and back at the old-fashioned book.
"Interesting. I don't know much about your religion."
"What's your background?"
"I'm Muslim."
I eyed his American clothing, short hair, and clean-shaven face. Now I was intrigued.
"Really? How did 9-11 affect you?"
The question slipped out before I had time to think. But what unfolded was a fascinating conversation. I learned this young American was unsure of his beliefs, and that back at college he was dating a girl from a Christian background who also struggled. He had many questions about why a young person like me would decide to commit my life to Christ - even when it meant living differently than my peers.
Looking back on that conversation, I see it was the work of the Holy Spirit that allowed me, an introvert, to delve into those tough topics with such ease and clarity with a complete stranger. I also marvel at the fact that he seemed just as comfortable as I was. We parted ways upon the train's arrival to Richmond, wishing each other the best in life.
Today's cultural climate can make sharing the Gospel feel intimidating, but the conversation on that train proved to me that it doesn't require a Ph.D. in apologetics or an ordination from an impressive seminary to effectively discuss matters of faith. People like you and me can have a powerful impact on many. I've had the opportunity to discuss matter of faith many more times since that conversation. Here are a few lessons I've learned in the past several years that may be of help to you, especially if you have a more reserved personality like me:
Show respect. I am increasingly seeing that true evangelizing is more about relationship than "rightness." Few people respond well to pushy preaching or pride-filled debates. Try showing a genuine interest in and respect for others' ideas and beliefs, even if you don't agree with them.
Be yourself. Share your faith in a way that is natural to you and to the other person. Don't feel pressured to throw around fancy words or tell miraculous tales if that's not how you normally talk. God loves to work through our natural gifts - I have one friend whose beautiful singing voice has inspired many to seek a closer relationship with God.
Be knowledgeable. While we don't need to be scholars, I find the more I know about key tenets of my faith, the more I have to offer when a door opens for discussion. Constantly expand your knowledge so that you will "always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you." (1 Pe 3: 15)
Remember that Christ is the only Savior. While it is our job to share what God has done for us, it's not our job to convince a person to become Christian. Conversion is an individual's free will response to God's grace, not a product of coercion.
And lastly, for those of us who are really shy about speaking up about the faith, you may appreciate St. Francis of Assisi's approach:
"Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words."
If you and I seek to live godly lives, who knows how many people could come to know Christ through our actions alone?
Intersecting Faith & Life: Strike up a conversation with someone about the Christian faith this week and see where the Holy Spirit takes you.
Further Reading
Matthew 5: 13-16
1 Timothy 2: 3-6
Find Passion and Power for Evangelism :angel:
January 26, 2010
Lists, Liberty and Love
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"...if because of food your brother is hurt, you are no longer walking according to love.
Do not destroy with your food him for whom Christ died."
Romans 14:15
In 1955, Dr. Francis and Edith Schaeffer opened their home to help people with unanswered questions about God, faith, the Bible and their relevance to modern life. Students and seekers from all over Europe and the world trekked up to their chalet perched high in the Swiss Alps where they heard and saw Christian theology applied to all of life. Fortunately, the well-preserved written record of the Schaeffers' lives and ministry allows us to follow their trail of thought, be discipled by them, and discover a bit of what made their message so worth hearing.
Just prior to the launching of their most fruitful ministry years in post WW II Europe with L'Abri (French for "shelter") Francis had to face down a severe crisis of joylessness. What came out of that crisis is the content of his book, True Spirituality, without which there would have been no L'Abri ministry. Who would want to hear the religious ramblings of a joyless person? Not me. And, I suspect, not you either.
In chapter one of True Spirituality Dr. Schaeffer talks about living the Christian life. After being born again, what does one do exactly? He recalls a discussion about this with some students one Saturday night at L'Abri. Some talked about lists of taboos—that as long as you didn't do certain things deemed to be un-Christian, you would be spiritual. Others criticized the list mentality and spoke in favor of a more lax Christian life. No, no, no objects Schaeffer. "The true Christian life is not merely a negative not-doing of any small list of things. But neither do we come to the true Christian life merely be rejecting the list and then shrugging our shoulders and living a looser life."
Schaeffer took his students to the law of love spoken of in Romans 14:15. According to this text, no Christian may entertain thoughts of living a looser life. Here, we are commanded to walk according to love. The text says, "If because of food your brother is hurt, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy with your food him for whom Christ died."
"This is an absolute declaration that we are to do this," Schaeffer said (i.e. walking according to love). He went on, " it is perfectly true that we cannot be saved by doing this; we cannot do this in our own strength; and none of us do this perfectly in this life. Nevertheless... it is the absolute command of God."
Now, if Christ is your Lord, you are under His command and you do what He says, right? First John 5:2-3 says, "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome."
Francis Schaeffer observed that this command to walk according to love soon leads us to discover that rather than leading into a looser life, the law of love moves us into "something much more profound and heart-searching. Having gone deeper, we find that we will be observing some of the taboos on the lists for a completely different reason... we have seen that some of those things are helpful to other people."
What a concept to instill in a new believer—being helpful to others. Could it be so simple that true liberty is being set free from the tyranny of a mind bent on pleasing the self? Without saying it directly, Schaeffer has put his finger squarely on the core problem plaguing both the legalist and the libertine: both are driven to please self, not Christ, not others. But as the text goes on to say, "the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit," (Romans 14:17). This righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit can only accompany the one who is walking in love.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Are you joyless? Discontent? Pray for an "others-oriented mindset" that is fueled by the power of the Holy Spirit through the Word of God. "Walking according to love" is the only thing that can keep you from falling off the narrow path into either extreme—living loosely on the one hand, or being a Pharisee that merely holds to an accepted list so that others will think well of you.
Further Reading/Listening:
Worldliness, by C.J. Mahaney
How do we maintain a life of consistent spiritual discipline? by Chip Ingram (audio) :angel:
January 27, 2010
Getting Rid of Pineapple Hospitality
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality." - Romans 12:13
On Friday night, my house will be clean. The kitchen will sparkle like one from Better Homes and Garden, the guest room curtains will gently ripple in the breeze, and - best of all - my guests and friends will feel such warmth that they never want to leave.
Ever had that dream?
The impending arrival of friends has made me reconsider just what it means to practice hospitality. Part of me knows that the house is just not "ready" for guests - I don't even have a pineapple tacked on the wall at this point. Granted, the boxes have diminished, but I don't consider my house properly "finished" yet. The guest bedroom door isn't painted, the handle keeps falling off the bathroom sink fixture, and the list goes on. For that reason, part of me feels like I can't offer my guests "real" hospitality.
Ever lived that reality?
So what does hospitality mean? The dictionary definition of hospitality surprised me. Hospitality is "the quality or disposition of receiving and treating guests and strangers in a warm, friendly, generous way." Not one word about wowing the guests with the food, the after-dinner entertainment, or even the surroundings. The very definition takes the focus off of things and puts it back where it belongs - on people and fellowship. It's an attitude as well as an action.
Many of my favorite growing-up memories feature a table with lots of people around it. I remember laughter, encouraging conversation, challenging conversation. My parents still love to invite people they meet at church back to the house for brunch, even though many of their guests are total strangers two hours prior to the meal. They ask people about their lives and share their own. They don't put on a show, but they do offer authenticity and a desire to encourage others.
My house sure isn't perfect, but then, neither am I. Neither are the people who walk through my door. Waiting until the house is perfect actually signals a pride issue for me, because it's an excuse not to offer what I do have. I want to be like Lydia in Acts, who probably hadn't planned to shelter the disciples at her house until she asked them. She just saw the need and shared what she could. I desire that kind of heart, a heart that can share God's gifts of love, provision, and joy.
I think human hospitality is actually a pale reflection of how God welcomes us into His house. I can offer food, shelter, and company - He offers the bread of life, shelter from the storms, and a relationship with Him. I was the stranger in desperate need of His hospitality, and He opened the door. How's that for a precedent?
When my friends arrive on Friday, it'll be okay if I missed a cobweb. If the fireplace is still boarded over because of a leaky flue. And if a stray box or two is still in the living room, my friends will probably chuckle and ask how the unpacking is going. Then we'll swap stories about their own recent moves and laugh at old trinkets we've rediscovered, like my husband's guitar. And my prayer is that throughout the course of the evening, we'll encourage each other in the new directions that God is pushes us. Yep. That's what hospitality means.
Intersection of Faith & Life: I want to view my home as not just a place to eat and sleep. I want it to be a place where ministry happens and God touches people, and that means taking the opportunities to see Him work. What opportunities do you have to practice hospitality? Are you letting appearances hold you back? Or are you ready to invite others into welcome and caring atmosphere?
Further Reading:
The Reluctant Entertainer: Hospitality is a Gift You Can Give
Trying Too Hard to Be Perfect?
1 Peter 4:9
Matthew 25:35-46
:angel:
January 28, 2010
The Month of Love
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Husbands, go all out in your love for your wives, exactly as Christ did for the church - a love marked by giving, not getting.
Ephesians 5:25, The Message
For once in my marriage, I really did something right.
My wife's name is Valerie - Val for short - so she's always held Valentine's Day in even higher esteem than most women. Not only that, but her birthday is March 15 (a.k.a. the Ides of March - I failed to beware), so she's always believed that February 14 though March 15 = "The Month of Love" = it's all about her for one-twelfth of the year.
One year, I decided to agree. Each morning for 31 days when she woke up, there was a small hand-made red envelope (amazing what useful skills one can learn watching children's programming) stuck on some wall of our house. Written in sparkly marker (chicks dig the sparklies) on the outside of the envelope was one of her top character qualities. Inside the envelope was a Bible memory verse related to that quality. Embedded in the memory verse was a clue to where a small hidden gift could be found in or around our home.
I just thought this could be a nice little way to tell her I love her. Boy was I short-sighted. I could have bought her the Taj Mahal and she wouldn't have appreciated it more, been more thoroughly impressed. "He went to Jared"? No way. He went to PBS and Ben Franklin. But already Val is considering how to pass this story down to our grandchildren. She says I will never top myself. And she was saying these things before she even knew about the surprise at the end when all the envelopes could be arranged so that the first letter of each character quality would spell out the grand prize: that she had her choice of a new wardrobe, upgraded wedding ring, or vacation, any of which would be shopped for together, 'cause she's big on that. Of course, this was back when she was working, so we had money in the bank. Even so, she never took me up on the grand prize. I can't say I wasn't a little bit disappointed, but she was definitely exercising the wisdom of foresight. And anyway, to her, the biggest gift had already been received.
Valerie thinks this took me ages to dream up and hours to prepare, but it took me about 10 minutes per day, plus a weekly trip to the store to stock up on a few minor gifts. But the outcome net me - if not crowns in Heaven - at least major returns in this life. Anytime a group of gals gathers together and asks each other, "What the best gift you've ever received," I get bragged upon. Several times during the Month of Love itself I was told to take an evening to myself and go see a movie. And I learned something I thought I already knew - diamonds aren't a girl's best friend. Her husband is, if he even shows a rhinestone's-worth of interest in her.
Not every wife speaks the same "Love Language." I know some who truly would have preferred a simple one-time big purchase. Some would just be satisfied with a husband who washed dishes and dusted shelves. But this I can be fairly sure in saying about wives: what all of them really want is a husband that makes an effort to understand them and speak their language, whatever it is, without being told. Yeah, I know, and all one has to do to make millions in the majors is hit a curveball. But unlike the major leagues, in marriage, most of the time, simply making the effort is appreciated.
Intersecting Faith & Life: If you haven't already, read The Five Love Languages with your spouse. Once you learn what says, "I love you" to him or her, come up with a special way of saying so.
Further Reading
Hebrews 13:4
Languages of Love
:angel:
January 29, 2010
Speak, for Your Servant is Listening
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" Then Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening."
1 Samuel 3:10
I am ending this month as I began it: De-cluttering!
Never has the nearby trash dumpster seen so much action from the likes of me. And never have my closets, cabinets and shelves been so streamlined and organized. The feeling is really quite liberating, as I've freed myself of unnecessary items that have just been sitting there taking up space and clogging my world.
I've also been de-cluttering other areas of my life, too—from forgoing certain television shows that are not good for my thinking to limiting time spent online or in virtual interaction to how many activities are crammed into my weekly social calendar to my current priorities and my long-range goals. In the most simplified of terms, it was looking like this: too much of the world and not enough of God. Can you relate?
So, as December was winding down—and I had some vacation time to sit still and ponder—I realized that there wasn't enough room for God in my life. Once again, I had filled it with so many other things (figuratively and literally), and this was affecting my overall spiritual health and time spent with the Lord.
I'll admit that it's not fun cutting out some of these things from my life. But in making these hard decisions, I've seen how I am watching and waiting and listening for God more. Why? Because I have time and I have space! I have made myself more available, so I'm ready to recognize his voice when he is speaking into my life.
Unlike the story of young Samuel (1 Samuel 3), I am not still a child, nor still early on in my faith nor have I ever heard God's voice audibly in direct revelation. I also may have a few more responsibilities or concerns in my life right now than a young boy did in Bible times. But I can still learn from his example ...
Samuel was still (resting) when he heard from God. Not tidying up the temple, not preparing food for guests, not doing more after-hours Levitical research or training. No, Samuel was lying down near the Ark of the Covenant. There was apparently time set aside in his schedule to be still and perhaps go to bed early (gasp!). And in the quiet of the night, he heard the Lord.
Samuel received confirmation from a spiritual elder. Eli was a priest and therefore older and wiser in the faith. Samuel had been entrusted to his care to be trained for the Lord's service in the temple. Eli probably knew the heart of this young boy very well. When Samuel described what he heard to him, it was Eli who recognized that it was the voice of the Lord. He wisely told Samuel to answer the call when he heard it.
Samuel responded and immediately submitted himself to God. There was no hesitation and no "tell me what you want first and I'll think about it" type of discussion. Samuel's heart was open (and had been prepared, no doubt, from his training by Eli and by his growing love for the Lord), he obeyed and was ready to receive the Lord's message and serve him.
So much to take away here, isn't there? Is there a time in my day when I am still and resting before the Lord? When I am only focused on hearing from him? How about you?
And then do I have close fellowship and accountability with a spiritual mentor? Am I opening my life to someone who is a well-seasoned and trusted believer and can help me see what I am missing or hear what the Lord might be saying to me? How about you?
Or what about my response? How I do answer in whatever God is calling me to do? Am I submissive? Am I giving up whatever my agenda is in order to do His will? Do I have a servant's heart no matter what? How about you?
Like Samuel, I hope that each of us is ready to say to the Lord today: "Speak, for your servant is listening."
Intersecting Faith & Life: How long has it been since you've heard from the Lord? Is there too much going on? What activities, relationships or priorities in your life could be blocking his voice? Take some time this weekend pouring over your calendar, your checkbook and your Bible (whatever you need to give you a snapshot of your heart and of your life), and ask the Lord to help you listen as He speaks to you.
Further Reading:
James 1:22-25
Psalm 19
How I Stopped Striving and Started Resting in Him
:angel:
Feb 2, 2010
Pop Quizzes
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"...covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints
...but rather giving of thanks."
Ephesians 5:3-4 NKJV
"Clear your desks. Take out a blank sheet of paper and a #2 pencil. Write your name and today's date in the top right corner..." Years later, I can still hear the sound of Mr. Young's voice intoning above the moans and groans in our 7th grade classroom. Maybe you had the same kind of teacher... every day was a potential pop quiz day.
Although it wasn't much fun facing the unexpected pressure of a pop quiz, I can see looking back that Mr. Young's intent was to teach me to think hard when reading assignments were given and to listen carefully during lectures. I recall that the answers on the quiz were usually fairly obvious as long as I was half-way plugged into what was going on in class. Rarely, if ever, were the quiz questions about any sort of new or obscure information. This was just his way to review material we had already read or heard.
Now, I see every day has a potential pop quiz day of another sort. Something happens daily to test the reality of my love for God and others. And, like Mr. Young's pop quizzes, it's usually a matter of review. That doesn't mean that the A-plusses come easily though. Often, the pop quizzes of life are about desires going on within my heart—desires balancing on the razor's edge between contentment and covetousness. As the Scripture passage above says, the only response that scores an A+ in these pop quizzes of life is having a thankful heart at the very moment I don't get something I want.
The reading this week in chapter one of Francis Schaeffer's True Spirituality may not be anything new or obscure to you, but it's certainly good review. Following on the heels of last week's teaching about serving Christ and others in love, Schaeffer speaks further on the matter of what authentic Christians actually do in the living of the Christian life. And his emphasis is, again, on the inward state of the heart.
"I think there are two practical tests as to when we are coveting against God or men; first, I am to love God enough to be contented; second, I am to love men enough not to envy."
"When we talk of the Christian life or true spirituality, when we talk about freedom from the bonds of sin, we must be wrestling with the inward problems of not coveting against God and men, of loving God and men..."
"This immediately raises a question. Does this mean that any desire is coveting and therefore sinful? The Bible makes plain that this is not so—all desire is not sin. When does proper desire become coveting? When it fails to include love of God or men..."
"Even our natural and proper desires bring us into revolt against God. God has made us with proper desires, but if there is not a proper contentment on my part, to this extent I am in revolt against God..."
"When I lack proper contentment, I have forgotten that God is God."
"A quiet disposition and a heart giving thanks is the real test of the extent to which we love and trust God at that moment."
So, a quiet and contented heart is one that yields its desires—even its proper desires—to God at all times. There is never a spirit of entitlement in a heart that is full of genuine faith toward the Lord.
In the face of such a high standard, do we despair?
Yes, if we are striving in our own strength.
No, if we believe in the reality of the Holy Spirit.
If we cease striving and rest knowing that contentment is accomplished by the Holy Spirit's work of inward heart change (Jer. 31:34, Ezek. 36:26), there will be peace and constant giving of thanks. This is something for which we must trust Him. It can never be accomplished by attempting to keep rules outwardly. Such a strategy only leads to a heart that spirals further and further downward in pride, personal deception and revolt against God. What's the proof of such a condition? One failed "pop quiz" after another.
It is the rigorous internal standard of "thou shalt not covet" that finally humbles us. This was the commandment that convinced Saul the "perfect" Pharisee of his sinful state (Romans 7:7-9), remember? But being brought down in humility casts us safely into dependence on God; and the fruit of dependence is "giving of thanks for all things" which, by the way, is commanded of us in Ephesians 5:20.
Ephesians 5:15-20 "See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, 20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Intersecting Faith & Life:
What's your "pop quiz average" lately?
On the basis of His covenant promises (Jer. 31:34, Ezek. 36:26), daily ask God to do His supernatural work of heart change in you and fill you with His Spirit (Eph. 5:18) so that you might do what is humanly impossible—give thanks always for all things.
Further Listening:
Psalm 62, song by Aaron Keyes
:angel:
February 3, 2010
A Song for the Snow
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry... He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord." - Psalm 40:1,3
I have previously written of the hilarity that ensues when Virginia wakes up to a blanket of snow. It's true that I have not had much experience getting stuck in the stuff myself. My idea of roughing it has included a snowsuit, an hour of playfulness, and then an afternoon of curling up by the fire with a good book in my own house. After this weekend, however, I can count myself among the woeful victims of southern incompetence in the snow.
"Woeful" is perhaps an exaggeration, as my weekend still involved a warm house after an hour of playfulness. It's just that the house was three hours from my own, and I was supposed to be home, not stuck in the mountains. But the roads' lack of guardrails and our lack of four-wheel drive extended this whimsical getaway beyond the expected.
My fellow snow-day partakers included a delightful mix of thoughtful, hilarious, and gracious women, but the mood visibly fell when we realized it would be another 24 hours until we could escape each other's company. All of us thought of the husbands, kids, family, and ordinary comforts awaiting us back in Richmond. The trials of waiting an extra day - and potentially burning vacation time with people I liked! - had me calling home with a voice that, I confess, had a little quaver.
Granted, if we had left when we had planned to leave, I would have never faced down the growling pit bull (true story). Several irreplaceable memories and inside jokes would have waited for another time, if they happened at all. I would not have had to readjust my attitude because everything would have gone my way. I would have missed the blinding sunshine and quiet contentment of a snowy country road with beautiful friends.
God's grace shines so much more clearly in hindsight, doesn't it?
As we roadtripped back home, I thought of my teary phone call with some humor. The Lord really had put a "new song" in my mouth for that extra day, and made me slow down long enough to hear it. The desires of my impatient heart could not outlast that.
Intersecting Faith & Life: True joy finds its source and inspiration in God. Too often, I want God to sing my own song, to follow along my own plans, rather than replace it with a "new song." And yet, some of my best memories are from times when I was clearly not in charge of a situation. Are you willing to sit quietly and wait for this new theme?
:angel:
February 4, 2010
The Temporary Non-Path of Patience
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.
James 5:7-8
We all know that patience isn't easy, or fun. What is is, though, is the path of the wise. Or, perhaps it's better to say the "non-path," since it usually involves a decision to do nothing for a while, to be still and know that you are not God, to reflect, or to strategize.
I recently gained new insight into the value of patience and the reason it's prized so highly in the Bible, from verses about "those who wait on the Lord" to "letting endurance have its perfect result."
I've just finished a month racing through a blog of the first five seasons of the TV show LOST. The series is replete with Christo-religious metaphors and parallels. One such area it studies in detail is patience. Early on, one of the characters tells another that "Patience, which you lack, is the quality of a leader." It almost flew right by me, like it did the first time. Patience? The quality of a leader? Does that sound right? Not really, not to today's ears. Don't we usually think of leaders as people who make immediate, command decisions, rush into action, tell others what to do, and make people feel safe (i.e. how they think they need to feel)?
That's part of it, however, those are the very flaws about the concept that plague most of the characters on LOST. They are so driven to do, fix, run, save, correct, fight, and prove that they don't take time to actually ponder the next step or, even better, wait for the next step to present itself. Their lack of wisdom in making these rush decisions and actions is obvious to the audience, who keeps wondering why they can't remember the miracles they've already seen, why they can't reflect on what they've already come through, the amazing ways they've been granted second chances, the redemption they've been given despite not deserving it, the way they keep longing for home while failing to realize they're building a new one (if they could just slow down and see it).
As I watched it all unfold, I was reminded of the children of Israel. Granted, 40 years in a desert would be a long time to wait for anything, particularly a promised new home. So they grumbled. They longed for the old ways, even though those meant bondage and servitude. They failed to stop and understand that the miracles of manna and the Red Sea meant more were on the way - at the right time. They nagged their leadership, sought unproductive solutions, and just like the characters on LOST, were plagued by always feeling they had to do something, to take control. The paradox is that control is indeed involved, but it's self-control instead of situational control. Relax. Quiet yourself. Let's remember where we came from and the amazing ways we passed through peril for a while. Let's reflect on the present - the fact we're here - and how amazing the Lord is. Let's ponder our future steps before rushing up them and tripping.
Patience - the "strengthening of the heart" James suggests - then is directly related to another fruit of the Spirit, self-control. Self-control thus leads to maturity, which is completeness, which is wisdom, which is leadership, which is purpose, which is ministry, which is being used of God, which is where we see miracles again. Full-circle we come, eventually, when we patiently wait on the Lord, who is never late and perpetually victorious.
Situational control may provide temporary satisfaction, but it also often makes a situation worse. Patience is a willing temporary dissatiscation, but it puts your emotions under control and God in control. It might make a situation feel like it's not getting better, but the solution can only be miraculous with it as part of the equation. Patience prevents rash judgment, and judgmentalism. It secures a plan. It is a beautiful paradox of being a non-action and yet a conscious exercise of free will. It is the basis for the merciful ways the Lord deals with us. Patience provides the path in proper time, and promises that faith will be rewarded.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Practice patience this week by seeking not to pursue control in one particularly vexing portion of your life, and ponder whether it's indeed your problem to solve in the first place. Start by remembering the miracle of how God got your attention and delivered you, and his promise that the great work he began in you will not remain incomplete, no matter how long it takes. What miracle will be next? Wait and see. "You will know that I am the LORD; Those who hopefully wait for Me will not be put to shame (Isaiah 49:23)."
Further Reading
Galatians 5:22
Hebrews 6:12
1 Corinthians 4:5
Isaiah 40:31
:angel:
February 5, 2010
What Are You Looking At?
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
2 Corinthians 4:18
In "a previous life" and in a different job, I worked in a bull-pen situation.
For those of you who have not experienced this type of work environment, imagine this if you will: A narrow room of maybe 100 x 300 feet. Four or five windows along the length of one wall (so plenty of natural light, thankfully). Exposed brick. Hardwood floors. High ceilings. Open-concept layout with desks for about up to 10 people.
Employees hollered across the room at one another to relay information, instead of phoning or instant-messaging. And most of the time, we would all just roll our office chairs across the floor to make our way from desk to desk.
Add in 10+ hour work days, music blaring (at each work station), phones ringing, keyboards click-clacking, voices chatting, a disco ball (literally) that came out after dusk ... and well, you get the picture. Crazy as it were.
This was my life for about a year or so. But somehow, I learned to focus and get my job done despite all of the distractions. Looking back, I have no idea how I did it. I even did some writing while in this type of environment! Go figure. Most people require peace and quiet so that they may collect their thoughts and let the creativity flow uninterrupted. But in my situation, I had no choice. It was sink or swim.
Thankfully (and as fun as they actually could be at times), those circumstances were only temporary and didn't last long. Nowadays, I have my own office again and am able to get my work done in a relatively calm environment. But you know what? I have trouble focusing!
Unbelievable, I know. But when I do a little personal inventory to figure out what's distracting me, I see that it's internal. It's all in my mind!
There's no one rolling past me in their chairs. No phones ringing or loud music playing. The only noise is in my head. Life issues, mostly. In fact, I just made a list of 10 things that are distracting me right now and feel like they are sweeping over my life. They all seem to be crashing in and keeping me from the task at hand. They are "demanding" my attention and my natural response is to drop what I'm doing. To worry. To grow anxious.
Much like the disciples did when a storm overtook them in the Sea of Galilee (Matthew 8:23-27), I am not putting my faith in the Lord. "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Jesus asked the disciples. I must ask myself the same question today. If God has power over all of nature, doesn't he also have control over all of the elements affecting my life? A thousand times yes!
"What kind of man is this?" asked the disciples after Jesus calmed the storm. "Even the winds and the waves obey him!"
No matter what we see overtaking our lives today, let's resolve to put our faith and our focus in what is unseen: the Lord of all creation, the Almighty God.
Intersecting Faith & Life: What are you looking at today? Are temporal things distracting you? Make a list of everything that has got your mind tied up in knots. Pray through these items and ask the Lord to help you not be overwhelmed by what you see and to fix your eyes on what is eternal. Know that he has a plan and purpose for your life and is always working, even when you can't see what he's doing.
Further Reading:
Hebrews 3:1
Proverbs 4:25
:angel:
February 8, 2010
Truth or Love?
Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com's Family Editor
Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. Ephesians 4:15 NIV
"Love takes up where knowledge leaves off." ~ St. Thomas Aquinas
It's a common quote among Christians: "Speak the truth in love." It's also one of the greatest challenges of being Christian. Even those unfamiliar with the Christian faith and this scripture verse battle with balancing truth and love. It is why the "white lie" - a common tactic to avoid sharing unflattering truths to loved ones - is so popular.
I recently had a conversation with a Christian struggling with this tension between truth and love. A zealous soul, this Christian is convicted in the truth and concerned that many will die without the truth. His concern, no doubt, is born out of love. But his delivery of the truth often does not reveal love for the recipient. Unsure of how to proceed, and fearful of watering down the truth, he has come to the conclusion that some are called to focus more on love while others are called to focus more on truth.
I think this struggling Christian's conclusion hits at the heart of the dilemma. In our broken, splintered natures, we tend to see truth and love as opposing forces - at best, difficult to reconcile. Yet this perception that there is tension between truth and love can prove fatal. Putting truth on one end of the spectrum and love on the other, we are forced into measuring each situation on a linear plane. "Hmmm, should I err more towards the truth end or the love end today?"
It only takes a little imagination to see how this approach fails. How many times have we encountered a person that "chose love" and glossed over the truth? We see souls confused and dying in the wake of this person. While "love" may have been the intent, their victims have not been loved.
And how many times have we encountered a person who spat cruel words in the name of truth? While illumination (or perhaps justice) was the goal of this person, we clearly see that those left in their wake have bitter souls, scarred and blinded to the truth.
Ultimately, Scripture reveals that God is both Truth and Love. If this is the case, the two cannot be contradictory or incompatible.
So where does that leave us?
Scripture tells us we cannot do anything "against the truth" (2 Cor 13: 8) while also emphasizing that "whoever does not love does not know God." (1 John 4: 8)
This message doesn't offer us the luxury of a simple, clear-cut gameplan to every situation we will ever encounter. But it does leave us with confidence that as we grow in our relationship with God, we will also grow in our ability to approach the challenges of life with genuine truth and love.
I've also found it helpful to continually revisit my definitions of "truth" and "love" by examining the ways Christ lived out these two traits. Christ's love is both soft and tough. His expressions of truth are both merciful and just. He comprimises neither yet expresses them differently depending on the need.
The next time you find yourself battling with how to express something truthfully and lovingly, don't settle for choosing one over the other. Pause before you act and dig deeper. Allow God to lead you down his path of truth and love.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Which do you struggle with more? Speaking the truth or effectively expressing love? Pray about the reasons you get tripped up, and ask God to help you grow in your area of weakness.
Further Reading
1 Corinthians 13
:angel:
February 9, 2010
Romans 8:28 Does Not Mean Giving Thanks with a Plastic Smile
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those
who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."
Romans 8:28
Catastrophes like the recent earthquake in Haiti remind us that, indeed, we live in a sin-cursed world. Not only do tragedies like this cause thousand to lose their lives, they often leaves thousands more roiling in doubt and disbelief. Images of the horrors of human suffering stain our minds and can obscure our vision of the God who is there.
Closer to home, we experience the curse of sin in personal ways through losses or disappointments that grieve the heart. We may wonder in all honesty at such times what verses like Romans 8:28 mean. Does Christ His followers to simply put on a plastic smile and somehow grin and bear it?
Hardly.
Francis Schaeffer offers a helpful explanation to this dilemma in the first chapter of his classic book, True Spirituality. In fact, he says that a proper grasp of Romans 8:28 is crucial to understanding the world.
First of all, he takes care to point out that the Bible's view of life in the world is clear-eyed and realistic: At the Fall of man, everything became abnormal. The whole world is not what God made it to be. Therefore, Scripture verses like Romans 8:28 cannot be calling us to think...
"...that in some magical way everything is really fine when it isn't. Rather, we are to say "thank You Lord" knowing that God will somehow bring good ultimately, though we may not know how all the pieces fit together.
"It is not that Christians are to give thanks with a plastic smile, saying things are wonderful when they are hard.
It is knowing that the hard things are really hard things, a result of the abnormality of the Fall, yet not revolting
against God when the hard things come."
"We do honor to God and the finished work of Christ as we throw the words 'all things' in Romans 8:28 like a circle around all things..."
"...we are contented before God... not complacent about the suffering of the world."
In other words, Christ neither calls us to be indifferent nor to put on a plastic smile. Rather, we are to face the facts of hard reality and then sink our roots more deeply in who He is.
What a privilege that we who are naturally God's enemies can have a relationship of trusting Him—the faithful, sovereign, covenant keeping God who is incapable of failure. He makes and keeps great promises not only for His glory but for the ultimate good of those who are His.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
In what situations are you tempted to be shaken from trusting God?
Clearly, this is a sin-cursed world. Still, do you sometimes catch yourself expecting a rosy path? Why? What do we really deserve? (Read Romans 3:10-20)
Further Reading
Jonathan Edwards' sermon: "Men Are Naturally God's Enemies"
:angel:
February 10, 2010
Grace to Break the Cycle
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. - James 4:6b
"Why was Eve so stupid?!"
I displayed my own sin nature when I asked my mother that question at the age of eleven. With all the self-awareness a pre-teen can muster, I was doggedly sure that I would not have fallen into the same deception if I had been in Eve's place. She knew God's commandments. She knew the punishment was death. And then, on top of her original offense, she tried to shift the blame to the tempter, when her own hand had taken the forbidden fruit. I was positive that I would have stood firm, and berating poor Eve for the next couple weeks. Certainly, she bore the blame for the sin in my life thousands of years later.
Oh, the irony of pride.
Eve originated the blame game, but we are still busy perfecting it after all this time. The husband leaves his dishes by the couch, causing my temperature to rise every so slightly. I "ignore" the offense, but shrug off whatever question he happens to ask me next. He perceives the slight chill, and gets annoyed at my condescension. My decision to blame him a little gives way to resentment on his part, which will probably continue to escalate until the truth comes out and one of us does something radical. Like apologize.
The cycle that begins with finger-pointing doesn't end with two parties compromising. It ends when someone backs down from the right to continue. Christians should know this better than anyone, shouldn't we? We know that the decision of who is worthy of forgiveness is not ours, no matter how tempting it is. And so easily, we deceive ourselves into ignoring the perceived offense, telling ourselves it doesn't matter, because we aren't escalating the conflict. Or are we?
That would be too easy. Like so many other parts of our faith, we are called to go far beyond mere indifference - we're supposed to turn offense on its head by turning it into "blessing" (1 Peter 3:9).
A friend gave the example of two little girls on the playground. The snotty one say to another, "You're dress is so ugly! You're so ugly in that dress!" The girl wearing that dress could take the so-called high road by walking away from the conflict, and we would probably applaud her for it. But what if she looked at the snotty girl and said, "Well, your dress is really pretty!" and meant it? Wouldn't our mouths have fallen open?
That's the kind of radical grace that pours from a humbled heart.
Intersecting Faith & Life: What does it look like to humble ourselves in such a way that we can return blessing for blame and offense? We won't be capable of such Spirit-filled living until we give up the right to decide who is worthy of grace and leave that in God's hands.
Further Reading
Known by Our Fruit
Romans 12:21
:angel:
February 11, 2010
Ambition
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands.
1 Thessalonians 4:11
Quaint, right?
Be honest; read today's verse and then try telling your children that such is all they should aspire to; that, essentially, unheralded blue collar work should be their ambition. Aim high? Sounds more like settling for anonymity.
What could Paul be getting at? Sure there are times we all grow tired of the rat race and perhaps dream about a scenario where we forsake the city and a high-pressure job for a more pastoral setting, crafting furniture and knick-knacks, living in harmony. Is that what this verse is getting at?
Let's look deeper.
The Greek word philotim means to labor, endeavor, strive, study to become. It is used in three places in the New Testament. The first is quoted above, regarding ambition, which sounds not much like what we typically imagine when we think of things to be ambitious about.
Another place the word appears is Romans 15:20, where Paul writes, "And thus I aspired to preach the gospel..."
In 2 Corinthians 5:9 we read, "We have as our ambition... to be pleasing to Him."
Contrast these goals with the first defitinion under "ambition" on Dictionary.com:
1. an earnest desire for some type of achievement or distinction, as power, honor, fame, or wealth, and the willingness to strive for its attainment.
I thought so. The more I study, the more I philotim to know God, the more I understand how different the Word and the world really are. Perhaps folks who live in other parts of the globe are less shocked to learn such lessons. For me, born, raised, working, and raising children in these United States, the lesson is always one of dichotomy, paradox, and sadly wondering if I'm handicapped beyond repair from truly following.
One of my bosses is fond of saying that in business, it's crucial to determine early on whether a person you are dealing with is a "make me rich" or a "make me famous" person. Everyone, the story goes, is either one or the other at heart. And truly, according to the world's definition of ambition, that makes sense. We all have something we want that drives us.
Lately I've been wondering a lot at where this has gotten me. Everything I have done, accomplished, purposed, learned, studied (i.e. "philotim-ed") in life has led to... what, exactly? What goal? When I pray that the Lord would make my life useful and provide for me and let me know His will and keep me safe it's all so... what? So I can watch my TV programs every night without acid in my stomach and with an easy feeling in my chest? As opposed to having to really live by faith?
Today I read this quote by the English poet Samuel Johnson: "To be happy at home is the ultimate result of all ambition." Instantly my face fell. I knew that feeling all too well. All my aspirations only lead to the place of comfort, happiness, the path of least resistance. What's wrong with that? It quickly becomes a place that feels too far from God, too self-centered, too out of the loop, too far removed to be making a real difference.
So what then is the ambition of the Christ-follower?
Lead a quiet life
Attend to your own business
Work with your hands
Preach the gospel
Be pleasing to Him
In other words, don't stress yourself with fame, or getting and spending, always climbing, making more more more. Don't bother with being a busy-body or a gossip. Be creative; let God work through you. Tell others about Him. And live by faith.
It's so simple, almost too simple. Ambition isn't something far out there, some unabashed worldly success beyond our dreams, though that's where God may take us. It all goes back to the very reason God made man in the first place - to have someone to know Him.
And there's just not anything quaint about that.
Intersecting Faith & Life: The bulleted points above might sound too easy, too simple. And they can be. But when was the last time you made any or all of these your ambition? Pick one and practice it today, perhaps preaching the gospel to someone, perhaps seeking God's pleasure more than your own in any decisions you make.
Further Reading
What Motivates You?
Romans 15:20
2 Corinthians 5:9
:angel:
February 12, 2010
Don't Forget to ...
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. ... Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day.
Deuteronomy 8:2, 11
Whoever invented Post-it® Notes is my hero. Really. Truly.
If you came to my home, you would see at least one of these self-adhesive squares of paper somewhere, in some room, on some surface. At. All. Times. As my mind is aging, I really need all the help I can get to remember what I'm supposed to do. Where I'm supposed to go. Who I'm supposed to be with. And at what time.
Just yesterday, I wrote "Don't forget to bring in the cyclamens!" on a note and stuck it to my bathroom mirror to remind me to bring these little potted plants inside before the temperatures dipped below freezing overnight. It's safe to say I would have forgotten them had I not put this visual reminder to myself in a prominent place where I would see it (hello ... a mirror is a gal's best friend, yes?).
I use Post-it® Notes to remind me of other important things as well: grocery lists, chores, people to call, inspiration for writing projects and more. I'm so thankful that I have a found an effective way to get my attention so that I will take action and complete these tasks. These little scraps of paper are invaluable in reminding me and keeping me focused every day.
Back in Bible times, there weren't any of these types of handy-dandy items per se, but the people definitely had their own ways of remembering. Altars were built, geographical landmarks were given special names and temple ceremonies and family observances and rituals were constant reminders of where people had come from, what God had done, was doing and would do, and what his purposes were in their lives.
In Deuteronomy 8, Moses exhorted the Israelites not to forget what the Lord had done in bringing them through the wilderness:
Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years ... He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna ... Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years ... For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with streams and pools of water, with springs flowing in the valleys and the hills ... a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing ... When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God. ...
Oh, how easy it is to forget when we get to the other side of a test or a trial in our lives! We all do it, yes? We quickly close the chapter on what was uncomfortable and painful. On what made us unhappy. On what caused us fear or doubt or unrest.
And oh, how all of us would do well to look back with grateful hearts and thank the Lord for leading us through these "wilderness" times in our lives. For guiding us. For sustaining us. For not giving up on us when we gave up on him.
Whether you are in the wilderness today or if you are experiencing a time of prosperity in a "good land," let us remember who God is and what he has done, and what he is doing and promises to do in our lives in the days to come. Praise him and purpose not to forget!
Intersecting Faith & Life: Perhaps a particularly painful or trying time period in your life came to mind as you read the above devotional today. How did you feel then? And how do you feel now? List out the ways that God provided for you then and how he has blessed you since. Praise him for leading you and providing for you whether in times of plenty or want as you remember his blessings in your life.
Further Reading:
Genesis 22:1-18
Psalm 34:9-10
Philippians 4:19 :angel:
February 15, 2010
The Five Traits of Love
Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Genesis 1: 17
We love because he first loved us. 1 John 4: 19
Yesterday was Valentine's Day - the day of love. I personally enjoy Valentine's Day. I see nothing wrong with setting aside a special day when we all stop to reflect on love. One problem I do have, however, is how confused our culture is about love, especially romantic love. We are a people yearning for love, but looking for it in all the wrong places. We can see the symptoms of our struggles in the brokenness of families and frustrations of singles all around us.
What can we do about all the heartache and brokenness? Should we stop looking for love and become hermits?
Quite the opposite, I think. Scripture tells us that not only did God create love, he is love (1 John 4: 8). And he created us to know, receive, and give love. Instead of throwing love out the window as some unattainable goal, we need to refocus on God and learn from him.
Last summer, I took a fascinating college-level course where we dove into the rich teachings of the late pope John Paul II known as "Theology of the Body." Few others have articulated the scriptural truths about love, marriage, and sexuality in a way that resonates so much with the struggles of the modern world. In our studies, we looked closely at the way God loves and identified five characteristics that are present in godly love. These characteristics can be applied in many ways, but especially help clarify the often confusing journey that accompanies romantic love. Whenever one of these five "f's" becomes diminished, love starts to break down:
1. Faithful: Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies (Psalm 36: 5). How many of us get angry when we see a celebrity or politician cheating on his or her spouse? Most of us instinctively know that without faithfulness, a relationship cannot experience the trust and security needed for true love to thrive.
Some claim faithfulness is unrealistic - that men in particular are hardwired to cheat. But those who embrace this philosophy only cheat themselves. God has remained faithful to his people throughout the millennia when he had every reason to abandon us. We too are called to remain faithful to God and our loved ones for the brief time period we will walk this earth.
2. Free: Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom (2 Corinthians 3: 17). There may have been times when you've wished you could "make" a crush fall in love with you, but deep down, we all know true love cannot be coerced. This is why you and I were created with free will. God does not want to control us - he wants us to freely choose him, and he wants us to freely choose one another. Christian marriage must always be founded in freedom to be a valid union. This is why the pastor asks each spouse on the day of the wedding, "Have you come freely without reservation?"
Sadly, some do try to control their loved ones through manipulative or abusive behavior. The ensuing misery is evidence enough that true love is meant to be an act of free will.
3. Full: "Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name--the name you gave me--so that they may be one as we are one." (John 17: 11). "
"'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'..." (Matthew 19: 5) Our culture often portrays love like this: we take what we enjoy from a person, avoid what we don't, and give a little here and there until the relationship no longer suits us. This is a failure to love fully.
God's love holds nothing back; no secrets or barriers exist. His love does not say, "I'll take what I enjoy and leave the rest." The Trinity is a perfect union between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And Jesus gave his entire life for you and me, withholding nothing. It is only in loving fully that true intimacy can thrive. When a man and a woman marry, they are called to give everything - their entire selves, in service to each other and God.
4. Fruitful: "The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being (Genesis 2: 7).
"God blessed them and said to them, 'Be fruitful and increase in number" (Genesis 1: 26).
"I have come that they may have life" (John 10: 10). A key quality of godly love is its life-giving nature. Love is not meant to end where it started. God gave us life even though he didn't need us, and even when humanity stubbornly chose sin, decay, and death, God rescued us and gave us yet another chance at life through Christ. Married couples in particular have the privilege of bringing new life into the world through their love. This is a special calling - one that is all too often seen as a burden instead of a blessing in modern culture.
Of course, those who are unmarried or unable to conceive do not live fruitless lives when rooted in Christ. Wherever God's love is, life flourishes and death flees.
5. Forever: "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever" (1 Chronicles 16: 34). If you've ever been through a divorce, you know the unique pain that comes with a person failing to fulfill their promise of "forever love." Too often, our culture portrays love as something that can come and go. Couples live together and split up. Teens fall in and out of "love." But, true love is grounded in eternity and perseveres through temporary trials.
God does not say, "I will love you for a little while." One day, we will all face eternity and an eternal God - this is our goal. The love we've expressed in our lives, or failed to express, will be waiting for us in eternity.
Notice that of these five "f's" of love one is absent: feelings. While love may bring many feelings, scripture does not place much importance on feeling any particular emotion. True love is much bigger than the up's and down's of our feelings.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Think of your relationships. Are one of these five characteristics of love missing? Ask God for the grace to love as he loves.
Further Reading
1 Corinthians 13
:angel:
February 16, 2010
Good without God?
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"...although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened."
Romans 1:21
Many are professing loudly today that they can be "good without God." We Christians have a fairly good idea of what these people are trying to say. They haven't killed anybody. They work hard. They care for their families. They give to charity. They act as good citizens. On a superficial level, it's very easy to agree with them that they are decent people. We are thankful when such people are our neighbors, bosses and co-workers.
The rub comes whenever we probe more deeply than the superficial. At the heart of the issue is the struggle to define what "good" actually means. The natural man who claims to be "good without God" clearly wants to define "good" on his own terms; that he is "good" when compared to some other people who are "really bad."
Yet, such a relative definition of good doesn't wipe away the ultimate definition of good that has already been established by God. Romans 1:18-32 teaches that it is man's very desire to determine for himself what is good that God calls "futile... foolish... and darkened."
"Good" simply cannot be defined without reference to God. In fact, it deeply offends God when a creature whom He made strolls around on His earth pretending to be an autonomous arbiter of truth.
This really gets at the core of the offense of the Gospel. If you haven't personally witnessed any of the irate, prideful or self-justifying responses that such a message typically gets, you may want to check the content of your message. The true Gospel calls all human creatures—all pretenders to autonomy—to remember their Creator, bow in submission, glorify Him, and be thankful to Him.
The byproduct of such a tall order is that such submission actually ends up being in the best interest of the creature. Rather than continue fighting against the way things are, the creature who submits to God begins living the life of blessing in harmony with his Creator.
Francis Schaeffer dwells upon this as he talks about the essential element of thankfulness in the first chapter of his classic book, True Spirituality. As seemingly small, insignificant and optional as a thankful heart might appear at first glance, thankfulness turns out to actually be the litmus test for whether or not one truly believes in God.
"The beginning of men's rebellion against God was, and is, the lack of a thankful heart. They did not see themselves as creatures before their Creator...
The rebellion is a deliberate refusal to be the creature before the Creator, to the extent of being thankful.
"In a Christian understanding of contentment, we must see... there is a personal God. He is my Father since I have accepted Christ. Then surely when I do not trust Him, I am denying what I say I believe."
If ingratitude evidences lack of trust, and lack of trust means disbelief, then when we catch ourselves grumbling, we should really repent of disbelief. And it is disbelief that cuts the nerve of true spirituality. Schaeffer speaks out of his own experience here...
"The inward area is the first place of loss of true spirituality. The outward is always just a result of it."
The pathway back to true spirituality is the prayer that God answered in Mark 9:24—"Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief."
Yes, life is hard. We live in a sin-cursed and fallen world. Last Tuesday's Crosswalk the Devotional deals with that aspect of thankfulness in greater detail. In the face of fallen reality, we are not called to give thanks with a plastic smile. Neither are we called to be complacent in fighting against what is wrong in the world. But we can still be thankful—today—for all things in a way that pleases God.
And thankfulness is not optional. It is essential. That is, unless you are a creature trying to be good without God.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Pray for an opportunity to talk with someone today who is trying to be good without God. Relate to him/her in a positive way about his desire to be good, but also direct him to this deeper line of thinking in Romans 1. Is he thinking of himself as a creature made by God and accountable to God? Why not? Ask him if he is willing to examine his assumptions and beliefs.
Further Reading:
Why I Believe in God
:angel:
February 17, 2010
After the Fire
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze... Do not be afraid, for I am with you." - Isaiah 43:2b, 5a
Journal entry from Saturday, February 13:
There have been few times in my life when I've felt real fear. Insecurity, nervousness, apprehension, dread, unpleasantness, and all those other pseudo-fears are more well known to me. But today, when I thought I was going to lose my house, I felt the real thing.
And yet, I also felt grace and mercy. I suppose the protective sense of possession pushed me towards the kitchen fire instead of running away from it, but that's not what made me scream, "Oh God!" as a prayer. After I flung flour and baking soda on the blaze - for lack of a handy fire extinguisher - and saw the fireball relent for only a second, I ran to the back door and yelled for help. And amazingly, on a cold winter day in January, help was already there.
One neighbor was chatting with another in his driveway when he saw the smoke billowing out and heard me. Another was just bringing a load of groceries inside his house. Both ran for their fire extinguishers. And we needed both.
I met grace again when I prayed against logic for my husband to return from the grocery trip at that moment. I had done everything I could in the thick smoke, and was bolting out the front door as he stood fumbling for his house keys. Ten seconds later, after seeing a fireball that had spread to the cabinets, and realizing that there was nothing else he could do, the neighbors were at the door with those precious fire extinguishers. One almost put out the blaze before it sprang up again, and David realized he had to cut the power to turn off the burner. The second extinguisher put out the grease-fire-turned-kitchen-fire for good.
The fire department arrived a good three to five minutes later. I suppose that's fast, considering how quickly everything happened, but it wouldn't have been fast enough to prevent the fire from reaching inside the walls and ceiling, and probably our bedroom above the kitchen. Our neighbors' saved our house.
The final grace that morning was the friend at my side when we heard the dull boom and saw the orange flare. While I ran to do what I could and yell for immediate help, she ran for her phone upstairs and made the first 9-1-1 call. She also made sure I wasn't crazy enough to stay in the house beyond that critical window of time - I don't think my flight instincts suffered so badly, but it never hurts to have someone yelling "GET OUT!" at times like that. While David handled the insurance calls, she was the emotional support I needed after the shock. Chalk one up for adventures with friends.
Tonight, about eight hours after the kitchen fire that was too big to be called a grease fire, I still sit in my own house. The vibrating noise of a charcoal filter is coming from the kitchen, where the cleanup has already begun. The emergency smoke team has made two visits, and, although our whole house smells like greasy smoke, we've already started the recovery. We won't sleep here tonight, but we'll be back soon.
Right now, my overwhelming sense is thankfulness. Seriously. The moment when I realized I had dumped everything on the fire that I could and would have to leave was one of the worst moments of my life, because I had to run away from all the love David and I have put into this house. And all of those "coincidences" that came together to save the house - all of this humbles me. If we had had to wait for the fire department, I would not be writing this entry from my own house, and I would be learning the more uncomfortable side of Romans 8:28. Today, I see all the more clearly that I owe it all to grace. And that's actually something to celebrate.
Further Reading:
Isaiah 42:1-13
I Prayed for Zucchini
:angel:
February 18, 2010
Tsunami of Emotion and Understanding
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
"Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!"
Job 2:9
This week, I came across a story that is all at once heartbreaking and hope-giving, tragic and uplifting, devastating and determined.
This excellent article by the International Mission Board's Shawn Hendricks chronicles what has happened to and through one Christian family on India's east coast since the tsunamis of late 2004. I encourage you to check it out. If you do, it will effectively function as your devotional for today much better than what I am about to write in response to it.
In a real-world account of events straight from the Book of Job, Paramesvaran and Choodamani lost all three of their children the day after Christmas that year. My heart breaks for families who lose one child, much less three. Imagine having lost one of them who was in your arms but who you were just not strong enough to hold on to against the crushing force of so much water.
Imagine being mocked by your friends and family for your faith while you are suffering such tragedy and burying your own offspring.
Imagine being so full of grief you discuss a suicide pact.
But then... eventually... the clouds lift, first for one spouse who is gifted by a word from the Lord about the blessing that her husband survived when so many others did not. Then, later, the husband feels the tugging of the Lord letting him know that his children are safe with Jesus, they're okay, they're full of praise and life.
The real, personable, meaningful faith in God pulls the couple up, and back together. They are blessed with two new children. But beyond that...
...the fact they are alive and together allows them to become adoptive parents to TWENTY orphaned children. Each of them has come to a saving relationship with Jesus, several helping their new father preach the gospel throughout the area.
The example of the family, assisted by donations of Christians around the world, has "brought the Good News into areas that were once unreceptive to Christianity."
The ends of things are truly never known until later. Purpose is often invisible until it isn't. Damaging floods can become cleansing baptisms through the passage of time and reflections from fresh perspectives.
Job refused to curse God and die. He instead decided ultimately to acknowledge that nothing he ever had was his, and that the only thing worth living for was the knowledge that God is awesome, powerful, and beyond our comprehension. And yet, loves us beyond measure.
His story is not just a fable or morality tale. It can seem that way to our modern ears, which are unaccustomed to the reality of THAT much tragedy. But that much tragedy occurs all too frequently around our globe, and when it does, it should not shock me to the extent it did when I read this story. I feel like I should nod knowingly about the cost and fragility of life on this big blue ball, and how despite all the shaking and quaking there can still be a steady security when I give up any notions that I am god, that I am in control, that my job is to do anything with my time here but praise and share, worship and help, live and move and be every minute that he allows.
Intersecting Faith & Life: May God continue to bless the ministry of Paramesvaran and Choodamani, and increase the strength in them that was built from climbing out of their tragic valley. May I not complain today about events that matter not. May I continue to see God's hand in everything as long as I have eyes to take it all in. And should I or my loved ones suffer anywhere close to this much, may we never forget this example of coming out the other side reborn, making ministry from the madness.
:angel:
February 19, 2010
The Heart of a Champion
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
But thanks be to God!
He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:56-57
All Olympics, all the time. Know what I'm talking about? Either you're watching this week or you're not. And in my casa, we watch.
My love for observing competition and athletic prowess has been around for a long time. Football, baseball and basketball are fine, but I really prefer seeing something with a little more flair and abandon: gymnastics, ice skating, tennis, skiing, snowboarding, track and field, etc.
My fascination with these sports began as a child while watching ABC's "Wild World of Sports" on Saturday afternoons. Remember that program with Jim McKay as the host? The opening with the montage of sporting moments—including the final scene of a ski jumper crashing and burning at the end of a ski jump—was so dramatic and breathtaking. And who can forget the compelling, accompanying narration ...
Spanning the globe to bring you the constant variety in sports ...
The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat ...
The human drama of athletic competition ...
This is ABC's Wide World of Sports!
Words like "victory" and "defeat" are still ever present as I'm watching the current Olympic competition in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. There are athletes like 2006 Olympic gold medalist ice skater Evgeni Plushenko, who (as of press time) has returned to try and two-peat his way to gold (just like his hero, ice-skating legend Dick Button). In Evgeni, though, there seems to be an insatiable hunger to regain the glory he had achieved for himself four years ago. After his win at the Torino Olympics, he retired for a couple of years before lacing up his skates again and making a run for victory in Vancouver.
There are other athletes like the redheaded wonder Shaun White, who are compared to basketball great and super-athlete Michael Jordan as those who are focused on truly dominating their sport. Only 23, Shaun is a multi-hyphenate, as he is successful in both snowboarding and skateboarding. He wants to be the best and to raise the bar at every competition in which he participates. In fact, he even had his own Halfpipe ("Shaun's Secret Halfpipe") built in Colorado where he could practice and prepare for the Vancouver Olympics. He was hidden from his competition and the media, so that no one could see what daring and original moves he was working for the Olympic games (and it worked, by the way ... he won the gold in the Men's Halfpipe with a "Double McTwist 1260"!).
And then don't forget the "comeback kids." Athletes such as decorated snowboarder Lindsey Jacobellis who crashed and burned in the last winter Olympics in Torino in the Women's Snowboard Cross (alright, she won the silver ... but she was highly favored to win gold) and saw victory slide right through their hands. They've been back to give it another go and see if they can redeem themselves from their prior mistakes (and in Lindsey's case, she saw gold slip away again after being disqualified in Vancouver this week for going off course in the Women's Snowboard Cross final and nicking a gate).
As I watch the interview segments with champion athletes such as these, I am fascinated by what drives someone to win. Acclaim. Pride. And in some cases, perhaps vengeance. And then consider what it takes to achieve greatness: the long hours of practice, the conditioning, the strict eating regimens, the sacrifices in so many areas of their lives. Is it worth it in the end? What propels them? What motivates them? And what's going on in their hearts?
Though you and I may not have the skills as these athletes, as brothers and sisters in Christ we do already have victory. Victory over death through Jesus, who died on the cross. Who paid the price and cancelled our debt. Whose blood was shed to cover our sins. Our salvation, the promise of eternal life, is more precious than any gold medal. More celebrated than any earthly title or prestige we could ever humanly know.
Bask in that glory today. The glory of your victor. The thrill of his victory. Your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
Intersecting Faith & Life: In Christ, the heart of a champion is positioned to reflect God's glory. Take a look inside your heart today and see what's there. Are you purposing to "always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord" (1 Cor. 15:58)? How are you training and conditioning yourself to champion Christ and reflect him to others?
Further Reading:
Psalm 44:6-8
1 John 5:4
:angel:
February 22, 2010
The Lenten Journey
Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
As they went out, they came upon a man of Cyre'ne, Simon by name; this man they compelled to carry his cross. Matthew 27: 32
Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another --and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10: 25
Yesterday was the first Sunday of Lent. I have to confess, Lent is my least favorite liturgical season. Many have written beautiful reflections on this season and the many opportunities for spiritual growth it holds. I couldn't agree more. But the reason this season is often so fruitful can be attributed to one overarching theme: sacrifice.
Lent is filled to the brim with sacrifice. The point, of course, is to reflect on Christ's sacrifice, to feel just a little bit of the pain he felt, and to draw closer to God as we clear out the clutter of our comfortable lives. Naturally, this isn't easy. Sacrifice requires toleration for pain. Sacrifice requires thinking beyond yourself and your wants. Sacrifice demands discipline. Sacrifice isn't fun.
Can't it just be Christmas year round?
Still, part of me is relieved that Lent has arrived. Deep down, far below my selfish nature, exists a yearning to cast off the suffocating materialism and shallowness that so often characterizes modern, American life. Deep down, my spirit desires reconciliation with the living God. Deep down, my soul is sick from spiritual fluff and wants something deeper, meatier.
Left to my own devices, those yearnings would probably go ignored, at least for long stretches of time. I wouldn't have the strength to give up the comforts of my life to hear God's voice a little more clearly. Thanks to the Lenten journey, when we travel the road of sacrifice with fellow believers, my weak nature is compelled to take action, to dig deeper, and to follow through with commitments.
Cardinal Newman once said, ""We all suffer for each other, and gain by each other's suffering; for man never stands alone here, though he will stand alone hereafter; but here is he is a social being, and goes forward to his long home as one of a large company."
It's not just our gifts and our "good sides" that benefit others. Our suffering has value too.
So often I treat faith in God as a private matter, as a path I can walk by myself. In doing this, I confuse individuality with isolation. I ignore the scriptural truth that God created us for Him -- and one another. Year after year, Lent pulls the curtain back on this illusion as I draw unusual strength from the universal Church - from the community fasting, the special Friday prayer gatherings, and even the long lines to the confessional.
What a merciful God; he does not ask us to journey alone. Even the simple, friendly question, "What are you giving up for Lent?" jolts me out of my usual routine, forcing me to ponder where I'm at spiritually and what kind of fast would be appropriate this year. And when I feel like giving up and returning to the easy life, images of fellow believers enduring hardships (voluntary or involuntary) readily float to the surface of my thoughts during the Lenten season.
I can't lie - when Easter arrives, I am always relieved. Finally, a little rejoicing! But the rejoicing wouldn't be as sweet if I hadn't been compelled to walk the way of the Cross first. And the jubilation is even more poignant given that the very people I sit next to on Easter morning are the same ones that walked with me through the darker days of Lent.
Intersecting Faith & Life: "Nothing, how little so ever it be, that is suffered for God's sake, can pass without merit in the sight of God." ~ Thomas a Kempis. What area of your spiritual walk would benefit from a little sacrifice? If you haven't already, connect with a community of believers where you can draw the strength needed to grow in your faith.
Further Reading
Luke 4: 1 - 13
:angel:
Feb. 23, 2010
Final Inspection before Departure
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"I will make every effort so that after my departure
you may be able at any time to recall these things."
2 Peter 1:15 ESV
Our crowded 737 sat motionless at the gate, baking under the summer Texas sun. Passengers turned in their seats, fidgeted and sighed impatiently. The last puffs of cool air evaporated from the locked-down cabin and the ducts overhead became like hot hair dryers. Moments passed and suddenly the whooshing sound of air stopped. A voice crackled through the speakers, "Um, ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. Unfortunately, we've discovered a malfunction with our navigational systems and we will be needing to change planes..." Groans and murmurs drowned out the rest of the captain's words as the long process of transferring travelers, luggage and crew began.
Inconvenient, yes. Definitely not the greatest way to start a journey. But, looking back, I'm sure that everyone on that plane was relieved that the discovery was made on the ground instead of in the air. Thank goodness for a crew who took a routine inspection seriously.
Though not as detailed as a 737 pre-flight inspection, it looks like we need to conduct a final departure check before continuing the next leg of the journey through Francis Schaeffer's classic True Spirituality. Schaeffer specifically calls for this at the close of chapter one with a degree of seriousness that is unanticipated. He effectively states that the reader should either embrace the four main truths in chapter one, or stop reading the book altogether. Apparently, they are as essential to the study as wings, engines, wheels and flaps are to flight:
"This is what we are to have in mind when we begin such a study; otherwise there is no use even beginning to talk about experiential freedom from the bonds of sin or about an experiential reality of the Christian life, of true spirituality.
"If this is not in our minds, at least in some poor comprehension and at least in some poor aspiration, we might as well stop. Anything else is trifling with God; and because it is trifling with God, it is sin:
(1) True spirituality in the present life means more than being justified and knowing that I am going to heaven. It does not mean just that I have been born again.
(2) My desire must be for a deeper life, not a looser life. The Bible presents to me the Law of Love, not a list of taboos.
(3) True spirituality is not just outward, but it is inward—it is not to covet against God and men.
(4) But it is even more than this: it is positive—positive inward reality, and then positive in outward results. It is not just that we are dead to sin, but we are to be alive to God. We are to be in communion with Him, in this present moment in history.
"These four points are what the Bible says we should mean when we speak of the true Christian life, of freedom from the bonds of sin.
"Anything less than this is trifling with Him who created the world, and trifling also with Him who died on the cross."
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Do you consider your Christian faith to be genuine? Are you devoid of, or in disagreement with, any of the four elements above? (As Schaeffer said, "...at least in some poor comprehension and at least in some poor aspiration...")
If you disagree, do you have biblical warrant to challenge the position Schaeffer presents as being the biblical one?
If you find yourself in agreement with the four elements above, prepare for take-off!
Further Reading: (Schaeffer devotionals run thus far in Crosswalk the Devotional)
Good without God? (#7)
Romans 8:28 Does Not Mean Giving Thanks with a Plastic Smile (#6)
Pop Quizzes (#5)
Lists, Liberty and Love (#4)
The Most Important and Least Important Day (#3)
Restoring Authentic Joy (#2)
Francis Schaeffer's Struggle for Spiritual Reality (#1)
:angel:
February 24, 2010
The Formative Years
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. - Colossians 3:17
When I reached high school, people warned me that I had better make wise choices or else, because those four years would determine my character for life. When I began college, people told me that high school had been important, but that college was critical. People assured me that college was really when a person comes into her own. When I got married, older friends broke the news that this stage of life would really hone my faith and character. They warned that marriage would be a sanctification process unlike anything else. Except having kids, of course.
Essentially every big step in my life from my first date to my first job to our first house has been accompanied with this forbidding prophecy: the choices you make in these next weeks/months/years will shape you for years to come.
Looking back - and forward - I think everyone who spoke such words was right. We face a constant temptation to decide we're tired of following Christ's example, don't we? We realize our feet our tired and look down at them, instead of focusing our eyes upward. From there, it's an easy step - well, slide is more like it - into a lower standard for ourselves. Just so long as we're being a little bit faster or a little more focused than someone else in our school, our office, our church, or wherever, we decide that counts as a job well done. Pretty soon, our lollygagging dissolves further, and we have to struggle to win back good habits and attitudes. It's so easy to form ourselves by inattention, by taking our eyes off the One whom we serve.
What's the alternative? Take the examples of just a few men of God. Consider Joseph in Egypt, who sought God's favor and won his master's as well. Joseph displayed such diligence and integrity in his work that Potiphar confidently handed over all his affairs to his servant. Take the hundreds of men who worked to build the first temple in Solomon's day, creating the place where God himself would live with his people. Daniel rose to second in command of Babylon for loyal service to a country that was not his home. Each man - and there are dozens of other examples - chose to honor their God with the best work they could do.
I smile at Paul's exhortation to the Colossians about their work: "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men." (Col. 3:23). The straightforward wording manages to include every stage of life, every vocation, and everyone who calls Christ their Savior. I imagine that this understanding helped Paul work on the tents he made with a smile on his face and a diligence in his hands, and carried him through his many joys and trials. That's how Paul shaped his life. How about you?
Intersecting Faith & Life: Whether you're a student, a homemaker, a businessman, a grandparent, a teacher, a brother, a soup kitchen volunteer, a retail worker, a mother, an editor, or anything else, this is going to be a formative year. What attitudes do you have toward your work, your friendships, your family relationships, your vacations this year? We have the opportunity to continue praising God in our lives this year, and that's worth doing wholeheartedly.
:angel:
February 25, 2010
Spring Training for Christians
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
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.
2 Corinthians 5:16, The Message
You've probably heard that God loves baseball. After all, He began his holy book with the words, "In the big inning..." Everyone who loves baseball like the Lord does feels a tremendous rush this time of year with another set of words: "Pitchers and catchers report." For the uninitiated, this phrase signals the official start of spring training, which brings with it new hope, and knowledge that at least there's a thaw and green grass in some parts of our country.
In fact, the game I love, and the game of fantasy baseball off which it is based, are both so prevalent in my mind this week that as I sat down to write this I found my mind wandering. So, noticing that a good friend, fellow fantasy baseballer and pastor was active on his Instant Messenger, I began the following conversation:
Me: I'm sitting here trying to write this week's devotional, but I've got a screenful of stats in front of me, taunting me. Pastor Jay, is there any way I could combine the two? Does our league have any good devotional content?
Jay: Oh, I'm sure we do. How about how we peak spiritually at age 27, like most hitters do?
Me: Goodness, I hope that's not true. How about our Spiritual Slugging Percentage... are we whomping our fair quota of sinners and unbelievers regularly?
Jay: Uh, right... How about how On-Base Percentage equals theological correctness/sound doctrine, and Slugging Percentage equals evangelism, the impact you're making for the Lord?
Me: You're on to something. As an aside, it sounds like Jesus would like our league. Just came across Matthew 11:19 - "The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!'" Sound like any group you know?
Jay: YES!!
There are truly spiritual parallels everywhere.
But as is always the case, snippets of insight and truth are only valuable when applicable. The above only served to remind me that it's time to take a break from my analysis of the statistics of men who play a game, and check in on my own statistics, go through my own spring training of sorts.
Today's verse gives us a starting place for where to look, what kind of statistics are important in the Kingdom as opposed to the diamond. Things like height, weight, vertical leap, 40-yard-dash times, race, creed, color, gender... none of those matter. Here's the checklist we'll be using to see who's gonna make the team this season:
Measurables
On-Base Percentage - Like my buddy said, in our checklist this involves good theology and doctrine. Baseballers like to hear chatter out there on the infield. Are you talking the talk?
Slugging Percentage - Now you have to put the above theology to good use, and walk the walk. How much 'oomph' can you contribute to the goals of the team?
Batting Average - The most you can do is just put the bat on the ball. So many other factors determine if you're gonna get a safe hit or not, meaning you'll probably fail to connect or reach safely at least 70 percent of the time... and that's if you're one of the best. The rest is up to God.
Errors - Can't be avoided, even by the very best of us. What's important is that we don't grow complacent with making them. Biblical ignorance is not an acceptable excuse. Neither is yelling at your teammate for making an error.
Strikeouts and Walks - Both are fine. They reveal effort. The way you know you're off-track is when these become Walkouts and Strikes. I don't need to be leaving, boycotting, quitting, or checking out in the middle of a slump or when the other team is full of punks.
Sacrifices - When the coach calls for you to bunt another person into a more prominent position, will you obediently lay one down? When you can bring in a run by hitting a fly ball for an out will you gladly do so?
Intangibles
Coachability - I can't think of a single reason or supporting scripture for a me-first attitude on the Kingdom Conquerors.
Discipline - To what do you say yes, to what do you say no? What do you fail to do? What do you never fail to do?
Leadership - Look behind you. Is anyone following?
Performance Enhancers - Yes, please. I'm simply not good enough to compete in this game without them. No, not steroids, but the Holy Spirit, and regular Bible study and prayer times.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Watch a sporting event with a younger person this week, and see how many parallels and applications you can make together to our spiritual journey.
Further Reading
Opening Day for America
Finish Strong in the 9th Inning of Life
The Magic of Opening Day
:angel:
February 26, 2010
The Ultimate Pie Crust
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples and the disciples gave them to the people.
Matthew 14:19
As someone who is still learning and experimenting when it comes to the culinary arts, I look to pie crust as the "Holy Grail" of baking.
If only I could replicate my mom's flakey, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth pie crust. That's the goal. In fact, I have watched my mother make pie crust many, many times over the years. I remember, as a young child, standing on a chair at the kitchen counter and witnessing the dough formation, the roll-out, the tricky transfer to the pie plate, the crimping of the edges and so forth.
But now, when I'm by myself in my own kitchen, it is easy for me to become overwhelmed and for my thoughts to take a negative, defeatist turn: I'll never be able to make as good of a pie crust as my mother! I don't even have a pastry blender to cut in the butter with the flour. All I have is a regular old fork! I can't do this. I don't have what it takes.
What's interesting, though, is to witness the reactions of those who partake of a finished pie. Not once have I heard someone say: "Laura, your pie was dee-lish, but the pie crust? ... Yeah, you're going to need to work on that." Not once. Everyone to whom I've served pie has always left my home with a full belly and a smile on their lips, give or take a crumb or two. And they thank me that I took the time to make something for them and for their nourishment.
Hmmm. Who'd have thunk that my ultimate pie crust quest wasn't really about me or my perceptions at all? You know, when Jesus fed the five thousand (Matthew 14:13-21), he tried to get the same point across to the disciples:
As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food." Jesus replied, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat." "We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish," they answered. "Bring them here to me," he said. And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.
Like me, the disciples were blinded by their situation, their lack of resources and what they were sure they couldn't accomplish in this seemingly impossible situation. They really had no clue what they had. Jesus, on the other hand, looked beyond all of this and performed a miracle. He showed the disciples that he was their power source who would feed their efforts. He had fed them and now he was asking them to feed others.
You and I are being asked, too, to share with others the Bread of Life that we have been given. You may feel ill equipped to do that today—like me and having no pastry blender. But the Lord has shown me that my "fork" is just fine. It's what he's given me in this season in my life to fulfill his plans and purposes in reaching others for him.
Intersecting Faith & Life: What about you? Do you feel like you don't have the "tools" needed in order to feed others the Good News? Be encouraged! Seminary degree or not, Bible college or not, life-long Christian or not, God can and will use you—however he has equipped you—to share life-changing nourishment with others.
Further Reading:
John 6:48-51
John 21:15-17
:angel:
March 1, 2010
The Survivors Club
Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Psalm 23: 4
In the past month, we've watched the international community endure one calamity after another. First, a devastating earthquake in Haiti. Now earthquakes in Japan and Chile. We've seen images of great suffering and heard stories of great faith and triumph. With each heart wrenching update, we wonder how we would cope if the places were switched. Could we endure the shock of having everything - and everyone - we loved gone in a matter of moments? Would we maintain hope and faith? Would we be generous to others?
Award-winning journalist Ben Sherwood, author of The Survivor's Club, began asking these questions long before recent quakes crumbled the infrastructure of countries across the globe. After years of interviewing people who survived incredible catastrophes for human interest stories, he began to wonder: What enables these ordinary people to endure what most could not? Are there certain characteristics that set survivors apart from victims? And if so, can we learn how to become survivors?
Sherwood set out on a quest to find answers. He interviewed countless members of "the survivors club." He met with Brian Udell, the only pilot who ever lived through ejecting from a jet going faster than the speed of sound (Mach 1) at sea level. He interviewed Stan Praimnath, the only survivor from the 81st floor of the World Trade Center's South Tower. He spoke with petite Anne Hjelle, a mountain biker who survived a vicious mountain lion attack on the trail. He interviewed survivors of shipwrecks, plane crashes, the Holocaust, and those who beat difficult medical diagnoses.
Sherwood didn't just interview these remarkable men and women. He put himself through the wringer. He visited the Aviation Survival Training Center at the U.S. Marine Corp air station where he allowed trainers to subject him to military survival tests, including a frightening simulation of a helicopter crashing underwater (to his teachers' surprise, he passed all the tests). He also underwent emergency FAA training with airline professionals. Along the way, he spoke with the experts. Experts in medicine, military training, aviation, and psychology.
His findings? There's actually quite a bit you and I can do to join the survivors club when life gets rough.
So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled (1 Thess 5: 6). The first factor in becoming a survivor is acknowledging a very biblical truth: At some point life's going to go wrong. As much as we don't want to admit it, the brokenness of this world will seep into our tranquil lives. In his introduction, Sherwood writes, "Almost everyone I know has faced - or is coping with - some kind of serious challenge or adversity." Part of what differentiates the victims from the survivors is a person's willingness to accept adversity and prepare before it ever becomes a reality.
Did you know that 96% of passengers in airplane accidents survive? Sherwood shares that the survivors who might otherwise have perished in plane crashes were passengers who kept their shoes on during flight, made note of the exits before take-off, and abstained from the alcoholic beverages on the food cart. In other words - these passengers were prepared.
Other survival factors read like a litany of statistics (including the reality that young, thin, strong men tend to have the best survival rates). But amid all the scientific insights and eye-opening stats, Sherwood identifies one profound characteristic of those who belong to "the survivors club." When he asked survival guru Ray Smith at the Naval Survival Training Institute for the secret of survival, Smith gave a startlingly simple answer: "Faith in God... it's a major factor in all survival scenarios."
Brian Udell couldn't agree more. He believes it was divine intervention that pushed him up onto the life-saving raft after he miraculously survived his high-speed ejection. And Stan Praimnath never misses his morning prayers after September 11, 2001.
Sherwood was skeptical of the "divine factor" at first, but expert after expert confirmed the powerful role faith plays in those who beat all odds. In fact, not only does faith carry survivors through extraordinary crises but studies reveal it helps with ordinary crises too. Those who attend church at least once a week live an average of 7 years longer than those who don't.
But what kind of faith is this? Is this a naive, blind optimism that carries survivors through unbelievable circumstances?
No, quite the opposite. Famously dubbed "The Stockdale Paradox," Sherwood explains that Admiral James Stockdale, the highest ranking POW in Vietnam, responded to the question, "Which American prisoners perished?" with this surprising declaration: "Oh that's easy. The optimists."
Why? Hope is vital, but optimism often drains emotional resources by fueling unrealistic expectations. "We'll be out by Christmas!" a cheery POW might exclaim. When Christmas comes and goes, depression ensues. In fact, naïve believers who erroneously think God will shield them from all adversity tend to lose their vital faith when crisis hits. It's the mature, hopeful realist who believes God uses his adversity for a greater good that comes out the other side of a crisis thriving. Furthermore, studies show the more integrated a person's faith is in his day-to-day life, the more likely he is to weather life's most violent storms.
Where does this leave us? I definitely recommend The Survivor's Club. You'll learn some potentially life-saving information and read some fascinating stories. But for me, this information does more than impress the importance of hitting the gym and booking airplane seats within five rows of an exit. It leaves me in awe.
Awe that a journalist's quest for scientific answers to survival led him and his readers straight to God and the power of prayer. Awe that even in the worst of catastrophes, faith is sustained. Awe that God not only answers prayers (how many times have I questioned his silence?) -- but we depend on it.
It also leaves me with a dose of reality: earth isn't heaven. While we can't expect to dodge the bad stuff in life, we can have faith that God never leaves us. He walks with us through the valleys, using every experience for the good of those who love him. Just ask Brian Udell, Stan Praimnath, and Anne Hjelle.
Intersecting Faith & Life: How would you describe your faith? Is it more immature or mature? Do you pray daily and lean into God's grace or rely on your own strengths? Do you think God will shield you from adversity or guide you through it? Take inventory and make the necessary changes.
Further Reading
The God-Dependant Life
1 Peter 1: 13
:angel:
March 2, 2010
Are You Just Reciting the Gospel to Yourself?
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"...with Him... Moses and Elijah, who, appearing in glory, were speaking
of His departure which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem."
Luke 9:30-31 NASB
If you're following along in our weekly journey through the works of Francis Schaeffer, the Scripture passage above appears in chapter two of True Spirituality where there is a lengthy discussion about the centrality of death in the Christian life. Much needs to be said about the practice of dying daily to self and about taking up one's cross to follow Christ. But we cannot progress there before dealing with a more foundational matter.
In Old Testament times, the highest concentration of recorded miracles occurred during the ministries of Moses and Elijah. Christ's earthly ministry was obviously characterized by miracles as well. One might think that their conversation could have revolved around great miraculous wonders that they had been a part of, but no.
In our Scripture passage today we see Moses and Elijah speaking with Jesus at the Mount of Transfiguration about His impending departure—His death. And they're not just making a passing mention of the fact. The sense of the original text is that they were actively and continuously speaking about it—dwelling on it. Of course, it makes sense that the gospel would be the central focus of their conversation. After all, the salvation of Moses and Elijah depended upon the substitutionary death of Christ too.
But I imagine that their gospel conversation resembled nothing of the detached rehearsal of orthodox beliefs that sometimes echoes down the icy corridors of our thoughts. After all, the Object of their redemption was standing right there with them. Profound and grateful recognition of all that Christ was about to endure for them must have been integral to the moment. His presence energized their orthodoxy.
While it is certainly a good and positive thing that the phrase "Preach the gospel to yourself everyday" has become a buzz term in Christendom—and we should do that—we don't merely recite orthodox beliefs to ourselves alone. Christ is not a remote figment of man's imagination. He is the God Who is there. Just as Moses and Elijah were "with Him"... in His presence, so we too must continuously rehearse the gospel while recognizing that we are in the presence of the God Who is there. The Christian life flows from the constant spring of dwelling on the gospel with the Redeemer Himself.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
It is said that John Owen (1616-1683) often prayed, "Lord, may I commune with You in the doctrines I espouse." Let us make this our prayer and our experience as well.
Further Reading:
John 15
The Gospel in Six Minutes
While all that borrows life from Thee is ever in Thy care;
And everywhere that man can be, Thou, God art present there.
"I Sing the Mighty Power of God" ~ Isaac Watts
:angel:
March 3, 2010
Working Forgotten Muscles
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"Rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come." - 1 Timothy 4:7b-8
Well, it's that time of year again - the time when I shake out the running shoes and hobble through training for a 10k after bumming through the winter. My hearty congratulations to those of you whose diligence makes that distance seem puny, but I suspect many of you empathize more than you'd prefer. My inner athlete is an uncoordinated middle school kid perpetually stuck in gym class, so it's taken some coaxing to begin workouts again.
After last year's run, I knew that I'd regret letting my body relax into semi-hibernation this winter. So why didn't I persevere with crunches, stair steps, or walks on sunny days? I could give you a load of excuses, but you've heard them all before. The bottom line is that power walking a 5k feels like a workout right now. I'm barely thinking about running twice that distance. My husband's prodding has goaded me in walk-jog mode, but I hit the wall more often than I experience a runner's high.
There are no shortcuts available to me in the next month. The only thing that will keep me from making a fool of myself or passing out are consistent training sessions and workouts. Right now, I could sprint a half-mile if I had to, but the distance requires enduring strength, not a short burst of energy. A 20-minute power walk every couple days won't really help me get ready. Real training requires setting the bar a little higher every time, forcing myself to stretch a little farther than the time before, and keeping my appointments on the training schedule.
Strength. Consistency. Goals.
The discipline of running a race means waking up muscles I forgot I had and teaching them a little more every day. Without those practices, I'll be hobbling across the finish line with the last of the stragglers.
It's too easy to kid ourselves that taking the stairs here, walking a little further there, doing a few crunches or pushups one day a month is real exercise. Sure, it's better than nothing, but where's the discipline? Short answer: nonexistent. We wake up our muscles just long enough for them to grumble at us and go back to sleep.
Likewise, I can deceive myself about spiritual disciplines. They require every bit as much training, consistency, and sense of purpose. What good does it do me to pray for five minutes before bed, really? If I want to learn to better speak with God, then I need to do some more praying, more training, trying out the deep prayers of the Bible. Then, maybe I would better understand what a habit of prayer looks like. Do I want to be more generous? More loving? More patient? We've got to do more than let our spiritual muscles wake up and fall asleep again.
In his book, "Disciplines of Grace," T.M. Moore notes that real spiritual training is marked by a transformation of our souls. He writes:
"Disciplines that do not produce growth are not disciplines at all. Rather, they have become mere routines, done to satisfy some sense of "oughtness" or duty but with little sanctifying effect. God has given us the disciplines of grace so that, as we are exposed to his glory from one encounter to the next, we will be progressively transformed into the very image of Jesus Christ, and, being transformed, nothing and no one we encounter will remain the same."
Intersecting Faith & Life: Why do you work out your spiritual muscles? To say that you "exercised" and did your part for the day? Or do you have a purpose in mind for your training - to finish more like Christ than you started?
:angel:
March 4, 2010
Men & Christian Friendship: It Won't Just Happen on its Own
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need.
Proverbs 17:17, NLT
I own many books, but the ones I reference often I keep above my desk at work. One of these is a 1983 edition of David W. Smith's The Friendless American Male. It's a title that, sadly, has only grown more accurate in the last 27 years, its content more applicable. Men, especially us hard-working, married-with-children types, are lacking in close biblical friendships. The reasons are varied and several, and it's not my intent in the space of this devotional to present or solve them all. Suffice to say that most men I talk with vouch for the lack of friends in their life, even if they speak of different reasons for the condition.
It's something I worry about, something I marvel at when I consider some of the differences between myself and my own father. Back when my father was climbing the ladder in the Tucson Real Estate industry and had children aged 6 and 4 like I do now, his weekends were all his own. Tennis in the morning on both Saturday and Sunday. Soaking up sun at the pool or doing yardwork in the afternoons. Watching sports or working in the evenings. A quarterly fishing trip with his buddies. Several of these activities involved his friends and acquaintances. Now, it's important to point out that he didn't know the Lord at this time in his life, but also important to note that, to the best of my recollection, we weren't starved for his attention or affection. It still seemed like we were close, and had plenty of time together. So, I use him as an example only as an indication of what I think men were expected (allowed?) to do and be in the 1970s.
At some point things changed, and yes, in most ways, for the better. Men began leaving their work at work. Being conscious about setting aside time for family activities. Reserving weekends for playing with their kids and going to soccer games rather than hitting the tennis court or the golf links or the lake. Furthermore, technology, instead of saving us time, only seemed to create more ways in which we could spend it working. Where my father routinely met his buddies for a beverage after work, it's all I can do to rush home, swallow some food, and not leave my wife and kids feeling neglected before I log on for another couple hours of work and then an exhausted collapse into bed. Meeting another dude for a beer or coffee? Seriously, I don't want to laugh, but when? Even if I had a hole in my schedule, what makes me think the person I might invite (even if I knew someone well enough to want to spend time with him) would have time and desire, too? I've been heavily involved in our Adult Bible Fellowship class at church for over five years now, and I can count on one hand the times I've done something outside of church with any of the men in that group.
So, something is definitely missing. Somewhere, we went too far. I remember being single and having the privilege to work with some very close friends in our college admissions office, both of whom were newly-married. Getting them to do anything outside work was just about impossible. One of them wouldn't even go see a movie with me - one that I was offering to pay for - on the night his wife was busy studying for her nursing final exams. The other wouldn't even ask his wife whether he could put off lawn mowing for one more day to attend a minor league baseball game with a mutual friend who was in town for one night. What was going on?
Sure, I was tempted to blame their wives for not letting their husbands out to play, but even if there was truth to that notion, it wasn't the issue. The issue was, and is, that men simply are not bonding much these days... that the Bible speaks about friendship and male leadership and iron sharpening iron... and we are either purposefully choosing or unwittingly failing to make bonding and sharpening a priority.
So how do we purposefully choose?
For me, the solution lies partly in my favorite time of every year, mid-March. That's when I and 13 of my friends from college and camp get together for a long weekend of fishing, good food, fantasy baseball drafting, and most importantly, fellowship. We call it "Draftmas" because it's very much like a holiday for us, and it centers around our fantasy baseball draft and league as a device to draw us all together, give us common footing. But to a man, most would tell you that the baseball is not the point. So what is?
Back to Smith's book; on page 52 he writes: "Close friendships don't just happen. They result from the application of priciples recorded throughout the Word of God." He contrasts the kindness and affection that David and Jonathan shared with the "lack of sympathy" and "overt emotional harrassment and condemnation" Job experienced with his pals Zophar, Eliphaz, and Bildad. The difference, Smith says, can be found throughout the Bible in these six principles of male friendship:
God-Centered
Formation of a covenant
Faithfulness
Social involvement
Candor
Respect
Just as Amos 3:3 says, "Do two men walk together unless they have made an appointment?", so do we display an intentional commitment to this activity as central to who we are as men, to who we want to be the rest of the year for our families and each other. While having close friends who don't live near me (but whom I'm always in contact with) does, admittedly, sometimes hinder me making new friends locally, it also serves to remind me how making new friends is possible and necessary. And I can see Smith's principles at work in this treasured group: God is indeed at the center of each of our lives; we've formed an agreement to meet together and communicate together around something we all enjoy, and are faithful to that agreement, to God, and to each other. We all fill roles, and are active socially and economically with each other, lending a hand in often amazing ways when needs arise; we speak freely and candidly, and we respect the various issues everyone brings to the table.
This year more than any other year in the past, those issues are big ones. Joblessness. Crises of faith. Being overwhelmed. Economic hardship. Remarriage. Career decisions. Waiting on God. Loneliness. Autism. Health. I'm really wondering how different this gathering is going to be from past ones. With so many of us suffering so many trials of life right now, some might think this sure sounds like a downer of a man-cation. I don't think it will be. In fact, I can't wait to get out of town to really bounce ideas and prayers off my friends, really seek out ways we can help each other, while at the same time destroying them by catching more fish and outbidding them for Albert Pujols.
It's an amazing dynamic, one I could not live without. One of our group recently told me, "You know this is only going to get harder to keep up the older we get." I disagreed. I know that myself and several others are only finding it easier. For one thing, our wives have finally seen the difference in their men when they spend this time with each other. Mine practically pushes me out the door even though the event is usually over her birthday weekend. It's not a perfect answer to what I'm missing and seeing so many other men miss in their lives, but it's a start, and even, I realize now, a model.
Intersecting Faith & Life: What common interest can you center a group of Christian men around? It should be an excuse, a starting point, a conversational diving board. While things like sports, fishing, golfing, and other stereotypical male things are good, bear in mind that no one man enjoys all of these activities or subjects, and often, it's a sore spot with them, one that might be the very thing that, deep down, has them feeling like not as much of a "man." Wives, you can help "wake up" your listless man by hooking him up with his friends (not YOUR friends' husbands on a grown-up play-date, mind you), letting him reconnect with those who share his memories and activities he used to enjoy. Several healthy couples I know set aside one weekend every year for each person to spend a same-sex getaway with close friends, while also not feeling threatened by the idea of an evening here, an afternoon there causing any damage to the relationship. If anything, it'll make your marriage healthier, and bring back some things to talk about and pray for.
Further Reading
1 Samuel 18:1-4; 19:1-10
The Making of a Friendship
Why Men Need Friends
:angel:
March 5, 2010
I Got Nothing
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13
"I got nothing." Ever have one of those weeks where you've felt like that?
You can't point to anything specifically that's bringing you down, but there's an overarching malaise that's coloring your world. And it just leaves you feeling blah.
And so you try to adapt and console yourself by wearing your favorite sweats. Or you drink some hot chocolate. Perhaps you reach for your favorite comfort food. And then like Greta Garbo, you just want to be alone. So you stay home. You warm up under a fuzzy afghan. You flip through the television channels with semi-interest. You check your e-mail (and then once more for good measure). And then you try reading. Nope, can't focus. And then you crawl into bed earlier than usual, even though you're not that physically tired. Still, it seems like the right thing to do. Maybe you'll just sleep off whatever it is that's ailing you.
Frustrating, right? It's the kind of vague malady that stands in stark contrast to someone who's got a specific diagnosis—like my friend who is undergoing chemotherapy right now for a particular type of cancer. He knows exactly what is causing him discomfort and uncertainty in his life. But me? Not so much. Physically, I'm fine. But emotionally? And spiritually? Why do I feel so bankrupt? What is causing me to feel so empty this week?
I'm still not sure. But as a child of God, I am sure of where to go when I feel like this. So I found myself being drawn to the Word, to be reminded of the Truth of who I am and of what I have in Christ—no matter how I may feel.
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body (2 Corinthians 4:7-11).
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30).
He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us (Psalm 103:10-12).
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds (Psalm 147:3).
He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint (Isaiah 40:29-31).
I know what it is to be in need and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength (Philippians 4:12-13).
And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him (1 John 4:16).
Reading through these verses, I am reminded of how much I really do have in Christ. Even though it sure feels like I've got nothing right now, I know that my cup is not empty. It is full. And I am blessed beyond measure—and loved forever!—by my Lord and Savior who has chosen and rescued me and knows exactly what is going on with me, even when I don't.
Intersecting Faith & Life: "What's wrong?" That's the last question you want to hear from someone when you really don't have a good answer in return. Sometimes we can't pinpoint what is going on in our hearts, but God surely can. Seek him today. Ask him to restore you, to humble you, to cause you to trust in him and give him thanks and to give you his joy—the joy of his salvation.
Further Reading:
Psalm 51:10-12
Lamentations 3:22-24
Romans 8:26-27
:angel:
March 5, 2010
I Got Nothing
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
May the God of hope fill you will all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13
"I got nothing." Ever have one of those weeks where you've felt like that?
You can't point to anything specifically that's bringing you down, but there's an overarching malaise that's coloring your world. And it just leaves you feeling blah.
And so you try to adapt and console yourself by wearing your favorite sweats. Or you drink some hot chocolate. Perhaps you reach for your favorite comfort food. And then like Greta Garbo, you just want to be alone. So you stay home. You warm up under a fuzzy afghan. You flip through the television channels with semi-interest. You check your e-mail (and then once more for good measure). And then you try reading. Nope, can't focus. And then you crawl into bed earlier than usual, even though you're not that physically tired. Still, it seems like the right thing to do. Maybe you'll just sleep off whatever it is that's ailing you.
Frustrating, right? It's the kind of vague malady that stands in stark contrast to someone who's got a specific diagnosis—like my friend who is undergoing chemotherapy right now for a particular type of cancer. He knows exactly what is causing him discomfort and uncertainty in his life. But me? Not so much. Physically, I'm fine. But emotionally? And spiritually? Why do I feel so bankrupt? What is causing me to feel so empty this week?
I'm still not sure. But as a child of God, I am sure of where to go when I feel like this. So I found myself being drawn to the Word, to be reminded of the Truth of who I am and of what I have in Christ—no matter how I may feel.
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body (2 Corinthians 4:7-11).
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30).
He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us (Psalm 103:10-12).
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds (Psalm 147:3).
He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint (Isaiah 40:29-31).
I know what it is to be in need and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength (Philippians 4:12-13).
And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him (1 John 4:16).
Reading through these verses, I am reminded of how much I really do have in Christ. Even though it sure feels like I've got nothing right now, I know that my cup is not empty. It is full. And I am blessed beyond measure—and loved forever!—by my Lord and Savior who has chosen and rescued me and knows exactly what is going on with me, even when I don't.
Intersecting Faith & Life: "What's wrong?" That's the last question you want to hear from someone when you really don't have a good answer in return. Sometimes we can't pinpoint what is going on in our hearts, but God surely can. Seek him today. Ask him to restore you, to humble you, to cause you to trust in him and give him thanks and to give you his joy—the joy of his salvation.
Further Reading:
Psalm 51:10-12
Lamentations 3:22-24
Romans 8:26-27
:angel:
March 9, 2010
The First Fruit of the Gospel
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"For whosoever shall be ashamed of Me and My words, of him shall the Son of Man
be ashamed, when He shall come in His own glory..."
Luke 9:26 NASB
This week in chapter two of Francis Schaeffer's True Spirituality, we build upon the foundation regarding our need to daily encounter Christ the Living Redeemer in His gospel.
It is important to be clear in our understanding about the substitutionary nature of His death for sinners. Second Corinthians 5:21, "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." Nothing—not good works, religious rituals, not anything can add merit to His perfect work of atonement.
That is not to say, however, that virtue does not flow from His work in our lives. Schaeffer discusses at length at least one necessary result of the gospel in our lives; that being the practice of dying daily. He insightfully takes us to Luke 9:22-26 where Christ tells His disciples the certain order of events that would soon occur to Him... that He would be rejected, slain, then raised. And then points out that Christ immediately relates this order—rejected, slain, raised—to the Christian life. Luke 9:23-24 "And He was saying to them all, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. 24 "For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it."
"Jesus is talking here about our death by choice in the present life. He applies it to a specific situation to make it more concrete. "For whosoever shall be ashamed of Me and My words, of him shall the Son of Man be ashamed, when He shall come in His own glory..." (Luke 9:26)
"The Bible is not speaking of some romantic feeling, some idealization, some abstraction. Jesus carries this concept of facing the rejection, being slain, down to a very practical situation: facing an alien world. It is the saying "no" to self when our natural selves would desire acceptance by the alien world—a world in revolt against its Creator and our Lord.
"...this command of Christ is not limited to one situation; it is that which is to be the whole mentality and outlook of the Christian's life.
"As Christ's rejection and death are the first steps in the order of redemption, so our rejection and death are the first steps in the order of true and growing spirituality.
"As there could be no next step in the order of Christ's redemption until the step was taken, so in the Christian there can be no further step until these first two steps—rejected, slain—are faced; not in theory only, but at least in some partial practice."
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Is the gospel bearing fruit in your life in this way? Put another way, do you increasingly treasure Christ so that things and self receive less and less of your time, attention and resources?
Pray for family, friends and loved ones who are infiltrated by the world with its attitudes that God would make them willing to walk, by His grace through the steps of being rejected and slain, and that they would know the blessing of a resurrected life.
Further Reading:
The Expulsive Power of a New Affection
:angel:
March 10, 2009
Seduced by Cool
Mike Pohlman, Editor, Christianity.com
Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
James 1:27
I love chapter 3 in Tullian Tchividjian's new book Unfashionable: Making a Difference in the World by Being Different. The chapter is titled "Seduced by Cool" and couldn't come at a more appropriate time. The American church (there are beautiful exceptions) has been tripping over itself for years trying to keep up with cool. Pastor Tullian offers what amounts to a cold bucket of water in the face as a means of shocking us out of our infatuation with showing the world how relevant, cool, hip, etc. we can be.
Enough.
The chapter opens by quoting Spurgeon--which is almost always a good thing: "He who marries today's fashion is tomorrow's widow." From here Tchividjian launches into his jeremiad:
According to Jesus, Christianity is not cool.
There, I said it.
I'll even go a step farther: if what's fashionable in our society interests you, then true Christianity won't. It's that simple.
Think about it. Jesus said some pretty unfashionable stuff. If you want to live, you must die. If you want to find your life, you must lose it. He talked about self-sacrifice and bearing crosses and suffering and death and the dangers of riches. He talked about the need to lay down our lives for those who hate us and hurt us. He talked about serving instead of being served, about seeking last place and not first. He talked of gouging out our eyes and cutting off our hands if they cause us to sin.
He was making the profound point that daily Christian living means daily Christian dying--dying to our fascination with the sizzle of this world and living for something bigger, something thicker, something eternal. Jesus calls his people to live for what is timeless and not trendy, to take up the cross and follow him, even when it means going against social norms.
Of course, all this is flat-out uncool in a world that idolizes whatever cultural craze is in style, whatever is fashionable.
My guess is few professing Christians would disagree with Pastor Tullian's exhortation. Indeed, it will be in the main greeted with hearty "Amens."
The problem comes in resisting the allure of the world and actually embracing biblically unfashionable living for the glory of God. Tullian warns that many of us are so entrenched in the sinful patterns of this world that God's ways have become far too distant in our vision:
Our being cognitively and morally entrenched in the ways of this world is just what the devil wants. His main strategy is the same for both Christains and non-Christians: keep them feeling comfortably at home in this world. The real danger for many of us is that the longer we live, the less conscious we become of the fallen patterns, the less resistant we are to their entanglements. Though believers in Christ, many of us are attached to the world in ways that show we've forgotten our identity as exiles. For too many of us, the patterns of this fallen world have grown all too familiar, while the ways of God seem distant and strange.
Pastor Tullian presses the point throughout the book that when Christians succumb to worldliness not only is God not honored, but people are not helped. In other words, more than our "cool" people need Christ--the One who proclaimed "I am not of this world" because "My kingdom is not of this world" (John 8:23; 18:36).
In the end, blessed are the uncool.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
What are some of the best ways we can resist the allure of the world? What are the marks of someone who is not "worldly"? In other words, what does the person look like that is "unstained from the world"?
Further Reading
God in the Wasteland, David Wells
Unfashionable, Tullian Tchividjian
Blessed Are the Uncool, Paul Grant
1 John 2:15-17
:angel:
March 11, 2010
Child-Like Trust in the Lord
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
O Lord, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty;
Nor do I involve myself in great matters, or in things too difficult for me.
Surely I have composed and quieted my soul;
Like a weaned child rests against his mother,
My soul is like a weaned child within me.
Psalm 131:1-2, NAS
This song, like most of the Psalms, was written by David - the man who would be Israel's greatest king. Is David who comes to mind when you think of someone "not involved in great matters" (kingdom conflicts, maybe)? Or unbothered by "things too difficult" (slaying a giant, anyone)? No, to me, this doesn't really sound like David. Doesn't really sound like me most of the time either.
Let's take a quick look at three things that stand out about this little Psalm:
1) Attitude. David's "heart" - his inner being, his spirit, is not proud... of things he's done, of where he's been and where he's going... but neither is he beating himself up. He is just... content.
2) Appetite. David's "eyes" - his senses - are not haughty. He's not seeking to please them. He doesn't have the look of arrogance. He knows Whose he is, and that his needs are met not of himself. He is not restless to feed like an infant, he is not stalking around asking to eat out of boredom like my 2-year-old.
3) Aptitude. David places the responsibility for this peaceful state upon himself. Not circumstances, not achievements, not even on God. "Surely I have quieted my soul," he says.
All together, this is what trust looks like, and why it brings such soothing peace. Jesus said we must have faith like children to come to Him. Apparently, trust is also best exemplified in little ones. David's "talk" is of not being proud; his "walk" then backs it up by what he "involves" (or doesn't involve) himself in. This doesn't mean God hasn't given him - or you - important stuff to get done, just that David has "declared himself free from excessive ambition" (Ryrie study notes). To sing not of self, to seek not to fill the senses, to seek the will only to be quiet before God - that is trust. A "weaned child" knows instinctively where to find it. By extension, and through the example of "the man after God's own heart," so do we.
Intersecting Faith & Life: "Involve" yourself in a small, humble matter today - perhaps a child's squabble, creating a meal, or going for a walk - and see if you can compose your soul.
Further Reading
Matthew 18:4-5
When Old Men Trust, by Calvin Miller
:angel:
March 12, 2010
It's Good for Your Character
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
Romans 5:3-5
I grew up in a very special church back in the '70s and '80s. It was nondenominational, had tremendous traditional worship and congregational singing, and was attended by many seminary professors and students.
Seeds that were sown in my life in those early years of my spiritual growth are now sprouting, and I'm drawing upon what I have learned as I make my way through adulthood.
From time to time, I flip through a bound collection of meditations or sayings that my pastor put together. He would regularly refer to these life principles from the pulpit, and today, whenever I hear them (or similar concepts) being said by others, I remember what he preached on them many years ago.
"It's good for your character," he would often say. And here's how he explained that further:
"God uses the routine, the difficult, even the painful to develop in us qualities of Christlike character that can be learned in no other way."
When we begin to see our lives from this perspective, that's when we've turned a corner. But in order to keep thinking in this way, we have to make daily readjustments, as we don't always want to see the routine, the difficult and even the painful in this way.
But it is the right way to look at any uncomfortable situation in our lives. The classic passage regarding trials in James 1:2-4 is wonderfully helpful and instructive:
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Let's break down this outlook:
Consider it pure joy. How do you do this when you're going through a divorce? Or in the aftermath of a departed loved one or the loss of a job? What will it take to see the joy despite the circumstances? Only God can give us this joy and change our perspective.
Testing develops perseverance. In order to learn how to persevere, we have to go through some trying times. Think back on the trials in your life. What were the results? Did you make changes in your life? Did God help you get through them? Remember that as you continue to serve him.
Perseverance must finish its work. We can't go from diapers to dungarees in the snap of a fingers. Living takes time. And there are "pains" that go with it. Sure, it hurts sometimes, but know that the uncomfortable seasons mean that you're growing.
Be mature and complete. When you were a child, you didn't have a bulging file folder of life experiences to draw from. Now that you're older, hopefully you can see how you have grown closer to the Lord and how he has changed you. Draw from past lessons as you choose to live and think differently today.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Can you look back on "the routine, the difficult, even the painful" times of your life and see how God has developed your character? List some specific trials and the resulting changes that have been made in your character and praise your merciful Savior for his patient, loving and transformative work in your life.
Further Reading:
2 Corinthians 4:7-12
How God Develops Christian Character
:angel:
March 12, 2010
It's Good for Your Character
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
Romans 5:3-5
I grew up in a very special church back in the '70s and '80s. It was nondenominational, had tremendous traditional worship and congregational singing, and was attended by many seminary professors and students.
Seeds that were sown in my life in those early years of my spiritual growth are now sprouting, and I'm drawing upon what I have learned as I make my way through adulthood.
From time to time, I flip through a bound collection of meditations or sayings that my pastor put together. He would regularly refer to these life principles from the pulpit, and today, whenever I hear them (or similar concepts) being said by others, I remember what he preached on them many years ago.
"It's good for your character," he would often say. And here's how he explained that further:
"God uses the routine, the difficult, even the painful to develop in us qualities of Christlike character that can be learned in no other way."
When we begin to see our lives from this perspective, that's when we've turned a corner. But in order to keep thinking in this way, we have to make daily readjustments, as we don't always want to see the routine, the difficult and even the painful in this way.
But it is the right way to look at any uncomfortable situation in our lives. The classic passage regarding trials in James 1:2-4 is wonderfully helpful and instructive:
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Let's break down this outlook:
Consider it pure joy. How do you do this when you're going through a divorce? Or in the aftermath of a departed loved one or the loss of a job? What will it take to see the joy despite the circumstances? Only God can give us this joy and change our perspective.
Testing develops perseverance. In order to learn how to persevere, we have to go through some trying times. Think back on the trials in your life. What were the results? Did you make changes in your life? Did God help you get through them? Remember that as you continue to serve him.
Perseverance must finish its work. We can't go from diapers to dungarees in the snap of a fingers. Living takes time. And there are "pains" that go with it. Sure, it hurts sometimes, but know that the uncomfortable seasons mean that you're growing.
Be mature and complete. When you were a child, you didn't have a bulging file folder of life experiences to draw from. Now that you're older, hopefully you can see how you have grown closer to the Lord and how he has changed you. Draw from past lessons as you choose to live and think differently today.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Can you look back on "the routine, the difficult, even the painful" times of your life and see how God has developed your character? List some specific trials and the resulting changes that have been made in your character and praise your merciful Savior for his patient, loving and transformative work in your life.
Further Reading:
2 Corinthians 4:7-12
How God Develops Christian Character
:angel:
March 16, 2010
Christian Existentialism... The Good Kind
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
""Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple..."
Luke 14:27 NASB
As chapter two of True Spirituality comes to close, Francis Schaeffer highlights a crucial dimension of the gospel's first fruit (dying to self). It is that dying to self must be a continual reality. Schaeffer likens the proper mindset here to that of a philosophical existentialist...
The existentialist is right when he puts his emphasis on the reality of the moment-by-moment situation. He is wrong in many things, but he is right here.
Christ called His followers to continuously carry their own cross.
He puts the command not in an abstract but in an intensely practical setting, in verse 26 relating it to His followers' fathers, mothers, wives, children, brothers, sisters, and their own lives.
He sets it among the realities of daily life. This is where we must die.
Christ is talking about what our hearts prefer; what we desire most. And we naturally prefer our own way. Ol' Blue Eyes set our deeply ingrained theme song to music when he sang, "I did it my way." How can we possibly overcome our instinct to want our own desires fulfilled? It seems to be an impossible command.
Even if we know the Proverb "There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death," such knowledge by itself is not enough to subdue a sinful, stubborn will. When the heart wants something, it can charge ahead in a mad quest to get its way without a single thought about consequences. (Oh... you've noticed too?)
Related to Schaeffer's topic, I came across this blog post yesterday by a Christian writer in which he reviewed no less than seven counterfeit gospels that feed pride and permit self to thrive unchallenged while giving others the false impression of being a true disciple. Because we are so prone to preserve ourselves, we can easily gravitate toward these false gospels. Their appeal is so insidiously strong because they allow us to deceive others (i.e. deceive ourselves that we're the one in control) and dodge Christ's benevolent command to die to self...
Formalism. "I participate in the regular meetings and ministries of the church, so I feel like my life is under control. I'm always in church, but it really has little impact on my heart or on how I live. I may become judgmental and impatient with those who do not have the same commitment as I do."
Legalism. "I live by the rules—rules I create for myself and rules I create for others. I feel good if I can keep my own rules, and I become arrogant and full of contempt when others don't meet the standards I set for them. There is no joy in my life because there is no grace to be celebrated."
Mysticism. "I am engaged in the incessant pursuit of an emotional experience with God. I live for the moments when I feel close to him, and I often struggle with discouragement when I don't feel that way. I may change churches often, too, looking for one that will give me what I'm looking for."
Activism. "I recognize the missional nature of Christianity and am passionately involved in fixing this broken world. But at the end of the day, my life is more of a defense of what's right than a joyful pursuit of Christ."
Biblicism. "I know my Bible inside and out, but I do not let it master me. I have reduced the gospel to a mastery of biblical content and theology, so I am intolerant and critical of those with lesser knowledge."
Therapism. "I talk a lot about the hurting people in our congregation, and how Christ is the only answer for their hurt. Yet even without realizing it, I have made Christ more Therapist than Savior. I view hurt as a greater problem than sin—and I subtly shift my greatest need from my moral failure to my unmet needs."
Social-ism. "The deep fellowship and friendships I find at church have become their own idol. The body of Christ has replaced Christ himself, and the gospel is reduced to a network of fulfilling Christian relationships."
[From Paul Tripp and Tim Lane's How People Change (New Growth Press, 2008)]:
In the end, only God's grace can subdue the heart and turn its desires God-ward. And such grace comes only through the true gospel of Christ. When God brings me around to embrace by faith that it was my moral failure that caused the sinless Son of God to suffer and die and, because of that, God does not treat me as my sins deserve, I see then that anything in life can be received with thankfulness (thankfulness being the effect of His grace... "charis" = "gift, gratitude").
Only God can enable us by His "greater grace" to continually ring the death knell to "my way" because He continually satisfies us with the fact that "there is therefore now [here and now] no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1).
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Do you see your own need for God's grace every moment so that you can yield your desires up to Him?
Perhaps you've been wronged and you have a legitimate desire to see matters set right. Are you yielding even this desire to God so that it does not become all-consuming and controlling to the point that you would sin to see your desire satisfied?
To whom does He give grace? (cf. James 4:6)
Further Listening:
My Heart Is Filled with Thankfulness (Stuart Townend, Keith Getty)
:angel:
March 17, 2010
The Hole in the Map
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned." Isaiah 9:2
Si-un blended in with thousands of children in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea who suffered for the glory of their dear leader. Not talented enough to be picked for the elite schools, and not so removed that she escaped the state's eye, she imbibed the propaganda even as her family's rations shrank. But she just knew that she and her countrymen were lucky. She could live somewhere really terrible, like China. As authors Kay Marshall Strom and Michele Rickett tell her story in Forgotten Girls,
Si-un was always sad for the people of China. Stories came to hear North Korean village about the horrible conditions in that country next door. In school, the students were taught that nearly everyone in China is homeless, living in the forests or under bridges, because they do not have the benevolence of Kim Jong Il to care for them.
The isolation keeps North Koreans locked in poverty - the isolation allows their indoctrination even as they starve, and the indoctrination encourages their continued isolation. Those forced to cover their eyes sometimes learn to prefer the dark because it's all they know.
From the sky, the darkness on the northern half of the Korean peninsula is surrounded by bright spots in China, South Korea, and Japan across the sea. The satellite images of a country without electricity in the midst of modern nations, belying the DPRK's self-proclaimed feats of achievements. And all the while, the people live in the same darkness. At least for a while, the isolation keeps people like Si-un believing that they are the envy of the world, because their view is so warped and narrowed.
Journalist Barbara Demick said of her interviews with North Korean defectors,
Almost all the people I've talked to had moments when they were happy. You know, for one, they had this core belief. It may have been a big lie, but they believed it. They believed in their country. They believed in themselves. And there's an underlying sadness for them at what was lost, even if they know it was a lie.
Finding out that their shining republic was even darker than they believed was "devastating" for some defectors who managed to escape the country. "I mean, to imagine that everything you've ever been taught was untrue - it's shattering...They find it difficult to, you know, recreate that meaning in their lives," Demick said in an interview with NPR.
The gulags and the black sites disgust me with their inhumanity, but it's the psychology of the state that really mystifies me. The few journalists who have made it into the secretive country come back with reports of a dead country, where any abundance is a farce in the face of real famine. But for many of the people, their undying loyalty is no charade - it's real, despite their hunger and lack of opportunity. While we can't know how many of them have secret doubts, Demick's report reminds me of the state's hold on people. They upheld their state because they genuinely believed in it. The darkness was the only light they knew.
North Korea's millions of people can't be reduced to a simple illustration. Their road to freedom takes years, with many betrayals, sad endings, and lifetime suffering. I believe many of them imagine a better life, but stay because of the incredible risks and dangers inherent with defecting. And yet, the image of that black hole in the satellite pictures make me wonder how anyone can bear not to try, or secretly entertain the idea.
If the road to freedom involved no deadly risks or false steps... how many people would run to the provision on the other side? How many people would choose to look away from the light and go back to their lives of want in order to keep believing the lies they were fed?
We all fed off the lies the Prince of this world shoved our way. Darkness was our way of life until Christ rescued us that black hole we could not escape, and suddenly we could see. And yet, now and then, we remember that we were happy in our suffering sometimes, because it was what we knew. Our darkness came with a separate goal that looked entirely appealing given the options. How we turn back after we've seen things truly?
Intersecting Faith & Life: "Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see." We've escaped the worst. Like the North Korean defectors though, we can't live in a vacuum. We need a purpose - do you miss the darkness or does the light call you down a new road?
:angel:
March 18, 2010
Kill Me Now
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
If this is how you are going to treat me, put me to death right now --
if I have found favor in your eyes -- and do not let me face my own ruin."
Numbers 11:15
...while he himself went a day's journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die.
"I have had enough, Lord," he said. "Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors."
1 Kings 19:4
Now, O Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.
Jonah 4:3
What kind of a person feels like this? A schmo like me, at times, sure. Maybe you, or people you know. Surely not the heroes of the Old Testament.
Well, truth is, even God's greatest leaders and prophets got to the point in their respective stories where, even after witnessing indescribable miracles and blessings, their circumstances were so overwhelming, impossible and undesirable their attitude was, "Just kill me now, Lord!" Exhausted in body, soul, and spirit, they cried out that they had had enough. They could go no longer in their own power.
The first quote above is from Moses, who had a People Problem. The wandering Israelites were hungry, and as usual, it fell to Moses to solve the problem. He cried out to the Lord, "Was it I who conceived these people? Was it I who brought them forth?" He looked around and couldn't figure out how to satisfy everyone.
The second quote is from Elijah, who had a Pity Problem. This was a prophet who had just called down fire from heaven, destroyed the prophets of Baal, and witnessed the end of a long drought. But just a few verses later, one vow from one wicked queen has him in such despair that he fears he can't go on like this.
The third quote is from Jonah, who had a Pouting Problem. He'd finally obeyed to the point of going to Nineveh and preaching repentance, but when the Lord relented and stayed his hand rather than destroying the city, Jonah wasn't happy. He folded his hands and "became angry" that the destruction he forecast never arrived.
Consider who these men were and what they had seen, what the Lord had done through them. Moses parted the Red Sea and led a people out of slavery. Elijah stood strong for Israel during a time of tremendous pagan influence, prayed down fire and rain, and actually never died (so chalk up at least one unanswered prayer!). Jonah is one of the first stories we tell our children, about how God provided a great fish to swallow him for such a period as he could learn about obedience and repentance.
Not only that, but these guys all show up in the Gospels, in one way or another. Moses and Elijah are present at Jesus' transfiguration (Mark 9). In Matthew 12:38-41 (NIV), Jesus tells the Pharisees they won't get any sign from him other than the sign of Jonah, foreshadowing the three days He Himself would spend in the belly of the Earth.
But interestingly enough, Christ never felt this way. He knew His destiny was to die, and even prayed that such a cup might pass from Him. And let's not forget that He is our example, not Moses, not Elijah, and not Jonah, great as they were.
When we feel the way that these guys did, we need to realize that anyone wanting to die is under attack. And our enemy can bring that attack through people, pity, and pouting. It comes when our body is not healthy, our soul is not happy, and our spirit is not holy.
But conveniently enough, Paul shows us a prayer that covers all these bases. He writes, "Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass." (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24).
You aren't alone when you feel like you can't go on, like you would be better off dead than standing strong in the face of the overwhelming task God has given you, especially when you are weak in body, soul, and spirit, and the enemy is on the attack. And truly, it is comforting to know that some of the Bible's greatest faith warriors and miracle workers shared these feelings. But it doesn't mean they were right. Let us not indulge hopelessness, for it is always around us. Instead, let us remember that we serve a God of miracles and we follow the One who never copped to people, pity, or pouting, but willingly laid His life down.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Develop a plan that gives you exercise and rest in proper amounts for your body, soul, and spirit, so that you will be less prone to attack.
:angel:
March 19, 2010
Shiny, Happy People
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.
Nehemiah 8:10
You know the type of people. They're "shiny." They're "happy." And you wonder why.
At first encounter, they may seem too good to be true. Alright, they might be downright annoying. But if you give them a minute—and upon closer inspection—you'll find that this is no flimsy façade. Some of them are really and truly reflecting something deep down inside of substance: lives built on a sure foundation that permeates their entire beings.
I've met many of these types in the course of my life. Some have nothing going for them (by the world's standards), and others are at the top of their games (again, by the world's standards).
One such was a successful singer-songwriter who crossed my path years ago when I was engaged in a temporary work assignment. I remember how he pretty much glowed and always seemed "up"—and not in an obnoxious way either. You could just tell that he had something going on inside of him that was lighting up his life.
During one conversation when asked what he liked to read, he shared how he only read the Bible. That was it. No newspapers. No latest suspense novels on his bedside table. Just the Word. And he didn't say it in a pompous, "holier than thou" type of way either. He just sincerely wasn't interested in reading any other book or printed material that was out there.
Different. Perhaps radical. And yet very interesting to me. It explained a lot about why he was so unflappable, focused and always joyful. I wanted what he had.
Other "shiny, happy people" I've known are ones who the world would immediately toss into the reject bin because of their physical disabilities and deformities. Yet, these are some of the most grounded, mature, kind and giving individuals I have ever met. Despite their exterior issues or lack of this or that, they radiate the joy of the Lord. They pour into others' lives (including mine!). Their "shortcomings" or "liabilities" haven't stopped them, and they are constantly seeking out others and refreshing them with their presence.
How do they do this when they could just as easily be bitter about their circumstances in life? It is truly a mystery. And then again, it's not. At least not for those of us who know (or should know) the source of their "shiny" and their "happy." For when you get close to these people, you notice that they're all drawing from the same well to get what they need to survive. They are partaking of the living water that supernaturally quenches our thirst.
"If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him" (John 7:37-38).
No wonder they are so joyful! They know where the secret source is—except it's not so secret for those who are in Christ. And you and I can go there, too. It's free. It's available. And its strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow will never dry up.
Perhaps you are feeling parched today and desperately want the joy of the Lord. You know what you need to do. Spend time with the Father in his Word and in prayer. Lift your eyes, open up your heart and be drawn to springs of living water.
Intersecting Faith & Life: How about seeking out some of these "shiny, happy people" for yourself this weekend? Learn from their testimonies and be refreshed by their witness. God wants to give you joy and be the strength in your life as well!
Further Reading:
Psalm 65
John 4:1-26
:angel:
March 22, 2010
The Perverse Generation
Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
"O unbelieving and perverse generation,"Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you and put up with you?" Luke 9: 41
There is much written today about how the world has lost touch with God and morality. It's easy to view the past with rose-tinted glasses, to believe in "the good old days" or reminisce about a golden era. We do this in the Church all the time, often pointing to one practice that, if resurrected, would surely turn this generation around.
"If only the women still wore head coverings in church... "
"If only we sang ancient hymns... "
"If only young men and women got married earlier... "
Don't read me wrong here... these issues are important. But the stark reality is, every generation has fallen short of God's glory. Every generation has sinned. Does this sound familiar?
"The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers."
How often have I been tempted to mutter these words when encountering today's teenagers? But this quote is attributed to Socrates by Plato. Apparently teens weren't doing so well in the ancient world either. The fallen nature of man has followed us through the ages, plaguing the young and old alike. Our broken nature manifests itself in so many ways... from the darkest sins to our lack of basic manners and courtesy.
Jesus himself seemed to grow weary of the sins of his own day. I imagine the opening scripture was expressed with a mix of sadness and righteous anger. During Lent, our church acknowledges God's just anger at the end of every service with this chant: Parce, Domine, parce populo tuo;/ ne in aeternum irascaris nobis which translates to: "Spare your people Lord: /Be not angry Lord with your people forever."
But what is the rest of the story? Even as his sinful followers surrounded him, Jesus healed the spiritual and physical afflictions of a possessed boy. We see here that going back to the "good old days" doesn't have the power to save us. It's the person of Jesus Christ who saves. This is the miracle of Easter: The incredible mercy of a God who would be justified in staying angry forever after the golden era of Eden went terribly wrong. He hears our cries for redemption - weak though they may be - and saves us.
Is the world worse today than it was yesterday? Does it matter? God's patience and mercy for our "perverse and unbelieving generation" reveal the depths of his divine love. And those forgiven the most sins have the greatest number of reasons to rejoice.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Have you ever felt so deeply ashamed of your sins that you thought no one could be as bad as you? Take heart. Some of the greatest saints were the worst of sinners. All sins can be forgiven when we call out to the Holy Spirit and ask for mercy. Rejoice in the second chances that come with Easter.
Further Reading
Luke 7: 47
Romans 3: 23
:angel:
March 23, 2010
Christ Did Not Ascend into the Realm of Mere Religious Ideas
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus."
Romans 6:11NASB
We live in a world in which critics of Christianity consider the Gospel accounts of Jesus' life, death, resurrection and ascension completely absurd. They count us, His followers, to be fools. They must. They have no other choice. And we do not live by their opinions.
Rather, we pray and live in such a way so that God might use us to open their eyes to the reality of Christ's resurrection. He is Lord of all and is seeing history through to its appointed end. Nothing can change this.
One way that God opened my eyes to the truth of Christ years ago was by putting me in the company of a Christian who had moved past his fear-of-man issues and was living out the verse above. I remember that he even explained his faith to me, a skeptic, in terms of Romans 6 as if it were true in present history—in real space and time. It was unsettling.
He had mentioned reading Francis Schaeffer, whose book True Spirituality we are currently working through each Tuesday on "Crosswalk the Devotional." This week, in chapter three, Schaeffer dwells upon the Romans 6 message about the necessity of the Christian to believe that he has really been joined in union with Christ. Schaeffer points out from Romans 6 that this is the essential message of the Christian life.
From what I can tell, skeptics and critics who suspect that Christians are just trying to make them conform to a moral or political agenda really don't know what to do with the undiluted message of Christianity—that of being spiritually united with Christ. Quoting Schaeffer:
This is the basic consideration of the Christian life.
First, Christ died in history. Second, Christ rose in history.
Third, we died with Christ in history, when we accepted Him as Savior.
Fourth, we will be raised in history, when He comes again.
Fifth, we are to live by faith now as though we were now dead, as though we have already died.
Sixth, we are to live now by faith as though we have now already been raised from the dead.
What this means to the true believer is that the world's power to conform us to its way of thinking and living is broken. All things look different now.
Paraphrasing Schaeffer:
How can we conform to that which is so marred, so broken, so caught up in revolution against God? The praise of the world is worthless when one has stood in the presence of God. The wealth of the world is worthless when one has seen the treasure of heaven. What is earthly power after one has seen the reality of heaven and the power of God?
And this is not a matter of projecting our imaginations. We recognize that the Lord Jesus Christ indeed lives in the presence of the Father (Rom. 6:10), and this is where we are called to live, alive to God in communion with Him, in communication with Him—saying "thank you" in all the ebb and flow of life.
When I am dead both to good and bad [circumstances that happen to me], I have my face turned towards God. And this is the place in which, by faith at the present moment of history, I am to be.
When I am there, what am I? I am then the creature in the presence of my Creator. It is though I am already in the grave, and already before the face of God. When through faith I am dead to all, and am face to face with God, then I am ready by faith to come back into this present world as though I have already been raised from the dead. It is as though I anticipate that day when I will come back.
Our primary call, then, is to be alive to God moment by moment. Our "doing good" should not become a thing in itself and thus spoil the most basic call of being alive to the presence of God.
Christ was not raised mythically. He did not ascend into the realm of mere religious ideas. He was raised historically in space and time. He lives presently and sustains all things by the word of His power. The dominion of sin is broken. Because He lives, we can live free from conformity to the world and be alive in the presence of our Creator.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Are you joined in union with Christ? Is yours a Christless Christianity that is more focused on your own goals, fears and feelings than what is historically and presently true of Christ?
Further Study on the Validity of the Christian Worldview:
Dr. Greg Bahnsen's peerless lectures: "Basic Training for Defending the Faith" (YouTube)
:angel:
March 24, 2010
A Hedge of Clichés
by Katherine Britton, News & Culture Editor
"And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words." - Matthew 6:7
A Bible study friend recently encouraged me to rewrite the famous passage on Proverbs 31 woman in my own words, with application to my own life. I took her up on the challenge, thinking the task wouldn't be too hard for someone who writes for a career.
Crafting a modern application took an hour—much longer than I figured. Getting away from verbatim repetition to explore specific application required much more of my time and energy than I would typically spend journaling on a passage. Stepping back from the verse-by-verse analysis, though, I thought I saw the Proverb 31 woman's characteristics a bit more clearly. Rewriting the passage didn't destroy the original language for me—on the contrary. The "words, words, words" seemed fresh and clear from my new vantage point.
Unfortunately, reading and "hiding Scripture in our hearts" quickly slips into rote recitation for me. It's like Tim Hawkin's hedge of protection comedy sketch; the words have power, but we start spouting them off without much thought. Pretty soon, I'm sitting in church and halfway through a hymn before I realize that I'm singing. My heart gets left behind too when my mind is disengaged. Pretty soon, I'm praying a "hedge of protection" for somebody, partially because the phrase sounds good without making me think too carefully about their specific needs.
The Pharisee Jesus described in Luke 18:9-13 had mastered the art of hiding insincerity behind the right phrases. He knew the turn of phrase that would convey holy devotion, regardless of the filth in his heart. "Words, words, words" became meaningless, as Hamlet saw them in the dead books - they became a socially acceptable key to avoid the real attitudes.
Contrast this to the tax collector. He understood that social niceties wouldn't veil his sins before God, and he didn't continue with a recitation the way the Pharisee did. His simple prayer was, "God, have mercy on me, a sinner." That was it. He knew the impact of his simple phrase far better than the Pharisee did. He didn't need to "babble" to impress God or those around him; he simply spoke his heart, knowing that ability to pray is itself a mercy.
The beautiful language of Scripture is best adorned with sincerity of heart, not how many words we can string together in holy sentences. After all, consider how simple the Lord's Prayer is written - and how difficult and miraculous it is to proclaim "Your will be done."
Intersecting Faith and Life: There's not a "holy attitude" that we put on at "holy times" - we are called to be holy all the time, in our joking with friends as well as our prayers. We need to speak simply, truly, and to God's glory all the time. This week, practice this by eliminating Christian catch phrases from your prayers, instead journaling your prayers to bring a fresh application.
:angel:
March 25, 2010
Being Perfect & Purposeful Instability
by John UpChurch, Editor, Jesus.org
"Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."
Matthew 5:48 (NASB)
Jesus tells His disciples—and ultimately us—to be perfect. The record scratches; the music stops. Perfect? Really?
When God first opened my eyes to the simple-yet-beautiful truth of the Gospel, I stumbled over this part of the Sermon on the Mount. Here I found a wrenching dichotomy: God, who alone is perfect, wants me to be perfect. The two concepts refused to mesh, so I wrote this call to perfection off as hyperbole. Christ also talks about cutting off hands and plucking out eyes and hating family after all; this phrase fit nicely in that category.
But the hyperbole idea kudzued up through the rest of the Sermon. God wouldn't really hold us accountable for our mental lapses or our name-calling. We can't really be expected to smooth conflicts over before going to church and worshiping. The salt and light thing is more like a suggestion. We should simply aim high (the exaggeration) and not be discouraged when we hit low (the impossibility of being perfect).
That reading made my life easier. But the Sermon was never meant to be easy. I just missed the point.
Several years ago, a Christian mentor introduced a concept that challenged my understanding of Matthew 5: purposeful instability (my phrasing, not his). According to his idea, God includes key phrases and stories in Scripture that shatter our "safe" views about being a Christian and push us to grow. In essence, we lock ourselves into patterns and expectations, and God shakes those expectations up.
We see an example of this in John 4 when the disciples, who thought they knew the Savior, returned to find Jesus speaking with a Samaritan woman. Their mouths dropped open; their expectations tumbled down. Jesus had used purposeful instability to teach them an important lesson about who could come to Him (i.e., everyone).
Jesus did the same thing later when He urged His disciples to feed the five thousand (Matthew 14:13-21). Impossible exaggeration, right? The twelve baskets of leftovers say otherwise.
Christ challenged His disciples throughout His time on earth, befuddling them, rebuking them, and sleeping during their storms. But He always did this to teach them (and us) about following Him.
When I applied purposeful instability to the Sermon on the Mount, my understanding shifted—and, not surprisingly, my refuge in hyperbole melted away. The words of the Sermon command and guide with absolute assurance. Christ moves from the outside world to our inside thoughts and shows that nothing remains hidden—not our actions, not our motives.
Hyperbole as a literary device requires a core of truth. When Christ mentions ripping eyeballs out, He means that we must remove the things in our lives that make us stumble. The exaggeration and image emphasize the seriousness.
However, the Sermon on the Mount and its call to perfection go deeper. This isn't a powerful image meant to evoke an emotional response; it's a sparse—yet powerful—statement of fact. The ramifications are meant to shake us, to push us, to take away the "safe."
Intersecting Faith & Life: Following Jesus means moving, and He gave us the destination. And that's no exaggeration.
:angel:
March 26, 2010
Follow the Yellow Brick Roads
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.
Proverbs 16:9
In my office, it's been all about The Wizard of Oz this month.
No, I'm not having a movie-watching marathon session of this popular musical. I'm just inspired by the "vintage musicals" calendar that's hanging on my bulletin board and how this month's selected musical is The Wizard of Oz.
I have loved watching the 1939 movie version with Judy Garland as Dorothy, Ray Bolger as The Scarecrow, Bert Lahr as The Cowardly Lion and Jack Haley as The Tin Man. Their mission was simple: follow the yellow brick road to the Wizard so that he could help Dorothy get back home to Kansas again.
Along the way, there were some obstacles: life-like trees that weren't just there to "hug," flying monkeys that weren't just kidding around and scary individuals (a green-skinned Wicked Witch of the East ... yikes!). But there were also some helpful friends (Glinda the Good Witch, The Munchkins) who encouraged Dorothy to stay focused and be brave on her journey.
So, hurrah for Dorothy. She had a clearly defined path (highlighted in yellow, nonetheless) to follow. And follow it she did.
But what about the rest of us? We don't always have one, clearly defined path down which to travel in life. Sometimes, there are multiple yellow brick roads. And then what are we supposed to do?
There you are, standing at the crossroads and wondering which way to go. Each road seems like it could be viable and just as promising as the next. But there is hesitation. There is no clear direction. And so you wait.
So how should you bide your time until the Lord reveals which way he wants you to go? It is so easy to let the flesh reign supreme in times like this. But take it from me: impatience, frustration and taking matters into your own hands will get you nowhere fast. It's best to wait on the Lord and his timing.
"Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed," Proverbs 16:3 says. Have you done that today? Have you given to God whatever potential plans or apparent roads are in front of you?
"The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge; the ears of the wise seek it out," Proverbs 18:15 says. Have you sought advice or know-how from those who may have gone down various roads that you are now contemplating? What words of wisdom have they shared with you that may shed some light or help to point you in the right direction?
"A man's steps are directed by the LORD. How then can anyone understand his own way?" Proverbs 20:24 says. Even though you may not see what is going on or what might lie ahead, are you trusting that God is in control and has a plan that is best for you?
"If the LORD delights in a man's way, he makes his steps firm; though he stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand," Psalm 37:23-24 says. Have you committed to serve the Lord first in your life, no matter what? And do you believe that he will carry you, no matter which road he takes you down and no matter what may trip you up along the way?
If you stand at a crossroads today and wonder which way to go, know that this decision is not all up to you. Bigger and better than any earthly wizard, our God is leading each of us on a pilgrimage to closer relationship with him as we get nearer and nearer to our eternal home.
Intersecting Faith & Life: "There's no place like home. There's no place like home." That's what Dorothy repeated to herself when she wanted to get back to Kansas. And similar thinking goes for us, too. Are we eternally-minded in our daily living here on earth? Are we seeking to serve the Father rather than follow our own interests? No matter what pathways are set before us today, let us look to our heavenly Father to change our hearts and order our steps.
Further Reading
Jeremiah 10:23
Proverbs 19:21
:angel:
March 29, 2010
Waiting on the Lord
by Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. Psalm 27: 13-14
I read a book a few years ago for couples discerning marriage called The Exclamation. The author pointed out that God could answer the question "Should I marry him/her" in only three ways: Yes. No. Wait.
I think the toughest of the three is, "Wait." It's not just that we live in an impatient society (we do), and it's not just that we can be selfish, demanding creatures (we can), and it's not just that we tend to want life on our own terms (we do) -- it's that waiting requires surrender of one of man's most precious commodities: time.
Our lives are finite. Each day is precious, each month, each year because we only have but so many. So when the Infinite God whispers to His limited creatures, "Wait," our responses often sound something like this:
"You see, you don't get it, God. Sure, it's easy for you to wait - you have all of eternity. But I really need some answers. You gave Amy answers, and Chuck answers, and Lori answers, so it's only right and fair you give me answers. After all, you said 'whoever seeks shall find' and stuff, so now I'm seeking, and 'wait' just isn't an acceptable response."
I think it's even tougher to wait when we have pain lingering in our pasts. We may wonder, "Why should I trust God? Last time everything ended in disaster." I speak from experience here. I've had to wait on an answer to prayer for a long time now - even for someone of my youthful age. I know how tough it is to receive the umpteenth "not yet" from God. I know what it's like to look back on painful deferments and feel like life is slipping by.
Yes, waiting isn't for spiritual wimps, but for those strong of heart. Obeying a "not yet" from God requires true faith. It's handing over our days and years and months to God, trusting that we won't regret holding off. It's believing God's plan is truly the best plan even when several other enticing options tempt us. It's deferring what is good for what is best.
And there's the reward of waiting. I can say today that one of long-time prayers has finally been answered. And with the resolution is the kind of joy that only comes from God, the kind of joy that only comes with his answer to prayer instead of our own.
Even in the midst of still unanswered prayers, I still believe God isn't out to get you or me. He doesn't ask us to wait to torment us. In His infinitely perfect nature, He sees what we can't and wants to give us more than we're currently asking for. All the times I've ignored God's "wait" and taken matters into my own hands, a lot of precious time was wasted. But those that wait on Him will experience joy that far surpasses any temporary pleasure that comes with forging ahead alone.
Weeping may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning. Psalm 30: 5 (NAS)
Intersecting Faith & Life: Are you waiting for an answer to prayer? My goal this Holy Week is to embrace the confidence of the psalmist, knowing I will see the goodness of the Lord if I just wait a while longer. Pray simply and directly about that which you're waiting for - like a child seeking answers from a parent - and then leave it with God as you contemplate our Lord's suffering and resurrection.
Further Reading
Lamentations 3: 24
Psalm 37: 7
When Dreams Come True
:angel:
March 30, 2010
The Christian Faith Is Not a Leap in the Dark
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"...we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal."
2 Corinthians 4:18 NASB
There are two categories of reality in the universe: material and non-material; that which is seen and that which is not seen. In the unseen (non-material) realm we find fixed concepts which our world operates by constantly. Take, for example...
· Moral absolutes (e.g. Child abuse is wrong.)
· The uniformity of nature (e.g. We live on the assumption that planets and stars move in a predictable fashion. On this assumption we plan trips not only to grandma's house, but to the moon and beyond.)
· Universal Laws of Thought* (e.g. The principle of contradiction: a maxim stated by Aristotle as: "contradictory propositions are not true simultaneously." [cf. Aristotle's Metaphysics, 1011b13-14]) Avicenna is said to have put it more colorfully, "Anyone who denies the law of non-contradiction should be beaten and burned until he admits that to be beaten is not the same as not to be beaten, and to be burned is not the same as not to be burned."
These are all things that are real. Laws of thought and moral absolutes may not be able to be weighed, measured or stored in a cupboard, but we count on them and live by them every day just the same.
From what I've observed, both children and adults in Christian circles struggle at times with the things they are called to believe in. God seems like a distant idea. Doctrine seems far removed from day-to-day life. At times, you or someone you love may be tempted with the thought, "I wonder if God, salvation, heaven and hell is all just a made up fairy tale."
At that point you should take a step back and remember that everyone has a faith in their particular view of the world. Worldviews need to be evaluated by whether or not they account for the unseen realities mentioned above. Fortunately, biblical Christianity (not to be confused with tainted, politicized, or hypocritical forms of Christianity that bear no resemblance to the life and message of Jesus Christ) is a worldview that is well able to account for these unseen realities. The biblical God (note well, not just general theism) capably undergirds all unseen moral absolutes, natural constants and universals. Other competing worldviews are weighed in the balance and found wanting.
When we are called on to believe in the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 5:5), we should recognize that this is another unseen reality. The truths of Galatians 2:20 belong in the category of the unseen as well...
"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me." (Gal. 2:20)
Let's not gloss over the fact that we are called to believe in unseen things. But at the same time let's not jump to the wrong conclusion that Christ asks us to take an idiotic leap in the dark. We all believe in well-founded unseen things everyday.
This week in chapter four of Francis Schaeffer's True Spirituality, he calls our attention to this biblical view of truth by underscoring that there are "two streams, two strands of space-time reality—one in the seen, and one in the unseen..."
"[God] is not asking us merely to act on some psychological motivation, but on
what really is... there is a Holy Spirit who has been given to us to make service possible.
"The Christian dead, including my loved ones, are already with Christ now, and Christ really lives in the Christian. Christ lives in me.
"Here is true Christian mysticism—not based on content-less experience, but on historic, space-time reality—on propositional truth. Christian mysticism is communion with Christ. It is Christ bringing forth fruit through me, the Christian, with no loss of personality.
"He is the Christ who has died, whose work is finished, who is raised, who is ascended, who is glorified. It is this Christ. Not simply an idea. It is the Christ who was seen after the resurrection... by Stephen, by Paul, by John."
Let's walk on today, confidently believing in these unseen realities—Christ was not raised mythically; Jesus, the apostles and the Christian martyrs were not liars; and "the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who is given unto us" (Romans 5:5).
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Are you at a loss for words when asked why you believe in unseen things? Learn how to converse with others in terms of their own beliefs in unseen things (like moral absolutes, etc.), and help them discover the worldview that is charged with the majesty and grandeur of God.
For Further Study:
What Is a Worldview? Dr. James Sire
Introduction to Worldviews (series of lectures) Dr. Greg Bahnsen
:angel:
March 31, 2010
I Am Pilate
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"What is truth?" Pilate asked. -- John 19:38
This week I met one of the most understandable yet guilty figures in the Bible. This man desperately tried to convince himself that he could control his circumstances. He had a vague intuition for what was right, but he was constantly torn between catering to the crowd and bullying them to show his power. He was overwhelmed by material consequences and implications. And in three simple words, he revealed the heart of his stubborn weakness.
As I again read Pontius Pilate's interview Jesus, I wondered how a man could stare the Son of God in the face, find Him not guilty, and yet condemn Him to death. Each Gospel offers some perspective on why. In reading their accounts, I found that Pilate's deep flaws were eerily similar to those I see in myself.
You see, I think Pilate had a modern mind. As a Roman, he wasn't very "into" religion. Belief in the gods - and the emperor as a god - were vestiges of an older system by his time, now adopted as a form of patriotism. His real religion would have been in the glorious Roman Empire, the unconquerable empire-without-end. This thoroughly material belief would have dominated the thoughts of a Roman procurator such as Pilate. He had no room in his world for the supernatural.
All that was called into question when they brought in Jesus. At that point, Pilate's religion showed its consequences in his character.
Demand for Material Answers
From first to last, Pilate's questions to Jesus involve politics and facts. Jesus' answers were unintelligible, because Pilate was asking the wrong questions. Pilate couldn't understand supernatural answers because he was thoroughly material. He thought the world could be interpreted through distinct movements and verifiable facts. He couldn't accept any mystery in faith, and so he rejected the Messiah as another man.
False Sense of Power
Pilate's religion of materialism forced him to rely on position. He told Jesus, "Don't you know that I have the authority to release you and the authority to crucify you?" (John 19:10) I'm sure he fully believed that authority was his. Jesus corrected Pilate by telling him that his power was given "from above," which probably shook Pilate just a little. I think at that point Pilate realized that control was slipping away from him, and he did everything he could to regain it.
Blinded by Consequences
Pilate wanted to pretend that he wasn't really responsible for Jesus' death. He made a few feeble attempts to stick up for Jesus before the crowd, which probably counted as a good deed in Pilate's mind. But he ultimately backed down and washed his hands of Jesus' fate, because he "wished to satisfy the crowd." (Mark 15:22) He proclaimed the truth as "not dangerous" but chose not to intervene when it was attacked.
Refusal to See Truth
Pilate's most telling statement of all came right in the middle of the dialogue. Jesus says, "For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world - to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice." (John 18:37) I can just see Pilate throwing up his hands in exasperation and asking a rhetorical question: "What is truth." Face to face with the reality of Jesus, the Son of God, Pilate chose to keep his relativism. The great empire with its power was enough for Pilate. And so he refused the Gospel.
I Am Pilate
How many times have I refused to believe a biblical promise because I don't see how it applies to my worldly situation? How often do I refuse to surrender my circumstances to God's plan for me, pretending I'm in control? How often have I made benign comments when the Gospel is attacked and then retreated? How many times have I refused to draw lines for what is right or to recognize sin for what it is in my life?
Ultimately, these "character flaws"—really, sins—tempt us to believe that Truth isn't Truth. We are tempted to deny that Christ had to die to free us from ourselves. I know that acknowledging the Gospel means my life has to change, and my human nature doesn't want that. But the glory of the cross is that we are changed, and thrown into a life far bigger than anything on this earth - Jesus' incredible love. That's what Pilate refused to see. That's what we can't afford to miss.
Intersection of Faith & Life: Christ went to the cross because of the sin of the world, including Pilate and you and me. How much pain do we bring Him when we refuse to believe, as Pilate did? Pray that God will show specific areas where you need to get rid of Pilate's character and apply the Gospel.
Further Reading:
John 18:28-19:16
Luke 23:1-25
Mark 15:1-15
Matthew 27:11-31
:angel:
April 1, 2010
Declare Worry Bankruptcy
by John UpChurch, Editor, Jesus.org
"Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes."
Matthew 6:34, MSG
I take comfort in marking things as being read. Email, RSS feeds, they all seem so much tidier when they're no longer showing as unread on the computer screen. I can finally relax when I've worked my way through each of them (at least until the next batch comes in). Whether I actually have time to comprehend what I read is beside the point.
My streamlined system often falls apart, however. Insert a busy day here, toss in an Internet outage there, and all those unread items suddenly add up. My RSS reader jumps from a few dozen nuggets to over a thousand nagging headlines. Sometimes it even stops counting and just adds a big + beside the number as if taunting me with how far behind I've gotten.
Occasionally, I unsubscribe from a few of my feeds to help manage the load. But the temptation to add more becomes too great, and I'm back staring at the + again. Knowing I'll only fall farther and farther behind, I finally declare information bankruptcy. Instead of considering what I might be missing, I zap everything and start from zero.
Christ directs us to do something very similar to our worries.
In real life, there's no "worry reader" that pools our concerns about our job, our finances, or our family. We can't work through the list one by one and mark them off after we've examined them. In fact, worries seem to flood in together—a child gets sick, a spouse gets angry, a bill goes unpaid. Most of the time, our first thought isn't to look up to God, but to look ahead.
I'm convinced that one of the questions I ask myself the most is "Well, what will I do when ...?" But asking that question (in any of its iterations) goes against what Christ instructed me to do. He didn't say, "Worry about what will happen tomorrow," or, "Worry about everything happening right now." He said, "Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now."
In other words, declare worry bankruptcy. Focusing our entire attention on God and His actions in our lives nullifies the churning and grinding in the gut.
So what is God doing right now? Well, you're alive and reading this. The offer of being with God forever still applies. You can whip out His love letters to us in book or electronic form (i.e., the Bible). And He's never asleep or taking a break from being in charge.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Declaring bankruptcy on our worries doesn't mean being irresponsible; in fact, Christ means the opposite. Focusing on the God-present (what God is doing right now) keeps our "worry reader" empty and our throat-constricting doubts to a minimum.
:angel:
April 2, 2010
Who Was the Guilty?
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
... But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
1 John 2:1-2
Last week, I did my duty as a citizen and served on a jury in a court of law.
But the criminal case was not as black-and-white as I would have liked, and the jury was faced with making a decision based on testimony that was full of holes and paltry evidence that was not very helpful at all.
Nine women and three men spent two days mulling over what we had heard and seen. We struggled to keep our emotions at bay. We thumped our heads each time we wandered off into speculation. And those of us who knew the Lord (There were believers in our group—one being a former church friend I had not seen in twenty years and was selected for the very same jury! A coincidence? I think not.) sought divine guidance as we sorted through the facts.
"Beyond a reasonable doubt." That was our charge as members of the jury as we made our decision. And believe me, we all were very conflicted and had numerous doubts. None of us knew for sure who was telling the truth: the plaintiff or the defendant. And since the defendant didn't testify and the plaintiff's story was one way in the police report and another way on the stand, that didn't help us either.
"God knows who is lying here," I thought. "He knows the heart. And he knows what we don't and maybe never will know."
How agonizing to try and render a verdict when we didn't know all of the facts! Two persons' lives were in the balance. One might be locked away in prison. And the other might not see justice being served. What were we supposed to do?
As some of the other believers on the jury did, I petitioned the Lord in the wee hours and asked him to help me make the right decision. ("Give me wisdom and discernment, Lord. I want to do the right thing.") In the end, God gave me peace, and I knew that ultimately whoever was lying would stand before our Maker and answer. And while none of us knew for sure, we made do with the information we had, agreed that the prosecution had not proven its case "beyond a reasonable doubt" and then rendered a verdict of "not guilty."
One week later, I am still mulling over this experience—especially in light of Holy Week. I can only think of my own defense and of my life's testimony. My guilt. And the sin (past and present) that is at the fore in my mind. As I've pondered my transgressions, I have imagined myself on the stand, testifying when asked about what I have done. Am I truthful? Am I exposing all of the sin in my heart? Or am I trying to cover up what I have done?
I can't imagine having to testify like that in a court setting. But Good Friday reminds me of the one who took on my sin, became the guilty and paid for my transgressions—for my actions that would have doomed me were it not for the blood of Christ which breaks the power of cancelled sin, covers me in righteousness and reconciles me to God (John 1:29, Romans 5:9-11).
As you reflect on what transpired at the Crucifixion of Jesus, as you remember what Christ has done for you, know that he is standing in your place. He has taken on your guilt, so that the chains of death may be broken. So that you who have believed might have eternal life (John 5:24-27).
Intersecting Faith & Life: What if you had to take the witness stand and give public testimony of every transgression you have ever committed? Ever. Every thought. Every word. Every action. Overwhelming, right? How emotional would you be? How full of shame and grief and guilt? Tap in to those feelings today and remember what Jesus did for you as you observe Good Friday. It is a solemn day, yes, but it is good because he died on the cross for you. Remember and rejoice. Hallelujah! What a Savior.
Further Reading
Romans 5:8
Ephesians 1:7
Ah, Holy Jesus
Herzliebster Jesu
Words: Johann Heermann, 1630
Music: Johann Cruger, 1899
Ah, holy Jesus, how hast Thou offended,
That man to judge Thee hath in hate pretended?
By foes derided, by Thine own rejected,
O most afflicted.
Who was the guilty? Who brought this upon Thee?
Alas, my treason, Jesus, hath undone Thee.
'Twas I, Lord, Jesus, I it was denied Thee!
I crucified Thee.
Lo, the Good Shepherd for the sheep is offered;
The slave hath sinned, and the Son hath suffered;
For man's atonement, while he nothing heedeth,
God intercedeth.
For me, kind Jesus, was Thy incarnation,
Thy mortal sorrow, and Thy life's oblation;
Thy death of anguish and Thy bitter passion,
For my salvation.
Therefore, kind Jesus, since I cannot pay Thee,
I do adore Thee, and will ever pray Thee,
Think on Thy pity and Thy love unswerving,
Not my deserving.
:angel:
April 5, 2010
Resurrected
Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the LORD. The stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner. This is the LORD's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.
Psalms 118: 17, 22 - 23
Most of you celebrated the Lord's resurrection yesterday. For many, it was a glorious day of rejoicing in the miraculous. It was a day where you reflected not only on the event 2,000 years ago, but on the resurrections in your own life. The day you accepted Christ. The day a long-awaited prayer was answered. The day sickness was healed or sorrow wiped away.
For others, this day only served as a reminder of your cross. You felt like you got left at Good Friday, weeping, while the rest of the world moved on to Easter Sunday. You wish you could celebrate, but you don't know how. You may have even apologized to God for your somberness.
You're not alone, I assure you.
In the past few months I've watched several Good Friday's and Easters play out in the lives of those around me. Engagements and babies ushered in cries of rejoicing and praises to God. Yet, cancer, infidelity, and financial hardship occurred uncomfortably close to these joyful events.
Most of life is like this. Happiness, unmixed, is not easy to come by.
So how do we deal with this reality? How do we deal with Good Friday and Easter coexisting?
I think we start with recognizing that the first Easter, the real Easter, was not just one event in time that occurred long ago. Christ's resurrection spanned the ages and has eternal consequences. It applies to you and me today just as much as it did to Christ's followers on Easter morning. It also applies to the future. Our hope, no matter where we may be today, is in the transforming truth of Easter.
Secondly, I think we need to remember that true faith in God does not rely on our emotions. If you cried on Easter morning because life has been wearing you down, God still accepts you. In fact, he died and rose for you so that he could more closely walk with you through these hard times. He knows, more than anyone, the heaviness of the cross.
Third, I think we need to remember that as awe-struck as Christ's first followers felt after his resurrection, they still didn't know what it fully meant... for humanity or for their personal lives. While the resurrection brought their beloved Rabbi back to them, he was different now. The resurrection simultaneously healed some wounds while opening a new can of questions, insecurities, fears, and even pain - at least temporarily.
Ultimately, all Good Friday's will lead to joyful Easter mornings if we cling to Christ. Whether you are in a season of hardship, rejoicing, or a mix of both, the key is to keep walking in faith one step at a time. Only the risen Christ can guide us through the foggy path of life. And when our final Easter morning arrives, we'll finally see with clarity that the journey was worth it.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Reflect on the "little resurrections" in your life - the times God answered a prayer in a very tangible way, the blessings in your life, and the miracles you've witnessed. All these serve as reminders of the great work God will continue to do in your life.
Further Reading
Acts 2:14, 22-33
Psalm 16:1-2, 5, 7-11
Matthew 28:8-15
:angel:
April 6, 2010
The How of the Christian Life
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"...be it unto me according to Your word."
Luke 1:38
"How It's Made," the Science Channel's hit show regularly makes the most of people's curiosity about how household items like gummie candy, aluminum cans, and flavored bacon actually go from raw materials to finished product. It's easy to become mesmerized when cameras are leading you behind the scenes into the inner workings of factories making a few of your favorite things. By the end of each segment, the mists of your own vague ideas about process and production have been utterly dispersed.
This week's reading in chapter four of Francis Schaeffer's True Spirituality is a bit like "How It's Made" in that he delves into the secret of how the Christian life is effectively lived. While many of us know this secret in theory, the daily mist of our own residual fallen nature makes it necessary to review the blazing truth so that we might see ourselves (and God) accurately and live out our faith practically.
Moving forward from last week's teaching in chapter four about the normality of believing in unseen things, Schaeffer issues the biblical call this week to engage in what he terms "active passivity" when living the life of faith.
Schaeffer points out that belief in the Holy Spirit is one thing. Now what do we do with that belief? Second Corinthians 13:14 says that "the communion of the Holy Spirit" is to be with all true believers. We are to rely fully and constantly on Christ's promise to send us the Holy Spirit. He is the agent of the power and Person of the glorified Christ.
"There is not enough strength in ourselves, but placed before us is the power and work of the glorified Christ through the agency of the Holy Spirit. Surely this is exactly what Christ meant when he said, 'I will not leave you as orphans.'"
(John 14:18)
"As we look at the book of Acts, we find in the early church not a group of strong men laboring together, but the work of the Holy Spirit bringing to them the power of the crucified and glorified Christ. It must be so for us also."
"As with Mary in the virgin birth when she gave herself with her body to God in response to His promise, so we are in the same situation in [a certain sense] that we have these great and thrilling promises we have been considering, and we are neither to think of ourselves as totally passive, as though we had no part in this; nor are we to think we can do it ourselves."
"If we are to bring forth this fruit through us by the agency of the Holy Spirit, there must be a constant act of faith, of thinking: 'Upon the basis of Your promises I am looking for You to fulfill them... bring forth Your fruit through me into this poor world.'"
"We do not have to beat ourselves or be dejected, [but simply say]"Be it unto me according to Thy Word." This is what I mean by active passivity. This is the how, and there is no other."
Finally, as if to say "this is really how it's done!" Schaeffer reemphasizes that this is not just theoretical access to the power of the crucified, risen, glorified Christ. This is access that we have in reality—in the here and now.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Are you depending on your own energy, cleverness, persistence, charisma and talents to present the Christian life as attractive to your lost friends and family members? By faith (Hebrews 11:6), gaze upon Christ—His atonement, perfections and promises. Respond with active passivity: "Be it unto me according to Thy Word."
For Further Study:
Romans 6-8
The Wind of the Holy Ghost Blowing upon the Dry Bones in the Valley of Vision, by Ebenezer Erskine
John Owen on the Spirit in the Life of Christ, Dr. Sinclair Ferguson
:angel:
April 8, 2010
Tangled Up in Hearts and Pretty Pink Bows
by John UpChurch, Editor, Jesus.org
Going a little farther, He fell facedown and prayed, "My Father! If it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will."
(Matthew 26:39, HCSB)
Some people say the underlying beliefs and aspirations of a society show in the art it produces—the movies, plays, and books. I prefer to look to the clothes.
Having two fast-growing girls has meant continual trips to the store to buy clothing items, clothing items that I have no idea how to put on. We collect bows for the hair, stockings for the legs, and some items that I just stare blankly at and finally surrender to my wife. I grew up with boys and around boys; our most difficult clothing decision involved Batman or Superman.
While I shiver when I glance toward the juniors' section of the store and what battles may await me there, even the children's section gives me pause. It's not because of anything indecent exactly, but because of what the messages on the clothes say about us.
Aside from the snide sayings ("We can't all be as cute as me"), the ones I comment on the most—and the ones my wife hears the most about—involve messages that run counter to the biblical values we try to instill in our girls. The blunt ones are easy to deal with. We use self-absorbed messages ("It's all about me") as teachable moments, and we redirect ones suggesting ways to circumvent a parent's guidance ("When Mom says no, just ask Nana") to what the Bible says.
But some equally questionable messages have sugary coverings that make the impact a bit more subtle. Recently, for instance, we came across a shirt for an animated film from a rather large movie studio with two related theme parks—not to give anything away. The images on the shirt shimmered in pinks and greens, shiny enough to catch my eye anyway. But the message floating above the cartoon princess struck me: "Follow your heart."
Sure, that's a common message in movies and TV shows: the heart/emotions/gut lead the character to make the right choice (and, rarely, the wrong one). Trusting our hearts will lead us to fight for the right cause, save a relationship, win the tournament, find the bad guy, solve the mystery, and so on. But that's not a philosophy I want my daughters to depend on. (Plus, the shirt cost too much.)
The Bible goes so far as to call the human heart deceitful and sick (Jeremiah 17:9). Our "hearts" sometimes tell us that God would want us to do something to be happy, even if against His Word; our "hearts" drag us from whim to whim. The passion can be overwhelming, the fervor deep—but the results are mixed. David's heart led him to both heroism and adultery, Peter's to both grandiose declarations of constancy and grim denials.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Jesus teaches us the far better way. When faced with the pain of the crucifixion, His heart would have urged Him to ask that the "cup" pass from Him. But He chose something much less inconstant than the heart, something much more solid: God's will. The heart's great for wrapping up movies with tidy pink bows (just don't ask me to put them in), but it's not so good for leading in real life.
Further Reading
Jeremiah 17:5-13
Matthew 26
:angel:
April 9, 2010
Broken to Be Made Whole
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Psalm 51:17 (NIV)
I learned God-worship when my pride was shattered. Heart-shattered lives ready for love don't for a moment escape God's notice.
Psalm 51:17 (The Message)
"Aw, nuts!" I mumbled to myself.
I had just heard glass shattering as I stood at the kitchen sink with my hands deep in soap suds. Something had fallen from the dish-drying rack beside me and onto the tiled floor.
This was the scene earlier this week as I was cleaning up after dinner. And so I knelt down and quickly picked up the largest shards from a drinking glass that was no more. Then, I sequestered the pets in another room so that no one would get too nosy or hurt.
Next, I got the hand-held vacuum cleaner and cleaned up the tiny slivers that were hiding here and there. And after all of that, I got down almost prostrate on the floor and looked for any last piece of glass evidence that I could find. I didn't want tiny paws or bare human feet encountering something sharp in the days or nights to come.
Talk about an ordeal! It was not something I wish upon myself every day, but it caused me to stop and reconsider my actions and be more careful the next time soap suds and breakable objects are involved.
That's a great example of what happens when anything is broken to pieces, right? It halts us in our tracks. It disrupts. It can cause discomfort. And it always changes things whether we like it or not. I thought about that glass incident later this week, as I was reflecting on the recent Holy Week services and festivities.
In each service, congregants were reminded that Christ's body was broken for us ...
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed (Isaiah 53:5).
While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take it; this is my body" (Mark 14:22).
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers (1 John 3:16).
A shattering event. Resulting in change. And hope for eternity. For us all.
Because Christ's body was broken for us, when we submit our lives to him we also must undergo a "breaking" of ourselves—so that there is less of us and the sinfulness that battles for our hearts and minds and more of him. So that he may form and shape us into who he wants us to be in him ...
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:3).
"He must become greater; I must become less" (John 3:30).
For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3).
Yes, a "broken spirit" and a "contrite heart" is a sacrifice. But it is required in giving ourselves to the Lord. Today, ask yourself: Am I seeking to be broken so that I made be whole? And then remember: Christ, our Passover, is sacrificed for us. Hallelujah!
Intersecting Faith & Life: Have you ever studied a tile mosaic before? It's a work of art that requires multiple broken shards of glass, pottery or pieces of ceramic. In order to make a mosaic, the old forms of glass, pottery and ceramic must be broken, and then grout is used to adhere all of these pieces together to make a new masterpiece. The next time you see a mosaic, think of how Christ was broken for you and now how he is asking that your life be broken so that you may be formed into a "new creation" to glorify him.
Further Reading
Romans 6:5-7
Romans 6:11-14
:angel:
April 12, 2010
Merciful Redeemer
by Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. 1 Timothy 1:16 NIV
Paul is one of the most beloved Saints of all time. His love for the Lord, preserved in the canon of Scripture, inspires many to this day. Yet, even this extraordinary man was a sinner -- according to his own words "the worst of sinners." How can this be? Surely he is just exaggerating for effect? Or taking humility a little too far?
But I like to take Paul at his word here. After all, this man had persecuted Christians before his conversion. He had done horrible things in the name of righteousness. Surely, he knew his shortcomings. So, let's say Paul truly was the worst of sinners -- and yet we see God did not withhold His mercy even in his case.
One of the most moving stories in the Bible is that of another terrible sinner - the woman with the alabaster jar. Interrupting a dinner party at a Pharisee's house, this woman (in what I think would be a very socially awkward moment) wept over Jesus' feet, wiped them dry with her hair, and applied perfume from the jar.
Simon, the host, was disgusted at this public display of humility, especially by a woman known to be a sinner. Jesus replied to his indignation with this story:
"Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?"
Simon replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled."
"You have judged correctly," Jesus said. (Luke 7: 41 - 43)
Jesus went on to say, "I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven -- for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little." (v. 47)
So often, when we think of our sins and shortcomings we feel ashamed. We want to hide from God like Adam and Eve hid after eating the forbidden fruit. We think God, in His divine perfection, could never want us back or look on us again with the same love as before. Perhaps you've even experienced this kind of rejection in a tangible way - through the abandonment of a family member or loved one.
But this isn't the way God works.
The amazing thing about God's mercy is its accessibility. The bigger the sin, the more anxious God is to pour out His mercy at the first hint of repentance. The Bible tells us that when one sinner repents, heaven rejoices (Luke 15:10). And through Paul's testimony, we can know without a doubt of Christ's unlimited patience and unfailing love. God seeks the love of sinners -- no matter how many times you've sinned or how dark the sin, He desires to shower you with His mercy if you are willing to receive it.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Matthew 5: 7 says Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. We are called to show mercy just as Christ shows us mercy. Is there someone in your life in need of your mercy and forgiveness? Give it.
Further Reading
Hebrews 4: 16
Proverbs 28: 13
:angel:
April 13, 2010
The Duty of Living in the Reality of the Supernatural
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"...without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him."
Hebrews 11:6 ESV
"Doctrine is important," writes Francis Schaeffer in chapter five of his book True Spirituality, "but it is not an end in itself. There is to be an experiential reality, moment by moment... in the power of the crucified and risen Christ, through the agency of the indwelling Holy Spirit, by faith."
Yes, yes, yes... we nod our heads, agreeing with such a fine statement of what ought to be the daily experience of one who follows Christ. But is that our experience? Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed that little by little, the reality of the supernatural is all too easily lost in our generation?
What seems to elude most Christians today is daily experience of living in the reality of the supernatural. We can polish and refine our doctrinal statements and discuss the finer points of what's going on in the world and what to do in our institutions and churches until the cows come home. But what often gets crowded out of the picture is the simple reality of God. When that happens, the world successfully squeezes us into its way of thinking.
"Our generation is overwhelmingly naturalistic [i.e. everything is the result of natural causes in a closed system]. If we are not careful, even though we say we are Biblical Christians and supernaturalists, nevertheless the naturalism of our generation tends to come in upon us."
Schaeffer compares this creeping in of the world's naturalistic mindset to barnacles that grow on the bottom of ships, creating drag on vessels that were meant to efficiently cut through the water. As an antidote, he points us to classic Bible texts that teach the nearness of the supernatural all around us.
For example, Luke's passage on the post-resurrection appearance of Jesus to two disciples walking on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:31) says that their eyes were opened and they realized it was Jesus, then He ceased to be seen by them. Paraphrasing Schaeffer: "It wasn't that Christ was no longer there, but that they simply did not see Him any longer. John 20:19 and 26 gives the same emphasis."
Another classic text that Schaeffer takes us to is 2 Kings 6:16-17 where Elisha is surrounded by an enemy, and the young man standing with him is overcome with fear. "Elisha prayed and said, 'O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.' So the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha."
"The supernatural was not something far off; it was there. All the young man needed was to have his eyes opened to see it. As soon as we remove the supernaturalness of the universe, all we have left is Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, in which religion is to be simply a sociological tool for the future... a mere psychological mechanism."
Schaeffer rightly notes that this is precisely where the battle rages today. The naturalists are determined to get rid of the supernatural, to argue against it, that it is not there. Therefore...
"...we have thrust upon us the necessity, the high calling and the duty to live in light of the existence of the two parts of the universe, the seen and the unseen parts, in the realization that the "heavenlies" are not far off. They are about us here."
Losing the reality of the supernatural is not a small matter. It is not an optional feature of true spirituality. When that is absent from our experience, all we are left with is a dead sociological tool; a mere psychological mechanism for manipulating ourselves and other people. As the Apostle Paul said, "If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied." (1 Corinthians 15:19)
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Are there barnacles built up on the hull of your "ship" lately? Get them cleaned off by praying for renewed eyes of faith as you dig deeper into these Scriptures...
For Further Study:
Luke 24
2 Kings 6:16-17
1 Corinthians 15
:angel:
April 14, 2010
A Unifying Christ
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God - Romans 15:6,7
A couple years ago, I spent two weeks with missionary friends in France. Over the course of those days, I learned a bit about buying baguettes, European clothing sales and measurements, and where to watch for pickpockets. I picked up a couple helpful phrases, (often falling back on the always-applicable "pardon" and "bonjour"), took the RER train system, and frequented the French version of Walmart (it's called Auchan). I got used to hearing a language that made little sense to me in the streets. But two weeks did not instill a sense of belonging. I loved the experience, but the language barrier was too great to tempt me into staying.
The most nerve-wracking moments - for us unilingual Americans - came the day our hosts had other commitments. We were left to attempt a trip into Paris on our own, without our erstwhile friend/guide/translator. In reality, the abundance of English-speaking Frenchmen should have made us easy, but we still felt painfully and distinctly not French. It was intimidating to jump on the RER with its quiet passengers, who knew the route better than we did and would immediately identify us if we opened our mouths. We stuck with "pardon" for the train ride, though we later chickened out and ask the restaurant's waiter if he spoke English. He said, "Yeah, sure."
Perhaps the most rewarding evening of the trip was a birthday celebration at our hosts' home, when several of their French friends came for dinner. The language barrier still existed, but its unease lifted during that evening. We all made linguistic blunders - some of which were funnier than others. But for all of us, we were united in our mutual friendship of the hosts, and our implicit trust that, well, if he's friends with them, they must be wonderful people. The unspoken bond carried even further in some cases, when we knew we shared a common faith as well as friend.
Our Parisian adventure eventually ended back in Dulles International airport—not the most exciting or warm place in the U.S. But did we ever fell at home! We felt so welcomed and at home. Everything was written in our own language! We could understand the passing comments of strangers! We could joke in line at Starbucks! We could speak without translating in our heads! We could revel in our Americanness because we were home. Our language unified us with total strangers after the immersion of two weeks in France.
Being back in our home culture with our native language made me feel like old friends with total strangers, who probably gave me an odd look at the time. But the unity of our common understanding was wildly apparent to me, and I couldn't help feeling joyful at the strangeness of hearing my own language again.
Compare this to the miracle of Pentecost, when a chaotic world market suddenly burst with understanding. Those standing the cosmopolitan heard a unifying call where they least expected it. They said,
"How is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia,Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs--we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!" (Acts 2:8-11)
After Peter's presentation of the Gospel, three thousand people were convinced of the truth of Christ and believed in Jesus. How does something like that happen?
Intersecting Faith & Life: We so easily forget the uniting power of Christ - in our homes, relationships, churches, etc. Faith transcends any cultural and language barrier on earth when we focus on this shared hope. What I experienced in France was such a small taste of what is possible. The message of the Gospel has reconciled our hearts to Christ, and it has power to reconcile us with each other. Let's speak to each other the language of the Gospel that we may build a culture of grace.
:angel:
April 15, 2010
This Devotional Has a Happy Ending
by John UpChurch, Editor, Jesus.org
Because of the loudness of my groaning
My bones cling to my flesh. (Psalm 102:5, NASB)
I hate sad endings. If I know a book or movie will turn out badly for the hero, you won't find it on my shelf. Thought-provoking, melancholy-but-hopeful, those endings I can do, but conclusions that resonate with increasing desperation or despair set my mind reeling for days. And I dislike the tumult.
I'd claim this is all because of some deep pathos I have, that the emotion gets to me. But the truth is much less glamorous: I just want things to turn out well. I'm an irrepressible optimist with a penchant for knowing how plots should be wrapped up. This is the reason you'll usually find me skimming the last chapter of a book first or waiting till others see a movie before I watch it. If I'm going to invest my time, I want the payoff to be satisfactory.
The Bible has some parts that cause a similar reaction—and even those I'd rather skip. For example, David wrote Psalm after Psalm detailing his suffering, his sinfulness, his anguish. Each one overflows with descriptions of his bones melting, his heart withering, or other bodily descriptions that could have come from Night of the Living Dead. Job must use potsherds to scratch his puss-filled sores after his children are crushed and ripped to pieces. Jeremiah gives us graphic descriptions of what became of Israel and spends an entire book lamenting his lost life, world, friends, you name it. Paul dedicates his life to ministry and ends up beaten, pummeled with stones, shipwrecked, wracked with pain, and ultimately killed. And then there's Jonah: a book that ends with a man despairing his own life because God didn't wipe out a city.
Instead of pushing through all that, I'd rather read about the joy of the Lord, the teachings of Christ, the capturing of the Holy Land, and the happy Psalms. After all, the bad stuff in the Bible reminds me of the bad stuff in the present world. Perhaps I think that if I don't read it, it won't happen to me.
But, truthfully, no book of the Bible is without its thorns. The gospels (the "good news") include Christ's brutal death. The happier Psalms often point to the not-so-happy ones. The breakthrough of the Exodus comes with the sorrow of those who suffer for later disobedience.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Buried in each of those sad parts, however, are important lessons from the miry clay—lessons that wouldn't fit the happier times. If Jerusalem hadn't been destroyed, Jeremiah could never have written with such real understanding about the faithfulness of God in the worst of circumstances. David's intense pain produced a fertile ground for joy.
Despite my wishful thoughts to the contrary, not reading such accounts doesn't keep me from needing those lessons myself. The real happy ending is in knowing that I can count on the same God that David, Job, and Paul did—even when my own bones feel like they're melting.
Further Reading
Psalm 102
Lamentations 4-5
:angel:
April 16, 2010
Prepare to Be Shot
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"
Romans 10:14-15
If you're old enough to read this, then you've probably heard someone say "Don't shoot the messenger" before.
This caveat has always sounded good in theory. But it doesn't always work, does it? How many times have you had to deliver some news that you knew would not be received with open arms? It might have been bad or controversial or news that could hurt feelings, and you knew going in that you could be caught in retaliatory crossfire.
But then, you also knew that the message you were carrying was of such great importance that it didn't matter to you. You knew in your heart that you were doing the right thing and that the recipient would ultimately be better off hearing whatever news you had.
Perhaps this is how you've felt when you've shared the Gospel with someone before. You were compelled. You were convicted. And as the messenger, you knew you might get "shot" if someone was hostile toward anything to do with Christianity. But still, you shared the Good News no matter what bullets might hit you in return.
It's what Jesus must have felt like when he came to earth. He was the messenger by which the message of the Good News was delivered. And you either loved him or hated him (Isaiah 53:3). He already knew what his outcome was going to be, but he was obedient—even to death.
"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near," Jesus preached (Matthew 4:17). Those who really understand our condition and how much we need a Savior to save us from our sin, know that this is unbelievably good news (Romans 8:1-3a). It's a lifesaving gift that only requires our belief for acceptance (John 3:16).
Jesus not only carried the Good News, he was the Good News. He embodied his message, and the glory of the Father was revealed through the Son. Those of us who have chosen to love Jesus and give our lives to him are challenged to become messengers, too. "To go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation," (Mark 16:15-16).
Earlier this month, as we celebrated a risen Lord and victory over death, I challenged myself to step up my messenger game and be willing to be "shot" when it comes to delivering this Good News with others.
As I remember the message Christ delivered for me, may I be bold and do whatever is necessary to share the Gospel with others, so that the Father might say of me, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"
Intersecting Faith & Life: How long has it been since you've shared the plan of salvation with someone else? Whether through words or through actions, ask God to equip you and display himself in your life today so that you will reflect his glory to others. You are the messenger. And your message can save lives!
Further Reading
Matthew 5:16
2 Corinthians 3:18
:angel:
April 19, 2010
Suffering in Your Calling
Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you girded yourself and walked where you would; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish to go." (This he said to show by what death he was to glorify God.) And after this he said to him, "Follow me." John 21: 18 - 19.
We often think of Easter as the end of the story. Jesus rose! He conquered death! Through his grace, we will too! Rejoice!
Jesus' resurrection certainly warrants jubilant celebration, but the day the stone was rolled back on the tomb was not the last page of the story. In these opening scriptures, the resurrected Christ is wrapping up a conversation with Peter. He has just commissioned Peter to lead and feed his sheep. foreshadowing Christ's ascension, when the care and nurturing of Christ's followers would be left to the Spirit-led Church. Peter is told here he would die a martyr's death. In fact, it's traditionally believed that all of the twelve died martyr's deaths except John, the youngest.
Peter's suffering is not decades in the future, either. In the fifth chapter of Acts we see Peter and the apostles enduring beatings for teaching in Jesus' name.
What's going on here? Where are all the happy Spring picnics filled with daffodils and chocolate?
First, after the resurrection we read of a very purposeful Jesus. We see him giving his followers glimpses into what it really means to be "called" by him. He is preparing them to receive the Holy Spirit and to embrace whatever unique plan God has for their lives. This is an exciting time of new life - new life in Christ as well as the soon-to-come birth of the infant Church at Pentecost.
Second, as Jesus begins to shed light on his apostles' long-term missions, we see clearly that Jesus' followers not only partake in his resurrection but also his cross. In other words, becoming a follower of the risen Christ isn't just about the empty tomb but the cross that led up to it.
In this second point, I think we can take away much for our personal lives. As members baptized into his Body, the Church, each one of us has a calling from God. I think it's accurate to say that God intends for our callings to match our gifts, talents, and interests. Most of us rightly anticipate a certain level of fulfillment to accompany our life in Christ.
But "calling" also seems synonymous with suffering. And Jesus doesn't cover that up. He says "Follow me" directly after he tells Peter he will die after being crucified upside down. As tempting as it is to brush this off as a hardship of being an apostle in the first century, I don't think we get off that easy. The New Testament is filled with proof that our unique callings will also bring sufferings unique to us.
Another point we can take away from this: So often we interpret suffering as a sign we didn't follow God's will. But here we see that sometimes suffering means you are following God's will.
Third, we see later in Acts that after the apostles were beaten, they rejoice that "they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name [of Jesus]." We read similar reactions from Paul in his letters when he suffers. Scripture doesn't reveal much surprise in Jesus' apostles here (which surprises me!). They seem to "get" that crosses are part of the plan for them and are joyful at the opportuntiy to imitate the Savior they love.
I have to say, as a 21st century American I'm not too comfortable reading these scriptures - even the parts about rejoicing (how on earth do they do that?). I very much want to see the Easter story wrapped up, neat and tidy. I want to see the apostles live happily ever after. I want to thank Christ for suffering and thank my lucky stars I won't have to.
But that's not really how being Christian works. New life in Christ is deeper and more profound than getting a free lunch. Thankfully, we can see here that our lives will not lack joy even when things get messy if we continually tap into Christ's love for us. It's those without Christ's love who find no joy or purpose in life's sufferings.
I personally also find some comfort in reading about the days following Christ's resurrection. Jesus is very consistent here; he did not make wild promises of a perfect life to his apostles only to let them down. No, he candidly and realistically spelled out his plans.
If I'm really honest, that's the kind of God I want to follow. A God of truth. A God I can trust. A God loving enough to give me joy even when life hurts.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Think back on all the trials in your life. Has any good come of them? Make a list of all the blessings that have flowed as a result of suffering.
Further Reading
Acts 5:27-32, 40-41
Psalm 30:2, 4-6; 11-13
Revelation 5:11-14
John 21:1-19
:angel:
April 20, 2010
Remembering the Source of Authentic Joy
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit."
Psalm 51:12
Edith Schaeffer wrote of her husband in the book, L'Abri, that Dr. Francis Schaeffer was a man who deeply wanted his life and work to be "a living demonstration of the existence of God." In retrospect, his was a life that may have been far from perfect (admittedly so), but he was—warts and all, by God's grace—an authentic, Christian man. Prior to the time of his most fruitful ministry years teaching in a rustic, Swiss chalet in post WW II Europe, Dr. Schaeffer went through a long period of severe crisis in which he felt he had to honestly address the lack of genuine joy in his life. What came out of that crisis is the content of his book, True Spirituality.
Assuming that you share Dr. Schaeffer's desire to live a life of joy and not plastic smiles, ponder with me some of the foundational lessons he relates in True Spirituality.
1) We were created for fellowship with God, but there is a barrier: God has a character. He is a holy God.
2) We are sinners by nature and by choice.
3) We cannot breeze past these facts. Before we can become Christ followers, we must acknowledge our alienation from God and that we have real guilt deserving death and hell, not just guilty feelings that seem to require a therapeutic faith solution.
4) Only the finished work of Christ upon the cross as the Lamb of God—in history, space and time—is enough to remove our true moral guilt so that we can be brought into fellowship with God.
5) We must not attempt to add anything on our part to the finished work of Christ in His death and resurrection.
6) The only way that the finished work of Christ can be personally applied to a sinner is by faith alone, in Christ alone, by grace alone, according to Scripture alone, to the glory of God alone.
a. Faith is not a leap in the dark—trying to believe in something that you doubt is true.
b. Rather, faith is...
· believing the specific promises of God,
· no longer turning your back on them,
· no longer calling God a liar by suppressing the testimony of Scripture, attested by history
· but raising the empty hands of faith
· and accepting that finished work of Christ as it was fulfilled in history.
Schaeffer's recap of the gospel provides that which is absolutely essential not only to the initial discovery of joy, but the ongoing recovery of it every day. The gospel is utterly foundational to authentic Christian living and it must be personally rehearsed again and again. At the same time, we must remember that it is not the system of truth itself that removes our guilt and restores joy. Christ does that by His Spirit in the souls of those who trust Him. Yes, He is unseen, but there are many unseen things that we believe in everyday.
One Scripture-soaked, gospel resource that I've been reading recently is a book called A Gospel Primer for Christians by Milton Vincent. It is amazingly helpful for reviewing the deep truths of the gospel every day. Take this, for example, from pages 47-48:
The gospel reminds me first that what I actually deserve from God is a full cup churning with the torments of His wrath (Rev. 14:10). This cup would be mine to drink if I were given what I deserve each day (Psalm 75:8). With this understanding in mind, I see that to be handed a completely empty cup from God would be cause enough for infinite gratitude. If there were merely the tiniest drop of blessing contained in that otherwise empty cup, I should be blown away by the unbelievable kindness of God toward me.
That God has, in fact, given me a cup (Psalm 23:5) that is full of "every spiritual blessing in Christ" (Eph. 1:3), and this without the slightest admixture of wrath leaves me truly dumbfounded with inexpressible joy... Life's blessings, however small, always appear exceedingly precious when viewed against the backdrop of the wrath I deserve.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
How blown away are you by the blessings of God in your life?
Is the joy meter of your life on empty? What are you wanting?
How central to your life is the habit of daily rehearsing the gospel?
Further Reading
Ephesians 2
Romans 5:1
John 6:68
:angel:
April 21, 2010
Reversing Babel
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. - Romans 15:5,6
Coca-Cola created a cultural meme of epic proportions with a TV spot in 1971. You've probably heard it. The brand jingle "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing" met such popular appeal that it merited a full song minus the Coke references. The New Seekers took their happy song high on the Billboard Hot 100 that same year, as people sang along with the hilltop melody. In case you've forgotten the original jingle, a few sample verses:
I'd like to teach the world to sing
in perfect harmony.
I'd like to buy the world a Coke,
and keep it company
I'd like to see the world for once
all standing hand in hand.
And hear them echo through the hills
for peace throughout the land.
It's the real thing
what the world wants today,
That's the way it'll stay
with the real thing.
This utopia of happy people might've been a little exaggerated (the song originated as a marketing campaign, after all), but the underlying ideal of unity clearly resonated with people. If Coke happened to be the original vehicle for such peace, love, and happiness, okay then. It's a delightful ditty that manages to communicate our need for unity and connection. But is unity alone enough?
Coke's marketing was clever, but not original. At its heart, the commercial and subsequent song celebrated a humanism that was also secular. Its message was for the people, by the people -- and by their creations. From that point of view, the message was the same as the message of Babel. In that instance, men united to sing praises from another hilltop. The praises were their own - praises of a unified people so in sync and powerful that they could rival the gods.
You know what happened next.
Matthew Henry's commentary observed of Babel that "unity is a policy but it is not the infallible mark of a true church." Babel was partially constructed before God decided to deal with their pride and disobedience, and looked plenty successful for a time. Call it a common grace that we have the ability to build relationships that work even in a fallen world. Even Babel - and Coca-Cola - can do that. Our attempts, however, may only work for so long.
Babel failed when its people "forgot their place" and sought their success, reputation, and a good life elsewhere than where God had commanded them. Their unity was founded on something temporal. As such, it was no matter for God to drive a wedge between the people and send them away from each other. That was his original command. He had told them to fill the earth, not stay in one place and build a single city for all humanity. Apart from his purposes, they had no real unity... only a secular humanism to temporarily stick them together.
While God can drive apart, he also has the power to bring people together for his purposes. As I talked about last week, the miracle of the Gospel doesn't just bring us back to God - it brings us back to each other. Matthew Henry's commentary says this:
As the confounding of tongues divided the children of men and scattered them abroad, so the gift of tongues, bestowed upon the apostles (Acts 2), contributed greatly to the gathering together of the children of God, who were scattered abroad, and the uniting of them in Christ, that with one mind and one mouth they might glorify God.
The Gospel brings us back to our right place. Observing our need of grace orients - and unites! - us towards Christ with other believers. Then, something crazy can happen. Babel reverses itself.
Babel happened when people took a superficial unity to the extreme, and ended up judged by God for their disobedience. Pentecost, with its universal call to repentance in Christ, forged a permanent unity between people who had little in common.
Intersecting Faith & Life: What holds our relationships together? Are we building our unity around a happy song that might ultimately disintegrate? That only works so long as we, so to speak, agree to sing exactly the same tune, words, and song. But when our focus is on living life to glorify God, we get something far more encompassing. That's enough to hold us together through the smaller disagreements here on earth. Babel's day is over - the miracle of Christian unity has taken over.
:angel:
April 22, 2010
Rejoicing with Bloodied Lips
by John UpChurch, Editor, Jesus.org
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation. (1 Peter 4:12-13, NASB)
I never wanted to be in one of those comedies where everything seems to go wrong for the main characters. You may know the kind I mean. A couple buys a dream home only to find that the beauty hides a horrible interior. Some new coach of a down-on-their-luck baseball team must overcome painfully bad skills to capture the tournament. Those plots always seem hilarious—until you live through something like that.
Recently, my family did the unthinkable. We left our comfort zone, crammed everything into boxes and a huge truck, and moved eight hours away from home. Being planners, we tried to do everything the "right" way: making a budget, scouting a place to live, and organizing our schedule. The UpChurch moving plan had everything in order and seemed logistically sound.
Reality bloodied our lips.
We arrived for our meeting with the leasing agent of our new apartment home and waited—and waited. Several hours and phone messages later, we realized he wasn't coming. On the other hand, our moving truck was. We had no keys and no place to unload our stuff. Amazing how a perfect plan falls apart when only one detail doesn't work.
After a mad scramble—which everyone says will be funny someday—we delayed our movers, considered alternatives, and finally made contact with the leasing agent. The good news? We had an apartment. The you've-got-to-be-kidding me news? It was not the one we wanted. (Read: It was about the size of one of the closets of the apartment we had been promised).
The movers came, laughed, and delivered. When they left, boxes towered precariously over our heads. The pathway from one end of the apartment to the other involved turning sideways to squeeze through the clutter like some narrow passage in a cave. When my wife and I cleared a space to sit down that night, we were regaled with perfectly audible conversations from overhead between a mother and son.
Somewhere between lying down on our mattress that barely fit in the bedroom and drifting off to sleep to the symphony of booms overhead, I thought of 1 Peter 4:12. Peter wrote to a church under pressure, a church faced with real fiery trials that often threatened the life of its members. He didn't try to lessen the blow for them and, in fact, told them not to be surprised when problems arose.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Compared to first-century Christians, our struggles are fairly tame. No one's threatening us with death for heresy or jail time for disrupting the Roman religious order. Still, in the midst of trials, it's not easy to remember Peter's admonition. But according to him, all the broken promises, much-too-small spaces, and cabinet doors falling off the hinges remind us to rejoice in God always because He knows what He's doing and because our problems mean so little compared to what He's got planned.
Further Reading
1 Peter 4
James 1:12-17
:angel:
April 23, 2010
First, Read the Instructions
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
Romans 15:4
Okay, be honest. Do you read the instructions or do you just crumble them up, toss them to the side and try to figure something out on your own?
In my case, it depends. I always, always read the accompanying instructions for hair color, medicine or any type of electronic device that I am trying to set up in my home.
But for other things? Not so much. Why not? Perhaps I place more value or importance on hair color, medicine and electronics or I just realize the gravity of what could happen should I not first read the instructions.
Sadly, I wish I was as vigilant with life instructions as I was with those on a box of hair color. You know, the ones found in God's Word. Instead, whenever I am trying to figure out something in my day-to-day doings, I tend to go to friends or family first.
Now this isn't all bad, as they're all people of faith and the ones who really know me best and those with whom I have the tightest relationships. We have laughed together. We have cried together. We have studied the Word together. And I know they will not pour salt into my wounds nor pepper me with trite platitudes.
These bonds didn't form overnight either. No, they were forged through a great deal of time spent together, through years of fellowship, through times of heartache and of joy. These are the people who speak Truth (in love!) into my life. The ones who hold me accountable. The ones who ask me questions and have chipped away at the walls in order to get to know me better and help me see myself as I truly am.
But ... they are still not the ones I should be checking with first. In Romans 15:4, Paul was reminding the Roman church (and us today!) that what has been recorded in Scripture (at that time, just the Old Testament ... but for us today, all of Scripture) is specifically written on purpose for us and for our benefit. Parables, principles, promises, prophecies ... you name it. It's all in there for the children of God to take in and apply to our lives.
So when we read the instructions (first) found in God's Word, we know that it is here to ...
Teach us ... If we seek him, we will know him. If we have eyes to see and as the Holy Spirit works in us, we will find what God is trying to tell us in the pages of his Word. Then, we can apply his guidelines for interacting, for worshipping, for serving, for everything that is needed in our lives as we purpose to live for him.
Give endurance ... When you are weary, when you are ready to give up and are just about done trying to live out your faith, when you are ready to quit whatever it is God is asking you to do, when you have no idea how much longer you can undergo a trial or tribulation, be strengthened by his unfailing, unchanging Word.
Provide encouragement ... How easy is it to feel blah about life? To wonder what your purpose is? To feel like you don't matter? As a prolific friend said recently, our life on earth is not meant to be a "vacation" but a "mission." God can give us the inspiration, through his Word, to buoy our hearts and keep the fire burning within.
Offer hope ... "Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, great is thy faithfulness Lord unto me." What wonderful words from the classic hymn, "Great Is Thy Faithfulness." Because God sent his son to die in our place, because he has promised to never leave us nor forsake us, because he is preparing a place for those who trust in him (heaven), because of our identity in him as sons and daughters and members of a royal priesthood, we do have bright hope for tomorrow.
Intersecting Faith & Life: If it's been a while since you've read your Bible, let me challenge you to take the "Proverbs 31-Day Challenge" starting today. It's really simple. There are only 31 chapters in the book of Proverbs. So take a month and read one chapter a day. Chew thoroughly on each one. Think about how you can apply the principles to your life. And then see, after one month's time, if you haven't been taught, given endurance and encouraged. You only have hope to gain and nothing to lose!
Further Reading:
Thy Word
Music & Lyrics: Amy Grant & Michael W. Smith
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet
And a light unto my path.
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet
And a light unto my path.
When I feel afraid,
And think I've lost my way.
Still, You're there right beside me.
Nothing will I fear
As long as You are near;
Please be near me to the end.
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet
And a light unto my path.
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet
And a light unto my path.
I will not forget
Your love for me and yet,
My heart forever is wandering.
Jesus by my guide,
And hold me to Your side,
And I will love you to the end.
Nothing will I fear
As long as You are near;
Please be near me to the end.
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet
And a light unto my path.
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet
And a light unto my path.
And a light unto my path.
You're the light unto my path.
:angel:
April 26, 2010
Unhappiness: A Tempting Choice?
Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
"And the disciples were continually filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit."
Acts 13: 52, NIV
"Always be happy. I see you out there with your solemn faces and hands folded like this, and perhaps you think this is holiness. This sad, solemn-ness is not really holiness. Always be happy wherever you go; God is good."
These are words spoken by a priest from India at a recent retreat. No doubt, this priest is well-versed in the theology of redemptive suffering, so his words gave me pause. What does he mean by this? Is it even possible to be happy like this?
Later, in a discussion with my father, he mentioned that family counselors like my stepmother often encounter challenging clients who are married to their unhappiness. In other words, these individuals are so comfortable with their misery and dysfunction (born out of very real hurts, no doubt) they don't even want to be happy anymore.
Pondering all this has rearranged some of my thinking on faith and happiness.
Perhaps you've heard this common saying in Christian circles: "God doesn't promise us happiness here on earth." From what I've encountered in my studies of the Bible and theology, the statement is factual.
I used to interpret this fact as an indication that God just doesn't have happiness in his plans for some people (and I was likely one of those people, right?). But as I am reflecting on Fr. Andrew's words and my stepmother's clients, it hits me. Perhaps God doesn't promise happiness because it's not his place to give it. In other words, perhaps happiness is part of God's plan, but it's something we must choose on our end.
Think about it. Have you ever met that person who "has everything" but isn't happy? I knew a person like that. He possessed uncommon intelligence. He had a loving family, wealth, and opportunity. But he seemed gifted at finding the dark side to everything. And I mean everything. He suffered from incredible cynicism and depression. Let's put the possibility of a chemical imbalance aside for a second and ponder this truth: God has the power to bless us, but it's up to us to be happy about it.
I don't say these things to cause pain or make anyone feel guilty for not feeling happy. Trust me, I've had plenty of dark periods where happiness seemed like a joke. I firmly believe it's okay to feel unhappy sometimes. Jesus didn't always feel good either, and it's safe to say there was nothing wrong with him.
Still, it's important to remember that there is a danger in wallowing in darkness for too long. There is a great temptation to become attached to our sadness, our victim-hood. Our cross, instead of drawing us closer to life in Christ, ends up bringing us closer to spiritual death when we do this.
In his book The Great Divorce, C.S. Lewis explores this idea that we can become too attached to our brokenness. He sets up a fictional scenario where souls in hell get a second chance at heaven. But they ultimately do not choose heaven - they can't even enjoy heaven - due to their excessive attachment to hell.
This seems downright crazy, but it's not any different than the clients my stepmom sees every week. And it's a very real trap we fall into every time we hold too tightly to our hurts and sorrows instead of releasing them to God.
Lewis warns, "If we insist on keeping Hell (or even earth) we shall not see Heaven: if we accept Heaven we shall not be able to retain even the smallest and most intimate souvenirs of Hell."
But then what do we do with all the bad things in life? Certainly, we will feel sorrow and loss - we should feel sorrow and loss when bad things happen. How then do we avoid getting trapped by tragedy? How do we let go of the comforts, the "intimate souvenirs," of life's little hells? Lewis has more to say about that, and I will end here to ponder these words:
"'Son,' he said, 'ye cannot in your present state understand eternity... That is what mortals misunderstand. They say of some temporal suffering, 'No future bliss can make up for it,' not knowing that Heaven, once attained, will work backwards and turn even that agony into a glory. And of some sinful pleasure they say 'Let me have but this and I'll take the consequences': little dreaming how damnation will spread back and back into their past and contaminate the pleasure of the sin. Both processes begin even before death. The good man's past begins to change so that his forgiven sins and remembered sorrows take on the quality of Heaven: the bad man's past already conforms to his badness and is filled only with dreariness. And that is why... the Blessed will say 'We have never lived anywhere except in Heaven,': and the Lost, 'We were always in Hell.' And both will speak truly."
Intersecting Faith & Life: Have you held on to unhappiness for too long? Is your sadness, guilt, anger, or bitterness tempting you to sin or obscuring your faith? Ask God to help you let go of destructive thoughts or behaviors.
Further Reading
1 Peter 1: 8
:angel:
April 27, 2010
What Do We Do Now, Exactly?
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world..."
1 John 5:3 NASB
We continue to build upon Francis Schaeffer's earlier instruction about the reality of the biblical God (though He is unseen) and of the bankruptcy of atheism and all other perspectives that exclude the God of the Bible.
Instead of being cowed by unbelievers, we march forward today with the clear-eyed viewpoint expressed by the writer of this recent article on Christianity.com...
It is not Christianity that is a crutch, but atheism. Believing that when you die, you're just dead is far more comforting than believing that after death that we will be summoned to answer to a just and holy God for the good or evil we have done in this life.
Having ceased calling God a liar and having come to embrace Christ alone by faith alone, we now are justified—declared righteous by God... our status of moral guilt is reversed. Scripture says: "...there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1).
But "salvation is not just justification and then a blank until death," writes Schaeffer (True Sprirituality, chap. 6). Therefore, we must become increasingly conscious of is the perpetual relevance of Christ's work now in our lives. As Romans 1:17 says, "the just shall live by faith."
Quoting Schaeffer again: "The how of the Christian life is the power of the crucified and risen Lord, through the agency of the indwelling Holy Spirit, by faith moment by moment."
The effect of such a moment-by-moment life of faith in loving relationship with Christ is expressed in First John (1 John 5:3). "This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome."
With refreshing honesty, Schaeffer recounts that for many years he did find the commandments grievous and burdensome:
"For many years as a pastor, preaching the gospel, I never preached on this verse for the simple reason that I did not understand it. I could hardly bear them (the commandments of God). And then one day, as I was wrestling with this topic, I saw that all one had to do was to look at the immediate context: "For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith."
"On the basis of the finished work of Christ, a moment-by-moment life of faith is "the victory"—not our victory, but Christ's victory, purchased for us on Calvary's cross, laid hold of moment by moment in faith. Now, let me be absolutely clear about it, the basis is not your faith; it is the finished work of Christ. Faith is the instrument to receive this thing from God that Christ has purchased for us. If we try to live the Christian life in our own strength, we will have sorrow; but if we live in this way, we will not only serve the Lord, but in place of sorrow He will be our song."
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Are the commandments grievous to you? Are they burdensome? Whose strength and wisdom are you depending on to bring about victory? Rest today in the power of the crucified and risen Lord, through the agency of the indwelling Holy Spirit, by faith moment by moment.
For Further Study & Prayer:
Romans 15:13
"Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
:angel:
April 28, 2010
Rooting Out Neglect
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!" - 1 Corinthians 10:12
Ah, spring. The smell of fresh cut grass before a rainstorm, the chance to bask in the sunshine, the taste of strawberries coming back in season. The opportunity to plant flowers around the mailbox. The task of clearing out the hundreds of pine and oak sprouts in the backyard. Yes, hundreds.
I wish I was exaggerating, but this is another "joy" of our formerly foreclosed home. We have several beautiful old trees in the backyard - mostly oak and pine - and we are contending with more than the pollen. The former owners let nature run its course. We've made piles upon piles of young pine trees pulled up with their taproot, so I can finally see the street behind them. I still find one or two little ones whenever I go outside though. The oak sprouts and saplings have only declared their presence in the last couple weeks, when the leaves unfurled. Currently, one side of the yard is a bed of green all under three feet tall. I've dislodged a few, but they don't give up nearly as easily as the pine trees. I'm tempted to let my husband just mow down the little ones every couple weeks.
According to neighbors, the backyard was an Eden five years ago. Judging by the azalea, liriope, and hosta I've uncovered under four inches of dead leaves, I believe them. But no Eden can withstand the effects of nature without a devoted gardener. After the gardening couple sold the house to new owners, the beauty disappeared. There's no grass, and the hundreds of trees certainly didn't root since September, when we bought the property. Like the house, which had been sorely neglected, the yard had suffered a similar fate. Sometimes I wonder when we'll stop cleaning up the previous owners' neglect and start the real progress.
The effects of neglect sneak up so gradually. I know little about the previous owners, but I doubt they made a conscious decision to abandon the care and repair of what was theirs. But as the weeks turned into months, the task of maintaining must have become even larger, as those little sprouts grew inch after inch. Soon, the enormity of starting must have subliminally dissuaded them from any real attempts.
In her classic allegory "Hinds' Feet in High Places," Hannah Hurnard wrote of a similar plight facing her main character, Much-Afraid. The young woman, after finally making it to the Shepherd's altar, truly wants to sacrifice her own wills and desires. She wants to be free to follow the Shepherd without the choking vines of her old nature. But she discovers that that nature runs much deeper than expected:
" put out her hand and with one final effort of failing strength grasped the natural human love and desire growing in her heart and struggled to tear them out. At the first touch it was as though anguish pierced through her every nerve and fiber, and she knew with a pang almost of despair that the roots had wound and twined and thrust themselves into every part of her being. Though she put forth all her remaining strength in the most desperate effort to wrench them out, not a single rootlet stirred."
Much-Afraid begins to panic, as she realizes that the years she allowed those desires to creep - while she did nothing to stop their coming - have allowed that old nature to take a deep hold. She cannot break free of it herself, not anymore.
The longer the weeds are neglected, even in a yard that looks beautifully exotic and natural, the harder they will be to root out when the lazy gardener notices. This is what I hear Paul saying when I read 1 Corinthians 10:12. All of the sins he listed beforehand? I've pruned them away for a good while, haven't I? I'm going to church, walking the grounds, enjoying the company of other Christians. I'm "standing firm" in the faith, aren't I?
Paul's warnings come exactly to those of us who think we have the Christian life figured out. When we stop deliberately guarding against sin and neglect the garden, thinking it will be all right, that's when we've already fallen. When we forget the danger, we let it in.
Much-Afraid's inability to root out her old nature was not the end of the story. The priest at the altar takes it for her, and she finds Grace and Glory in place of her fear. We all rely on a great High Priest to intercede and enable us to make such sacrifices. And we're focused on tending his garden and our relationship with him, the weeds are choked out by the beauty springing forth.
Intersecting Faith & Life: It's so tempting to step back and let my life proceed as it will. And yet, this passive attitude not only makes me miss the little sins that will grow, it prevents me from seeing something even more beautiful. Who knows what God has planned for our lives if we will keep following with diligence? Let's pursue that beauty with all our hearts.
:angel:
April 29, 2010
Minds Wide Open, Eyes Shut Tight
by John UpChurch, Editor, Jesus.org
For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them. (Matthew 13:15, NIV)
By the standards of the day, these people had open minds. When John's baptism became the thing to do, they were on that. Sure, the river water didn't smell that great, but everyone needs to try new experiences, right? And if being dunked could get them set straight, they'd do it.
After John came a guy named Jesus—and none too soon. The whole water-plunge-and-locust-eating thing was great for a while, but it got old. Jesus had some rough edges, but they could handle that. After all, this guy healed people, and that was completely new. John never did that.
For a while, following Jesus proved exciting. He taught like no one else, kept on with the fixing messed-up people thing, and challenged the self-important Pharisees. Sometimes He tried to slip away, but they tracked Him down—which is when He got kind of weird.
They found Jesus sitting on the beach—nothing odd about that, and they liked the whole teach-on-the-beach vibe. Since the crowd kept growing, Jesus hopped in a boat and began teaching from there. Before that day His words had been mostly clear, though some of His stuff seemed idealistic, but suddenly He started talking in stories. If they'd wanted to hear stories, they could have stayed home.
They came to hear about the overthrow for Rome, but He spent tons of time talking about some guy tossing seeds all over the place. Tell the guy to aim and move on. But Jesus didn't move on—he launched into some story about weeds. Seeds and weeds, they could see those anywhere. They wanted the Jesus they'd heard on the hill telling them about the Kingdom of God; they wanted the Jesus who patched up blind eyes, smoothed out leprous skin, and whipped disease. That Jesus had been trendy. This parable Jesus grew tiring.
Being open-minded had led those people to the threshold of Truth. He called to them from a boat and gave them the keys to understanding the Kingdom of God. But He also knew them. They hastily latched on to whatever seemed exciting and relevant, and yet they kept their eyes closed tight. They wanted the healing but not the life renovation. They wanted the bread, but not the heavenly variety.
Intersecting Faith & Life: An old adage goes something like this: Their minds are open so wide that stuff falls out. However, in our modern culture, "open-minded" has become synonymous with being trendy, avant-garde, and—let's face it—right. "Closed-minded" people, or so the assumption goes, stick to something and won't seek out new ideas. They're wrong to rigidly abide by a creed.
Jesus doesn't advocate either. He came to teach what had "been hidden since the foundation of the world" (Matthew 13:35)—for those people open to the things of God. But He had no room for minds closed by passionless adherence to religious traditions either (Matthew 23:23).
After all, the point was never the condition of the mind—He's much too interested in hearts.
Further Reading
Matthew 13
John 6
:angel:
April 30, 2010
The Walking Wounded
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
Psalm 147:3
Not too long ago, I noticed this quote on a friend's Facebook profile page:
Be kind. Everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle. — Plato
I had not heard that quote before—and perhaps it's famous, and I'm just now tuning in—but it definitely made me pause. How true, Plato. How true.
The next time I was around a lot of people that week, I scanned the crowd. "I wonder who is dealing with something heavy and hurtful today," I thought. "And ... I wonder if people can tell that I am not doing so well either."
At any one given moment in time, someone somewhere is undergoing something. Yeah, profound wording, huh? But you know what? It's true. Pain is pain. Suffering is suffering. What may be a big deal for one person may not be for the next. But we should not treat another's wounds as if they are not hurtful to them. This is not kind, and it is not how we are instructed to treat one another according to Scripture (Colossians 3:12).
I think about the times in my life that have been hard—times when it's been obvious to others, and times when I've tried to hide my hurts away and not tell anyone how I'm feeling or what is breaking my heart.
But we were never made to suffer alone—to bleed out, if you will, in silence. To live out our days denying what it is that afflicts us, that causes us pain, that makes us curl up so that we are "protected" and that no one can get inside to hurt us anymore. Where is the healing in that? Where is the restoration? Where is the living?
I must say that I am just as guilty as the next person in comparing wounds and judging someone else's pain. "Oh, get over it!" "Puh-leese. There are much bigger things in life to get upset about." "If they only knew what real suffering was." And so forth. Now, rewind to a painful time in your life and then press play. How would it make you feel to hear someone say some of these judgmental comments to you when you have been hurting the most?
Thankfully, the Great Shepherd doesn't tend to his flock (you and me) in the thoughtless way that we might with each other. No, he lovingly and tenderly cares for our wounds—whether they're major or minor, whether they're real or imagined, whether they're self-inflicted or a result of something out of our control. It makes no difference. He simply cares and makes provision for his sheep:
He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake (Psalm 23:3).
Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me (Psalm 51:12).
'But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,' declares the LORD," because you are called an outcast, Zion for whom no one cares' (Jeremiah 30:17).
Reading these passages is like a soothing balm being applied to your soul, isn't it? No self-medication, no self-help book, no radio call-in hour, no television show with a "Dr." in the title can ever compare with how the Father heals his children. Remember that today as you encounter others who are in need of his healing and restoration in their lives as well.
Intersecting Faith & Life: With a strong faith and the support of friends and loved ones, surfer Bethany Hamilton made an amazing comeback after losing her arm in a shark attack in 2003. Today, the 19-year-old surfer has learned to balance on her board and surf in a whole new way. She brings her story of healing and restoration to a family with physically-challenged children on ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition this coming Sunday night, May 2, 2010. Check your local listings for times.
Further Reading:
Surfer Bethany Hamilton Inspires on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
Psalm 147
:angel:
May 3, 2010
Gifts from Above
Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
"If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!" Matthew 7: 11
Have you ever had one of those rare moments in life where events play out just as you imagined them? You know, where all you hope for actually happens? About a month ago I had one of those moments. My boyfriend of two-and-a-half years asked me to marry him. At age 29, I've waited a little longer than some of my peers for marriage, and at times I thought it would never happen. So this recent development is a sweet one!
Then, a couple Sunday's ago, my fiance's family met my mom's side of the family. When you date a man for a couple years, you may imagine this day a few times. Such daydreams usually start right after the first time you sign your first name with his last name to make sure it doesn't sound like a mean joke.
So, about week three or so in our dating relationship, I began imagining that glorious day when his family would meet my family. Of course, in my dreams they just loved each other and couldn't hold back their excitement over our future together. Conversation flowed, laughter was plentiful, and the night went just a little longer than expected because, you know, nobody wants to leave.
And that's pretty much how things really went.
Even some of my seemingly "reasonable" concerns didn't materialize. For example, my stepfather is, shall we say, a mountain man. He could probably live in the woods for months on end, completely self-sufficient. So the thought crossed my mind, "What on earth will my nature-loving stepfather talk about with my fiance's suburban parents?" Silly me forgot that his father grew up on a farm. He's no stranger to rural living. And besides, what man wouldn't be excited over my stepfather's extensive tool collection?
Why was I worried again?
Do you ever do that? Create worry for yourself? I think sometimes we get especially talented at this when we've gone through an extended trial. We experience enough sadness, and we start to expect life to just be one disappointment after another. We think the good life must be ordained for someone else. We even begin to doubt blessings staring us square in the face. I can usually tell my personal volcanic ash cloud of doom has gotten too thick and dark when my voice starts to resemble Winnie the Pooh's friend Eeyore.
I have to be honest, being engaged is an exercise in learning to accept blessings with gratitude and without questioning. Yes, this is a skill I am actually having to learn and improve on.
My challenge to unreservedly embrace blessings from above reminds me of my earthly relationship with my father. My dad likes to give gifts to his daughters. It's one of his ways of expressing love for us. I used to be uncomfortable receiving gifts from my dad. I felt like maybe he would be better off spending the money on something practical instead of lavishing me with beautiful things.
It wasn't until a few years ago that I realized my perspective that Dad should "keep his money" robbed him of the joy that comes with showing love through gift-giving! He really wanted to do these things for his kids.
I think this applies to our Heavenly Father on an even grander scale. In the opening scripture, Jesus assures us of God's desire to give us good gifts and asks believers to trust. Pretty amazing - our holy God wants to bless us, not just dole out discipline and hard lessons. He desires us to receive his goodness, his blessings, and love with faith and excitement.
This is really good news for us "Debbie Downers." I love being Christian, but let me just say, there have been times when my melancholy nature has gone haywire thanks to the occasional well-meaning believer telling me that God's plan for me was to live in perpetual Lent for the next 80 years; to basically just expect suffering and nothing else and be thankful for the sanctifying graces.
It's thrilling to watch the clouds part and reveal that God really does have gifts waiting for us - and it's okay to receive them.
"For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude..." 1 Timothy 4: 4
Intersecting Faith & Life: What gifts has God given you?
Further Reading
The Pursuit of Happiness: A Virtuous Life
:angel:
May 4, 2010
High Infidelity
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"...you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God."
Romans 7:4 NASB
Usually, we think of "having faith" as simply "trusting, believing." And while that is true, it can be incomplete if we forget that, as Christians, we are also joined to Christ as our Bridegroom. In other words, there is a real relationship with Him—the living Christ—that is at stake. It is not just a matter of possessing correct content of what we believe about the person and work of Christ. And although we never have a legitimate cause to do so, we often break faith with and betray our faithful Bridegroom.
Francis Schaeffer talks about this in chapter seven of True Spirituality where we continue our journey with him this week. Citing the passage above, he notes that since we have been rescued from the tyranny of the devil and placed safely in the arms of the Lord Jesus Christ—we are now positioned to bring forth His fruit.
Schaeffer expands upon the simple, yet remarkably powerful word picture in Romans 7:1-4 to make the point plain:
"Imagine a married couple both of the one color of skin. Suddenly the wife brings forth a child clearly of another race [sic]. All the world would know that she has been unfaithful to her proper mate. So it is with us."
When we do not bring forth His fruit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (per Galatians 5:22)—but bring forth immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these (Gal. 5:19-21), it is because we have broken faith with Him and are in the state of infidelity of the highest order.
What generally causes us to distrust Christ and leads us to break faith with Him and run to the arms of another is the fact that we often think that we have a better way. We think that, somehow, God really doesn't have our best interests at heart. I know for me, personally, this happens mostly when I am "Law-minded" in a way that discounts or obscures the gospel. One writer, Milton Vincent, in his A Gospel Primer for Christians provides a helpful counter to this erroneous and sinful way of thinking (p. 18):
"...when I begin my train of thought with the gospel, I realize that if God loved me enough to sacrifice His Son's life for me, then He must be guided by that same love when He speaks His commandments to me. Viewing God's commands and prohibitions in this light, I can see them for what they really are: friendly signposts from a heavenly Father who is seeking to love me through each directive, so that I might experience His very fullness forever." (see Deut. 5:29)
Not only are they friendly signposts, they are friendly love letters from our faithful Bridegroom who has done nothing to warrant our distrust. By His life-giving Spirit, He is actively seeking to love us and bring forth His fruit in us today. What is the state of your union with Him?
Intersecting Faith & Life:
In light of today's devotional, contemplate afresh Schaeffer's summary of the life of faith: "The how of the Christian life is the power of the crucified and risen Lord, through the agency of the indwelling Holy Spirit, by faith moment by moment."
For Further Prayer & Study:
If repentance for spiritual infidelity is in order, reflect on Isaiah 30:15 "Thus the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, has said, 'In repentance and rest you will be saved, In quietness and trust is your strength.'" For further study, read Romans 6-8.
:angel:
May 5, 2010
The Person Behind the Plan
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"O Lord, you have searched me and you know me!" - Psalm 139:1
Consider the last conference you attended. Or just remember back to your days at summer camp. If the event coordinator had any talent at all, you probably didn't spare a thought about this person's help in planning your activities. You bustled through your day and merely assumed that the schedule was planned so that you could reach each seminar, speaker, meeting, or perhaps the next camp activity in time. You assumed logistics would be properly worked out. Especially if you're remembering your camp experiences, you probably didn't stop to ponder the "big picture" of your week at the lake, the archery course and the rock climbing walls. You placed inherent faith in the plan, and perhaps gave event coordinators the obligatory applause at the end of the scheduled activities.
The knowledge that "God has a plan" provides me with great peace of mind and heart. Too often, however, I go through my little life with an automatic faith, giving God the obligatory kudos as the grand events coordinator and little else. In other words, I'm most prone to remember him when my "schedule" clashes with my agenda.
How often do you consider the person behind the planning? His personality? His motivation behind the scheduling and planning? The interpersonal relationship between you and him?
The miracle of the Gospel almost a paradox: God so loved the whole world that he would have died for only one sinner. Let me say that another way. God's grand plan for the universe complemented an intimate desire to know each of his people. Consider the way the psalmist talks to God in Psalm 139, as he remembers the Lord's plan for his life from the moment of conception. He stands amazed that this God of the universe will be with him wherever he goes. He sees God's grace not only in the Lord's plan for him, but also the Lord's relationship with him. In doing so, the psalmist discovers the mercy of God's care for him, and finds that the Master Planner also accounts for the smallest of our needs. A humbling juxtaposition, isn't it?
My daily challenge is to follow God's plan, yes, but it's so much greater than that. My daily calling is to better know this God who makes the stars spin while caring for the sparrow. When that happens, we can appreciate his plan all the more because we know the person behind it. Let's not scrap together the obligatory applause, but give him the heartfelt praise he deserves.
Intersection of Faith & Life: My mother often told me, "When you can't see God's plan, trust his heart." And how can we trust a person we don't know well? When push comes to shove, the authentic Christian life will be defined not by trust in a nebulous master plan, but by knowing the God who orchestrates all things for his glory and our good.
Further Reading
Ephesians 1:3-10
Psalm 139
What Trust Looks Like
:angel:
May 6, 2010
Lessons from the Red House
by John UpChurch, Editor, Jesus.org
For the king knows about these matters, and I speak to him also with confidence, since I am persuaded that none of these things escape his notice; for this has not been done in a corner.
Acts 26:26, NASB
The hunt for our first house stretched out for months. My wife and I scoured those shiny realty magazines with their cheesy catchphrases. We found such classics as "Cute as a button," "Investor's dream," and "Dollhouse" to be codes for "No cabinet space," "Good luck with that," and "Your head will bump the ceiling" respectively. We surfed by, drove by, and walked through dozens of potential homes, sometimes venturing into the deep recesses of pink-tiled bathrooms, smoke-filled dens, and "pet-loved" carpet.
Nothing worked—until the Red House. After all the websites and fliers and scheduled showings, we found our home because of a small sign flapping in the wind by the side of the road. To be sure, the Red House had its flaws. For example, all the power in the master bedroom ran through a single outlet—barely. One small jiggle and we'd be resetting the clocks for days until I could get it back into balance. But the good far exceeded the niggling qualms (especially when I went crazy with my lawnmower and chopped down the forest in the backyard).
At first, the Red House had a shimmering newness to it. The rooms echoed with space, the arched doorways dressed up our furniture, and the wood floors reflected the sunlight.
And then our lives hurried on.
When our first daughter came home to the Red House, those rooms that seemed so big suddenly shrunk. Those hardwood floors that once shined made tummy time troublesome and crawling a chore. The arched doorways still worked, but we hardly paid attention to them. We had become so familiar with our home that the excitement of having found it slowly lost out to thoughts about what didn't work for us anymore. By the time our second daughter showed up on the ultrasound, the Red House had become a nice—but outdated—relic.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Following Christ may have no greater danger than familiarity. During the early days of the Red House, the excitement boiled over because we'd spent so much time and energy getting there. But once we'd memorized the squeaky spots in the floor and gotten accustomed to the ever-growing vine (read: pretty weed) in the front garden, we lost that wonder.
The events in the Bible—even the miracles—lose the power to impact us if we get too cozy with them. Yeah, God created the universe. Sure, Jesus walked on water and Peter got to join Him. We've read those and heard sermons about them. But when was the last time we thought about them as actual events? Jesus spoke to people who couldn't walk and boom—they walked. Bones molded into shape, muscles filled out, nerves sparked to life. All around jaws dropped. He acted in real time and real space with real people and real pain. Really.
After all, it's not just the story of the empty tomb that makes the difference; it's the reality of that uninhabited grave.
Further Reading
Acts 26
Ephesians 3
:angel:
May 7, 2010
Mom's the Word
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
Proverbs 9:9-10
Spelled forwards or backwards, there's no mistaking the word Mom. We all know what it stands for.
Turned upside down, though, it also reads Wow. And that's something I wholeheartedly agree with—especially now that I'm old enough to understand everything that my mom did and has done for me over the years. All I can say is "Wow!"
I also think of the word instruction when I think of my mom—or any maternal figure who was influential in my life. I probably didn't like it at the time. Okay, I know I didn't like it at the time, as I always seemed to have my own agenda. But years later, I greatly appreciate the words of instruction that were given to me.
Some of my mom's words included:
If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.
When in doubt, don't.
Chew with your mouth closed.
Because I said so.
So? Sew a hole in the ground. (Not really sure what that one was for.)
Just do your best.
Did you wash your hands? Let me smell them.
Try it. You might like it.
Hide God's Word in your heart that you might not sin against him.
Now what did Mommy say?
I continue to hear these words of instruction in my head as an adult. They're part of my mom's imprint on my life. They impart lessons of kindness, perspective, right and wrong, responsibility, attentiveness and obedience. And if I show any signs of the beginning of wisdom, I'll continue to heed these words and hopefully someday impart them to little ones around me.
The Bible speaks of the great value and importance of instruction and how we should perceive such words and their meaning in our lives:
"Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life" (Proverbs 4:13).
"He who scorns instruction will pay for it, but he who respects a command is rewarded" (Proverbs 13:13).
"Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is he who trusts in the LORD" (Proverbs 16:20).
"Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise" (Proverbs 19:20).
"Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge" (Proverbs 23:12).
You may not have always agreed with the instruction imparted to you over the years. But, as I now am, I hope that you are cherishing the treasures given to you by your mother or anyone who has filled this role in your upbringing.
My mother sowed seeds into my life. She consistently worked my strong-willed soil. And the lack of an instant bumper crop didn't discourage her. Undeterred, she kept coming back and doing her part to ensure that good things were planted into my life. She added to my heart and to my mind, so that these instructions would hopefully take root and one day bring forth spiritual fruit.
I've not become a mother yet, but I've done my fair share of babysitting and taking care of children of all ages. So I have a tiny glimpse of what is involved in this process. To "train up a child in the way he should go" takes patience. Sacrifice. And most of all, a great great love.
A mother is an earthly example of how our heavenly Father takes care of you and provides life-giving—and life-saving—instruction through his Word. Thank God for your mother or a maternal figure in your life today and take time to honor her for all that she has done for you.
Intersecting Faith & Life: I don't know what your relationship is like with your mother. She may not be here any longer. Or you may not have had a strong or healthy connection. This Mother's Day, however, think of someone (your mom, a relative, a teacher or any another godly woman you see as an example or mentor) who has given you valuable instruction. Let her know how much she has meant to you and what an impact she has made in your life.
Further Reading:
Ephesians 6:1-3
Proverbs 31:30-31
:angel:
May 10, 2010
The Quest for Perfection
by Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matthew 5: 48
The Scripture above is one most of us would read with some perplexity. As Christians we know we're sinners in need of a Savior. Every Sunday at church we thank God for His divine intervention through Christ's death on the cross.
Yet the very One sent to die for us seems to be asking us here to be that which we know we can't: perfect. Not just really, really good. But perfect in the way God is perfect.
Now if you're a perfectionist like me, you may already have your pen out to list all your weaknesses so you can strategize the best plan to eradicate them from your life.
This isn't a bad exercise, but I've often become easily frustrated and tired when I set out to perfect myself. That's precisely the problem with this approach - it's all about me, myself, and I. An old friend of mine, in his quest to eliminate his selfish attitude, would often exclaim with much exasperation: "I keep trying to get rid of my selfishness but in the process of trying to improve myself, I end up focusing on my self all the time!"
It's hard to stifle a smile at his candor. It seems God has something better in mind for us than a glorified self-help program.
Perhaps the verse above is easier to understand when cast in a different light. Peter doesn't use the word "perfect" but instead calls believers to "holiness":
" ... but as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct: since it is written 'you shall be holy, for I am holy.'" (1 Peter 1: 15 - 16)
Holiness transcends what someone does (or doesn't do) and ties directly into who God is. As believers, we aren't necessarily called to be "perfect" by the world's standards, but instead to reflect God's nature to others. His goodness, truth, strength, and love.
The only way we can accurately reflect God to others is to strive daily to know God. To be in His presence. To meditate on His Word. Unlike the futile self-help approach, the more we focus on God, the less self-focused we become. And the more available we make ourselves to His transforming grace in our lives.
"Above all the grace and the gifts that Christ gives to his beloved is that of overcoming self." ~ St. Francis of Assisi
Intersecting Faith & Life: Do something this week that requires you to "forget" yourself and your struggles. Serving those in need is usually a good way to do this.
Further Reading
2 Samuel 22: 31
Matthew 19: 21
:angel:
May 11, 2010
Authentic Christianity
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"...be filled with the Spirit...
singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart,
giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Ephesians 5:18-20 ESV
A number of you may recall that, months ago, we began a journey through the works of Francis Schaeffer beginning with the book True Spirituality. If you are just now joining us on Tuesdays, or if you have not been reading along in True Spirituality, there is still time to catch up to where we are (chapter seven), and I highly recommend that you do.
C.S. Lewis once wisely counseled: "First-hand knowledge [of great authors] is not only more worth acquiring than second-hand knowledge, but is usually much easier and more delightful to acquire" (from his Introduction in Athanasius, On the Incarnation, St. Vladimir's Seminary Press: Crestwood, New York, 1993, p. 3).
But it is not just your delight in acquiring knowledge of a great man that is at stake. Schaeffer's message is a much needed remedy for the anemic state of joy and authenticity that seems to plague many Christians. He should know. He was once joyless and empty himself.
Schaeffer published True Spirituality in 1971 to help people experience the reality of work of Christ and what it means to Christians today, not just at the moment when they accepted Christ as Savior. The content of the book was first a series of Bible lessons that he taught to his family and students who gathered regularly in their home in the Swiss Alps. But before they ever became a set of lessons that he taught to others, Schaeffer taught them first to his own heart.
Before Schaeffer ever became the famous author and Christian leader that he eventually became and prior to the time that L'Abri began, Francis went through a period lasting several months during which he faced up to and worked through the problem of the disturbing disproportion he saw between the large amount of Bible data he knew and claimed to believe and the lack of genuine spiritual joy in his life.
Over those months as he walked in the mountains, Francis rethought his reasons for being a Christian and, at last...
"...saw again that there were totally sufficient reasons to know that the infinite-personal God does exist and that Christianity is true.
"In going further, I saw something else which made a profound difference in my life. I searched through what the Bible said concerning reality as a Christian. Gradually, I saw that the problem was that with all the teaching I had received after I was a Christian, I had heard little about what the Bible says about the meaning of the finished work of Christ for our present lives.
"Gradually the sun came out and the song came. Interestingly enough, although I had written no poetry for many years, in that time of joy and song I found poetry beginning to flow again—poetry of certainty, an affirmation of life, thanksgiving, and praise. Admittedly, as poetry it is very poor, but it expressed a song in my heart which was wonderful to me." (from True Spirituality, p. 196 in The Complete Works of Francis Schaeffer, vol. 3 © 1982 Crossway Books, Wheaton, Illinois).
That time of crisis served to settle the issue of spiritual reality for the Schaeffers. Francis saw and believed that the finished work of Christ really is the source of the Christian's life. He grew deeply convinced that the Christian life is not just about conversion, but about moment-by-moment living out of the grace of God today, in the present by the power of the Holy Spirit.
What I've written here faithfully summarizes Schaeffer's main thesis in the book, but I suspect it carries little of the significant impact that reading True Spirituality would have upon you. There is something to be said for the transforming and Christ-glorifying progression of Schaeffer's argument, the clarity of his thought, and his judicious use of Scripture and illustrations throughout True Spirituality. It all combines in a way that sheds light and elicits faith.
Knowing something about the life and times of Francis and Edith Schaeffer goes a long way in helping the reader too. For instance, around the time when Schaeffer's teaching ministry began in Switzerland, a very significant and challenging question arose in his mind. Francis had been thinking long and hard about it when it came up in conversation one day with his wife Edith (she later recounted the words on p. 356 of her book, The Tapestry). He said...
"I wonder what would happen to most of our churches and Christian work if we woke up tomorrow morning and everything concerning the reality and work of the Holy Spirit, and everything concerning prayer were removed from the Bible?
I don't mean just ignored, but actually cut out—disappeared. I wonder how much difference it would make?"
What difference would it make? He began to brainstorm a few things: there would be no reality of knowing God, of prayer, of daily dependence on God or of Christian fruitfulness. It would all be mere self-effort—utterly phony and joyless.
Sound familiar? Let me ask you this: If it suddenly became possible for you to be personally mentored by Dr. Francis Schaeffer, would you take the opportunity? You can. Pick up his works and read. Follow with us on the trail of his thought.
Further Reflection:
Someone who knows you well is called to testify of the presence of spiritual reality in your life. What evidence would they give?
Spend time thinking through the reasons why you became a Christian. Reflect on what it means to have an authentic relationship—not a routine, mechanical one—with the infinite-personal God who is there.
Further Reading
Psalm 16
John 6:68
Ephesians 5:1-21
:angel:
May 12, 2010
Slippery Humility
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"He mocks the proud but gives grace to the humble." - Proverbs 3:34
Pride possesses an uncanny ability to find loopholes in our attitudes. As soon as we recognize the disease in one area of our life, it crops up in another area. Those familiar with the southern terror of kudzu, the unstoppable plant that takes over acres of other foliage no matter what measures are taken to keep it at bay, understand pride's infuriating habit of creeping back into one's life. The ultimate irony is when we think we've temporarily conquered the monster, only to find that we're giving ourselves credit for the job. And suddenly, the monster is reincarnated.
C. J. Mahaney, in his book about humility, found this dilemma ever present. "If I met someone presuming to have something to say about humility," he wrote, "automatically I'd think him unqualified to speak on the subject." How many humble attitudes have died as soon as they were recognized?
Webster defines humility as "lowliness of mind; a modest estimate of one's own worth; a sense of one's own unworthiness through imperfection and sinfulness; self-abasement; humbleness." But I think that definition is faulty. Many with low self-esteem nonetheless cling to shreds of pride, displayed in their self-consciousness and self-focus.
Mahaney's definition shows another component of humility: a relational focus. He writes, "Humility is honestly assessing ourselves in light of God's holiness and our sinfulness." More than a "modest estimate of one's own worth," isn't it? The end result of pride is self-consciousness; the end result of humility is consciousness of holiness, something totally outside ourselves.
What a countercultural concept.
In these days of Twitter, Facebook, reality TV, consumer marketing and the like, we become so bogged down in our own world - our own sin - that we fail to see the possibility/need for grace. Self-focused creatures that we are, our jobs, our families, and our recreation become excuses to capitalize on our strengths to earn accolades. Or they become shields to hide our weaknesses. In either case, our inward attitude blinds us to the greater picture. In walks sin - the attitude that puts the focus on ourselves before our focus on God's glory.
"When we have much of God's providential mercies," the great preacher Charles Spurgeon wrote, "it often happens that we have but little of God's grace, and little gratitude for the bounties we have received. We are full and we forget God: satisfied with earth, we are content to do without heaven. Rest assured it is harder to know how to be full than it is to know how to be hungry - so desperate is the tendency of human nature to pride and forgetfulness of God."
Amid all our blessings, has our vision become so short-sighted that we can't see beyond them? That we can't recognize sin? That we can't recognize how far short we fall of holiness? Pride is slippery, and the heart is deceitful when we compare ourselves to, well, ourselves. Let's renew our comparisons where they matter.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Manahey writes, "The warnings from Scripture about pride could not be more serious and sobering. But they're an expression of God's mercy, intended for our good. Don't you think God is merciful to warn us in this way?" Wrapped up in our self-consciousness, we don't see the gaping holes that lie ahead. Grab a concordance and read a few of the references under "pride" and "proud" (you'll find quite a few). Pride has no room to creep back in when we leave ourselves behind, so let's refocus our hearts on true holiness.
Further Reading
The Perils of Pride
Isaiah 66:2
James 4:6
:angel:
May 13, 2010
My Life with Girls
by John UpChurch, Editor, Jesus.org
"I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." (Mark 10:15, NIV)
Red heads. Two of them. Both girls. Every so often I have one of those surreal moments when my mind tries to process the seemingly sudden changes that have led me from single to married to Daddy. The transformation took five years, but in those moments, my brain compresses everything into a collage of memories—births, swings, kisses, diapers.
I also realize how much I want to be like my daughters. Not the peanut butter smeared on their faces (although that is fun) or the drool from teething or the occasional temper tantrums, but the joy they have in living. I see in them the aspects of faith that adulthood often strips away in college loans, leaf raking, broken promises, and car trouble.
When Jesus tells us in Mark 10:15 that we have to accept the kingdom of God like a child, the concept, at first, makes me want to splutter about how impossible that is. After all, we can't really understand the kingdom of God until we're adults. But therein lies the core of the verse. Being an "adult" often gets in the way.
My daughters, especially the oldest, demonstrate the aspects of faith that can be lacking in me. Sure, I'm usually okay, but sometimes I get so wrapped up in being an adult that being an adult becomes my focus. Here are the things I often miss:
Wonder: With my daughters, every unexpected pine cone or beetle or waterfall is new. Stories of God's goodness are also new. They listen; they notice; they explore. Too often I merely glance at something, take a picture, and move on. And I do that with God: read a verse, close my Bible, and plunge back into the "other stuff." I'd rather examine the words like they do dandelions—poke it, prod it, toss it around for a while.
Simplification: I multiply problems. Give me a difficulty, and I can think of thousands of what-ifs to compound it. But my daughters amaze me by reducing their problems into simple actions. If my oldest can't reach something, she simply asks for help. There's no long pause to consider how bad the situation will be if she isn't able to get said item; there's no fretting about what she'll do next month if the object is still out of reach. She assesses and asks and then moves on. How much less my frustrations would be if I just realized the difficulty, asked God to either deal with it or show me how to, and then let it drop. No gut-churning anxiety involved.
Excitement: When we tell our oldest about Jesus, she's excited. She loves making her mommy and daddy sit down to tell us the story of Jonah (thank you, talking vegetables), and she loves reading her Bible each night. I'm ashamed to compare that to myself. While I love talking about Jesus, the excitement isn't always there. I don't always love reading my Bible, and I certainly don't embrace the joy of salvation like I should.
Peace: My daughters just sleep. Sometimes they have their issues with hunger, thirst, and nature calls, but they don't lie awake worrying about their toys being there the next day. I can't say the same about me—well, not necessarily the toys part.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Receiving the kingdom of God like a child—the phrase is easy to pass over without another thought. But watching my own children has taught me that there's more to the phrase than just an interesting rhetorical device. God wants us to trust Him, to seek Him with all the attributes that children retain but adults often let fall away: simple wonder, excitement, and peace.
Further Reading:
Mark 10
Luke 18
A Mouth That Got Washed Out
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips.
Psalm 141:3
Have you ever had your mouth washed out with soap? I have.
It's not coming back to me very clearly as to how old I was at the time, but I remember the scene. Well, sort of.
My mother and I were talking at the dinner table. In fact, my whole family was on hand as we were finishing up our evening meal. I remember disagreeing with something she had said or maybe just not liking whatever instruction she had given to me. And before I knew it, out came the dreaded words.
I knew that I shouldn't say them.
They were forbidden in my household.
I knew that they were disrespectful.
They were so very far from honoring to my mother.
And yet, I wasn't deterred.
So out they came ...
"Shut up!" Gulp. Help me, Jesus. Before I knew it, my mother took me by the collar and marched me down the hallway to the main bathroom. On went the faucet. Whether it was hot or cold water, I can't remember.
Next, in a frenzy the bar of soap was quickly lathered. And then the unthinkable: my mother washed out my mouth. Suds and all. For what seemed like HOURS.
I know that I gagged, and I'm sure I played it up for dramatic effect as I cried with giant tears and struggled against the cleansing agents (my mom and the soap). But you know what? It worked. Never again did I say "shut up" to my mother. I had learned that lesson. And my mouth was a little less full of bacteria to boot.
At this point in my life, I'd like to share with you that this act of getting my mouth washed out has translated into all of my speech patterns and conversations going forward. But alas, as someone who is afflicted with chronic foot-in-mouth disease and having a mind that thinks and reacts quickly, combined with a tongue that is happy to join forces and play along, I routinely find myself feeling sorrowful for things that I have just said. (In fact, as I'm writing this, I can think of two different instances in the past week where I've said something that I'd like to take back—and one of them just earlier today!)
While the tongue may be one of the smallest parts of the human anatomy, could it not be one of the most dangerous? In all of our cases, a thousand times yes! (James 3:6).
Like David, in Psalm 141, I know that there is one side of me that really does want to please the Lord with my speech and make sure that it is right and pure. But then there's that other side that really wants to appear witty and funny and, yes, truthful. But what may seem witty and funny and "truthful" to me can very quickly become that which kills a relationship, crushes a spirit, pollutes a mind, spreads hurtful information or divides a family or a group of friends.
"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths," says Ephesians 4:29. "But only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."
Today, I'm going to do a virtual cleansing of my mouth. And then I'll take a thorough mental inventory and do some soul-searching to see what other unkind or sinful words I'm being convicted of saying.
Will you join with me? Let's ask the Lord to help us be wiser and more edifying in our conversations (Proverbs 15:4). Let's think before we speak (Proverbs 13:3). Let's say less and listen more (Proverbs 21:23). And then let's see what happens in our interactions with others (Proverbs 16:24) and in our walk with the Lord (Psalm 50:23).
Intersecting Faith & Life: Write or print out Ephesians 4:29 and affix it to your bathroom mirror, your rearview mirror in your car, somewhere on your desk or at your kitchen sink, or wherever you will see it the best—and most frequently. I've already done so, and I hope that we will both be able to hide these words in our hearts over the coming week and think about them before opening our mouths.
Further Reading:
Psalm 37:30
Proverbs 16:21
:angel:
May 17, 2010
Battling the Green-eyed Monster
Sarah Jennings, Family Editor, Crosswalk.com
For the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from the Father.
John 16: 27, NIV
Have you ever been in a situation where another was blessed with the very thing you ached to have?
Lately, the green-eyed monster of envy seems to be lurking everywhere. I think she comes out of hibernation right around the month of May - when the weather changes from chilly to divine and traditional celebrations such as graduations, pregnancies, births, and weddings fill up our schedules.
These events are truly worthy of celebration but can be especially painful if we're struggling with our careers, family size, or marital status. It's easy to feel left out of the celebrations, especially when it seems like everyone around you has a miracle or blessing to announce... except you.
Sometimes our loved ones don't make the struggle any easier on us. I'm not proud to share this story, but I might have burst into tears at a friend's wedding reception once. So many happily married guests had inquired about my lack of a ring that I lost control of my emotions.
Why does God allow this to happen? Why does it appear as though there are some seasons when he showers his blessings on so many except a few? I don't fully know, but I do empathize with the complex emotions that come with these situation. And even though I am in a different phase of life than I was at that fateful wedding, I've come to realize this monster can make an appearance at any phase of life and rob you of your joy.
I think at the root of the struggle often lies fear:
*Fear of being left out by those you love.
*Fear of God not loving you as much as he loves everyone else.
*Fear of your life going "all wrong."
*Fear that God's blessings are limited and he'll run out before he gets to you.
If you grew up feeling second fiddle to a sibling or family member, these fears may be even more deep-seated. So when I was reading this week's scriptures for church, I was struck by this simple gospel reading in John where Jesus assures his followers that the Father loves them and hears their prayers. After Jesus' resurrection and ascension, we aren't left with a Father who merely puts up with us. No, the Father himself loves you and hears you. In fact, Scripture is clear that through Christ we are adopted sons and daughters, co-heirs with Christ.
Oh, and nowhere in Scripture does it say "except you." Yes, if you're a Christ-follower, it looks like you're pretty much stuck with the Father's love.
So what do we do in the meantime? When our feelings are wreaking havoc on us and causing us to question God's Word? I've found opting out of the comparison game helps tremendously. You know that sneaky little voice in your head that says, "Wow, look how much better her life is... "? Smack that voice. Yes, I give you permission. It's a completely unfair way to judge yourself and another person and a quick way to disturb your peace.
In fact, right when I find myself thinking such thoughts I try to stop and pray for that person... for any trials they may be going through (because if they're human, they have a cross even if it's not showing).
I've also found forgiving myself is especially helpful. After all, God doesn't condemn us for feeling sad so why should we condemn ourselves? When we're truly mourning a loss, it's okay to cry. We're not less holy just because we have emotions, and I think sometimes we put too much pressure on ourselves to be "perfect" Christians. I think it's even okay to bow out of an event early or send a gift in the mail if a situation is too charged.
When nothing else helps, I meditate on the times Jesus was left out. I'm sure he had some great times in his life -- being God no doubt has its perks. I always imagined him being popular as a kid and having a great family life with Mary and Joseph. But we know for a fact that there was a time when he truly felt alone and was treated like an outcast, a criminal, and a nobody. When I meditate on Christ's sense of humiliation, isolation, and shame, I realize I am not really alone when I feel most alone.
I don't have all the answers for why life sometimes feels incredibly unfair nor am I a wild success at coping with the emotions that come wtih that. But what I do know is this: God hasn't forgotten any one of us, and we are not alone.
Intersecting Faith & Life: If you're struggling to get through the month of May, give yourself a break. Allow yourself to RSVP "no" and spend some time with a good friend or on a short spiritual retreat.
Further Reading
Acts 18:23-28
Psalm 47:2-3, 8-10
John 16:23-28
:angel:
May 18, 2010
Freedom from the Bonds of Sin
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"...if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live."
Romans 8:13
While reading this week in chapter eight of Francis Schaeffer's True Spirituality where he is speaking about freedom from the bonds of sin, I was reminded of the story of an experienced, 27 year-old rock climber named Aron Ralston. One beautiful spring morning in 2003, he jumped into his truck with just enough food and water for the day. He took off by himself and drove a hundred and fifty miles south of Salt Lake City to his favorite spot—a remote canyon area that used to be the hideout for wild-west outlaws Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
By afternoon, he was suspended seventy-five feet high off the canyon floor—climbing in a crevice that was just a few feet wide. It was a perfect day. But then without warning, a boulder suddenly broke loose from the rock wall above him, hurtled down and trapped Ralston's right arm against the wall, completely crushing his hand. At that instant, Aron's hand—one of his greatest assets—had now become his greatest liability.
Five whole days passed as he tried various ways to free himself—all to no avail. His efforts to chip away at the boulder with a pocket knife only made a small dent. Rigging up a pulley system to move the boulder proved fruitless.
Finally, a moment of decisive clarity came. The thoughts came fast and furious: he could break his forearm, cut through the muscle with his dirty pocket knife, detach his arm, and use a piece of rope as a tourniquet.
Aron explains that he was driven by "some sort of autopilot" as he went about the gruesome task of amputating his own right arm just below the elbow. After he was finished, Aron lowered himself down and began trudging slowly in the direction of his truck. Later, he stumbled across two hikers who used a mobile phone to call in a rescue helicopter. Amputating his right arm was a radical act, but it was one that saved his life and reunited him with his family.
God calls us to deal with sin in our life in a way that is surprisingly similar. The Bible doesn't offer a laid-back, live-and-let-live approach at all. It's so radical, that we don't really like hearing about it or talking about it. Recall what Jesus said in Matthew 5:30, "If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell." While Jesus was not literally talking about physical amputation, He was saying that sin's deadly effects call for extreme measures. Even though it hurts, we must rid sin from our lives. In fact, our eternal destiny hinges on how we deal with sin.
Really? Well, why else would Jesus talk about hell in the same breath that He talks about how we are to deal with sin if He didn't mean to teach that our eternal destiny hangs in the balance? Clearly, it's a matter of preferring one destiny over the other. Outward behavior indicates what the heart primarily loves. If Aron Ralston had stayed there on the canyon wall with his hand pinned down by the boulder, he would have died. But because he was willing to kill his hand, his life was saved.
The same goes with us as we deal with sin. It really comes down to what we value most. Colossians 3:5 says, "Put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry." The world may tell us to laugh about sin, to lighten up about it, to tolerate it, and just let it be... that it's not idolatry; it's not an issue of worship. God says the opposite is true.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
What is robbing you of the blessings of peace with God?
What is keeping you from treasuring the Lord Jesus Christ above all other things?
Pray for grace to heed God's radical call to amputate sin from your life in His strength.
Further Reading
Romans 8:10-18
"Is Christianity just a bunch of rules for how to live?" (by John Piper, DesiringGod.org)
Between a Rock and a Hard Place (by Aron Ralston, © 2004 Simon & Schuster)
:angel:
May 19, 2010
The Faith for Big Prayers
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven" -- Daniel 10:12
One Sunday morning shortly after my husband proposed, I remember singing at church on a fairly unremarkable Sunday. I don't recall the sermon or anything else that day, but I do remember one of the praise songs - "Blessed Be the Name of the Lord." The song personalizes Israel's trials in the wilderness and the abundant streams of the promise land for the believer's life today, directing her to sing praise no matter the circumstances:
You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
'Lord, blessed be Your name!'
Sitting in church that day, I momentarily stopped singing. After dating this guy for almost four years, I finally had a ring on my finger. I finally had a token that what I longed for so hopefully was coming. The slightest hint that the world could be otherwise - and I could still praise God - baffled me at that moment. My selfish heart did not have the faith to pray that prayer, not at that moment.
Recently, I encountered another prayer that I couldn't quite pray:
"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 7b-9, The Message)
Few of us have trouble asking God to keep us out of poverty. But asking God to keep us from being too comfortable? I'm too American to pray that without hesitation. By contrast, consider the boldness of these people:
Hannah, the formerly barren woman who gave birth to the prophet Samuel - "And she made a vow, saying, "O LORD Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant's misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head." (1 Samuel 1:11)
The psalmist who wanted nothing hidden from God - "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts." (Psalm 139:23)
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego before being thrown into the fiery furnace - "If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." (Daniel 3:17-18)
Jesus Christ, who would later use this verse in the Garden of Gethsemane - "Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:10)
Do we have the kind of faith that can pray hard verses like these and mean them? It's easy to pray for blessings, wisdom, health, and the "joy of the Lord." Those prayers make our lives better, we think, and don't require a sacrifice or change of plans. When we come across difficult verses, however, we so easily shy away. Why?
Sometimes my response is too much like Ahaz's, who was offered a sign from the Lord as evidence of Isaiah's prophecy. Instead, Ahaz proudly said, "I will not ask; I will not put the Lord to the test." He deluded himself. He passed off his lack of faith for his unwillingness to "test" God. Instead of praising his decision, Isaiah announced that he - and God - were about out of patience.
Contrast this to the apostle James, who urged the church to ask with abandon so that they could see God at work. But he gave them this warning: "But when you ask him, be sure that you really expect him to answer, for a doubtful mind is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind" (James 1:6).
Intersecting Faith & Life: Are you avoiding a difficult prayer? What's your reason? Disbelief that God will really answer? Refusal to acknowledge God's imminence? Fear that God will upset your apple cart? Ask yourself what's holding you back. Let's pray for humility and understanding, and the rest will follow.
:angel:
May 20, 2010
Anything and Everything
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
Romans 8:32
My children, aged almost-five and almost-three, know my weakness.
They know it's not ice cream, baseball, or their mom's chili... or even a hug or puppy-dog eyes from them.
See, none of the above make me cry (although the chili almost did once). Yes, my children have seen their father cry. It's not something I wanted, or intended. I'm a man, after all. I go to work, show my strength. I coach, help, show, point, and guide. I communicate, discipline, and lead. I pray. I do not cry.
...Except when I read Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree, that is.
And like I said, my children know this. And oh, do they twist that knife, the little devils. We must own a couple hundred children's books, but if it's a night where Daddy is doing the bedtime reading rather than Mommy, what do they invariangly pick (while smirking)? Of course! The Giving Tree!
I've been reading this book, first published in 1964, since I myself was a child, and no matter how many times I do, I am unable to de-sensitize. I mean, when I watch the movie Field of Dreams and Ray has a catch with his ghost-dad, that gets me. But if I see the scene over and over within a certain time frame? Nah. No sweat, no tears. But this blasted children's book... well... what's going on here?
First of all, you're probably wondering that very thing if you aren't familiar with the story. A tree and a boy are the best of friends during an idyllic childhood for the young man where he eats apples from the tree, climbs her trunk, swings from her branches, and rests in her shade. Then things change, as things do, and we see the boy approach the tree at all the various stages of his life, caught up - understandably, even - more in wanting and needing than in just being. Every time he has a "need," the tree obliges... and is happy for having done so. She doesn't have much, but gives all she has until eventually, she is nothing but a stump. At the end of all things, however, it turns out a stump is just what the old man needs - a quiet place to sit down and rest and reflect. "And the tree was happy. The end."
And I am undone... again.
Is it because I am reading the story to my children, and I know our stories will be very much like that of the tree and the boy, where they are my delight but eventually I must simply become provider as they go out into the world? Yes and no.
Is it because our family copy of the book - the one I read to the kids - carries an inscription from my wife on our first Christmas as husband and wife that says, "With God's help, may I love you like this"? Yes and no.
Is it because I once read the book aloud at at emotional family Thanksgiving, illustrating how we too infrequently practice the "giving" half of the word? Yes and no.
Is it because as my father lay dying seven years ago that I told him of the story (he wasn't familiar with it), and how he had been that tree for me? That's definitely part of it. My mother, I remember, commented that she didn't recall it being a "Christian" book. I didn't really have an answer to that, only to what I saw in it. Which is...
Complete love to the point of emptying. Unquestioning sacrifice, even for someone who isn't appreciating or understanding what they've been given. A desire only to have communion. An entering into final rest. In other words, a perfect example of the immensity of what Jesus did for me, desired from me, provides for me, and will carry me to.
That is why I always cry.
So every time I finish the story, eyes full of tears, my kids look at me as if to say, "Are you okay?" My little one asks, "Why you cry, Dad?" And every time I explain, I think she understands just the tiniest bit more. These are tears of being overwhelmed by the enormity of the giver and the gift. I only pray these children will open their hearts and receive it, and that they won't miss the other lesson: all our Giver really wants in return is our time, for us to come to Him as we did as children.
Intersecting Faith & Life: But can any of us actually hope to become more like the tree in the story? Parents know what it means to give every last ounce of everything they are to the betterment of their children. We have reason for doing so. Do you know anyone who empties themselves this way for those they don't have a familial reason to love? What steps can you take to emulate their Christ-like, unconditional love?
Further Reading
Giving is What Living is All About
2 Corinthians 8:3-12
:angel:
May 21, 2010
That's What Friends are For
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Entertainment Editor
A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.
Proverbs 17:17, NIV
Remember the '80s ballad, "That's What Friends Are For"? Its chorus wasn't really profound, but more of a feel-good reminder about friendship:
Keep smilin', keep shinin'
Knowin' you can always count on me, for sure
That's what friends are for
For good times and bad times
I'll be on your side forever more
That's what friends are for
It would be nice if all friendships could be as "smilin'" and "shinin'" as the one described in this song. But that's not always the case, such as earlier this spring when one of my friends said to me, "You stink as a friend."
Nice. Well, in hindsight I believe that the Lord was showing me that I truly was not being a good friend at all. And it took the ending of this friendship to show me where I was lacking in all of my friendships across the board.
In this particular case, I apologized and tried to reconcile, but the friend wanted nothing more to do with me. So after crying and wiping away my tears, I decided that I would learn from this situation.
My quest took me to the book of Proverbs: a source of wonderful life lessons that are as simple to understand as they are deep in their layers of meaning. Let's take a look and see what it says that true friends are for. ...
Proverbs 16:28 ... "A perverse man stirs up dissension, and a gossip separates close friends." When friends share their most private thoughts with us, we should file them away for safekeeping. Don't be a source of drama. Instead, protect your friends' personal business and be the tie that binds and builds trust.
Proverbs 17:9 ... "He who covers over an offense promotes love, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends." Have you ever "covered" for a friend before? This is one of those acts that really forces us to mature and put on some big boy (or girl) pants in a hurry. Even when you've been hurt, love doesn't broadcast. It forgives and gets over the wrong.
Proverbs 17:17 ... "A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity." Whether the sun shines or the skies burst forth in torrential downpours, true friends and relatives stick with you through thick and thin and are not of the fair-weather variety. Are you a faithful friend who purposes to remain?
Proverbs 18:24 ..."A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." True, you have to be a friend to make friends. But are you supposed to be bosom buddies with everyone? You can be friendly to all, but it is better to be selective when determining your closest, most dependable inner circle of friends.
Proverbs 27:6 ... "Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses." The bottom line is this: a real friend will tell you what you need to hear and not what you want to hear. Sure, it hurts to hear the truth (even in love!). But afterward, you'll see how much better you feel and realize how much your friend truly cares about you.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Based on the above verses, how are your friendship skills measuring up? Is it time to do a little fine-tuning? Are there some friendships that should be added or subtracted from your life? Take time to assess and thank God for the friends he has placed in your life.
Further Reading
The Making of a Friendship
Do You Yearn for Meaningful Friendships?
:angel:
May 24, 2010
Enemies... You Gotta Love 'Em
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Entertainment Editor
But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
Luke 6:27-28, NIV
What's the hardest thing to do?
No, this is not a trick question. And no, the answer is not "whistling after eating saltines." Or "keeping a straight face when an unsuspecting person sits on a whoopee cushion."
The answer, my friend, is this: Loving your enemies.
A few weeks back, the Lord called me on this very thing. You see, someone had backed into my car's rear bumper. I was a bit startled, but quickly got out of my car to check for damage. Naturally, I assumed that the other driver would quickly get out as well-perhaps to offer an apology or at the very least to inspect his vehicle for damage.
Imagine what I thought when nothing happened. Unbelievable! That's right-the driver did not get out of his vehicle. Instead, he had quietly pulled forward into his parking space, as if the entire incident had never even occurred.
I stood there for a moment trying to decide what to do. Am I dreaming this or did this guy really hit my car? Finally, I started walking slowly toward his driver's-side door to see if he was going to at least roll down his window or something. But ... nothing. Well, there was something. Through the heavily-tinted windows, I did see the driver slide downward in his seat.
At that point, I decided it would be safer to get back into my vehicle than to continue in my pursuit of righting a wrong. For all I knew, the driver could have been one banana peel away from going postal.
That night, I didn't sleep a wink as I went over and over and over this scenario in my mind. I had begun to question what had really happened: Why had this guy hit me? Why wasn't he showing any remorse? Did I deserve what he had done to me? Why couldn't I just let this go and fall asleep?
The next day, a funny thing happened. I felt a sense of release almost immediately after I awoke. Now I don't know how, really, because I hadn't even prayed about it yet. I had only stewed.
But the Lord showed me right then and there that I needed to let it go. There was nothing more I could do and getting upset and rethinking the entire situation was not going to help me. And it certainly wasn't going to help me "bless" the one who had done me wrong.
So just like that, I let it go. Because it is not at all in my nature to let go of wrongs done to me-especially not so quickly-I can only credit the Lord and his work in my heart that morning to help me get closer to loving my enemy.
May I continue to get out of the way, so that God may show his love to my enemies through me... and in spite of me.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Has someone treated you poorly recently? How did you respond? Did you have an internal struggle before you turned it over to the Father? As you are empowered by the Holy Spirit, you will be able to "love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you."
Further Reading:
Matthew 5:44, NIV
The Command to Forgive
:angel:
May 25, 2010
Tell it, Lord!
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
He saw a man, called Matthew, sitting in the tax office;
and He said to him, "Follow me!"
Matthew 9:9
In the margin of my Bible next to Matthew 7:11 is a notation dated 9/1/90. It says:
"I love verses with exclamation points!"
That particular verse, in case you were wondering, says, "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!"
I wish I knew the inspiration or emotion that prompted me to make the notation. All I know is that it would have been made during the first or second week of my sophomore year of college, and at the time I was a Youth Ministry major. And that the sentiment has continued.
Coming across that notation again recently prompted me to look up more verses in which Jesus in particular is credited with having expressed some extra "oomph." Of course, the original manuscripts were not inscribed with punctuation marks. Those have been left up to various translators through the years. In my New American Standard version of Matthew's gospel, however, the emphasis has been added to several statements the Lord made, and some of those may be categorized as follows:
Rebuke of Temptation
Matthew 4:10-11: Then Jesus said to him, "Begone, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.'" Then the devil left Him...
Matthew 16:23: But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God's interests, but man's."
Rebuke of Hypocrisy
Matthew 23:23-39: "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!... You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!... Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!... Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!... O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her!... Behold, your house is being left to you desolate! For I say to you, from now on you shall not see Me until you say, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!"
Matthew 11:18-19: "For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon!' The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax-gatherers and sinners!' Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds."
Matthew 12:12: "Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep! So then, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath."
Stern Warning
Matthew 9:30: "And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, saying, "See here, let no one know about this!"
Matthew 6:23: "But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!"
Regarding Spiritual Warfare
Matthew 8:32: And he said to them, "Begone!" And they came out, and went into the swine..."
Matthew 10:24-25: "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. It is enough for the disciple that he become as his teacher, and the slave as his master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more the members of the house!"
Stirring to Faith in Action
Matthew 12:13: Then He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand!" And he stretched it out, and it was restored to normal, like the other.
Matthew 14:16: But Jesus said to them, "They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat!"
Matthew 14:29: And He said, "Come!" And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus.
Matthew 9:9: He saw a man, called Matthew, sitting in the tax office; and He said to him, "Follow me!"
Remembering the Father's Provision
"If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!"
Making a Radical Point
Matthew 12:49-50: "And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, "Behold, My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother."
Sadness
Matthew 26:24, 46: "The Son of Man is to go, just as it is written of Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed!... Arise, let us be going; behold, the one who betrays me is at hand!"
Matthew 18:7: "Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes!"
Regarding the End Times
Matthew 24:19: "But woe to those who are with child and to those who nurse babes in those days!"
The Father's Confirmation
Matthew 17:5: Behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and behold, a voice out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!"
Listen to Him indeed. What is He saying? How emphatically is he saying it? Don't mess around when temptation comes. Don't disgredard the spiritual realm and the forces that oppose you. Be stirred to action. Recognize once and for all that God has provided for you like the loving Father He is, so that you are free to do His will without worry. Following Christ is a radical road, but those that betray the Way and put stumbling blocks in the road will be left to God's judgment. Dangerous days are coming. But in the end, your belief is in the Son of Almighty God!
Intersecting Faith & Life: Pick another one of the Gospels and study the points of emphasis you find the Lord saying there.
:angel:
May 26, 2010
Trapped in the Darkness
by Fred "Fritz" Alberti, Crosswalk.com Director of Social Media
"...to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me."
Acts 26:18
As I was walking through my nature trail this week I, as I normally do, asked the Lord what I should write this week. As I passed through the chapel area of the trail the sun flashed through the leaves and caught my attention. Light. I had entered the darkness of the woods but that light caught my attention. I "filed" it away and continued my travels through the trail.
Later, I was reading through various news stories of earthquake survivors in China when one particular story jumped out at me and brought back to my mind my earlier encounter with the rising sun. The story was of a middle-aged man named Mr. Shen whose quick thinking to take cover in a doorway saved him from the fate experienced by many of his co-workers.
When interviewed, Mr. Shen recalled shouting to a co-worker to join him in the doorway when the room suddenly collapsed. The next thing he remembered was the sudden darkness that enveloped him.
What struck me in his interview was his statement, "Oh, the darkness, oh, the darkness all over. I didn't know when it was going to end."
There are people that we walk past every day that, without knowing it, are spiritually in the same condition as Mr. Shen; trapped in darkness under the weight of sin.
For Mr. Shen, the darkness crumpled under the hands of the rescuers. After 146 hours his encounter with complete and utter darkness came to an end. That darkness, however, will always leave a mark on his being.
Will you forget the darkness that seeks to crush the hope of those around you?
Intersecting Faith & Life: Find a place of complete and utter darkness and spend at least 15 minutes praying for people you know who have not accepted God's free gift of salvation.
Further Reading
Ephesians 5:8
John 12:46
1 Peter 2:9
:angel:
May 27, 2010
Trust at High Speeds
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths."
Proverbs 3:5-6
I had been on a WaveRunner before. "No problem," I said to myself as I climbed on behind my fiancé last weekend. I looked down at the brackish water that was more chilly than refreshing and told myself firmly, "Remember, you like going on adventures with him." Sure enough, David looked back and grinned at me when we got away from the dock. He told me to hold on. Then he gunned it.
Jumping on a WaveRunner seems easy when I'm the one driving, because then I get to decide just how sharply I want to make my little WaveRunner bank to catch that big wake. Or I can keep shooting out towards the Chesapeake Bay and avoid the wake altogether if I want. I can slow down if I scare myself, and I only "catch some air" if I'm good and ready - which, in reality, is almost never. Riding behind someone else, however, even when I trust him more than anyone, demands a leap of faith. The only thing I have to hang onto is his life jacket, and this guy in front of me gets to make the decisions while I peer over his shoulder. It's hard to anticipate or even see what is coming next, and leaning the wrong way when we bank could throw me into the cold water at 50 miles per hour.
Out on the open water, with the wind stinging my eyes and convincing me that I'm about to fly off my seat, I'm pushed out of my comfort zone and into something more exhilarating than I'd wander into by myself. And the whole experience stems from letting someone else sit in the driver's seat with not even a seatbelt for me. David knew I didn't want to capsize, and he directed the little WaveRunner accordingly. But he wouldn't let me be completely comfortable, because then we might as well take the paddleboat out and save gas. He made sure we got the full experience of saltwater, fun, and incredible views.
If I can trust my fiancé who loves me, how much more should I trust my Heavenly Father, who knows my fears, needs, and weaknesses far better. God desires to take us on an adventure that lets us experience Him and His creation more fully and joyfully than we can imagine. Focusing on our fear of some abstract unknown keeps us from being open to the adventure unfolding before our eyes every day. We tend to forget God's amazing promise, that "the LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you" (Deut. 1:8). Fear and worry indicate that we don't really believe that promise, and that we think we'd do a better job steering. Instead, when we make a conscious decision to trust the Lord - even when life is way too busy and fast for our liking - we find the peace to take a deep breath, smell the salty air, and enjoy where He is taking us.
Intersecting Faith & Life: If you're comfortable with life now, are you open to changes in God's plan for you? If life is crazy now, do you try too hard to make sure everything is under control, instead of resting in God's promises? Roll down your car window for a minute today and feel the wind rushing by. Remember that the Lord of the universe, the One who controls the wind and the seas, calls us cast all our cares on Him (I Peter 5:7).
Further Reading
Proverbs 19:21
Philippians 4:6-7
The War over Worry
:angel:
May 28, 2010
Reflections on a Life of Service
by Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.
Galatians 5: 13
This holiday weekend we celebrate something that I think is sometimes hard for many of us to comprehend: the sacrifice of soldiers' lives for the sake of our freedom. In recent years I've heard many conflicted views on this matter. But I think it would be a mistake to see these brave men and women as merely victims. While each fallen soldier has a unique story, each soldier is a hero who willingly laid down his or her life for a greater cause.
I think part of our struggle to understand the fallen soldier comes with our difficulty in accepting sacrifice, especially when a sacrifice seems so final and appears to hold no obvious reward. The idea that anyone could give up everything - for people he doesn't even know - is hard to process. We spend so much of life trying to gain, to acquire, to win. Our country is home to the American Dream, the land of opportunity. So contemplating the fallen solider can feel uncomfortable, even confusing.
I was pondering this struggle to embrace sacrifice at church. It was the Feast of Corpus Christi and our pastor was reflecting on Christ's willingness to spill His blood for our sake. Our pastor emphasized that the only appropriate response to a sacrifice of this magnitude would be to offer our lives in return. He put it in terms of worship, saying God first bowed down to us by becoming human, and now it is our turn to bow down to Him.
So often I meditate on Christ's sacrificial love, but fail to love Him sacrificially in return. I thank Him with my words, but do little to change my life. Yet this is what God desires of us. We call our soldiers "service men / women" yet that term should describe Christians as well. Just as sacrifice is required to secure our freedom as Americans, freedom does not exist independently of sacrifice in the life of the believer. Yes, the gift of faith brings us freedom - freedom from sin, freedom to be who God made us to be and to know God more deeply. But that freedom came with the price of the Cross and our gift of freedom is to be used for service.
It may seem pointless in some ways to acquire freedom only to turn around and serve. But two thoughts come to mind here. One, is that the free person who chooses to serve knows freedom unlike any other. He has no need of taking from others because his sense of worth comes from a higher source. I've often heard from those with true servant-hearts that it is only when we give ourselves away that we truly find ourselves. The second is a truth I need to constantly remind myself of when life seems hard or unfair: this life is nothing compared to the next. Anything we "lose" here is never truly lost if our lives belong to Christ.
"So the last will be first, and the first will be last" (Mt 20: 16). A friend and I have a running joke about this scripture verse. We will defer to each other in attempt to win "last place" - to secure our first place prize in heaven, of course. While our motivations here may be a bit off, I've come to think it's not a bad contest. Grow your servant's heart by striving to take last place at least once this week - even if it's as simple as being last in line at the grocery store or serving yourself last at the dinner table.
:angel:
May 31, 2010
How I Came to Enjoy Raisins
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. -- 1 John 2:10
Worst advertising slogan ever: "Two scoops of raisins in Kellogg's Raisin Bran." Blech. But apparently it worked on my mother, who bought the stuff like it was going out of style, while referring to delicious breakfast desserts such as Lucky Charms and Crunchberries as "cardboard." So unfair. So there I sat, choking down my raisin bran, or even oatmeal cookies with raisins in them, always suffering the same horrible fate: the bran or cookie part would be chewed and swallowed before the gooey chewy raisins, leaving me a mouthful of not-nearly-as-tasty goop.
I despised raisins. Thought about writing Kellogg's and telling them that backing off to one scoop would be plenty (nothing like getting to the bottom of the bowl and finding no flakes, only 10 little black things. Ew).
Flash-forward a quarter century. I'm having a similar issue to the raisin problem with people. Specifically, I'm loathe to admit, some Christian people. No, I haven't been eating them, but sometimes, I do find us hard to swallow. Part of the problem, ironically, is my job! Here at Crosswalk we often receive angry emails from fellow Christians who don't like the movie we reviewed, the way we said something, the ad we ran, or the author we allowed to appear on the site. Criticism's fine, even justified; I just have a hard time when it comes with a "You call yourself Christian?" or a "Have you even read the Bible?" punch to the gut. Sometimes it feels as if we Christians are concerned more with hammering home truth no matter how bluntly, or railing against _(fill in the blank)_ than genuinely loving people and meeting needs. Of course, the obvious irony here is that I then, looking in the mirror, find myself in short supply on genuine love myself. Which is not where Christ wants any of us to be. In fact, in Revelation 12:10, the title "Accuser of the Brethren" is given to our enemy Satan at his judgment. Do I really want to claim that monicker for myself?
So what does this have to do with raisins? Well, recently I discovered I kinda like the shriveled little things! I pack 'em for snacks, and eat them with the kids. I like the nutritional value, the fiber, the chewiness. What's changed? My tastes? No. The raisins? No. Not the packaging, not the flavor, not even my effort (I'm not choking them down because they're good for me, I genuinely like them). I realized that what has changed is my perspective. It didn't happen overnight, but about the time "Craisins" (dried Cranberries) came on the scene, I began enjoying all sorts of dried fruits. And here's what I noticed: I like cranberries, ergo I like dried cranberries. I like apricots, therefore I like dried apricots. I love grapes, so obviously I... hate raisins? That didn't seem to make logical sense. Maybe it was time to give raisins another try. Maybe I shouldn't even think of them as raisins. Maybe I should just think of them as "dried grapes!"
That may sound extremely silly... but it worked! I felt like I had come into the light. The texture was suddenly different. The way I savored them changed... everything. And a fun new world of food possibilities has re-opened to me, simply thanks to a different way of looking at something.
1 John Chapter 2 talks about Light, who it comes from, what it helps us do, and what it shows about us when we walk in it. Light is a perspective-changer. It reveals the true nature of hidden or darkened things. It doesn't change them, but it can and does change how they appear, how they are perceived, and the details we notice. Our verse today says, "Whoever loves his brother lives in the light," and I think it also works backwards: "Whoever lives in the light loves his brother." It's not going to be easy for me to see fellow redeemed sinners - especially the angry ones - as Jesus does, but it's clearly possible, and commanded, and in the raisin example it wasn't about my efforts anyway - just turning on a light.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Who's got your goat? Have you ever tried seeing that individual, group, or faceless internet personage in a different light, from a different perspective, or even as God sees them? Have you considered how you might look different to others in a new light? Try filling these blanks in for yourself: "I like ____(x)_____, therefore I like even __________ _____(x)_____."
Further Reading
John 1: 4-11
Light and the Nature of God, by Regis Nicoll
How to Deal with Angry People, by Gary Chapman
:angel:
June 1, 2010
"Just Keep Swimming!"
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us."
- Hebrews 12:1
On Saturday night, I let myself go limp in front of the TV. The blur of activity, newness, and ridiculously hot weather the week before had exhausted me, so a complete mind/body check-out seemed in order. I don't have cable, though, so my viewing selection was pretty limited. I soon found myself watching "Finding Nemo."
Remember the part where the all-important scuba mask slips down, down, down into the dark gorge? Marlin panics and goes after it, only to swim frantically back out of the darkness. Then the crazy blue fish with a short term memory problem frolics her way into that same blackness with nary a care. A moment later Dorrie comes back to encourage Marlin. "Hey, Mr. Grumpy Gills," she says, "When life gets you down, you know whatcha gotta do?" "No, I don't want to know watcha gotta do." "Just keep swimming! Just keep swimming! Just keep swimming!"
Not that I'm taking lessons from a digitized blue fish, but Dorrie's attitude reminded me what perseverance should look like. It's not that sitting on the couch and taking a break was evil in itself, but my can't-go-any-farther attitude was. That attitude indicated that I was slogging away in my own strength and had run out of energy without looking to the Lord for supernatural help. At points like that, even though I know the answer, "I don't want to know watcha gotta do" to keep pursuing what God has called me to do. Wallowing in my exhaustion seems so much easier.
Sunday evening, my dad took the opportunity to remind me that, "when life gets you down" and you're exhausted, God's faithfulness has the chance to shine through. The end of my rope is the beginning of grace made evident in my life, providing the strength to "keep swimming" even though I'm exhausted. And He gets the praise, because I know that strength is no longer something in me. His mercies are "new every morning" (Lam. 3:23) and enough to keep me moving in the direction that He encourages me to go. My responsibilities are just one more way to bring me to my knees and let the Lord refresh me with His grace. After that, I can keep going in His mercy, and even sing while I'm at it. His faithfulness never ends.
Intersecting Faith & Life: So are you ready to call it quits when you're exhausted? Or are you relying on God and willing to keep going because of the goal ahead of you? The Bible is full of reminders of God's faithfulness to believers, and the stories all end with God being glorified for their reliance on Him. In the end, it's when we are weak that He makes us strong (2 Cor. 12:10).
Further Reading
Philippians 1:4-6
1 Corinthians 9:24
How to Pray on the Go
:angel:
June 2, 2010
The Redemptive Value of Facebook
by Mike Pohlman
You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. -Matthew 5:14-16
Can Facebook be redemptive? In other words, can this social networking phenomenon be a means of helping Christians grow in grace? Can it be spiritually edifying? Can it promote godliness?
Yes.
My "yes," of course, is not without qualification. I realize Facebook can be used for banal, unhelpful purposes. (Carl Trueman, for example, offers a good critique of our Web 2.0 world.) But today God's grace was extended to me through the Internet; today Facebook was a blessing. Let me explain.
I was tagged in a friend's list of "25 Random Things About Me."* While I have yet to fill out one of these lists, I have enjoyed reading them. It is a good (and efficient) way to learn interesting things about a person. And these lists are all the more intriguing when you haven't kept up with someone for, say, twenty years.
The particular list opened with this amazing declaration: "I would change nothing about my life!"
How many people can say that about their life? It's one thing to say, "I love my life." Or, "I have a great life." Or, "I'm living the good life." But to say, "I would change nothing about my life"? That got my attention.
The list of "random" things proceeded with unmistakable joy.
24. "I am very happy."
18. "I am thrilled that I have gotten in touch with so many family members and friends on facebook."
14. "I have two dogs and a cat. I am not big on pets, so having them is a testament to how much I love my children."
13. "I don't feel that I could have a more wonderful husband."
12. "I have four children and wish I had more.....6 would have been nice!"
7. "A perfect day for me is spent with my husband and children."
Reading these things was inspiring as they spoke to my friend's deep love for her family. I smiled as I recalled how I used to play little league baseball and Pop Warner football with her husband. Now we both had four kids. More importantly, I found myself thinking about my wife and children and what a blessing they are to me. But then, as I continued down the list, I ran into these sobering statements:
6. "It is a good thing that my life will never be the way it was before I was diagnosed with cancer."
5. "My life will never be the way it was before I was diagnosed with cancer."
I didn't know my friend had been diagnosed with cancer. I paused to let it sink in. Cancer. That word has a way of arresting our attention like no other. And rarely, it seems, is gratitude accompanied with it. But here in a list of "25 Random Things" was the phrase, "It is a good thing...." How could my friend preface any mention of cancer with "It is a good thing"?
The answer came at the end of the list:
1. "The LORD is always #1."
This is the "thing" that makes all the difference in the universe. When the Lord is first in our lives then everything takes on new meaning--our marriages, parenthood, jobs, ministries, leisure time, and, yes, even cancer. We realize that nothing is truly "random." When we see our heavenly Father in His providence orchestrating all our days then we can say radical things like, "It is a good thing that my life will never be the way it was before I was diagnosed with cancer." In other words, God used cancer to help me.
In Matthew 5:16 Jesus says, "In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." Tami's light is shining brightly today and I'm giving glory to God for it.
[*All references to my friend's "25 Random Things" used with permission.]
:angel:
June 3, 2010
The Dip Swimmer
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely? But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."
James 4:4-6
August is often monsoon time in Tucson, Arizona. The rains can come quickly, bringing flooding to dry ground not primed to soak them up. He always looked forward to that time of year, to the brief respites from the scorching zephyrs. But not this year. This year was his "nowhere year," the one between high school and college, the one where he lost sense of self, God, and purpose. Most of his friends had gone to school or summer projects. He himself would finally do so in just a few weeks. There was excitement in that knowledge, but also much apprehension. All he had known was Tucson. All he had was there. His best friend and his girlfriend and his family -- he'd be leaving them behind.
The leaving was becoming even more difficult because there were rifts growing. His girlfriend had requested a break because, among other things, he had begun to put on weight. Things weren't good between them. In fact, things weren't good anywhere. This was supposed to be one of the best times of his life, but all he felt was lost, left out, and lethargic. The weather wasn't helping. Neither was the fact that his Triumph TR6 convertible, the one he had received from his dad, the original owner, had finally died. He'd gone from driving that prime machine to a hand-me-up, dented Volkswagen Dasher from, insult of insults, his younger sister. His parents had opted to provide her a more reliable vehicle, a shinier, newer, cuter Honda Civic. It took him a long time, sad to say, to get over that.
On this night, he was also house-sitting for a friend of his mother's. It was a depressing apartment, containing two very depressing dogs. One was very old and mostly blind, and would spend each night spookily wandering from room to room. He would wake up and see it stalking the halls as if in trance. Freaky. The other one was a three-legged little mutt who was so scared of him that the very reason he was housesitting became obsolete! Every gentle attempt to let the dog out created so much fear in the animal that it would do its business in the process of running out the door, meaning he not only had clean-up duty, but still had to convince the frightened critter to come back inside!
So basically, he was bummed. Bummed and lonely. And the last thing on his mind was the Lord, even though he'd known Him for 10 years. He knew he had to get out of there and gain some perspective. Maybe Jay was around. His house wasn't too far away from Dog Central. He decided to try his luck in the monsoon.
As soon as he got to the Dasher, he should have known it was a bad idea. He'd left his windows down. He sat down anyway, right in the puddle of rain and dog hair and his sister's ancient cigarette ashes. At least the car started. He pulled it out onto Alvernon Road, and headed south toward Grant.
Grant Road, when he got there, no longer looked like a street. It was a rivulet. I don't know why, but he pulled out into it. For a while, the old wheezy car made its way slowly through the water. But eventually, it could go no more. He'd killed it. He stepped out into knee-deep water and looked to the heavens. A couple guys who were standing uphill in a shopping center watching the action helped him push the Dasher out of the street and up into the lot. Suddenly he heard shouts of joy and glee. He turned his head in time to see two kids in an inflatable raft cruise down a side street and out onto Grant, laughing all the way. Nice. Did anyone else want to mock him?
Well, what next? He had no cash, no coins. No cell phones in 1989. No ATM nearby.
There was only one thing to do: walk the rest of the way to Jay's house. Why not? He couldn't suffer much more, could he? It was a good 25 blocks. He'd gone about 24 of those in the rain when it was finally starting to let up. But through the parting drops he saw that he made yet another error in judgment. Rather than staying on the main road, where there was a bridge that crossed over a wash, he had taken a side street that dipped right down into it. It was going to mean another half hour if he backtracked, so he made his umpteenth stupid decision of the night. He tied his shoes around his neck, waded into the dip... and swam to the other side (kids, don't try this at home. He got lucky the current wasn't strong).
Emerging, he imagined himself as the creature from the black lagoon. Only several more houses to go. He knocked on the door. Jay's mother answered. She looked confused, then concerned, then sprang into action. "Oh my goodness! Get in here!" She got him towels and something hot to drink, and let him know Jay wasn't home yet. He was out on a date. She was going to bed, but he was welcome, as always, to wait up for Jay.
He sat in a dark corner of the living room, wondering how in the world he had sunk to this. He heard a key in the lock. He saw his best buddy enter, saw him notice a blob sitting in the corner, saw him realize he'd seen no car outside. When Jay recognized his pal, he paused, looked more closely, then... burst into laughter.
What happened next was an all-night conversation that would change both their lives. The gist of it was, "We've been giving lip service to our God and our church for a long time now. We've been part of this great youth group, but at heart we both know we love the popularity more than the fellowship. We've talked about the guys in our group who we know are authentic, who really study, really live the Word. Maybe it is time for us to be that, too? Maybe it's time to stop sinning and start taking Christianity seriously?"
Yes. We decided it was. In the morning the mercy was palpable and freeing. We went to the bookstore and bought a study guide on James. We drove up to Mount Lemmon, just outside the city, praising the Lord on the way and praying once we got there. With James's help, we decided to begin with practicality. We put away childish things. We took our eyes off ourselves, and we recognized that God had been active in answering prayers we'd prayed over a year ago (flippantly though they were spoken) that God would get our attention, develop in us humilty and patience, and a genuine idea of what following Jesus was about.
Relatively speaking, we didn't suffer much, though our achings were deep and real for the time. God put us on our knees, gently but firmly, and turned us around, which is the essence of humility, repentance, and restoration. The Dasher was definitely dead... but we were alive.
Only a couple years later, God gave me a gift, an incredible, forever reminder of that night and what I learned and how it would carry me through the future. It came in the form of a song by Rich Mullins. To this day, I believe that Rich must have been there, must have seen what transpired. For he wrote:
I see the morning moving over the hills
I can see the shadows on the western side
And all those illusions that I had
They just vanish in Your light.
Though the chill in the night still hangs in the air
I can feel the warmth of morning on my face
Though the storm had tossed me
'Til I thought I'd nearly lost my way
And now the night is fading and the storm is past
And everything that could be shaken was shaken
And all that remains is all I ever really had
What I'd have settled for
You've blown so far away
What You brought me to
I thought I could not reach.
And I came so close to giving up
But You never did give up on me.
I see the morning moving over the hills
I feel the rush of life here where the darkness broke
And I am in You and You're in me
Here where the winds of Heaven blow.
And now the night is fading
And the storm is through
And everything You sent to shake me
From my dreams they come to wake me
In the love I find in You
And now the morning comes
And everything that really matters
Become the wings You send to gather me
To my home
To my home
I'm going home...
Intersecting Faith & Life: 1. If a storm were to shake your life, and "everything that could be shaken was shaken, and all that remained was all you ever really had," what would it be that remained? 2. What would you have settled for that God has blown so far away? What has He brought you to that you thought you could not reach? 3. What does it mean to go back "to my home," even if you're actually about to start a journey? 4. When was the last time you shared your testimony? Make an effort to write it down or share it today.
Further Reading
Closer to You Than to Me, David Jeremiah
The Finger of God, Os Hillman
Lamentations 3:22-23
:angel:
June 4, 2010
When You're in Your Darkest Hour
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Entertainment Editor
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith...
1 Peter 5:8-9a, NIV
I had trouble sleeping last night. Perhaps you can relate.
As we get older, we have more responsibilities in our lives which can lead to more thoughts in our minds which can lead to more anxiety which can lead to restless bodies which can lead to sleepless nights. Whew.
Well, my mind was chock full of these "thoughts" last night. Thoughts about situations and potential situations. Thoughts about family members. Thoughts about friends. Thoughts about friends who could be more than friends. Thoughts about upcoming events. Thoughts about inadequacies.
After some tossing and turning and watching the clock hit "the darkest hour," I eventually sat up and turned on the light on my bedside table. God, why am I having these anxious thoughts? Should I be praying for these people and these situations? Or did I just eat too closely to my bedtime again? How do you want me to respond? Are you speaking to me or is it the Häagen-Dazs?
After I extricated myself from a bed-sheet cocoon, I reached underneath my stack of books and pulled out my journal. Now, I'm not a disciplined journaler, so I just write down my thoughts whenever the Spirit leads me (which in my case is really code for "whenever I remember to"). But last night, I really did feel led to write out my concerns and my cries as I sought the Lord.
Now that my supplications and confessions are recorded, I can look back on these late-night scribblings and understand more clearly my own thought processes and distortions of reality. I can see what is vying for attention with my God and causing me to rely on my own understanding and not his.
You might be struggling with this right now, too. Your life is focused on something. On one thing. A job. A relationship. A tragedy. A dream. A child. An illness. A financial matter. Whatever. You are trying to make something happen. You are trying to prevent something from happening. And all of your energy is directed toward this "thing." You feel hopeless and have taken your eyes off of the Lord.
My friend, that's the perfect recipe for a darkest hour-whether during a sleepless night or a restless day. It's an opportunity for the Enemy to get in and fill your mind with doubt. He is the Father of Lies and loves to torment us and mess with our minds in any way that he can.
But, thankfully, we know these things to be true: "... Weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning" (Psalm 30:5); "Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man" (Psalm 112:4); "Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:22-23).
Let us cling to Truth. Let us cry out to the Father. For he will shine his light in the darkest hour.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Whether on your bedside table, in your car's glove box or on the desk in your office, keep a pocket-sized Bible, a small devotional book or Scripture cards at the ready. This will be a visual reminder to you to keep your eyes (and your thoughts) on Truth whenever you are in your darkest hour.
Further Reading
How to Have a Steadfast Hope in a Shaky World
Overcome Insecurity
:angel:
June 7, 2010
The Little Way
by Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Mt 18:3
When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 1 Cor 13: 11
Our family celebrated a breakthrough this weekend. My 1-year-old niece, Elise, began speaking sounds of the "English language" variety. I was the first to hear her new development while reading her the great literary classic Go, Train, Go.
At first, it came in a tiny whisper: "gooshwaygooo."
"What did you say, Sweetie ... can you say it again?"
Huge, innocent brown eyes framed in messy blonde hair looked up at me as she carefully repeated, "Goooo, Shway, goooo."
"You're talking!"
I interrupted her parents' conversation to proudly announce their daughter's newest advancement. Of course, she stared blankly at her father as if nothing new had happened and no amount of coaxing could get her to repeat it.
I guess you can't win 'em all.
Spending time with little Elise this weekend had me pondering the uniqueness found among children, even in their earliest years. Elise is what you might call an "easy child." Unlike her precocious 3-year-old brother, who delivered his first fire-and-brimstone sermon recently, she has a gentle, quiet, angelic nature that makes parenting delightful for her mom and dad (if a bit frustrating for an aunt who wants to show her off).
Of all her sweet little traits, I'd have to say Elise's most remarkable quality is her peaceful acceptance of life's limitations. If her tiny hand reaches for a sharp object, all one has to do is calmly say, "No, no" and she quietly withdraws her hand.
Watching Elise go about her world makes me ponder my own responses to life's ups and downs. Putting complete trust in her parents, she wastes little time throughout her days crying over what she can't have or what she doesn't understand. I suspect that when Jesus tells us to approach our faith like a little child and trust in our Heavenly Father's provision, He has children like her in mind.
Of course, I am rarely a content "Elise" and more often approach my faith like an angst-ridden teenager. I treat my relationship with God as if it is a complicated thing. I struggle. I cry. I resist God's wise voice. I am a restless, rebellious young woman who constantly wants what she can't have and foolishly thinks she knows more than her Father.
So why should God have us grow up at all if He desires us to be like children? In her autobiography Story of a Soul, St. Therese of Lisieux makes a clear distinction between child-like faith and child-like immaturity - both of which are present in all of us. Childish immaturity is marked by lack of knowledge and an over abundance of self-centeredness.
If you're a parent, you no doubt have witnessed this "other side" of childhood - filled with all sorts of poor behaviors that usually surface at the most inopportune times, like the check-out line at the grocery store. St. Therese was no stranger to it either. As a sensitive young girl, she often had tearful emotional outbursts when life didn't go her way, causing her siblings and father to walk on eggshells in hopes of preventing a scene.
But, at age 14, Therese realized she could not progress in her faith if she continued acting childishly. Her anxious outbursts indicated a lack of love for others and a lack of faith in God to work all things for good. She spent the last 10 years of her life committed to becoming "little" by prioritizing others' needs above her own, performing small deeds of kindness, and trusting that her Father's love and approval was enough to bring her happiness. Therese's "little way" opened doors for God to work through her in big ways, inspiring many to grow in faith through her example.
Intersecting Faith & Life: All too often, we carry our childish ways into adulthood while letting go of our childlike innocence and trust in God. What is one aspect of your life that could benefit from childlike trust? What is one aspect that could benefit from spiritual maturity? My prayer this week is that I will grow to become God's "easy child" - one who is quick to make Him smile and a joy to spend time with.
Further Reading
Mt 7:11
Mt 11:25
Why We Run from the Father
:angel:
June 8, 2010
Both / And
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Him who is the Head, that is, Christ.
Ephesians 4:15
Consider the following sets of words:
Compassionate, communicative, kind, fair, long-suffering, patient, accepting, gentle, merciful, understanding.
Honest, holy, set-apart, stand-taking, consistent, dedicated, mature, righteous, unyielding, just.
Which set best describes you?
Sometimes it feels like we Christians divide ourselves into these two camps. Camp A rightly believes that "God is love," and as such they do a fairly good job of not alienating those they meet and know and care for. Of course, with every strength there's a weak side, and sometimes our well-meaning Camp-A brethren can become wishy-washy and overly accepting, even false.
Camp B, on the other hand, rightly believes that "God is holy," and as such they do a fairly good job of reminding those they meet and know and care for that sin is sin, and God can not tolerate it. Of course, sometimes our well-meaning Camp-B brethren can end up sounding a lot like gongs and cymbals, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. People know we're here, but they wish we'd quiet down for a bit. Perhaps all the conflict between our own camps has torn at your heart and worn down your spirit, too.
Now consider... which set of words best describes Our Father? Think about it before answering. Honestly, isn't it both? We'll come back to that thought in a minute.
I have a close friend, a youth minister, who has served many years at his current church. Recently, he was summoned to a meeting with the personnel committee and several parents. The gist of their message was that he was teaching the students too much about discipline and truth and knowing what the Bible says and so on. The criticism apparently was that there wasn't enough about love and compassion in his messages.
Reading between the lines, it was clear that fear was at work: fear that these students weren't being prepared for college and a world that is more about tolerance and acceptance and where Christian students who literally believe the Bible are ostracized. After all, who hopes for their student to have to face unpopularity, embarrassment, and harsh criticism while they're already struggling to get ahead in the world? My friend would point out that he's not opposed to compassion and love, not in the least. But what kind of foundation do you want to build in the youth?
It's sad. Because at the end of the day... why can't we have both?
I'm not talking about vacillating. I'm not talking about compromise. I don't want to be lukewarm.
I am talking about balance; checks and balances. I do wish to be balanced. A position of balance is a position of strength. A balanced person stumbles less often. How much fun is a teeter-totter where all the weight is pushed to one side?
I am also talking about paradox. A paradox is a seeming contradiction that nonetheless contains truth. A paradox says an object or person or idea is both this and that. Jesus is the world's greatest paradox, being both fully God and fully man. With Christ as the example and the cornerstone, one learns to see that the whole Bible is full of paradox, including the fact that we can and should "Speak truth." "In love." Both/and. Just like Jesus.
He didn't excuse sins. But He did forgive them.
He was equal with God. But He didn't consider equality with God a thing to be grasped.
He was sinless. But He refused to cast the first stone at the accused.
He demanded His followers take up a cross and follow Him unreservedly unfettered. But He was sad for those who weren't ready to do so.
Truth. In. Love. Both. And.
Don't forget, Campers, you have the Holy Spirit, which gives you wisdom, which instructs you as to which set of characteristics is needed in a given circumstance. Pull up the tent poles. Become nomadic. You can put on the armor of God, but if your feet aren't balanced underneath you? Ask any beginner student of martial arts what the result will be.
But even if you find yourself gravitating more towards one campsite or the other, that's okay. The same chapter that talks of the need to speak the truth in love also mentions, just a couple verses earlier, that, "It was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up."
We're on the same team. And the goal is a "built-up body." One that won't stand unless balanced, unless level, unless unified. What's the result? Refer back to our verse today. When we "speak truth in love," we will "grow up." Bottom line, Campers, our body needs to mature.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Simply ask yourself the next time you proclaim the word: am I being loving? Are my motives pure? Likewise, the next time you get those good feelings about how fair and open-minded and communicative you're being with unbelievers and sinners, ask, "Lord, what truth do they need to know?" Love enough to tell the truth. Be truthful enough to not misrepresent how your Lord met people where they were. It can be scary to think about doing, but remember that "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and love, and discipline."
Further Reading
1 Corinthians 13
Discovering the Value of Your Personality
Education and Relation - or - Truth and Love
:angel:
June 9, 2010
Creating Rainbows
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be
the sign of the covenant between me and the earth."
Genesis 9:8
On Friday night, I saw one of the most beautiful sights I will ever see. No, I wasn't hiking in the mountains or watching the sunset. I was in a very ordinary setting actually - just driving home through downtown Richmond in rush hour traffic. The weather had developed schizophrenia and my windshield wipers were flashing at full speed even though the sun was shining. People were huddled under trees as they waited for their bus, and businessmen in suits were dashing toward their parking garages. The traffic report was not in my favor, and I resigned myself to a long drive home. That's when I saw it.
One end of a rainbow touched the end of my street, seeming completely out of place with the city skyline and blaring horns. But the rainbow was there all the same; in fact, it grew brighter, until the colors were as distinct as they are in a child's coloring book. Then a second rainbow appeared over this first one, and as I got closer I could see both ends of the rainbows. I kept snapping pictures on my cell phone, even though I knew that no camera in the world could really capture those colors. That dreary late afternoon commute changed into something that was, well, magical - or, as Noah would have said, miraculous. That very ordinary day was transformed by the visible reminder of God's promise to Noah.
The commentator Matthew Henry read the Genesis passage and wrote these words: "The rainbow is the reflection of the beams of the sun, which intimates that all the glory and significancy of the seals of the covenant are derived from Christ the Sun of righteousness... As God looks upon the bow, that he may remember the covenant, so should we, that we also may be ever mindful of the covenant, with faith and thankfulness."
God displayed a visible reminder of His everyday grace on Friday for anyone who looked up, reminding me of the promise He made to extend a common grace to all living things. How often do I take that promise for granted? The truth is, I nearly yelled at a driver on that same drive home after I saw the rainbows, letting a momentary panic get in the way of meditating on an eternal promise. My perspective so often slips into the ordinary, when God's daily grace is all around me. My prayer this week is that I will not lose focus, but instead, remember the rainbow. Everything else pales in comparison with the brilliance of His glory.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Rainbows appear where the circumstances are just right - where there's rain and sun. Am I letting rainy day blues crowd out the sun, like I did in responding to the driver who cut me off? Or am I letting the sun break through the ordinary clouds and circumstances? The glory of the Lord shines most brilliantly not when everything is right with the world, but when I live my daily life in remembrance of what He has done for me.
Further Reading
Pay Attention to God's Presence
Discover What's Holy in What's Ordinary
:angel:
June 10, 2010
Swallowing the Pink Stuff
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Entertainment Editor
No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
Hebrews 12:11, NIV
As a pet owner, I try to do what is best for my cats-even when they don't like it.
Since they don't understand the tried-and-true "This hurts me more than it hurts you" line, I usually try to love on Demi and Denté a lot before having to do something unpleasant to them.
So I'm sure you can imagine what I'm going through right now, as I'm having to give medicine twice a day to Demi. Let's just say there's a whoooooole lot of "love" going on.
Because of a bacterial infection in her liver, the vet prescribed two weeks' worth of amoxicillin. You know, it's the pink stuff. Perhaps you've taken this medicine yourself at some point in time. It's ooey, gooey and sickening. Thick, pink and downright dreadful. But it's a hard worker, going straight to the infection and putting up a wall around the bacteria. Pretty soon you feel as good as new, if not better.
And that's all fine and good in theory. But try explaining that to a 13-year-old cat who's had enough of you. And your pink stuff.
When I use the dropper to squirt the medicine in Demi's little mouth twice a day, she fights me, meows loudly and wriggles incessantly while I'm trying to help her.
"But this is good for you, Demi," I say in my most soothing, pet-owner-ish of ways.
She doesn't understand that the pink stuff is going to make her better. And if she doesn't go through this process and swallow it down, then she will not get well.
Like my feline counterpart, I find that I respond in a very similar fashion when required to follow the instruction of the Lord - especially when it's distasteful. Sadly, my first reaction is not compliance or obedience.
I turn away. Then I whine and complain. And I throw an emotional tantrum and see if there's any way possible for me to get out of what God is asking me to do or what he's asking me to swallow.
In the middle of my own dosages of the pink stuff, what I can't see is that what is being administered to me is actually making me stronger and healthier. Putting up a wall around the sin in my system, teaching me truth or testing my faith-so that I may be more able-bodied to serve and glorify the Lord.
I don't know if I will ever gladly reach for the spoon when being administered a daily dose of the pink stuff in my life. But hopefully, I will learn to swallow a little easier as I am continually reminded of the difference that Christ in me can make.
Intersecting Faith & Life: The next time you take or administer distasteful medicine, remember that life circumstances that seem unpleasant at the time can be used to "produce a harvest of righteousness and peace."
Further Reading
Psalm 34:8, NIV
2 Corinthians 4:8-10, NIV
:angel:
June 11, 2010
Traveling Mercies
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
You will not be afraid of the terror by night, Or of the arrow that flies by day.
Psalm 91:5
With summer travel season upon us - well, for those who haven't been grounded by the economy - I've been reminiscing upon all the times the Lord has watched out for me on the road through all my journeys. Here are just a few examples:
When I helped my wife - before she was my wife - move from Columbia, South Carolina to Farmville, Virginia, we rented an auto transport to trail behind the U-Haul so that we could both ride together in the truck. I had helped load her car onto the transport before we left. We decided to get out of town and onto the interstate before we gassed up. We'd traveled up and down hills, across several railroad tracks, on the interstate, in stop-and-go traffic... and it was raining. You'll understand the reason I tell you all that in a second. When we pulled into the gas station, we realized we didn't have Valerie's key chain. It held the keys to her car, her new home, her old home, and several expensive keys to the University of South Carolina. Neither of us had any idea where they could be. I got out of the truck to think... and I spotted them, there on one of the two-inch thick beams of the auto transport. I yelled for Valerie, who came to look. I carefully touched the keys with my fingertips... and they dropped to the ground. Neither of us could believe our eyes, or that those keys had remained there of their own accord over the route we had driven. It had to be the Lord. If not, well, He sure got the praise and glory anyway.
Another time, when I was just a boy, my mother's station wagon had a flat tire on a remote stretch of road outside Tucson. My sister and I were in the car as my mother struggled to get the hubcap off. In those days, on that model, a special tool was required to be able to get to the lugnuts. We didn't have the tool. Just then, a guy rode up on a bike. He happened to have the tool. He handed it to my mother, who to this day swears he was an angel. I'm not sure I can argue with her.
At other times there have been individuals who showed up with just the right help during blowouts, or - believe it or not - airline personnel who actually made my trip better than it could have gone. The most memorable of these instances, truly, have come during times I prayed, read my Bible, and had decided in advance not to get bent out of shape about delays or other problems. One such cross-country trip resulted in an out-of-nowhere upgrade to first class from Philadelphia to Seattle, where I was also in position to solve a dispute between passengers. Indeed, the Lord has been gracious to me in travel.
My wife's family has a tradition before every trip they take to read Psalm 91. It reminds them that He is their refuge as they go, wherever they go. And of course before every trip we take my family prays for safety, and mercy... and the opportunity to minister, even if it is an inconvenience to our plans.
One way or another, this prayer is always answered. Still, it's hard to remind myself of that. Sometimes I still feel that the trip, the vacation, is my time. That whatever gets in the way shows that the Lord does not care, or did not "bless" our travels. Then I remember Paul's travels. I am sure he didn't think shipwrecks and imprisonment were helps toward spreading the word. But in the end, they were. Are our travels - no matter what purpose we think they hold - any different?
Jesus told a story about a traveler who had been robbed, beaten, and left for dead on the road. Those who passed him by had in mind only their own agendas and their desire not to be inconvenienced, even if they were priests by vocation. What would you do? Would you have the time, yearning, and empathy to interrupt your travels to do as the Samaritan did?
Understand that I am not discounting that the Lord must lay on your heart the decision to stop and help, especially in these troubled times. But do be open to it. So few times anymore do we make it outside our home or neighborhood. Those times we do should not only be restful, but ministerial. Pray that God would give you opportunities to serve him - and yes, even to see His glory in watching over you! - as you go.
Intersecting Faith & Life: This summer especially, be on the lookout for fellow travelers who are stranded. In some parts of the country, rising gas costs are causing more and more motorists to run out of fuel. Consider taking along a spare gas can and assisting stranded folks, who might be in need of the gospel message.
Further Reading
Luke 10: 25-37
Psalm 91
A Father's Summer Trip Road Rules
Tips to Keep Your Family Vacation Affordable and Fun
:angel:
June 14, 2010
Ditching the Do-it-Yourself Attitude
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"No," said Peter, "you shall never wash my feet."
Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me."
John 13:8
Wedding planning taught me two things. First, I'm a do-it-yourself-er that would like to believe she's fully competent to handle every detail. Second, that belief is absolutely ridiculous.
Why is it so hard for me to accept help, especially when a dozen people have offered? In a small way, my attitude smacks of Peter's response to Jesus when the Lord was ready to wash his feet. "What? You, wash my feet? No way, I can't let you serve me like that! You have more important things to do! I'll do it myself!" Guess what's at the center of that attitude? The desire not to "inconvenience" anyone because "I can do it, really" is often intertwined with simple, sinful pride. Accepting help means accepting my limits. It means being humbled by others' service, and I'd rather not, thank you.
Jesus told Peter that unless He washed Peter's feet, then Peter wasn't fit for the Lord's service. I think that's because Peter wasn't willing to humble himself and accept the Lord's act of service. Peter is the father of do-it-yourself Christianity, in which people start believing that they can't accept grace. We forget that "serving others" and "bearing one another's burdens" implies that somebody has to be the recipient. Heaven forbid that recipient be us, because that makes us the weaker party! We'd rather be Jesus than Peter, because then we're saving the world instead of needing salvation ourselves.
I've finally begun to realize what a blessing - and a relief - it is when the body of Christ works together instead of me trying be every part myself. And here's the surprise element: relationships have started to grow as I've spent time with those assisting me in this grand endeavor, and I know these people will keep praying for me even after the big affair is over. These ladies, pastors, and friends have taught me while helping me. They've been Jesus to me. And when my gifts are needed, I'll have a better understanding of how to serve - because they've showed me how.
Intersecting Faith & Life: In what areas, whether spiritual or physical, are you tempted to be a do-it-yourself Christian? Over and over again, the apostles encourage believers to serve one another and live in fellowship with each other, but that only happens when we're willing to be transparent about our strengths and weaknesses. Focus on one area where you need help, and allow others the joy of serving you in prayer or action.
Further Reading
1 Peter 4:10
Romans 12:3-6
Ephesians 6:7
How to See God More Clearly
:angel:
June 15, 2010
Live Like You Were Dating
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
Let marriage be held in honor among all..."
Hebrews 13:4
I heard the Tim McGraw song Live Like You Were Dying in the most unusual of places the other day - my head as I slept. Normally that's a huge annoyance, a song looping through my brain while I toss and turn. This time, however, I think I was so relieved it wasn't something by The Wiggles or VeggieTales that I went along for the ride.
Only thing is, I began to dream along with the music. As weird as that sounds, the dream varied just a bit from the theme of the song, which is: in order to make sure we don't take life for granted, we should check off that list of things we've always wanted to do, and do not go gently into that good night, but rather sit on top of angry bulls. Or something like that. Basically, you should act like you don't have much time left, because really you don't.
But the montage that played upon my closed eyelids wasn't about me, important moments, my death, or things I want to accomplish. Instead, I was treated to a slide show of moments from my courtship with Valerie (1995-1998). What fun life was then! The things we did, the places we went, the way we treasured each other and every moment together...
I awoke in a very good mood, even if I was confused about the connection between the song and the dream. On my drive to work some of the words from the song slapped me upside the head:
"... and I loved deeper, and I spoke sweeter, and I gave forgiveness I'd been denying..."
Ah, I see... that sentence sounded a lot like the guy I was when I was putting the moves on the tall, big-eyed, opinionated babe who liked my jokes. It did not sound so much like the ten-year married version of myself, who has been going through the motions.
Still I wondered: how can I live like I did then, when I have none of the freedoms afforded me during those years? Unless I'm mistaken, the very word "dating" implies occasionally going on a date...
I interrupt this devotional because at this point Valerie calls me from her cell phone saying she can't get the car to start. The ignition won't turn because the steering wheel is also locked, and she can't jiggle the keys or wheel enough to get either to turn. She's embarrassed, and I can hear her banging and straining away on the dashboard components. She thinks she's gonna be stuck in someone's driveway all day. I suggest looking in the owner's manual to see if there are suggestions. There aren't. We decide she'll have to call a Toyota dealer or Triple-A because I'm too far away to help. 10 minutes later I check in on her because I read online that she might want to use the parking break from now on to prevent this from happening again. Turns out that wasn't the problem. It was that she was trying to start her Camry with the key to my Corolla...
And so it occurs to me - not only can I count on my wife to spice up our life with a good laugh once in a while, but maybe our dating engine simply has to be redefined. It still exists, but it's not going to be started with the same set of keys that got it running 10 years ago. That doesn't mean it's not a reliable vehicle for shuttling us to all of life's events in a manner befitting our faith. If I could find a way to regularly appear as outwardly joyful as I inwardly feel whenever I reflect on how blessed I am to have such a mate, I'd go a long way towards helping fulfill the purpose for this marriage, which Valerie and I long ago decided was to be better for the Lord than we are apart. That felt easier when we were dating. So with a cue from Tim McGraw, here are some ideas...
Loving Deeper
"Love does not seek its own..." (1 Corinthians 13:5)
In Colossians 3:18-19, and again in Ephesians 5:24-25, we are quite simply told by Paul how this marriage thing is going to work. Unfortunately, I've heard the first half of those verse pairings - the "women submit" part - quoted and exercised far more often than the equally important "husbands love" portion. Remember how much easier those commands seemed back then? This was the most wonderful person in the world. They communicated well, never sought their own way; it would be so easy to submit to or actively display love for them. Then time, comfort, bad habits, and the daily grind got a hold of you both. Satan tossed clutter everywhere. Threw in some doubt. Sprayed super-green paint on your neighbor's lawn and spouse. Marriage, it turned out, was complicated. I'll be the first to attest to that, although the Bible doesn't really think it's so complex if you go by the fact that it's not dripping with verses on how to navigate the maze. You leave, you cleave, then you love/submit. Those simple instructions don't seem to get us very far down the path. In fact, they seem to take us happily up to the vows and leave us there. Perhaps that's the point. Perhaps there is no "trick" to loving deeper, you just need to get in touch with what it is you fell in love with this person for in the first place, and act on it, since it's not a feeling anyway.
Speaking Sweeter
"If I could speak in any language in heaven or on earth but didn't love others, I would only be making meaningless noise like a loud gong or a clanging cymbal..." (1 Corinthians 13:1)
This is where I have a problem, being gruff by nature. I'm pleasant enough to co-workers and strangers. I've even earned the nickname "Small-Talk" from one of my buddies, but for some reason, those I love the most are sometimes blessed with a symphony of grunts, groans, and snippy comments. Not only is that gruff nature part of the "former self," but I recall that it did not dare rear its head during our dating days. That's not just because I was trying to sell this woman on my finer qualities, but because I truly felt the love and respect for her that I was dishing out. I therefore gave no place to impatient or intellectually-superior speech. In the words of James, there were, when I was dating Valerie, precious few times when the same fountain sent out both fresh and bitter water. But gradually, as I failed to guard my tongue, I lazily allowed that small amount of bitterness to befoul the whole cistern. I don't want to give the impression that I stalk the grounds of my house grumpy and cursing when I'm actually a pretty decent husband and father, but this is where I need the most improvement in my relationships, and I know it. Harkening back to the days when I wrote poetry, quoted scripture, wooed from afar, and encouraged about the future has helped me to remember the importance of bridling my tongue. James says horses and great ships are steered by very small bits and rudders. Likewise, the direction of my marriage may be steered by brushing up on the language I spoke when dating.
Giving Forgiveness
"Love does not take into account a wrong suffered..." (1 Corinthians 13:5)
Do you often hear people saying, "I'll forgive, but I won't forget"? It's an especially popular thing to say with the camera in one's face on a reality TV program. Thank goodness that's not how the Lord defines forgiveness. He instead wipes out our transgressions, turns crimson to snow white (Isaiah 1:18), and divides us from sin as far as East is from West (Psalm 103:12). Which way is your marriage M.O. regarding wrongs done to you? Do you refuse to go to bed angry, do you grant mercy every morning, or do you have a little file drawer in the back of your brain that lists All the Stupid & Hurtful Things He's/She's Done to Me? Once again, think back to your courtship, and ask yourself how many little foibles, faux paus, and thoughtless words you let slide with little more than a tiny reprimand just because you were so in love.
We all get caught in those lulls in marriage where the wind isn't blowing, the air gets stale, and nothing new happens. And it's admittedly a tad trite to think living out some song lyrics is going to lift the doldrums, but it's worth a try. After all, one thing all married folks have in common is fond memories of meeting and dating our spouse; otherwise, hopefully, we never would have bound our lives to theirs. Looking back is a good way to appreciate all those things that led to the commitment.
Intersecting Faith & Life: If you've been married a while, try living like you were dating, even if actual dates are few and far between, and see if remembering your first love doesn't translate to renewing your first love.
Further Reading
Communication in Marriage
:angel:
June 16, 2010
Battling the Buzzing Nemesis
by Fred Alberti, Crosswalk.com Director of Social Media
In an effort to improve my health I have added trail running to my morning regimen. So five days a week I strap on my New Balance All-Terrain running shoes, throw on a cap, grab my big stick, and set off through the field for the woods.
As much as I struggle with getting up early for this activity I find that I have it better than the many woodland creatures that are constantly awakened by this weird guy crashing through the brush. Most of them quickly get up and take off. However, some, like the buck that lives on the property, will make their displeasure known before bounding away. These don't bother me, and no, the big stick is not for them.
I reserve the big stick for the many spider webs I encounter on my journey. I'd much rather the stick bear the brunt of the webs and the spiders that guard them than my face.
Even so equipped there is one more thing I must fend off. I don't know what it is exactly. What I do know is that it is big, buzzes loudly, and loves to swoop at my face. No matter how fast I run or how much I swat or flail my arms this buzzing bug will not be deterred from its mission to strike my heart with terror and my mind with distraction.
The Bible says in 1 Peter 5:8 that Satan, "prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour."
For the child of God, the Devil is much like my buzzing nemesis. His goal is to strike fear, discouragement, and divisiveness into the heart of the believer while distracting him from completing the task God has designed for His purposes.
I've found that bug repellent is an excellent solution for my dilemma. I spray it on and I am, for the most part, left alone.
Have you been struggling with a buzzing nemesis?
God too, gives us the equipment we need to "extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one" and to stay focused on Him. It's called the Shield of Faith and you can learn about that as well as the rest of the armor of God in Ephesians 6:10-18.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Take the family camping or go hiking and remind them as you spray on the bug repellent that just as it protects them from the effects of biting insects so the blood of Jesus Christ protects us from the "wages" of sin.
Further Reading
The Shield of Faith
Ephesians 6:10-18
The Power of Prayer
:angel:
June 18, 2010
The Perfect Heart
by Meghan Kleppinger
"But the LORD said to Samuel, 'Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart'."
1 Samuel 16:7, NAS
"I have made a very important decision," I announced to fellow editors, Sarah and Shawn, shortly after arriving at work.
Piqued curiosity gave way to undivided attention, so with a stage set, I continued.
"I have decided to marry A) an Englishman, or B) an American willing to live in England, or C) an American willing to put on an English accent for the duration of our marriage."
My co-workers responded exactly the way I hoped they would... and the way I needed them to so I could write this devotional! It was meant to be a somewhat humorous declaration because everyone knows I'm an anglophile. Yes, more than one visit to the country turned me into a lover of nearly anything British including, but not limited to, the actual country, literature, movies, chocolate (Cadbury chocolate is the best ever), and of course the smooth accent.
I did get a laugh or two in response, and, in reference to my seemingly juvenile and superficial decision I was asked jokingly, "So, when will you be turning eighteen?"
Poor Shawn, he walked right into my trap. "How," I asked, "is this any more superficial than someone saying, 'I won't date anyone shorter than 5'9', or with brown eyes, or younger?'" He agreed and mentioned the human habit to create wish lists.
We do that, don't we? We create lists, have ideals, and look for what we think would be the perfect candidate - whether it be for a marriage, a friendship, or a position for a job that needs to be filled. Once upon a time, back in college, I created my "perfect guy" list.
I found him, too. He lined up with everything on my list down to the occupation he was entering. Not only was he a Christian and genuinely nice guy, he was what I had dreamed about - the right hair color, height, and age too! He wanted to find the right girl, get married, and settle down... I'm telling you, he was great.
You won't believe this, but I broke up with him! This wonderfully perfect young man, who literally made the list, bored me to tears. The lesson God taught me was two-fold. First, He taught me that I had no idea of what I really wanted or needed, but more importantly, He showed me that the perfect person for me is more important than finding a seemingly perfect person.
When the prophet Samuel hiked up to visit Jesse and his sons, I'll bet he had an idea of what God's choice for Saul's replacement should look like. He probably got excited thinking about the tall, strong, mature and wise leader who would rule Israel. Samuel saw Jesse's son Eliab and thought "Surely the Lord's anointed is before Him" (1 Sam. 16:6b). That is when the Lord shared with Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."
God was looking for the right heart, not the right body. He chose a young shepherd boy named David. I love Ray Boltz' song, "Shepherd Boy." One of the verses in the song that refers to this event goes,
Well it wasn't the oldest
It wasn't the strongest
Chosen on that day
And yet the giants fell
And nations trembled
When they stood in his way
The chorus, and the point of the song is, "When others see a shepherd boy, God may see a king."
So, what is my point? Well, first, when we look at others, we obviously need to look beneath the surface, but that's something we've been taught since preschool. My point is that we need to start looking beneath our own surfaces because that's where God is looking.
There was a time I was up for a position that I was excited about and had the heart for, but I knew I wasn't qualified and that there were better candidates. I was chosen, however, and went in to the job feeling the weight of intimidation and inadequacy. The skill set was way beyond what I could handle at first.
My mother encouraged me by reminding me that God works that way sometimes and that He prefers imperfect willing vessels because not only does it give Him something to work with, and not only does it make His vessel completely dependent on Him, but when success is achieved, it's so obvious that it occurred because of Him.
David knew he was not only small and young as well as untrained, but he also understood that God was bigger than any of his shortcomings. God used this weaker of vessels in mighty way. A Giant fell, nations trembled, and God was glorified through it all. Have you ever wondered what would have happened if David had said, "I can't do that because I'm just a shepherd?"
Don't let what you think you are lacking keep you from what you know God is calling you to do. There may be gaps in your skill set, but if you have the willing heart and workable spirit desires, He will fill those holes with Himself.
On another note, if you know anyone who is English or can imitate an English accent, please let me know! (Just kidding, of course... I think).
Intersecting Faith & Life: Remember that God will equip you for whatever He has called you to do. Pastor and ministry leader, Adrian Rogers once wrote, "There are two things that form the vessel: the touch of the Father's hand and the turning of the wheel. The wheel represents the circumstances of our daily lives. God sees to it that our lives revolve around certain events, and the whole time God is touching our lives and making them what He wants them to be."
Further Reading
2 Timothy 2:21
Why God Chooses the Wounded and Broken
:angel:
June 21, 2010
Viva La Vice!
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Entertainment Editor
Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
2 Corinthians 12:9-10
Let's be honest. We all have vices. Each of us has something that is the thorn in our sides, something that torments and tempts us. For some, it's pretty painful. And for others, it may not even register at all. Either way, a vice is something that causes us to stumble.
I used to think that there might be different levels of vices or sin. Maybe speeding wasn't necessarily as bad as having one too many drinks every Saturday night. Or perhaps polishing off most of a half gallon of Jamocha Almond Fudge by oneself wasn't even close to the same league of say, lying or gossiping.
But you know what? The bottom line is, a vice causes us to stumble. And when we stumble, we sin. Webster's says a vice is "moral depravity or corruption." "Wickedness" and a "habitual defect or shortcoming."
Most of us will struggle with a particular vice for the rest of our lives. In fact, many of us can point to the same vice affecting several generations throughout our family lines. And so we ask God to help us break these "generational curses" and so forth.
But sometimes, I think we might also thank God for allowing us to struggle. Celebrate our weakness. And say, "Viva la vice!"
Why is that? In a roundabout way, our vices can ultimately be good for us for they bring us to our knees. And when we're on our knees, we can only look up and reach our hands upward and cry out "Help me, Lord!" as we ask Him to work mightily and powerfully through us.
The apostle Paul had a vice in his life, too. In 2 Corinthians 12: 7, he called it a "thorn in his flesh." We don't know for sure if this was a physical ailment or something else that tempted him and caused him to stumble. Whatever it was, though, it propelled him to call upon the Lord:
"To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong" (1 Corinthians 12:7-10).
Like Paul, we need something to keep us grounded, to keep the focus off ourselves and our "ministry" if you will. A "thorn in the flesh" or a vice, is troublesome and painful, yes. But it keeps us our eyes on the Lord and reminds us daily that despite this weakness and the suffering it causes, it is an opportunity for God to work through us to accomplish great things. And in that, we can certainly boast!
Intersecting Faith & Life: When was the last time you wrote down your vices? Sometimes seeing something in writing makes it more real. Make a list and ask God to help you in your weaknesses, so that His power may be made known in your life.
Further Reading
Galatians 5:16-26
Why Do Bad Things Happen If God Is Good?
:angel:
June 22, 2010
The Forgotten Vital Organ
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.
Proverbs 18:21
I have decided that many, many medical textbooks are wrong. Each and every one of them has actually left out an vital organ. Yes, they've remembered the heart and the brain and even that strange thing called a pancreas (I know it's important, I just forget why sometimes). But look through the books all you want, and you'll find not one mention of the most obvious vital organ of all: the tongue.
Then again, I myself often choose to ignore the importance of the tongue. I'd rather not believe it has "the power of life and death." I'd like to pretend my tongue is more like an appendix or a gall bladder - easy to forget about because it's not that important - but that's just not the case. Snapping at my family when I'm tired, nagging, and complaining all release a poison from my tongue that works its way through my whole being (James 3:6). Not only that, I infect others with my attitudes and motivations. I begin to spread a disease.
Contrast that with the "words of the wise," as Proverbs says many times. Their words heal and strengthen as they spread encouragement, wisdom, peace, and the Gospel message. Oh, and - get this - the wise actually use their tongues less than other people. The more powerful the tongue, the less it needs to be used. It's like the heart of a well-trained athlete - when someone is really in shape, the beats per minute actually decrease as the heart becomes more and more efficient. In the same way, why don't I condition my tongue to speak fewer words with more meaning?
In Genesis 1, God spoke into the darkness, and there was light. Those "mere words" created something from nothing, showing the power of speaking out. My pastor in college told us that this verse had meaning for us, too, since we are created in God's image. We are meant to speak out and bring light from the darkness as He did. That's the power of the tongue in a crazy world. The question is whether we choose to speak light or just add to the darkness.
That little muscle called the tongue holds the power of life and death. That's no small matter. So let's be careful how we exercise it.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Grab a concordance and look up the words "mouth" and "tongue." The reference lists are extensive. It gets even bigger if you include the words "speak" and words." Then, take a seven day challenge to "tame the tongue" in just one way. Perhaps try encouraging instead of complaining. Even taming just that one area is like trying to control a wildfire (James 3:5). Don't get discouraged, but take each opportunity to thank God for the "new song" that He has given you to sing (Psalm 40:3).
Further Reading
Christians and Cussin'
Prayer or Gossip?
The Tongue: Life or Death in Our Marriage?
:angel:
June 23, 2010
My Conversation with a Hedge
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
He who neglects discipline despises himself, But he who listens to reproof acquires understanding.
The fear of the LORD is the instruction for wisdom, And before honor comes humility.
Proverbs 15:32-33
Every summer, my wife and kids leave me for two-to-three weeks to visit all of her relatives in Texas while I stay home and work. For the first day or two that they're gone, I enjoy my freedom from some of my responsibilities. After that, though, I tend to go a little crazy. I find myself wandering around the house, or doing "improvement" projects I have no business tackling. Making up song lyrics. Or having conversations with inanimate objects.
A couple years ago, in the middle of their trip, I was trimming the bushes beneath our front windows. The three on the right side of the stoop grow more uniformly than the three on the left. On the left, the one closest to the stairs is healthiest, while the other two, thanks to heavier afternoon shade, don't do as well. Oh, it's hard to tell, because I keep them pruned so that they "grow together" in the middle and stay squared off on the tops and corners. But obviously, the two weaker bushes suffer the pruning less frequently, because I let them grow out to fill in the gaps.
As I was working, their healthier sibling, I imagined, began to speak to me. Or to whine is more like it...
Hey! What gives?
Nothing, my good man. Just time for your monthly trimming.
But why? I'm not doing anything wrong. Just sitting here minding my own business. Doing good, doing what I'm supposed to do. And here you come...
Well, just sit still, please. Trust me, I have a purpose here.
Really? Well forgive me for asking, but why doesn't that purpose seem to apply to my lazy, stunted brethren here? All this time and barely a scratch. Maybe a nip, a cut. Nothing lost, no pain.
You're not happy with how you look? Where you're situated?
I'm fine. But that's just it. I don't deserve this cutting and trimming.
You think you planted yourself in this primo spot?
Never really thought about it. I just want to know why you're taking so much away from me and nothing from them.
I told you I have a purpose. You can't see what I can see. In fact, you can't see much at all. You're completely rooted in place. But I've seen all around you and through you, and have since you were planted.
But it hurts. I don't like losing things.
Never having them in the first place, and never really growing, that's not much good either. I have to give extra care and attention to those others. I can only hope it brings them up to the same level of maturity as you...
Hmmph.
I finished trimming up the hedges, and went my way, unsure I had gotten through. But when I stood back, I beheld something beautiful. I could only hope those under my care understood, had not despised their discipline, and opted to forsake impractical, joyless comparison.
Intersecting Faith & Life: The next time you feel like others aren't being as challenged as you are, or like the Lord is picking on you unfairly, consider that you can't see all the perspectives or purposes of the Lord, not in your life and especially not in the lives of others. The Lord loves you enough to discipline you, and he knows you're healthy and with enough green growth to handle His pruning.
Further Reading
John 15
Pruning Your Vineyard
:angel:
June 24, 2010
Freedom from Addiction
by Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Romans 12: 1-2
Have you ever met someone you thought was beyond God's reach? Someone whose life has sunk to such depths all seems hopeless? Most of us can think of people we've encountered like that. It may even be someone we love.
When we start to lose hope for another's soul, it's good to remind ourselves that some of the greatest Christian Saints were some of the most broken people. This week, in my search for Christian heroes, I encountered the story of one such person that did not resemble the perfect stained-glass images I grew up with. His name was Matthew Talbot, and here's a glimpse into his life.
The second of 13 children, Matthew was born in Dublin, Ireland on May 2, 1856. His family was poor and heavy drinking was the norm among his father and brothers. So from the start, Matthew was predisposed to alcoholism -- and sure enough, his drinking began at age 12.
As Matthew entered his teen years, odd jobs led way to a career working with bricklayers. While the local community considered him excellent at his trade, his drinking became central to his life. By the time his twenties arrived, it was common for Matthew to spend all his earned wages obtaining alcohol. When that wasn't enough, he began selling his possessions and eventually resorted to credit. Finally, after racking up too much debt, he sunk to an all-time low: stealing.
Not only was Matthew a heavy drinker-turned-thief, but he had a terrible temper and a vulgar tongue. Gripped by his disease and his poor choices, Matthew's life was going nowhere. His mother, Elizabeth, pleaded with him to change his ways. Finally, Matthew's life sunk so low he had no earthly place to turn.
So, in 1884, Matthew's mother received an answer to her prayers. The 28-year-old went to the only place left to go: Church. There, he confessed his sins and took a pledge to avoid drinking for 3 months. He seemed an unlikely candidate to keep the pledge. Yet Matthew had experienced an interior conversion in that church.
Three months passed, and he was still sober. Inspired by his progress, he pledged to avoid drinking for life and also gave up tobacco.
While Matthew's first several years of sobriety consisted of intense, interior battles, he lived the rest of his life with unwavering devotion to God. The once angry, vulgar Irishman became kind to those he encountered, and he paid back all his debts. He lived simply, prayed daily, and served those in need, eventually taking monastic vows.
Mathew Talbot died at age 69 while walking to church. He had been sober for 41 years.
Matthew's story is a testament to God's transforming power as well as our participation in that transformation. A tearful mother pleaded, a broken young man made a decision to change, and God poured out His graces. It's also worth noting that Matthew, with the help of his pastor, employed many of the same steps later incorporated into the Alcoholic's Anonymous 12-Step program. While he wasn't healed overnight, Matthew Talbot eventually experienced new life, giving hope to those battling addictions and the people who love them.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Devote your quiet time this week to praying for the "impossible cases," especially those in the throws of addiction.
Further Reading:
Matthew 14:34-36
Myths and Facts about Alcohol Consumption
(Details of Matthew Talbot's life obtained from "The Venerable Matthew Talbot" http://www.savior.org/saints/talbot.htm and the Venerable Matt Talbot Resource Center: http://venerablematttalbotresourcecenter.blogspot.com/)
:angel:
June 25, 2010
Elbows & Ears
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
I will redeem you with an outstretched arm.
Exodus 6:6
Be merciful to me and hear my prayer.
Psalm 4:1
Once, when my son was just shy of three, he informed his mother he was drawing a picture of God.
"What does God look like?" she asked.
"Well, I put some elbows and some ears," he replied, and he went back to his work.
I was told that story when I came home from work. Cute, I thought. Not exactly as awe-inspiring as Ezekiel's vision, but sounds like a weird picture. Where is the face?
The face of the Lord is not one you could look upon (Exodus 33:12-23), came the voice inside my head.
Where are the hands and feet?
That's you.
Oh yeah, that's true...
So elbows and ears, huh?
Well, I guess God does reach us, and move us, and push us, and hold up the light to our paths. As Wayne Watson sang, "No one in this world can slip beyond the reaches of the long arm of the Lord."
And I know he hears us. He created us for fellowship. He desires praise and prayer. He's absolutely listening. He can even hear things we don't even know we're saying. As Steven Curtis Chapman sang, "The cross should have been mine, But His love broke through time, And heard my heart's cry."
So in one statement about one drawing by one child, I had digested a complete meditation on the nature of God, who He is and what He does, even what He leaves for us to do. As Casting Crowns sang, "If we are the body... Why aren't His hands healing... Why aren't His feet going?"
Intersecting Faith & Life: Consider today what part of the body you are playing, and what other parts (eyes, mouth, shoulders, etc.) describe what you know about the character of your God.
Further Reading
Video: "Proof" Most of us have thought how much easier it would be to follow God if we could just see Him once. The truth, though, is that He is all around us...
Matthew 5:8
:angel:
June 28, 2010
P.S. I Love You... Period.
by Meghan Kleppinger
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life."
John 3:16
"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
Romans 5:8
Okay - I admit it. Initially, it was difficult for me to understand that God loved me, and that He sent His son to die for my sins, and that He cared about the most intimate details of my life.
I was nearly nine years old when I accepted Christ. My mother was a new believer and our family became her mission field. She would read stories from the Bible and Christian biographies at night to her three girls.
I shared a bedroom with my older sister, a preteen, so we had different bedtimes. One night, when I was supposed to be asleep, I listened with eyes closed as my mother shared a story with my sister. It was the biography of a lonely teenage girl who turned to witchcraft as a means of finding acceptance, and only after a lot of prayer from a friend did she turn to Christ.
As I listened to the story unfold, I recognized the loneliness this girl felt, as well as her need for a Savior. That night I prayed to receive Christ as my personal Savior. In Jesus, I discovered, I would have a forever friend, something I desperately longed for as a frequently uprooted military kid.
The next day, as I thought about telling my mother of my conversion, I was afraid that she would be upset with me... after all, she was reading to my older sister and the story wasn't meant for me.
Needless to say, she was far from upset, but for a long time I could not shake the feeling that I was an add-on. What I mean is that I felt like God extended His grace to me because I happened to be here with all of the people He really loved. It was sort of like He was saying, "I love all of my creation... oh, and P.S. Meghan, since you're here I might as well love you too." The funny thing is that I was okay with being a tag-along as long as it meant I was saved and got to have Jesus for a friend.
I'm not sure if it was time, experience, spiritual maturity, or all three, but slowly I began to understand that God loved me, period, and not just too or in addition to.... Through scripture, I learned and came to accept the most amazing thing of all, that He would have sent Jesus if I were the only person left on earth!
As an adult who has grasped this truth, my heart is burdened as I consider how many people have a hard time believing that Jesus loves them.
We live in a hurting world full of people desperate to know that someone loves them and cares. A recent study showed that an overwhelming number of Americans feel they have no one to confide in.
As believers, we know a loving God who does listen, plays an active role in our lives and will never leave or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:8). We know a compassionate God who delights in His children (Nehemiah 9:17). We know a God who understands our pain and holds every tear we've cried (Psalm 56:8). We know a God who sent His son to live and die so we might live (John 3:16).
We know our Father and of His eternal love.
But do they?
Let us live our lives in such a way that not only reflects His love for us, but shows others that they are undeniably and wholly cherished by the Creator of the universe who calls them His beloved... period.
Intersecting Faith & Life: John really put it well when he wrote, "By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another" (1 John 4: 9-11).
Further Reading
God Loves His Children
God's Power to Heal You from the Inside Out
:angel:
June 29, 2010
When We're Wronged
by Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Heb 4: 12-13
She was pretty, charming, and funny. She appeared to be everything you could want in a woman. And she was after my man. With full knowledge of our relationship, this young woman zeroed in on my special someone. All while acting sweet as pie towards me.
There are few things in life that can turn an otherwise sane, amiable woman into fire-breathing, green-eyed, insecure monster - and another woman moving in on your guy is definitely one of those things.
How. Dare. She.
It's by God's grace that in my hot-blooded state I - did nothing. Oh, I still had plans to dislike this woman for a very long time. I dreamt up all sorts of scenarios where I wittily drew back the curtain on her true intentions. Where I triumphantly shamed her. But of course, I was too "virtuous" to actually follow through on such things. So, I managed to exert enough self control to avoid a regretful exchange.
Thankfully, God took this situation one step deeper by expanding my limited sense of virtue. I'd read about forgiveness, but this was a moment in my life where God clearly set a choice before me: She was wrong. I was right. Now - was I going to forgive her? Or was I simply going to look like I'd forgiven her?
One of the key aspects of Jesus' earthly ministry was His focus on that which is unseen - our hearts. This took many of his contemporaries by surprise. They were expecting an earthly king to save them from external problems. Yet Christ made it clear He came to elevate the old law beyond its legal purposes, and transform us from the inside out to prepare us for a kingdom not of this world.
You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. (Mt 5: 43-45)
Love your enemies. It sounds downright impossible. Yet God impressed two courses of action on my heart during that time that transformed my anger into Christ-like love.
First, although there really wasn't a productive opportunity to speak with this woman, every time I mentally began hopping down the angry bunny trail, I said, "God, I forgive her." Verbally expressing forgiveness diffused my anger, and helped me focus on God and His grace.
Second, as Christ asks of us in the Scripture above, I began praying for her. At first, my prayers came through gritted teeth, and teetered dangerously close to sounding something like, "Lord, smite my foe..." But after praying for her almost every day for several months, the Lord transformed my heart. I began to see this woman as God sees her. Truly, whatever brokenness inside her that led her to act in such a manner saddened God more than it could ever anger me.
I also became acutely aware that I, in my brokenness, had saddened God too. Suddenly, this woman wasn't my opponent, but a fellow sinner in need of grace and transforming love. Ultimately, this situation worked out for the best, and I ended up liking this individual.
Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us...
Forgiveness doesn't usually come easily. People are capable of tremendous evil far beyond my petty situation above, and depending on the wrong done, we may never realistically like a person. But with God's grace, forgiveness on our end is not only possible, but necessary.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Forgiveness involves letting go and allowing God to bring good out of a situation in His timing. Do you have unresolved hurts inflicted by another person? Entrust your hurts to God, and then ask God for a heart of forgiveness. If you've harmed another, take action to make things right
Further Reading
Mt. 5: 21-24
Life's Most Important Choice
Is Adultery Forgivable?
:angel:
June 30, 2010
"I Have Confidence!"
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed,
but of those who believe and are saved."
Hebrews 10:38
One of my favorite moments in "The Sound of Music" comes when Maria's perky "I Have Confidence" song suddenly ends at the sight of the Von Trapp mansion. She gulps and just manages to squeak, "Oh, help."
This last week presented me with some similar moments, as my husband David and I got off the proverbial bus and discovered this road led to a rather different place than we'd expected. We knew we were following God's leading, thanks to the peace He'd given us so far. But seeing that great big house - a rather different opportunity than we had expected - made us gulp and wonder if we were in over our heads. For a day, we were stuck. Unsure about walking through that gate, we thought about continuing along the road and looking for a not-so-huge opportunity to trust God.
As we surveyed our options, we pondered what it means to take a "step of faith." We've never heard of someone taking a step backward in faith, we realized. We were confident that the Lord would direct us to the right place, and apparently this gate we need to walk through. The final push came from Hebrews 10:35, as the author writes, "So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded." Confidence? "Oh, help."
God must chuckle when we go bug-eyed at His plans. I'm like Maria as she stands before that gate, wondering how she'll manage when this place so little resembles what she anticipated. Thankfully, the confidence to take the step of faith lies not "in me," but in knowing that God has led me to my destination. The Lord answers my cries of "oh, help!" with ultimate peace and a taste of what He has planned just beyond the bend.
The apostle Paul knew how to strip away the fears and insecurities and see the essentials. Paul visited some incredible places, and had some incredible adventures on his missionary journey. I'm sure that very little could surprise him by the end of his lifetime. Yet he wrote to the Corinthian church that even in his vast experience, nothing kept him going forward except God's calling (2 Cor. 3:5). The confidence to carry out his mission came from knowing who sent him and who directed his steps. He had seen God work, and knew that the Lord would provide everything necessary, including the confidence to walk forward.
Intersecting Faith & Life: In Jeremiah 29:11, God says simply, "I know the plans I have for you... plans to give you hope, and a future." That means God's plans for us don't include dead ends, but more opportunities. When we believe this, practical changes happen. We don't "shrink back," but step out in faith. How does this look in your job situation? In your family? In your leisure time?
Further Reading:
Hebrews 4:16
Wild Goose Chase
:angel:
July 1, 2010
Armor 'n Enemies
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel.
Ephesians 6:13-19
Six pieces of armor. Five primarily defensive, one primarily offensive. And yet...
Have you ever used the chest-bumper of righteoueness on someone? How about the head-butter of salvation? The bludgeoner of faith? The shin-kicker of readiness or the gut-puncher of holiness?
Even the sword of the spirit has its proper purpose - to fight our enemies. Which are?
Other Christians? Unbelievers? Mean people?
While we humans can all be so hard on each other, no. One verse earlier, Paul tells us what we're fighting:
our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil (v. 12).
Quite convicting, really. Not only do I clearly go into many days without getting completely dressed, even when I do I'm mis-using my equipment, fighting in the dark, swinging blindly, or wounding with friendly fire.
I don't know about you, but for me, the elemental Bible verses I first learned as a youth (like today's verse) are the ones I need to continually reconsider, because they're the ones I tend to just believe without acting upon.
When times come - like these days we're in now - where there is fierce political thought and lines being drawn and opinions spouted as truth, including the opinion that there is no truth - it's just so easy to get drawn in before we remember to put on our armor or be trained in using it. When that happens, we tend to view our enemies as each other, and forget or deny that the war is still spiritual. And therefore more serious, more wearying, not less.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Get dressed this morning, and tomorrow morning. Once equipped, try emphasizing the defensive uses of most of the armor. Stand up for someone. Protect the reputation of another. Shelter someone in loving truth. Run quickly to someone in need. I pray you'll begin to survive your days much less scathed.
Further Reading
Romans 8:38
Fight or Flight? Weighing Your Instincts Against God's Word
:angel:
July 2, 2010
Getting Rid of Pineapple Hospitality
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
Romans 12:13
On Friday night, my house will be clean. The kitchen will sparkle like one from Better Homes and Gardens, the guest room curtains will gently ripple in the breeze, and - best of all - my guests and friends will feel such warmth that they never want to leave.
Ever had that dream?
The impending arrival of friends has made me reconsider just what it means to practice hospitality. Part of me knows that the house is just not "ready" for guests - I don't even have a pineapple tacked on the wall at this point. Granted, the boxes have diminished, but I don't consider my house properly "finished" yet. For that reason, part of me feels like I can't offer my guests "real" hospitality.
Ever lived that reality?
So what does hospitality mean? The dictionary definition of hospitality surprised me. Hospitality is "the quality or disposition of receiving and treating guests and strangers in a warm, friendly, generous way." Not one word about wowing the guests with the food, the after-dinner entertainment, or even the surroundings. The very definition takes the focus off of things and puts it back where it belongs - on people and fellowship. It's an attitude as well as an action.
Many of my favorite growing-up memories feature a table with lots of people around it. I remember laughter, encouraging conversation, challenging conversation. My parents still love to invite people they meet at church back to the house for brunch, even though many of their guests are total strangers two hours prior to the meal. They ask people about their lives and share their own. They don't put on a show, but they do offer authenticity and a desire to encourage others.
My house sure isn't perfect, but then, neither am I. Neither are the people who walk through my door. Waiting until the house is perfect actually signals a pride issue for me, because it's an excuse not to offer what I do have. I want to be like Lydia in Acts, who probably hadn't planned to shelter the disciples at her house until she asked them. She just saw the need and shared what she could. I desire that kind of heart, a heart that can share God's gifts of love, provision, and joy.
I think human hospitality is actually a pale reflection of how God welcomes us into His house. I can offer food, shelter, and company - He offers the bread of life, shelter from the storms, and a relationship with Him. I was the stranger in desperate need of His hospitality, and He opened the door. How's that for a precedent?
When my friends arrive on Friday, it'll be okay if I missed a cobweb. And if a stray box or two is still in the living room, my friends will probably chuckle and ask how the unpacking is going. Then we'll swap stories about their own recent moves and laugh at old trinkets we've rediscovered, like my Nerf gun. And my prayer is that throughout the course of the evening, we'll encourage each other in the new directions that God is pushes us. Yep. That's what hospitality means.
Intersecting Faith & Life: I want to view my home as not just a place to eat and sleep. I want it to be a place where ministry happens and God touches people, and that means taking the opportunities to see Him work. What opportunities do you have to practice hospitality? Are you letting appearances hold you back? Or are you ready to invite others into welcome and caring atmosphere?
Further Reading
The Reluctant Entertainer: Hospitality is a Gift You Can Give
Trying Too Hard to Be Perfect?
1 Peter 4:9
Matthew 25:35-46
:angel:
July 5, 2010
"Pulling an Assisi"
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Entertainment Editor
"Preach the gospel at all times. If necessary, use words."
— Saint Francis of Assisi
Whenever I read or hear the above quote by St. Francis of Assisi, I naturally think of myself first. Ahem.
But, of course, it's not because I am the poster child for this way of living. Hardly. It makes me think of how my actions often do not point others to Christ.
A Scripture passage that really convicts me and leads me toward "pulling an Assisi" and living out my faith without words is Romans 12:10-13:
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
Truth be told, after reading these verses, I feel like there's no way I could ever do all of this. How can I possibly achieve all of these life instructions? Or, at the very least, how can I live out just one of these today?
The Lord knows that without him, without the power of the Holy Spirit, I cannot do this on my own. And so I take comfort after reading Philippians 2:1-2:
If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.
When I empty myself of me, I make way for God to go to work. And it is only by the Holy Spirit working through me, and working through you, that we are able to live like this. He knits us to himself, and he knits us together as the body of Christ.
While we're here on earth, I also think it is natural for us to look to other believers as examples of those who "preach the gospel at all times" and "if necessary, use words." These are people who seem to have "effortlessly" discovered how to really empty themselves of themselves. Among other things, they're people who:
Open their homes and welcome anyone without prejudice
Have made personal, countercultural sacrifices to draw closer to God
Spread hope because their lives have been radically transformed
Admit their weaknesses so that others may see Christ at work
Give others the benefit of the doubt before judging
Make sure others are recognized first for their gifts and efforts
Accept (not reject) those with whom they disagree
Love the unlovely and befriend the outcasts
Don't boast about themselves or their achievements
Remember others in prayer and continually encourage
Do what they say they will do and don't make excuses
Seek to make amends first, no matter who is at fault
Make time for people, even if it means rearranging their schedules
Do you know someone who lives like this? It's encouraging to witness, isn't it? These individuals are the ones who draw us together and point us to Christ.
Yes, they are far from perfect, but they are consistently offering their lives as a sacrifice of praise and are being used by God. They are preaching the gospel. And they, without words, are "pulling an Assisi."
Intersecting Faith & Life: Call your church office to see if a single mother or a widow has requested assistance. Or ask your elderly neighbor what he or she needs. Then, give as you are able by opening your wallet or by making an appointment on your calendar to help out.
Further Reading:
Colossians 3:1-4, NIV
Galatians 5:22-23, NIV
:angel:
July 6, 2010
Community Commitment
by Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you. 2 Timothy 1:1-5
Who passed the faith on to you? Who gave you your first Bible or explained the meaning of the Cross in a way you could understand? Who influenced you to keep persevering when you felt like giving up?
Last week, I was awakened to the necessity (and challenges) of passing on the faith to the next generation. I walked into a Sunday school classroom prepared to assist the 8th teacher -- but she never showed. A family emergency prevented her from arriving on the very first day. Did I mention I've never taught Sunday school before?
While my teaching skills won't be winning any prizes, we all walked away mostly unscathed. But one thing became clear to me that day - these middle schoolers need someone older and wiser to mentor them or their faith won't survive life's challenges.
Of course, we can't expect 8th graders to make radical, lifelong commitments to Christ without assistance when even the apostles who personally knew Jesus during His earthly ministry relied on one another to grow in faith. In Acts, we see Peter and the others sorting out the details of early Christian doctrine among each other. And Paul's letters, some of the most quoted versus in the Bible, were written for encouragement and instruction to individuals and Christian communities.
One reason we rely so heavily on one another is that God set it up that way. He created the Church with Christ as the Head and you and I - believers -- as the Body:
But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body's growth in building itself up in love. Ephesians 4:15 - 16
In our individualistic society it's easy to reduce faith down to a personal preference or a private journey. But just as our bodies rely on our organs to work together to thrive, the Body of Christ relies on its members to work together to thrive. So whether we like it or not, we're part of a community and people depend on us. While I don't always feel like the "perfect" Christian, and I certainly don't always feel prepared, God wants to work through me - and you - to further His work here on earth.
Intersecting Faith & Life: We all have at least one person who acted as a vehicle of God's grace in our lives. This week, honor a pastor or teacher who was influential in your faith journey. If you're not already mentoring a younger believer, find a way to get involved. You don't have to be perfect!
Further Reading:
1 Cor 10: 17
Colossians 2:4-12
:angel:
July 8, 2010
Keeper Lessons
by Meghan Kleppinger, Editor, Christianity.com
I will say to the LORD, "My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!"
Psalm 91:2
Everyone loves those "dog movies." You know the ones - like Homeward Bound and My Dog Skip, and Benji, and Lassie. Actually, I can't watch those movies because I crumble to pieces whenever I see an animal in harm's way, or treated with cruelty. Yes, I know they're fictional and special effects are used, but it started with Old Yeller when I was five... and please don't ask me to explain the rest of that story!
Well, these days, I feel as though I'm living out one of those dog story movies.
I adopted a 5-year-old collie mix that had been rescued by an animal society on the day she was to be euthanized. I was told she was friendly but hand-shy and that she had been abandoned and probably abused. I quickly found this to be true and it nearly drove me to tears each time I would go to pet her and she would flinch.
About two weeks after the adoption, my dog started having seizures. I can't begin to explain the fear that consumed me. It was nothing compared to the terrified and confused look in my pup's eyes. The vet told me that she will have to be on epilepsy meds for life and that whoever gave her up probably did so because they didn't think she was worth the effort and cost.
I love this dog and I'm committed to keeping her healthy and safe, but I've had the most difficult time communicating this with her. I even named her Keeper as a reminder that she has found her forever home and that she is, indeed, a keeper.
The other day while I was walking her, a huge black dog jumped out of nowhere and attempted to attack her. I don't know how to explain my reaction when this happened. In mamma bear fashion, I didn't think, I reacted. I started screaming at this dog, "Get off of her!" and threw myself between the two of them. Eventually, I managed to pull out and then walk away, a little shaken, but unscathed. I saw two wet saliva spots on her skin - attempted bite marks - and realized how fortunate we were.
God started to impress some things upon me as we walked home. Here I had this dog that was abused, abandoned, unwanted, and considered worthless by someone. She has trust issues but at the same time wants so badly to please me.
It made me think of us humans. We have trust issues. We have hurts and pains that we don't understand and don't want to revisit. Sometimes it's hard for those of us who have been hurt to obey God's call to trust Him.
What God reminded me of was that He doesn't just tell us we can trust Him, or command us to do so, but through scripture and through circumstances in our lives He shows us over and over again that we can trust Him.
I took my dog out for a walk again the same day as the earlier attack and I nearly had a nervous breakdown as I saw two huskies approaching us. I knew them to be friendly dogs, but the last thing I wanted was for Keeper to go into her Alpha-dog "I'll protect you and myself" mode. She doesn't initiate attacks, but she doesn't shy away from them either.
Anyway, rather than showing her teeth or barking, like she normally does, she hid behind me.
I had spent months petting, hugging, grooming and feeding her, and telling her that she was "my girl," but it never seemed to be enough to gain her full trust. On the day of the attack, something happened. Something clicked. She saw by my actions that I cared for her and that in turn, she could trust me.
God reminded me that Jesus stepped in and, knowing the cost, paid the ultimate sacrifice for us. Though others may think us worthless, He thought we were worth being saved to the point of death. He has proven that He cares for us and can be trusted.
Why then, do we so often try by ourselves to fight those battles that threaten us each day? Why do we go into alpha-dog mode when He has told us that He will go before us and fight for us?
Keeper ran behind me when we saw those two huskies because she knew I would protect her. Most of all, what God taught me through my dog that day is that I need to do the same... I need to seek His protective covering and let Him take care of me.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Proverbs 3:5 "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."
Further Reading
Psalm 20:7
2 Chronicles 20:17
Why God Can be Trusted: Letter to the Hebrews
Learn How and When to Trust in a World of Betrayal
:angel:
July 9, 2010
The Epic Battle Sequence Within
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.
1 John 2:15-17
"Hey, we're going to go see _________ at the movie theater on Friday night. Want to go with?"
The older I get, the more that question is one that is met with internal conflict and less with joie de vivre or devil-may-care attitude (when in all actuality, the Devil really does care!). I'm more cautious now and am concerned with what types of moving pictures and dialogue I'm allowing into my head and heart.
When I was a high schooler, I only followed the rating. If it's R-rated, then I know I can't go. Mom and Dad won't let me, and I'll get in trouble if I go see this movie. So, of course, my intake was more limited. That time period also marked the beginning of the PG-13 rating which didn't push the limits then nearly as much as it does now (in case you hadn't noticed, in the twenty-first century PG-13 is the new R). So I was usually pretty safe with any movie below an R rating.
Or ... was I?
I remember some films that I watched back then that, had the "adult me" had a short conversation with the "teenager me," I probably would have thought twice about seeing them. It never occurred to me to consult a review of a film before going to the theater. All that mattered was the rating, who was starring and what the story was about. With those few bits of info, I was ready to make an "informed" decision.
These days, I know too much. I read about films long before they hit theaters, and I learn what kinds of objectionable content are going to be at play. And this is where the epic battle sequence within begins.
You know those type of scenes. Think of some of the greatest battles ever portrayed on film, and you'll get the picture (Saving Private Ryan, The Lord of the Rings, Braveheart—and maybe some of the Star Wars movies which somehow haven't aged quite so well, but I still love them anyway).
Swords and shields, tanks and machine guns, force fields and light sabers—they're all making a metaphorical racket inside of me when contemplating, Is this movie too "of the world" and is it against God or righteousness? During these moments, it's truly a fight for me. For my allegiance. To whom do I belong? And who will win?
As I strive to grow in my faith and allow the work of the Holy Spirit to transform me, to correct my wayward thinking and to propel me toward paths of righteousness, I have to decide what I should or should not let invade my life (Rom. 12:2)
Will this film play a part in the renewing of my mind? Will I learn something from it that I can apply to my life? Will it draw me closer toward or lead me away from God? Or am I being too strict and need to recognize that some movies are pretty much harmless to my Christian walk?
At the end of the day, each of us must decide for himself or herself what is acceptable and what is God's will for our personal cinematic consumption. Whether it's choosing which films to watch or any other life decisions, it's when the epic battle sequence within ceases that we know we have real problems.
Intersection of Faith & Life: Yes, life goes by very fast. But we need to pause. We need to ponder. We need to see what's going on inside of our hearts and minds. Take some time today to think about what recent life choices you have made (whether it's movies you've watched or otherwise). How did you arrive at your final decisions? Were you conflicted? Should you have been?
Further Reading:
Philippians 4:8
Can Anything Good Come from Hollywood?
:angel:
July 12, 2010
Ambition
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands.
1 Thessalonians 4:11
Quaint, right?
Be honest; read today's verse and then try telling your children that such is all they should aspire to; that, essentially, unheralded blue collar work should be their ambition. Aim high? Sounds more like settling for anonymity.
What could Paul be getting at? Sure there are times we all grow tired of the rat race and perhaps dream about a scenario where we forsake the city and a high-pressure job for a more pastoral setting, crafting furniture and knick-knacks, living in harmony. Is that what this verse is getting at?
Let's look deeper.
The Greek word philotim means to labor, endeavor, strive, study to become. It is used in three places in the New Testament. The first is quoted above, regarding ambition, which sounds not much like what we typically imagine when we think of things to be ambitious about.
Another place the word appears is Romans 15:20, where Paul writes, "And thus I aspired to preach the gospel..."
In 2 Corinthians 5:9 we read, "We have as our ambition... to be pleasing to Him."
Contrast these goals with the first defitinion under "ambition" on Dictionary.com:
1. an earnest desire for some type of achievement or distinction, as power, honor, fame, or wealth, and the willingness to strive for its attainment.
I thought so. The more I study, the more I philotim to know God, the more I understand how different the Word and the world really are. Perhaps folks who live in other parts of the globe are less shocked to learn such lessons. For me, born, raised, working, and raising children in these United States, the lesson is always one of dichotomy, paradox, and sadly wondering if I'm handicapped beyond repair from truly following.
One of my bosses is fond of saying that in business, it's crucial to determine early on whether a person you are dealing with is a "make me rich" or a "make me famous" person. Everyone, the story goes, is either one or the other at heart. And truly, according to the world's definition of ambition, that makes sense. We all have something we want that drives us.
Lately I've been wondering a lot at where this has gotten me. Everything I have done, accomplished, purposed, learned, studied (i.e. "philotim-ed") in life has led to... what, exactly? What goal? When I pray that the Lord would make my life useful and provide for me and let me know His will and keep me safe it's all so... what? So I can watch my TV programs every night without acid in my stomach and with an easy feeling in my chest? As opposed to having to really live by faith?
Today I read this quote by the English poet Samuel Johnson: "To be happy at home is the ultimate result of all ambition." Instantly my face fell. I knew that feeling all too well. All my aspirations only lead to the place of comfort, happiness, the path of least resistance. What's wrong with that? It quickly becomes a place that feels too far from God, too self-centered, too out of the loop, too far removed to be making a real difference.
So what then is the ambition of the Christ-follower?
Lead a quiet life
Attend to your own business
Work with your hands
Preach the gospel
Be pleasing to Him
In other words, don't stress yourself with fame, or getting and spending, always climbing, making more more more. Don't bother with being a busy-body or a gossip. Be creative; let God work through you. Tell others about Him. And live by faith.
It's so simple, almost too simple. Ambition isn't something far out there, some unabashed worldly success beyond our dreams, though that's where God may take us. It all goes back to the very reason God made man in the first place - to have someone to know Him.
And there's just not anything quaint about that.
Intersecting Faith & Life: The bulleted points above might sound too easy, too simple. And they can be. But when was the last time you made any or all of these your ambition? Pick one and practice it today, perhaps preaching the gospel to someone, perhaps seeking God's pleasure more than your own in any decisions you make.
Further Reading
What Motivates You?
Romans 15:20
2 Corinthians 5:9
:angel:
July 13, 2010
A Life Dedicated to the Gospel
by Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. Mark 8:35
"To love God as He ought to be loved, we must be detached from all temporal love." ~ St. Peter Claver
Sometimes God asks us to faithfully follow Him in the everyday tasks, and sometimes He calls us to do something really big and really hard. This is the kind of calling I stumbled across when I read about a man named Peter Claver while researching Christian heroes of days gone by. While our lives are playing out in different times with different issues, reading about his courageous devotion to the Gospel is a good reminder to me of what it looks like to live for God instead of myself.
Born in 1581, Peter Claver's beginning reads like the typical story of a man growing up in 16th century Spain. He studied theology and joined the Jesuit order of priests. But in 1610, Peter left his homeland to become a missionary in the country we now call Colombia.
Columbia was the center of the slave trade in the New World during this time, and while church officials had openly condemned the injustices of the African slave trade, the industry continued to flourish. Peter's mission in this foreign land would be to minister to fellow foreigners, the African slaves.
Bought, sold and treated worse than animals, thousands of African men and women were shipped into the wealthy city of Cartagena to be sold to plantation owners. An estimated one third to one half of them died on the journey over, unable to endure the horrific conditions - conditions so putrid, it would make you feel ill if I described them in depth. By the time Peter Claver met them, these men and women were starving, dying, dirty, and mentally broken.
Peter Claver was known for boarding the suffocating ships immediately upon arrival with food and medicine, caring for men and women in a situation most would find unbearable.
But Peter's ministry did not end with meeting physical needs. He trained interpreters to communicate with the diverse array of African dialects, assuring each person of their dignity and worth as human beings created in God's image. After sharing the Gospel in their respective languages, he baptized men and women before they were sold.
While Peter Claver was powerless to stop the slave trade, he worked hard to defend African men and woman against their oppressors every chance he got. He visited their plantations to encourage them and exhorted the plantation owners to treat them well. He even assembled African slaves for worship services during Easter and did everything he could to fight for their freedoms and meet their needs.
Claver not only displayed Christ-like love to the oppressed but with God's grace he overcame personal shortcomings. Born with a timid nature, Claver displayed uncharacteristic boldness in his ministry. He endured hatred from the slave traders and societal rejection from the citizens of Cartagena. Even some Christians thought he was wasting his time, but Claver continued his work. He baptized an estimated 300,000 African men and women in his 33 years of ministry.
Claver ultimately became a societal force for good in Cartagena, and after his death, the "apostle to the slaves" was openly granted the respect he never received in his lifetime.
How can a man give up all that is familiar and comfortable to spend a life defending those few were interested in saving at that time? Claver was not holier than you or I, he simply followed God's leading in his life. His love for God and for those in need superseded everything else, and no doubt he enjoys many friendships in heaven.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Has God ever asked you to do something hard, something that felt impossible or threatened your reputation? What was your response? Ask God for the grace to do His will, even in the face of personal sacrifice.
Further Reading:
John 12: 20 - 36
William Wilberforce: The Man Who Didn't Desert
*Details of Peter Claver's life from: "St. Peter Claver", "Saint of the Day, September 9th," "Saints and Angels: St. Peter Claver"
:angel:
July 14, 2010
Only One Way to Achieve Patience
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Faith Editor
The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride.
Ecclesiastes 7:8, NIV
Our senior pastor came into the room for a pre-arranged talk with all of us high school senior guys. He wanted to share something with us as we moved off into the next phases of our lives.
Out of all the applications and biblical wisdom at his disposal, what one topic was on his heart? What advice did he wish to impart above all?
He began by asking us to envision where we'd be in five, 10, 20 years. I'm just now coming up on that 20th year; I'm amazed at how differently some things have turned out, and how similar to my goals other things are. But that's not the point.
Our pastor next told us that the one thing we ought to pursue more than any other was... not holiness, not righteousness, not prayer... but patience. "Boys, raise your hand if you want to be a man of patience."
Okay, sure. Sounds good. Patience, yeah, that could be helpful to me. Hand up.
"Great. I'll tell you what, boys, can I pray with you now? But be aware, only agree with me in this prayer if you mean it, if you really want patience. Because do you know what it takes to develop patience? Problems. Only problems - and the way you react to them and trust God through them - can develop patience. Do you understand? So that's what I'm going to ask God for right now, that He'll bring you all problems. Are you ready?"
Sure. Why not?
Oh boy. Looking back, the last 20 years haven't exactly been hell on earth, but they've sure been full of their share of problems. Right at this moment, I've got one that's forcing me to wait... and wait... and wait for an answer. I feel shamed when I go through a study about Abraham and how long he waited and waited for God to fulfill a direct promise, because I can't imagine waiting any longer than I already have. The only reason I continue to do so is because of the patience and wisdom I've built up having passed through earlier problems and trials, the outcomes of which inform me to keep waiting.
What's the moral here? Be careful what you pray for? Hmmm... maybe... but I think I prefer the lesson in today's verse, that patience (trusting God's way and waiting on His promise) is better than pride (my idea of the best way). To me, it's really eye-opening to think of those two concepts - patience and pride - as the opposites of each other. It suggests patience is akin to humility, and pride the brother of instant gratification. And I guess that makes sense. But why is patience better? Especially in this day and age when so much is there for the taking? When the respected thing to do is reach out and go for it? What had my pastor so convinced that doing the opposite was the most important lesson to send young men out into the world?
Honestly I haven't completely figured that out yet. Appropriately, it's something I'm willing to be patient to gain the wisdom of. But I suspect it has something to do with that pesky old verse from James:
Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing (James 1:2-4).
Only problems can bring patience; only trials can test faith and make it real. Only endurance can lead to completion.
And when I am complete, I will lack nothing. At which time I apparently will have superceded even patience, as what would there be to wait for if I lack nothing?
It sounds almost mystical, almost unachievable, at least until the end of my life or when I meet God. Until then, I simply pray that the experience of each problem and the eventual result will steel me into calm, patient submission to God's perfect timing.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Are you willing to pray a problem into your life? Why or why not?
Further Reading
Afraid God Will Give You Patience?
Pursue Patience
:angel:
July 15, 2010
Sneaky Christians
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven." - Matthew 6:1
I've noticed that it's easier to serve God if others are watching. I speak Christianese more fluently and I blend into the Christian culture better at those times. Sundays are probably the easiest, with the whole congregation around me. It's not too difficult when I'm "serving behind the scenes" after loudly volunteering or when I've generously invited people over for dinner, either.
Nope. The times that are truly difficult come when I'm ready for bed and have to choose my reading time carefully, or when I see a task that needs to be done but won't lead to any praise or even thanks. Cleaning the toilet comes to mind.
You see, I often confuse "letting my light shine before men" (Matt. 5:16) with getting my good Christian character applauded. I may be genuinely happy to help, but that little bit of praise sure doesn't hurt.
"But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words ... when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." (Matthew 6:6-7, 17-18)
The Christian transformation works from the inside out, not from the outside in. It's when we're sneaky Christians, worshipping God for who He is and what He's done without trying to draw attention to ourselves, that we bring a smile to His face.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Cultivating time in the closet actually leads to the most vibrant Christian living of all, because what's done in secret will spill out into full view. Then our light shines before men because it cannot be contained within the closet. Today, take time to seek God from a private place - and let the attitude of worship follow you when you leave it. Look forward to praising God in secret!
Further Reading:
Matthew 6
Awakening the Giant of Worshipfulness
12 Steps to Change Your Prayer Life
July 16, 2010
Stain on the Brain
by Fred Alberti, Crosswalk.com Senior Manager of Social Networking
I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
Psalm 119:11
I watched Caleb as he sat there in deep concentration just staring at the book. Finally, I asked him what he was doing. His response was one I had never heard before. He said, "I'm staining it into my brain."
He was memorizing Scripture verses for AWANA Club.
The thing is he knew what he was doing. He knew that he was trying to burn the words into his memory so he could pass on to the next challenge.
I like how today's verse applies to Caleb's staining power. The psalmist gives the reason why he is hiding God's Word. What is it? So that he will not sin against God.
The reason for Bible memorization is to help us to abstain from sinning.
Oftentimes we resist Bible memorization. Instead we choose to stain our brain with TV shows depicting adultery, murder, and obscenity. Then we get ourselves into a moral bind and we wonder how we got into that place. We shouldn't wonder. We should realize that what we choose to watch and/or memorize is what is going to stain into our brain.
"Oh, that sex scene isn't so bad, at least they muted the sounds."
"Why yes, the whole point of the show was that the husband didn't get along with his wife and had an affair. But at least he was able to get a divorce and the mom was able to keep the kids."
"Well, sure there was a lot of swearing but the story was great and the murder scenes were so realistic. Cinematography has really advanced these last few years."
Folks, these are stains. They will stain your conscious and your heart and those of your family.
What are you staining your brain with these days?
Intersecting Faith & Life: Spend some time this week with your family memorizing key scriptures about salvation, like Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23, Acts 16:31, and 1 Corinthians 15:3-4.
Further Reading
Why Memorize Scripture?
Teaching Memorization and Speaking Skills to Your Children
2 Timothy 3:16-17
:angel:
July 19, 2010
What's in a Name?
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Entertainment Editor
To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.
Revelation 2:17, NIV
Growing up, I always wished for a "kinder, gentler" name.
With a last name like "MacCorkle," I'm sure you can imagine the kind of variations on a theme that I encountered during my formative years: MacDorkle, MacSnorkle, MacaDoodle, MacCorky-Snork. And so on.
I didn't want to stand out and just wanted to blend in and have a "normal" name like everyone else. I remember thinking "Foster" or "Graham" or "Smith" might be nice and less conspicuous names. But, as I would later realize, changing your name is no easy task. It becomes a legal issue, whether you go to court to have it changed or (for the female set) whether or not you get married and take your husband's last name.
In the Bible, sometimes it took supernatural intervention to change names: Abram to Abraham, Simon to Peter and Jacob to Israel. ...
That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two maidservants and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of Jabbok. After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob's hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. Then the man said, "Let me go, for it is daybreak."
But Jacob replied, "I will not let you go unless you bless me."
The man asked him, "What is your name?"
"Jacob," he answered.
Then the man said, "Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome."
Jacob said, "Please tell me your name."
But he replied, "Why do you ask my name?" Then he blessed him there.
So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, "It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared."
- Genesis 32:22-30, NIV
Jacob's name change to Israel signified a turning point in his life. A spiritual crossroads. After wrestling with God, he had a new identity (and a new purpose) going forward. His name meant "prince with God," and his descendants were known as Israelites or descendants of Israel.
While I was wishing for a different last name as a child, I didn't realize that I, too, had already undergone a name change. It happened when I was three years old and accepted Christ into my heart. At that point, I became known as a Christian. A child of God. An heir to the Kingdom. A member of a royal family and priesthood. And a descendant of Israel (Ephesians 3:6).
What about you? If you have not asked Christ to come into your life, are you ready for a new name today? Click here for help in taking this important step.
And if you already have become a Christian, what does your new name in Christ mean to you?
Intersecting Faith & Life: Whether you have just become a Christian or have walked with the Lord for quite a while, you have a new name in Christ. Reflect on what your name-your identity as a believer-means to you. Does it define who you are? Why or why not?
Further Reading:
Isaiah 62:2, NIV
1 Peter 2:9, NIV
Revelation 3:5, NIV
:angel:
July 20, 2010
The Significant Life
by Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'" Matthew 25: 37 - 40
Have you ever felt dissatisfied with life? Have you ever wondered if perhaps God intended you for bigger things than what you're doing right now or that perhaps your chance at leaving a mark on this world has passed you by?
If you grew up in my generation, you were probably encouraged to dream big and to make a difference in the world. Depending on how your life has played out so far, you may be experiencing some disappointment as your youthful ideals clashed with the hard realities of life.
But something I, a natural-born idealist, have learned recently is that chasing idealistic notions of bettering myself or mankind can actually direct us away from our calling in Christ.
That's because achieving big personal dreams or implementing social programs for the betterment of the globe really isn't at the heart of Christianity. After all, God redeemed you and me by trading His power and importance in for a hidden, mostly ordinary life that culminated in a humiliating death.
Mother Teresa grasped God's special love for littleness with startling clarity. While most of us view Mother Teresa as a spiritual celebrity who did "big things" for the world, a closer look into her ministry reveals a woman who did not care for broad, idealistic notions. In the book Finding Calcutta (InterVarsity Press 2008), university professor Mary Poplin reflects on the two months she spent volunteering with Mother Teresa and her Missionaries of Charity during the summer of '96.
As a worker in the Missionary-run children's home, Poplin found herself immersed in a humble life most would find excruciatingly boring. A typical day for a Missionary of Charity is filled with repetitive, tedious chores necessary to meet the needs of those who arrive at their doorstep.
Poplin shares, "[Mother Teresa] believed that 'welfare is for a purpose - an admirable one - whereas Christian love is for a person.'" The Missionaries' love for a personal God fuels them to love on a personal level, believing no global cause can be effective if it disregards the dignity of even the smallest person. So they feed each disabled infant as if they are feeding the infant Christ. They bathe each dying man as if they are bathing the crucified Christ. And they turn no one away, moving through their hours, days and weeks with joy when most would have given up long ago out of frustration or despair.
Poplin notes that during her time with this flourishing, world-renowned ministry, she never heard a Missionary sister speak of eradicating the world of hunger or even ridding India of hunger. They simply feed the hungry person in front of them. Poplin shares:
"The humility and clarity with which Mother Teresa understood her task in life was one of the most incredible things about her. People go into teaching, nursing, politics, or business with ideas of doing revolutionary things. I once encouraged this unrealistic zeal in my students who became teachers. Now I see how easily they became depressed and discouraged ... Starting out with the fervor to change the world can be a quick rut to discouragement. Sometimes despair is a result of thinking too highly of oneself."
As Christians, we must be careful to fend off this despair born of pride. Chasing big ideals apart from the "smallness" of Christ can distract us from God's will. The mother who feeds and bathes her infant is doing the same work as Mother Teresa where the spouse who abandons his family in favor of a more "significant" life grieves God.
Chasing ideologies apart from Christ can also blind us from meeting the immediate needs of those sitting in front of us. Mother Teresa once encountered a starving man lying on the steps of a conference center where important leaders gathered to address, get this -- world hunger. And in worst-case scenarios, a failure to balance global thinking with love for the least can lead well-meaning people down a path fraught with bloated, utopian philosophies that promote widespread evil instead of good.
I personally am slowly learning to train my "idealist within" to accept that a simple life of serving those around me is often God's ideal. And if we are unwilling to love each individual we encounter in our small spheres of influence then our highest ideals for humanity amount to nothing. The second part of the Gospel in Matthew puts things in perspective for me: Christ tells those who did not love the "least of these" to depart from Him, into "the eternal fire."
Intersecting Faith & Life: Is the Christian faith just a philosophy to you or a personal relationship with a living God and those He loves? Serve a person in need, not for your own satisfaction or to serve a "cause" but because that person is a fellow human being loved by Christ.
Further Reading
The Prisoner's Mite: Responding to Those in Need
:angel:
July 21, 2010
Ambition
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Faith Editor
Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands.
1 Thessalonians 4:11
Quaint, right?
Be honest; read today's verse and then try telling your children that such is all they should aspire to; that, essentially, unheralded blue collar work should be their ambition. Aim high? Sounds more like settling for anonymity.
What could Paul be getting at? Sure there are times we all grow tired of the rat race and perhaps dream about a scenario where we forsake the city and a high-pressure job for a more pastoral setting, crafting furniture and knick-knacks, living in harmony. Is that what this verse is getting at?
Let's look deeper.
The Greek word philotim means to labor, endeavor, strive, study to become. It is used in three places in the New Testament. The first is quoted above, regarding ambition, which sounds not much like what we typically imagine when we think of things to be ambitious about.
Another place the word appears is Romans 15:20, where Paul writes, "And thus I aspired to preach the gospel..."
In 2 Corinthians 5:9 we read, "We have as our ambition... to be pleasing to Him."
Contrast these goals with the first defitinion under "ambition" on Dictionary.com:
1. an earnest desire for some type of achievement or distinction, as power, honor, fame, or wealth, and the willingness to strive for its attainment.
I thought so. The more I study, the more I philotim to know God, the more I understand how different the Word and the world really are. Perhaps folks who live in other parts of the globe are less shocked to learn such lessons. For me, born, raised, working, and raising children in these United States, the lesson is always one of dichotomy, paradox, and sadly wondering if I'm handicapped beyond repair from truly following.
One of my bosses is fond of saying that in business, it's crucial to determine early on whether a person you are dealing with is a "make me rich" or a "make me famous" person. Everyone, the story goes, is either one or the other at heart. And truly, according to the world's definition of ambition, that makes sense. We all have something we want that drives us.
Lately I've been wondering a lot at where this has gotten me. Everything I have done, accomplished, purposed, learned, studied (i.e. "philotim-ed") in life has led to... what, exactly? What goal? When I pray that the Lord would make my life useful and provide for me and let me know His will and keep me safe it's all so... what? So I can watch my TV programs every night without acid in my stomach and with an easy feeling in my chest? As opposed to having to really live by faith?
Today I read this quote by the English poet Samuel Johnson: "To be happy at home is the ultimate result of all ambition." Instantly my face fell. I knew that feeling all too well. All my aspirations only lead to the place of comfort, happiness, the path of least resistance. What's wrong with that? It quickly becomes a place that feels too far from God, too self-centered, too out of the loop, too far removed to be making a real difference.
So what then is the ambition of the Christ-follower?
Lead a quiet life
Attend to your own business
Work with your hands
Preach the gospel
Be pleasing to Him
In other words, don't stress yourself with fame, or getting and spending, always climbing, making more more more. Don't bother with being a busy-body or a gossip. Be creative; let God work through you. Tell others about Him. And live by faith.
It's so simple, almost too simple. Ambition isn't something far out there, some unabashed worldly success beyond our dreams, though that's where God may take us. It all goes back to the very reason God made man in the first place - to have someone to know Him.
And there's just not anything quaint about that.
Intersecting Faith & Life: The bulleted points above might sound too easy, too simple. And they can be. But when was the last time you made any or all of these your ambition? Pick one and practice it today, perhaps preaching the gospel to someone, perhaps seeking God's pleasure more than your own in any decisions you make.
Further Reading
What Motivates You?
Romans 15:20
2 Corinthians 5:9
:angel:
July 22, 2010
When I Grow Up
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"Instead, you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, then we will live and also do this or that."
James 4:15
"You can be anything you want when you grow up, sweetie."
My parents profoundly ignored that phrase when I was growing up. I never heard them say those words, although the self-esteem trend was certainly making its way through the schools and Saturday morning cartoons. That's not to say that they told me the opposite or never encouraged my efforts. On the contrary, my mother carted me to iceskating practice, art lessons, piano lessons, debate club, and even soccer (for one pathetic season). She pushed me to do my best at whatever activity or homework assignment came my way, because it was a matter of "doing all things for the glory of God." And that's exactly why she and my father never told me I could be anything I wanted when I grew up.
My parents knew better.
Instead of the infinite-potential catchphrase, they would tell me things like, "If God wants you to be a concert pianist, then you will be," or "God gave you this talent for a reason, so we're going to cultivate it." That took the focus off of what I "wanted to be" and onto how God had gifted me. For that reason, my mother pushed me into writing tutoring even though I absolutely hated it at the time. I certainly had no intentions of being an editor when I grew up. Little did I know.
Can we really be anything we want when we grow up? The famous verses in Proverbs suggest otherwise. "In his heart a man plans his course," says Proverbs 16:9. Sure, I can make plans to be anything I want. "But the Lord determines [my] steps," the verse concludes. My parents understood this from their own crazy life stories. So they told me not about my endless potential, but about God's ability to take me to places unknown and undreamed of.
I laugh inwardly when people ask me where I want to be in five or ten years, because Heaven only knows where I actually will be. Besides, I'm still inexperienced in all this career and marriage stuff, and still figuring out my goals. How comforting it is to know that it's my responsibility to cultivate the little talents I have and let God decide where to take them.
Even at this point in my life, I can look back and see the long line of events, circumstances, character-building chances (oh boy!), and opportunities that I couldn't have orchestrated myself. I see now that I couldn't have been anything I wanted. Instead, I have become - and will become - whatever God wants me to be. After all, He knows me more intimately than I know myself. He knows exactly how I can serve His kingdom best. Yes, that's what I want to be when I grow up.
Intersecting Faith & Life: "If the Lord wills, then we will live and also do this or that." Are we aware just how fully dependent we are on God? Does this give us comfort? Or does it scare us that we control so little of our lives? Are you excited to see where God will take you, or afraid that His plan will be different from your own? It all comes down to a single question: are we willing to surrender our plans for His glory?
Further Reading
Psalm 119:35
Jeremiah 10:23
Can I 'Do All Things'? Examining Philippians 4:13
Why Potential Doesn't Equal Success
:angel:
July 23, 2010
Walking by Faith
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Entertainment Editor
Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. We live by faith, not by sight.
2 Corinthians 5:6-7, NIV
In college, I took a course in which I was instructed to bring a blindfold to class one day.
Sounded a little suspect a first, but I soon found out that it was just a harmless exercise in trust. We were paired up and had to take turns walking around campus while wearing the blindfold. The partner who could see would audibly guide the blindfolded individual.
When we reconvened in the classroom, we were to discuss what we were feeling and thinking while blindfolded. Were we fearful? Did we have faith in our partners? Did we trust in and follow their instructions?
I can't remember if I had a good guide or not. But I do remember not liking be blinded to what I could see. I didn't like being out of control. It was disconcerting, and I was thankful when the exercise was over.
As believers, this illustrates how our lives are to be lived. We all are wearing "invisible blindfolds," if you will. We are never promised that we will see everything we want to see in this life. Nor are we guaranteed to understand our circumstances or why we must face times of hardship and struggle on earth.
Instead, we are told to follow the voice of the Lord. To focus on the eternal, not on the temporal. To trust in what we cannot see.
Several examples in the Bible encourage us in this kind of "by faith" living. ...
Gideon ... who defeated the Midianite army with a force of only 300 men. They carried no weapons-just clay jars and lanterns into a battle with the Midianites, who numbered 135,000! A surprise attack in the dark of night only confused the Midianites, and they turned their swords on each other. Only God could have orchestrated this unbelievable victory (Judges 6-8).
Esther ... who risked her life to save her people from death. As the wife of King Xerxes, Queen Esther could do something to stop Haman, the evil prime minister who was plotting to kill all the Jews in the empire. She could have chosen to play it safe and not speak up. But she obeyed the Lord and bravely approached the king with her request to save the Jews (Esther 1-10).
Jonah ... who lived in the belly of a fish and didn't know if he would make it out alive. When God instructed Jonah to go to Nineveh to warn the people of their sin, he first disobeyed and got on a ship heading the opposite direction. God then brought a storm and caused Jonah to be thrown overboard and swallowed by a great fish. Jonah prayed and repented, and the fish spit him out. Jonah then went to Nineveh and preached, and God did not destroy the city (Jonah 1-4).
Today, you may feel like you're facing insurmountable opposition-the size of a 135,000-member army! Or perhaps your circumstances make you feel like you're stuck in the hopelessly dark belly of a big fish.
But God knows what opportunities lie ahead for you, so be encouraged! And may you and I continue learning to live each day by faith and not by sight.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Looking back on your life, think of the times when God asked you to do something that seemed "strange" to you. How did you respond at the time? Can you see now that his plan was the best way? Thank him today that, through your life, he has indeed done marvelous works!
Further Reading
1 Corinthians 13:12, NIV
2 Corinthians 4:18, NIV
:angel:
July 26, 2010
How's Your Heart? Check Your Driving
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Entertainment Editor
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Psalm 139:23-24, NIV
It's easy to be fooled into thinking that your heart is in pretty good condition. And so perhaps you've had thoughts like this:
I'm a good person.
I attend church twice a week.
I go to a weekly Bible study.
I keep up with my daily devotionals.
I volunteer in my community.
I tithe to my church.
I'm kind to my family.
I pray for my friends.
Sound familiar? We can focus on the peripheral so much so that we forget to dig a little deeper and see what's really going on inside our hearts.
Well, I've discovered a sure-fire method that will quickly expose the condition of the heart. That's right. Here it is: it's driving. Yes. D-R-I-V-I- N-G.
When you're driving, its seems like the real you comes out to play. I know that I would never want someone to record the thoughts that go through my mind or the words that exit my mouth when I'm driving. They're not R-rated, but I sure wouldn't want them inscribed on my tombstone.
These thoughts happen fairly regularly. Like recently, as I made my way through a sketchy part of the city. I encountered folks driving way below the speed limit. Other folks cut me off while trying to get in front of other slow drivers in other lanes. And another driver took up two lanes while trying to make a left-hand turn (!!!).
In these incidents, what I thought really shocked me. Afterward, I immediately wondered, Did I really think that? My heart is so ugly. Oh dear God. Please help me!
I'm not telling you what I was thinking, because I am ashamed. But I will tell you this: it enlightened me. My thoughts shone a light in the dark corners of my heart. I saw how horribly corroded and nasty it was-like what you experience when you pull up the stopper from your kitchen garbage disposal. Foul!
I saw the judgment. I saw the pride. I saw the lack of love and forgiveness. It's gunk that needs to be cleaned out-really bleached out-on a consistent basis. But bleach smells, it's strong and it stings. Who wants to willingly submit to that? It's hard to do, but it's absolutely essential if we are to stay spiritually healthy and heart smart.
While I'm disappointed in my condition, I'm thankful that driving is doing such a good job of testing me and exposing what's in my heart. And until I'm old and decrepit and can't maneuver a moving vehicle anymore, I know that my next heart check is just one keyed ignition, one gear change and one gas pedal away.
Intersecting Faith & Life: If not driving, are there other situations or activities in your life that "put the squeeze" on you and really show what's going on in your heart? Maybe it's an individual who just knows how to push your buttons. Or perhaps the ugliness comes out when you're dealing with customer service personnel. Whatever it is that exposes the ugliness, ask the Lord to examine what is there and to change you from the inside out.
Further Reading
Jesus Christ: Heart Radiologist in Residence
Motives Matter in the Workplace
:angel:
July 27, 2010
I Am Pilate
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"What is truth?" Pilate asked.
John 18:38
This week I met one of the most understandable yet guilty figures in the Bible. This man desperately tried to convince himself that he could control his circumstances. He had a vague intuition for what was right, but he was constantly torn between catering to the crowd and bullying them to show his power. He was overwhelmed by material consequences and implications. And in three simple words, he revealed the heart of his stubborn weakness.
As I again read Pontius Pilate's interview Jesus, I wondered how a man could stare the Son of God in the face, find Him not guilty, and yet condemn Him to death. Each Gospel offers some perspective on why. In reading their accounts, I found that Pilate's deep flaws were eerily similar to those I see in myself.
You see, I think Pilate had a modern mind. As a Roman, he wasn't very "into" religion. Belief in the gods - and the emperor as a god - were vestiges of an older system by his time, now adopted as a form of patriotism. His real religion would have been in the glorious Roman Empire, the unconquerable empire-without-end. This thoroughly material belief would have dominated the thoughts of a Roman procurator such as Pilate. He had no room in his world for the supernatural.
All that was called into question when they brought in Jesus. At that point, Pilate's religion showed its consequences in his character.
Demand for Material Answers
From first to last, Pilate's questions to Jesus involve politics and facts. Jesus' answers were unintelligible, because Pilate was asking the wrong questions. Pilate couldn't understand supernatural answers because he was thoroughly material. He thought the world could be interpreted through distinct movements and verifiable facts. He couldn't accept any mystery in faith, and so he rejected the Messiah as another man.
False Sense of Power
Pilate's religion of materialism forced him to rely on position. He told Jesus, "Don't you know that I have the authority to release you and the authority to crucify you?" (John 19:10) I'm sure he fully believed that authority was his. Jesus corrected Pilate by telling him that his power was given "from above," which probably shook Pilate just a little. I think at that point Pilate realized that control was slipping away from him, and he did everything he could to regain it.
Blinded by Consequences
Pilate wanted to pretend that he wasn't really responsible for Jesus' death. He made a few feeble attempts to stick up for Jesus before the crowd, which probably counted as a good deed in Pilate's mind. But he ultimately backed down and washed his hands of Jesus' fate, because he "wished to satisfy the crowd." (Mark 15:22) He proclaimed the truth as "not dangerous" but chose not to intervene when it was attacked.
Refusal to See Truth
I think Pilate's most telling statement of all came right in the middle of the dialogue. Jesus says, "For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world - to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice." (John 18:37) I can just see Pilate throwing up his hands in exasperation and asking a rhetorical question: "What is truth." Face to face with the reality of Jesus, the Son of God, Pilate chose to keep his relativism. The great empire with its power was enough for Pilate. And so he refused the Gospel.
I Am Pilate
How many times have I refused to believe a biblical promise because I don't see how it applies to my worldly situation? How often do I refuse to surrender my circumstances to God's plan for me, pretending I'm in control? How often have I made benign comments when the Gospel is attacked and then retreated? How many times have I refused to draw lines for what is right or to recognize sin for what it is in my life?
Ultimately, these "character flaws"—really, sins—tempt us to believe that Truth isn't Truth. We are tempted to deny that Christ had to die to free us from ourselves. I know that acknowledging the Gospel means my life has to change, and my human nature doesn't want that. But the glory of the cross is that we are changed, and thrown into a life far bigger than anything on this earth - Jesus' incredible love. That's what Pilate refused to see. That's what we can't afford to miss.
Intersection of Faith & Life: Christ went to the cross because of the sin of the world, including Pilate and you and me. How much pain do we bring Him when we refuse to believe as Pilate did? Pray that God will show specific areas where you need to get rid of Pilate's character and apply the Gospel.
Further Reading:
John 18:28-19:16
Luke 23:1-25
Mark 15:1-15
Matthew 27:11-31
:angel:
July 28, 2010
It's Good for Your Character
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Entertainment Editor
Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
Romans 5:3-5, NIV
I grew up in a very special church back in the '70s and '80s. It was nondenominational, had tremendous traditional worship and congregational singing, and was attended by many seminary professors and students.
Seeds that were sown in my life in those early years of my spiritual growth are now sprouting, and I'm drawing upon what I have learned as I make my way through adulthood.
From time to time, I flip through a bound collection of meditations or sayings that my pastor put together. He would regularly refer to these life principles from the pulpit, and today, whenever I hear them (or similar concepts) being said by others, I remember what he preached on them many years ago.
"It's good for your character," he would often say. And here's how he explained that further:
"God uses the routine, the difficult, even the painful to develop in us qualities of Christlike character that can be learned in no other way."
When we begin to see our lives from this perspective, that's when we've turned a corner. But in order to keep thinking in this way, we have to make daily readjustments, as we don't always want to see the routine, the difficult and even the painful in this way.
But it is the right way to look at any uncomfortable situation in our lives. The classic passage regarding trials in James 1:2-4 is wonderfully helpful and instructive:
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Let's break down this outlook:
Consider it pure joy. How do you do this when you're going through a divorce? Or in the aftermath of a departed loved one or the loss of a job? What will it take to see the joy despite the circumstances? Only God can give us this joy and change our perspective.
Testing develops perseverance. In order to learn how to persevere, we have to go through some trying times. Think back on the trials in your life. What were the results? Did you make changes in your life? Did God help you get through them? Remember that as you continue to serve him.
Perseverance must finish its work. We can't go from diapers to dungarees in the snap of a fingers. Living takes time. And there are "pains" that go with it. Sure, it hurts sometimes, but know that the uncomfortable seasons mean that you're growing.
Be mature and complete. When you were a child, you didn't have a bulging file folder of life experiences to draw from. Now that you're older, hopefully you can see how you have grown closer to the Lord and how he has changed you. Draw from past lessons as you choose to live and think differently today.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Can you look back on "the routine, the difficult, even the painful" times of your life and see how God has developed your character? List some specific trials and the resulting changes that have been made in your character and praise your merciful Savior.
Further Reading
2 Corinthians 4:7-12, The Message
How God Develops Christian Character
:angel:
July 29, 2010
Is Suffering Inevitable?
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong.
1 Peter 3:17, NAS
Suffering. It's not standard daily devotional fare, because let's face it, usually we want to begin or end our day being uplifted, or even better, lifting up God, rather than focusing on our pains and problems.
But there's the rub... we all have pains and problems. Christian and non-Christian. Lifelong disciple and baby believer. Red and yellow, black and white. Everyone, from the moment he or she was born, has struggled, tried, failed, hurt, sinned, misunderstood, and reacted. Humanity shares a true brotherhood over suffering, one that we might understand a lot better if suffering weren't also so relative. By which I mean, one person's issues may sound simple, easy-to-solve, even petty to another. "That's nothing compared to what I've had to endure!"
But the fact is, your sorrows and difficulties are real to you. It's one reason why I'm no fan of when people say a certain place or time in their lives isn't "the real world," as if the spot they are currently tucked away at is immune from any degree of difficulty.
Suffering is very real, and there's certainly no reason any Christian would expect life to be otherwise. We purport to follow a "Suffering Savior." His stripes have healed us, and wow do we seem to feel them sometimes, which is as it should be, as we deserved them instead of Him. If we agree that no person but one - no matter where they lived or how easy or hard they had it - has escaped sin's corruption, then how much more must we agree that truly NO person has escaped suffering?
Look at what Peter suggests in today's verse: you can suffer for doing good, or you can suffer for doing bad. By extension, some of the problems in your life may be a result of your own rebellion, while other hurts may naturally result from walking so closely with Christ that you ache at the injustice and hardship around you, with the world despising and persecuting you.
In the classic allegory Hinds' Feet on High Places, Much-Afraid journeys with companions named Sorrow and Suffering, and these two assist her in her climb up the Injury Precipice, which is a part of her transformation into "Grace and Glory."
The same is true for you. Your sufferings have informed you, educated you, helped you along in your journey. You may despise them, but they are yours. And they will be with you whether you are doing right, or not. Of course, the nature of them will be quite different.
There may be one way, though, to avoid suffering. There's a third option, left out here by Peter, but not left out by John in the Revelation. It's the lukewarm response to life, the do-nothing approach. This is the approach that cocoons itself off from life and all of its pain. And make no mistake, "Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something," says that famous theologian the Man in Black in The Princess Bride.
You may not feel anything from inside a cocoon; in fact, it may be an abundance of pain and suffering that forced you in there. But remember, no creature that cocoons itself is intended to stay locked up forever. The point is to be rested, healed, matured, transformed. To become more beautiful, useful. Even the emerging process itself carries a degree of struggle, but one that, if the insect did not go through itself, would leave it too weak to fly.
So be lifted up in your suffering today.
It is a companion.
It is designed to transform you.
It gives you a share in the inheritance of Christ and the brotherhood of humanity.
And it gives you empathy, which gives you every excuse for ministry.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Make it your goal to partake, as much as possible, only of the brand of suffering that comes from doing what is right according to God's Word.
Further Reading
God's Undeserved Gift to the World: Christian Sufferers
Trusting God in the Darkness
:angel:
July 30, 2010
The Attractiveness of a Surrendered Life
by Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." Luke 18:22 NIV
"I have been all things unholy. If God can work through me, he can work through anyone." St. Francis of Assisi
Have you ever wished you could share your faith with friends or loved ones who do not know Christ, but you don't know how to do so effectively? Or have you ever worried that our culture is slipping farther and farther away from God's truth, but don't know how to turn it around? In past devotionals, several of us have quoted St. Francis of Assisi's approach to evangelism: "Preach the Gospel all times and when necessary, use words."
St. Francis' entire life was one of radical conversion that led to many giving their lives to Christ. Let's see what we can apply from his medieval story to modern times.
Francis' story takes place in the early 1200's - an era when Christianity enjoyed prominence in Europe. But sadly, even with widespread power and acceptance of the Church, many Christians did not lead lives in keeping with their faith. Francis was no exception. He came from a wealthy Italian family; his father earned a comfortable life as a successful cloth merchant, and his mother was of noble birth. The handsome, witty Francis was spoiled rotten by his parents, showing more interest in playing than in his academics or his father's career.
Francis' life of ease and play received a rude but life-changing interruption in 1201. After being captured in a small battle between rival cities, Francis spent a year sick and alone. His time of weakness and contemplation made him realize how useless his life had been up to that point.
But transformation for Francis was slow. After he regained his health, Francis desired personal glory. He signed up for the military, even fancying one day he'd be a great prince. But illness and a sense that God was calling him back to Assisi brought him home again.
It was around this time friends began to notice a lasting change in this attractive, party guy. Friends asked if he had a woman on his mind. He responded, "I am about to take a wife of surpassing fairness." But this wife was not a mortal woman. Instead, Francis renounced his inheritance, gave what he had to the poor, and wedded himself to "Lady Poverty" (much to his father's fury).
Not long after taking his vow of poverty, Francis heard Christ speak to him while he was praying in a small, shabby chapel. The voice said, "Francis, go out and build up my house, for it is nearly falling down." At first, Francis thought he needed to repair the actual building he was praying in. But soon it became clear Francis' mission was really to restore genuine faith among the church - God's people.
So Francis began spending most of his time praying, serving the sick and preaching repentance throughout the region. He had no intentions of starting a community of religious, but single men of diverse backgrounds became intrigued by Francis' humility and wholehearted devotion to the Gospel. And not long after men began joining his mission, a privileged young woman named Clare left her riches behind, bringing women alongside Francis to restore genuine faith among the people.
With so many joining in, Francis realized he was becoming the leader of a monastic movement. So, he sought to keep their focus on Christ by establishing a rule of life on Scripture. In short, the mission of the Franciscan monks and Poor Clare nuns would be to "Announce the kingdom! Possess no gold or silver or copper in your purses, no traveling bag, no sandals, no staff" (Luke 9:1-3). They imitated the early disciples by traveling in twos, owning few personal possessions, and serving those in need while sharing the Gospel to all. Their spiritual legacy continues with Franciscan and Poor Clare communities in regions all over the world today.
Some other little-known facts of how God worked through this influential Christian:
Did you know Francis once challenged a Muslim sultan to consider the truth of Christianity - and the sultan actually considered it?
Did you know Francis is credited with creating the first living Nativity scene at Christmas?
Did you know that, centuries before the Reformation, Francis taught and wrote about the faith in local dialects so commoners could understand?
Francis' story gives us encouragement today. After all, we too live in a culture where Christianity was the dominant religion for a long time but sadly, it's now common for good people to lose sight of the faith. But God worked through a spoiled, wealthy young man to show the surrounding community that even worldly comforts could not satisfy the deepest yearnings of their souls - and He can do the same today.
While most of us are not called to take vows of poverty, it was Francis' unwavering, single-minded devotion to the Gospel that most attracted others to him. And this is something we can - and should - aspire to imitate. As we seek to surrender our lives to Christ more completely, God will work through each one of us in unique ways to inspire others to join us on the faith journey.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Sometimes, the idea of giving everything to God is scary. I personally used to dislike reading stories like Francis of Assisi's because I was afraid I'd have to leave my life behind and become a nun in a foreign country. But the truth is, God will never disappoint those who surrender all to Him. Are you holding anything back from God? Ask God to give you the faith to surrender whatever fears, sins, or idols to Him.
Further Reading
Mark 8: 34
"Pulling an Assisi" - Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Devotional, Sept. 12th
References: St. Francis of Assisi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_of_Assisi), St. Francis of Assisi (http://www.americancatholic.org/features/Francis/), Catholic Encyclopedia (http://www.ewtn.com/library/MARY/CEASSISI.HTM)
:angel:
Editor's Note: Today we are pleased to announce the launch of the audio/podcast version of the Crosswalk Devotional. Email subscribers will continue to receive this text version, but please note the links that will also allow you the options to listen online or subscribe to the audio podcast! You can also visit our Facebook page. We hope you enjoy!
August 2, 2010
Insider Access
John UpChurch, Editor, Jesus.org
Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 4:16, NASB
I hung up the phone when the code-blue alarm blared. Nurses poured out from every direction with stethoscopes flapping behind them. Equipment and carts squeaked and squealed and converged on a single room only feet from where I worked.
I'd never felt so out of place. Someone might have been suffering a heart attack, and all I could do was fix computers.
After graduating with a degree in English, I took a detour through the world of IT. My first job kept me safely within the walls of a corporate office, but the second and third propelled me into the antiseptic rooms of mental health wards, surgery centers, and ERs.
The funny thing about computers is that they open doors. No matter how secure or locked down the facility, my ability to fix broken equipment or install software gave me access. With accustomed grace (I'd like to think so, anyway), I scanned my ID badge and confidently strolled through the halls closed to the public. Bored nurse after bored nurse buzzed me into locked-down areas when I told them who I was. True, I did occasionally have to don surgical garb (complete with hairnets and masks), but I could be confident in my credentials, my right to be a room away from people being sliced open or mere feet from chilled bodies in the morgue—even if I wasn't so confident in what I had to wear (of which there are no pictures).
What set me apart from those who couldn't enter such areas had little to do with me personally. After all, even though I'm still the same person, I no longer have the right to waltz into the medical records office. Instead, my pass stemmed from borrowed authority. By working for the IT department, I could cash in that authority to move into protected areas.
Intersecting Faith & Life: The writer of Hebrews tells us that we have the same type of access to God. Because Jesus took the nails for us, the thick veil once separating humanity from the Most Holy Place ripped completely apart. And we're not talking about a thin sheet barely held together. According to Alfred Edersheim, the veil was "40 cubits (60 feet) long, and 20 [cubits] (30 feet) wide, of the thickness of the palm of a hand, and wrought in 72 squares, which were joined together; and these Veils were so heavy, that, in the exaggerated language of the time, it needed 300 priests to manipulate each" (The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, p. 611).
But that thick barrier no longer exists.
Living in the post-crucifixion world, we may not always consider how amazing our access—our confident access—really is. Jesus tore through the separation that had existed since the fall of humanity. Because of His authority, we have a direct line of communication with the Father because of the authority of our ever-present and sympathetic High Priest.
No ID badge or surgical garb required.
Further Reading
Hebrews 4
Hebrews 10
:angel:
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Editor's Note: This week we are pleased to announce the launch of the audio/podcast version of the Crosswalk Devotional. Email subscribers will continue to receive this text version, but please note the links that will also allow you the options to listen online or subscribe to the audio podcast! You can also visit our Facebook page. We hope you enjoy!
August 3, 2010
Taking a Long-Term Missions Trip
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."
Matthew 9:37-38, NIV
This week, I've been praying for a group of friends who are on a short-term missions trip in Japan.
I even have this handy-dandy little rubberized bracelet I can wear each day that's inscribed with a reminder to "Pray for Japan." Actually, I'm not sporting it on my wrist right at the moment (gasp!), but I've got it prominently positioned on my office desk so that I will see it and pray as I am able throughout my work day.
As the team members post entries on their blog each day, I have been able to follow along with other supporters and know what the team is doing, who they're meeting with and even how much or how little sleep they've gotten the night before (seriously). It's showing me how I can pray specifically as they share the Gospel during their 10-day assignment.
That almost instantaneous reporting from an overseas mission field is something that even just a decade or so ago wasn't really happening—if even at all possible. In fact, I don't how long it took Paul's letters from his missionary journeys to get back to the various supporting churches in Bible times, but I have a feeling he might have tapped in to the advantages of the latest communications technology of our day. Getting out the good news of what God is doing today to as many people as possible in just one click? That's genius!
When I first heard the Japan missions team explain the purposes of their trip before they left, I must confess that I felt a little jealous. I wanted to be a part of an exciting endeavor such as this. I wanted the opportunity to travel abroad and to get that kind of life-changing, mountain-top experience that I hear a lot of people talking about when they come home from trips like these.
But then some of the words they used to describe their goals came to the fore in my mind. "It's a relational type of missions trip. We are building relationships with students and young professionals—engaging them in conversations and sharing our testimonies with them—so that seeds might be planted and friendships might be developed that will aid in opening hearts and minds to Jesus Christ."
Hey, I don't have to travel to do that. I can make a difference right where I live! Can't I?
Yes, we all surely can.
But if I don't go somewhere exotic or that requires a passport, then it's not "real" missions work, is it?
Nonsense.
Missions isn't only for career missionaries or those who embark on short-term trips like these—at least my Bible doesn't tell me so. As Christians—as "Christ followers"—we are all charged with delivering a message to others, wherever we or they may live:
In Mark 16:15, Jesus said, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation."
All the world. Huh. That would include right where I live, right? My neighborhood. My community. People at work. People at church. People in the grocery store. People driving past me. People soliciting at my front door. Every day, I have many, many opportunities to share this news. Or not.
Jesus said, "Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men." Or in other words, "Fish or cut bait." Right?
Some of us may be called to move away from our homes, to travel to distant lands to share the Good News. Others will be led to reach out to those where we live. But regardless of the geography or the people group, we are all called to take long-term (and life-long!) missions trips to seek out and reach the lost for Christ.
I'm ready to go. Are you?
Intersecting Faith & Life: J. Hudson Taylor said, "God's work done in God's way will never lack God's supplies." As a Christ follower, how has God supplied you to do his work? And how does he want to work through your life today to reach others? Could he be calling you to reach out to people involved in a particular industry or niche which you belong to or have an affinity for? Think outside of the box and see how God wants to use you in missionary work for his purposes and his kingdom today.
Further Reading
Romans 1:16-17
1 Peter 3:15
:angel:
August 4, 2010
Why Does God Bless Us?
Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture
For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
Matthew 5:45, NIV
Data on U.S. jobs numbers might be less dismal recently, but that doesn't mean finding a job is getting easier. In my church's experience, disappearing industries have shaken out long-time workers, and other industries are crawling back at a pitiful pace.
As I see hard times hitting friends, I feel something like survivors' guilt. My family has taken some hits, but our boat hasn't sprung any severe leaks. We're weathering the storm pretty well - other faithful believers are struggling just to stay afloat. Life is going pretty well right now. The storm makes me look to heaven and wonder, Why God? Why them and not us? Why us and not them?
The particulars of why life goes easy for some believers while others experiencing suffering remains a divine mystery. None of us know God's mind or his unique purpose in our lives. Christ clearly told his disciples that suffering does not imply sin in every instance, or even discipline. Likewise, we can't say blessing comes from great obedience. Both conclusions dispense with humility and assume we know the plans of an infinite God. So how do we view earthly blessings without making undue assumptions?
One of my favorite bloggers, Jon Acuff, recently wrote about his fear of too much blessing. He described it as the moment when everything is "too quiet" in the horror movie and the bad guy jumps from behind the door. God doesn't push us into the mire just because we've exceeded his blessing quota. Acuff put it this way:
"It's the idea that if good things happen to you, God will also allow something bad to happen in order to balance the scale. At the heart of this is some sort of corrupted form of Karma and justice...[but when] you doubt God's goodness, you doubt the very core of who he is."
Looking at this fallen world, I can mistake it for God's perfect design. I look at job loss as a medieval purgatory, a necessary evil we all must suffer before true redemption. But that perspective negates the greatest truth in Scripture: Christ loved us absolutely even in our fallen state. He's not walking around with a big stick to correct our form. He's providing glimpses through the earthly muck into a sweeter grace.
Instead of waiting for the other shoe to drop or feeling guilty, we need to turn the focus back on God. That means seeing blessing as evidence of God's goodness, pure and simple. Like the Psalm says, just "taste and see that the Lord is good." No strings attached.
We can point to good times in our life just as surely as we can point to the bad, testifying that we serve a good God. The good times didn't slip through as a fluke. They are reminders to praise, not to fear.
Experiencing blessing today should also remind us that there is a greater blessing to come. For the Christian, good things are like the reflection in a mirror - a one-dimensional representation of the real thing. Consider Romans 8:32: "He who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?" We've already received the greatest goodness in spite of our unworthiness. If it's all grace, no room remains for guilt or fear.
The real question isn't why God blesses us. The real question is what blessing says about God's character and our response to him. How do we react to a God who has given us the "inexpressible gift" (2 Corinthian 9:15) of his Son? The first reaction is directing praise upward. The second reaction should be directing blessing outward. We're not blessed so we can hoard like the rich man with all his barns. We're called to give our time and efforts in every circumstance - how much more when we experience tremendous blessing?
As Paul tells the well-to-do Corinthians that they were made rich "so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God." As the phrase goes, we're blessed to be a blessing, to show God's goodness to others.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Our response to blessing - whether we take it for granted, feel guilty for not having "earned" it, or use it as a means to praise a good God - reveals what we really believe about our Heavenly Father. How will you respond today?
:angel:
August 5, 2010
Different Gifts for the Common Good
Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same LORD. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.
1 Cor 12: 4- 7, NIV
I can hardly believe how quickly our engagement is flying by. Our wedding takes place November 6th of this year. This may sound like plenty of time, but Fiance and I are doing more than planning the ceremony. We're also working with a spiritual director to prepare for marriage.
The first reading our spiritual director assigned us is the profound and influential book Love & Responsibility by Fr. Karol Wojtyla. You may recognize this author under his more famous name, Pope John Paul II.
I'm not going to lie. Reading through hundreds of pages of philosophical thought is a bit of a sacrifice for us. But I am so thankful our pastor gave us this project. So often couples get caught up in the emotional highs of wedding planning, they fail to plan for the marriage. As the Family Editor here at Crosswalk, I receive countless heartbreaking emails from couples struggling to live out their vows.
Of course, some may ask what a celibate man could know about married love? Fr. Wojtyla doesn't dodge this question. In his introduction, he shares:
"[Priests' and celibates'] lack of direct personal experience is no handicap because they possess a great deal of experience at second-hand, derived from their pastoral work. For in their pastoral work they encounter these particular problems so often and in such a variety of circumstances and situations, that a different type of experience is created, which is certainly less immediate, and certainly 'second-hand,' but at the same time very much wider."
Fr. Wojtyla's words remind me of another famous marriage expert: St. Paul. His words on Christian marriage and love rank among some of the most-quoted scriptures. Yet Paul, in imitation of Christ, embraced the celibate life. After giving some of his famous "marital advice" to those already married, Paul writes to those who are unmarried and encourages them to embrace celibacy:
I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the LORD's affairs--how he can please the LORD. But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world--how he can please his wife-- and his interests are divided. (1 Cor 7: 32 -34)
I believe it is the undivided devotion available to the celibate believer that allows a special perspective on those of us called to marriage. And the more I ponder this, the more I realize how illogical it is to claim a chaste believer knows little of love! After all, celibacy for the sake of the kingdom requires commitment, strength, sacrifice, and godly love for individuals - traits needed for successful marriages, even if these traits are manifested differently in married life.
We have to put these scripture verses in context, of course, and recognize that while Paul preferred celibacy, marriage is also a holy calling. I know Christian marriage is where my fiance and I belong. But the more my fiancé and I receive guidance from both married's and unmarried's, the more we appreciate the strength in God's decision to unite believers with different callings under the umbrella of His Church.
Intersecting Faith & Life: When you need godly counsel, do you always turn to those who will agree with you or who live just like you? Do you think you could benefit from a different perspective?
Further Reading
1 Cor 7
:angel:
August 6, 2010
From Middle of Life to Center of Truth
Shawn McEvoy
Do not withhold your mercy from me, O LORD; may your love and your truth always protect me.
Psalm 40:11, NIV
I turned 40 a couple months ago. Woo-hoo.
You'll pardon my "enthusiasm," I'm sure. What nobody tells you about turning 40 is that you ask yourself a lot of questions, sort of a checklist of making sure you have certain things right before proceeding to the most meaningful half of the game. It's like you're in the locker room at halftime of life - bandaging injuries, reflecting on the strategies of the first half - both failed and successful - and considering your options as you re-emerge to the field.
One upside of this odd time (one of my most awkward since adolescence; think of me as a teenager plus a modicum of wisdom, confidence, and gainful employment. I even found a couple of zits this week for goodness sakes) is empathy. I wouldn't call what I'm going through a "mid-life crisis"... but I now understand why some people have them. I wouldn't say that agnosticism is any kind of answer to the meaning of life... but I now understand why people gravitate to it, conscientiously or not. I wouldn't say this life is the point or that this world is our home... but I get why people begin to make the most of the time they have left as they see the clock running down.
The downside, however, is that I find myself prone to thinking I'm smarter than I am, to thinking so much depends upon me, to buying into answers that are all at once beyond biblical teaching in both complexity and sanity. My like-it's-on-hormones brain has me wondering about...
Dinosaurs, definitions of marriage, death, love, whom I've loved, whether I've loved, addictions, exercise, accountability, honesty, privacy, sexuality, inerrancy, accuracy, cosmology, biology, psychology, mighta-beens, coulda-beens, shoulda-beens, woulda-beens, fairness, facts, food, euthanasia, hip dysplasia, adoptions from Asia, character, selfishness, and yes... even shiny new sportscars.
Good gracious.
Take any one of those categories - plus many more - and I've been bogged down thinking about it. Some of my thoughts challenge my own beliefs, beliefs I've long held as established, settled. Some of my thoughts wake me up to new possibilities, or things I haven't done yet that I may still be called to. But in the end all these ideas remain merely...
My. Thoughts.
Biblically, those just aren't very trustworthy words. So what do I do now?
The same thing I've always done - come back to first principles. Study the old verses from childhood. Memorize scripture. And be really, really honest with friends and acquaintances. That authenticity, though, is a new ingredient, one that is making this halftime speech much more meaningful, bearable, and shared.
But at its root is just the same formula from which I deconstruct everything: something happened in Jerusalem and the surrounding areas over 2,000 years ago that sent plain old uneducated men to the corners of the earth convinced that everything - life, meaning, all time and all space - was on the line, and there was a Truth worth dying for. They did this because they knew a man who was also God, whom death could not hold, and who offered an amazing gift to anyone who would faithfully open it. And there's this book about those men, and the One in whom they believed, and no matter how many questions you seem to have about this book or how it was put together or who wrote it or whether its teachings are fair or right, one thing is for sure - it spoke in advance of the One who came, and in Him it becomes a whole lot clearer.
And the same God who caused all that to happen wanted the rest of the story told in certain ways. He told us some things were good for us, some bad. He told us some things were right in His eyes, some wrong. He told us He created this place we live in a period of days. No matter how confusing any of that may seem (and make no mistake - child-like faith is one of my favorite things, but growing in wisdom is a stretch to that faith, and stretching is almost always a good thing to do with aging muscles), it holds that there was a Truth. And the God that foretold, sent, and raised this Truth is the one telling the story in a way that might make you scratch your head, puzzle out how things piece together, but before you know it, you have been thinking, praying to, and meditating upon Him and how He did it, how it all might paradoxically mesh.
Simplicity out of complexity. Youthfulness out of age. Truth out of confusion. Beauty out of chaos.
So far, I have to tell you, the 40s just rock.
Intersecting Faith and Life: No matter how old you are, make a list of what's behind you and what you think or hope lies ahead. Admit the concepts with which you struggle, and the bedrock that does not move, and find the place they meet for you. And move forward from there.
Further Reading:
John 18:37-38
What is Truth?
:angel:
August 9, 2010
Romans 8:28 Does Not Mean Giving Thanks with a Plastic Smile
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those
who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."
Romans 8:28
Catastrophes like recent earthquakes, hurricanes, and even terrorist attacks remind us that, indeed, we live in a sin-cursed world. Not only do tragedies like these cause many to lose their lives, they often leave countless others in their wake---roiling in doubt and disbelief. The horrors of human suffering can stain our minds and souls and often obscure our vision of the God who is there. How are we supposed to respond?
Closer to home, we experience the curse of sin in personal ways through losses or disappointments that grieve the heart. We may wonder in all honesty at such times what verses like Romans 8:28 mean. Does Christ call His followers to simply put on a plastic smile and somehow grin and bear it?
Hardly.
Francis Schaeffer offers a helpful explanation to this dilemma in the first chapter of his classic book, True Spirituality. In fact, he says that a proper grasp of Romans 8:28 is crucial to understanding the world.
First of all, he takes care to point out that the Bible's view of life in the world is clear-eyed and realistic: At the Fall of man, everything became abnormal. The whole world is not what God made it to be. Therefore, Scripture verses like Romans 8:28 cannot be calling us to think...
"...that in some magical way everything is really fine when it isn't. Rather, we are to say "thank You Lord" knowing that God will somehow bring good ultimately, though we may not know how all the pieces fit together.
"It is not that Christians are to give thanks with a plastic smile, saying things are wonderful when they are hard. It is knowing that the hard things are really hard things, a result of the abnormality of the Fall, yet not revolting against God when the hard things come."
"We do honor to God and the finished work of Christ as we throw the words 'all things' in Romans 8:28 like a circle around all things..."
"...we are contented before God... yet not complacent about the suffering of the world."
In other words, Christ neither calls us to be indifferent nor to put on a plastic smile. Rather, we are to face the facts of hard reality and then sink our roots more deeply in who He is.
What a privilege that we who are naturally God's enemies can even have a relationship of trusting Him—this faithful, sovereign, covenant keeping God who is incapable of failure. He makes and keeps great promises not only for His glory but for the ultimate good of those who are His.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
In what situations are you tempted to be shaken from trusting God?
Clearly, this is a sin-cursed world. Still, do you sometimes catch yourself expecting a rosy path? Why? What do we really deserve? (Read Romans 3:10-20)
Further Reading
Jonathan Edwards' sermon: "Men Are Naturally God's Enemies"
:angel:
August 10, 2010
Down-size Me
John UpChurch, Editor, Jesus.org
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God. (Matthew 5:3, ESV)
You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.
Matthew 5:3, MSG
Let's try to regain the shock value in the way Jesus opened His Sermon on the Mount. We're too familiar with the statements and too far removed from the time to hear it like the original listeners. Imagine going to a fast food restaurant, ordering an enormous value meal, and the cashier hitting you with this question: "Would you like to down-size your meal for a dollar less?" Or imagine a car salesperson pausing before you sign the papers and saying, "You know what? That extended warranty is overpriced. Let's get rid of it."
Now you have an idea how much impact Jesus had and why the audience was so astounded. Just like we expect people to push us to buy more, the Jews at the time expected their rabbis to tell them the things they needed to do, the rules they needed to abide by. They came expecting to learn the ten steps required to earn God's favor, but Jesus crumpled up that idea and threw it out. Instead, He revealed that God's favor and blessings come to those who are poor in spirit.
There's more to it, however, than simply feeling beaten down or contrite. The poor in spirit—the ones at the end of their ropes—are those who realize they've gone as far as human effort can get them. In terms of salvation, that's not very far. Here's how John Gill puts it:
The greater part of mankind are insensible of this their condition; but think themselves rich, and increased with goods: there are some who are sensible of it, who see their poverty and want, freely acknowledge it, bewail it, and mourn over it; are humbled for it, and are broken under a sense of it; entertain low and mean thoughts of themselves; seek after the true riches, both of grace and glory; and frankly acknowledge, that all they have, or hope to have, is owing to the free grace of God. (John Gill, Commentary on Matthew 5:3)
The poor in spirit don't just feel bad; they feel bad because they realize how destitute their condition. When we truly understand that "karma points" and charitable acts amount to nothing more than drops of food coloring in the ocean, then we've gotten the point: We can't even approach the kingdom of God, let alone enter it, through our own efforts.
But those who look down and see the filth (and pre-salvation, our spiritual appearance is just that) are those who realize the need for God. And with that realization comes the increase of God in our lives and the decrease of self.
Intersecting Faith & Life: The beatitudes are much more than good ideas or suggestions. They crush preconceptions and expose us as we truly are. Each one reveals our need for God, our need for the work only He could do. When we're poor in spirit (that is, realizing our condition), we're rich in Him.
Further Reading
Matthew 5
Luke 6
:angel:
August 11, 2010
Let Me Help You with That Speck
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.
Romans 2:1, NIV
Don't you just love it when God gently smacks you upside the head?
You think you've got something learned and don't really struggle with it anymore. And you've also got the framed certificate of achievement hanging on your wall to prove it. Until ... you open your mouth.
That was the case for me recently when I judged someone based on their outward appearance at my church.
But before I share that "fun" story with you, let's back up even further than that to a couple of years prior, when someone made a judgmental comment to me in church about someone else's outward appearance.
My church friend said: "You know, the congregation seemed really dead this morning. No one was smiling while they were singing or looking joyful AT ALL."
To which I said: "Yeah, I hear you. But how do you know what's going on in their hearts? Just because they're not raising their hands, doesn't mean they're not praising God on the inside. Right?"
To which the friend then replied: Oh. I guess you're right.
And now, let's come back to the present when just a few weeks ago, it was my turn to point out something ...
Here's what I said: Hey, it cracks me up that that guy is wearing shorts and a T-shirt in the church service, while everyone else is wearing dress pants and button-downs. And ESPECIALLY while standing up in front of the congregation during a "ministry moment." TOO funny. Right?
To which my friend said ... [pause] ... Yep, that's right. A big fat NOTHING.
So naturally it dawned on me a few days later what I had done. I realized that my friend was probably thinking what I had been thinking a few years prior when I called someone out for being judgmental.
Matthew 7:3-5 says:
Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.
Ouch. Looking back, I can see that I was so focused on what surely looked like a speck in someone else's eye, that I couldn't even see the plank in my own. How did I know what was in the heart of the guy wearing the T-shirt and shorts at my church? Maybe he was wearing the very best that he had. And how wrong of me to assume that he was not!
God judges what lies in each of our hearts. He sees what is truth when he shines the light inside of our lives.
So the next time, before I go looking to point out specks of sawdust in the eyes of others, let my example be a reminder to us all to remember God's kindness in spite of the planks in our own eyes. And may that knowledge lead us to repentance and in turning our hearts back to him.
Intersecting Faith & Life: What's the best way to see the plank in your own eye? A trusted friend or family member (someone who knows you well, loves you and can gently offer constructive criticism) is a good mirror for that. If you really want to know, schedule some time to sit down together and ask what is stuck in your own eye. It might confirm what you already know or you just might be surprised by what is found.
Further Reading
Psalm 51:10
Proverbs 27:19
:angel:
August 12, 2010
True Testimony
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"Don't lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old evil nature and all its wicked deeds. In its place you have clothed yourselves with a brand-new nature that is continually being renewed as you learn more and more about Christ, who created this new nature within you."
Colossians 3:9-10
The seminary dean of Liberty University recently lost his position, despite tripled enrollment during his tenure. In fact, Liberty University's investigation into Ergun Caner's past life uncovered no secret tapes, no drug use, no sexual misconduct - just "factual statements that are self-contradictory." By most accounts, his offense was really a misdemeanor. He simply made his life's story a little more interesting than it really was.
The fatal flaw, however, was the career he built on those historical flourishes. He touted himself as an expert based on life experiences that now seem exaggerated. For that, Liberty retained him as faculty, but he will no longer steer the seminary he helped build. Caner's demotion and loss of influence should caution not just preachers and public speakers, but all Christians.
Caner's appeal stemmed from his astonishing conversion narrative, which spoke of growing up in Pakistan on a jihadist path before coming to Christ. His true testimony, however, may not have been so glamorous, as Liberty "found discrepancies related to matters such as dates, names and places of residence." It seems Caner fell prey to what a Christianity Today editorial called "testimony envy" - that is, the desire to craft our coming-to-faith stories in a way that inspires awestruck wonder from our fellow Christians.
Here's the problem: Damascus Road conversions display God's irresistible pursuit of us in dramatic fashion, but not everyone needs - or has - that kind of conversion experience. Every Christian has a sin nature that separated him from God, and Christ's sacrifice surmounts that obstacle for every Christian.
We don't need to make ourselves into "bad boys." Theologically speaking, we all looked despicable before a holy God. Exaggerating our testimony to make it more "exciting" gives a quiet voice to an old heresy. Such actions implicitly affirm the idea that our sin nature isn't really that bad. That means we don't really need a Savior that badly. Testimonial flourishes don't make grace more amazing - they cheapen grace.
The Gospel works because Christ loved us enough to accept everyone, not just those who met him on the Damascus Road. He also accepts the good kids who slowly grew in their understanding of faith without a particular moment of conversion and the adult who returns to faith slowly after a period of coldness. The Gospel has never been about how outrageous our story is. It will always be about the outrageous love of God.
Intersecting Faith & Life: One of Christianity's cornerstone verses is Ephesians 2:8 - "For it is by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourself. It is God's gift, not of works, so that no one can boast." When you tell stories about your faith, do they call greater attention to your own responses or God's sustaining grace? The most incredible testimony in the world is that of an ordinary sinner plucked from the mouth of destruction. That's grace. That's worth telling.
:angel:
August 13, 2010
Make Me Happy!
Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
We love, because he first loved us.
1 John 4: 19
I have a confession. I'm a Bachelor addict. You know, the ABC reality show where they set one man up with 25 potential matches? Yes, I keep up with it.
Honestly, this show was cathartic for me during my crazy dating days. It reminded me that perhaps I wasn't the only one struggling with romantic love. And it also provided plenty of object lessons on what not to do in the quest for a spouse.
Sadly, in spite of the show's goal to offer eligible bachelors a chance at lasting love, very few couples make it to the altar. You can blame the elaborate set or the pressure created by the roses, but I think the reason the couples have little success is because the show is founded on commonly held, yet flawed, beliefs about love.
Like so many of us out here in the real world, love on the Bachelor is usually equated to the giddy, mushy, feelings of infatuation. Time and again, the Bachelor expresses the fairy tale notion that they want to find someone who "completes them" or makes them feel happy. They spend hours interviewing and wooing these women then agonizing over eliminations at the famous rose ceremonies in their efforts to find the one woman who will make them happy forever.
But what happens after the final rose when these giddy feelings of personal "completeness" fade? When flaws and hardships overwhelm their early romance? This is when so-called "love" fades for most couples. And we just can't figure out what went wrong.
In his book Love & Responsibility, Fr. Wojtyla explains these perplexing relationship failures. He explains that this notion that we're supposed to find someone to "complete us" is off course. You see, when we date a person with the primary goal of experiencing pleasure - or a sense of "fulfillment" - we're actually using that person. Sure, we may like the person. But we're still using them as a means to our end, our pleasure. And using a person is the opposite of loving them.
Not only does using a person fail to nurture true love, but Fr. Wojtyla insists that the "pleasure approach" is impractical because it is very difficult to predict who will bring us the maximum amount of personal pleasure long-term (I think the Bachelors would agree here!). Thus begins the cycle of serial monogamy as we hop from one high to the next.
So how do we find true love if we can't just look for the person who gives us the biggest high? It's not that we shouldn't enjoy our mates. Quite the contrary. But we need to start off on a different foot. Fr. Wojtyla shares that true love finds its beginnings when two human beings make a free will commitment to a good, the greatest good being God. He writes, "Love... is conditioned by the common attitude of people towards the same good, which they choose as their aim, and to which they subordinate themselves."
Why does this work? In joining another for good, the focus becomes less, "What can you do for me?" (which is self-centered) to "What can we do together to serve God?"
Intersecting Faith & Life: Are you frustrated with your spouse? Do you feel like he or she is not doing enough to make you happy? Pray about ways to resolve your feelings of discontent. If you are both believers, pray about ways you can serve God as a couple.
Further Reading
1 Cor 13
Why Are Today's Parents So Unhappy? by Albert Mohler
:angel:
SUBSCRIBE TO PODCAST | LISTEN TO DEVOTIONALAugust 16, 2010
That Boy Dating Your Daughter is More Than a Nuisance
Shawn McEvoy
Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts...
Psalm 95:6-8
My little girl will turn five in a week, and believe it or not... I'm looking forward to the day she starts bringing boys home.
Oh, believe me, there's no rush. I'm happy to remain Numero Uno in little Lauren's eyes as long as possible. All I'm really saying here is that I believe in her, in how she's being raised, in how she's taking after her mother. Whoever she brings home - I'm confident saying - is not going to be a person without redeeming qualities (and if you don't mind me bragging, she's already made three little boys from preschool so giddy their parents joked with us about an arranged marriage).
So what has me so primed for this experience that I don't sound like the typical dad at the door with a sneer and a shotgun? What else? The experience of having been valued and trusted myself.
Twenty-three years ago I didn't know it, but I became part of a family. The McGriffs were a very unique family. When I met their eldest daughter, Dick and Susan had just remarried each other after having divorced each other. I never knew all the details, only that this was their first example to me of it never being too late, of recognizing wrongs and repenting.
They took to me right away, but don't get the impression that they didn't lay down the law or have rules. It was the way they imposed them - agreeably, fairly, seriously - that made so much of a difference. It's not even that they didn't try to "change" me - to be perfectly honest they did try: suggesting Christian alternatives to my secular music, suggesting viewed-at-their-home Cary Grant movies to the ones I would have preferred taking their daughter to the theater to see, giving us five minutes after a date to say goodnight before the front lights would be flicked on and off signaling that, okay, that's enough now.
I dated Malia for four-and-a-half years, off and on. During that time I built memories, house-sat for their family, came to cherish younger sisters Michelle and Amy like they were my own. Oh, like most young couples our relationship wasn't perfect; we would fight and make things more difficult than they had to be, just as I continue to do. But from her folks there was always instruction, encouragement, solidity. Laughs and firm handshakes. Always trust regardless.
Thanks to Facebook, I've regained contact with these three sisters, observed how their family has grown, and chuckled at the way they continue to interact despite living all over the country (Malia in particular had the most amazing talent for taking tense situations and making them laughable, one I'm told she still has, one that is a story for another time). I sent them the following email:
Just wanna say... You three are still some of my favorite people I've ever met, especially for a trio of sisters. I love how life has worked out for all of you, and how large that family has grown, and how involved your folks are in visiting. You have fantastic men who seem to get you and treat you well.
You're all three beautiful examples of Christian motherhood and of being distinctly individual yet connected. It was transformative to grow up as a semi-adopted part of your clan, and it's a blessing to see your joy - and how you've dealt with the pains - today.
You gals rock!
And from each I received back a distinctive, meaningful, heartfelt response. And I traced it all to the commitments, re-commitments, and never-give-up attitudes their parents made so obvious without being annoying. And shoot, even if they were ever annoying, I love them the more for it now.
There are opportunities everywhere. And yes, there are dangers. And times are different, and believe me - I know guys and what is on their minds. But I was politely welcomed and discipled as more than the sum of my convertible sportscar + raging hormones, and in so many ways, that made as much difference as several lessons my own parents modeled for me.
Thanks again, McGriff family.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Are you nervous about your daughter starting to date? Why or why not? Have you taken an active role in helping her decide in advance what choices are better than others? Will you be able to understand or tolerate failings? Are you able to be firm while smiling and maintaining a sense of humor or gentility? Willing to be labeled as old-fashioned but resolute in knowing your ways are good ways? You never know who or what that boy is going to become, but you have a chance to help ensure it's something good.
Further Reading
Proverbs 22:6
1 Corinthians 2:5
Raise a Godly Daughter in an Ungodly World
Pop Quizzes
Alex Crain, Editor, Christianity.com
"...covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints
...but rather giving of thanks."
Ephesians 5:3-4 NKJV
"Clear your desks. Take out a blank sheet of paper and a #2 pencil..." Years later, I can still hear the sound of Mr. Young's voice intoning above the moans and groans in our 7th grade classroom. Maybe you had the same kind of teacher... every day was a potential pop quiz day.
Although it wasn't much fun facing the unexpected pressure of a pop quiz, I can see looking back that Mr. Young's intent was to teach me to think hard when reading assignments were given and to listen carefully during lectures. I recall that the answers on the quiz were usually fairly obvious as long as I was half-way plugged into what was going on in class. Rarely, if ever, were the quiz questions about any sort of new or obscure information. This was just his way to review material we had already read or heard.
Now, I see that every day has a potential pop quiz day of another sort. Something happens daily to test the reality of my love for God and others. And, like Mr. Young's pop quizzes, it's usually a matter of review. That doesn't mean that the A-plusses come easily. Often, the pop quizzes of life are about desires going on within my heart—desires balancing on the razor's edge between contentment and covetousness. According to Ephesians 5:3-4, the only response that scores an A+ in the pop quizzes of life is "giving of thanks" ...i.e. having a thankful heart at the very moment I don't get something I want.
Francis Schaeffer wrote about the gravity of coveteousness in his book, True Spirituality. He said, "There are two practical tests as to when we are coveting against God or other people; first, I am to love God enough to be contented; second, I am to love others enough not to envy." He goes on to say (in chapter one):
"The Bible makes plain that God has made us with proper desires. So, all desire is not sin. When does proper desire become coveting? ... there is a lack of proper contentment on my part. When I lack proper contentment, I have forgotten that God is God. A quiet disposition and a heart giving thanks is the real test of the extent to which we love and trust God at that moment."
So, if a quiet disposition and a heart giving thanks is the real test of the extent to which we love and trust God, how's your "pop quiz average" lately? Are you a person with a spirit of entitlement about your way, or do you have an outlook toward the Lord that trusts Him in His way?
A high standard like the two-edged: "do not covet... but rather give thanks in all things" might cause us to shrug our shoulders in despair. Francis Schaeffer, himself, admitted to having low points like this. What made the difference for him was that He rediscovered joy by believing again in the reality of the Holy Spirit.
It is the Holy Spirit's work of inward heart change as spoken about in places like Ezek. 36:26, and Jer. 31:33-34 that produces contentment. If we stop believing in Him, we'll be left only to look to ourselves. And a self-dependent life is going to be a life marked by one failed "pop quiz" after another... at those surprise moments when you don't get something you want, you'll have an ungrateful, grumbling heart.
The rigorous internal standard of "thou shalt not covet" finally humbles all of us. Even the "perfect" Pharisee, Paul, in Romans 7:7-9 confessed that it was the "thou shalt not covet" commandment that gnawed at him and exposed his true inward condition as a sinner before God.
When we are controlled by the strong desire to make things go our way, we are coveting God's place to ordain everything His way. At that moment, we are no longer loving God. What's the right response then? Humble confession of sin and a fresh appreciation for the atoning work of Christ on the cross for that sin.
Humble confession to God through Christ casts us safely into depending on God. His active work in our hearts causes us to give thanks for all things, and that brings Him glory.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
What's your "pop quiz average" lately? Is it bringing God glory?
On the basis of God's New Covenant promise (Jer. 31:34, Ezek. 36:26) and the finished work of Christ ask God to change you and enable you to do what may seem impossible—to give thanks always for all things.
Further Listening
Psalm 62, song by Aaron Keyes
You Never Let Go, song by Matt Redman
:angel:
August 18, 2010
Empty Rooms
John UpChurch, Editor, Jesus.org
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. (Matthew 5:4, ESV)
Empty rooms always get to me. The echoes where couches used to be, the scratch marks where paintings of flowers once covered nail holes, the carpet indentations where the treadmill once collected dust—taken together, the missing elements can be overwhelming.
In those empty rooms, first steps happened, weekends dwindled away, and strawberry smoothies cooled summer afternoons. Leaving means letting go of at least a part of those moments, especially the immediacy of place, where smell and touch can trigger the fullness of what transpired there.
Normally, I simply write off the feelings as nostalgia. But nostalgia's just a polite way to say "mourning" or "sadness." We say "nostalgia" when we really mean that we're sad to let go of something we've known, something we've grown accustomed to. We've gotten so familiar with the walls that leaving them hurts.
Deeper down, mulling over empty rooms is more than simply missing potted plants and funny shapes in the wood grain on the floor; it's about introspection. The objects that are missing have no value in themselves. The value comes from us. To other people our empty room is a blank slate, but to us, it's a place that will never be the same.
True mourning, the kind Jesus means in Matthew 5:4, involves that inward-focused examination—not looking at external changes, but peering inside at what those changes mean. Each day we can find an outward reason to mourn: social injustice, loss, death. And God offers peace for each of them. But the comfort Christ refers to here is for those who mourn from the inside out.
Let's focus on the obvious for a moment. Comfort always follows sorrow. We wouldn't offer condolences to those who received a promotion. God comforts those who have examined the depths of themselves and realized the need to mourn. They understand that the outside manifestations of sorrow reveal a more immediate inner need—the need for Christ. True comfort must start there.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Just like the poor in spirit who receive the kingdom of heaven, those who mourn realize something about themselves and let God take care of what's tucked away inside. The poor in spirit see the rags they wear spiritually, and the mourners see the source of their sorrows.
We mourn because we see what we are and what we've been: empty rooms ready for the rightful Tenant, Jesus Christ.
Further Reading
Isaiah 61:1-3
James 1:12
:angel:
August 19, 2010
Appearances Can Be Deceiving
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."
1 Samuel 16:7, NIV
Leave it to God to pick the guy no one else would have picked to become Israel's greatest earthly king: David.
When I think of how unlikely it is that a shepherd boy became a king, I am reminded of the song I used to sing in Sunday School as a child, "Only a Boy Named David" ...
Only a boy named David
Only a little sling
Only a boy named David
But he could pray and sing
Only a boy named David
Only a rippling brook
Only a boy named David
But five little stones he took
And one little stone went in the sling
And the sling went round and round
And one little stone went in the sling
And the sling went round and round ...
Hmmm. "Only" this and "only" that. There's so much depth of meaning in the word "only," isn't there? As a child, I don't know if I really grasped the concept of God's powerful hand at work in and through the life of such an unlikely hero. But I do now.
David was small in stature, young and inexperienced when the Lord instructed Samuel to anoint him as the chosen one who would replace Saul as king.
In Samuel 16, the Lord had told Samuel to find Jesse because he had chosen one of his sons to be king. As probably most of us would do, Samuel first gravitated toward who looked best suited for the part: the oldest and taller child, Eliab.
"Surely the LORD's anointed stands here before the LORD," Samuel thought.
Nope. Not quite.
In verse 7, we see how the Lord showed Samuel that what he was looking for was not in someone's appearance or in anything that man can see.
"Do not consider his appearance or his height ... Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."
So Samuel considered another son. And then another. And yet the parade wasn't over until seven of Jesse's sons had been seen by Samuel.
"Are these all the sons you have?" he asked Jesse. "There is still the youngest," Jesse replied, "but he is tending sheep." "Send for him," Samuel said. "We will not sit down until he arrives."
He was "only a boy named David." But Samuel heeded the Lord's command ("Rise and anoint him; he is the one"). And David was filled with the Spirit of the Lord and his life—and history—was changed forever.
How can you not be encouraged after hearing that? If God can use "only a boy named David" to carry out his plan, can he not use you and me as well? Only a lonely girl named "Amy" or only a bed-ridden grandfather named "Ralph" or only a flunked-out college student named "Ted"?
Perhaps you are the one who is limiting yourself and all that God wants to do through you. Have you ever thought about it in that way?
"But I don't have enough schooling," you might think. Or, "I'm not eloquent enough." Or "I don't have enough money." Or "I'm not gifted ." And so forth.
Stop looking at yourself the way the world sees you—the way the world wrongly places importance on what is temporal and fleeting—and start looking at yourself through the eyes of faith. Who does God want you to see? What purposes does he have for you? And how is he equipping you to serve him in mighty ways right now?
Yes, appearances can be deceiving. But thankfully our God sees underneath to the wonderful creations he has made us all to be.
Intersecting Faith & Life: About a year ago, I had the opportunity to hear an amazing young man speak. He was born without limbs, but hasn't let that slow him down as he travels worldwide sharing the Gospel through his ministry. I encourage you to learn more about his story at www.lifewithoutlimbs.org. Be inspired and remember that no matter how the world sees you or me or tries to label our "limitations," God can see our true potential and can use any and all of us for his Kingdom.
Further Reading
Luke 1:37
Philippians 4:13
:angel:
August 20, 2010
Expectant Prayers
Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"But when you ask him, be sure that you really expect him to answer, for a doubtful mind is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind." - James 1:6
When a friend called me with "news" recently, I anticipated hearing about a promotion at work or a ring on her finger. The true story left me speechless.
"I'll pray for you" has become such a Christian catchphrase. We use it to comfort the hurting, encourage the downtrodden, advise the undecided, and otherwise tell people "I'll be thinking of you" in a holy manner. But when we pray, "Lord, please help Jenny move on after the breakup," do we really expect God to show up? Or do we anticipate that the natural measure of time will be what helps Jenny, not expecting a supernatural show?
This phone call chased away natural explanation. My friend was calling about permanent change that defied any temporal remediation. Excitedly, she told me that her father had finally met Jesus.
I just listened for a moment as she rejoiced and sang about her news. This was nothing short of miraculous - her father had never pretended to embrace faith of any kind. Her father is Jewish by birth, but the Christmas tree twinkled in their house just like it does in many non-Christian households. He didn't accept his wife's invitations to church or see his children's coming to faith as a motivation for spiritual exploration. Despite attempts by other men in his life to talk about faith in Christ, he remained resolutely independent for more than 20 years. Then... one day it just clicked. And the angels rejoiced.
During those years of unbelief, my friend and her mother practiced what could be called "expectant prayer." For two decades, they prayed for a unified family with a spiritual future. Their journey required a years of believing that "nothing is impossible with God" (Luke 1:37) and not losing faith. They "really expected God to answer" even if they didn't know when and couldn't see any difference. And so they prayed - for 20 years.
When my friend and I first met seven years ago, one of our first conversations considered God's sovereignty paired with our prayers. My beliefs at the time bordered on hyper-Calvinism, and my prayers leaned towards "your will be done" because... well, God's will was going to be done no matter what. My prayer life edged toward determinism more than faith. My new friend, on the other hand, fervently believed that "the prayers of a righteous man are powerful and effective" (James 5:16). She didn't know what the answer for her father would be - or if she would ever know for sure before heaven - but she knew her prayers would play a role in the answer. She didn't have to know how. She just prayed expectantly.
As I share my friend's news with you today, I'm reminded of the father in Mark 9 whose son was possessed by an evil spirit. The man had watched his son struggle against the spirit's dominion since his infancy. He must have been close to giving up hope. But he scrapped together whatever faith he had left and took the boy to the disciples. His heart weighed so heavily that he begged for relief from the creator of the world with the phrase, "If you can do anything, take pity on us and help us." What a desperate plea! Jesus recognized the man's flagging faith and did take pity, encouraging the man to believe that miracles were possible. The man's response has always stirred me: "I do believe - help me overcome my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24) And Jesus healed his son.
I don't think this father possessed unwavering, strong faith. I do think he possessed the mustard seed, however, and that was enough to move a mountain (Matthew 17:20). Likewise, I can't imagine praying for 20 years without once doubting that your prayer will be answered the way you hope. But clinging to our prayers with a mustard seed of faith will never be without effect.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Our prayers may not have visible effects here on earth. That cancer patient we prayed for may not win the battle against his illness. We may not know exactly how God will use or answer our prayers, but He is using them nonetheless. May the Lord give us the faith to keep praying - expectantly - that we will not be shaken.
:angel:
August 23, 2010
Dangerous Love
Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Ephesians 5:1 -2 NIV
Love.
It's a beautiful thing, right? Little girls dream of their future Prince Charmings sweeping them off their feet. Young men put their hearts and pride on the line to pursue beauties in hopes of finding happiness.
Although romantic love is a gift - a little slice of heaven at it's finest - let's be honest: it's also the primary place all our little demons come out to play.
After all, the one who knows us most intimately is not just privy to our gifts and strengths. He or she eventually sees us at our worst. And there's something about romantic love that seems to amplify the worst - even when our intentions are good.
It's astounding to me that marriages last a lifetime given the pain we are capable of inflicting on each other. Poets and writers have referred to love as a form of insanity. I was joking with a friend recently that infatuation probably is a form of insanity. But for the Christian, love is so much more.
If we look to Christ on the cross, we see that true, godly love bleeds. Love is vulnerable and suffers.
In his book The Four Loves, C.S. Lewis observed:
"To love at all is to be vulnerable... If you want to make sure of keeping your heart intact, you must give your heart to no one...Lock it up safe in the casket of your selfishness. But in that casket -- safe, dark, motionless, airless -- it will change. It will not be broken -- it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable... The only place outside of Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from love is Hell."
As much as we'd like to do away with the painful, dangerous side of love -- would we have known the depth of God's love for us without the cross? I doubt it. Scripture points out the hard truth about human nature: most of us wouldn't die for a friend. But Christ - fully anticipating the pain -- died for friends and enemies alike. That's love expressed more eloquently than the finest love letter.
Christ's example alone is enough to justify the risks that come with love. But thankfully, love isn't just suffering. If it were, then love really would be insanity.
Instead, God -- in a way only God can - uses suffering to bring forth life... life far better than had we avoided the dangers of the cross. Resurrection follows for the couple willing to mutually embrace Christ and the cross of love. And it is this transformation that makes sacrificial love "fragrant."
In our own brief time together, my fiancé and I can attest to God's redemptive work. We've dated for 3 years. We've seen ugliness. And we've also seen the sweet rewards of working through that ugliness. Of submitting it to God. Of allowing Him to make the cross our "glory."
Sometimes I wish we had one of those whirlwind romantic courtship stories. You know, where boy meets girl, and after 6 months of whispering sweet nothings, they get engaged and plan their fairy tale wedding.
Instead we got heavy discernment. Some tears and some wounds. But in being open to love and in submitting all the ups and downs to Christ, we also experienced growth, depth, and now a brand new life together.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Have you ever met someone who got burned in love and vowed to never give their heart away again? Perhaps this describes you. Spend some time in prayer this week asking God to break down any unhealthy walls built around your heart so that you can give and receive love more fully.
:angel:
August 24, 2010
You're Right!
Shawn McEvoy
"I've laid down a pattern for you. What I've done, you do.
I'm only pointing out the obvious...
If you understand what I'm telling you, act like it - and live a blessed life."
John 13:15-17, The Message
I was very close to my father. He was the best man in my wedding, and growing up, when a lot of my peers were spending their weekend nights partying, I was usually happier to spend an evening with my dad watching a movie over ice cream.
One of the reasons I loved spending time with him was because I knew the Lord in a personal way... and he didn't. Sure, he was raised a "cultural Catholic," and was even an altar boy, but he'd definitely fallen away from any semblance of faith, and we all knew that he'd never been saved.
For several years, Dad was pretty much my pet project. I was always sharing with him when I could, always witnessing, always loving on him. I was continually lifting up prayers to God for his salvation, always trusting and somehow knowing it would eventually come to pass. And it did, 17 years after it had for me, and four years before he died. It's one reason his death - even though he was only 57 - wasn't nearly as devastating as it might have been to me.
He passed away in August of 2001. I stayed with my mom for a few weeks to help out before flying home on the evening of September 10 - yep, the night before a whole lot more stuff changed for a whole lot of us. I was in graduate school at the time, though I ended up taking a semester off to deal with all that had happened. So that Fall was a very strange time for me.
But then, as is so often true, there was Christmas...
We were at my in-laws' house that year. Somewhere in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve I was awoken, not by reindeer on the roof, but by a rainbow in my mind. It came to me in a dream, out of the darkness, but as if I were awake. One minute there was an immense, black screen before my eyes. Then, just like in a cartoon, someone pushed a section of the blackness out of the way, revealing just a square inch of the most amazing colors. It was my dad.
He was young, tan, and radiant, and he was wearing a smile bigger than any he'd smiled on earth. He didn't linger long. He simply said, "Shawn! Shawn-o! You were right! You were right about all this! But you're not living like it!"
Intersecting Faith & Life: The rest of this story is mine, and for the most part, I'm blessed to say I'm "living like it" a lot more since then, a few bumps in the road excepted. Ask yourself: if it were confirmed to you that everything you believe from the Word of God, and everything you've preached was true, right, and absolute, what would you do? What would you no longer waste time doing? With whom would you share, and how would your purpose and daily life change? Because guess what... it is true! You're right!
Further Reading
Live Today in Light of Heaven
:angel:
"Liberty," Lists, or Love
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"...if because of food your brother is hurt, you are no longer walking according to love.
Do not destroy with your food him for whom Christ died."
Romans 14:15
After being born again, what does one do exactly? I remember struggling with this question after becoming a believer in Christ. It can be a thorny question that lingers for a long time in a person's life. Not too long ago, I read about a discussion that one Bible teacher had about this with some students one Saturday night at his ministry called L'Abri. The teacher, Francis Schaeffer, listened as some talked about lists of taboos—that as long as you didn't do certain things deemed to be un-Christian, you would be spiritual. Others criticized the list mentality and spoke in favor of a more lax Christian life. No, no, no objected Schaeffer. "The true Christian life is not merely a negative not-doing of any small list of things. But neither do we come to the true Christian life merely be rejecting the list and then shrugging our shoulders and living a looser life."
Schaeffer took his students to the law of love spoken of in Romans 14:15. According to this text, no Christian may entertain thoughts of living a looser life. Here, we are commanded to walk according to love. The text says, "If because of food your brother is hurt, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy with your food him for whom Christ died."
"This is an absolute declaration that we are to do this," Schaeffer said (i.e. walking according to love). He went on, " it is perfectly true that we cannot be saved by doing this; we cannot do this in our own strength; and none of us do this perfectly in this life. Nevertheless... it is the absolute command of God."
Now, if Christ is your Lord, you are under His command and you do what He says, right? First John 5:2-3 says, "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome."
Francis Schaeffer observed that this command to walk according to love soon leads us to discover that rather than leading into a looser life, the law of love moves us into "something much more profound and heart-searching. Having gone deeper, we find that we will be observing some of the taboos on the lists for a completely different reason... we have seen that some of those things are helpful to other people."
What a concept to instill in a new believer—being helpful to others. Could it really be so simple that true liberty is not "liberty" to indulge the self but it is freedom from the tyranny of our bent to please the self? Apparently so.
Without saying it directly, Schaeffer put his finger squarely on the core problem plaguing both the legalist and the libertine: both are driven to serve self, not Christ, not others. But as the text goes on to say, "the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit," (Romans 14:17). This righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit only rests on the one who walks in love.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Are you joyless? Discontent? Pray for an "others-oriented mindset" that is fueled by the power of the Holy Spirit through the Word of God. "Walking according to love" is the only thing that can keep you from falling off the narrow path into either extreme—living loosely on the one hand, or being a Pharisee that merely holds to an accepted list so that others will think well of you.
Further Reading
Worldliness, by C.J. Mahaney
How do we maintain a life of consistent spiritual discipline? by Chip Ingram (audio)
Endnote:
In 1955, Dr. Francis and Edith Schaeffer opened their home to help people with unanswered questions about God, faith, the Bible and their relevance to modern life. Students and seekers from all over Europe and the world trekked up to their chalet perched high in the Swiss Alps where they heard and saw Christian theology applied to all of life. Fortunately, the well-preserved written record of the Schaeffers' lives and ministry allows us to follow their trail of thought, be discipled by them, and discover a bit of what made their message so worth hearing.
Just prior to the launching of their most fruitful ministry years, Francis had to face down a severe crisis of joylessness. What came out of that crisis is the content of his book, True Spirituality, without which there would have been no L'Abri ministry. Read more about it here.
:angel:
August 26, 2010
Hunger Pains
John UpChurch
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Matthew 5:6, ESV
My father has a sardonic wit. Growing up, when one of my brothers or I would point out that our supply of chips, cereal, and milk had run dangerously low—at least from our perspective—he always had a similar answer: "Why should I buy food? You'll just eat it." To this day, I'm not completely convinced he was joking.
This happened all the more because of the size of our family—four boys who were perpetually hungry, the various friends who always stayed around and enjoyed the free foodstuffs, and my parents. We chowed through low-fat ice cream, churned through Malt-o-Meal bags with ferocity, and downed pretzels with abandon. Growing boys need to eat, after all.
I couldn't count just how many loaves of bread we went through during my youth, but if you stacked them end to end, I'm sure you could come up with one of those impressive charts showing how many times the chain would wrap around the earth. My parents did their best to keep the cupboards stocked by piling grocery carts full. However, they faced one insurmountable problem, the same problem my father hit upon with his ornery comment: No matter how much we ate, we still needed more.
Hunger and thirst have this bad habit of coming back. No quarter-pound hamburger or bucket-sized glass of tea can cure this vicious cycle. Eat, get hungry; eat, get hungry.
The Samaritan woman Jesus spoke with at the well knew all about this condition. Every day she trekked to a hole in the ground, yanked up water, and sloshed her way home. The next day, she had to repeat the process. No matter what, she'd never be satisfied, never make enough trips to the well. In essence, that's what Jesus pointed out to her—the same thing He pointed out during the Sermon on the Mount.
While T-bone steaks fill our bellies for a moment, they only momentarily satisfy. The cost of the meal, the effort involved, the garnish, none of that prevents hunger from returning—sometimes worse than before. And we're left rummaging through the pantry at midnight, trying to find the last of the peanut butter or any leftover Goldfish crackers.
In one way, however, there is something profound to what my dad always said. As Jesus pointed out to the well woman, we go through actions every day to fulfill basic life requirements. We want to live, so we drink and eat. But the results are transient, momentary. The irony is that fulfilling those basic life needs often drowns out the deeper need we all have.
The people who realize their true hunger, the insatiable thirst for God, understand that stuffing faces, stuffing wallets, and stuffing days full of activities don't slake the thirst of the spirit. They want righteousness—a tasty goodness that doesn't come from waffle fries or chocolate shakes.
Intersecting Faith & Life: The greatest part of realizing our need for righteousness is Christ's promise that we will be filled. We don't always eat or drink when we want, but when we ask Christ to make us right with God, He does. No trips to the supermarket or trips to the well—we're simply filled.
So, why should you hunger after righteousness? Because it's exactly what you'll get.
Further Reading
John 4:5-26
Isaiah 55
:angel:
August 27, 2010
A Time of Confession
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:9, NIV
One of the things I have come to appreciate more and more in a liturgical church service each week is the time of confession.
In this week's time of "Public Confession of Sin," we recited the following:
O living God, I bless You that I see the worst of my heart as well as the best of it, that I can sorrow for those sins that carry me from You, that it is Your deep and dear mercy to show me my sin so that I may return, pray and live. My sin is to look on my faults and be discouraged, or look on my good and be puffed up. I fall short of Your glory every day by spending hours unprofitably, by thinking that the things I do are good, when they are not done to Your end, nor spring from the rules of Your Word. My sin is to fear what never will be; I forget to submit to Your will, and fail to be quiet there. Help me to see that although I am in the wilderness it is not all briars and barrenness. I have bread from heaven, stream from the rock, light by day, fire by night, Your dwelling place and Your mercy seat.
The last two lines of this confession brought a lump to my throat and really caught my attention.
... although I am in the wilderness it is not all briars and barrenness.
It's not? Praise God, it's not! Take a look around your wilderness right now. And I'll stop and take a look around mine, too. What do you see?
I have bread from heaven, stream from the rock, light by day, fire by night, Your dwelling place and Your mercy seat.
After a week of feeling like I was trapped in the briars and the barrenness of my life, I had a lightbulb moment when reading through the Truth of what I do have. And I was convicted all over again of a poor attitude and a life not being lived in right response to our God. I silently acknowledged what was being revealed to me: my sinfulness.
Confession will do that for you. It shines the light on what is really going on in our hearts. And hopefully, if we are in step with the Holy Spirit, we will have already been convicted of what we are bringing to God when we confess.
I know that in the past week, there were several times where I felt the pangs of conviction in my own heart. While it's good that I was convicted and knew that something was not right in my heart, I needed to take the next step and confess my sins to the Lord so that I could be reconciled and grow deeper in my relationship with him.
It is hard to experience the stench of our hearts. I know I'd rather just shut the door and spend time elsewhere—far, far away where I don't have to think about the ugliness that lies beneath the many layers of me.
But when we confess, we are cleansed and restored. Let's aim to do that today, so that we may be forgiven, so that we may be a fragrant offering, so that we may enjoy fellowship with our Father in heaven.
Intersecting Faith & Life: To quote a Scottish proverb: "Open confession is good for the soul." When is the last time you confessed your sins to the Lord? Take time to search yourself and spend time in confession. And may God break our hearts and renew a right spirit within us all.
Further Reading
Psalm 51
Psalm 103
"Hosanna"
Words & Lyrics: Brooke Fraser
© 2006 Hillsong Publishing
Performed by: Christy Nockels, Life Light Up (2009)
I see the King of glory
Coming on the clouds with fire
The whole earth shakes
The whole earth shakes
I see His love and mercy
Washing over all our sin
The people sing
The people sing
Hosanna
Hosanna
Hosanna in the highest
I see a generation
Rising up to take the place
With selfless faith
With selfless faith
I see a new revival
Stirring as we pray and seek
We're on our knees
We're on our knees
Hosanna
Hosanna
Hosanna in the highest
Heal my heart and make it clean
Open up my eyes to the things unseen
Show me how to love like You have loved me
Break my heart for what break Yours
Everything I am for Your kingdom's cause
As I walk from earth into eternity ...
Hosanna
Hosanna
Hosanna in the highest
:angel:
August 30, 2010
When the Church Isn't Lovable
Katherine Britton
Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."
John 13:35
"I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." This soundbite attributed to Ghandi provides the classic rejoinder for anyone tempted to leave a church. Churches are comprised of human beings who have yet to shake their sin nature, after all. We hurt each other. We get legalistic. We don't enforce tough love when called for, leaving the defenseless to fend for themselves. We're often a bunch of gross caricatures rather than true reflections of our Christ.
Former vampire novelist Anne Rice recently lashed out at this habit, saying she "quit being a Christian" because of, well, Christians. She said,
"I'm out. I remain committed to Christ as always but not to being "Christian" or to being part of Christianity. It's simply impossible for me to "belong" to this quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous group. For ten years, I've tried. I've failed. I'm an outsider... In the name of Christ, I quit Christianity and being Christian. Amen."
Hearing Rice's experience saddens me, because I'm sure her descriptions are accurate. We've all seen - and at times, been - the stereotype. No wonder the term "Christian" has fallen out of favor.
What I think Rice misses, however, is that the church has always been this way. A quick perusal of Paul's epistles and the other New Testament books shows that the young church was full of personal quarrels, insipid disagreements, and misguided focus. In their ministry with Jesus, the disciples would rather have called down fire from heaven on an unwelcoming town rather than simply shake it off and move on (Luke 9:54). Peter worried about what food he ate before worrying about the Gospel. Christ knew full well that these people were imperfect. He showed them perfect love anyway.
I think the mark of a mature Christian is whether she loves the Church even when it's unlovable. That means loving the individual parts, too. We can't love the universal church without loving the particular church, despite its flaws. Christ committed himself to imperfect people, and we can't claim to be following his example without doing the same. And - news flash - we better hope that others are willing to do the same, for the times we trip over our own sin. I am a Christian among other Christians in the name of Christ - thanks be to God for his mercy!
Intersecting Faith & Life: My husband and I joined a church plant last year, and we've seen firsthand how easy it is to let little things fester. We've also seen firsthand how grace, love, and commitment to a faith community can bless you a thousand times over what you invest in it. True, being part of the body will hurt sometimes. But, detached, we just wither away. Are you committed to a particular group of Christians, willing to love whatever the circumstances? What's stopping you?
Further Reading:
1 John 4:7
:angel:
August 31, 2010
Is Love Just a Choice?
Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.
1 John 3: 18
"Love is a choice."
"Why drag a relationship out? Just commit!"
"People today wait too long to get married. They need to find someone in their early 20's and just tie the knot!"
As a single woman and in my role as Crosswalk's Family Editor, I've heard relationship advice like the statements above more times than I can count.
This kind of advice stems from a very real concern in Christian culture: young people today are waiting until their 30's to marry more than ever. This trend pulls an entire decade of adulthood away from family life and some serious issues have arisen as a result. Pastors, cultural analysts, and everyday well-meaning people have stepped in to say, "Enough! Make a commitment!"
I have a problem with this advice, though.
10 years ago, as a 19-year-old just stepping into adulthood, I sat in the passenger seat of my father's car while we drove home from a weekend conference. After mulling over the relationship advice given at the conference, I finally blurted out, "Dad, if love is just a choice, than why not just marry someone walking by on the street? They criticize us for analyzing our dates too much or having high expectations, but by what criteria are we to choose a spouse?"
We didn't come up with any satisfactory answers that day.
Years passed, and while I appreciated the fact that typical Christian relationship advice was more solid than the mainstream "just go with your feelings" message, a piece of the puzzle remained missing for me. Is it really godly love or "God's will" when a young couple high on emotions gets engaged and married within a matter of months? Does simply "getting married" solve the problems we're hoping to solve?
Now, standing on the threshold of married life, Fiance and I have found greater clarity on some of these questions as we work through Fr. Karol Wojtyla's book Love and Responsibility. Fr. Wojtyla writes that biblical love isn't merely a choice but a choice based on truth. Wojtyla states:
"Only true knowledge of a person makes it possible to commit one's freedom to him or her." This is because, "True love, a love that is internally complete, is one in which we choose the person for the sake of the person - that in which a man chooses a woman or a woman chooses a man not just as a sexual 'partner' but as the person on whom to bestow the gift of his or her own life."
Translation: We must know the truth of the person to whom we're committing and also know ourselves in light of God's truth, otherwise love is "blind" and not love at all. This is because we don't just marry a generic man or woman, but a unique, complex person created with dignity and in the image of God.
Fr. Wojtyla tackles the issues that come with rapid commitments in this context. He affirms that while emotional warmth is important to a relationship, the emotional and sensual highs often present in the early dating days can actually obscure the truth of another person thus hindering love from flowering. Later, this couple will experience disillusionment as the fantasy fades. Fr. Wojtyla writes that love for a particular person requires time to unfold and allowing for this time isn't the same as fear of commitment or avoidance of responsibility.
Wojtyla writes from a scriptural foundation. In the Bible, we see that love and truth are intertwined. We see God's love is a very personal love, beginning in the womb (Psalm 139: 13). He has knowledge even of the hairs on our heads (Matt 10: 30). God has no romantic illusions of who you are, yet He chooses you - and cherishes you. This is genuine, unconditional love that brings lasting happiness for all including the warmth of emotion we so desire.
Thankfully, true love does not depend on our flawless execution of it. We've all failed in some capacity. Fr. Wojtyla comforts his readers by reminding us of God's work in the lives of those who seek Him: "There is no need to be dismayed if love sometimes follows tortuous ways. Grace has the power to make straight the paths of human love."
Intersecting Faith & Life: Are you single and dating? Honor that person by taking the time to get to know them for who they are. Have you already committed? Fr. Wojtyla writes that the marriage commitment creates a lifelong "school of love," giving spouses unique opportunities to develop mature love as they grow in truth and grace. Ask God for ways you can grow in your love for your spouse.
:angel:
September 1, 2010
Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. Luke 12:48
With the start of football season this month, I've heard the phrase, "to whom much is given, much is required" used a lot... and that's a good thing. A great thing. Athletes, profiled on sports shows, have been given chances to explain how they are using their celebrity and/or money to help mankind, or even spread the gospel.
One prominent athlete was interviewed about wanting to use what he's been given as a platform to further the Kingdom of God. His goals were reminiscent of the parable Jesus told about the difference between faithful and unfaithful servants, stewards of the kingdom. Faithful servants are to be about their master's will, not doing their own thing, not squandering what they've been given, but instead, realizing how much they've been given, and that there are punishments awaiting those who knowingly disobey (and even for those - albeit less severely - who unknowingly disobey. Seem harsh?).
Nonetheless, I enjoy verses like our main verse today, where a concept is repeated synonymously for effect. The Bible's wisdom literature is ripe with this structure, and Jesus makes use of it here. The phrase "Everyone who has been given much" is echoed by "the one who has been entrusted with much," and "much will be demanded" becomes synonymous with "much more will be asked." It drives the point home.
We often hear the first part of this verse quoted, and it works fine by itself: "To whom much is given, much is required." That concept even works well in the secular world, so much so that non-Christians quote it, perhaps without even knowing it's biblical in origin, and superhero movies use it as a thematic element.
But this week, after seeing and reading those profiles of Christian athletes, I read the verse in its entirety, and it opened up a new level of meaning for me.
Generally, when I think of things I've been "given," or "gifts," I tend to think of presents, possessions... toys, even. Things that are mine. Things I can hoard, break, forget about, get tired of, use for personal gain, waste, sell, or lose. Some things we are "given" include salvation, spiritual gifts, genetic gifts, talents, financial blessing, testimonies, family, forgiveness, love, and more.
Now, does your perspective shift at all if you think of those things not merely as "things given," but as "things you are entrusted with"?
For me, the ante gets upped. There's a new level of seriousness. The steward who has faith must, by definition, be faithful.
My toys, as I grow up, must become my tools - the things the Master has given that He expects will be used to build and further His Kingdom.
Intersecting Faith & Life: What gift have you been entrusted with that you are still just playing with? Or hiding? Or wasting? Knowing the Master's will, decide what you would say if He returned today to find you not busy at Kingdom work. Then decide one way you can use what you have been entrusted with to edify others this week. You may not have the platform of a Tim Tebow, but you've been given all the requirements necessary to do the job assigned to you.
Further Reading
James 2:14-18
1 Corinthians 4:2
Envisioning Your 'God-Sized' Calling
:angel:
September 1, 2010
Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. Luke 12:48
With the start of football season this month, I've heard the phrase, "to whom much is given, much is required" used a lot... and that's a good thing. A great thing. Athletes, profiled on sports shows, have been given chances to explain how they are using their celebrity and/or money to help mankind, or even spread the gospel.
One prominent athlete was interviewed about wanting to use what he's been given as a platform to further the Kingdom of God. His goals were reminiscent of the parable Jesus told about the difference between faithful and unfaithful servants, stewards of the kingdom. Faithful servants are to be about their master's will, not doing their own thing, not squandering what they've been given, but instead, realizing how much they've been given, and that there are punishments awaiting those who knowingly disobey (and even for those - albeit less severely - who unknowingly disobey. Seem harsh?).
Nonetheless, I enjoy verses like our main verse today, where a concept is repeated synonymously for effect. The Bible's wisdom literature is ripe with this structure, and Jesus makes use of it here. The phrase "Everyone who has been given much" is echoed by "the one who has been entrusted with much," and "much will be demanded" becomes synonymous with "much more will be asked." It drives the point home.
We often hear the first part of this verse quoted, and it works fine by itself: "To whom much is given, much is required." That concept even works well in the secular world, so much so that non-Christians quote it, perhaps without even knowing it's biblical in origin, and superhero movies use it as a thematic element.
But this week, after seeing and reading those profiles of Christian athletes, I read the verse in its entirety, and it opened up a new level of meaning for me.
Generally, when I think of things I've been "given," or "gifts," I tend to think of presents, possessions... toys, even. Things that are mine. Things I can hoard, break, forget about, get tired of, use for personal gain, waste, sell, or lose. Some things we are "given" include salvation, spiritual gifts, genetic gifts, talents, financial blessing, testimonies, family, forgiveness, love, and more.
Now, does your perspective shift at all if you think of those things not merely as "things given," but as "things you are entrusted with"?
For me, the ante gets upped. There's a new level of seriousness. The steward who has faith must, by definition, be faithful.
My toys, as I grow up, must become my tools - the things the Master has given that He expects will be used to build and further His Kingdom.
Intersecting Faith & Life: What gift have you been entrusted with that you are still just playing with? Or hiding? Or wasting? Knowing the Master's will, decide what you would say if He returned today to find you not busy at Kingdom work. Then decide one way you can use what you have been entrusted with to edify others this week. You may not have the platform of a Tim Tebow, but you've been given all the requirements necessary to do the job assigned to you.
Further Reading
James 2:14-18
1 Corinthians 4:2
Envisioning Your 'God-Sized' Calling
:angel:
September 3, 2010
John UpChurch, Editor, Jesus.org
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Matthew 5:5, ESV
I can do angry; angry is easy. In my thirty years, I've punched and kicked my way through unassuming sheetrock that happened to be in the way. My hand has felt the crunch of doorjambs and bricks and punching bags. I've screamed and growled and shown my vocal displeasure until my throat burned. I've done angry.
Meekness, now that's the hard part. Not only does the concept of being meek run contrary to passionate heroes of our post-modern world, the very definition has become polluted. Meekness means rolling over and letting others walk on you; it means imposing your will through passive resistance; it means losing out. On that day over 2,000 years ago, however, Jesus had none of those definitions in mind.
After all, Jesus, who is our example of a suffering servant, stormed into the temple and flipped over the tables of the moneychangers. He made a whip and drove people out—something He likely did not once, but twice during His time on earth. For days, He took over the temple and wouldn't let anyone so much as carry religious souvenirs through the structure.
I don't know about you, but that's my kind of meekness.
David, the man who slew Goliath and sawed off his head, was meek. Paul, the man who gave Peter an earful and went round after round with Jews and Greeks, was meek. Ruth, the woman who pursued Boaz from the field to the storehouse, was meek.
So, what separates those giants of the faith from the pedantic rage I've shown in my life? What distinguishes flipping over tables from flipping out? They were meek, and I haven't always been.
The type of meekness that Jesus means is not one that forbids anger or action. Forbidding anger would be forbidding part of what makes us in God's image. Those who will inherit the earth are those who have figured out one key ingredient to life: letting God deal with it, whatever that it might be. In other words, David didn't kill Goliath; God did by using David's stone.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Much human passion is driven by a need to do things our way. We rage against circumstances and people we can't control. The opposite of that is not a passionless existence. Jesus displayed a great deal of passion while being whipped, beaten, and crucified. With that passion, he finished the work of redemption and asked the Father to forgive the very people who had placed Him on the cross.
From His example we learn a sure definition: Meekness means turning our passion into a focus on God and letting Him work the way He intends. When we do that, we have the promise of an inheritance that can be compared to nothing else.
Further Reading
Psalm 37
Matthew 11:29
:angel:
September 6, 2010
What Are You Working For?
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Colossians 3:17, NIV
It's Labor Day. And if you don't work in any arm of the retail, food, transportation or service industries—or any other type of enterprise that's on the clock—then you just might have the day off.
If so, then maybe you are:
a) Relaxing by the pool
b) Sleeping in 'til noon
c) Enjoying an end-of-summer vacation
d) Celebrating your job
What? You didn't answer "d"? I'm shocked! Okay, so neither did I. And that may or may not say something about how we view our work.
So, if we don't think about our work on Labor Day, does that mean we're not thankful for our jobs? Or does it simply mean we are choosing to focus on other things on a day off? Like relaxation, family, friends, projects around the house, shopping or travel.
Either way, Labor Day is a day when many of us have the opportunity to take a break from the normal daily grind. Some of us may very well need that clean mental break from work and need to clear our noggins and not think about what we are usually doing on a Monday.
But then maybe some of us should take some time to consider our work, the labor of our hands, and what it means to have a job. Your heart attitude is sure to help give you a clue.
A few of my friends who are unemployed right now are probably viewing Labor Day in a completely different light. I know they'd give their right arm to have any sort of employment that pays. And I know what that feels like. I, too, have been unemployed at one point in my life. And I discovered that if I never taste another 99-cent bowl of instant noodles again, that that will be just fine with me.
During my "out-of-work" days, I remember thinking about what it was like to be employed. What did I miss about my job? What was I looking for in a future job? And what was the purpose of work in my life?
Today, I am employed again (obviously), but I don't often think about work like I did when I was without a job. I mostly think about what I am getting (as in salary, vacation, benefits) rather than what I am giving. And I'm sure that if you are currently in a difficult job situation, then you might be struggling to understand (or accept) the bigger purpose of why God has placed you there and hasn't yet changed your circumstances.
Perhaps some reflection is good for us both today. Is a job something that should be viewed as a blessing in our lives? The way by which we can reach others for Christ? The way by which we can support ourselves and our families? The way by which we can give back to God with our paychecks, by tithing to our church or to ministries or by helping individuals and families in need?
Let's turn our work on its ear and starting seeing labor as Ephesians 5:20 reminds us: "Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Intersecting Faith & Life: Author and poet J.G. Holland said, "God gives every bird its food, but he does not throw it into the nest." As believers, our lives on earth are not a vacation. We were designed with a purpose and God has plans for each of us to work in and for his Kingdom. But you and I must choose to be willing, to be used and to serve someone other than ourselves. Reflect on your job today and see how the Lord wants to use the work of your hands for him.
Further Reading
1 Thessalonians 5:18
Hebrews 13:15
:angel:
September 7, 2010
Outdone by an Atheist
Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools. . ." - Romans 1:21
There's something I admire about Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, and their New Atheist kin.
This group of philosophers fervently believes that not only is belief in God foolish, but inherently and immanently dangerous to modern life. For that reason, they are a vocal bunch. Dawkins and Hitchens have published multiple books and never fail to cycle through news headlines every few months. Biological evolution is their starting point, and they argue for what they might call the greatest common good for humanity - in a word, reason. They live and breathe a fully realized Enlightenment philosophy, where man is king with his knowledge and reason as his scepter.
As a Christian, I couldn't disagree more with this worldview, but I still admire its proponents for a character trait that I often lack - spiritual honesty.
Dawkins, a biologist and vociferous author of The God Delusion, displays a passionate dedication to his nonbelief. He is not content to exorcise God just from the domain of science - for him, it's an all-or-nothing debate which allows not a hint of spirituality. Assuming there is no God, as he believes, then all childish expressions of faith must be done away with. That means down with church, mushy "spirituality," and anything else that smacks of the supernatural.
Dawkins is painfully honest. As intelligent design proponent Phillip Johnston writes in Against All Gods, he has an "irrepressible habit of saying what he thinks to be the truth, even though he knows that his in-your-face atheism horrifies his more prudent allies" who still concern themselves with public opinion.
Contrast Dawkins' adamant denial to recent surveys of young Americans, who are wishy-washy at best. The majority of Millennials (young adults ages 18 to 29) would rather be called "spiritual" than "religious," though they'll still identify as Christians. Press them much harder, and their appearance of Christianity fades even faster. Two-thirds say they never rarely or never pray with others, attend worship services, or read the Bible.
What about biblical mandates to continue to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17), to consistently meet together and fellowship (Hebrews 10:25), and to love God's word (Psalm 119:11)? Thom Rainer, president of LifeWay Christian Resources, summed up Millennial spiritual like this: "The more precisely you try to measure their Christianity, the fewer you find committed to the faith."
What does it say about "Christians" when an atheist outshines us in zeal for his beliefs? We become like the "fools" Paul wrote of in Romans. The subjects of his rebuke weren't just the pagans and atheists - they were also the Jews raised on the truth but denying its real power. They included Pharisees and the "wise" who knew their Bible memory verses and failed to take them to heart. They were the professing faithful, the practical atheists.
One of my favorite explanations of holistic Christian belief comes from C.S. Lewis. He wrote, "I believe in Christianity as I believe the sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else." What a fitting analogy - if Richard Dawkins ever experiences a Damascus Road conversion, I think he'd agree with Lewis. We naturally respond to the sunlit world differently than we respond to the world at night. We see differently, more clearly. We make decisions based on what we can see in the light. We can't help but filter our world by the sun's effects. That same response should happen with our faith.
Dawkins understands - more clearly than many Christians - that belief is not confined to one area of life. Rather, it touches, informs, and transforms every area. Do we believe that?
Intersecting Faith & Life: The New Atheists put me to shame when it comes to zealous belief. If they can have such passion for such a hopeless worldview, why don't we have a far stronger passion for a faith that provides hope and a future?
:angel:
September 8, 2010
Christian Marriage: "The Most Excellent Way"
Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
And now I will show you the most excellent way. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal...
1 Cor 12: 31, 13: 1 NIV
Have you ever found yourself in a room of marriage cynics? The comments sound something like this:
1. Wait as long as you can to get married. Live your life before you have to give it up!
2. Marriage is hard.
3. Marriage just doesn't "work" for most people.
4. My husband doesn't... (fill in the blank here with unmet desires)
5. I wish she wouldn't... (fill in the blank here with built-up frustrations)
There's a lot of negativity out there about marriage. I'm sure I haven't even covered the full spectrum of comments. It's enough to give a bride an anxiety attack.
What kind of credence should we give to such comments? I've had to think about this a lot lately. I mean, am I really just a blind idiot entering into a broken, unfulfilling institution? Looking around at the broader culture, it can sure seem that way.
But, not long after I got engaged, a married coworker slipped into my office. She shared: "You'll hear people tell you how awful marriage is. Don't listen to it. Trust me, a marriage centered on Christ is very fulfilling!"
Then I ran across this inspiring article titled More Than a Table for Two: The Difference a Christ-centered Marriage Makes by bride Stephanie Duncan. She observes:
Our culture tells so many stories of relational wreckage. Instead of learning love from a Personal Being, a secular marriage too often practices love not as a sacred quality but a sentiment divorced from its very Creator. In a sense, they are borrowing an attribute that belongs to a God they don't know and exercising a representation of a spiritual truth they don't believe.
This disconnect from the Author of Love seems to be at the very root of why there are so many marriage cynics out there. After all, scripture tells us clearly "We love because he first loved us" (1 John 4: 19). How on earth could we love another human being at all, much less for life, if we're cut off from the source of all love?
I would also like to read the book that instigated the article - Rebecca Price Janney's Then Comes Marriage?: A Cultural History of the American Family (once we're done with Fr. Wojtyla's "greatest hits" of course). Janney is a "theologically trained historian" who sets out to put American family life in perspective by debunking some of the myths fueled by 1950's pop culture. Duncan shares:
Rather than condemning the culture, Janney turns this scenario on its head by placing the weight of responsibility on Christians to display "the most excellent way" and shine all the brighter... After intriguing tales of bride ships, Victorian modesty, and feminist activism, Janney brings her readers to the conclusion that the restoration of the American family is up to the saints.
In other words, challenges to marriage are nothing new. But no matter the era, Christian couples can help others see "the most excellent way" (1 Cor 12) of true love. What a wonderful mission for married life!
Of course, it's a bit presumptuous to think that just because you're Christian, you can start preachin' and teachin' marriage seminars. So I appreciated Duncan's thoughts on how she and her fiancé want to take up the challenge to redeem the crumbling state of marriage. She shares:
Zach and I may not have company china or the kind of house that can accommodate a church retreat, but we will get to know our neighbors. In August we plan to run a 5K together to support the local crisis pregnancy center, and once we find a church we plan to get involved. This is not because we think we have anything fantastic to offer, but because we feel that opening our lives to others is part of spiritual obedience and we want to start this habit now.
I couldn't agree with this approach more. Normal people doing normal things to grow closer to God, each other, and as a result, shine a light in the surrounding community. Fiancé and I look forward to joining Stephanie and Zach in this "most excellent way." Christian marriage may not translate into the "most easy way" or "the most obvious way," but I suspect the Christ-centered journey will be the most joyful way. And hopefully we'll take a few people along the road with us.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Are you frustrated and exhausted with the constant political wrangling over the definition of marriage? You may feel there is little you can contribute to the issue, but as a Christian, your life is a witness to the world of Christ's love. If you're married, your marriage is also a special witness of Christ's love. Are you living in a way that allows His love to shine clearly and brightly to a hurting world?
:angel:
September 9, 2010
Simon Says Walk by Faith
Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
Jesus said... "If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me."
Matthew 16:24
You remember how to play Simon-Says, don't you? It's probably been a few years. It's the children's game where a leader gives verbal commands that are to be followed if and only if they are preceded by an explicit statement of permission bearing the warrant of mighty Simon himself. Non-"Simon-Says" commands are worthless, and following them only gets you in trouble.
Aside from being fun (for a few minutes anyway), the game also helps kids work on motor skills, coordination, listening skills, manners, and respecting authority. But shhhh... don't tell them that.
I'm not convinced the game's so popular these days, as everyone's more interested in raising leaders than followers anymore, but I digress.
Let's just look closely at the three actions in the verse above, which begins not with "Simon Says," but rather "Then Jesus said..."
1) Turn Around ("let him deny himself..."). This is what denying one's self is all about. Repentance. Seeing things God's way. Going from darkness to light. Playing the fool for God. Even the notion of playing a child's game is apropos here, as we must not use our own adult human knowledge and wisdom to accomplish this step, but instead we die to self and come willingly in faith like a child.
2) Bend Over, Stand Up ("take up his cross..."). When you pick up the cross, you have to set down other burdens, the other things that you tend to think define "you." Taking up your cross does not equal the burden of being you, your identity. You are indeed unique, but each day you should take on something new from Christ that makes you more like Him.
3) Go Forward ("...and follow Me"). Following = sacrificial living. It's advancement toward a Kingdom goal. In Matthew 8:1 we find that when Jesus "had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him." He had just finished teaching them; they had received instruction from one who had no place to lay his head and was feeding thousands on mere loaves and fishes. Moving forward in the Kingdom can only involve putting others in front of self. Is it really all that foreign to us? People sacrifice all the time to climb ladders in their career and for other personal goals. Why not sacrifice without the ladders?
Intersecting Faith & Life: Is this verse, are these three instructions, hard, or easy? The answer depends on perspective. Quitting smoking looks easy to the non-smoker, but the smoker must take it one minute, one day, one step at a time. Losing weight is a manageable goal for most, but if the focus is on losing 60 pounds in the first day the dieter is fighting a losing battle. Make it your goal to Turn Around, Bend Over/Stand Up, and Go Forward one day this week and see where playing "Jesus Said" takes you.
Further Reading
Shoulder Your Cross
Refusing Directions
Matthew 10:38
:angel:
The Devotional
Sept. 10, 2010
Good without God?
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"...even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened."
Romans 1:21
Many are professing quite loudly today that they can be "good without God." And I think that I have a fairly clear understanding of what these people are trying to say. They haven't killed anybody. They work hard. They build community, are compassionate, and give to charity. I suppose that from a perspective in which the God of the Bible is ignored for a few moments, you could easily agree that they are decent people.
The rub comes, though, when you probe more deeply than the superficial. At the heart of the issue is how we define what "good" actually means. Who defines that? And by what authority? The natural man who claims to be "good without God" is saying, in fact, that he wants to improvise what good means and define it on his own terms.
Now, granted, if Jesus Christ did not rise from the dead and all the claims Christianity are irrelevant, then non-believers are free to live however they choose with no consequences. And that is exactly what most want. But that is a point of view that doesn't exactly square with reality or history.
In the end, man's attempt to redefine good on his own terms has no effect on the definition of good that's been eternally fixed by God. Romans 1:18-32 powerfully speaks to this, saying that man's very desire to determine for himself what is good is something that God actually mocks, calling it "futile... foolish... and darkened."
Think of it, as harmless as it may seem on the surface, it's really a grave offense for a creature made by God to stroll around on the earth that God made and pretend to himself that there is no God. Such self-centered unbelief actually screams that Jesus, the Apostles and the thousands of martyrs and godly believers through the ages are nothing more than a pack of liars.
Romans 1:18-21 says that the good-without-God kind of people "suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them... For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks."
Saying these things isn't meant as a beat-down on unbelievers so that believers can somehow feel good about themselves. Rather, it's truth offered in kindness to help people see their condition. It comes down to a simple question: Can a person be truly good when they are calling a good God and good people liars? No, a good person trusts God. A good person doesn't reject the testimony of reliable witnesses. A good person honors God and gives thanks to Him (Rom. 1:21).
The necessity of giving thanks brings up another type of "good without God" person that exists out there. Romans 1 teaches that not only is the irreligious, outright God-denier in that category, but there is also a religious type of God-denier. Respected Christian thinker, Francis Schaeffer, explains it well in the first chapter of his classic book, True Spirituality.
He wrote that as seemingly small, insignificant and optional as a thankful heart might appear to be at first glance, thankfulness turns out to be the litmus test for whether or not one really believes in God. If you say that God is a personal God and He is your Father, but by your life you do not trust Him, honor Him and give Him thanks, you're really denying what you say you believe. You're trying to be good without God. The path to true goodness starts then with a prayer spoken of in Mark 9:24. Christ always answers it: "Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief."
Yes, life is hard. Yes, we live in a sin-cursed and fallen world. Tomorrow's anniversary of the 9-11 tragedy is a stark reminder of that. Things are not as they should be. Still—and this may be a hard truth to accept—faith coupled with thankfulness in all things is not optional. It's essential. Not giving thanks with a plastic smile, but having genuine thankfulness that shows real trust in God through the hard things.
Without faith, man is out of touch with reality. People can only be good with God in His proper place.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
How firmly do you believe that God alone defines good and evil?
What does your level of thankfulness show about the reality of your faith in God?
If you have an opportunity to talk with someone today who is trying to be good without God, relate to him in a positive way about his desire to be good, and direct him to this deeper line of thinking in Romans 1.
Further Reading
How to Know Truth and Evaluate Competing Worldviews by Chris Daniel
Why I Believe in God by Cornelius Van Til
Ephesians 4:17-5:21
:angel:
September 13, 2010
What's Your MQ?
John UpChurch, Editor, Jesus.org
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. (Matthew 5:7, ESV)
You probably think of devotionals as being hands-off daily activities, challenging but not interactive. Bet you didn't know you'd be getting a test. Don't worry. The test is simple to take whether you're reading or listening. I simply want us, you and me both, to measure our MQ.
What's that? Well, when accessing brain power, people often measure IQ. That's the test you take involving trains travelling at various speeds and phrases like "Tomato is to Tennessee as lemon is to blank." The MQ, on the other hand, measures something much more important: our mercy quotient. According to Jesus during His Sermon on the Mount, we're happy or blessed when we show mercy because we get mercy right back. Our MQ will reveal how faithfully we're keeping to that standard.
Ready? Good. To show you how this works, we're going to compare ourselves to a famous biblical example. We'll add and subtract points based on how much mercy he shows. You can then apply this to your own life.
Section 1: Imagine you're on the run from someone who absolutely hates you—not because of anything you've done, but because you're going to take his place and he knows it. God told him. This guy figures he can simply kill you to thwart God's plan. He's obviously a bit crazy, but as long as he's kicking, he's still God's chosen leader of your country. One day, while you're hiding in a cave, this guy wanders in to use the bathroom and stands—unguarded—only a few feet from you. You have a sword; he's distracted. Add 10 points for not taking the opportunity to kill him. No points for slicing off a chunk of his robe to wave in his face.
Section 2: After that guy dies, you eventually become king. Add 10 points because you were genuinely sorry he died.
Section 3: In addition to your devotion to God and penchant for songwriting, you bring to the throne a collection of wives and concubines—several of them. One night, while out for a stroll, you see a woman bathing and are quite interested in what you see. You find out she's married. You don't really care. Subtract 10 points. (If you're keeping score, we're down to 10 points).
Section 4: For some strange reason, this woman you saw becomes pregnant. The problem? Her husband is out fighting a war for you. You panic, recall him from the frontlines, and try to get him to go see her. He doesn't, since he's completely devoted to you. Instead of confessing and suffering the consequences, you send him out on a suicide mission. He dies; you marry his widow. Subtract 10 more points.
The final score? That would be 0.
To be sure, the man in question, King David, did quite a few other things as well—some of them merciful, some not so much. Despite David's failings and occasional lack of mercy, however, God showed mercy to the king. And that brings us to a big question: If David wasn't always merciful and Jesus said we'll receive mercy when we're merciful, why did David get more than his fair share of mercy?
Why? Because God's not fair.
Intersecting Faith & Life: If God were fair, none of us would receive mercy. When we examine ourselves—honestly—we'll find time after time when we don't show mercy to others. We cut that guy off on our drive to work because he wasn't going as fast as we wanted; we hid the last of the creamers at the office so that we could have them and no one else; we took pleasure in finding out that our least favorite politician got booted out of office. Mercy's hard.
Thankfully, God doesn't weigh our lives on a scale or keep a point tally for us. We don't have to score ten mercy points before He shows us mercy. While we should always strive to live by the standard Jesus laid down, God shows mercy even to those who don't. After all, He sent His Son not because we had built up enough mercy points, but because we had failed miserably.
God's not fair, and we should thank Him for it. And that's an MQ you can count on.
Further Reading
1 Samuel
2 Samuel
The Message and the Messenger: In Sync with the Heartbeat of God
:angel:
September 14, 2010
Attack Week!
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
"Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior." Isaiah 43:1-3, NIV
Just like shark attacks, life attacks rarely give you advance warning that they're coming and getting ready to take a big ol' bite out of you.
Am I right or am I right?
Because when's the last time you got a "save the date" card in the mail for the next attack in your life? For the relationship blow-up you're about to have with a close friend? Or a bounced check that you thought you had enough funds for in your account? Or the car accident that came out of nowhere on your way home from the mall?
Earlier this summer, during the exact same week as Discovery Channel's "Shark Week" (I mean, what are the odds?), I experienced what I called "Attack Week" in my family.
My mom's home was burglarized. Then, we were heartbroken when another family member confessed to being a victim of repeated bullying at work. And at the same time, a dear friend's mother was in the last stages of dying from cancer. It was adding up fast and was almost too much to bear all at the same time.
"You know what?" I said to my mom, as we surveyed the aftermath of damage in her ransacked house, "Shark Week has got nothing on this week. What's a shark bite compared to everything that's attacking our family and friends right now?"
We chuckled a bit, and while it's true that a little levity can help in a tense and trying situation, we really were hurting.
As the days went by and we addressed each issue of "Attack Week," we also took time to count our blessings. Thank God my mother wasn't home at the time when her home was invaded and that the damage was not any worse. Thank God that my other family member didn't stoop to the level of who was doing the bullying, and instead turned the other cheek and handled the matter with class. And thank God that my friend's mother knew the Lord and knew where she was going when she would take her last breath and leave this earth.
If anything, "Attack Week" taught me to be prepared. At any given time, any of us could go through an "Attack Week" in our lives, and we must routinely check our foundations so that we will know if we are built on something that is steady and secure or if rot has taken over and everything is starting to crumble. When our faith is tested, it shows what we're made of, what we believe and in whom or what we put our hope and our trust.
In Daniel 3, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego faced a pretty scary attack themselves: bow down to a 90-foot golden statue of King Nebuchadnezzar or get thrown into a fiery furnace.
Talk about a test of your faith! But these lads didn't seem to bat an eye and refused to serve Nebuchadnezzar or his gods. Well, that fired up the king and he immediately confronted them and gave them one last chance to bow or burn.
To which they replied:
"O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up" (Daniel 3:16-18).
"Any questions?"
Okay, so they didn't say that last part. But their response does demonstrate some serious faith. And even if God had not saved them (keep reading on in Daniel to see what happened!), he was with them in the furnace. He was there during this test of what they believed and during this attack.
While my family didn't face anything as scary as a fiery furnace during our "Attack Week," at times as we were picking up the pieces (Literally! There were a gazillion shards of glass from a shattered window where the burglars gained entry.) we felt like we were alone. But because of God's Word and his promises, we knew we were not.
Thanks be to God. He is with us. And we don't need to be afraid.
Intersecting Faith & Life: The Bible doesn't candy-coat it: there will be suffering in our lives on earth. And it's not if you will undergo attack in your life, but when. So how are you planning for the next attack? Or how can you help someone else who is undergoing attack today?
Further Reading
Psalm 27
Daniel 3:25-30
:angel:
September 15, 2010
They Will Know We Are Christians By... What?
Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience." Colossians 3:12
Whether you think they're kitschy or bold statements, you have to acknowledge that Christians t-shirts sell - and sell well. My must-be-modest adolescent wardrobe was full of them. My teen brothers have a few that play on the name of a certain guitar-based video game. The Christian-to-shirt ratio seemed to dip in college, but you could still spot them on the campus of my Christian alma mater.
Why the popularity? Well, for one thing, t-shirts are more effective if you don't yet own a car that you can slap with a Jesus fish. Or a Jesus fish eating Darwin fish.
The ubiquitous puns on soda, candy, even popular TV shows motivated Christian singer/songwriter to Justin McRoberts create yet another Christians t-shirt in 1999, one with a more ironic twist. His creation read, "They Will Know We Are Christians By Our T-Shirts."
The slogan wasn't meant irreverently (if t-shirts are, indeed, worth reverencing). He explained it like this:
"Jesus prayed that it would be by our love that people would recognize us as belonging to him. In light of this, I think it's quite a bold move to wear a shirt that advertises your faith in Him. Because by doing so, you are claiming to be the most helpful, most ready to listen, the most selfless and most dependable person in the room ... That's quite a bit to live up to.
"That's why I created the shirt slogan 'They Will Know We Are Christians By Our T-Shirts' in 1999. It was a tongue-in-cheek way to say that I hoped we were known for far more than that ... Whether or not we are a people who market well should be entirely secondary to whether or not we are a people who love well. That was the intended plan."
So let's leave any questions of artistic merit aside for a moment and talk about our motivation instead. Do we wear the shirts as an invitation for people to let us into their lives? Or, like McRoberts implied, are the t-shirts our way of copping out or kidding ourselves that we're doing real evangelism?
If the 12-year-old me ever had someone genuinely ask questions about a Christian t-shirt in my collection - not that anyone ever did - I would've broken into a cold sweat and mumbled something like, "Um, well, Jesus loves you, and, uh, here's my pastor's number." That's because there's no background for such a question, especially from a stranger. But what if that question was asked by someone I was focused on loving, helping, and supporting at all times, not just the time I was wearing a t-shirt? Living the Gospel is a lot harder than wearing a t-shirt. But it also makes questions more natural.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
We should never think tools - whether they be t-shirts, Jesus fish decals, or a heady knowledge of apologetics - get us off the hook for real evangelism. Let's commit ourselves to authentic living that follows the advice of St. Francis of Assisi: "Preach the Gospel at all times... and when necessary use words."
Further Reading
1 Peter 3:15
1 Peter 5:5b
:angel:
September 16, 2010
Pencils in God's Hand
Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength'... 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." Mark 12: 30 - 31
Mother Teresa's 100th birthday was a few weeks ago. Even after her death, her legacy continues to inspire. In recent years, convents across the nation have noted an increase in young women wanting to become nuns. The trend seems to perplex and fascinate many mainstream reporters. Even more surprising: research shows that orders where sisters wear the "nun outfit" (veil, wimple, etc) seem to be attracting those under 30 the most.
I am not as perplexed as some by this small but growing movement. I think many youth today are comfortable - even excited - at the idea of forsaking mainstream culture for a greater good. And what more radical way to break out of the trappings of modern life than to don that veil? But in a video produced by the Nashville Domicans titled, "A Divine Vocation," 71-year-old Sister Maria of the Cross shares, "The only thing that would make a person stay in the cloistered life, as beautiful as it is, is a supernatural call and vocation." Sister Maria of the Cross wants viewers to understand that the religious vocation isn't just a "cause," a trend, or a lifestyle choice. Instead, religious life is a calling from God, a special relationship with God that is sustained by His grace only.
Mother Teresa seemed to understand this better than most. So often we are tempted to put her on an almost unreachable pedestal. When our flaws are exposed, we may exclaim, "Well, I am no Mother Teresa, after all!"
But I suspect Mother Teresa didn't always feel like "Mother Teresa" either. She once said, "I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world." Mother Teresa fully understood that her calling in life was not about her personal greatness, implementing worldwide social justice programs, or wearing different-looking clothes. It was about receiving God's love and sharing it with others, and she took no personal credit for the greatness that came from what was clearly God's work.
It may sound strange, but listening to famous and not-so-famous nuns talk about their callings helps me prepare for my upcoming wedding. Fiance and I aren't necessarily more holy than the next Christian. We are pretty ordinary and flawed. It's easy to get wrapped up in that, to start comparing each other or our relationship to the really holy-looking couple sitting two pews over.
But although God created marriage for us in many ways, it isn't really all about us - our greatness or our failings. The rings aren't just to make our hands prettier and the vows aren't private, romantic notions. Christian marriage is a special, public covenant with God designed to draw us closer to Him and offers a unique opportunity to become "pencils in His hand."
In fact, all believers are called to do what Mother Teresa did. We are all called to surrender our lives fully to God and help others know Him more fully. We may never wear rings or special clothing. We may never be famous. Our flaws may show from time to time. But if we allow ourselves to become "little pencils in His hand," God will transform our lives into an incredible love story.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Mother Teresa once said, "Do not think that love, in order to be genuine, has to be extraordinary. What we need is to love without getting tired." Have you grown tired in your calling? Pray for an increase in faithfulness to God and His calling on your life.
Further Reading:
"Mother Teresa: Become a 'Pencil in God's Hand'" by Mary Poplin
:angel:
September 17, 2010
Care Casting
Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
1 Peter 5:5-7, KJV
Peter was a fisherman. It's little stretch to imagine that his livelihood affected his ministry and his writings. At least, that's what I notice when I read one of his most-quoted verses, the one about "casting" our cares.
The word Peter uses here for "cast" is a less-usual one. The only other time the word epirrhipto is used in the New Testament is in Luke 19:35: "they cast their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus thereon." Epirrhipto means "to throw upon, or place upon."
Keep that in mind now as you imagine...
You are Peter. You're in a boat, afloat upon a vast body of water. Your method of fishing is not the rod-and-reel. Instead, you have this tangled, twisted mass that is your net. It's heavy, burdensome. Hard to work by yourself. Even so, you take this soggy, cumbersome thing... and you fling it away from you. Give it up. Let it fall trustingly upon the sea. Leave it to Providence.
The net represents your "cares," your anxieties... whatever is weighing you down. Don't carry it in your boat; that's not what it's for. Believe it or not, it has a purpose. That is, your own twisted mass of cares exists for the sole reason of trusting it to the very mighty arms that are supporting you.
And what happens then?
Well, let's check in on those cares. Go ahead, haul up the net. Chances are, it may just be full of fish. Has the simple act of tossing away your cares brought an abundance back upon you? Did humbly offering your net up to the one keeping you afloat bring back a yield of met needs? What would have happened if you had kept hold of that heavy mass and fretted over it yourself in your little boat? Yeah, nothing.
What's got you in a tangle? Finances? Marriage? Singleness? A dried-up spiritual life? All of the above?
Let it be so. Take that twisted thing from off your shoulders and huck it out upon the ocean. You can trust God. This is your act of submission, surrender. Peter tells us this is a path of humility. Admit that all your net-mending isn't doing a thing to bring in any fish, you fisher of men. So really chuck it out there. Let it land upon Him. And don't even ask why, because Peter tells us why: God cares for you. You are His own "care." He will bear you up for His own purposes.
And when He calls you to check in on those cares again, just be prepared for what comes to the surface.
The very things that entangle may become a snare for blessing and sustinence instead when given to the Lord.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Have you ever handled a real fisherman's net? I haven't, but I intend to get my hands on one and see just how big, mended, and heavy it is. To see how it works. To ask how one knows where to set it down in the water, and how many fish it can bring up. Make a net of your own cares and anxieties and physically fling it out upon God's ocean of grace.
Further Reading
Getting Acquainted with Peter
:angel:
September 20, 2010
Restoring Authentic Joy
Alex Crain, Editor for Christianity.com
"Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit."
Psalm 51:12
Decades ago, Schaeffer walked with his students in the rarefied air of the Swiss Alps and applied Christian theology to all of life. While the alpine option with him is no longer available to us, we can still follow his trail of thought through the books he left behind.
In her book, L'Abri, Edith Schaeffer wrote that her husband Francis was a man who wanted his life and work to be "a living demonstration of the existence of God," and it most notably was. But prior to the time of his most fruitful ministry years in post world war II Europe, Francis went through a period of severe crisis in which he felt he had to honestly address the lack of genuine joy in his life. What came out of that crisis is the content of his book, True Spirituality.
Assuming that you share Dr. Schaeffer's desire to live a life of authentic joy, let's look at some of the foundational things he learned that he shares in True Spirituality. These are really the first things we need to be clear about concerning what it means to be a Christian:
We were created for fellowship with God, but there is a barrier in that God has a character. He is a holy God. We are sinners by nature and by choice.
We cannot breeze past these facts, but ponder them. Before we can become Christ followers, we must acknowledge our alienation from God and that we have real guilt deserving death and hell, not just guilty feelings requiring a therapeutic faith solution.
Only the finished work of Christ upon the cross as the Lamb of God—in history, space and time—is enough to remove our true moral guilt so that we can be brought into fellowship with God.
We must not attempt to add anything on our part to the finished work of Christ.
The only instrument for accepting that finished work of Christ upon the cross is faith alone.
On this last point about faith, Francis Schaeffer then goes on to discuss what the Bible actaully means by faith:
a. Faith is not a leap in the dark—trying to believe in something that you doubt is true.
b. Rather, faith is...
believing the specific promises of God,
no longer turning your back on them,
no longer calling God a liar by suppressing the testimony of Scripture, attested by history
but raising the empty hands of faith
and accepting that finished work of Christ as it was fulfilled in history upon the cross.
This is sufficient for today and every day. Schaeffer's recap of the gospel—how we can be right with God in Christ alone, by grace alone, through faith alone—provides that which is absolutely essential not only to the initial discovery of joy, but the ongoing recovery of it every day. The gospel is utterly foundational to authentic Christian living and it must be personally rehearsed again and again in all of its dimensions.
One gospel resource that resonates with Schaeffer's recap here is a book called A Gospel Primer for Christians by Milton Vincent. It is amazingly helpful for reviewing the deep truths of the gospel every day. For instance, this past Sunday, I shared the following excerpt with our congregation at the close of the service:
The gospel reminds me first that what I actually deserve from God is a full cup churning with the torments of His wrath (Rev. 14:10). This cup would be mine to drink if I were given what I deserve each day (Psalm 75:8). With this understanding in mind, I see that to be handed a completely empty cup from God would be cause enough for infinite gratitude. If there were merely the tiniest drop of blessing contained in that otherwise empty cup, I should be blown away by the unbelievable kindness of God toward me.
That God has, in fact, given me a cup (Psalm 23:5) that is full of "every spiritual blessing in Christ" (Eph. 1:3), and this without the slightest admixture of wrath leaves me truly dumbfounded with inexpressible joy... Life's blessings, however small, always appear exceedingly precious when viewed against the backdrop of the wrath I deserve.
(pp. 47-48 A Gospel Primer for Christians, Milton Vincent)
Let's walk on now and be daily restored to authentic joy in the good news of peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1).
Intersecting Faith & Life:
How blown away are you by the blessings of God in your life?
What is the reading on your authentic joy meter?
How central to your life is the habit of daily rehearsing the gospel?
Further Reading
Ephesians 2
John 6:68
:angel:
September 21, 2010
The Great Middle School Egg Drop
John UpChurch, Editor, Jesus.org
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
(Matthew 5:8, ESV)
The great middle school egg drop turned out to be a dud—at least for me. I got sucked into the concept, the prepubescent glory of it all. I blame the deceptively simple premise: Take one chicken egg—brown or white, the color didn't matter. Contrive a way to cram said egg into a small box such that when the box was thrown from the roof of the school, the egg didn't break.
There may have been some limitations about just what stuffing materials could be used, but I don't remember them now. I do remember my own expectations of crushing everyone else with my ingenious contraption. For my world-beating, shell-protecting design, I decided that all any egg really needs to avoid breakage are rubber bands and pillow stuffing. I simply needed to suspend the egg in the middle of the box with the rubber bands and surround it with as much stuffing as would fit.
Let me just say that an egg is not a cooperative subject in a bid for middle school domination. After an hour or so of frustration, I finally got the little thing to stay connected to the rubber bands (much tape was involved). That lasted only until I began surrounding it with a white cocoon of pillow innards, which yanked the tape free.
Finally, after spending a whole afternoon taping and cramming, my egg drop masterpiece came together. Although no cheering crowds greeted me when I got off the bus the next day, it was only because they didn't know about my creation. Soon, they would know and be amazed.
That afternoon, an intrepid teacher scaled a tall ladder and hauled all the entries to the roof of the school. I don't remember how many entries there were, but it took a while to chuck them off and check the results. When my name was called, I waited expectantly for the moment of triumph. So many others had splattered in failure—and even the ones that had survived were certainly not as amazing as mine.
Finally, my box arced into the air and thudded into the dirt. Nothing oozed out. This was good. When the ground crew picked up the box and pried it open, I smiled—until they said those horrible words: "It's broken."
Because of all the tape and stuffing, the egg guts had been contained by the cellophane and fuzz. But all my work and frustration couldn't keep the shell from taking the brunt of the blow. I'd merely kept the gore from showing on the outside. My chance at self-made glory rose and died in a single thud.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Since those heady middle school days I've learned a thing or two. First, use duct tape. Second, and most importantly, no amount of human contriving or planning or ingenuity can fix something that's fundamentally imperfect on the inside. Two layers of protection shielded my egg—three, if you count the box. But the shell still broke and all the slimy innards oozed out.
After middle school—and, yes, there was life after such a horrible embarrassment—I tried my best to build a beautiful white wall around my life with the words "I'm a good guy" plastered on the outside. Eventually, Christ allowed me to test that barrier when I plummeted to the ground of depression. My carefully constructed façade didn't work because the inside was rotten. In other words, the egg broke.
The only real way to be made strong on the inside is through the dynamite power of the Holy Spirit. And that first involves God scrubbing us clean to make room. When trials come and we find ourselves hitting the dirt, we no longer have to worry about what will seep out. His preparation and His work in us make the core—the heart—pure.
Further Reading
Romans: Cornerstone of Christian Living
When There's Strife, There's Self: In Pursuit of Radical Humility
:angel:
September 22, 2010
Shadows and Quicksands
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
O God, The Eternal All, help me to know that
all things are shadows, but Thou art substance,
all things are quicksands, but Thou art mountain,
all things are shifting, but Thou art anchor,
all things are ignorance, but Thou art wisdom.
The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions
Arthur G. Bennett, Editor
I've felt distant from God lately. Not again.
Spending time in shadows and quicksands can do that to you. They can make you feel stuck and lost. But I don't always know that I'm in a place that's shifting or that I'm spending my time on that which is ignorant ... until I start paying attention to my condition.
Recently a friend mentioned how Scripture was coming alive to her and how she was enjoying digging in the Word during this season of life. When I heard that, I realized that I hadn't felt that way in quite a while. Where is the joy of my salvation? And why am I not finding peace in my life right now?
The answers are this: I've been spending my time elsewhere and not looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of my faith. I've been in places, in activities and in thoughts that are keeping me away from the light and keeping me mired in entanglements.
But what are or easily can be the shadows and quicksands in my life? I'll start with what I can see: family, home, job, hobbies, possessions, church, ministry opportunities, social activities, volunteering, and so forth. And then there is that which is unseen: hopes, dreams, obsessions, idols, jealousies, insecurities, anxieties—to name just a few.
It is so easy to "live" and get "stuck" in these types of things. They suddenly become our whole world. And sometimes what are blessings or good things in our lives can quickly become something which we mishandle or view in unhealthy ways. Not everything is inherently wrong in and of itself. But it is how we approach what is in our lives, how we prioritize, and how our perspectives can keep us away from knowing and focusing on what the puritan prayer so eloquently stated:
But Thou art substance ... but Thou art mountain ... but Thou art anchor ... but Thou art wisdom.
It's a slippery slope into shadows and quicksands, but God's Word gives me footholds and that which I can cling to when my feet give way.
I think David must have felt the same way as he struggled in his faith walk, to
Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long ... Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways. He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way ... For the sake of your name, O LORD, forgive my iniquity, though it is great. Who, then, is the man that fears the LORD? He will instruct him in the way chosen for him ... My eyes are ever on the LORD, for only he will release my feet from the snare (Psalm 25).
So where is your focus today? Are you stuck in the quicksand of your career? Or are you living in the shadows of whether or not your children will do well in school this year? Maybe you're mired in the drama of a relationship or you're lost in the dashing of a dream you've hoped would come true.
Remember, you don't have to stay in shadows and quicksands. You can be moved. And you can be delivered.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Take a piece of paper and draw a line down the middle of it. In the first column, list out the words that exemplify the very nature of God. And then in the second column, record what is going on in your life right now (people, situations, struggles, achievements, thoughts, dreams, etc.). Which column ultimately brings you more joy, more peace and more focus? And which column contains that which is leading you astray or blocking your humility and surrender to the Lord?
Further Reading
Micah 6:8
Matthew 7:24-27
Hebrews 12:1-2
:angel:
September 23, 2010
When I Grow Up
Katherine Britton
"Instead, you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, then we will live and also do this or that."
James 4:15
"You can be anything you want when you grow up, sweetie."
My parents profoundly ignored that phrase when I was growing up. I never heard them say those words, although the self-esteem trend was certainly making its way through the schools and Saturday morning cartoons. That's not to say that they told me the opposite or never encouraged my efforts. On the contrary, my mother carted me to iceskating practice, art lessons, piano lessons, debate club, and even soccer (for one pathetic season). She pushed me to do my best at whatever activity or homework assignment came my way, because it was a matter of "doing all things for the glory of God." And that's exactly why she and my father never told me I could be anything I wanted when I grew up.
My parents knew better.
Instead of the infinite-potential catchphrase, they would tell me things like, "If God wants you to be a concert pianist, then you will be," or "God gave you this talent for a reason, so we're going to cultivate it." That took the focus off of what I "wanted to be" and onto how God had gifted me. For that reason, my mother pushed me into writing tutoring even though I absolutely hated it at the time. I certainly had no intentions of being an editor when I grew up. Little did I know.
Can we really be anything we want when we grow up? The famous verses in Proverbs suggest otherwise. "In his heart a man plans his course," says Proverbs 16:9. Sure, I can make plans to be anything I want. "But the Lord determines [my] steps," as the verse concludes. My parents understood this from their own crazy life stories. So they told me not about my endless potential, but about God's ability to take me to places unknown and undreamed of.
I laugh inwardly when people ask me where I want to be in five or ten years, because Heaven only knows where I actually will be. Besides, I'm still inexperienced in all this career and marriage stuff, and still figuring out my goals. How comforting it is to know that it's my responsibility to cultivate the little talents I have and let God decide where to take them.
Even at this point in my life, I can look back and see the long line of events, circumstances, character-building chances (oh boy!), and opportunities that I couldn't have orchestrated myself. I see now that I couldn't have been anything I wanted. Instead, I have become - and will become - whatever God wants me to be. After all, He knows me more intimately than I know myself. He knows exactly how I can serve His kingdom best. Yes, that's what I want to be when I grow up.
Intersecting Faith & Life: "If the Lord wills, then we will live and also do this or that." Are we aware just how fully dependent we are on God? Does this give us comfort? Or does it scare us that we control so little of our lives? Are you excited to see where God will take you, or afraid that His plan will be different from your own? It all comes down to a single question: are we willing to surrender our plans for His glory?
Further Reading
Psalm 119:35
Jeremiah 10:23
Can I 'Do All Things'? Examining Philippians 4:13
Why Potential Doesn't Equal Success
:angel:
September 24, 2010
Be Still
Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
Be still and know that I am God. (Ps. 46: 10)
The affairs of God are accomplished little by little and almost imperceptibly. The Spirit of God is neither violent nor hasty. -- St Vincent de Paul
The past several weeks have been filled with jam-packed schedules -- a never ending stream of noises, technology, and motion. It seems the older I get, the more those lazy summer days of childhood feel like fairy tales from another life.
If you're American, you're probably just as busy if not busier than I am right now. We're a country filled with activity. Studies show we're some of the most sleep-deprived people in the world. We work long hours, come home to more work (completed with the television blathering on in the background) before collapsing into bed to repeat the process again the next day.
Why do we live such frantic, hyper stimulated lives? Sometimes it's out of a sense of obligation - we feel it's a sin to say "no" so we overextend ourselves trying to fill the roll of Savior for everyone around us. Sometimes our frenzied lives stem from a sense of inadequacy - "If I work hard and accomplish such-and-such, I will have value." Sometimes it's a mode of escape - burying ourselves in work or in a TV program keeps our minds off life's disappointments. And sometimes we've just lost sight of our priorities, defaulting to the heightened pace of the culture around us, unaware that we've let our down time slip away little by little.
Regardless of why we're living in the fast (and loud) lane, deep down we all know we need to get out of it. Our souls crave peace, stillness, and silence. And even if we can ignore the cries of our souls for awhile, our bodies demand it when they eventually wear out.
Why do we crave that stillness? It seems the "noise" of life is more often man-made than God-ordained. In Scripture we see that time and again, God calls us to find peace in Him, to lighten our burden with Him, to set aside our anxieties and meaningless business. We see God speak to the prophet Elijah through a "gentle whisper" and tell an anxious Martha that her sister Mary chose the "better" part when she abandoned household duties to sit at Jesus' feet. (Luke 10: 41-42)
After a long day of running here and there, I find myself longing to be peaceful Mary whose only job is to be with Christ. So how can we become more like Mary when the vast majority of us more closely resemble worried Martha? I love the opening Scripture verse -- it's so simple, it cuts through all the junk clanking around in my brain. Be still.
In the midst of the activity surrounding her, Mary made a simple choice. To sit and be still. You and I can make that simple choice too, even when life seems to be pressing on all sides. It may be awkward at first - we may be tempted to grab for the remote or cut our time with God short. But by seeking stillness we are effectively saying, "Nothing else is as important to me as You at this moment, Lord." When I've spent time at our local Adoration chapel - a place void of constant noise and movement - I find I am never sitting in an empty room doing "nothing" but a place filled with God's presence and love, a place I can truly know God.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Visit a local chapel this week where you can sit, reflect and be alone with the Lord for one hour.
Further Reading
Luke 10: 38 - 42
1 Kings 19
:angel:
September 27, 2010
What are You Drunk On?
Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
And they all continued in amazement and great perplexity, saying to one another, "What does this mean?" But others were mocking and saying, "They are full of sweet wine."
Acts 2:12-13
"These men are not drunk, as you suppose," Peter told the bewildered crowd at Pentecost. "This is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel." The Holy Spirit had been poured out, and I've always found it fascinating that its effects could be mistaken for the pouring out of, shall we say, less holier spirits.
To be sure, the Bible instructs Christ-followers to be "sober-minded" (1 Cor. 15:34, Titus 2:6). And there's honor and maturity in a steadfast, stoic reaction to life's trials. But then there's this fantastic scene in Acts that just fills me with tiny bubbles of delight. There's so much joy and power and overflowing involved with the Holy Spirit, that sometimes, well, we Christians just seem a little bit crazy. Flipped-out. Punch-drunk. Downright giddy.
And who wouldn't like to see more of that side of us these days?
Reflecting on this kind of Spirit-trusting, God-leaning fun reminds me of my three summers as a Christian youth camp counselor. The labor was hard but not in vain. The purpose was evident. The craziness was everywhere. "Go nutso-picasso," our Director would say, and show these kids that being a Christian isn't some droll, fun-killing existence, but something real, life-giving, sustaining, and joyous.
And indeed it was, and is. My closest friends and I had an odd high school experience, in that we had a hard time understanding why our peers found it so fun and/or necessary to involve alcohol - illegally, even - in their weekend plans. We were having more laughs and fun than we could imagine without any drugs. What were we filled with? Why didn't we need anything else?
Later, when I worked at camp, one of the things we would do is create a video of each week for the students to take home with them. One of the features on each week's video was a "blurb" from one of the counselors, an off-the-cuff, from-the-heart snippet of encouragement. I recently found the videotape of the week I was interviewed, and my response reminded me so much of what today's verse means to me, what real life under the guidance and excitement of the Holy Spirit is about. Here's what I said:
I think so many times in our youth groups back home we get tired of hearing the same things: don't drink, don't do drugs, don't have sex. And that's good advice to be sure, but why? So many kids here at camp and the ones I knew growing up weren't doing these things anyway; don't we have any more to offer them? Do we have any explanation for what is filling them, and what they can do with it? It just seems to me that those I've come across who are involved in these so-called "greater sins" are often engaging in them just to fill a void caused by, maybe, disobedience to parents, rebellion, lying, or a poor self-image. So what I like to do is show them that Jesus has given them everything they need to be content, secure, high on real life. And it takes a lot of energy to do that, but I find that the energy is there when I need it, and anyway, if it means leading a young person to the Lord or just reconciling someone to their parents, hey, that's worth it to me.
That's healing through a Holy infectiousness. Won't you take a sip and pass it on?
Intersecting Faith & Life: Are you in a prolonged stupor, or are you tipsy on the outpourings of the Holy Spirit in your life? What's holding this back? Is there a dam keeping the river from flowing forth out of you, keeping it fresh and alive? Take the first step to remove it by looking back to a time when you were first saved or relying entirely on God to do work in His Kingdom.
Further Reading
1 Corinthians 14:23
Acts 7:51
Expect the Holy Spirit to Work in Your Life
:angel:
September 28, 2010
Your Birthday: The Most and Least Important Day of Your Life
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you,
unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."
John 3:3
Just before our second son, Henry, was born earlier this year I remember standing with my wife in the nursery, looking around and just taking in everything. The wooden crib stood assembled and accessorized with matching mobile, blankets, padding and pillows. Diapers, booties and footy pajamas were tucked away in the bureau. The oak rocking chair sat sturdily in the corner nearest the window. In only a matter of days a tiny boy would fill that little room with life and great joy.
People love babies. There is an unexplainable excitement that surrounds the beginning of life. But as soon as the day of birth arrives, it becomes simultaneously the most important day and least important day of one's life. It is the most important because, without it, one wouldn't have life; but it is also least important because it is only the starting point and then it's past. After the moment of birth, the most important thing is, of course, living.
Obvious as it seems, I was reminded while reading Francis Schaeffer's book, True Spirituality, that many professing Christians seem to languish in denial of this fact regarding the moment of their own spiritual birth. Ask a friendly, "how is your relationship with the Lord?" and you may hear an answer emphasizing a past decision, a moment of crisis, or an experience—as if past events were all that mattered. Schaeffer wrote,
"In one way, the new birth is the most important thing in our spiritual lives, because we are not Christians until we have come this way. In another way, however, after one has become a Christian, it must be minimized, in that we should not always have our minds only on our new birth. The important thing after being born spiritually is to live." (ch. 1)
Yes, we are grateful for the past. We look forward expectantly to the bright future ahead with Christ in His manifest presence. But our present walk with Christ, right now, is the most important moment. Romans 14:17 says, "The kingdom of God is [present tense] ... righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit."
First John 1:7 reaffirms this emphasis on the present—true spirituality is concerned with walking [present tense] in the light "as He is [present tense] in the light, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, cleanses us [present tense] from all sin."
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Refocus today on your present walk with Christ. If your fellowship with the Lord is broken, let 1 John 1:8-9 illumine the path. It says, "If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Trust God's promise of forgiveness and cleansing in Christ, and begin to walk with Him again. The important thing after being born spiritually is to live spiritually.
Further Reading
Psalm 86:7-12
Continuous Revival, by Norman Grubb (Chapter 1: "The Walk")
:angel:
September 29, 2010
Pushing the Red Button
John UpChurch, Editor, Jesus.org
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. (Matthew 5:9, ESV)
Up till then, we'd crushed the competition. Granted, this wasn't a sporting event. In fact, the most physically taxing aspect involved pressing a red button. But we had other skills—scholars' bowl skills. We could answer questions, rack up points, and bury other teams with our wit and finely honed memorization. In fact, we'd rarely been challenged.
Then came the county tournament. I grew up in a sparsely populated county. As far as scholars' bowl competitions, this was it. Sure, we traveled outside the area and competed for exhibition prizes, but the county tourney meant validation at home. And we knew we could win.
In the two-bracket competition, each team in the county usually played every other team. That only worked because it amounted to playing around three games apiece (as I said, a small county). At the end, the last team standing in the winners' bracket played the last team standing in the losers' bracket.
Match one involved our team pressing those little red buttons into submission. We outscored the other guys by something close to a two-to-one margin. In other words, we cleaned house in our nerdy way.
And then came match two against Maury Middle School. We went in glowing; we came out stunned. Let's just say that they completely trounced us—wasn't even close. Afterwards, we rebounded to an easy win in the last match, but that only meant we had to play Maury again in the championship.
What happened? If you guessed the underdogs roared back to take the trophy, then I would love to confirm that. But, no. In front of our families and teachers, we got beaten even worse than before. In fact, I remember the match being out of reach soon after it started and all of us feeling powerless to do something.
We'd practiced, studied, and prepared ourselves. We'd won match after match prior to the tourney. But still, we couldn't overcome this one team—even when given two shots. Our superiority turned into inferiority in a single day.
Intersecting Faith & Life: If there's one thing I've learned about human effort and human ability, it's that there's always someone better. Someone can always write better, think more creatively, or hit the ball farther. Someone can always outscore, outplay, or outcompete. And, yet, we humans spend so much effort trying to overcome, overwhelm, or just plain win. We compete, and we fight to prove ourselves.
Jesus brushes all that aside in a single sentence: Blessed and happy and satisfied are those who seek peace with God and peace with others. This isn't a condemnation of competition, but it is a blunt reminder of the point of our lives. We're not here to see who's the best at sword swallowing or chicken juggling. God calls us children when we seek the good of other people above our own good.
If we win or if we lose (or if we get completely whipped twice by the same team), God's blessing on our life doesn't increase or decrease based on the score. Instead, He expects us to love Him and other people—even the ones who are better than us at something.
Further Reading
A Season of Need: Maintaining a Heart that God Blesses
When There's Strife, There's Self: In Pursuit of Radical Humility
:angel:
September 30, 2010
Walking by Faith
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. We live by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:6-7, NIV
In college, I took a course in which I was instructed to bring a blindfold to class one day.
Sounded a little suspect a first, but I soon found out that it was just a harmless exercise in trust. We were paired up with classmates and had to take turns walking around campus while wearing the blindfold. The partner who could see would audibly guide the blindfolded individual.
When we reconvened in the classroom, we were to discuss what we were feeling and thinking while blindfolded. Were we fearful? Did we have faith in our partners? Did we trust in and follow their instructions?
I can't remember if I had a good guide or not. But I do remember not liking being blinded to what I could see. I didn't like being out of control. It was disconcerting, and I was thankful when the exercise was over.
As believers, this illustrates how our lives are to be lived. We all are wearing "invisible blindfolds," if you will. We are never promised that we will see everything we want to see in this life. Nor are we guaranteed to understand our circumstances or why we must face times of hardship and struggle on earth.
Instead, we are told to follow the voice of the Lord. To focus on the eternal, not on the temporal. To trust in what we cannot see.
Several examples in the Bible encourage us in this kind of "by faith" living. ...
Gideon ...who defeated the Midianite army with a force of only 300 men. They carried no weapons—just clay jars and lanterns into a battle with the Midianites, who numbered 135,000! A surprise attack in the dark of night only confused the Midianites, and they turned their swords on each other. Only God could have orchestrated this unbelievable victory (Judges 6-8).
Esther ... who risked her life to save her people from death. As the wife of King Xerxes, Queen Esther could do something to stop Haman, the evil prime minister who was plotting to kill all the Jews in the empire. She could have chosen to play it safe and not speak up. But she obeyed the Lord and bravely approached the king with her request to save the Jews (Esther 1-10).
Jonah ... who lived in the belly of a fish and didn't know if he would make it out alive. When God instructed Jonah to go to Nineveh to warn the people of their sin, he first disobeyed and got on a ship heading the opposite direction. God then brought a storm and caused Jonah to be thrown overboard and swallowed by a great fish. Jonah prayed and repented, and he was spit out. Jonah then went to Nineveh and preached, and God did not destroy the city (Jonah 1-4).
Today, you may feel like you're facing insurmountable opposition—the size of a 135,000-member army! Or perhaps your circumstances make you feel like you're stuck in the hopelessly dark belly of a big fish.
But God knows what opportunities lie ahead for you, so be encouraged! And may you and I continue learning to live each day by faith and not by sight.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Looking back on your life, think of the times when God asked you to do something that seemed "strange" to you. How did you respond at the time? Can you see now that his plan was the best way? Thank him today, that through your life he has indeed done marvelous works!
Further Reading
1 Corinthians 13:12, NIV
2 Corinthians 4:18, NIV
:angel:
October 1, 2010
Waiting in the Mine
Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. - 2 Corinthians 5:4
What happens when rescue means you're found, but not yet free?
For the 33 miners trapped in a Chilean mine, this is reality - an unexpected, inadvertent and completely experimental reality. They've been trapped in the collapsed mine since August 5, and no one even knew if they were alive until two weeks later. Today, they constitute a psychological experiment so extreme that it could only happen as a freak accident. The men now subsist with a regimented schedule, work groups, hot meals and letters dropped through an inches-wide tunnel from more than 2,000 feet above. Rescuers think it will be months before they can finish a tunnel and bring the miners back to the surface.
"It is incredible. What's more staggering is that they have at least two more months to wait. They have broken records already. Everyday they create a new record. No one has ever survived underground this long," ABC News' Jeffrey Kofman said. Even that's an understatement.
These miners live in a strange world - they know they will be rescued, but daily life until that moment has forced them to play a psychological waiting game. They're alive, but their circumstances don't allow them a very full life. They can talk to their families by phone, but the hugs-and-tears reunions are weeks away. They must work, staying on guard against rock slides and preparing for the rescue shaft to break through their ceiling. But these tasks serve as reminders of where they are.
Believers should see a profound metaphor in the circumstances of these miners: they are living "now and not yet" paradox of salvation. These men are certainly found, safe, and certain to come home. Just not yet.
In the parable of the mustard seed (Mark 4:30-32), Christ describes Christian growth in increments. The work of grace reaches the heart and begins to grow and produce change immediately. That seed of faith continues to grow throughout a Christian's life, manifesting God's continuing work. But, as Matthew Henry's commentary points out, no change will be complete until it is "perfected in heaven." Salvation's work isn't complete until we meet Jesus face to face.
Doctrinally, this progression includes several stages. First, salvation by justification - when we, like the Chilean miners, find that someone has reached the pit we're trapped in and saved us from death. Second, sanctification - call it the long interlude between the hallelujah of being found and moment of seeing the sun again. During this time, everything we do prepares us for that reunion. Finally comes glorification - this is the beautiful moment when, after being trapped in a dark world, we arrive in the arms of the One who loves us beyond compare.
I can only imagine how much these 33 men yearn for the sun, their families, and a full life again. Do we have that same desire for our reunion with Christ?
Intersecting Faith & Life: If you're a Christian, you too are living in the twilight world of the miners. But that doesn't mean we sit around waiting for the rescue shaft to break through. We get to work, taking care of our temporary home and those around us. That way, when the final rescue comes, we emerge not as atrophied shells, but as people who have learned to appreciate the sun even more.
Further Reading
Mark 4:30-32
The Conversation: Electricity, Running Water and Life Underground for Trapped Chilean Miners
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October 4, 210
The Quest for Perfection
Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matthew 5: 48
The Scripture above is one most of us would read with some perplexity. As Christians we know we're sinners in need of a Savior. Every Sunday at church we thank God for His divine intervention through Christ's death on the cross.
Yet the very One sent to die for us seems to be asking us here to be that which we know we can't: perfect. Not just really, really good. But perfect in the way God is perfect.
Now if you're a perfectionist like me, you may already have your pen out to list all your weaknesses so you can strategize the best plan to eradicate them from your life.
This isn't a bad exercise, but I've often become easily frustrated and tired when I set out to perfect myself. That's precisely the problem with this approach - it's all about me, myself, and I. An old friend of mine, in his quest to eliminate his selfish attitude, would often exclaim with much exasperation: "I keep trying to get rid of my selfishness but in the process of trying to improve myself, I end up focusing on my self all the time!"
It's hard to stifle a smile at his candor. It seems God has something better in mind for us than a glorified self-help program.
Perhaps the verse above is easier to understand when cast in a different light. Peter doesn't use the word "perfect" but instead calls believers to "holiness":
" ... but as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct: since it is written 'you shall be holy, for I am holy.'" (1 Peter 1: 15 - 16)
Holiness transcends what someone does (or doesn't do) and ties directly into who God is. As believers, we aren't necessarily called to be "perfect" by the world's standards, but instead to reflect God's nature to others. His goodness, truth, strength, and love.
The only way we can accurately reflect God to others is to strive daily to know God. To be in His presence. To meditate on His Word. Unlike the futile self-help approach, the more we focus on God, the less self-focused we become. And the more available we make ourselves to His transforming grace in our lives.
"Above all the grace and the gifts that Christ gives to his beloved is that of overcoming self." ~ St. Francis of Assisi
Intersecting Faith & Life: Do something this week that requires you to "forget" yourself and your struggles. Serving those in need is usually a good way to do this.
Further Reading
2 Samuel 22: 31
Matthew 19: 21
:angel:
October 5, 2010
How I Came to Enjoy Raisins
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. -- 1 John 2:10
Worst advertising slogan ever: "Two scoops of raisins in Kellogg's Raisin Bran." Blech. But apparently it worked on my mother, who bought the stuff like it was going out of style, while referring to delicious breakfast desserts such as Lucky Charms and Crunchberries as "cardboard." So unfair. So there I sat, choking down my raisin bran, or even oatmeal cookies with raisins in them, always suffering the same horrible fate: the bran or cookie part would be chewed and swallowed before the gooey chewy raisins, leaving me a mouthful of not-nearly-as-tasty goop.
I despised raisins. Thought about writing Kellogg's and telling them that backing off to one scoop would be plenty (nothing like getting to the bottom of the bowl and finding no flakes, only 10 little black things. Ew).
Flash-forward a quarter century. I'm having a similar issue to the raisin problem with people. Specifically, I'm loathe to admit, some Christian people. No, I haven't been eating them, but sometimes, I do find us hard to swallow. Part of the problem, ironically, is my job! Here at Crosswalk we often receive angry emails from fellow Christians who don't like the movie we reviewed, the way we said something, the ad we ran, or the author we allowed to appear on the site. Criticism's fine, even justified; I just have a hard time when it comes with a "You call yourself Christian?" or a "Have you even read the Bible?" punch to the gut. Sometimes it feels as if we Christians are concerned more with hammering home universal truth no matter how bluntly, or railing against _(fill in the blank)_ than genuinely loving people and meeting needs. Of course, the obvious irony here is that I then, looking in the mirror, find myself in short supply on genuine love myself. Which is not where Christ wants any of us to be. In fact, in Revelation 12:10, the title "Accuser of the Brethren" is given to our enemy Satan at his judgment. Yikes. Do I really want to claim that monicker for myself?
So what does this have to do with raisins? Well, recently I discovered I kinda like the shriveled little things! I pack 'em for snacks, and eat them with the kids. I like the nutritional value, the fiber, the chewiness. What's changed? My tastes? No. The raisins? No. Not the packaging, not the flavor, not even my effort (I'm not choking them down because they're good for me, I genuinely like them). I realized that what has changed is my perspective. It didn't happen overnight, but about the time "Craisins" (dried Cranberries) came on the scene, I began enjoying all sorts of dried fruits. And here's what I noticed: I like cranberries, ergo I like dried cranberries. I like apricots, therefore I like dried apricots. I love grapes, so obviously I... hate raisins? That didn't seem to make logical sense. Maybe it was time to give raisins another try. Maybe I shouldn't even think of them as raisins. Maybe I should just think of them as "dried grapes!"
That may sound extremely silly... but it worked! I felt like I had come into the light. The texture was suddenly different. The way I savored them changed... everything. And a fun new world of food possibilities has re-opened to me, simply thanks to a different way of looking at something.
1 John Chapter 2 is all about Light, who it comes from, what it helps us do, and what it shows about us when we walk in it. Light is a perspective-changer. It reveals the true nature of hidden or darkened things. It doesn't change them, but it can and does change how they appear, how they are perceived, and the details we notice. Our verse today says, "Whoever loves his brother lives in the light," and I think it also works backwards: "Whoever lives in the light loves his brother." It's not going to be easy for me to see fellow redeemed sinners - especially the angry ones - as Jesus does, but it's clearly possible, and commanded, and in the raisin example it wasn't about my efforts anyway - just turning on a light.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Who's got your goat? Have you ever tried seeing that individual, group, or faceless internet personage in a different light, from a different perspective, or even as God sees them? Have you considered how you might look different to others in a new light? Try filling these blanks in for yourself: "I like ____(x)_____, therefore I like even __________ _____(x)_____."
Further Reading
John 1: 4-11
Light and the Nature of God, by Regis Nicoll
How to Deal with Angry People, by Gary Chapman
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October 6, 2010
A Stubborn Intolerance for Joyless Christianity
Alex Crain, Editor, Christianity.com
"Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation."
Habakkuk 3:17-18
Should one's relationship with the infinite and personal living God be joyless? Francis Schaeffer didn't think so. Yet there he was, a joyless man. Technically, he was theologically sound, but there was no denying that he had become a completely joyless Christian man. If that had continued, no one would be speaking of Schaeffer or his writings, or his legacy today. Thankfully, he was stubbornly intolerant of joyless Christianity.
In True Spirituality, Schaeffer tells how the spiritual reality, which would become the hallmark of his life, came about only after a time of great personal crisis. It was 1952. Schaeffer had become a Christian from agnosticism years before. After that, he had been a pastor for ten years in the U.S. and was now a missionary in Switzerland living with his wife and young children. Over a period lasting several months, Francis worked through the disturbing gap that he saw between the large amount of Bible data he claimed to believe and the lack of genuine spiritual joy in his life.
One significant and challenging question that caused Francis to ponder long and hard is recounted by his wife, Edith, in her book, The Tapestry, p. 356 ff.)...
"I wonder what would happen to most of our churches and Christian work if we woke up tomorrow morning and everything concerning the reality and work of the Holy Spirit, and everything concerning prayer were removed from the Bible? I don't mean just ignored, but actually cut out—disappeared. I wonder how much difference it would make?"
Apparently during that period, it was making no difference in Schaeffer's life. His doubts had cut the nerve of faith. And over those months as he walked in the mountains, Francis re-thought the doctrines of the Bible, the reality of the Holy Spirit, and each of his reasons for being a Christian.
At last, he declared...
"Gradually the sun came out and the song came... I saw again that there were totally sufficient reasons to know that the infinite-personal God does exist and that Christianity is true.
"In going further, I saw something else which made a profound difference in my life. I searched through what the Bible said concerning reality as a Christian. Gradually, I saw that the problem was that with all the teaching I had received after I was a Christian, I had heard little about what the Bible says about the meaning of the finished work of Christ for our present lives.
"Interestingly enough, although I had written no poetry for many years, in that time of joy and song I found poetry beginning to flow again—poetry of certainty, an affirmation of life, thanksgiving, and praise. Admittedly, as poetry it is very poor, but it expressed a song in my heart which was wonderful to me."
(from True Spirituality, p. 196 in The Complete Works of Francis Schaeffer, vol. 3 © 1982 Crossway Books, Wheaton, Illinois).
That time of crisis—and more importantly, his rediscovery of the meaning of the finished work of Christ for his present life—settled the crucial issue of spiritual reality for Schaeffer. Francis saw and believed that the finished work of Christ really is the source of the Christian's life. Rather than pursue the trappings of Christian leadership while personally being a joyless Christian, he determined to wait for a greater reality of knowing God. With such a solid spiritual basis for his own life, he went on to become a great source of help for countless others.
Intersecting Faith and Life:
Are you stubbornly intolerant of joyless Christianity in your own life?
What would happen if you woke up tomorrow morning and everything concerning the reality and work of the Holy Spirit, and everything concerning prayer were removed from the Bible? Not just ignored, but actually cut out... How much difference it would make in the way that you live?
How can you grow to become a greater source of spiritual help for others?
Further Reading:
John 6:68
Ephesians 4:17-24
Ephesians 5:18-21
:angel:
October 7, 2010
The Sisyphus Complex
John UpChurch, Editor, Jesus.org
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:10, ESV)
I used to have nightmares about King Sisyphus—not really the wake-up-in-a-sweat dreams of childhood, but more the kind of gut-punching thoughts that plague the daytime. Those are worse because you don't wake up.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. First, let's talk about who this king was. According to Greek mythology, King Sisyphus was the Machiavellian politician of his day. While responsible for a number of advancements in navigation, he also made a name for himself by inviting potential rivals to stay at his place and then killing them off to boost his own influence. He had enough wit to stay ahead of the game for many years—until he got caught.
His punishment for all his misdeeds, according to the story, was to push a heavy rock up a hill for eternity. He heaved and puffed and shoved and moved the massive boulder inch by inch up the slope. Then, just as the top came in sight—no matter what the wily king did—the boulder slipped from his grasp and rolled right back down the hill. Sighing, Sisyphus plodded after it and started all over. Heave, puff, roll, sigh. Heave, puff, roll, sigh.
During my younger days, when I fooled myself into thinking the universe had no Creator, that's how I envisioned my life: a useless toiling toward a goal that didn't exist. I pressed forward . . . toward nothing. I strived . . . for nothing. I aimed . . . at nothing. All I knew was the effort. There could be no ultimate goal. My rock went up; my rock came down. As I said, it was a walking nightmare.
After God took the rock of my own efforts and smashed it with the sledgehammer of His grace, I somehow imagined Christianity would be easier. I envisioned taking up this cross He spoke of and skipping through daisies toward the celestial city. I assumed the narrow path went straight to the gates without the least resistance.
What can I say? I was naïve.
My real awakening came from studying the history of the church. After the resurrection of Christ, there's one theme you don't find in Acts and the epistles: You don't find an easy-go-lucky jaunt up the hill for the followers of Christ. You find Stephen being stoned to death, and Peter being saved from prison at the last minute. You find Paul heading from one city that hates him to another that loathes him—with associated beatings, whippings, and shipwrecks. You find James telling people that persecution is a good thing because of the endurance it produces.
When John tells us about the future of the world, he doesn't describe fields of poppies and smiley faces. Let's summarize his vision: pain, death, more death, and then, when nearly all hope has been sucked from the world, Jesus.
I really shouldn't have been surprised by this. But coming from a background of unbelief and purposeless toiling, I carried false assumptions. This was mainly because I didn't know my Bible.
Jesus, however, gives it to us straight. You're blessed when you suffer for His name and for righteousness. You'll notice the statement isn't a conditional. He didn't say if we're persecuted; instead, He said "those who are persecuted" (check out Matthew 5:11 for more). In fact, if everything seems too easy and the road flattens out, that's when you need to worry.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
You may receive blessings here in this world, but the real end, the real finish line, the real rest after carrying the cross up the hill is obtaining the kingdom. His yoke is easy; his burden is light; and His reward is beyond compare. Just don't expect those daises.
Further Reading
Hebrews 4
James 1
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October 8, 2010
Don't Spoil Your Supper!
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
"Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God." Luke 14:15, NIV
When I was growing up, on Sundays after church and right before lunchtime, my mom would routinely chastise me for trying to snack too much. "Don't spoil your supper!" she would say.
That was in the day before microwaves or crock-pots, so either leftovers had to be warmed up on the stovetop or in the oven or something had to be made from scratch for that day's lunchtime meal.
If it was the latter, well that meant that lunchtime was going to be a loooooong time from when we got home from church. And when you're a kid, that's an eternity—especially when you're hungry. You don't want to wait for the good stuff, and you're looking for whatever's available right now to ease your hunger and help you get by.
Usually, my big sister and I were allowed to munch on a carrot stick, drink a glass of V-8 tomato juice (remember that?) or nibble on something else nutritious that wouldn't fill up our tummies too much—so that we'd have room to intake whatever my mom was preparing for us to eat.
Now if it had been left up to us sisters, we would have chosen to snack on the "exciting" food that was already ready—like ice cream or cookies or whatever else would have sugar-shocked us into temporary good times and happiness.
But we obeyed. And waited. And waited. In the living room, Dad was content reading the Sunday paper, but our little tummies were grumbling. How were we supposed to keep ourselves occupied and focused in the meantime? We had needs, and we were looking to satisfy them.
Once the meal was finally ready, though, we were never disappointed. The food was always delicious, as my mom was (and still is!) a wonderful cook. She took great care in making sure each meal was balanced and that all of the food groups were represented. I never left the table hungry or wanting more. I was always satisfied, even if I didn't care for the occasional peas or lima beans so much.
It's a great lesson in learning what to feast on when it comes to food. What we choose to consume (and when) makes a big difference in how we feel physically. I'm so thankful that I learned this at a young age.
Feasting spiritually follows suit as well. I thought about that when I heard my pastor recently preach on "The Parable of the Great Banquet" from Luke 14. And one of his statements really stood out to me:
"We are feeding ourselves so full of the world that we are not hungry for Jesus."
As I sat listening to the rest of his sermon, I thought about what was a part of my daily spiritual diet. Or rather, what wasn't a part of it. I won't detail it for you here and now, but will challenge you to do what I did: consider what you are feeding on, what you are filling yourself with, each day in your life. Too much television? Too much gossip? Too much work? Too much ... nothingness?
We are what we eat, literally and spiritually. Today, consider what is filling up your life. Don't spoil your supper—your spiritual feast—with too much that is empty, hollow and not healthy for you. Revamp your spiritual diet now and make room in your life for that which is good for you and will prepare you for the "Great Banquet"—when one day you will feast in the kingdom with your King.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Not sure if you're feeding on what is good for you? Try this: spend a week not praying, not reading your Bible and not spending any time with other Christians (that includes any church service, class, small group or Bible study). Then, see how you feel. Remember, when we feast on prayer, God's Word and fellowship with other believers, we will never walk away feeling empty.
Further Reading
Isaiah 25:6, NIV
Matthew 26:26-30, NIV
Revelation 19:9, NIV
:angel:
October 11, 2010
Are You a Hoarder?
Katherine Britton
I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ... Philippians 3:7-11
Have you ever visited the house of a hoarder?
Maybe not. But if you've ever flipped by the TV shows "Hoarders" or "Hoarders: Buried Alive," you probably feel a sense of revulsion at the term. Hoarders are those people who, to put it mildly, get carried away with keepsakes and other "stuff." Spoiled food, broken tools, old shopping bags, baby clothes for grown children, you name it. These people can't psychologically let go of almost anything, so the stuff piles up around them and anyone unfortunate enough to live with them. Soon, a hoarder is literally wading through piles of accumulated junk, so anything of real value gets lost.
I've watched a couple episodes, but I think I'm swearing off the depressing show. The junk horrifies me, sure. The truly frightening aspect of hoarding, however, is psychological. Even though their houses become more unsafe by the day, hoarders never fail to justify the crammed quarters.
Many of them cling to an unrealistic future - perhaps their stuff is worth thousands of dollars, or they'll use the tools and materials to do some home improvement, or maybe even give those still-in-bags purchases away as gifts. They rarely execute these plans. Instead, their loved ones run from the hoarder's house, chased away claustrophobia and the smell even as they tell the hoarder they want to help. Watching an old woman pick her stuff over her daughter "because my stuff if always here, and you're not," really messes with your heartstrings.
Once in a great while, however, a hoarder's blindness falls away. He recognizes that - surprise - he needs serious help. That's when the professional organizers, cleanup crews, and even psychologists all descend on the house at the direction of this wannabe-reformed hoarder.
Tears, sweat, and tortuous hours of decision-making follow, as the hoarder tries to reverse a thought process that poisoned the mind for years. Getting rid of their precious stuff is literally torture. But for the few who succeed at clearing out the rat's nest - it's all smiles. Those who realize they're drowning in temporal treasures find that coming up for air is worth it. They walk through their like-new houses saying, "Wow! This is amazing! The kids will love this!" Surrendering their stuff opens up a new world for them - a world of freedom.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
In Philippians, Paul says he counts "counts as rubbish" all earthly things. That's as dramatic a change as a hoarder releasing a lifetime of stuff. In a sense, we all "hoard" -- not only possessions, but compliments, skills, accomplishments, even others' love (have you ever felt jealous when a close friend begins spending time with someone else at your expense?). We have to surrender all these things to experience true freedom. Let's fill up on the spirit instead of stuff, shall we?
Further Reading
Ephesians 5:8
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October 12, 2010
How Many Angels Can Stand on the Head of a Pin?
Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editorr
And he said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man."
John 1: 51
We recently celebrated a little-known feast day on the Christian calendar: the feast of the Archangels. This feast day originated in eastern Christendom before making its way onto the western calendar. This points to a commonly cited difference between East and West: eastern Christians often focus on the unseen supernatural or mystical aspects of the faith more so than their western brothers and sisters.
Modern westerners, immersed in a culture that prizes concrete, scientific observation, are often uncomfortable with talk of angels or miracles. Some modern scholars are so uncomfortable with the spiritual events in the Bible they've dedicated their careers to seeking a practical explanation for every single verse. (They've yet to succeed).
Of course, being "spiritual" doesn't necessarily mean you are wiser or holier. There are plenty of misguided individuals in the world who claim to tap into the spiritual realm. In the book Finding Calcutta, Professor Mary Poplin echoes Paul's words to the Ephesians when she points out "spiritual is not synonymous with good; spiritual forces may be good or evil, healthy or destructive."
So what can God's Word, our most trusted source, teach us about angels and the spiritual realm? While we can't cover everything here, let's take a closer look at two angels specifically named in Scripture: Michael and Gabriel.
Michael: The name "Michael" means "Who is like God?" We first meet Michael in the Old Testament book of Daniel where he is called "one of the chief princes" (Dan 10: 13) and is identified as a protector of God's people (Dan. 12: 1). Some scholars believe Michael was the angel who stood between the Israelites and the Egyptians in the parting of the Red Sea. We later see him in the book of Revelation as a warrior who commands an angelic army in battle against Satan and other evil spirits (Revelation 12: 7-9). Michael's mightiness mirrors God's strength and justice.
Gabriel: The name Gabriel means "Strength of God." Scriptures reveal him to be a messenger of God who consistently played a key role in announcing the coming of the Messiah. Like Michael, he first appears in the book of Daniel where he predicts the coming of Christ (Dan 8: 16 - 26). In the New Testament, Gabriel appears to the priest, Zechariah, informing him that he and Elizabeth will miraculously conceive John the Baptist. (Luke 1: 19). But his most famous appearance is to the young, virgin Mary of Nazareth to deliver one of the greatest messages in human history.
Beyond these two special angels we read of countless unnamed angels throughout Scripture -- protecting the Israelites, singing on Christmas night, comforting Jesus before His agony, and accompanying our Lord on his return at the end of time.
What can we learn from these biblical accounts? Well, we'll probably never have the answer to the centuries-old debate over how many angels can stand on the head of a pin, but we do know:
There is a spiritual realm, and much of God's plans for heaven and earth unfold beyond our five senses.
God loves us so much that at certain times He employs his heavenly court to come to our aid.
Evil spiritual beings exist - some of them fallen angels like we read in Revelation - and we must be careful to focus our lives on God and His grace to avoid the influence of evil.
Intersecting Faith & Life: You and I are definitely not angels, but we are called to do God's work here on earth. Be someone's "Michael" this week by defending or protecting them. Be someone's "Gabriel" by sharing the good news of the Gospel.
Further Reading
Ephesians 6: 12 - 18
Reference: Parente, Pascal P. The Angels. Chapter 6: "Proper Name of the Angels." Copyright © 1998 EWTN
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October 13, 2010
Mini-Miracles
Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
So they all ate and were filled. Mark 6:42
The title of my devotional today strikes me as oxymoronic. Miracles, after all, are defined as acts of God, amazing and marvelous events, and "seals of a divine mission" (Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary). Generally speaking, there's nothing small about them.
What I'm talking about then, are instances of heavenly intervention in the lives of believers that impact what we would consider "minor" areas of our existence, the things that cause us to make statements like: "It showed me that God cares about even the small things in our lives," always as if that's a profoundly shocking proclamation. Nobody ever responds by saying, "Well, duh..."
I think that's because it never stops being a mind-blowing concept - the Creator of the universe, who hears the prayers and praises of billions simultaneously and loves each one the same, provided, perhaps, just the right amount of money for a struggling single mom to buy her child a pair of shoes. It's not the parting of the Red Sea to preserve for Himself a people, or the resurrection of His son to purchase the redemption of humanity. It's, for lack of a better term, a mini-miracle.
I remember one time in our Adult Bible Fellowship class my friend Karen stepped in to teach our continuing series in Mark's gospel. We were in Chapter Six, focusing primarily on the Feeding of the 5,000. As she began her lesson, Karen admitted that she'd never quite been able to visualize this scene, or understand exactly what the miracle was meant to show. I mean, there is the lesson of provision, but the human body can go without food for quite some time. Jesus Himself fasted in the wilderness for 40 days (Matthew 4:1-4). So it's not like life and death were hanging in the balance if the people who had followed Him to this "desolate place" went without dinner that night.
It could be, Karen suggested, Jesus just didn't want the people to go away - He had just suffered the death of His cousin John the Baptist, and recently endured the "amazing unbelief" (Mark 6:6) of those from His hometown of Nazareth. It could be Jesus took immense delight in this multitude foregoing their bodily needs to attend to His Word. It very well could be our Lord simply wanted to do something "just for them."
Maybe, Karen said, that's why she always tended to overlook this miracle a little bit. "You know how sometimes when God does something that you know was 'just for you,' and you tell someone else about it, and they're like, 'That's cool and all,' but it just doesn't carry the same meaning for them?"
I knew exactly what that was like, and I liked where she was going. I could see an even greater personalization in mini-miracles, in God drawing delight from blessing our socks off in ways that speak to our individual hearts. The idea also gave me greater permission to attribute to the Lord all sorts of transpirings that I had chalked up to my own efforts, happenstance, or even worse, had gone without noticing.
If, for instance, I told you about the time we thought we'd lost my wife's keys - including several costly ones - only to find them sitting precariously on a single steel beam of the trailer behind our moving van, maybe you'd respond the way my friend Scott did: "You got lucky, dude." Yeah, well, that's why Karen says sometimes these events are "just for us." I saw those keys, I knew the bumpy route we had traveled, I was astounded, I was humbled. I decided that giving credit to the Lord for things that bless you is never wrong, as suggested by James 1:17.
I just don't do it enough.
I wonder how many mini-miracles I've missed out on by being impatient, angry, or inattentive. Donald Miller, in Blue Like Jazz, has Moses tell those worshipping the golden calf: "Your problem is not that God is not fulfilling, your problem is that you are spoiled" (92). Romans 1:20 would seem to indicate that the Lord's hand is evident everywhere - "people can clearly see His invisible qualities." I like that verse very much, because I like to think of myself as on the lookout for God.
But that brings me to the other ways to miss miracles - by not accepting them or expecting them, by resenting them or wanting to earn them. I quote from Blue Like Jazz again, where Miller admits, "I love to give to charity, but I don't want to be charity. This is why I have so much trouble with grace" (84).
Intersecting Faith & Life: Can we get past the affront of accepting a free gift? If we can, we might see the Lord trying to say through the Feeding of the 5,000 and even today, "Here I Am, stay here, spend more time, no need to go away, please accept this, put yourself in My hands, keep your eyes open, I love you."
After all, says Matthew 7:11, "If you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him?" (Matthew 7:11). Mini-miracles are the treats God brings home to His kids, those who seek him with childlike faith, those who consider themselves "the little things in life." Well, duh...
Try bringing something small home to a loved one today to remind yourself of how much joy the Lord gets from giving.
:angel:
Oct. 14, 2010
Final Inspection before Departure
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"I will make every effort so that after my departure
you may be able at any time to recall these things."
2 Peter 1:15 ESV
Our crowded 737 jet sat motionless at the gate as we baked inside the cabin under the July Texas sun. Passengers fidgeted and sighed impatiently as the last bits of cool air evaporated from the locked-down cabin. Several moments passed, then suddenly a voice crackled through the speakers...
"Um, ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. Unfortunately, we've discovered a malfunction with our navigational systems and we need to change planes..." The upshot of groans and murmurs drowned out the rest of the his words as the long process of transferring passengers, luggage and crew began.
Inconvenient, yes. Definitely not the greatest way to start a journey. But, looking back, everyone on that plane should have been relieved that the plane's problem was discovered on the ground rather than in the air. Thank goodness for a crew that took a routine inspection seriously.
And before we take the next leg of the journey through Francis Schaeffer's classic book, True Spirituality, we have a final inspection before departure as well.
At the close of chapter one, and with a degree of seriousness that's a bit unexpected, Schaeffer specifically calls his readers to either embrace the truths laid out in chapter one, or just stop reading the book altogether. There were four main truths to consider at the onset of our journey with him toward authentic joy in the Christian life. Apparently, these truths are as essential for us as wings, engines, charts and landing gear are to flight. Schaeffer says...
"There is no use even beginning to talk about experiential freedom from the bonds of sin or about an experiential reality of the Christian life, of true spirituality... if this is not in our minds, ...at least in some poor comprehension and at least in some poor aspiration.
"Anything else is trifling with God; and because it is trifling with God, it is sin."
Then he gives the recap of the four truths:
(1) True spirituality in the present life means more than being justified and knowing that I am going to heaven. It does not mean just that I have been born again.
(2) My desire must be for a deeper life, not a looser life. The Bible presents to me the Law of Love, not a list of taboos.
(3) True spirituality is not just outward, but it is inward—it is not to covet against God and men.
(4) But it is even more than this: it is positive—positive inward reality, and then positive in outward results. It is not just that we are dead to sin, but we are to be alive to God. We are to be in communion with Him, in this present moment in history.
"These four points are what the Bible says we should mean when we speak of the true Christian life, of freedom from the bonds of sin.
"Anything less than this is trifling with Him who created the world, and trifling also with Him who died on the cross."
Intersecting Faith & Life:
If you're seeking a genuine relationship of joy in God, are you missing, or in disagreement with, any of the four elements above?
If you are in agreement then prepare for take-off! We continue our journey through Schaeffer's True Spirituality on October 22, 2010.
Further Reading
Hebrews 12:28-29 says "Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire."
Also, revisit previous devotionals based on the book True Spirituality that have been run so far on Crosswalk the Devotional...
A Stubborn Intolerance for Joyless Christianity 10/6/10
Your Birthday: The Most and Least Important Day of Your Life, 9/28/10
Restoring Authentic Joy 9/20/10
Good without God? 9/10/10
"Liberty," Lists, or Love 8/25/10
Pop Quizzes 8/17/10
Romans 8:28 Does Not Mean Giving Thanks with a Plastic Smile 8/9/10
:angel:
October 15, 2010
Where Are the Haters?
John UpChurch, Editor, Jesus.org
Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:11-12, ESV)
As far as I know, no one hates me, and I'm not so sure that's a good thing. I can claim to having caused mild irritation, since I've had my share of blogger attacks. One, in fact, compared me to an unidentified member of the Three Stooges (I vote for Moe). But I wouldn't call their responses hate—more like what one feels for a shirt collar that won't stay down.
But when I look at the life of Christ, there's one thing I definitely don't see: tepid responses. You don't read about how the Pharisees were mildly annoyed with Jesus as He journeyed through Judea. You don't see how the crowd got together and rolled their eyes at Jesus. You don't hear the story of Jesus being the focus of a slightly mocking lampoon during the Passover celebration.
No, a funny thing happened on the way to the truth. People got mad—really mad. Jesus sometimes directly attacked the Pharisees for their hypocrisy and flipped over tables and delivered woes, but most of the animosity He generated came from teaching about God and healing people. He'd make a crippled hand whole or forgive somebody or tell people who He was, and crowds wanted Him dead.
When was the last time someone hated you for speaking the truth? I can't recall any time that someone tried to stop me because they detested God, the same God they saw in my life and heard in my words.
I'm not advocating that Christians go out and pick fights or flame Internet message boards or any other sort of confrontational action. There's no need. If we're telling the truth, some people will hate it and hate us. When the Word is preached, the rancor is sure to follow. It's inevitable: Preach the word; get the haters.
But where are mine? As an American Christian, I'm more likely to boycott and petition and rail against perceived injustices than see a single personal threat. I get riled up by thinking there's a "they" out there trying to take away my freedom—even if I have no clear idea who those "they" are.
It's not that I want people to persecute me. The thought scares me, to be honest. But if Jesus said we're blessed when others revile us, when they persecute us and say false things about us because of our witness, then I wonder how effective my witness really is when the most I can say is that I've irked an atheist or two. Can I rejoice and be glad because of a single, vague epithet?
Intersecting Faith & Life:
When we live for Christ, the world should know, not because of our bios on social media sites, but because they can't miss Him when the look at us. If they hate us for it, at least they're not ignoring the message.
:angel:
October 18, 2010
Casting Down Our Golden Crowns
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
"You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being."
Revelation 4:11, NIV
The older we get, it seems we are paying more attention to the words we're singing at church. At least, that's been the case for me.
For example, just this past week I was clued in to what I had really been singing all of these years in the second verse of "Holy, Holy, Holy" ...
Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore Thee,
Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;
Cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee,
Who was, and is, and evermore shall be.
Thankfully, someone in my Bible study group mentioned this lyric while we were studying in the book of Revelation. She, too, had never thought about what these words meant until having a light-bulb moment after reading in Revelation 4:9-11 ...
Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: "You are worthy our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being."
I did a little further study to see who these elders might be and what their crowns could represent. Some commentators and theologians think they could be a heavenly governing council. Others offer that they might represent redeemed saints of the twelve tribes in the Old Testament and the twelve apostles in the New Testament who rule in God's kingdom. I say, whoever they are, they are ascribing all glory to God as their sovereign ruler.
But why are they wearing crowns? Well, they most likely signify victory—like those given to victors in Greek games—as opposed to those of kings which denote supreme authority. They can also be seen as rewards after judgment of their lives lived on earth. And by laying their crowns before the throne, the elders offer what God has given them right back to him. It's all his. And they show that he is worthy of our total worship and praise.
In Colossians 1:16-17, we read:
For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
But what does it mean to worship God like this down here on earth? How do we wear the blessings he has given us as our golden crowns? Are we prepared to give them up—to cast these things down at his feet—as we worship him?
Let's remember today that to him alone should we give all glory. May he help us all to loosen our grips and live lives that give back to him all that he has given to us.
Intersecting Faith & Life: How would you look at the blessings in your life (your friends and family, your possessions, the intangibles) if they each had a "Property of God: If Found Please Return" type of tag on them? Would it make a difference?
Further Reading
Psalm 100:3, NIV
John 1:3, NIV
Acts 17:28, NIV
:angel:
October 18, 2010
Casting Down Our Golden Crowns
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
"You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being."
Revelation 4:11, NIV
The older we get, it seems we are paying more attention to the words we're singing at church. At least, that's been the case for me.
For example, just this past week I was clued in to what I had really been singing all of these years in the second verse of "Holy, Holy, Holy" ...
Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore Thee,
Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;
Cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee,
Who was, and is, and evermore shall be.
Thankfully, someone in my Bible study group mentioned this lyric while we were studying in the book of Revelation. She, too, had never thought about what these words meant until having a light-bulb moment after reading in Revelation 4:9-11 ...
Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: "You are worthy our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being."
I did a little further study to see who these elders might be and what their crowns could represent. Some commentators and theologians think they could be a heavenly governing council. Others offer that they might represent redeemed saints of the twelve tribes in the Old Testament and the twelve apostles in the New Testament who rule in God's kingdom. I say, whoever they are, they are ascribing all glory to God as their sovereign ruler.
But why are they wearing crowns? Well, they most likely signify victory—like those given to victors in Greek games—as opposed to those of kings which denote supreme authority. They can also be seen as rewards after judgment of their lives lived on earth. And by laying their crowns before the throne, the elders offer what God has given them right back to him. It's all his. And they show that he is worthy of our total worship and praise.
In Colossians 1:16-17, we read:
For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
But what does it mean to worship God like this down here on earth? How do we wear the blessings he has given us as our golden crowns? Are we prepared to give them up—to cast these things down at his feet—as we worship him?
Let's remember today that to him alone should we give all glory. May he help us all to loosen our grips and live lives that give back to him all that he has given to us.
Intersecting Faith & Life: How would you look at the blessings in your life (your friends and family, your possessions, the intangibles) if they each had a "Property of God: If Found Please Return" type of tag on them? Would it make a difference?
Further Reading
Psalm 100:3, NIV
John 1:3, NIV
Acts 17:28, NIV
:angel:
October 20, 2010
How Could a Loving God Let This Happen?
Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
Jesus wept. (John 11: 35)
Today my mind is flooded with thoughts of my friend John*. We've known each other for about a decade. At first we bonded over the struggles of being Christian, single, and searching. But in 2009, John faced bigger challenges than finding a date: He was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia.
After a year of very difficult treatment, the cancer finally gave John a break, and he began making long-term plans again. Part of his planning included proposing to the love of his life. Everyone was so happy for him. Last week John married his love. I want to be happy but I know why the wedding was pushed to last week instead of happening when it was originally planned: John's cancer is threatening his life again. John and his new wife are spending their honeymoon in the hospital.
Mental images of John and his wife in a sterile hospital room make one thing obvious: this isn't the way it's supposed to be. This is one of those times when life is not fair. When life is tragic.
I can only imagine what it must be like to be a newlywed fearing for the life of your husband. Or to be a husband wanting so badly to take care of your new wife but instead needing her to take care of you.
It's times like this that only the Cross brings comfort. At least for me. I cannot begin to imagine what it must be like for them.
But I see a suffering God who doesn't love tragedy -- who loves life. He loves John. He loves John's wife. He loves each one of us so much He was willing to undergo excruciating pain and death to give us life to the fullest. He is not some God who sits in the clouds watching us suffer. He has been through it too and has wept bitterly at the tragedy of it all.
Christ's suffering ultimately led to the resurrection. God has a way of doing that. Taking the worst and making it better than we could ever have imagined.
But I don't want to act like the resurrection makes suffering easier. It's not easy believing in God during tough times. I recently ran across a fierce debate among those struggling with infertility. Many expressed agony over it. Many asked the same questions that have been asked throughout history like, "How can a loving God allow me to suffer so much?"
This is a fair question. I've asked it myself when faced with my own struggles. How could He? If He is powerful enough to stop suffering, than why doesn't He? If He loves me, why would He let me hurt?
We can't tackle this problem or all the questions in one devotional entry. My reflection today isn't about giving all the answers but simply letting people know that if they are suffering, they are not alone. I encourage anyone going through a tough time to reach out to those you trust. To read the wisdom of those who have "been there," including the Gospels.
Don't leave the questions rattling around in your head or try to push through it alone. Suffering has a way of helping us grow - in character, in our relationship with God and others - but it also tempts us to make poor decisions. We need the support of the Body of Christ, especially those who know suffering and have found truth, peace, hope, faith and love on the journey.
*Name changed
Intersecting Faith & Life: Are you experiencing a period of suffering in your life? Pick up the phone, join a Bible study, make connections. God often works through His Church to comfort those who mourn.
Further Reading
Should We Fire God? A Virginia Tech Pastor on Faith after Crisis by Sarah Jennings
The Story of a Soul by St. Therese of Lisieux
:angel:
October 21, 2010
Is Suffering Inevitable?
Shawn McEvoy
For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong.
1 Peter 3:17, NAS
Suffering. It's not standard daily devotional fare, because let's face it, usually we want to begin or end our day being uplifted, or even better, lifting up God, rather than focusing on our pains and problems.
But there's the rub... we all have pains and problems. Christian and non-Christian. Lifelong disciple and baby believer. Red and yellow, black and white. Everyone, from the moment he or she was born, has struggled, tried, failed, hurt, sinned, misunderstood, and reacted. Humanity shares a true brotherhood over suffering, one that we might understand a lot better if suffering weren't also so relative. By which I mean, one person's issues may sound simple, easy-to-solve, even petty to another. "That's nothing compared to what I've had to endure!"
But the fact is, your sorrows and difficulties are real to you. It's one reason why I'm no fan of when people say a certain place or time in their lives isn't "the real world," as if the spot they are currently tucked away at is immune from any degree of difficulty.
Suffering is very real, and there's certainly no reason any Christian would expect life to be otherwise. We purport to follow a "Suffering Savior." His stripes have healed us, and wow do we seem to feel them sometimes, which is as it should be, as we deserved them instead of Him. If we agree that no person but one - no matter where they lived or how easy or hard they had it - has escaped sin's corruption, then how much more must we agree that truly NO person has escaped suffering?
Look at what Peter suggests in today's verse: you can suffer for doing good, or you can suffer for doing bad. By extension, some of the problems in your life may be a result of your own rebellion, while other hurts may naturally result from walking so closely with Christ that you ache at the injustice and hardship around you, with the world despising and persecuting you.
In the classic allegory Hinds' Feet on High Places, Much-Afraid journeys with companions named Sorrow and Suffering, and these two assist her in her climb up the Injury Precipice, which is a part of her transformation into "Grace and Glory."
The same is true for you. Your sufferings have informed you, educated you, helped you along in your journey. You may despise them, but they are yours. And they will be with you whether you are doing right, or not. Of course, the nature of them will be quite different.
There may be one way, though, to avoid suffering. There's a third option, left out here by Peter, but not left out by John in the Revelation. It's the lukewarm response to life, the do-nothing approach. This is the approach that cocoons itself off from life and all of its pain. And make no mistake, "Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something," says that famous theologian the Man in Black in The Princess Bride.
You may not feel anything from inside a cocoon; in fact, it may be an abundance of pain and suffering that forced you in there. But remember, no creature that cocoons itself is intended to stay locked up forever. The point is to be rested, healed, matured, transformed. To become more beautiful, useful. Even the emerging process itself carries a degree of struggle, but one that, if the insect did not go through itself, would leave it too weak to fly.
So be lifted up in your suffering today.
It is a companion.
It is designed to transform you.
It gives you a share in the inheritance of Christ and the brotherhood of humanity.
And it gives you empathy, which gives you every excuse for ministry.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Make it your goal to partake, as much as possible, only of the brand of suffering that comes from doing what is right according to God's Word.
Further Reading
God's Undeserved Gift to the World: Christian Sufferers
Trusting God in the Darkness
:angel:
October 22, 2010
Are You Reciting the Gospel by Yourself?
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"...with Him... Moses and Elijah, who, appearing in glory, were speaking
of His departure which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem."
Luke 9:30-31 NASB
It's good to see that the idea of 'preaching the gospel to yourself everyday' is becoming more popular. At least that's how it seems to me. Things that point to the gospel are popping up in all kinds of places and ways, not only in big and new movements but in short videos, articles and Twitter messages ("Gospel Tweets"). A caution in the way we think about the gospel was brought to my attention recently in chapter two of True Spirituality. If you're not following along in our weekly journey through this important and helpful work by Francis Schaeffer, I invite you to join us.
In chapter two, Schaeffer mentions our Scripture passage today (above) where we see Moses and Elijah speaking with Jesus at the Mount of Transfiguration about His impending departure—His death.
It's subtle, but notice that they're not just making a passing mention of the fact. Rather, they were actively and continuously speaking about it. They were dwelling on the gospel; at least the substitutionary atonement part of it. And with the Object of their redemption (Christ) standing right there, no doubt there must have been more than just theological accuracy in their conversation. Probably more like amazement and deep gratitude. As they thought of all that Christ was about to endure for their sin, I'm sure they had correct thoughts about the gospel. But Christ's own presence energized their orthodox theology.
At times, there can a detached, tearless way that we think about the gospel. When I have well-articulated and familiar facts about Christ's life/death/resurrection/ascension, and they are just empty echoes down the icy corridors of my thoughts, the diagnosis is simple: I have broken fellowship with Christ. It's evidence of unconfessed sin.
Schaeffer reminds us that when we rehearse the gospel, we must do so in the presence of the Living Christ; in humble worship of Him. He is not a distant figment of man's imagination. He is the God Who is there. Just as Moses and Elijah were "with Him"... in His presence, so we too must continuously rehearse the gospel while recognizing that we are in the presence of the God Who is there. The Christian life flows from the constant spring of dwelling on the gospel with the Redeemer Himself.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Remember this paraphrase of John Piper: the gospel is like blood, it's supposed to course through your veins not be carried in a bucket.
John Owen, (a 1600s Puritan) often prayed, "Lord, may I commune with You in the doctrines I espouse." Make this your prayer and experience today.
Further Reading
John 15
The Gospel in Six Minutes (John Piper, video)
"While all that borrows life from Thee is ever in Thy care;
And everywhere that man can be, Thou, God art present there."
From the hymn, "I Sing the Mighty Power of God" by Isaac Watts
:angel:
October 25, 2010
Completely Improbable, Imminently Possible
John UpChurch, Editor, Jesus.org
And he said to [the angel of the LORD], "Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house." (Judges 6:15, ESV)
The Old Testament judge Gideon asked an angel of the Lord how he could possibly take on the mighty Midianites, being a wimp as he was, and God answered every request the man put forth—almost to the point of being ridiculous. On the other hand, Zechariah, a faithful Levite serving the Lord and John the Baptist's father, asked only once how he could possibly have a son in his old age, and an angel told him he'd be unable to speak until it came to pass.
That hardly seems fair—harsh even. Why would God punish one and let the other get away with so much? We might think there's a discrepancy in the treatment—until we examine the differences between the two men's responses.
Let's look at what's the same first. Both of them were dedicated to God—Gideon seems to have been seeking God as he beat out the wheat and he later tore down an altar to Baal, while Zechariah served faithfully in the temple. In fact, you could say that Zechariah had the greater claim to being godly. Both men received shocking, seemingly impossible news from an angel. Both asked very similar questions.
God, however, didn't just look at the questions. He looked at the reason for asking. Obviously, we don't know what Gideon or Zechariah was thinking, but God did. Notice, for example, that Gideon's fleecing of God reads much like Abraham's petition for Sodom. Just as Gideon asks God not to be angry with him as he asks for more proof, Abraham asked God not to be angry as he begged for the lives in Sodom (see Genesis 18).
On the other hand, Zechariah simply doubts. And that's why the angel zings the old priest. He's not asking God for proof. He's not begging for evidence. He's not amazed that something like this could really happen (as Mary was). He just doesn't believe it can happen.
Gideon believed God could do what He said He would do. And that's the key—he believed God to perform something amazing. What the man wasn't sure about was his own ability and his calling. He believed God for the outcome; he questioned the agent, the catalyst. God graciously proved the calling by many unimpeachable signs.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
I'm certainly not suggesting we test God's patience—or test God at all. But God knows humans. He knows our doubts and our fears and our feelings of inadequacy. He's been there and done that—all without sin.
Gideon doubted himself, and God patiently showed the seeming wimp that he was, in fact, a mighty man of valor. If God has given you a calling that seems improbable because of your failings, remember that what God purposes to do is imminently possible. In other words, He doesn't pick the wrong person or give the wrong vision.
Whatever you do, don't doubt the power of God to do whatever it is He's given you. That's where we get into trouble.
:angel:
October 26, 2010
Maybe God's Waiting on You
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commandments. Deuteronomy 8:2, NIV
"Sometimes I wait on God to change a situation only to realize he was waiting on me."
A friend of mine said that recently, and that thought has stayed with me ever since. I'm so quick to point to outside circumstances for why God is not changing a particular situation in my life. I question, I complain. And in essence, I Israelitize! That's right. I'm just like a cranky Israelite who's wandering in the wilderness and wondering if I'll ever reach the Promised Land.
As I refreshed my memory about the plight of the Israelites after they had been delivered from Egypt and what happened during their 40-year wilderness experience, I was reminded that they did have a earlier opportunity to enter the Promised Land—two years into their ordeal.
During those two years, the Israelites had been trained and instructed in how to fight battles (it was not if but when they would occur). They were also given laws (The Ten Commandments) and instructed how to worship (detailed plans and guidelines for the Tabernacle, offerings, priests, etc.). So this time period was not for naught. It was to prepare the people, to test them to see if they would trust in God, worship him and submit to him as a unified body.
But they still didn't get it. And in the face of great blessing, they chose not to trust the Lord and disobeyed him.
In Numbers 13:1, we read:
The LORD said to Moses, "Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving the Israelites."
There it is, plain as day. God was going to give the Promised Land to the Israelites, and they knew this. But when the twelve spies came back with their report, ten of the twelve prevailed and offered their own plan:
"We went into the land to which you sent us," they said. "And it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. ... We can't attack those people; they are stronger than we are" (Numbers 13:27-28, 31).
The Israelites were scared and they were "sold," so they began grumbling and weeping aloud. Moses and Aaron quickly tried to reason with the people ("Do not rebel against the LORD"), but it was no use. The Israelites were going to do what they were going to do.
And then the Lord spoke:
For forty years—one year for each of the forty days you explored the land—you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you (Numbers 14:34).
The Israelites could have experienced tremendous blessing so much sooner. But because of their disobedience, they suffered for 38 more years in the wilderness. They brought it upon themselves! And therefore, they had to wait.
It's a story that shouldn't feel too distant from you and me today—despite the time gap. Think about it. How often have you brought upon yourself the various wilderness experiences in your own life? Times when you're uncomfortable or you don't like your circumstances or you don't understand what is happening and where you're going?
Either we wait for God's perfect plan in our lives and for him to unfold events exactly when and how he wants them to be, or we will wait to get out of what we have planned for ourselves. So what are you waiting on God to do today? And what is God waiting on you to do or to learn or to repent of and confess to him?
The next time you are even thinking about turning away from God's Word and rejecting his plan for your life, remember the Israelites and get on your knees. Remember God's kindness. Remember his mercy. And remember to wait on your faithful Father whose hand has provided everything an unfaithful people will ever need.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
What are you grumbling about today? What's going on in your current wilderness? Is it a relationship? A work situation? Your spiritual life? What got you there? And what is God asking you to do in the meantime while you wait? If God's waiting on you, then it's time to pay attention and start following his plan for your life.
Further Reading
Isaiah 30:18, NIV
Proverbs 3:5-6, NIV
:angel:
October 27, 2010
Slippery Humility
Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"He mocks the proud but gives grace to the humble." - Proverbs 3:34
Pride possesses an uncanny ability to find loopholes in our attitudes. As soon as we recognize the disease in one area of our life, it crops up in another area. Those familiar with the southern terror of kudzu, the unstoppable plant that takes over acres of other foliage no matter what measures are taken to keep it at bay, understand pride's infuriating habit of creeping back into one's life. The ultimate irony is when we think we've temporarily conquered the monster, only to find that we're giving ourselves credit for the job. And suddenly, the monster is reincarnated.
C. J. Mahaney, in his book about humility, found this dilemma ever present. "If I met someone presuming to have something to say about humility," he wrote, "automatically I'd think him unqualified to speak on the subject." How many humble attitudes have died as soon as they were recognized?
Webster defines humility as "lowliness of mind; a modest estimate of one's own worth; a sense of one's own unworthiness through imperfection and sinfulness; self-abasement; humbleness." But I think that definition is faulty. Many with low self-esteem nonetheless cling to shreds of pride, displayed in their self-consciousness and self-focus.
Mahaney's definition shows another component of humility: a relational focus. He writes, "Humility is honestly assessing ourselves in light of God's holiness and our sinfulness." More than a "modest estimate of one's own worth," isn't it? The end result of pride is self-consciousness; the end result of humility is consciousness of holiness, something totally outside ourselves.
What a countercultural concept.
In these days of Twitter, Facebook, reality TV, consumer marketing and the like, we become so bogged down in our own world - our own sin - that we fail to see the possibility/need for grace. Self-focused creatures that we are, our jobs, our families, and our recreation become excuses to capitalize on our strengths to earn accolades. Or they become shields to hide our weaknesses. In either case, our inward attitude blinds us to the greater picture. In walks sin - the attitude that puts the focus on ourselves before our focus on God's glory.
"When we have much of God's providential mercies," the great preacher Charles Spurgeon wrote, "it often happens that we have but little of God's grace, and little gratitude for the bounties we have received. We are full and we forget God: satisfied with earth, we are content to do without heaven. Rest assured it is harder to know how to be full than it is to know how to be hungry - so desperate is the tendency of human nature to pride and forgetfulness of God."
Amid all our blessings, has our vision become so short-sighted that we can't see beyond them? That we can't recognize sin? That we can't recognize how far short we fall of holiness? Pride is slippery, and the heart is deceitful when we compare ourselves to, well, ourselves. Let's renew our comparisons where they matter.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Manahey writes, "The warnings from Scripture about pride could not be more serious and sobering. But they're an expression of God's mercy, intended for our good. Don't you think God is merciful to warn us in this way?" Wrapped up in our self-consciousness, we don't see the gaping holes that lie ahead. Grab a concordance and read a few of the references under "pride" and "proud" (you'll find quite a few). Pride has no room to creep back in when we leave ourselves behind, so let's refocus our hearts on true holiness.
Further Reading
The Perils of Pride
Isaiah 66:2
James 4:6
:angel:
October 28, 2010
Fear Not
Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.
1 John 3: 1
You certainly don't need me to remind you that this is the time of year when our culture makes light of heavy subjects such as death, demons, witchcraft, and evil. Even if we want to avoid it, most of us can't. I learned this the hard way.
Last weekend I visited a local amusement park with friends. We planned this outing because we had free tickets and were in the mood to relive our carefree, roller coaster-riding days of childhood. It wasn't until we passed through the front gates of the park that we saw the Halloween set-up.
During the day, the pumpkin-and-haystack theme looked charming and festive. But as night fell, the park took on an entirely different appearance. Fog machines filled the air with mist while off-key carnival music began to play. As we wandered through the park, clowns of all shapes and sizes appeared.
Suddenly, the first screams rang out as a cackling clown chased a teenage girl through the crowd. As the pair raced past us, we got an up-close-and-personal view of the clown's gory make-up. These were not the friendly sort you meet at the circus.
My friends and I spent the remainder of the evening huddled together, moving slowly through the shadowy landscape designed to obscure demented carnival creatures. The only things the darkness couldn't conceal, of course, were the screams of terror.
After we'd made it safely to our cars (and the adrenalin stopped pumping through my body), it occurred to me that while I wouldn't go back inside even if you paid me, our experience might have actually held some real spiritual merit. Don't misread me - I'm not advocating the glorification of darkness or evil. But here are some thoughts I took away from that evening:
1. Life can be scary, but with God we need not fear. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.... Psalms 23: 4
God tells us to "fear not" countless times in Scripture. His frequent command indicates two things: (1) God anticipates that we will face scary situations, but (2) He is bigger and more powerful than any scary situation. We can find great comfort by taking God at His word.
2. Death is part of life. "For the wages of sin is death...." (Romans 6: 23)
My friends and I saw images of death and decay everywhere we turned. Skeletons hung on lamp posts, and well...I'll leave the rest to your imagination. As we wandered among the "living dead" I couldn't help but realize how different this experience would be if my friends and I didn't have hope in Christ. After all, every skeleton statue proclaimed our destiny. Yet, my friends and I knew we weren't staring at the end of the story. Paul's words come to mind here, "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" (1 Corinthians 15: 55).
3. Evil can be attractive.
"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it." (Matthew 7: 13)
As my friends and I dug our nails into each other while attempting to avoid hoards of terrorizing clowns, the fact that this horrible set-up had been created to give people a night of fun did not escape me. And judging by the massive crowds who paid big bucks in admissions fees, the goal was accomplished. But outside the realm of silly Halloween festivities, how often do we see our fellow human beings attracted to that which is scary, dark, or evil? And how often do we see "wrong" masquerade as beautiful, attractive, or right? It is only through the light of Christ that we can discern clearly that which is truly good and that which only appears good.
4. Spiritual warfare exists.
For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6: 12)
Not long ago I wrote a little bit about the nature of angels. My experience at the park gave me a glimpse into the nature of demons. It's easy to get lost in the everyday worries of life, and forget the greater spiritual reality. The trip to "Fear Fest" was a tangible reminder for me of our need to put on the armor of God (Ephesians 6: 13 - 18), and persevere in the faith.
Which brings us to the good and holy side of Halloween: All Saint's Day. I can't think of a more encouraging way to spend my Halloween than reflecting on the lives of fellow Christians who have fought the good fight, faced death, and now enjoy victory with Christ. Their witnesses inspire me to keep going even when the darkness closes in, when death threatens, or when evil looks like the better option.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
I can't count the times reading the biography or writings of a Christian hero has deepened my understanding of what it means to live as a Christian in the world. Get out that list of books you've been meaning to pick up "someday" and read one of the greats of Christian literature. Need Suggestions? Try 131 Christians Everyone Should Know by Mark Galli and Ted Olson (Broadman & Holman, 2000).
:angel:
October 29, 2010
Elbows & Ears
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
I will redeem you with an outstretched arm.
Exodus 6:6
Be merciful to me and hear my prayer.
Psalm 4:1
Once, when my son was just shy of three, he informed his mother he was drawing a picture of God.
"Oh... What does God look like?" she asked.
"Well, I put some elbows and some ears," he replied, and he went back to his work.
I was told that story when I came home from work. Cute, I thought. Not exactly as awe-inspiring as Ezekiel's vision, but sounds like a weird picture. I mean, where is the face?
"The face of the Lord is not one you could look upon" (Exodus 33:12-23), came the voice inside my head.
Where are the hands and feet?
That's you.
Oh yeah, that's true...
So... elbows and ears, huh?
Well, I guess God does reach us, and move us, and nudge us, and hold up the light to our paths. As Wayne Watson sang, "No one in this world can slip beyond the reaches of the long arm of the Lord."
And I know he hears us. He created us for fellowship. He desires praise and prayer. He's absolutely listening. He can even hear things we don't even know we're saying. As Steven Curtis Chapman sang, "The cross should have been mine, But His love broke through time, And heard my heart's cry."
So in one statement about one drawing by one child, I had digested a complete meditation on the nature of God, who He is and what He does, even what He leaves for us to do. As Casting Crowns sang, "If we are the body... Why aren't His hands healing... Why aren't His feet going?"
Intersecting Faith & Life: Consider today what part of the body you are playing, and what other parts (eyes, mouth, shoulders, etc.) describe what you know about the character of your God.
Further Reading
Video: "Proof" Most of us have thought how much easier it would be to follow God if we could just see Him once. The truth, though, is that He is all around us...
Matthew 5:8
:angel:
November 1, 2010
The First Fruit of the Gospel
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"For whosoever shall be ashamed of Me and My words, of him shall the Son of Man
be ashamed, when He shall come in His own glory..."
Luke 9:26 NASB
This week in chapter two of Francis Schaeffer's True Spirituality, we build upon the foundation regarding our need to daily encounter Christ the Living Redeemer in His gospel.
It is important to be clear in our understanding about the substitutionary nature of His death for sinners. Second Corinthians 5:21, "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." Nothing—not good works, religious rituals, not anything can add merit to His perfect work of atonement.
That is not to say, however, that virtue does not flow from His work in our lives. Schaeffer discusses at length at least one necessary result of the gospel in our lives; that being the practice of dying daily. He insightfully takes us to Luke 9:22-26 where Christ tells His disciples the certain order of events that would soon occur to Him... that He would be rejected, slain, then raised. And then points out that Christ immediately relates this order—rejected, slain, raised—to the Christian life. Luke 9:23-24 "And He was saying to them all, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. 24 "For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it."
"Jesus is talking here about our death by choice in the present life. He applies it to a specific situation to make it more concrete. "For whosoever shall be ashamed of Me and My words, of him shall the Son of Man be ashamed, when He shall come in His own glory..." (Luke 9:26)
"The Bible is not speaking of some romantic feeling, some idealization, some abstraction. Jesus carries this concept of facing the rejection, being slain, down to a very practical situation: facing an alien world. It is the saying "no" to self when our natural selves would desire acceptance by the alien world—a world in revolt against its Creator and our Lord.
"...this command of Christ is not limited to one situation; it is that which is to be the whole mentality and outlook of the Christian's life.
"As Christ's rejection and death are the first steps in the order of redemption, so our rejection and death are the first steps in the order of true and growing spirituality.
"As there could be no next step in the order of Christ's redemption until the step was taken, so in the Christian there can be no further step until these first two steps—rejected, slain—are faced; not in theory only, but at least in some partial practice."
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Is the gospel bearing fruit in your life in this way? Put another way, do you increasingly treasure Christ so that things and self receive less and less of your time, attention and resources?
Pray for family, friends and loved ones who are infiltrated by the world with its attitudes that God would make them willing to walk, by His grace through the steps of being rejected and slain, and that they would know the blessing of a resurrected life.
Further Reading:
The Expulsive Power of a New Affection
:angel:
November 2, 2010
Get Dirty
John UpChurch, Editor, Jesus.org
Jesus went on from there and walked beside the Sea of Galilee. And he went up on the mountain and sat down there. And great crowds came to him, bringing with them the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others, and they put them at his feet, and he healed them. (Matthew 15:29-30, ESV)
You've never really walked until you've slogged through red dirt. The stuff joins at the molecular level to your shoes, crawls up your pants, and ruins your socks. So, of course, my brothers and I loved it.
Spending summers in southern Alabama, we knew how to find dirt of every hue and consistency: powdery brown dirt for experiments with firecrackers, smooth white dirt that turned into a sinking quagmire when wet, squishy gray dirt that outlined the creeks, and, of course, that infamous red dirt. It really wasn't that hard to locate.
The red dirt road that passes by my grandfather's house weaves through a series of embankments that seemed massive back then. To me, they appeared something like the Great Red Cliffs of Dover. To my brothers, they were canvasses for faces and colorful words. To my parents, they were an unfortunate but necessary feature of the landscape.
At the end of our summer vacation, we'd pack up our red-stained socks and recently scrubbed shoes and return to our much less adventurous home with much tidier soil—back to paved roads and ranch style houses. This process occurred several times during my youth, but somewhere along the line, I forgot the joy in getting dirty.
Now days, I usually scrub my hands at the first hint of dirt. My socks have much more danger of being mismatched than being stained. And I like my "wild excursions" limited to controlled hiking trips on distinctly marked trails—and only when the weather cooperates.
My younger self would scoff at who I am now and say something about how that old guy doesn't know how to have fun. My younger self might be on to something.
I've forgotten what it means not to worry. When I was young, I would go out and do what needed to be done. Dirt needed to be found, ant hills needed to be blown up, and creeks needed to be crossed. So, I went. I didn't stop to think how much time it would take or if I might get dirty.
Now, unlike then, I follow Christ. I should be just as willing to go out and do what needs to be done. But rather than simply going about the kingdom work, I stop, consider the reasons why I don't want to, and then forget about it. My adventure has become hiding behind my fear.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
When Christ journeyed the length of Israel, He walked. His sandals chaffed, dust caked his feet, and insects buzzed His head. He sweated, and He had no showers. The people who came to Him probably stunk from the heat and fish and whatever else they happened to be around. He humbled Himself from the perfection of His throne to get dirty. God—the Creator of everything—took on flesh so that He could trudge across this dusty earth.
When I think back to my days sinking joyfully in mud pits, I have to wonder why I'm now sometimes afraid to metaphorically get dirty in the work of preaching the gospel, of living for Christ in every single thing I do.
Why does growing up so often steal the joy of red dirt? I don't know. But this is what I do know: today is a day to get that joy back.
:angel:
November 3, 2010
We Are Idol Factories
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Of what value is an idol, since a man has carved it? Or an image that teaches lies? For he who makes it trusts in his own creation; he makes idols that cannot speak. Habakkuk 2:18,NIV
"We are idol factories."
One of the pastors at my church said this in his sermon last Sunday, and I wrote it down and underlined it. I immediately took this statement to heart, because I know that I am truly gifted at making idols. It's a skill that required no college degree or specialized training.
It just comes naturally to me, placing other things, people, ideas or goals ahead of God in my life. In fact, I can make an idol out of something probably faster than you can switch on your 73-inch, flat-panel, plasma HDTV with surround sound. Actually maybe even faster, you see, because I've improved over time.
I heard this "idol factory" illustration just a day after having breakfast with a dear friend who I had not seen in several years. As we were sharing about our lives and what God was teaching us, she told me that she had gotten rid of her cable television. "Why is that?" I asked. "Because I spent too much time watching The Food Network. And before I knew it, it was time to pick up the kids from school," she admitted.
At first, I chuckled a little. It seemed pretty harmless. What's a wasted day or two spent watching The Food Network, and how harmful really could that channel ever be?
Without cable, my friend went on to say that she's now more productive during the day as a stay-at-home mom. She's reading more. She's getting back to the writing she's been wanting to work on, and she's focusing more on what matters to her family and how she can best serve them and their needs as a wife and a mother. Basically, she's gotten her priorities back in order.
Whoa. All of that from not watching a channel that really does have some good and helpful information that's worth your time. But, it just goes to show that that is how easy it is for us to make idols out of anything in our lives.
Don't laugh or discount this notion, because we all do it. Your weakness or idol may not be The Food Network. But just insert whatever or whomever it is that occupies your thoughts and your time. What or who is that you could spend hours focused on and not realize that the time has flown by? What do you think about the most when you're away from it? What controls your schedule? Can you look back and say you are glad that you spent your time or expended your efforts in this manner? Is any of this honoring to the Lord?
I bet you can come up with a list pretty quickly, can't you? I sure can. And I'm ashamed to see what occupies my thoughts and my time (and how much of it is wasted). I'm making idols left and right in my life, and it's time to have a fire sale. Get rid of the clutter that doesn't amount to anything of value for the Kingdom, and get back to what should be the sole focus of my worship: God.
The Westminster Shorter Catechism asks us this: "What is the chief end of man?" And the answer is: "Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever."
If I sifted each of my priorities through this question-and-answer filter, what would my life look like? Of what idols on the assembly line would I need to cease production first?
As the foreman of my life, the Lord issues a pink slip to me each and every day. Am I surrendering to his authority? He doesn't want me to keep the idol factory in business any longer in my heart. And I know that only he can help me shut it down and focus solely on worshipping him.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
We all have prominent idols in our lives, and they're usually the ones we look to get rid of first. But what about the more hidden idols—ones we are blinded to in our lives? They are just as destructive as those that are obvious. Ask the Lord to reveal your idol factory's entire inventory, so that you can make changes in your life starting today.
Further Reading:
Romans 11:36, NIV
Psalm 144:15, NIV
:angel:
November 4, 2010
What's Really Fair?
Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"So Joshua burned Ai and made it forever a heap of ruins, as it is to this day." Joshua 8:28
If you're like me, you've spent far more time studying Paul's famous passage about what "love is" and James' warning about the tongue than you have studying the Old Testament. If you're like me, you're a lot more comfortable when you can see grace close to the surface. You like the Old Testament stories about God's faithfulness to Abraham in giving him a son, and David's repentance after Bathsheba. Those stories demonstrate the incredible mercy of a loving God, and we prefer to focus on that quality. I tend to skip over the more difficult passages of earthly judgment meted out in Joshua, Deuteronomy, and Judges.
I'm realizing that I'm a lot more comfortable with what comes after John 3:16 than what comes before it. Why?
As I've listened to a series of sermons about Joshua and the Israelites, I've found some of the commands hard to stomach. For instance, I've heard the story about the battle of Jericho a thousand times, how "the walls came tumbling down," and all the Israelites had to do was march around the city. But I hadn't read the full passage in, well, a while.
The passage actually concludes with a direct order from the Lord that no one in Jericho, save Rahab the believing prostitute, be allowed to live (Joshua 6:21). At their next battle, Ai, the same orders were carried out again (Joshua 8:28)
Later, after the victory at Ai, the same thing happens. All the people are put to death, killed by the command of God.
I immediately found myself asking, "Lord, really? Everybody in the whole city? The women, the children, the animals? Why the need for total annihilation? This seems so inconsistent with the message that 'God is Love.' Shouldn't they have had the chance to hear more? What did they ever do to deserve such a fate? God, that's not fair."
That's not fair? After I gave voice to my gut reaction, those words came back to haunt me. That's not fair? Someone wiser than I mentioned Rahab's response to the Israelites, and why her life was spared. She saw the evidence before her - a nation of people whose God clearly went before them, completely overshadowing the gods she had known - and she threw herself on their mercy. Where the king and people of Jericho mocked the Israelites and their god, she realized her true predicament. Her faith resulted in the physical salvation of Rahab and her family.
Compare Rahab's response to others living in the land. She humbled herself before a mighty God, while the rest of the people stood in defiance against God himself. The one, holy, and true God of Israel. The one who created each Canaanite, brought water to their land, made their fields grow, and then watched as they did the unthinkable in their rituals to other gods. The one God who is perfect himself, and cannot entertain a hint of sin. That God watched these people for centuries, restraining his judgment until the Israelites were ready to possess the land. The holy God gave unholy people time. But in the end they had to "realize how evil and bitter it is for you when you forsake the Lord your God and have no awe of me." (Jeremiah 2:19)
The fact is, we all deserve judgment. We're all guilty of losing our awe of the true God and turning to idols. We all deserve the fate of Jericho. That's fair.
Doesn't that make John 3:16 so much more amazing?
Intersection of Faith & Life: Do we act as though God has an obligation to save us? Or do we, like Rahab, realize how little we can do to save ourselves? has a dramatic effect on how we view not only judgment, but grace.
:angel:
November 5, 2010
Trusting in God's Word
by Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
"Since many have undertaken to set down an orderly account of the events that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed on to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, I too decided, after investigating everything carefully from the very first, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus." Luke 1:1-3
Politics. I think we all feel like we've overdosed on them lately. Don't get me wrong - they're important. But they have a way of churning up all sorts of negative emotions, fears of the future, and overall distrust of our fellow man.
One of the things I dislike most about politics is that when politicians open their mouths, they often give us a spin on the truth. Most of us who care about particular issues end up immersed in hours of research trying to uncover the unbiased facts.
Thankfully, God and His Word do not operate on the same level as our political system.
I found some unexpected relief recently when I decided to do a little research on the life of St. Luke. The opening verses above are the first words recorded in Luke's gospel account. They are reasonable, straightforward words that show Luke approached his writing as a historian investigating and recording the facts.
A skeptic might respond, "Well of course an early disciple of Christ would say he is recording only facts. But how can we be sure?" Skeptics and believers alike might be interested in knowing that Luke's writings are so consistent and accurate, even secular, modern historians hold great respect for them.
So who was St. Luke? Well, historians generally agree that he is the author of the third gospel account and the Acts of the Apostles. His writings give us a glimpse into Christ's life and a vital record of the workings of the early Church. Biblical scholars aren't sure if Luke was Jewish or a gentile, but his gospel account certainly shows a special sensitivity to the gentiles, the poor, and sinners. Luke probably also had medical training -- scholars usually link the writer/historian with the Luke Paul refers to as, "the beloved physician." (Colossians 4: 14)
What else do we know about Luke? The Acts of the Apostles indicate he spent much of his adult life traveling with Paul, even sticking with Paul through his suffering and death (2 Timothy 4: 11). He also probably spent quite a bit of time with those who knew Jesus during His earthly ministry, including Mary, the mother of Jesus. After all, the Gospel of Luke is the "Christmas Gospel" - the only Gospel where we get the details of Gabriel's appearance to Mary and get unique glimpses of Jesus' boyhood. It's also the only gospel where we hear Mary, inspired by the Spirit, proclaim the famous Magnificat ("My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior..." Luke 1: 46 - 55).
But for all the facts Luke left us about Christ and His Church, he left very little information about himself. While we have details of the martyrdoms of many early followers, historians don't know how long Luke lived or how he died.
Of course, it's pretty safe to assume that Luke wasn't out to make a name for himself, but to make a name for God. And that's really where Luke's life and writings leave us - with yet another reminder that our confidence can rest securely with God and His Word. In a world that is always trying to sell us something, God gives us the wisdom we need to make the hard choices. In a world where words are often used to obscure the truth, God's Word cuts through the haze with profound, timeless truths. In a world where public figures cannot always be trusted, God works through His humble followers to restore our trust in Him.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Economies fluctuate and nations fall in and out of power. Put down the latest political commentary or turn off those negative news reports, and spend some extra time this week reading the eternal Word of God instead.
Further Reading
Matthew 22: 15 - 22
Faith, Not Fear: God and Wall Street
References: "St. Luke," "Luke the Evangelist"
:angel:
November 8, 2010
Child-Like Trust in the Lord
by Shawn McEvoy, Managing Editor, Crosswalk.com
O Lord, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty;
Nor do I involve myself in great matters, or in things too difficult for me.
Surely I have composed and quieted my soul;
Like a weaned child rests against his mother,
My soul is like a weaned child within me.
Psalm 131:1-2, NAS
This song, like most of the Psalms, was written by David - the man who would be Israel's greatest king. Is David who comes to mind when you think of someone "not involved in great matters" (kingdom conflicts, maybe)? Or unbothered by "things too difficult" (slaying a giant, anyone)? No, to me, this doesn't really sound like David. Doesn't really sound like me most of the time either.
Let's take a quick look at three things that stand out about this little Psalm:
1) Attitude. David's "heart" - his inner being, his spirit, is not proud... of things he's done, of where he's been and where he's going... but neither is he beating himself up. He is just... content.
2) Appetite. David's "eyes" - his senses - are not haughty. He's not seeking to please them. He doesn't have the look of arrogance. He knows Whose he is, and that his needs are met not of himself. He is not restless to feed like an infant, he is not stalking around asking to eat out of boredom like my 2-year-old.
3) Aptitude. David places the responsibility for this peaceful state upon himself. Not circumstances, not achievements, not even on God. "Surely I have quieted my soul," he says.
Taken all together, this shows us what trust looks like, and helps us understand why trusting God brings such soothing peace. Jesus said we must have faith like children to come to Him. Apparently, trust is also best exemplified in little ones.
David's "talk" is of not being proud; his "walk" then backs it up by what he "involves" (or doesn't involve) himself in. This doesn't mean God hasn't given him - or you - important stuff to get done, just that David has "declared himself free from excessive ambition" (Ryrie study notes).
To sing not of self, to seek not to fill the senses, to seek the will only to be quiet before God - that is trust. A "weaned child" knows instinctively where to find trust. By extension, and through the example of "the man after God's own heart," so do we.
Intersecting Faith & Life: "Involve" yourself in a small, humble matter today - perhaps a child's squabble, creating a meal, or going for a walk - and see if you can compose your soul.
Further Reading
Matthew 18:4-5
When Old Men Trust, by Calvin Miller
:angel:
November 9, 2010 Existentialism... The Good Kind
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple..."
Luke 14:27 NASB
As chapter two of Francis Schaeffer's book, True Spirituality, comes to a close, the author highlights a crucial dimension of the gospel's first fruit (that of dying to self). It is that dying to self must be a continual reality. Schaeffer likens the proper mindset here to that of a philosophical existentialist...
"The existentialist is right when he puts his emphasis on the reality of the moment-by-moment situation. He is wrong in many things, but he is right here. Christ called His followers to continuously carry their own cross. He puts the command not in an abstract but in an intensely practical setting, in verse 26 (of Luke14) relating it to His followers' fathers, mothers, wives, children, brothers, sisters, and their own lives."
"He sets it among the realities of daily life. This is where we must die."
Christ is talking about putting to death what our hearts prefer; what we desire most. And we naturally prefer our own way. Ol' Blue Eyes, Frank Sinatra, set our deeply ingrained theme song to music when he sang, "I did it my way." How can we possibly overcome our instinct to want our own desires fulfilled? It seems to be an impossible command.
Even if we know the Proverb "There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death," such knowledge by itself is not enough to subdue a sinful, stubborn will. When the heart wants something, it can charge ahead in a mad quest to get its way without a single thought about consequences.
Paul Tripp and Tim Lane, in their book How People Change, cite no less than seven counterfeit gospels that prevent people from dying to self. They feed pride and give others the false impression that we're being true disciples. Because we are so prone to preserve ourselves, we can easily gravitate toward these false gospels. Their appeal is so insidiously strong because they allow us to deceive ourselves and others, AND dodge Christ's benevolent command to die to self. These counterfeit gospels are: formalism, legalism, mysticism, activism, biblicism, therapism, and social-ism.
Formalism says, "I'm always in church, but it really has little impact on my heart or on how I live. I may become judgmental and impatient with those who do not have the same commitment as I do."
Legalism says, "I live by the rules—rules I create for myself and rules I create for others. I feel good if I can keep my own rules, and I become arrogant and full of contempt when others don't meet the standards I set for them. There is no joy in my life because there is no grace to be celebrated."
Mysticism says, "I am engaged in the incessant pursuit of an emotional experience with God. I live for the moments when I feel close to him, and I often struggle with discouragement when I don't feel that way. I may change churches often, too, looking for one that will give me what I'm looking for."
Activism says, "I recognize the missional nature of Christianity and am passionately involved in fixing this broken world. But at the end of the day, my life is more of a defense of what's right than a joyful pursuit of Christ."
Biblicism says, "I know my Bible inside and out, but I do not let it master me. I have reduced the gospel to a mastery of biblical content and theology, so I am intolerant and critical of those with lesser knowledge."
Therapism says, "I talk a lot about the hurting people in our congregation, and how Christ is the only answer for their hurt. Yet even without realizing it, I have made Christ more Therapist than Savior. I view hurt as a greater problem than sin—and I subtly shift my greatest need from my moral failure to my unmet needs."
Social-ism says, "The deep fellowship and friendships I find at church have become their own idol. The body of Christ has replaced Christ himself, and the gospel is reduced to a network of fulfilling Christian relationships."
[From Paul Tripp and Tim Lane's How People Change (New Growth Press, 2008)]:
Which one(s) of the counterfeit gospels do you most tend toward?
In the end, only God's grace can subdue the heart of man and turn its desires God-ward. And such grace comes only through the true gospel of Christ. When God brings me around to embrace by faith that it was my moral failure that caused the sinless Son of God to suffer and die and, because of that, God does not treat me as my sins deserve, I see then that anything in life can be received with thankfulness.
How can we carry our cross and die daily? Only God can enable us by His "greater grace" to embrace the good kind of existentialism, depend on Him moment by moment, and continually ring the death knell to "my way."
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Do you see your own need for God's grace every moment so that you can die to self, yielding your desires up to Him? If not, what's preventing that?
Further Reflection:
Read James 4:6
My Heart Is Filled with Thankfulness (Stuart Townend, Keith Getty)
:angel:
November 10, 2010
Set Apart for the Gospel
John UpChurch, Editor, Jesus.org
Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, (Romans 1:1-2, ESV)
In my apartment building, having a dog proves challenging, having a small dog even more so. Since she refuses to learn how to use and flush a toilet, we're forced to slap the leash on, carry her down three flights of stairs, and hustle her off to a small patch of ground dedicated to doggy calls. Everything else is concrete—and I do mean everything.
In the past, I did my best to avoid actual human contact—other than the practiced smile, jerky nod, and occasional mumbled phrase. I'm introverted, I would think to myself. That was enough of an excuse for me. Plus, most of the other people in the apartment building seemed happy enough that I had the same disposition as them. Thus, the trip to the small patch of dirt involved much hustle and avoidance, a carefully orchestrated dash.
Then, it happened—well, he happened. You know the type of guy I mean. He was not interested in my attempts at momentary eye flicking in his direction or the head turn away from him. He didn't care about body language. He had a mission, and that mission meant speaking with me—on purpose.
After a few moments of small talk, this man from Africa hit me with it: he asked if I knew Jesus. My first thought, of course, was one of indignation. How could he not know that I followed Christ? How could he not know that I worked on a Christian website as an editor? How could he miss what had to be so obvious?
None of that came out. Instead, I calmly explained to him that I was serious about my faith—serious enough to avoid contact with anyone in my apartment complex or to share Christ or to mention anything about Jesus whatsoever outside of my circle of Christian friends. See, that's serious.
And that compared completely favorably to this guy's story. After all, he had felt the call of God, hopped on a plane from Africa to America with no place to stay or money, and had been publically sharing his faith with every person he met as a missionary. He lived day to day on the grace of God with all his needs met exactly when they needed to be. He preached, prayed, loved, suffered, all for the glory of God.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
What impacted me the most that day is that this faithful brother was called from Africa to America—the very place where I, a Christ follower, live. Perhaps God wanted to shame me for my apathy and my fear. Perhaps He wanted to encourage me. Either way, I realized out there on that tiny patch of dirt how dead I'd been: if I'd been set apart by and for the gospel of God, I had no choice but to share that.
You don't realize you're spiritually dead and unfruitful until you see it for yourself. I saw my own death with the help of a brother from Africa. Maybe that's something you need to realize too.
Further Reading
Romans 1
:angel:
November 11, 2010
Are You Doing Brave Things?
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
"May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!" Daniel 6:16, NIV
Veterans have done brave things. If you know one personally, then you definitely know this to be true.
They have fought for justice and for freedom. They have seen what you and I will probably never see. And they deserve to be honored and remembered on this day for their service to something greater than themselves.
Another brave person, and in my opinion one of the bravest people in the Bible, was Daniel—for obvious reasons (lions!). He served someone greater than himself and risked his life to that end.
Sometime after 539 B.C., by the time Darius the Mede conquered Babylon, Daniel had already risen to a position of importance in the Babylonian Kingdom. Darius recognized Daniel's worth and elevated him even higher to rule the leaders of the 120 provinces of the kingdom.
But Daniel's colleagues became jealous of him and his exceptional abilities, and so they devised a plan to get rid of the upstanding nobleman. In Daniel 6:6-8, we read ...
"O King Darius, live forever! The royal administrators, prefects, satraps, advisers and governors have all agreed that the king should issue an edict and enforce the decree that anyone who prays to any god or man during the next thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be thrown into the lions' den. Now, O king, issue the decree and put it in writing so that it cannot be altered—in accordance with the laws of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed."
And so after apparently not a whole lot of thought about the matter nor its consequences, Darius made it so. When Daniel heard about it, he immediately stopped praying publicly to God and kept his worship to himself so as not to offend anyone else and in order to save his life.
No! Of course that's not what happened. But it's what I imagine for myself, should this type of incident happen in our society today. Really, I have thought about it. What would I do if it became law that I could not pray in public or worship a triune God or speak freely about my faith and trust in a living Savior? Would I be afraid? Would I fear for my safety and my future? Would I be silenced?
I'd like to think I'd have enough courage and bravery to do as Daniel did. Because he did absolutely nothing. Nothing, in terms of changing how he was living out his faith.
Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before (Daniel 6:10).
At that point, you know that Daniel knew it was just a matter of time before he was going to be thrown into the lions' den. But there he was, praying in the face of his enemies. Unshaken. Unmoved. Unafraid.
You know the rest of the story (see Daniel 6:11-28). What resulted was God's miraculous protection and deliverance of Daniel, despite being closed up in a den with some hungry lions. And because of that display of faith and God's power, the king ordered Daniel lifted out of the den, had the accusers and conspirators and their families thrown in the den, and then decreed that everyone in his kingdom should fear and reverence the God of Daniel.
Who knows how many lives were affected by Daniel's act of bravery? Could you do what he did? Will you?
May we all take a lesson from Daniel today and see our faith stretched and strengthened as we strive to do brave things.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
You may not be faced with being thrown in a lions' den today, but what is your equivalent? Is it having an in-depth, "uh oh, we might disagree" conversation with someone who believes differently than you? Or could it be picking up the phone to call someone to apologize and right a past wrong? What about choosing not to participate in gossip or coarse joking? Could you walk away from that, even if it means you might lose face or friends? Determine to step out in faith and be brave this week. God will meet you there!
Further Reading:
Isaiah 40:31, NIV
Ephesians 6:10-18, NIV
:angel:
November 12, 2010
The End of the Fugitive's Flight
Katherine Britton, News & Culture Editor- Crosswalk.com
"God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross." Colossians 2:13-14, ESV
Precious few of us have personal experience with chains and slavery, and I thank God for his grace in letting me enter a free world. But we're not so far removed from those times. America did away with her "peculiar institution" less than 150 years ago. A very short span of history divides us from American slaves, and many verified narratives of life in slavery are right at our fingertips. Living post-Civil Rights Act, what those pages contain - especially if the writer was a woman - will make most readers gag. It's a hard part of American history to swallow.
Harriet A. Jacobs, who left free Americans a staggering narrative, recorded her journey out of slavery with remarkable restraint considering what she endured. For one thing, she spent seven years confined to a shed attic while hiding from her master, who had made frequent advances on her despite being a married man. Small wonder she risked everything to flee.
When Jacobs eventually made to New York, the threat of slavery followed her. She refused to regard herself as chattel, but life after the Fugitive Slave Law forced that reality on her. She scoured newspapers for that day's social news of hotel arrivals, praying no white Southerner or obsequious Black who knew her would appear. On multiple occasions, she had to flee the city to avoid detection.
After one close call, a wealthy white friend flouted Jacobs wishes and purchased her freedom. After spending so many years looking over her shoulder, her legal status was no longer in question. She wrote,
"I had objected to having my freedom bought, yet I must confess that when it was done I felt as if a heavy load had been lifted from my weary shoulders. When I road home in the cars I was no longer afraid to unveil my face and look at people as they passed. I should have been glad to have met Daniel Dodge [her mistress's husband] himself, to have had him seen me and known me, that he might have mourned over the untoward circumstances which compelled him to sell me for three hundred dollars."
She knew how desperately important the law's demands were on her life. Her courage and human dignity could not negate the law of the land, no matter how terrible. Her legal status impacted every area of her life.
Spiritually, that's us.
Knowing that Christ fulfilled the legal obligations, we are free. That means free from condemnation, God's displeasure, and the power of sin. We don't have to keep looking over our shoulder, hoping sin and judgment won't overtake us.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Galations 4:7 offers this promise: "You are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God." Look how dramatically our fate changes! So why do act like we're still a slave to sin? Or that God is scowling at us? The papers are signed, and no one can take us back to life before our redemption. Are you living this freedom today?
:angel:
November 15, 2010
Enduring Hurled Stones
by Fred Alberti - Director of Social Media, Salem Web Network
Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 1 Timothy 6:12
Stephen was just an ordinary believer that God chose to use in an extraordinary way. He was chosen by the church leaders to assist in meeting the needs of the widowed church members. God chose to use him to work miracles and preach.
I like his speech recorded in Acts chapter 7. I can just imagine seeing the religious leaders drumming their fingers as he recounted Jewish history... they knew all of this already of course. But their drumming fingers soon came to be clenched fists as Stephen began to drive home their hard-headedness. It didn't take long before those clenched fingers were clutching stones waiting to be hurled in Stephen's direction.
You know, Stephen could have stopped at anytime. This wasn't his job; he was just supposed to make sure everyone got their food. Who would have blamed him? His life was in danger. But he didn't stop; he chose to allow himself to be swept away by the Spirit.
How about it?
Are you willing to be used by God?
Intersecting Faith & Life: Will you take a stand for Jesus regardless of the cost? Maybe you've been pounded by one to many stones. Take heart... Jesus is standing to the right of the Father. Be brave. Be strong. He will sustain you.
Further Reading
Acts 7
Psalm 46
The God of All Encouragement, by Adrian Rogers
:angel:
November 16, 2010
Thanksgiving: For Richer or Poorer
by Shawn McEvoy
"Christians who are poor should be glad, for God has honored them." James 1:9
The rich eat ham,
The poor eat tuna.
Doesn't take as long to cook,
So we eat soona.
--Jay Henze
The words of that heretofore unknown poem were uttered by my lifelong best friend sometime around our senior year of high school. He conjured it out of thin air while I was spending the night at his house. It was the result of one of those "I'm so tired I'm laughing at anything" sessions you'd often experience with close friends around midnight.
It was also the result of Jay's enduring awareness of the socio-economic differences between himself and many of his friends, like me, from the affluent north side of town. So whenever I think of ham, tuna, or Jay, I often think of richness and poorness as well.
Recently, thanks to a fantastic tour around the Missionary Learning Center, I was thinking about missions and outreach. It struck me as interesting that whenever a mission of mercy or evangelism is commissioned, it tends to be to an area where there is a high concentration of poverty, whether it's to India, Mexico, or inner-city Philadelphia. Well, yes, as it should be.
After all, Christ commanded us, if we loved Him, to tend to His lambs (John 21:15-17). James 2:15-16 admonishes us not to ignore those in need of food or clothing. Paul and the Apostles started churches among those who were poor (Acts 9:36; 10:4). Poverty was crippling in the time of Christ and so it continues to be now. The very fact that Jay had a roof over his head and the fish he despised came in a can rather than him having to catch it made him one of the wealthiest persons on the planet. So the holidays are certainly a time to think about - nay, physically assist - those less fortunate than ourselves (2 Corinthians 9:9).
Then again, are we missing something?
Consider James 1:9 - "Christians who are poor should be glad, for God has honored them." There are lots of ways to be poor, and Jesus told us they brought about blessing in the long run (Matthew 5:3-12). Those poor in spirit will inherit the kingdom of heaven. Those mourning loved ones will be comforted. Those who make peace rather than seeking their own profit will be called sons of God, Who chose the poor of this world to be rich in faith (James 2:5). 2 Corinthians 6:10 states: "Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything."
And what about the rich?
That's the hard part, literally. Jesus said it's very difficult for the wealthy to enter the kingdom of heaven. Those who love their life too much find it hard to lose it. James reminds us it's the rich who "oppress us and drag us into court, blaspheming the fair name by which we've been called (James 2:6-7)." The word "miserable" has at its root the word "miser." The love of money isn't just the source of evil, but also of depression and dissatisfaction.
So... doesn't that mean that the rich have just as many spiritual needs, if not more, than the poor? Who will go to them? Who will train them in the joy of giving their money away and not living by comparison to others? What mission trips are planned?
I contend that untold legions of us are making such a trip this very month, back home to our families and friends, where a big ham might fill the center of the table, people will put on their fineries, and a lot of the talk will focus on the daily drudgeries of keeping our precious lives in working order to cover up the hole that's getting bigger in the soul.
We might spend a few minutes at the table saying how we're thankful we're not like others, or that we have our health, or that our family is with us - before we stuff ourselves, stare blankly at the Dallas Cowboys or Detroit Lions to avoid looking at each other, or fall asleep. Of course, you probably know someone for whom Thanksgiving is an unwelcome chore, a painful experience of dodging rejection, annoyance, questions of future or romance, and Uncle Jimbo.
Or, if you're truly rich, as I am for marrying into a godly family, there will be genuine thanks, true giving, heartfelt prayers, and corporate worship.
Whatever the case in your gathering, let me encourage you to take the love of Christ with you and accept the difficult challenge of bringing it to the wealthy this Thanksgiving. Jesus said a camel fitting through a needle's-eye was difficult, not impossible (thank goodness for most of us).
Intersecting Faith & Life: While you're together, try to figure out a way your clan can come together to do something for the impoverished among us. Without that outpouring, the warm comfort of wealth can grow stale and dry. Meanwhile, the next time you think on the cloud of poverty and those who suffer at its chill, remember that, at least in the biblical view, it carries a silver lining of comfort, inheritance, peace, and, I suppose, eating soona. And if those elements are present at your table, then you have a cornucopia indeed.
Further Reading
1 Timothy 6:6-11
Matthew 5
Make Your Life Rich without Money
:angel:
November 17, 2010
Christ Did Not Ascend into the Realm of Mere Religious Ideas
by Alex Crain, Editor, Christianity.com
"Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus." Romans 6:11 NASB
We live in a world in which critics of Christianity consider the Gospel accounts of Jesus' life, death, resurrection and ascension completely absurd. They count us, His followers, to be fools. They must. They have no other choice. And we do not live by their opinions.
Rather, we pray and live in such a way so that God might use us to open their eyes to the reality of Christ's resurrection. He is Lord of all and is seeing history through to its appointed end. Nothing can change this.
One way that God opened my eyes to the truth of Christ years ago was by putting me in the company of a Christian who had moved past his fear-of-man issues and was living out the verse above. I remember that he even explained his faith to me, a skeptic, in terms of Romans 6 as if it were true in present history—in real space and time. It was unsettling.
He had mentioned reading Francis Schaeffer, whose book True Spirituality I am currently working through on "Crosswalk the Devotional." This week, in chapter three, Schaeffer dwells upon the Romans 6 message about the necessity of the Christian to believe that he has really been joined in union with Christ. Schaeffer points out from Romans 6 that this is the essential message of the Christian life.
From what I can tell, skeptics and critics who suspect that Christians are just trying to make them conform to a moral or political agenda really don't know what to do with the undiluted message of Christianity—that of being spiritually united with Christ. Quoting Schaeffer:
This is the basic consideration of the Christian life.
First, Christ died in history. Second, Christ rose in history.
Third, we died with Christ in history, when we accepted Him as Savior.
Fourth, we will be raised in history, when He comes again.
Fifth, we are to live by faith now as though we were now dead, as though we have already died.
Sixth, we are to live now by faith as though we have now already been raised from the dead.
What this means to the true believer is that the world's power to conform us to its way of thinking and living is broken. All things look different now.
Paraphrasing Schaeffer:
How can we conform to that which is so marred, so broken, so caught up in revolution against God? The praise of the world is worthless when one has stood in the presence of God. The wealth of the world is worthless when one has seen the treasure of heaven. What is earthly power after one has seen the reality of heaven and the power of God?
And this is not a matter of projecting our imaginations. We recognize that the Lord Jesus Christ indeed lives in the presence of the Father (Rom. 6:10), and this is where we are called to live, alive to God in communion with Him, in communication with Him—saying "thank you" in all the ebb and flow of life.
When I am dead both to good and bad [circumstances that happen to me], I have my face turned towards God. And this is the place in which, by faith at the present moment of history, I am to be.
When I am there, what am I? I am then the creature in the presence of my Creator. It is though I am already in the grave, and already before the face of God. When through faith I am dead to all, and am face to face with God, then I am ready by faith to come back into this present world as though I have already been raised from the dead. It is as though I anticipate that day when I will come back.
Our primary call, then, is to be alive to God moment by moment. Our "doing good" should not become a thing in itself and thus spoil the most basic call of being alive to the presence of God.
Christ was not raised mythically. He did not ascend into the realm of mere religious ideas. He was raised historically in space and time. He lives presently and sustains all things by the word of His power. The dominion of sin is broken. Because He lives, we can live free from conformity to the world and be alive in the presence of our Creator.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Are you joined in union with Christ? Is yours a Christless Christianity that is more focused on your own goals, fears and feelings than what is historically and presently true of Christ?
Further Study on the Validity of the Christian Worldview:
Dr. Greg Bahnsen's peerless lectures: "Basic Training for Defending the Faith" (YouTube)
:angel:
November 18, 2010
Two for One
John UpChurch, Editor, Jesus.org
concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, (Romans 1:3-4, ESV)
When people looked at Jesus - the carpenter from Nazareth, Mary's boy - they saw a human being. With His posse of disciples, He rolled into town on two legs, walking like anyone else would. He didn't float, fly, beam in, or suddenly appear. He ambulated.
That's what we were supposed to see.
God's Son came, according to human reckoning, as a descendant of an ancient earthly king that nobody in the world cared about beyond Judea. David died too long ago to matter, especially since Rome had its foot on Jerusalem's throat. Most Jews cared, of course, but they prayed for a type of Messiah that God never intended. Romans yawned, all while keeping a careful eye out for sedition.
But when Jesus appeared - first as a baby and then in the wilderness with John the Baptist - human eyes couldn't see what the Father could. Human eyes couldn't see that the Son had always been the Son, had created everything from the rings of Jupiter to the bubble of air under our fingernails, had voluntarily put aside the glory of heaven to make a much anticipated appearance and bring about the climax of history.
Human eyes can only see flesh, dirt, and blood. So, God gave us that. He put on the flesh, traveled along the dirty roads, and ultimately let the blood fall. We get to see all of that from our side of the sky - all the tangible evidence of love run wild. God knew we needed a Man from Nazareth to breathe in our oxygen. So, we got it.
When Jesus died, He got chucked into the grave like any other human being. According to the flesh, as Paul put it, everything happened like it always does. Humans die; the world keeps spinning on its axis; and the people in Rome would never have known. What's one more dead Jewish guy to them?
But human reckoning doesn't stop God. He knows how to make a point. Jesus said on many occasions, "I'm the Son of God." The resurrection says, "You bet." Jesus said, "I am the truth and the life." The resurrection says, "This guy knows what He's talking about. Better listen." Jesus said, "Nobody comes to the Father except through me." The resurrection says, "Don't get that one wrong, or you'll sizzle like an egg on a Texas sidewalk."
Intersecting Faith & Life:
The dual nature of Christ is not an unimportant side issue of salvation. When Paul introduced himself to the Romans, he first of all laid out why Jesus mattered to Jews and Gentiles alike. God became human - specifically a descendant of David - but He was always God. The resurrection makes that part difficult to ignore.
Paul summarizes all of this by calling Him "Jesus Christ our Lord." You've got Jesus, meaning "Savior"; Christ, meaning "God's chosen"; and Lord - or kurios (koo'-ree-os) - meaning "the Big Guy."
In other words, Paul's telling us it matters - it matters more than anything else.
Further Reading
Acts 1
1 Thessalonians 1
:angel:
November 19, 2010
I'm Ready for My Close-Up
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
"Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." Psalm 139:23-24, NIV
"I'm ready for my close-up."
How often have you heard people repeat this phrase from the 1950 American film noir, Sunset Boulevard? It's usually said in jest, but it refers to the storyline's aging silent-movie star, Norma Desmond, who says it as she is trying to make a comeback to the big screen.
No doubt she spent some time in front of a magnifying mirror so that she would look just right and perhaps cover up a wrinkle or two before the cameras came in too close. And if you're a woman, then you can certainly identify.
We of the female species want to look good, and we sometimes need a magnifying mirror to help us out a little. Either you've got to see up close to pluck your eyebrows or perhaps you need some sort of triple magnification to make sure you don't poke the mascara wand in your eye. And if you're a man, well, I don't know why you would need one. So that's between you and your mirror.
For us ladies, however, a magnifying mirror can be a blessing and a curse. It's blessing in that it helps you to see what you can't see normally with the naked eye. But the mirror is also somewhat of a curse in that you may not like what you see or you might see something you don't want to see—as in wrinkles, blemishes, or random hairs. When that happens, well you just hope to goodness that no one else has seen what it's taken a magnifying mirror to point out to you!
As believers, we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28) under a most divine magnifying mirror—whether we realize that or not. David refers to God's continual examination of our lives in Psalm 139:
O LORD, you have searched me and you know me ... Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? ... For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb ...All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be ... Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Who of us in our sinful states welcomes this kind of scrutiny? Who of us wants someone to get that close to us, to see every single thought and motive and the ugly pride and selfishness that we try to keep covered up in our lives?
Now, reread all of Psalm 139 and think about this type of close examination once more. How do you see it now?
This is really a love letter, my friend. David understood and got how much God truly loves us—no matter what. He is the one who created our "inmost being" and saw our "unformed body" when it was woven together. He is omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent. He knows us better than we know ourselves!
David welcomed his close-up with his heavenly Father, and he responded to God's unchanging, unconditional, unmerited love. So why do I fear letting God examine me? Why do you?
If we truly want to be obedient to our Master and our King, then we will always be ready for our close-ups and will want him to see into every area of our lives as we seek to live for him.
In grateful response, may we all aim to magnify the Lord today and let our lives reflect his glory.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
What are you afraid of letting God see in your life? Do you know that he already knows about whatever it is you're trying to keep from him? Be like David and praise the Lord for knowing you better than anyone else ("such knowledge is too wonderful for me") and ask him to "lead you in the way everlasting."
Further Reading:
Deuteronomy 31:6, NIV
Jeremiah 17:10, NIV
:angel:
November 22, 2010
The Lesson of Lasagna
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, 'Thus far has the LORD helped us.'" - 1 Samuel 7:12
Life in the Peters household produced a frenetic Christmas just about every year, but that year eclipsed them all. I was eleven years old when two game-changers happened in quick succession. First, in early November, my youngest sister was born. My twin brothers hadn't yet turned two, so daily life included diaper changes for three kids in addition to the newborn routine. Just a month later, my dad was ferrying me home from a Christmas cookie exchange when a truck broadsided us. Multiple injuries kept Dad laid up for a couple weeks, right in the midst of Christmas parities and preparation.
The body of Christ carried many burdens for my overwhelmed family during the crazy season that followed. Friends cleaned the house, washed laundry, babysat so my exhausted mother could nap, put lights on our Christmas tree, took us kids Christmas shopping, and more. Even as a kid, I noticed how many people set aside their holiday bustle to lend a hand.
What I remember best, though, is the lasagna.
Church members consistently supplied us with hot meals when we would otherwise have eaten cold cereal, given the circumstances. I remember lots and lots of casseroles during the Christmas season, and - I must embarrassingly admit - my childish tastes invited me to turn up my nose at many of them. Especially the lasagna, which I barely tolerated in the best of times. During those two months, we choked down veggie lasagna that I thought tasted like printer paper, picked at lasagna surfeited with cottage cheese (I still despise cottage cheese), rejoiced over meat-lovers lasagna, and tried to get away with eating just the garlic bread someone brought as a side dish. Lord bless the folks that brought us that signature casserole, but after New Years I never wanted to see lasagna again. Ever.
Of course, the years have chugged along, I swapped out my last name, and I reticently reversed course on lasagna. The casserole has that sweetly sentimental quality of Grandma's cookies now, always reminding me of those crazy two months that began with a birth and closed with a year's end. It's my "edible Ebenezer," if you will. I know that might sound flippant, but I can't help but remember how God provided for my family during a rough patch when I smell that smell. To me, lasagna will always be synonymous with a church's love.
Intersecting Faith & Life: As we enter the week of Thanksgiving, when food and memories intertwine so closely, look around for the Ebenezer stones in your own life. What past events can you point to and say, "Yes, the Lord helped us there." Tell your family and friends the stories of God's grace and provision, so they too will "forget none of his benefits" (Psalm 103:2). We serve a faithful God - let's remember to look back on those markers.
Further Reading:
Crosswalk the Devotional - June 18, 2008
Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
:angel:
November 23, 2010
When God Whispered
by Fred Alberti - Director of Social Media, Salem Web Network
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:16-17
My four year old son had to learn 2 Timothy 3:16 for AWANA. One of the leaders was concerned and stated that there was just no way the children could grasp the idea of Scripture being "God-breathed." So we decided to ask my son to explain what "God-breathed" meant.
You know I think we are sometimes too quick to underestimate a child's ability to understand the truths of the Bible. We are so quick to dismiss their abilities yet this is what Jesus had to say in Matthew 11:25, "At that time Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children."
Jesus knew what children could understand.
I recently was walking through a nature trail. The leaves rustled underfoot and the sun shone out over the lake next to the trail inviting me to stop and reflect on God's glory. I found a bench and while I sat there I heard the breeze whispering through the tops of the trees. Just a slight hushed sound and my thoughts. That's when I pondered on my son's words.
What did my son say?
He said, "Well, God-breathed means that..." and here he lowered his voice, "God whispered it."
Wow... God whispered His Word.
Peter said, "...you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:20-21).
Our Bible isn't just some compilation of stories. It is the very Word of God whispered into the hearts and minds of men who were selected to be his special vessels to communicate His good news.
How about you?
Have you, like Elijah, heard the "still small voice" of the Lord bringing you comfort, encouragement, and guidance?
If not, maybe you need to spend some time to just be still and maybe in His time you'll hear His whisper in your heart too.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Go for a walk in a park or through a quiet museum and find a quiet place where you can be still before the Lord.
Further Reading
1 Kings 19:9-18
Hebrews 4:11-13
Inward Stillness
:angel:
November 24, 2010
Anything and Everything
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
"He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?" Romans 8:32
My children, aged almost-five and almost-three, know my weakness.
They know it's not ice cream, baseball, or their mom's chili... or even a hug or puppy-dog eyes from them.
See, none of the above make me cry (although the chili almost did once). Yes, my children have seen their father cry. It's not something I wanted, or intended. I'm a man, after all. I go to work, show my strength. I coach, help, show, point, and guide. I communicate, discipline, and lead. I pray. I do not cry.
...Except when I read Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree, that is.
And like I said, my children know this. And oh, do they twist that knife, the little devils. We must own a couple hundred children's books, but if it's a night where Daddy is doing the bedtime reading rather than Mommy, what do they invariangly pick (while smirking)? Of course! The Giving Tree!
I've been reading this book, first published in 1964, since I myself was a child, and no matter how many times I do, I am unable to de-sensitize. I mean, when I watch the movie Field of Dreams and Ray has a catch with his ghost-dad, that gets me. But if I see the scene over and over within a certain time frame? Nah. No sweat, no tears. But this blasted children's book... well... what's going on here?
First of all, you're probably wondering that very thing if you aren't familiar with the story. A tree and a boy are the best of friends during an idyllic childhood for the young man where he eats apples from the tree, climbs her trunk, swings from her branches, and rests in her shade. Then things change, as things do, and we see the boy approach the tree at all the various stages of his life, caught up - understandably, even - more in wanting and needing than in just being. Every time he has a "need," the tree obliges... and is happy for having done so. She doesn't have much, but gives all she has until eventually, she is nothing but a stump. At the end of all things, however, it turns out a stump is just what the old man needs - a quiet place to sit down and rest and reflect. "And the tree was happy. The end."
And I am undone... again.
Is it because I am reading the story to my children, and I know our stories will be very much like that of the tree and the boy, where they are my delight but eventually I must simply become provider as they go out into the world? Yes and no.
Is it because our family copy of the book - the one I read to the kids - carries an inscription from my wife on our first Christmas as husband and wife that says, "With God's help, may I love you like this"? Yes and no.
Is it because I once read the book aloud at at emotional family Thanksgiving, illustrating how we too infrequently practice the "giving" half of the word? Yes and no.
Is it because as my father lay dying seven years ago that I told him of the story (he wasn't familiar with it), and how he had been that tree for me? That's definitely part of it. My mother, I remember, commented that she didn't recall it being a "Christian" book. I didn't really have an answer to that, only to what I saw in it. Which is...
Complete love to the point of emptying. Unquestioning sacrifice, even for someone who isn't appreciating or understanding what they've been given. A desire only to have communion. An entering into final rest. In other words, a perfect example of the immensity of what Jesus did for me, desired from me, provides for me, and will carry me to.
That is why I always cry.
So every time I finish the story, eyes full of tears, my kids look at me as if to say, "Are you okay?" My little one asks, "Why you cry, Dad?" And every time I explain, I think she understands just the tiniest bit more. These are tears of being overwhelmed by the enormity of the giver and the gift. I only pray these children will open their hearts and receive it, and that they won't miss the other lesson: all our Giver really wants in return is our time, for us to come to Him as we did as children.
Intersecting Faith & Life: But can any of us actually hope to become more like the tree in the story? Parents know what it means to give every last ounce of everything they are to the betterment of their children. We have reason for doing so. Do you know anyone who empties themselves this way for those they don't have a familial reason to love? What steps can you take to emulate their Christ-like, unconditional love?
Further Reading
Giving is What Living is All About
2 Corinthians 8:3-12
:angel:
November 25, 2010
The Christian Faith Is Not a Leap in the Dark
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"...we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal."
2 Corinthians 4:18 NASB
We can divide the universe into two categories of reality: the material and the non-material; or that which is seen and that which is not seen. In talking about unseen reality, I'm obviously not talking about things that must be relegated to fantasy or pure imagination. Rather, I'm talking about unseen (yet real) fixed concepts which our world operates by constantly. Take, for example...
Moral absolutes (e.g. Child abuse is wrong.)
The uniformity of nature (e.g. We live on the assumption that planets and stars move in a predictable fashion. On this assumption we plan trips not only to grandma's house, but to the moon and beyond.)
Universal Laws of Thought* (e.g. The principle of contradiction: a maxim stated by Aristotle as: "contradictory propositions are not true simultaneously." [cf. Aristotle's Metaphysics, 1011b13-14]) Avicenna is said to have put it more colorfully, "Anyone who denies the law of non-contradiction should be beaten and burned until he admits that to be beaten is not the same as not to be beaten, and to be burned is not the same as not to be burned.
These are all things that are real, yet are unseen. Laws of thought and moral absolutes may not be able to be weighed, measured or stored in a cupboard, but we count on them and live by them every day just the same.
From what I've observed, both children and adults in Christian circles struggle at times with the things they are called to believe in. God seems like a distant idea. Doctrine seems far removed from day-to-day life. At times, you or someone you love may be tempted with the thought, "I wonder if God, salvation, heaven and hell is all just a made up fairy tale."
At that point you should take a step back and remember that everyone has a faith in their particular view of the world. Worldviews need to be evaluated by whether or not they account for the unseen realities mentioned above. Fortunately, biblical Christianity (not to be confused with tainted, politicized, or hypocritical forms of Christianity that bear no resemblance to the life and message of Jesus Christ) is a worldview that is well able to account for these unseen realities. The biblical God (note well, not just general theism) capably undergirds all unseen moral absolutes, natural constants and universals. Other competing worldviews are weighed in the balance and found wanting.
When we are called on to believe in the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 5:5), we should recognize that this is another unseen reality. The truths of Galatians 2:20 belong in the category of the unseen as well...
"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me." (Gal. 2:20)
Let's not gloss over the fact that we are called to believe in unseen things. But at the same time let's not jump to the wrong conclusion that Christ asks us to take an idiotic leap in the dark. We all believe in well-founded unseen things everyday.
This week in chapter four of Francis Schaeffer's True Spirituality (I'm reading through the works of Schaeffer and posting about it regularly here at Crosswalk the Devotional), he calls our attention to this biblical view of truth by underscoring that there are "two streams, two strands of space-time reality—one in the seen, and one in the unseen..."
"[God] is not asking us merely to act on some psychological motivation, but on what really is... there is a Holy Spirit who has been given to us to make service possible.
"The Christian dead, including my loved ones, are already with Christ now, and Christ really lives in the Christian. Christ lives in me.
"Here is true Christian mysticism—not based on content-less experience, but on historic, space-time reality—on propositional truth. Christian mysticism is communion with Christ. It is Christ bringing forth fruit through me, the Christian, with no loss of personality.
"He is the Christ who has died, whose work is finished, who is raised, who is ascended, who is glorified. It is this Christ. Not simply an idea. It is the Christ who was seen after the resurrection... by Stephen, by Paul, by John."
Let's walk on today, confidently believing in these unseen realities—Christ was not raised mythically; Jesus, the apostles and the Christian martyrs were not liars; and "the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who is given unto us" (Romans 5:5).
Intersecting Faith & Life: Are you at a loss for words when asked why you believe in unseen things? Learn how to converse with others in terms of their own beliefs in unseen things (like moral absolutes, etc.), and help them discover the worldview that is charged with the majesty and grandeur of God.
For Further Study:
What Is a Worldview? Dr. James Sire
Introduction to Worldviews (series of lectures) Dr. Greg Bahnsen
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November 26, 2010
Paying the Cost: Calloused Hands and a Sore Back
John UpChurch, Editor, Jesus.org
Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." (Matthew 16:24, ESV)
What did you expect? When you submitted yourself to the Son of God, when you mourned your sinfulness in prayer, when you called on His name, when you put your life in His hands, what did you expect would happen? I hope you weren't like the disciples. They got it wrong.
You have to feel a bit sorry for them, these weary travelers who trudged mile after mile through dirt and experienced such a flux of emotions on their tour. Take Peter, for example: one moment he speaks for the disciples about who Jesus truly is, the next he's trying to tell Jesus what can and cannot happen.
Peter wanted Jesus to fulfill an expectation. He wanted a Messiah who would storm into Jerusalem, throw off Roman rule, and pour riches upon His followers. Peter wanted to be right there with his Teacher, right there enjoying the accolades. After all, surely Jesus had big plans for the inner three (Peter, James, and John).
Jesus did, of course, but not the way they expected. Peter and James had no clue they'd be killed for what seemed so safe. John didn't know that exile and loneliness awaited him on Patmos. After all, they knew they followed Messiah—the One who fed thousands of people and healed thousands more. No way anything bad could happen.
In response to their faulty hopes, Jesus tells them all to stop holding onto their own ideas about what should happen. Although He had not yet been to the cross, He uses the imagery that would later mean so much to them as a way to explain the pride-killing truth. He says, to put it in our language, "Get over yourself."
They wanted riches and fame. They wanted an immediate kingdom. They wanted safe passage. Jesus tells them to work up some calloused hands and sore backs by carrying their crosses—their imprisonments, their aches for His sake.
Given how they all fled when Jesus was arrested, we can safely assume they didn't immediately understand the message. Sometimes we don't either.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
We can't hold onto our cross if we're carrying our own junk. We can't squeeze it in, tie it on, or make it fit. It's too big and too heavy. We can't shoulder the timber if our backs are weighed down already.
In other words, our own ideas about the perfect life have no place alongside God's will for us. It's a hard thing to accept, and many people reject the notion. But Jesus didn't try to hide what we should expect. When He said a cross, He meant a cross.
Our Shepherd leads not only through green pastures and beside still waters. He also guides us through that most famous valley, that shadowy one. If we want to follow this Shepherd, we shouldn't expect an easy walk or to carry our baggage. We should expect only to follow.
Further Reading
Psalm 23
Mark 14
:angel:
November 29, 2010
Ground Cover Gone Wild!
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
"Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me." John 15:4, NIV
Clip it. Sweep it. Bag it. And repeat.
That's the story of my life about every six weeks or so. You see, I have the strongest and fastest-growing ground cover in the history of the world EVER growing on my back patio. It truly is "ground cover gone wild!"
The English ivy and Asian jasmine vines start from behind the fence and creep through the cracks and also come up from the ground underneath. They've grown up the sides and have actually covered the fence quite nicely and given me something green to look at when I open up the patio doors.
But these vines can also be a little high maintenance, as they are so quick to cover everything. I trim them, and they seem to come back even stronger. They're thick, lush and they can overpower the cement flooring and create a "green carpet" effect in no time flat, which is not what I'm looking for in my exterior décor. So needless to say, I spend a lot of time pondering and minding my ivy and jasmine.
As I was trimming away recently (hopefully the last time before winter slows them down), I noticed some of the stray vines that I had pruned in previous weeks. Because I hadn't cleaned the clippings out very well, they were stuck in between the growing vines that had not been cut.
But they weren't really that hidden. Between the glossy green leaves of ivy and jasmine, I could easily see the dull, brittle vines that had been clipped and were now withered and an ugly shade of brown. And when I reached in to pull them out, they practically disintegrated into my hand.
I thought about these vines recently as I looked at my little pocket-verse pack that I keep in my car and read John 15:4—specifically the first part of the verse: "Remain in me, and I will remain in you."
If I remain connected to the vine, I will be like the lush ivy and jasmine on my patio. Each individual vine is still connected to its main root source which is planted deeply into the fertile soil. They are thriving and are ultimately making my patio a beautiful place. I know I complain about how fast they grow, but I really do enjoy looking at them and appreciate the beauty they bring to my little world.
Seeing them side-by-side with the dead vines, though, is quite a stark contrast. And I imagine that that is how God sees you and me. Either he sees us as a vibrant part of the vine or we are virtually lifeless.
In John 15, Jesus went on to say more about the importance of what being connected to "the vine" means for believers:
"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples" (John 15:5-8).
Now that you've read that, which branch would you say that you are more like? The one that is thriving and "bearing fruit" or the one that is withered up and ready to be burned?
Think about that today. And as winter draws nigh and you see nature changing all around you, let that be a challenge to you to remain in Christ so that your faith will not grow dormant.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
What can you do today to stay connected to the "true vine"? How can you remain in the Lord? Get growing and let God cultivate you so that you will bear fruit that is beautiful and a reflection of him.
Further Reading:
John 15:16, NIV
Galatians 5:22, NIV
:angel:
November 30, 2010
Don't Dare to Compare
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise. - 2 Corinthians 10:12
When an apostle gets snarky, pay attention.
Christians in Paul's day did not endure universal acceptance and popularity - quite the opposite. With that in mind, you'd think the church at Corinth would band together for solidarity, encouragement, and hope. Nope. If there's one thing Christians are good at, it's stirring the pot and making sure we're doing "enough" for ministry's sake, even if it means undermining others. The church at Corinth appears to be little different, as some members began to question Paul's commitment to them and assert themselves as worthy men of God. They misjudged who they were dealing with.
Paul doesn't stoop to their level and compare apples to apples, nor does he graciously acknowledge their work in his absence. This apostle, one of Christ's personally chosen ambassadors, instead employs sarcasm: "We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves." Why?
Because the accusations don't make any sense.
The childish comparisons of the Corinthian rabble-rousers accomplished absolutely nothing. They didn't deserve an answer, they deserved derision. Paul undercut the positions they strove for in the church and in their community with his answer. He finds his worth "in the field God has assigned" (vs. 13) and knowing that he is working it faithfully. Not that he doesn't have ambition - to the contrary, he hopes his area of influence will grow where it is needed. But he hopes this for the sake of the Gospel, not to reach "into another man's territory." He knows he doesn't have to boast about his position, but that the Lord will commend a good and faithful servant.
So much for self-esteem.
This is my go-to passage when I find myself measuring my worth relative to positions I hold at work, at home, or among friends. Paul could care less about this righteousness-by-reputation. Instead, he knows that he nothing without Christ - that's why he says he's been "crucified with Christ" (Col. 3:3) and lives a life based on that identity. He sees right through the troublemakers. Their attempts to please others and ingratiate themselves to the church is ultimately a way to gratify themselves.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary says this:
"How common is it for persons to judge of their own religious character, by the opinions and maxims of the world around them! But how different is the rule of God's word! And of all flattery, self-flattery is the worst ... Instead of praising ourselves, or seeking the praise of men, let us desire that honour which cometh from God only."
Intersecting Faith & Life: Outside of Christ, our conceptions of self-worth deserve no more than ridicule. We are not worthy of Christ's love, and we never will be. The sooner we can accept this, the sooner we can wholeheartedly love our generous Savior.
:angel:
November 30, 2010
A Countercultural Christmas
by Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
"Brothers and sisters: You know the time; it is the hour now for you to awake from sleep. For our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed; the night is advanced, the day is at hand. Let us then throw off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us conduct ourselves properly as in the day, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in promiscuity and lust, not in rivalry and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh."
Romans 13:11-14
The first purple Advent candle has been lit. The once dark wreath now shines unevenly with one solitary light.
Advent is one of my favorite seasons in the Christian year. It's a special time where we reflect on the darkness and trials of this world in the light of our hope in Christ. We remember how, after centuries of waiting on the part of the faithful, God bridged the chasm between humanity and divinity through the humble birth of Jesus.
I've always loved Advent for its joyful anticipation of the Christ-child, but I also love it because it's a bit countercultural. Its sparse purple and pink decorations stand in stark contrast to the glitz the rest of our culture displays often weeks before Thanksgiving arrives. You see, Advent was not designed as a simple memorial of a past event, to bring us up to Christmas day and leave us there. Its purpose is to point the faithful towards a future event - Christ's second, glorious coming. This is why churches that celebrate this liturgical season read about the Lord's coming in both the Old and New Testament throughout the month of December.
The dramatic imagery found in these readings is far removed from the quaint Christmas decorations that currently surround us. They have a jolting effect as they remind us that our lives now should be lived in light of eternity, not in keeping with the current standards.
In this first Advent reading, Paul's words to the faithful carry a tone of urgency. He uses the image of awakening from a deep sleep. But notice he is not shaking his brothers and sisters out of their sleep at sunrise, but while "the night is advanced." In other words, it's not enough to simply wait for Christ to show up, but we must prepare beforehand. We need to seek God's grace now to help us eliminate sin from our lives
This is where the hard work of Advent comes in. This joyful season requires an examination of conscience. It's a time to reflect on the areas where we lack or on the recurrent sins in our lives, and to seek God's grace to help us to change.
Perhaps this seems like a real downer of an activity during the most wonderful time of the year. But let me share with you why, for me, it's never really been a downer. Have you ever failed to prepare for a big event (or had nightmares that you did?). Have you ever found yourself awake at night, panicking because you're envisioning yourself without a dress on your wedding day or lacking your PowerPoint slides for an important presentation? Needless to say, the joy and success of these events would seriously be compromised should these nightmares come true.
Surely, all good things in life require preparation. And God, in His mercy, has given us the gift of time to prepare for His arrival, which no doubt, will be the most important event we ever experience.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Take time this week to reflect on the joy of Jesus' first arrival and then, confident in His love for you, ask God to reveal to you the ways in which you need to prepare your heart to meet Him on Christmas Day.
Further Reading
Matthew 3:1-2
Psalm 139:23-24
Captive No More, by Greg Laurie
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December 2, 2010
The Thrill of Hope
Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13
"A thrill of hope; the weary world rejoices, for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn." ~~ O Holy Night
Does Christmas thrill you?
Children get excited at the coming of the season, and often we might feel a bit of a charge through experiencing their amazement, but the chores we go through to provide that for them are often the very things that rob us from knowing the wonder for ourselves. Plan the party, trim the tree, max out the MasterCard, wrap, ship, take a trip. And that's assuming we aren't one of the multitudes who find themselves with a case of the Holiday Blues.
So if Christ's coming into this world offers hope, and hope, as the song says, provides a thrill, how do we locate that experience amid the distraction and disillusionment of December?
Well that's the cool thing about Hope. Just as total darkness can't hold back the light of a tiny flame, so does even the smallest increment of Hope provide joy and purpose.
Here are a few scriptures I've been mulling over on the subject:
Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1).
Notice the parallel between "things hoped for" and "things not seen." Talk about a paradox; try applying "assurance" to something your five senses can't detect. It's a challenge. The plus side is that hope, through Christ, is available to you no matter what you see, hear, or feel. It's above your circumstances.
"We also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance [brings about]proven character; and proven character [brings about] hope; and hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us" (Romans 5:3-5).
Do you ever hear people say, "I don't want to get my hopes up" because they're afraid of being disappointed? What would you make of Paul's claim that "hope does not disappoint"? Might the disconnect have something to do with what we're hoping for or expecting? Max Lucado thinks so:
"Hope is not what you'd expect; it is what you would never dream. It is a wild, improbable tale with a pinch-me-I'm-dreaming ending... Hope is not a granted wish or a favor performed; no, it is far greater than that. It is a zany, unpredictable dependence on a God who loves to surprise us out of our socks and be there in the flesh to see our reaction."[1]
"Love... hopes all things...but now abide faith, hope, and love; but the greatest of these is love" (1 Corinthians 13:7,13).
Ever wonder why faith, hope, and love are the greatest virtues, and apparently in that order?
Maybe hope isn't actually something we do, but something we receive, like grace. If it's true that "without faith it is impossible for us to please Him" (Hebrews 11:6), perhaps it's conversely true that without Hope it would be impossible for Him to please us. The same verse says that God is a rewarder of those who seek Him. Is hope that reward?
I mean, if faith is what we give to God, and hope is what He gives to us, then we have the dynamic of a relationship. With that in place, we can love. So love is built on hope, which is built on faith.
For hope to exist, unfortunately it looks like there has to be hopelessness first. A perfect world wouldn't have any need of hope. Deliverance arrives undeservedly and perhaps unexpectedly, just as in the unlikely way God came to earth to provide a once-and-for-all substitute for the sins of all men on the first Christmas. That's why things can look bleak, but that's where hope lives.
The good news is: you simply can't hope big enough, which goes back to the idea of our minds and senses being inadequate to judge God's design and methods, and hope being more a function of God's involvement than our desires. I readily acknowledge I could not have conceived of the plan of salvation or the virgin birth. I couldn't have imagined the plan for the walls of Jericho to crumble, for hungry lions to turn into Daniel's pet kittens, or the Red Sea to part and offer up dry land. So neither do I know how my problems will be solved, or what miracles I'll be blessed to see this Christmas.
Isaiah 9:6-7 concerns the hope of the prophecy being fulfilled that brought us a "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, and Prince of Peace." The last sentence of verse seven says it's "the zeal of the Lord" that will accomplish this. God is excited! He's zealous (enthusiastic, passionate, obsessive even) to bring us this hope!
Romans 15:13 is my Christmas prayer: "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
Why is there hope? Because Jesus was born. O holy night. What a thrill. God is at work.
[1] From God Came Near, page 89
Intersecting Faith & Life: What does hope out of despair look like? There are lots of examples in any Christian's life, but in terms of contemporary cinema, I know of no better example than the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Go back and watch those movies again over the holidays, keeping an eye out for allusions to hope and hopelessness.
Further Reading
Isaiah 9:6-7
The Promises of God
:angel:
December 3, 2010
The How of the Christian Life
Alex Crain, Editor, Christianity.com
"...be it unto me according to Your word."
Luke 1:38
"How It's Made," the Science Channel's hit show, regularly makes the most of people's curiosity about how household items like gummie candy, aluminum cans, and flavored bacon actually go from raw materials to finished product. It's easy to become mesmerized when cameras are leading you behind the scenes into the inner workings of factories making a few of your favorite things. By the end of each segment, the mists of your own vague ideas about process and production have been utterly dispersed.
This week's reading in chapter four of Francis Schaeffer's True Spirituality is a bit like "How It's Made" in that he delves into the secret of how the Christian life is effectively lived. While many of us know this secret in theory, the daily mist of our own residual fallen nature makes it necessary to review the blazing truth so that we might see ourselves (and God) accurately and live out our faith practically.
Moving forward from last week's teaching in chapter four about the normality of believing in unseen things, Schaeffer issues the biblical call this week to engage in what he terms "active passivity" when living the life of faith.
Schaeffer points out that belief in the Holy Spirit is one thing. Now what do we do with that belief? Second Corinthians 13:14 says that "the communion of the Holy Spirit" is to be with all true believers. We are to rely fully and constantly on Christ's promise to send us the Holy Spirit. He is the agent of the power and Person of the glorified Christ.
"There is not enough strength in ourselves, but placed before us is the power and work of the glorified Christ through the agency of the Holy Spirit. Surely this is exactly what Christ meant when he said, 'I will not leave you as orphans.'"
(John 14:18)
"As we look at the book of Acts, we find in the early church not a group of strong men laboring together, but the work of the Holy Spirit bringing to them the power of the crucified and glorified Christ. It must be so for us also."
"As with Mary in the virgin birth when she gave herself with her body to God in response to His promise, so we are in the same situation in [a certain sense] that we have these great and thrilling promises we have been considering, and we are neither to think of ourselves as totally passive, as though we had no part in this; nor are we to think we can do it ourselves."
"If we are to bring forth this fruit through us by the agency of the Holy Spirit, there must be a constant act of faith, of thinking: 'Upon the basis of Your promises I am looking for You to fulfill them... bring forth Your fruit through me into this poor world.'"
"We do not have to beat ourselves or be dejected, [but simply say]"Be it unto me according to Thy Word." This is what I mean by active passivity. This is the how, and there is no other."
Finally, as if to say "this is really how it's done!" Schaeffer reemphasizes that this is not just theoretical access to the power of the crucified, risen, glorified Christ. This is access that we have in reality—in the here and now.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Are you depending on your own energy, cleverness, persistence, charisma and talents to present the Christian life as attractive to your lost friends and family members? By faith (Hebrews 11:6), gaze upon Christ—His atonement, perfections and promises. Respond with active passivity: "Be it unto me according to Thy Word."
For Further Study:
Romans 6-8
The Wind of the Holy Ghost Blowing upon the Dry Bones in the Valley of Vision, by Ebenezer Erskine
John Owen on the Spirit in the Life of Christ, Dr. Sinclair Ferguson
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December 6, 2010
Pale Blue Dot
John UpChurch, Editor, Jesus.org
It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in; (Isaiah 40:22, ESV)
In the image, you're hard pressed to find the pale blue dot. Dusty bands of gold and green and crimson streak across the black background. A hazy glow mutes and granulates the picture quality to the point of distortion. For those of us living in the day of cell phone cameras with megapixels to spare, missing a tiny speck of blue in this reconstituted and magnified image isn't that surprising.
But it's there, a wan glimmer near the right side, a few specks of blue in the gold band. That dot, which could easily be mistaken for an imperfection of the film, is something familiar and bizarre at the same time—familiar because we live there, bizarre because we rarely get such a view of Earth.
When the Voyager 1 spacecraft turned back from roaring out of the solar system in February of 1990, it found our tiny planet to be at such a distance that barely anything showed up on film. A single blip was all that proved we exist—our lives, our buildings, our cities, our world—all in a dot.
What about God? Is His vantage point like that of Voyager 1? When He sits enthroned above our blue globe, does He simply see an insignificant speck that's easy to ignore? To Him, are we simply a nameless mass of people who swarm and crawl over the earth?
Many people live that way—Christians and non-Christians alike. They think of God—if He exists—as some sort of white bearded being that glances impotently at our puny blue dot and generally ignores whatever's there. God is a watcher, a powerless observer who flips through channels of Earth TV.
But when Isaiah pictures God as sitting above the circle of our world, the prophet does not reveal a passive eavesdropper more interested in Himself than our pain. Instead, God is the One who created each star and knows them all by name. That's not impotence.
That's big.
It's easy to think, "Yeah, He's big. But does He see me?"
The people of Israel hoped He hadn't in Isaiah's day. They figured He couldn't be troubled with a sin here or there. Unfortunately, for them, He doesn't get tired or sleep or miss things. They couldn't hide. Neither can we. And that's good.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Living on a tiny planet that easily disappears in the blackness of space can seem deflating. But God's not like us. Our most distant spacecraft can barely make out the rock we call our home, but He has no such trouble. He sees each of us with perfect clarity.
More amazing is that He loves what He sees.
He doesn't sit and stare or get a kick out of human suffering. He gives power to the faint, strength to the weak, and flight to the fallen. And at one point in human history, He zoomed in on this pale blue dot, getting close enough to walk over the dust and taste the sting of death.
Further Reading
Isaiah 40
Psalm 103
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December 7, 2010
It Really Hurts to Change
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Then the lion said—but I don't know if it spoke—'You will have to let me undress you.' I was afraid of his claws, I can tell you, but I was pretty nearly desperate now. So I just lay flat down on my back to let him do it.
"The very first tear he made was so deep that I thought it had gone right into my heart. And when he began pulling the skin off, it hurt worse than anything I've ever felt. The only thing that made me able to bear it was just the pleasure of feeling the stuff peel off." —Eustace Scrubb in C.S. Lewis' The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
I don't make a habit of talking about painful times in my life—times when my life has been ripped and torn and dramatically changed. It's mostly due to the fact that times like these bring me to tears and will probably always be life wounds that I will be very protective of and want to stay tucked safely away.
One of those times happened when my parents divorced many years ago. I wasn't a toddler, nor a grade-schooler, but was in my teens. Some say that it's less painful when you're older; others say it's better when you're younger. I say that no matter when divorce happens it always, always hurts. Ask anyone who has experienced divorce in their immediate families, and they will tell you this to be true.
Some of us may not feel the pain initially. Others of us deny it or try to anesthetize it with various behaviors or vices. But the bottom line is, you will be hurt and you will have wounds. But these wounds are not just painful injuries, but agents of change—if we are willing to see them in that way.
In my case, the disintegration of my family yielded a broken young woman who wandered, crying out in the wilderness for a while afterward, until years later she had finished being angry and acting out, surrendered and truly began seeking the Lord.
You may have grown up in the church, as I did, but perhaps like me you did not truly have a hunger and thirst for your Lord and Savior until later on in life. For this reason, I truly believe that the Lord allowed my family to break apart, so that I would let go, stop putting my faith and hope and trust into my family (man) and develop a dependency solely on him (God).
It's taken me a while to see this, and yes the change in me has hurt greatly. Perhaps that is why I identify so much with the character of Eustace Scrubb in C.S. Lewis' The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, when he describes how Aslan changed him from being a dragon back into a boy and how it "hurt worse than anything I've ever felt. And yet it also yielded "the pleasure of feeling the stuff peel off." I could have written those words myself.
The scene illustrates what happens when we give our lives to Christ and give up trying to do life our own way. Yes, it is painful when we are changed. But if we surrender and submit, the Lord will bless us through the bleeding and our relationship with him will be a healing balm to a wounded and weary soul.
Take it from one who has been there. When we realize that our lives are not our own, we experience freedom from whatever it is that is weighing us down and separating us from the life God has intended for us to live.
Yes, it hurts to change. But it hurts us even more when we don't.
Intersecting Faith & Life: What are you clinging to so tightly today? Isn't it time to let go and let God change you? To mold you and make you into what he wants you to be? To clothe you in righteousness as only he can do? Nothing and no one in this world can compare to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ (Philippians 3:7-11). Soli Deo gloria!
Further Reading:
2 Corinthians 5:17, NIV
Galatians 2:20, NIV
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December 8, 2010
Bigger Than a Stable
By Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"In that day you will say: 'Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted. Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world.'" - Isaiah 12:4-5
My felt Advent tree gains one velcro ornament each day until Christmas. I love this calendar, because each unique ornament tells a little bit more about the story of redemption from Genesis onward. A grey felt heart stands for the Fall into sin. A beaded crown reminds of the Prince of Peace and Wonderful Counselor foretold in Isaiah. A fuzzy lamb represents John the Baptist's announcement of Christ's purpose.
The calendar is paired with devotional readings for children, which have surprised me in their simplicity and breadth. Like the ornaments, these readings tell a continuing story, in which Christ's life is not the beginning or the end, but the event that makes sense out of both. With this bigger context, an otherwise chaotic history becomes simple enough that a child can understand.
How often do we take time to contemplate the magnitude of this story, which began in the Garden of Eden and won't finish until Christ's second coming?
I think my Christmas cheer is too often confined to the stable. To use a loose analogy, I'm a bit like the dwarves in C. S. Lewis's "The Last Battle," who convince themselves that their dingy stable-prison could not possibly hold the miracle of a whole new Narnia. And so, the dwarves get left behind in their imaginary confinement with nothing to celebrate when everyone else begins to explore the beautiful new world. Like the dwarves, I can put my little Christmas story in a little room, and forget to see the whole miracle of redemption.
Sunday's sermon about Herod's massacre in Bethlehem reminded me why the grander picture is so vital. You'll remember the story - only a short while after the angels announced "peace on earth," Herod's blazing temper led to the mass murder of baby boys in Bethlehem. The arbitrary deaths of these little ones seems so disconnected from what we celebrate, so outside the realm of God's grace. That event - like so many other injustices - seems to overwhelm the baby sleeping peacefully.
We can compartmentalize Christmas so it remains untainted by such events, can't we? But that's just it - as the grey heart on my felt Advent tree me, Christmas has to begin with an understanding of sin. We have to see the world's desperate need for grace before we understand why a baby requires such a hullaballoo, and we have to look back at God's plan to see how a baby can redeem even those situations. Therein lies the astonishing glory of what happened at Christmas, and the beauty of what we proclaim to the world.
As the days go by and my calendar grows fuller with symbolic ornaments, I get more and more excited about Christmas Day. Into this world with so much baggage came a child who remained in it and not of it, who knew what we are and loved us anyway. By God's grace, my understanding of Christmas keeps getting bigger - and with it, my reasons to "let [it] be known to the all the world" what he has done, is doing, and will continue to do!
Intersection of Faith and Life: Christ's incarnate birth makes little sense if we forget why he had to come and what he came to do. As you focus on the manger scene with your family, encourage each other with the bigger story of Genesis to the end of time, knowing that this little baby redeemed every moment in time. May your Christmas be big as you consider the grandeur of redemptive history on both sides of the manger!
Further Reading:
The Forgotten Chapter of the Christmas Story & the Women in Jesus' Family Tree
White Christmas
John 1:1-18
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December 9, 2010
When the Fog Settles In
by Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction,
that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope.
Romans 15:4
One of my favorite scenes in children's literature can be found in one of C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia, The Horse and His Boy.
It occurs well into the story, when the main character -- an orphaned boy named Shasta - has endured many battles and adventures with his talking horse companion by his side. Now he arrives at a part in the journey where he must travel alone in order to warn a neighboring kingdom of impending attack. As he travels in the wilderness, fog settles in.
As the fog thickens into opaque clouds, Shasta suddenly senses another presence walking beside him. Heavy breathing, large paws...a lion is within inches of him and his common horse. Paralyzed with terror, the boy rides on for quite some time, awaiting his tragic end. Finally, the wait becomes too agonizing, and he cries out to the presence, demanding to know who it is and why he's there. What follows is a beautiful conversation between Shasta and King Aslan - who has been anxious to speak with him for some time.
But it doesn't end there. As Shasta reaches Archenland, he is able to complete his mission, and the reader sighs in relief. But when he looks back at the path he traveled, he is stunned to see what the fog concealed - a narrow and treacherous mountain pass with deadly cliffs on one side. Only then does it become clear to Shasta and the reader that Aslan's presence and encouraging words quite literally saved Shasta's life.
I may be young, but I recognize this foggy journey. I know what it's like to look down a winding path that seems to stretch endlessly into murkiness. I know what it's like to feel alone, afraid, and confused, and you probably do too. You question if you'll have the endurance to see the trial through, to make it to your destination.
We obviously don't have a Narnian lion to converse with and walk beside us when life gets tough (wouldn't that be nice?). But God does walk with us and speak to us in the real world, even when the road feels lonely and frightening.
In this second Advent reading, we see God gave us His Word as a source of hope and encouragement. He has not left us alone here, blind and fumbling through the fog. He has words of wisdom He is anxious to share with you.
God also reveals his steadfast and encouraging nature through fellow believers. The second part of the verse above reads: "May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus" (v. 5). I can't count the times I have received invaluable support during a difficult stretch from another believer's wisdom or love.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Even when we feel alone, we aren't. If you're struggling, make time to find God in His Word and in the fellowship of other believers. If you're joyful, what ways can you reach out to someone who is going through a trial this holiday season?
Further Reading
Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17
Isaiah 11:1-10
Matthew 3:1-12
:angel:
December 10, 2010
Be Yourself
Stephen Sanders, Salem Web Network Audio/Video Editor
Have you ever had someone tell you to, "Just be yourself and everything will work out"? It sounds so simple doesn't it? "Be Yourself." What does that even mean? After all, if we could simply "be ourselves," then wouldn't the world that surrounds us be a lot different?
I often wonder what friendships would be like if we could simply be who we are inside; to not feel so much pressure to be less or more of an individual than we think we are supposed to be. One thing I've begun to focus on in recent months is being the same person everywhere I am no matter who I'm around; but that's a lot easier said that done.
Don't get me wrong. I totally realize that none of us are exempt to sin. 1 John 1:8-10 says this: "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us."
Can you see how not dealing with sin appropriately keeps us from being ourselves? Behavior like this causes us to trick ourselves into thinking we are someone who we really aren't. When we ignore or hide sin, it breeds all kinds of issues, not only in us, but also in the body of Christ.
So how should sin be handled? How can you "be yourself?" Well, here are 3 things that will certainly get us going in the right direction: Confession, confrontation and forgiveness.
We all know that we are supposed to confess our sins to God, but what about confessing our sins to one another? Where does that fit into the picture? The answer lies within James 5:16, which instructs us to, "...confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working." Why isn't the confession of sins more of a focus in the church today? Shouldn't we be doing this every chance we get if it results in "healing and righteousness?"
Secondly, there is confrontation. Jesus says in Matthew 18:15-17 that, "If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church..." Notice that this scenario starts with someone taking the initiative to point out the sin. Also notice that this person risks not only putting his friend in an uncomfortable situation, but also being humiliated in front of others if he is wrong about his assessment. It's easy to see why the church struggles with this; it's not a simple solution.
Lastly, we have forgiveness. After discussing confrontation and confession, doesn't forgiveness make a lot more sense now? There is a very good reason why Jesus instructed us to forgive, "seventy times seven times " in Matthew 18:22. Jesus knew we were going to be surrounded by sinful people because we live in a sinful world. Rather than avoiding it, we need to be brave enough to be the one who chooses to forgive sin unconditionally and infinitely. Our reaction to sin determines the impact it is able to have on us. Who knows? Our reaction may even be so powerful that it may stop that sin in its tracks before it affects others too!
Intersecting Faith and Life:
I'm totally convinced that this is how we should be handling sin. And since sin is "at enmity with God" then shouldn't we be doing everything we can to remove it from the bride of Christ? Shouldn't this be a primary focus in our lives rather than striving for what we can gain in life? Jesus is waiting for a bride with no blemishes.
Today, just take about 15 minutes and ask God this simple question: "God, how is the sin in my life keeping me from being who you have created me to be?"
Further Reading
1 John 1
Matthew 18
James 5
Also, check out this song: "Beautiful Bride" by Flyleaf
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December 13, 2010
The Duty of Living in the Reality of the Supernatural
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"...without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him."
Hebrews 11:6 ESV
"Doctrine is important," writes Francis Schaeffer in chapter five of his book True Spirituality, "but it is not an end in itself. There is to be an experiential reality, moment by moment... in the power of the crucified and risen Christ, through the agency of the indwelling Holy Spirit, by faith."
Yes, yes, yes... we nod our heads, agreeing with such a fine statement of what ought to be the daily experience of one who follows Christ. But is that our experience? Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed that little by little, the reality of the supernatural is all too easily lost in our generation?
What seems to elude most Christians is a daily experience of living in the reality of the supernatural. We can polish and refine our doctrinal statements and discuss the finer points of what's going on in the world and how to fix our institutions and churches until the cows come home. But what often gets crowded out of the picture is the simple reality of God. When that happens, the world squeezes us into its way of thinking. To quote Schaeffer on this...
"Our generation is overwhelmingly naturalistic [i.e. meaning everything is the result of natural causes in a closed system]. If we are not careful, even though we say we are Biblical Christians and supernaturalists, the naturalism of our generation tends to come in upon us."
Schaeffer compares this creeping in of the world's naturalistic mindset to barnacles that grow on the bottom of ships, creating drag on vessels that were meant to efficiently cut through the water. So, as an antidote, he points us to classic Scriptures that teach the nearness of the supernatural all around us.
For example, Luke's passage on the post-resurrection appearance of Jesus to two disciples walking on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:31) says that their eyes were opened and they realized it was Jesus, then He ceased to be seen by them. Paraphrasing Schaeffer: "It wasn't that Christ was no longer there, but that they simply did not see Him any longer. John 20:19 and 26 gives the same emphasis."
Another classic text that Schaeffer takes us to is 2 Kings 6:16-17 where Elisha is surrounded by an enemy, and the young man standing with him is overcome with fear. "Elisha prayed and said, 'O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.' So the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha."
"The supernatural was not something far off; it was there. All the young man needed was to have his eyes opened to see it. As soon as we remove the supernaturalness of the universe, all we have left is Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, in which religion is viewed simply as a sociological tool... a mere psychological mechanism."
Schaeffer rightly notes that this is precisely where the battle rages today. The naturalists are determined to get rid of the supernatural, to argue against it, that it is not there. Therefore...
"...we have thrust upon us the high calling and the duty to live in light of the existence of the two parts of the universe, the seen and the unseen parts, in the realization that the "heavenlies" are not far off. They are about us here."
Losing the reality of the supernatural is no small, insignificant detail. It is not an optional feature of true spirituality. When it is absent from our experience, all we are left with is a dead sociological tool; a mere psychological mechanism for manipulating ourselves and other people. As the Apostle Paul said, "If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied." (1 Corinthians 15:19)
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Are there any barnacles of naturalism built up on the hull of your "ship" lately? Ask God for renewed eyes of faith as you dig deeper into these Scriptures...
For Further Study:
Luke 24
2 Kings 6:16-17
1 Corinthians 15
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December 14, 2010
Tell Your Story
Laura MacCorkle, Senior Entertainment Editor
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14, NIV
"Everyone has a story to tell."
I have heard this statement twice recently. Once by a fictional character and once by a man of the cloth.
The first time was while watching a movie. It was Australia, the over-the-top Baz Luhrmann epic starring Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman. And it is Jackman's character, Drover, who says this in reference to the process of finding out who you are. He implies that in order to have a story, you have to live, take risks and discover what makes you YOU.
Our stories are what we share with others. And to them we say: "This is my story. This is who I am."
My pastor also referenced our individual stories at church during a sermon. In his case, though, he discussed the shepherds in Luke 2:8-20 and what story they had to tell:
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."
So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
The shepherds sought what they had heard about. They wanted to discover more about this baby, this Christ. And when they did, they didn't sit on what they had experienced. They didn't keep their story hidden from their daily lives or in their interactions with others.
No, they LIVED this story! They were "glorifying" and "praising" God for what they had heard and seen. The greatest story ever told had now become their story.
I was really challenged while hearing my pastor preach through this passage in Luke, because I have a story, too. When I was three years old, my life took an entirely new direction. It was then that I understood what Christ had done for me. I accepted him into my life, and he took over and began writing my story. He is the author of my life, and it is he who has made it more satisfying than I could have ever imagined.
Each day, you and I have the opportunity to share the stories of our lives with others. We must tell them that Jesus is Lord. He is the One, the Savior, the Divine Rescuer! And this is why we celebrate his coming to earth. It is Good News! And as we surrender to him, we yield our lives in submission so that he may write our life stories.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Choose one person with whom you will share your story this month. Schedule a time over coffee or a meal when you can meet and speak from your heart. Tell him or her what makes you YOU and what Christ has done in your life's story.
Further Reading:
Mark 16:15, NIV
2 Timothy 1:8-10, NIV
:angel:
December 15, 2010
The Humility of Being Human
Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness." - Philippians 2:5-7
I'm a Christmas carol snob, I guess, as I scorn most songs written in the past 30 years. I do have notable exceptions, however, when the lyrics go beyond the kitsch of "All I Want for Christmas Is You" and other such piffle. We have more than enough American Christmas songs, but there's always room for a thoughtful reflection in the canon of carols. So yes, I make an exception for the CCM favorite "Welcome to Our World." Here are some of the lyrics:
Hope that you don't mind our manger
How I wish we would have known
But long awaited Holy Stranger
Make yourself at home
Please make yourself at home
Fragile finger sent to heal us
Tender brow prepared for thorn
Tiny heart whose blood will save us
Unto us is born
Unto us is born
So wrap our injured flesh around You
Breathe our air and walk our sod
Rob our sin and make us holy
Perfect Son of God
Perfect Son of God
Welcome to our world
So many Christmas songs focus on the joy of the season, and rightfully so. It's a joyous time, both culturally and spiritually. But occasionally I need to view the holiday from a different perspective - that is, from the viewpoint of heaven. From God the Son's perspective, becoming human was - to put it mildly - a huge demotion. Christmas began with an act of submission and humility on the part of the Son. The Creator consented to become one of the creation, with all of our blood, sweat, and tears. From the heavenly perspective, the Incarnation arrived with sorrow, as part of the Godhead separated himself physically from the Father. Christmas signals an arrival into our world, but a departure, however brief, from a greater world.
Jesus's demonstrated humility is just one of the reasons the Incarnation should inspire such awe in us. Yes, the Incarnation dignified a downtrodden humanity. But the Incarnation also required sacrifice we can't begin to describe. All this before the ultimate shame of the cross.
The Puritan Thomas Watson meditated on Christ's humility with these words:
"He came not in the majesty of a king, attended with [a bodyguard], but he came poor; not like the heir of heaven, but like one of an inferior descent. The place he was born in was poor; not the royal city Jerusalem, but Bethlehem, a poor obscure place. He was born in an inn, and a manger was his cradle, the cobwebs his curtains, the beasts his companions; he descended of poor parents.... He was poor, that he might make us rich.... He lay in the manger that we might lie in paradise. He came down from heaven, that he might bring us to heaven."
Intersecting Faith & Life: As you consider the joy of this holiday season - whether you're anticipating the unwrapped smiles, lighting the Advent wreath, singing carols, making cookies, or whatever - take time to consider the counterpoint. Our joy is Christ's first sacrifice.
Further Reading:
The Grace and Greatness of True Humility
Hebrews 2:6-11
:angel:
December 16, 2010
"Blessed are you among women!"
Sarah Phillips, Family Editor Crosswalk.com
In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to the city of Judah, and she entered the house of Zechari'ah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and she exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord."
Luke 1: 39 - 45,
You don't need me to tell you Christmas is fast approaching. We're approaching the last week to prepare for the big day. Chances are, you're rushing around trying to get last-minute errands completed. I have a mental list of "must do's" running through my own head.
So as I read this gospel for the final Sunday of Advent, I am struck by how Mary prepared for Christ's coming. Mary received the biggest news of human history, the coming of the Messiah (through her!?), and what does she do? Mary sets aside her own agenda and "went with haste" to visit her cousin Elizabeth. At this point, Elizabeth's pregnancy is entering the final trimester and no doubt this older mother is tired and in need of assistance.
I imagine Mary must have had a lot of thoughts running through her head on the way to Judah. "Is Elizabeth really pregnant in her old age? She must be... but really? And how am I going to explain my situation to Elizabeth? Will she believe me?"
Mary's arrival is one of those great moments in history - a moment that reverberates throughout the ages that follow. This simple story of two pregnant women meeting carries so many implications. Some of the themes that stick out to me include:
1. Mary's faith. Mary was obedient to God and put faith in him. She set aside her own comfort and questions to help Elizabeth. Mary's virtue shines through here, and God throws in a little reward - a miraculous and joyful greeting from Elizabeth.
2. Elizabeth's selflessness. Elizabeth's news is a pretty big deal. Her husband receives a vision from an angel and she conceives in her old age after years of waiting. Yet, her first response focuses not on her big news, but on Mary's. This reveals Elizabeth's virtue and also adds emphasis to the reality that Mary's news holds even more profound implications for humanity than Elizabeth's miracle.
3. The humanity of the unborn. In those days, pregnant women didn't enjoy the luxury of ultrasound technology. Yet, God makes the humanity of these little ones very clear here. Elizabeth exclaims, "And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" Elizabeth refers to Mary as "mother" in the present tense and she refers to the growing baby inside of Mary (who probably wasn't even showing yet) with his proper title: Lord. God was "with us" the moment Mary conceived, and even the unborn John the Baptist recognized this!
4. God works through fellow human beings. God could have found any number of ways to communicate his message that day. He chose to speak through Elizabeth and John and the communion between Mary and Elizabeth. He also brought help to Elizabeth during her last trimester through Mary and comfort to the newly pregnant Mary through Elizabeth.
5. God's love for women. How can there be any doubt that God has a special place in his heart for the fairer sex after reading of Mary and Elizabeth's stories? God could have arrived on earth in any form he chose... and while the rest of the world remained ignorant, two women basked in the presence and knowledge of the Lord.
I am sure great theologians can extract even more from this story, but I'll leave it here for today. As your schedule ramps up in these final days of Advent, imitate Mary who "treasured up" the mysteries revealed to her and "pondered them in her heart." (Luke 2: 19)
Intersecting Faith & Life: How is God present in your life this holiday season? Think of the little ways God makes his presence known and brings you comfort and joy even in the midst of trials.
Further Reading
Psalm 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19
Hebrews 10:5-10
Women of Advent and Christmas: Elizabeth
Women of Advent and Christmas: Mary, Not Just a Womb
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December 17, 2010
Are We Immune to Blessing?
By Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:3
Our company has a set of really great tickets to the local minor league baseball team, just three rows behind the home dugout. This past summer, I got to use them to take my son to his first game. My wife and I took Jordan and his pal Victor, watched them gorge on hot dogs and sno-cones while dancing hilariously to every song blared over the loudspeaker, and had a grand ol' time.
Making the experience even richer was that the boys, who brought their baseball gloves, got not one... not two... but THREE baseballs that night! One was given by an older gentleman who had snagged a foul ball during batting practice. Another we caught ourselves. The third came when one of the fielders who had caught it as the final out of an inning tossed it into the crowd on his way back to the dugout. Of course, the moment that made me the most proud was when the boys, already with one ball each, decided that it would be nice to give the third one to a kid who hadn't gotten a ball yet. It was hard not to get a little misty watching my son seek out a younger boy of a different race and ask if he'd like to have a ball. I just love baseball.
Then came game two.
The next time we got to use the tickets, we took Jordan and his little sister. Again it was an idyllic evening, but this time... no foul balls. My son was hard to console on the walk to the parking lot. The little guy had no framework to understand what I was telling him: that of all the games I have been to in my life, I have never come away with a ball, outside of our last trip to the park. Most fans don't. The reason we bring our gloves just boils down to faith, hope. But he still couldn't get it. How could we have gotten so many balls last time, but none this time? What did we do wrong?
Game three came a few nights later. It was the sixth inning, and still no baseballs. Jordan was losing hope, getting a little grumpy. He looked up at me and said, "I've decided that if we don't get a ball I'm not going to be happy. If we do get a ball, I'm going to be happy."
Well... My 'teachable moment' alarm went off, but as usually happens, so did my 'not just for Jordan' alarm. I had a second to carefully consider what to say and use as an example.
I put my hand on his little Red Sox cap and bent down to whisper to him. "That's pretty wise what you said, son, and you might not even realize it. It IS your decision. Since that's true, if you wanted to, you could make a different decision. You might decide to be happy anyway, just because you're here with me, and not in bed yet, and watching a great game on a beautiful night, and hoping like crazy for a shot at a ball. That way, whether we get one or not, we still win, because we're still happy."
He didn't say anything, but somehow, I could tell I'd hit home, probably because his demeanor changed ever so slightly. Then, I spent most of the next inning silently considering the ramifications for myself of what I had just sold my son. Words from my own past and present came to mind. "If I get this job... if I don't hit traffic... if the house isn't a mess... if I get recognized for what I did... if I'm appreciated... if I get a raise... then I'll be happy..."
There's a reason why the Beatitudes intermingle the word "blessed" (meaning happy) with a lot of circumstances that don't sound altogether happy. Meekness, being poor in spirit, and making peace hardly seem like the parts of a happy life or time. But being happy based only on whether things work out how we think is almost as odd to consider as being happy at all because there's so much suffering and hardship around us, whether it's happening directly to us at the time or not.
Joy is consistent, happiness is fleeting, and blessedness is always going on whether we take time to recognize it. But when we do? It's like catching a baseball at every game you attend.
Incidentally, we did end up getting a ball in that third game. A player threw it to me, and a pre-teen snatched it out of my glove. But when he saw who I was catching it for, he handed it to Jordan. I didn't expect that, and neither did my son. That was the blessing that night. On the way out of the park, Jordan walked to the boy's seat to thank him, as did I. The kid was shy about it, possibly even regretting having given up his prize.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Do you ever regret showing mercy, doing right, or making peace? If life is like a baseball game, what do you think - should we attend expecting or not expecting a foul ball to come our way?
Further Reading
Blessed are the Persecuted
:angel:
December 20, 2010
Lessons from a Superhero
Ryan Duncan, TheFish.com Editor
"And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1: 14 NAS
Who is your favorite superhero? If you asked me, the answer would be Aquaman. Most people might find this surprising since, let's face it; Aquaman has never been that popular of a superhero. He doesn't strike fear into the heart of evil, like Batman, or block bullets like Wonder Woman. Heck, even most sidekicks are able to fly, but Aquaman needs to hail a seahorse to get anywhere.
For me though, that's why I like him. Whenever Aquaman fights, he's always at a disadvantage. His ocean powers never help him on the land, but despite that he still fights the bad guys and wins. It's easy to be brave or strong when you have the home field advantage, but what happens when the tables are turned and you find yourself in enemy territory?
This all sounds pretty corny, I know, but things like this remind me of what Jesus faced when he became a man. We Christians are quick to quote Jesus' death on the cross, the sacrifice he made so that we could be forgiven, but sometimes I think we forget about his life. We forget the miracle that occurred when a Holy God chose to step into a world overrun by sin.
Can we even begin to imagine what it must have been like for the all-knowing, all-powerful God of the universe to become a human? To understand the indignity of stubbing a toe or skinning a knee, the frustration of being confined to a small desert when the whole universe could not contain him, the humility required to endure hunger and thirst? Meanwhile, the devil stood in the background promising release, offering to make everything the way it was if Jesus would only pay a small, insignificant price.
I think C.S. Lewis says it best in Mere Christianity when he writes,
"Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is. ... We never find out the strength of the evil impulse inside us until we try to fight it: and Christ, because He was the only man who never yielded to temptation, is also the only man who knows to the full what temptation means—the only complete realist."
Jesus greatest triumph was His death and resurrection, there can be no mistake. Yet every day he lived, he battled the temptations of lust, envy, greed, pride and triumphed over them. So this December I encourage you to read the Christmas story and remember the miracle of Jesus' birth. Remember that our Heavenly Father became a small baby so that we might one day live in eternity with him. Remember that Christ lived as a man, was tempted as we were, and has defeated sin.
We are His, and He is ours.
Further Reading
Luke 2: 1 - 21
:angel:
December 21, 2010
Stop the Madness!
Laura MacCorkle, Senior Entertainment Editor
... for the joy of the LORD is your strength.
Nehemiah 8:10, NIV
Ahhh, the first day of winter. And the Christmas season, too! Gift giving, parties and caroling. School programs, tree trimming and crackling fires. Shopping, scurrying and migraines and ... stop the madness!
Guess it doesn't take much for the "Christmas joy" to turn into the "Christmas madness," does it? If that's how you're feeling today, then it might be time to stop and re-evaluate your priorities this month. Maybe this is the year when you rediscover the joy of the season.
So what is "the joy" anyway? In a word: salvation. God sent his son to earth to save mankind. Jesus was born so that we might be "born again" and have new life in Christ. "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us" (John 1:14). Now THAT is great joy!
The shepherds knew of this joy. In Luke 2, an angel of the Lord appeared to them while they were in the fields near Bethlehem and told them: "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people."
Meanwhile, back in the east, the Magi knew about the joy as well. These astronomers saw the star in the East and came to Bethlehem, looking for the "king of the Jews" (Matthew 2).
Now ... fast forward to the 21st century and let's contrast our societal norms with Bible times. As a female, I immediately notice that the shepherds didn't bring anything with them to honor the newborn King. And no one got upset. (That's right ... no hostess gift. Perhaps shepherdesses would have brought a simple casserole in a disposable pan.) No, these men simply received some good news, and then did what they were instructed to d spread the word about Jesus.
A little later, the Magi came and brought what they had: gold, incense and myrrh. They bowed down, and they worshipped the King. While these were pretty expensive gifts, I don't think they broke the bank for these wealthy individuals. The Magi also didn't carry them around in Neiman Marcus shopping bags in a grand display of their worth. The point is that they gave their very best and from their hearts. And I'm sure these gifts were of great financial help to Joseph and Mary in the days that followed.
Though they represented different ends of the spectrum, both the shepherds and the Magi came to worship the King. That was their focus for the season and not meeting perceived expectations of how they should celebrate or give or measure up with the next bearded guy.
We would do well to focus on this same joy. Not on who has the best gift. Not on who serves the best holiday buffet. And not on who has the best decorated house on the block.
Why? Because the joy of the good news is that salvation has come. Emmanuel is with us. Our Savior is Jesus. And HE is the one who puts the joy in our hearts.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
What is the joy of your heart this holiday season? Perhaps rediscovering the joy of Christmas means stopping the madness and scaling back your to-do list. Ask the Lord to show you how he would have you spend your time and resources so that you may know his joy and share it with others.
Further Reading
1 Peter 1:8, NIV
A Reason to Smile
:angel:
December 21, 2010
Stop the Madness!
Laura MacCorkle, Senior Entertainment Editor
... for the joy of the LORD is your strength.
Nehemiah 8:10, NIV
Ahhh, the first day of winter. And the Christmas season, too! Gift giving, parties and caroling. School programs, tree trimming and crackling fires. Shopping, scurrying and migraines and ... stop the madness!
Guess it doesn't take much for the "Christmas joy" to turn into the "Christmas madness," does it? If that's how you're feeling today, then it might be time to stop and re-evaluate your priorities this month. Maybe this is the year when you rediscover the joy of the season.
So what is "the joy" anyway? In a word: salvation. God sent his son to earth to save mankind. Jesus was born so that we might be "born again" and have new life in Christ. "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us" (John 1:14). Now THAT is great joy!
The shepherds knew of this joy. In Luke 2, an angel of the Lord appeared to them while they were in the fields near Bethlehem and told them: "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people."
Meanwhile, back in the east, the Magi knew about the joy as well. These astronomers saw the star in the East and came to Bethlehem, looking for the "king of the Jews" (Matthew 2).
Now ... fast forward to the 21st century and let's contrast our societal norms with Bible times. As a female, I immediately notice that the shepherds didn't bring anything with them to honor the newborn King. And no one got upset. (That's right ... no hostess gift. Perhaps shepherdesses would have brought a simple casserole in a disposable pan.) No, these men simply received some good news, and then did what they were instructed to do spread the word about Jesus.
A little later, the Magi came and brought what they had: gold, incense and myrrh. They bowed down, and they worshipped the King. While these were pretty expensive gifts, I don't think they broke the bank for these wealthy individuals. The Magi also didn't carry them around in Neiman Marcus shopping bags in a grand display of their worth. The point is that they gave their very best and from their hearts. And I'm sure these gifts were of great financial help to Joseph and Mary in the days that followed.
Though they represented different ends of the spectrum, both the shepherds and the Magi came to worship the King. That was their focus for the season and not meeting perceived expectations of how they should celebrate or give or measure up with the next bearded guy.
We would do well to focus on this same joy. Not on who has the best gift. Not on who serves the best holiday buffet. And not on who has the best decorated house on the block.
Why? Because the joy of the good news is that salvation has come. Emmanuel is with us. Our Savior is Jesus. And HE is the one who puts the joy in our hearts.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
What is the joy of your heart this holiday season? Perhaps rediscovering the joy of Christmas means stopping the madness and scaling back your to-do list. Ask the Lord to show you how he would have you spend your time and resources so that you may know his joy and share it with others.
Further Reading
1 Peter 1:8, NIV
A Reason to Smile
:angel:
December 22, 2010
The Joyous Paradox of Advent
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"Come, Thou long-expected Jesus
Born to set Thy people free...
Dear Desire of every nation,
Joy of every longing heart"
"Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him." - Luke 12:35,36
Like so many Christian doctrines, the Advent season represents a bit of a paradox. I have to thank my colleague Sarah Phillips for expanding my understanding of the tradition, as the three purple candles and one pink candle were mostly a Christmas countdown to me. But Advent has a greater richness if we have eyes to see.
I found a parallel to the Advent paradox on a recent trip. A couple weeks ago, four of my college friends and I met for a rare weekend together, as we live hundreds of miles apart today. We made pizza, giggled, and spent hours "sharing and caring" like we used to in college, despite the fact that half of us are now married and one of us had a toddler in tow. We were delighted just to be with people who once shared so much with us. As I prepared to leave, I was certainly a bit nostalgic for "the good old days." And yet, I was also thinking about the family and friends awaiting me back in Richmond. I think we all felt a similar tension - not unpleasantly - as the goodbyes rolled around.
Advent represents a coming rather than a going away, but holds a similar tension. On the one hand, we look backwards to Christ's first coming in the manger. On the other, we look forward to the Second Coming and the fullness of our reunion with the Lord. And here we are, stuck between the two in the 21st century.
Advent encompasses so many human feelings - hopeful longing, wistful remembrance, renewed wonder, and more. We are twice waiting, first with the nation of Israel waiting for the Messiah, and then with Christians around the world waiting for the time when "God will wipe away every tear from their eyes" (Rev. 7:17). As such, this season is much more than a tradition. It's a season that every person can relate to, because we've all experienced longing. And only one thing can truly fulfill our longings.
That's part of the beauty of celebrating Christ's birth at this dark time of year. We just experienced the winter solstice yesterday; now the days begin to brighten, just as Christ comes to be "the light of men." Our longing for brighter days is literally at hand. The dark night of sin's reign ends as we repent, and joy comes to the world.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Dig a little deeper into the Advent traditions, such as the Advent wreath. We'll light the white Christ candle in just a couple days - are you ready?
:angel:
December 23, 2010
Keeping Christ in Christmas
Sarah Phillips, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
"'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight...' " Mark 1: 3b
Here in America, Christmas is almost over. We only have two more days before the radio stations switch to their normal mix and abrubtly stop playing the same five Christmas carols over and over again. How do you feel about this year's preparations? Do you feel ready? Do you feel stressed? Do you wish it was easier to focus on the reason for the season?
For me, this year held a lot of firsts - firsts that forced me to reflect on how I celebrate Christmas and why. I got married this November, so melding family holiday traditions was the first project we tackled as a married couple. It's been a pretty fun process, but also a learning experience. Here's lesson #1: You can be the same religion and still experience that religion very differently!
Although we haven't decided exactly how we'll celebrate Christmas every year from here on out, a friend shared an article with us that outlined the traditional German Christmas centered on Christkind ("Christ child"). We are definitely considering implementing some of these ideas in the future because it seems to combine the joyful festivities with the sacredness of the season so well. Here are the basics:
In this tradition, it is not Santa Claus who brings gifts but the Christkind himself. Now, many families who celebrate Christkind still have a version of jolly, ol' St. Nick, but he arrives on his official feast day, December 6th, bearing gifts more modest than our American Santa Claus.
The miraculous Christmas day arrival of Christkind requires a slow build-up throughout the month of December. Advent is observed carefully; Christmas decorations can wait. Family members take turns lighting the Advent candles as the entire family sings O Come, O Come Emmanuel every evening before dinner.
Children also focus on developing virtue to prepare their hearts for the coming of Christkind. Throughout December, every time a child acts virtuously, he or she can place a piece of straw into the humble, empty manger. In this way, children can tangibly participate in "making the paths straight" for Christ's arrival.
When Christmas finally comes, the family participates in prayer and the youngest child places a replica of baby Jesus into the manger filled with loving acts performed by the children. Then the parents reveal the stunning glitter of Christmas decorations and gifts left by the Christkind. The celebration of Christkind's arrival continues through January 6th - the day marked to commemorate the arrival of the Magi.
Doesn't this sound peaceful? Doesn't this sound focused? Doesn't this sound appropriately paced? I certainly wish we had more than 24 hours to celebrate Christmas here in the U.S.! And I can practically hear the hushed Advent prayers leading up to the glorious unveiling of Christkind's arrival.
If your holiday season has been harried, scattered and stressful, it's not too late to make some changes. Set aside some time in the next couple of days to regroup and refocus on the Christ child. Reflect on His first coming - not only in the world but in your heart. And ask Him what He'd like you to do to prepare for His special day.
Further Reading
Gifts of Three for Christmas
:angel:
December 24, 2010
Peace on Earth?
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:7
Our Adult Bible Fellowship class just finished a study of Rick Warren's The Purpose of Christmas. First, I'd like to tell you that I highly recommend this material, especially the DVD for families or groups who will have Christmas visitors. It's easy to watch and delightful to follow as Pastor Warren - as always - delivers the gospel in such a warm and welcoming manner.
During the program, as Warren is speaking of the angst and dis-ease in the world, here is one of the claims he makes in Part 3 of The Purpose of Christmas DVD:
"There will never be peace in the world until there is peace in nations.
There will never be peace in nations until there is peace in communities.
There will never be peace in communities until there is peace in families.
There will never be peace in families until there is peace in individuals.
And there will never be peace in individuals until we invite the Prince of Peace to reign in our hearts.
Jesus is the Prince of Peace."
I think he's right. One criticism unbelievers often have about Christ is that if he was supposed to bring peace, why do we have wars, why is there strife? The answer, as well as the question, is summed up in Warren's quote above.
But one question remains - how to achieve peace? The angel did say, after all, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men" (Luke 2:14). Yet the world is in conflict! What to do? Do we need Compromise? Tolerance? Conquest?
None of the above. We need Reconciliation, the catalyst of peace.
Warren's DVD cites 3 kinds of peace that begin with a person reconciling their sin with God, which can only be done through Christ:
1. Peace WITH God, which is Spiritual peace, and brings...
2. Peace OF God, which is Emotional peace, and fosters...
3. Peace WITH OTHERS, which is Relational peace.
Interesting how that works - from the inside out. It's something we all know about the peace Christ brought, but perhaps we don't always feel or apply.
That's why today's verse struck me in a new and interesting way today. Not only is God's peace mind-boggling ("beyond comprehension"), and calmly assuring (minds and hearts at rest), but it is also its own gate-keeper.
That's right. Paul writes here that such peace - once reconciliation is achieved - serves as the very GUARD against the agents and circumstances of unrest. That's a pretty amazing thing when the very bridge you hope to erect is self-sustaining and the very wall you seek to build is self-defending!
Intersecting Faith & Life: Follow Paul's charge to young Timothy, and "pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart" (2 Tim. 2:22). Start with reading the verses below. Merry Christmas! Peace on Earth, good will toward men!
Further Reading
Hebrews 12:14
1 Thessalonians 5:13
Psalm 34:14
:angel:
December 27, 2010
What Do We Do Now, Exactly?
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world..."
1 John 5:3 NASB
We continue to build upon Francis Schaeffer's earlier instruction about the reality of the biblical God (though He is unseen) and of the bankruptcy of atheism and all other perspectives that exclude the God of the Bible.
Instead of being cowed by unbelievers, we march forward today with the clear-eyed viewpoint expressed by the writer of this recent article on Christianity.com...
It is not Christianity that is a crutch, but atheism. Believing that when you die, you're just dead is far more comforting than believing that after death that we will be summoned to answer to a just and holy God for the good or evil we have done in this life.
Having ceased calling God a liar and having come to embrace Christ alone by faith alone, we now are justified—declared righteous by God... our status of moral guilt is reversed. Scripture says: "...there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1).
But "salvation is not just justification and then a blank until death," writes Schaeffer (True Sprirituality, chap. 6). Therefore, we must become increasingly conscious of is the perpetual relevance of Christ's work now in our lives. As Romans 1:17 says, "the just shall live by faith."
Quoting Schaeffer again: "The how of the Christian life is the power of the crucified and risen Lord, through the agency of the indwelling Holy Spirit, by faith moment by moment."
The effect of such a moment-by-moment life of faith in loving relationship with Christ is expressed in First John (1 John 5:3). "This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome."
With refreshing honesty, Schaeffer recounts that for many years he did find the commandments grievous and burdensome:
"For many years as a pastor, preaching the gospel, I never preached on this verse for the simple reason that I did not understand it. I could hardly bear them (the commandments of God). And then one day, as I was wrestling with this topic, I saw that all one had to do was to look at the immediate context: "For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith."
"On the basis of the finished work of Christ, a moment-by-moment life of faith is "the victory"—not our victory, but Christ's victory, purchased for us on Calvary's cross, laid hold of moment by moment in faith. Now, let me be absolutely clear about it, the basis is not your faith; it is the finished work of Christ. Faith is the instrument to receive this thing from God that Christ has purchased for us. If we try to live the Christian life in our own strength, we will have sorrow; but if we live in this way, we will not only serve the Lord, but in place of sorrow He will be our song."
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Are the commandments grievous to you? Are they burdensome? Whose strength and wisdom are you depending on to bring about victory? Rest today in the power of the crucified and risen Lord, through the agency of the indwelling Holy Spirit, by faith moment by moment.
For Further Study & Prayer:
Romans 15:13
"Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
:angel:
December 28, 2010
The Poor, Widowed, and Orphaned
Ryan Duncan, TheFish.com Editor
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1: 27
It was Spring Break of my senior year, and I had decided to end collage with a bang. A classmate of mine had invited our wing down to Florida to stay with his family over break. I was going to spend almost two weeks hanging out with friends, hitting the beach, and sleeping in one of the nicest houses in the area. It was going to be a Spring Break to remember.
God, however, had other plans. Spring break finally rolled around, but I wasn't in Florida. Instead, I found myself huddled together with a few other collage students in the cold, gray countryside of western Russia. My collage had set up a small mission trip over Spring Break with an organization called The Boaz Project, and despite my attempts to ignore it, God had pushed me into going.
The whole trip bothered me, and not just because I was missing a two week vacation in Florida. The Boaz Project served as an outreach to the orphans of Russia, and I wasn't exactly a kid person. I could barely handle one crying baby or a hyperactive youngster, and I dreaded to think what waited for me in Russia. On top of everything was the language barrier. I had barely passed Spanish 101, there wasn't a chance I'd be mastering Russian.
All my worrying turned out to be pointless though. On our first day the children surrounded us as though we had brought Christmas presents. They didn't care if we couldn't speak their language; it thrilled them to have someone to play with them, to notice them. A wiry boy named Sasha kept asking me for piggy-back rides, and by the end of the day my shoulders ached. The trip passed in a whirlwind of games and activity, and then suddenly it was time for us to go home.
We went around and said goodbye to all of the children. I hugged Sasha one last time, and as I did I couldn't help feeling as though I were abandoning him. As our vans drove away I saw him out the window waving at us, and when we reached the main road I put my head in my hands and started to sob. It was the first time I had cried in nine years. How could you fit and entire lifetime of love and affirmation into a few short days? Had I even accomplished anything by coming here? I knew the statistics, as these children grew older they would most likely be lost to a world of drugs, prostitution, and homelessness. And the worst part was that nobody would notice. No one would care.
At that point God touched my heart, and I realized why he had wanted me to come to Russia. These children weren't alone. There was God, and there was me, and there was a whole Kingdom of believers whom Christ had commanded to care for the poor, widowed, and the orphaned. We are the Church, and it is our duty to serve as lights and protectors in a very dark world. That is what Christ calls us to do; it is what God demands of us. Because if the Church does not help these children, who will?
Intersecting Faith & Life
The Christmas Season, find out a way to reach someone in need. For more information on The Boaz Project, visit www.boazproject.org
Further Reading
James 1: 1-27
:angel:
December 29, 2010
The Context of Stillness
By Katherine Britton
Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"Be still, and know that I am God." - Psalm 46:10
How many times have you heard this verse? A hundred? A thousand? This snippet of a psalm is a pet verse of mine. It constantly pops into my head when I start getting too busy or stressed out. Ironically, I hadn't taken time to read the whole psalm in months until the other night, and I had no recollection of the verses surrounding my favorite one-liner. Here's a sampling of the other verses in Psalm 46:
"Though the earth gives way..." (vs. 2)
"Though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea..." (vs. 2)
"The nations rage, the kingdoms totter..." (vs. 6)
"Be still and know that I am God... I will be exalted in the earth!" (vs. 10)
"The God of Jacob is our fortress." (vs. 11)
I had been picturing an idyllic, Psalm-23-ish passage as the context for my pet verse, but the context is completely different. The psalm is actually the meditation a man holding back fear with faith. In a setting of uncertainty, war, and all-around "trouble" (vs. 1), the psalmist focuses on the peace that comes from being the presence of God - even though the earth around him threatens to fall apart. The verse holds even more power in this context than in my imagined setting, doesn't it?
I love the Psalms because of their deep meditations on humanity confronted with God's holiness and faithfulness. I can see real men writing the lines, reminding themselves of the bigger context for their troubles. I see men who - like me - wondered what would happen next in this life. But every one of them comes to the realization that they serve a God who supersedes their worries and replaces them with worship. These men heard the command to "be still and know" and found that God blew their imaginations.
I often look at the looming election and the financial woes and start getting jittery, wondering about outcomes and impacts. In these times, I slip into this mentality that thinks "being still" and listening to God can only happen in green pastures. But the real context of Psalm 46:10 tells me otherwise. God's amazing peace works most powerfully when the world's craziness reaches a crescendo. Like they say, context is everything.
Intersection of Faith & Life: Look up your favorite one-liners of the Bible today, and read the surrounding passages and chapters. How does the context add to your understanding of the verse? What more does it reveal about living the Christian faith?
Further Reading:
Psalm 37
Be Still and Know
Where is God in the Midst of Crisis?
:angel:
December 30, 2010
The Outsiders
by Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him."
Matthew 2: 1-2
Have you ever felt like an outsider? I have. If you saw me sitting at my desk now, you'd see a conservative-looking, young woman. But rewind to high school, and you'd see an awkward, lonely kid wearing super baggy, ripped-to-shreds jeans. I actually skipped my junior year to get out as quickly as possible. College was a turning point, and I will never regret my decision to graduate high school early.
If you've experienced the pang of being the odd one out, you hold a special place in the heart of God. On January 6th, many churches celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany. The Epiphany marks the arrival of the wise men after a lengthy journey guided by the star of Bethlehem.
As popular as these guys are in religious art, we don't know much about the Magi. There is no concrete evidence they were kings, no exact number of how many followed the star, no records of their countries of origin, and no official date of their arrival. Historical research indicates they were most likely members of a priestly caste from Persia who practiced a religion called Zoroastrianism.
So why set aside a special feast day to celebrate the arrival of some guys we don't know much about? Precisely because they were mysterious outsiders. Not only did their arrival catch King Herod by surprise and set into motion a series of prophetic events, but centuries later we see the wise men represented God's plan to save all who seek Him, regardless of their backgrounds.
Of course, God's saving plan for the Gentiles didn't go over well with everyone at first. Many of Jesus' early followers struggled with - even protested - this idea that Christ's kingdom would include outsiders.
All this forces me to slow down and think. Who are the outsiders today? And how do I treat them? Do I love everyone as God does? Do I entrust that God is working within others even if their lives don't take conventional paths?
Having had my own taste of being on the outside looking in, you would think I readily embrace all who come my way. Sadly, this isn't always the case. At church, I might see someone dressed unconventionally and make assumptions. Or perhaps I observe a peer that struggles to fit into my social group and put forth little effort to make them feel more accepted. I've failed outside of church, too. I'm ashamed to admit that I have, at times, caught myself embracing a judgmental "us vs. them" mentality when interacting with those who don't practice the Christian faith.
Imagine: What if Joseph and Mary had shut the doors on the Magi? I mean, these guys must have been a strange and unexpected sight to this young, Jewish couple when they arrived. What if they had been scandalized by their arrival, skeptical about their exotic gifts, and informed them they had no business paying homage to their son? Thankfully, they put their trust in God's unfolding plan, and welcomed them. But I'm learning that when I turn my back on those who don't fit into whatever mental requirements I've cooked up, I fail to love, and effectively turn my back on God's will.
Intersecting Faith & Life: One of my New Year's resolutions is to invest some time in those others might normally write off. Can you identify someone in your church or your life that in some way stands on "the outside?" Make an effort to get to know them a little better this week. You may be surprised at the blessings that flow from this new relationship.
Further Reading
Isaiah 60: 1-6
Ephesians 3: 2-3, 5-6
:angel:
December 31, 2010
Free Radicals
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
"Woe to you when all men speak well of you..."
Luke 6:26
How deep does my arrogance run? Put it this way: you didn't ask, but I'm going to tell you anyway. The biggest reason I've not yet written the book I've got jangling around in my brain is that deep down I still actually believe a complete impossibility: that hidden between my mind and my keyboard are the magic just-right words that will get everyone to agree. On everything. Or at least, on everything as I have interpreted it. The words that will get Christians to start treating sinners as they treat themselves, and sinners to stop sinning. Phrases that will be so beautifully turned that neither liberal nor conservative will have aught to say about them. A book that will bring everyone together and that, most importantly, will not cause anyone to write me nasty letters, claim I am deluded, or call me an idiot.
The irony, of course, is that my goal is already shot. The ideal itself is delusional, and pure idiocy. And as the saying goes, if you want everyone to like you, nobody will.
So what should be the goal? Well, truth, sure. And being obedient to just be the vehicle through which God wants to impart a particular take on His Truth.
But why is that so hard?
I think it's because Jesus, Who already lived here before me, Whose words are already recorded for anyone to read, and Who called Himself 'the Truth,' gave us a version of how to walk on this planet that is so contrary, so impractical, so frustratingly (if I hope to be honest about it) radical.
Beginning with what I already admitted at the top of this devotional, bear with me as I turn Christ's Great Sermon from Luke 6 into something of a dialogue...
Jesus (vs. 26): Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for in the same way their fathers used to treat the false prophets.
Me: Ew. Cut to the chase, why don't You. So I've set myself on the path of the false prophet, have I? Swell; I knew I couldn't trust myself. But Lord, anything else I say or write or do is going to lead to having enemies, people who are upset with me. What do I do about that?
Jesus (vs. 27-28): Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
Me: Oh. So it's an action thing. Pretty mind-boggling concepts. I can't help but notice You didn't say, "bash those jerks' heads in with rightness." Because that feels more natural, Lord. But assuming You're on to something, what does that look like?
Jesus (vs. 29-30): Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either. Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back.
Me: Yeah, ya see, the thing is, Lord... there's a lot of people who might take advantage of that. And what in the world are You saying that there might be people who want to hit me on the face? Is that what I signed up for in following You? I gotta be honest, it doesn't sound like a very comfortable, or even practical, way of living in this day and age, this country, this world. Can't you simplify it for me?
Jesus (vs. 31-33): Just as you want people to treat you, treat them in the same way. And if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.
Me: Wow, that just blows my mind, Lord. Of course You're right... what is there to separate me at all from anyone else, even the most vile of sinners, except how I react to situations and treat people? But don't You know how hard this would be? What am I saying... of course You do..., but... please forgive me for saying so, Lord, but it just feels like giving some bully my coat, shirt, or other cheek is somehow crazier, tougher, more insane in 21st century America than first-century Jerusalem. I hate asking, but if I'm gonna commit to this, I gotta know... what's in it for me?
Jesus (vs. 35, 37-38): Love your enemies and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men... Do not judge and you will not be judged... pardon, and you will be pardoned... Give, and it will be given to you.
Me: Man... and here I was thinking that I was the one who needed to come up with the words that helped us treat sinners as ourselves, and to what ends. You truly have covered all things and lived all things, Lord. Now, I just wonder if I can really do this, even for the rewards You promise.
Jesus (vs. 46): Why do you call me, "Lord, Lord" and do not do what I say?
Me: Because it's so contrary, upside-down, and radical that it's seriously hard to trust... even to trust You, Lord. It just seems like there's so much to lose. Help me to be free. Help me to take this risk, to think not of myself, my safety, my comfort first, to love people as You love them. It's almost like You were fortunate to "have no place to lay your head." But still, despite my handicaps, I want to try, Lord... I want to try.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Now here's a challenge -- but it's straight from the mouth of Christ: the next time you are wronged, hurt, or had something taken from you... can you give the person responsible even MORE of what they took? And believe you'll be blessed for it? And if not, why not?
Further Reading
John 12:25
Rich Man, Poor Man
Faith and Assertiveness
:angel:
January 3, 2011
High Infidelity
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"...you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God."
Romans 7:4 NASB
Usually, we think of "having faith" as simply "trusting, believing." And while that is true, it can be incomplete if we forget that, as Christians, we are also joined to Christ as our Bridegroom. In other words, there is a real relationship with Him—the living Christ—that is at stake. It is not just a matter of possessing correct content of what we believe about the person and work of Christ. And although we never have a legitimate cause to do so, we often break faith with and betray our faithful Bridegroom.
Francis Schaeffer talks about this in chapter seven of True Spirituality where we continue our journey with him this week. Citing the passage above, he notes that since we have been rescued from the tyranny of the devil and placed safely in the arms of the Lord Jesus Christ—we are now positioned to bring forth His fruit.
Schaeffer expands upon the simple, yet remarkably powerful word picture in Romans 7:1-4 to make the point plain:
"Imagine a married couple both of the one color of skin. Suddenly the wife brings forth a child clearly of another race [sic]. All the world would know that she has been unfaithful to her proper mate. So it is with us."
When we do not bring forth His fruit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (per Galatians 5:22)—but bring forth immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these (Gal. 5:19-21), it is because we have broken faith with Him and are in the state of infidelity of the highest order.
What generally causes us to distrust Christ and leads us to break faith with Him and run to the arms of another is the fact that we often think that we have a better way. We think that, somehow, God really doesn't have our best interests at heart. I know for me, personally, this happens mostly when I am "Law-minded" in a way that discounts or obscures the gospel. One writer, Milton Vincent, in his A Gospel Primer for Christians provides a helpful counter to this erroneous and sinful way of thinking (p. 18):
"...when I begin my train of thought with the gospel, I realize that if God loved me enough to sacrifice His Son's life for me, then He must be guided by that same love when He speaks His commandments to me. Viewing God's commands and prohibitions in this light, I can see them for what they really are: friendly signposts from a heavenly Father who is seeking to love me through each directive, so that I might experience His very fullness forever." (see Deut. 5:29)
Not only are they friendly signposts, they are friendly love letters from our faithful Bridegroom who has done nothing to warrant our distrust. By His life-giving Spirit, He is actively seeking to love us and bring forth His fruit in us today. What is the state of your union with Him?
Intersecting Faith & Life:
In light of today's devotional, contemplate afresh Schaeffer's summary of the life of faith: "The how of the Christian life is the power of the crucified and risen Lord, through the agency of the indwelling Holy Spirit, by faith moment by moment."
For Further Prayer & Study:
If repentance for spiritual infidelity is in order, reflect on Isaiah 30:15 "Thus the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, has said, 'In repentance and rest you will be saved, In quietness and trust is your strength.'" For further study, read Romans 6-8.
:angel:
January 4, 2011
Down-size Me
John UpChurch, Editor, Jesus.org
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God. (Matthew 5:3, ESV)
You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.
Matthew 5:3, MSG
Let's try to regain the shock value in the way Jesus opened His Sermon on the Mount. We're too familiar with the statements and too far removed from the time to hear it like the original listeners. Imagine going to a fast food restaurant, ordering an enormous value meal, and the cashier hitting you with this question: "Would you like to down-size your meal for a dollar less?" Or imagine a car salesperson pausing before you sign the papers and saying, "You know what? That extended warranty is overpriced. Let's get rid of it."
Now you have an idea how much impact Jesus had and why the audience was so astounded. Just like we expect people to push us to buy more, the Jews at the time expected their rabbis to tell them the things they needed to do, the rules they needed to abide by. They came expecting to learn the ten steps required to earn God's favor, but Jesus crumpled up that idea and threw it out. Instead, He revealed that God's favor and blessings come to those who are poor in spirit.
There's more to it, however, than simply feeling beaten down or contrite. The poor in spirit—the ones at the end of their ropes—are those who realize they've gone as far as human effort can get them. In terms of salvation, that's not very far. Here's how John Gill puts it:
The greater part of mankind are insensible of this their condition; but think themselves rich, and increased with goods: there are some who are sensible of it, who see their poverty and want, freely acknowledge it, bewail it, and mourn over it; are humbled for it, and are broken under a sense of it; entertain low and mean thoughts of themselves; seek after the true riches, both of grace and glory; and frankly acknowledge, that all they have, or hope to have, is owing to the free grace of God. (John Gill, Commentary on Matthew 5:3)
The poor in spirit don't just feel bad; they feel bad because they realize how destitute their condition. When we truly understand that "karma points" and charitable acts amount to nothing more than drops of food coloring in the ocean, then we've gotten the point: We can't even approach the kingdom of God, let alone enter it, through our own efforts.
But those who look down and see the filth (and pre-salvation, our spiritual appearance is just that) are those who realize the need for God. And with that realization comes the increase of God in our lives and the decrease of self.
Intersecting Faith & Life: The beatitudes are much more than good ideas or suggestions. They crush preconceptions and expose us as we truly are. Each one reveals our need for God, our need for the work only He could do. When we're poor in spirit (that is, realizing our condition), we're rich in Him.
Further Reading
Matthew 5
Luke 6
:angel:
January 5, 2010
Clutter Be Gone!
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
My counsel is this: Live freely, animated and motivated by God's Spirit. Then you won't feed the compulsions of selfishness. Galatians 5:16, The Message
Like many of us do during the recent holiday break, I de-cluttered.
No shoe, no book, no kitchen gadget was left unturned as I made my way through each room in my home. I was ruthless in my efforts to get rid of the stuff that had been taking up precious space. I wanted a fresh start in 2011.
"Good riddance!," I said to myself several times. And yes, it was "good," but in some cases it was also very "hard." Selfishly, I didn't want to let go of some of the things that I thought I might need in the days ahead. But when I weighed that against the knowledge that I had apparently not needed this stuff in the days already gone by, well then I was able to let go a little more easily.
It is good to make a clean sweep and to get rid of things that are just junking up our homes and serving no necessary purposes. Same goes with our hearts and minds as well. The New Testament is full of reminders of how we should handle what's occupying our interiors:
Romans 12:2 says: "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."
So, the renewing of your mind. What does that mean? It means taking inventory of what's consuming your thoughts and what's driving your decisions. It means yielding yourself and being cognizant of when the Holy Spirit is trying to convict you, guide you or change you.
First Peter 1:14-15 says: "As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: 'Be Holy, because I am holy.'"
Are you living in ignorance? And if so, how can you become informed? How about setting aside a specific time each day to search the Scriptures for yourself? To pause and listen to whatever God is trying to tell you and to teach you? It's the best way to start.
Matthew 18:8-9 says: "If your hand or your foot cause you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into the fire of hell."
Now I don't think this verse is advocating self-mutilation. But I do think it is instructing us to be brutally honest about whatever needs to be removed from our lives if it is hindering us in our Christian walks. Are there some drastic measures that you need to take as it refers to people, places or things that should not be a part of your life?
Cleaning, sorting and de-cluttering isn't just for the tangibles in this new year; it's also for the intangibles. Whatever's an obstacle, whatever's weighing you down, whatever's taking your mind and devotion away from Christ needs to be cast aside.
Free yourself, so that you will love the Lord your God wholeheartedly and be available to live for him in the victorious life he has intended for you to live.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
In his book Simplify, author Paul Borthwick says that "external exercises to simplify must be complemented by inner spiritual change to help us deal with the clutter within." As you de-clutter or organize in your home or office at the beginning of this new year, remember to assess what's inside your heart and mind as well.
Further Reading:
Unstuff: Making Room in Your Life for What Really Matters by Hayley & Michael DiMarco
Consumer Detox by Mark Powley
:angel:
January 6, 2011
Reversing Babel
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. - Romans 15:5,6
Coca-Cola created a cultural meme of epic proportions with a TV spot in 1971. You've probably heard it. The brand jingle "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing" met such popular appeal that it merited a full song minus the Coke references. The New Seekers took their happy song high on the Billboard Hot 100 that same year, as people sang along with the hilltop melody. In case you've forgotten the original jingle, a few sample verses:
I'd like to teach the world to sing
in perfect harmony.
I'd like to buy the world a Coke,
and keep it company
I'd like to see the world for once
all standing hand in hand.
And hear them echo through the hills
for peace throughout the land.
It's the real thing
what the world wants today,
That's the way it'll stay
with the real thing.
This utopia of happy people might've been a little exaggerated (the song originated as a marketing campaign, after all), but the underlying ideal of unity clearly resonated with people. If Coke happened to be the original vehicle for such peace, love, and happiness, okay then. It's a delightful ditty that manages to communicate our need for unity and connection. But is unity alone enough?
Coke's marketing was clever, but not original. At its heart, the commercial and subsequent song celebrated a humanism that was also secular. Its message was for the people, by the people -- and by their creations. From that point of view, the message was the same as the message of Babel. In that instance, men united to sing praises from another hilltop. The praises were their own - praises of a unified people so in sync and powerful that they could rival the gods.
You know what happened next.
Matthew Henry's commentary observed of Babel that "unity is a policy but it is not the infallible mark of a true church." Babel was partially constructed before God decided to deal with their pride and disobedience, and looked plenty successful for a time. Call it a common grace that we have the ability to build relationships that work even in a fallen world. Even Babel - and Coca-Cola - can do that. Our attempts, however, may only work for so long.
Babel failed when its people "forgot their place" and sought their success, reputation, and a good life elsewhere than where God had commanded them. Their unity was founded on something temporal. As such, it was no matter for God to drive a wedge between the people and send them away from each other. That was his original command. He had told them to fill the earth, not stay in one place and build a single city for all humanity. Apart from his purposes, they had no real unity... only a secular humanism to temporarily stick them together.
While God can drive apart, he also has the power to bring people together for his purposes. As I talked about last week, the miracle of the Gospel doesn't just bring us back to God - it brings us back to each other. Matthew Henry's commentary says this:
As the confounding of tongues divided the children of men and scattered them abroad, so the gift of tongues, bestowed upon the apostles (Acts 2), contributed greatly to the gathering together of the children of God, who were scattered abroad, and the uniting of them in Christ, that with one mind and one mouth they might glorify God.
The Gospel brings us back to our right place. Observing our need of grace orients - and unites! - us towards Christ with other believers. Then, something crazy can happen. Babel reverses itself.
Babel happened when people took a superficial unity to the extreme, and ended up judged by God for their disobedience. Pentecost, with its universal call to repentance in Christ, forged a permanent unity between people who had little in common.
Intersecting Faith & Life: What holds our relationships together? Are we building our unity around a happy song that might ultimately disintegrate? That only works so long as we, so to speak, agree to sing exactly the same tune, words, and song. But when our focus is on living life to glorify God, we get something far more encompassing. That's enough to hold us together through the smaller disagreements here on earth. Babel's day is over - the miracle of Christian unity has taken over.
:angel:
January 7, 2011
The Problem with Perception
by Sarah Phillips, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.
1 Samuel 16: 7b
A few years ago, an acquaintance of mine mused, "Why are people like Paris Hilton so unhappy? They have no earthly excuse to be." It's human nature to look at snapshots of someone else's life and conclude that they somehow have it better than we do. Too many times I've allowed my perceptions of someone else's happiness to create discontent in my own world. I wonder, "God, why are you blessing them and not me?"
Not only is it tempting to make assumptions about those who've achieved worldly success, but I've caught myself and others making wrong assumptions about what it means to be a godly person, a "good Christian." I hear fellow believers say they feel small or inadequate next to some perceived spiritual giant or that they envy some gift or perceived virtue of another.
I recently came across a reflection from a young woman that gave me a fresh perspective on those I perceive to be "perfect." St. Therese of Lisieux, a Carmelite nun who lived in the late 19th century, was a model Christian very young in life. Yet, a few years before her own young death at 24, she reflected on how others perceived her in her autobiography Story of a Soul:
"I cannot say that Jesus makes me walk the way of humiliation exteriorly. He is content to humble me in the depths of my soul; in the eyes of creatures, I succeed in everything."
Therese expressed much discomfort in the compliments lavished on her because, as she so matter-of-factly states: "I remember who I am." She knew the intimate details of her faults even while others could not see them, and often felt the difference between her and the great Saints like Aquinas was as vast as a grain of sand at the foot of a mountain.
St. Therese wasn't alone in her discomfort of others' perceptions. Mother Teresa often tried to deflect attention because she knew she wasn't really the true source of her "success." Mother Teresa's personal letters revealed her own private periods of darkness laced throughout her extraordinary life.
Sometimes, the unseen crosses weigh us down more than any outward suffering ever could. There is so little we truly know about other souls -- only that which others are willing to share with us. This is why the comparison game is such a sham. It creates a toxic cycle of private shame and envy that isolates individuals in a world where we're all trying to "measure up" to fabricated standards. Jim Hancock, author of Posers, Fakers, and Wannabes, expressed the dangerous game of comparison like this: "I judged what I knew about me by what I didn't know about them."
Life, of course, does not have to end with each one of us locked in a private world of faults and failings. Even with their interior crosses, both St. Therese and Mother Teresa knew they did not have to live a life of disconnection, shame or envy. They knew true inner peace rested with the only One who is perfect and yet, with full knowledge of our faults, loves us unconditionally.
Not only does God love us as we are, but He's ready to use even our failings for incredible good - perhaps even greater good than had we been "perfect." When we stop comparing and put energy towards building the most important relationship we'll ever have, doors open to a life greater than we could have planned or achieved on our own.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Americans are reportedly some of the loneliest people on the planet. Intimacy flourishes when we let our guards down and allow others to see who we really are, imperfections and all. Set aside a little time this week to strengthen a relationship with a friend or family member. Be open to talking about what's really going on in each others' lives so that you can build each other up in the faith.
Further Reading
2 Corinthians 12: 7-9
Luke 9: 46-48
:angel:
January 10, 2011
Letter from Dad
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
Abba! Father! All things are possible for you.
Mark 14:36
My son was having a problem at school. Not with his schoolwork, or even socially. It was a personal problem, and it was minor, but it was of some concern to his mother and me. And if he didn't solve it soon, it would become of greater concern to him as well.
We tried all sorts of encouragement (even forms of discouragement). We did everything we could within the bounds of letting him feel secure, making sure we knew he was excelling at the important first-grader-type stuff, making sure he didn't develop a complex. Still, nothing was working. Basically, he'd get so involved and engrossed in whatever he was doing that day or at that hour that he just couldn't remember to take care of other important items. A multi-tasker he is not yet. Nor must he be. Laser-like focus and concentration is a trait I know many parents wish their children displayed.
Anyway, as with many things, the solution came from him. One morning as we were praying and encouraging him about the issue before school, he suggested a note. He said it might really help him if I wrote him a note - a special, secret note in a code just for us - that he could keep in his chair-pocket at school, one he could take out every day and read and think of me and remember what he was supposed to do.
Immediately I got out some paper, wrote out a message of love and encouragement that also contained a hidden meaning for Jordan, and sent him on his way, not knowing what to expect.
More than three weeks later, he'd not had an instance of the problem. He credits the letter from dad, says he takes it out before every class. It makes him smile, it makes him feel loved, it reminds him who he is and what he needs to do.
We all have one of those, you know. A letter from Dad. Something to read at the start of every day that tells us we're loved, encourages us, challenges us, reminds us who we are and what we need to do. A note that has surprising power to heal our woes and solve our problems.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Have you read yours today?
Further Reading
Proverbs 3:3
Deuteronomy 6:6-7
:angel:
January 11, 2011
The Year of Hidden Blessings
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"For he wounds, but he also binds up; he injures, but his hands also heal." Job 5:18
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. - James 1:17
I know New Year's Eve was a couple weeks ago, but I'm still evaluating all that happened last year. Sorry, I'm a slow poke on that front. I always appreciate the post-holiday lull in January that allows for more quiet reflection, even if I don't go crazy on the New Year's resolutions. I need that time to stop going, going, going, and just take a look at what God has done.
In summing up 2010, I'm calling it the year of hidden blessings. I nearly burned my house down in February, ended up the smushed middle car in a five-car highway accident in May, nervously watch the school system where my husband works make staff cuts, and more. I feel lucky to have survived 2010, and I don't mean that as an exaggeration. Mentally, I know that I'm dependent on God's sustaining grace every year. This year, though, I practically had my nose rubbed in the fact. All the close calls made me face "what could have happened" and respond with thankfulness that it didn't. But the crazy thing is, the Lord didn't just deliver me through all these instances unscathed. He used my own stupidity to bring about good things. In other words, I experienced a whole lot of divine grace this year.
In what has become known as "The Fire" (that's capitalized), half our cabinets burned, our refrigerator and stove were effectively destroyed, and various portions of drywall got pulled down by a fire department focused on safety precautions. But in the aftermath of The Fire, we found out insurance would pay for much of the remodel . So we went to work installing a much more functional - and beautiful - kitchen. For me, this was an object lesson in how God rescues his people. I'm a results-oriented person, so I often struggle with being "good enough" for God, with "earning" favor by being a good little Christian. But Christ provides us with the gift of life despite our best efforts to fumble it. As I looked around my soot-stained kitchen, knowing that my actions had caused the destruction, and that someone else would finance the essential repairs... believe me, that's humbling.
I could go on about the other life scenarios we lived through this year, but you get the idea. In any case, each circumstance began with heartache and a "what do we do now" cry. Each ended with God making his provision known in funny, little ways. Sometimes the situation was made better materially; sometimes relationally; sometimes spiritually. Now, in 2011, I look back on each of those minor catastrophes and see that God was at work. He truly does work for the good of those who love him.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Everyday mercies surround us. After this year, I'm convinced that God uses every circumstance to bless us. That doesn't mean we will never suffer or that we will always come out on top. Instead, it means that he will use our circumstances to bring us closer to himself. That's the greatest gift we can ask for.
:angel:
January 12, 2011
Authentic Christianity
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"...be filled with the Spirit...
singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart,
giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Ephesians 5:18-20 ESV
Months ago, I began a journey through the works of Francis Schaeffer beginning with the book True Spirituality. I've been writing about that here at Crosswalk the Devotional and am now in chapter seven. There is still time to catch up if you want to join the journey, and I hope you will.
As C.S. Lewis once said: "First-hand knowledge [of great authors] is not only more worth acquiring than second-hand knowledge, but is usually much easier and more delightful to acquire." (Quoted from his introduction in Athanasius', On the Incarnation, St. Vladimir's Seminary Press: Crestwood, New York, 1993, p. 3).
In other words, you'll probably enjoy Francis Schaeffer much more than reading my devotionals on Francis Schaeffer. But it is not just your delight in reading a great man that is at stake. No. Schaeffer's message is a much-needed remedy for the low condition of joy and genuine faith that seems to plague this generation.
And Schaeffer knows something about that. He was once a joyless Christian himself.
In 1971, Schaeffer published True Spirituality to help people experience the reality of Christ in daily life. Not just at the moment of salvation. At first, his book was a series of Bible lessons. He taught them to his family and students who gathered regularly in their home in the Swiss Alps. But before they ever became that set of lessons to others, Schaeffer taught them to his own heart.
Before Schaeffer ever became the famous author and Christian leader that he eventually became (and prior to the time that L'Abri began), Francis went through a dark period lasting several months. He was troubled by the disproportion that he saw in himself between the large amount of Bible data he knew and claimed to believe and the lack of genuine spiritual joy in his life.
Over those months as he walked in the mountains, Francis rethought his reasons for being a Christian and, at last he...
"...saw again that there were totally sufficient reasons to know that the infinite-personal God does exist and that Christianity is true.
"In going further, I saw something else which made a profound difference in my life. I searched through what the Bible said concerning reality as a Christian. Gradually, I saw that the problem was that with all the teaching I had received after I was a Christian, I had heard little about what the Bible says about the meaning of the finished work of Christ for our present lives.
"Gradually the sun came out and the song came. ...and although I had written no poetry for many years, in that time of joy and song I found poetry beginning to flow again—poetry of certainty, an affirmation of life, thanksgiving, and praise. Admittedly, as poetry it is very poor, but it expressed a song in my heart which was wonderful to me." (from True Spirituality, p. 196 in The Complete Works of Francis Schaeffer, vol. 3 © 1982 Crossway Books, Wheaton, Illinois).
Francis Schaeffer saw and believed that the finished work of Christ really is the source of the Christian's daily life. He grew deeply convinced that the Christian life is not just about conversion, but about moment-by-moment living out of the grace of God today, in the present by the power of the Holy Spirit.
While what I've been writing at Crosswalk the Devotional faithfully summarizes Schaeffer' message, I suspect that my writing carries only a fraction of the impact that reading True Spirituality would have upon you. God has used this book to shed light and build faith in the hearts of many for years. And as C.S. Lewis said, there really is something special about reading the greats for yourself. Only then can you experience the transforming progression of Schaeffer's argument, the clarity of his thought, and his wise use of Scripture and illustrations throughout his book.
Think about it: If it suddenly became possible for you to be personally mentored by Dr. Francis Schaeffer, would you take the opportunity? In a way, you can. Pick up True Spirituality, then follow with us on the trail of his thought.
Intersecting Faith and Life:
Imagine that a friend or family member is called upon to testify of the presence of spiritual reality in your life. What evidence would they give?
Think through the reasons why you became a Christian. Reflect on what it means to have an authentic relationship with the infinite-personal God who is there.
Further Reading
Psalm 16
John 6:68
Ephesians 5:1-21
:angel:
January 13, 2011
Be a Friend to Have a Friend
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
A friend loves at all times. Proverbs 17:17, NIV
Christmas is just about three weeks past us, but the remnants remain on a bulletin board in my office.
There, I have thumb-tacked various holiday family pictures and newsletters that I received in the mail from all different friends and acquaintances. I decided that that's how I would "handle" these materials this year, instead of putting them in a pile to collect dust and go forgotten.
As I look at the bulletin board each day, my heart is warmed as I see the faces of friends who have played different roles in my life: comforter, truth-teller, listener, hugger, encourager, constructive criticizer, relationship decoder/investigator, and so forth.
I see so many ways of serving and giving from so many different types of friends. And I am blessed as I am reminded of what they have done for me. And then I am also convicted: What am I doing for my friends? How am I pouring into their lives as they are pouring into mine? How is God moving me to be part of their worlds? And am I responding to his instruction and guidance in my life?
Ralph Waldo Emerson famously said: "The only way to have a friend is to be one." And he was so right about that. Friendships don't just happen. They take time. They take effort. They take upkeep. And that means we all have to do something if we want to cultivate, grow and nurture relationships with others.
When I look at my bulletin board of friends, if I am truly willing to be a friend "who loves at all times," I know that that means I have to always be ready to shelve or alter my plans in order to help meet the varied needs of others.
It's something God has been working on me for a while now. Am I willing to lay down my plans and sacrifice my time and my desires for my friends? Or is it more important that I get done today what is on my list and what I think is right for me? Am I seeking the Lord for his direction? Am I paying attention to the Holy Spirit for conviction?
Let me warn you, though. Don't ask God to move in your life in this way unless you really mean it. Because when you do ask him to help you be a better friend and to help you reach out to others, he will give you plenty of opportunities that may or may not be what you had in mind.
You might be asked to ...
Offer your professional skills to someone else in need for free.
Forgo your after-work errands or agenda to just sit, listen and offer a warm hug/
Give up your Saturday to help someone move, paint a house or run a garage sale.
Better yet, you might be moved to ...
Give financially to someone you don't even know.
Befriend the "different" or "difficult" person whom no one else likes.
Not take careless words or confusing situations personally and instead choose to "cover" these minor offenses with love.
That's what a true friend does: gets outside of themselves and gives. And gives. And gives! Are you up to it? I'm asking myself the same question. For friends both new and old, how can we be a true friend to someone else today?
Intersecting Faith & Life:
No doubt, at some point in your life you've known what it's like to be on the receiving end of someone who has been a good friend to you. But what's it like to be your friend? Do you take more than you give? Are you ever around? Do you take time to listen and care about others' concerns and life matters? Take a friend inventory today and see what changes you might need to make in your outreach to those you call "friend."
Further Reading:
John 15:13
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
:angel:
January 14, 2011
Love is a Decision
by Sarah Phillips, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
Every one then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house upon the rock; and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. Matthew 7: 24-25
Our family is in the middle of one, long wedding season. I spent 2010 planning my November wedding, and over Christmas one of my sisters announced her engagement. It looks like 2011 will be their year. I've also attended more weddings of friends than I can count.
In the midst of these fairy tale weddings, though, I've found myself absorbed in the vows more than the frills of the celebration. Watching young couples pledge their lives to one another somehow transcends the romance of the wedding day. The joining of two lives until death is so sublime many have questioned if such love can truly last or if the idea of finding one's soul mate is just as much a fairy tale as the wedding day itself.
But many a seasoned couple will tell the cynics that while feelings of passion may have initially fueled their decision to marry, much of the success of married life depends not on the whims of feelings or the circumstances of life, but on the free will choice to be together and stay together. To quote the pastor's words during a traditional wedding ceremony, these couples "come freely and without reservation" to each other not just on the first day, but every day of life. And while this daily decision to love the other does not always come easily, combined with God's grace, it allows two people to experience intimacy that surpasses all other human relationships.
You've seen them - older couples who have twinkles in their eyes and cherish their years together.
As I watched each newly married couples begin their journeys -- and begin my own -- I couldn't help but ponder how God's design for earthly marriage mirrors our faith walk. Marriage, after all, is one of the most profound symbols found throughout the Old and New Testaments.
Just as couples must enter freely into marriage, Christ freely suffered and died for us, and in turn, our faith journey begins with a free will decision to accept His gift. And just as the initial commitment on the altar requires daily decisions to love for the marriage to thrive, our initial acceptance of Christ leads to a series of decisions to love God and continue to walk in the faith.
Our deacon, reflecting on the verses above, pointed out the emphasis Christ puts on our actions, our will. Even when the storms of life beat us down, our decision to remain committed to Christ and the Christian life will keep us connected to God, helping us navigate the unknowns. And ultimately, the decision to love will allow each one of us to know divine love that surpasses all human relationships.
You've seen them - individuals facing death or old age with twinkles in their eyes and peace in their hearts.
Perhaps you're going through a dark time where God feels distant. In a culture that increasingly sees divorce as no big deal, you may be finding the decision to stay on the narrow path of faith, to daily choose virtue over vice, exhausting and even foreign.
The good news is that no matter how weather-beaten we get on our journey, God is the perfect Spouse, forever faithful and forever walking beside us even when we stray from the original path. His unwavering grace and love are always available to us, and He welcomes us with open arms when we come home.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Just as God gives spouses the gift of each other in marriage, I've found God often works through others to encourage us in our faith. Think about the people He's placed in your life right now. Is there someone who needs you to walk along side them for support? Or perhaps you're struggling. Take comfort in knowing that storms are normal, and God especially treasures our decision to remain faithful when the decision is made during tough times.
Further Reading
Ex 6: 7
Ps 36: 5
:angel:
January 17, 2011
A Life Dedicated to the Gospel
by Sarah Phillips, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. Mark 8:35
"To love God as He ought to be loved, we must be detached from all temporal love." ~ St. Peter Claver
Sometimes God asks us to faithfully follow Him in the everyday tasks, and sometimes He calls us to do something really big and really hard. This is the kind of calling I stumbled across when I read about a man named Peter Claver while researching Christian heroes of days gone by. While our lives are playing out in different times with different issues, reading about his courageous devotion to the Gospel is a good reminder to me of what it looks like to live for God instead of myself.
Born in 1581, Peter Claver's beginning reads like the typical story of a man growing up in 16th century Spain. He studied theology and joined the Jesuit order of priests. But in 1610, Peter left his homeland to become a missionary in the country we now call Colombia.
Columbia was the center of the slave trade in the New World during this time, and while church officials had openly condemned the injustices of the African slave trade, the industry continued to flourish. Peter's mission in this foreign land would be to minister to fellow foreigners, the African slaves.
Bought, sold and treated worse than animals, thousands of African men and women were shipped into the wealthy city of Cartagena to be sold to plantation owners. An estimated one third to one half of them died on the journey over, unable to endure the horrific conditions - conditions so putrid, it would make you feel ill if I described them in depth. By the time Peter Claver met them, these men and women were starving, dying, dirty, and mentally broken.
Peter Claver was known for boarding the suffocating ships immediately upon arrival with food and medicine, caring for men and women in a situation most would find unbearable.
But Peter's ministry did not end with meeting physical needs. He trained interpreters to communicate with the diverse array of African dialects, assuring each person of their dignity and worth as human beings created in God's image. After sharing the Gospel in their respective languages, he baptized men and women before they were sold.
While Peter Claver was powerless to stop the slave trade, he worked hard to defend African men and woman against their oppressors every chance he got. He visited their plantations to encourage them and exhorted the plantation owners to treat them well. He even assembled African slaves for worship services during Easter and did everything he could to fight for their freedoms and meet their needs.
Claver not only displayed Christ-like love to the oppressed but with God's grace he overcame personal shortcomings. Born with a timid nature, Claver displayed uncharacteristic boldness in his ministry. He endured hatred from the slave traders and societal rejection from the citizens of Cartagena. Even some Christians thought he was wasting his time, but Claver continued his work. He baptized an estimated 300,000 African men and women in his 33 years of ministry.
Claver ultimately became a societal force for good in Cartagena, and after his death, the "apostle to the slaves" was openly granted the respect he never received in his lifetime.
How can a man give up all that is familiar and comfortable to spend a life defending those few were interested in saving at that time? Claver was not holier than you or I, he simply followed God's leading in his life. His love for God and for those in need superseded everything else, and no doubt he enjoys many friendships in heaven.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Has God ever asked you to do something hard, something that felt impossible or threatened your reputation? What was your response? Ask God for the grace to do His will, even in the face of personal sacrifice.
Further Reading:
John 12: 20 - 36
William Wilberforce: The Man Who Didn't Desert
*Details of Peter Claver's life from: "St. Peter Claver", "Saint of the Day, September 9th," "Saints and Angels: St. Peter Claver"
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January 18, 2011
A Mathful God?
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
God doesn't count us; he calls us by name. Arithmetic is not his focus.
Romans 9:28, The Message
Thank God that he calls us by name, that our names have been written in the Book of Life. He knows us intimately. We are not just numbers to him, as the scripture above reminds.
That said, have you ever looked at the face of a calculator and marveled at how completely God is involved in all of those functions? He adds, he subtracts, he multiplies, he divides. Positives, negatives, rationals, irrationals, imaginaries, radicals... all indicate some aspect of God and what he does, how he interacts with his creation.
Let's take a look at some examples of the most basic of these functions, and how they suggest a perfect sum of completeness and trust. He's worked it all out. The numbers add up. The whole world - its time and history and future - is well calculated, and safe in his hands.
ADDITION
Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved. --Acts 2:46-47, NAS
So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. --1 Corinthians 3:7, KJV
"Nothing in Scripture and in the life of Christ could be clearer: Wealth is not an objective of the spiritual life. When we encounter money on the path of life, we are encouraged to do one of three things with it: Turn and walk in the other direction; pick it up and give it away; or use it for the necessities of life. It's this last part that I think has become skewed over time. Our list of 'needs' is much greater today than it was in 1900 and their list of needs were certainly greater than during the time when Christ walked the Earth. Now I know that here in the year [2010], it is countercultural to give money away. It is countercultural to seek your security in things that aren't man-made. But, remember what Jesus promised, 'But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you' (Matthew 6:33, NKJV)." --Steve Scalici, "Should Christians Strive for the American Dream?"
SUBTRACTION
The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! --John 1:29, NAS
If you subtract from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will subtract your part from the Tree of Life and the Holy City that are written in this book. --Revelation 22:19, MSG
"Our spiritual engrafting provides an eternity of new life. While the struggles of our present earthly existence cause momentary, light affliction, the life to come for those who are in Christ Jesus will last forever. There will be no more heartaches, no more pain. He has taken our heart of stone and replaced it with a heart of flesh. He died so that we might live." --Peter Beck, "Engrafted for Life"
MULTIPLICATION
For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. --Hebrews 6:13-14, KJV
Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. --2 Corinthians 9:10, NAS
"I would be afraid to bring children into this world if I did not know God. But because I know God, I am free to encourage you to have children... God's people are the ones who ought to be bringing a godly seed into this world. What does the world need? Jesus. How are they going to hear if the light goes out?" --Adrian Rogers, "Bringing Children into the World"
DIVISION
So you shall divide this land among yourselves according to the tribes of Israel. --Ezekiel 47:21, NAS
And the people of all the nations will be gathered before him. Then he will divide them into two groups, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. --Matthew 25:32, GNT
"God is in the business of division. As in creation, He divided whatever was necessary in order to bring order. He divides light and darkness today also. That is why His people are in this world but not of it. God's children are separated from the world as they are sanctified, or set apart, for the things of God. As Christians, we think of the Lord as One who wants to make "everything ok" or to bring peace to a given situation. However, the Lord Jesus clearly said that He came to divide. 'Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword' (Matt. 10:34)." --Tonilee Adamson & Bobbye Brooks, "Division"
The Sum of the Equation
I know that whatever God does will last forever; there is nothing to add or subtract from it; and God has done it so that people will fear him. --Ecclesiastes 3:14, CJB
Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped. He said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, And naked I shall return there. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD." -- Job 1:21, NAS
You can't take any of this stuff with you. Enjoy it and praise God for all of it. Instead of counting widgets, count blessings, count it all joy. Let him do the math of your life: be your accountant, buyer, salesman, financial planner, marketer and profiteer.
:angel:
January 19, 2010
Freedom from the Bonds of Sin
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"...if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live."
Romans 8:13
While reading this week in chapter eight of Francis Schaeffer's True Spirituality where he is speaking about freedom from the bonds of sin, I was reminded of the story of an experienced, 27 year-old rock climber named Aron Ralston. One beautiful spring morning in 2003, he jumped into his truck with just enough food and water for the day. He took off by himself and drove a hundred and fifty miles south of Salt Lake City to his favorite spot—a remote canyon area that used to be the hideout for wild-west outlaws Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
By afternoon, he was suspended seventy-five feet high off the canyon floor—climbing in a crevice that was just a few feet wide. It was a perfect day. But then without warning, a boulder suddenly broke loose from the rock wall above him, hurtled down and trapped Ralston's right arm against the wall, completely crushing his hand. At that instant, Aron's hand—one of his greatest assets—had now become his greatest liability.
Five whole days passed as he tried various ways to free himself—all to no avail. His efforts to chip away at the boulder with a pocket knife only made a small dent. Rigging up a pulley system to move the boulder proved fruitless.
Finally, a moment of decisive clarity came. The thoughts came fast and furious: he could break his forearm, cut through the muscle with his dirty pocket knife, detach his arm, and use a piece of rope as a tourniquet.
Aron explains that he was driven by "some sort of autopilot" as he went about the gruesome task of amputating his own right arm just below the elbow. After he was finished, Aron lowered himself down and began trudging slowly in the direction of his truck. Later, he stumbled across two hikers who used a mobile phone to call in a rescue helicopter. Amputating his right arm was a radical act, but it was one that saved his life and reunited him with his family.
God calls us to deal with sin in our life in a way that is surprisingly similar. The Bible doesn't offer a laid-back, live-and-let-live approach at all. It's so radical, that we don't really like hearing about it or talking about it. Recall what Jesus said in Matthew 5:30, "If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell." While Jesus was not literally talking about physical amputation, He was saying that sin's deadly effects call for extreme measures. Even though it hurts, we must rid sin from our lives. In fact, our eternal destiny hinges on how we deal with sin.
Really? Well, why else would Jesus talk about hell in the same breath that He talks about how we are to deal with sin if He didn't mean to teach that our eternal destiny hangs in the balance? Clearly, it's a matter of preferring one destiny over the other. Outward behavior indicates what the heart primarily loves. If Aron Ralston had stayed there on the canyon wall with his hand pinned down by the boulder, he would have died. But because he was willing to kill his hand, his life was saved.
The same goes with us as we deal with sin. It really comes down to what we value most. Colossians 3:5 says, "Put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry." The world may tell us to laugh about sin, to lighten up about it, to tolerate it, and just let it be... that it's not idolatry; it's not an issue of worship. God says the opposite is true.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
What is robbing you of the blessings of peace with God?
What is keeping you from treasuring the Lord Jesus Christ above all other things?
Pray for grace to heed God's radical call to amputate sin from your life in His strength.
Further Reading
Romans 8:10-18
"Is Christianity just a bunch of rules for how to live?" (by John Piper, DesiringGod.org)
Between a Rock and a Hard Place (by Aron Ralston, © 2004 Simon & Schuster)
:angel:
January 20, 2011
No Worries
By Ryan Duncan, TheFish.com Editor
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7
A few nights ago, I was driving back home when I reached a stoplight just in front of my apartment. It was late, I was the only car on the road, and to be honest I wasn't paying much attention. I automatically made a left turn into the nearby parking lot and suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw a flash. I felt my stomach twist into a knot. Had I just turned on a red light? Had that flash been a traffic camera? Was I going to get fined?
In retrospect, it wasn't that big of a deal, but I was still worrying about it the next day when I went off to work. Would I be receiving a ticket in the mail? How much would I have to pay? With a poor driving history and not much money in my bank account, all I could think about was the humiliation of having to pay a fine and watching my insurance rates go up.
It's amazing how we let fear and insecurity rule our lives. If something as small as a possible traffic ticket can ruin our whole day, how will we be able cope when real tragedy strikes? Surprisingly, many Christians can't let go of their worries, or worse, don't seem to know how. Philippians 4:6 reads "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Despite this, I think we sometimes hesitate to bring our problems before God. It may be because A.) We don't want to sound like we're whining to God, or B.) We know that praying to Christ does not guarantee things will turn out the way we want them to.
But there is more to praying about problems than simply asking God for a solution. God wants us to rely on him fully, even in the worst circumstances. When we give our cares to Him, we are reminded that He loves us, and that He is in control. I'm pretty sure that soon I'll have to pay for running a red light, but by bringing my worry before God I was able to accept it and move on. Don't let life's worries get you down. As my Dad used to say, "The most common phrase in the Bible is 'Fear not.'"
Intersecting Faith and Life
Is their anything you're worried about? Take some time to simply pray about it to God.
Further Reading
Matthew 6:25-34
:angel:
21, 2011
Who's Making Your Life Anew?
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
For Your gift of God, the Spirit, power to make our lives anew, Pledge of life and hope of glory, Savior we would worship You. Crowning gift of resurrection sent from Your ascended throne, Fullness of the very Godhead, come to make Your life our own. "For Your Gift of God the Spirit"
Ode to Joy
"This year I'm going to stop __________." Or "This year I'm going to start __________." Or "This year I'm going to do better job of __________."
Any of those declarations sound familiar? Raise your hand if you have made a resolution for 2011 and have already broken it this month. Me, too.
Most of us probably have big dreams, big goals and big expectations of what we will do in the new year. We want to see change. We want to see improvement. We want to know that some kind of forward progress is being made in our lives. And none of those wants are wrong in and of themselves.
But what I was reminded of recently while in church and when singing the lines from the hymn at the beginning of today's devotional is that, as a believer, I am not the power that is supposed to drive this kind of change or improvement or progress in my life. It's the Holy Spirit.
Oh, how often I forget about this precious gift from the Father given to those of us who are his children. We have the spirit of the living God living inside of us. Living inside of us! I forget that. I forget that I am a vessel. That my body is a holy temple. That it is not up to me to make my life anew, in my weakness, in my sinfulness, in my humanity, in my utter depravity.
Like many of us as well, I have come up with resolutions and goals that I want to work on this year. But I easily become overwhelmed when I consider everything I want to address in my life. In my mind, it must be done yesterday and there are no excuses for failure and there is no room for error. Once I can't keep up, though, then I am easily discouraged and ready to give up.
How comforting is that? It's not. And thankfully I have One who works in my life much differently than I do.
"If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you" (John 14:15-17).
"But you know him." Again, I forget that I know the Holy Spirit. I know this gift of the Father. He is my helper. He is here to help me help myself! Even when I think I am the one doing all of the work, he is the one who has the power to make my life run as God wants it to run. The Spirit is the "power to make our lives anew."
Will you join with me and get out of the way today? Let's prayerfully consider what plans and goals and resolutions we have made for ourselves for 2011. And then let's see what God, through the power of the Holy Spirit, wants to do in our lives as he makes our lives anew.
May we remember that He has filled us with His holy fullness, God the Father, Spirit, Son.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
"Before you pick up the phone, go to the Throne." I read that on a friend's Facebook status update recently and thought how true that is. How true! When you need help or guidance or feel helpless and alone, are you dialing into the supernatural power that is real and active inside of you first? The Holy Spirit mediates God to believers. He intercedes on our behalf. This gift is ready and waiting for you.
Further Reading:
"Love Divine, All Loves Excelling"
Text: Charles Wesley
Music: John Zundel
Breathe, O breathe Thy loving Spirit,
Into every troubled breast!
Let us all in Thee inherit;
Let us find that second rest.
Take away our bent to sinning;
Alpha and Omega be;
End of faith, as its Beginning,
Set our hearts at liberty.
John 14:26-27, NIV
:angel:
January 24, 2011
Keeping the Best Things First
Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best..." Philippians 1:9-11
How often do we resign ourselves to the "tyranny of the urgent"? If you're me, it's a daily struggle not to use that little phrase as an excuse for losing sight of the big picture. It's so much easier to take care of what's immediately in front of me instead of what should be first in my life.
I'm a task-oriented Martha, so concerned with getting the job done that I forget to focus on Him first. I can tell myself that I'm doing my work "as unto the Lord" as much as I want, but I don't serve anyone when I get harried. You probably know the feeling; you tell yourself that you're cooking a wholesome dinner as a supreme act of service and love for your family - if they only appreciated how many other things you have to do besides stand over a stove! - when little Anne asks if you'll help her find a favorite CD. Something boils over, and it's not the pot on the stove. In taking care of dinner, you've forgotten to feed a godly attitude of patience and love.
That's me to a fault. James makes it clear that faith is constantly looking for ways to serve; like Martha, however, we can get so busy that we forget why we're doing it. I often catch myself thinking that if I'm not busy, I'm not "doing enough" for God. But then the act becomes its own end, instead of an outworking of love. Imagine Martha in the kitchen, fluttering around and looking for that special recipe to serve Jesus, while Mary just sat, soaking up His words. Martha's response to this was probably well-intentioned - that is, from a human point of view. She was serving and wanted others to serve with her! But Jesus called her bluff. "Only one thing is needed," Christ said, "and Mary has chosen what is better" (Luke 10:42). Better? Lord, you mean that sitting at your feet and being quiet is better than my idea of being busy serving you? That's right.
I think I got a double-portion of Martha's spirit. Too often, I think that sitting and listening to Jesus is the same thing as sitting and doing nothing. I think it's laziness. Satan whispers that my time could be better spent doing than learning, and then the tyranny of the urgent takes over. But even Olympic acts of service are as nothing if not done in love (1 Corinthians 13), and only time at the feet of Jesus can teach me that.
Love leads to action, as Paul writes to the Philippian church, not the other way around. I can't "discern what is best" in my work and words unless I keep the very best in front of my eyes, like Mary. My prayer this week is that I will focus on Jesus and see how to love. Then the priorities will fall in line. Then I see what is best, because I see Jesus.
Intersection of Faith & Life: We have to preach the Gospel to ourselves daily, as Jerry Bridges writes, so we never lose sight of what is first and last in importance. Reevaluate your commitments and make sure that you've set aside time to sit at the feet of Jesus before anything else.
Further Reading:
1 Corinthians 13
The Authority of Intimacy
:angel:
January 25, 2011
Sarah Phillips, Crosswalk.com Senior Family Editor
A wise man's heart guides his mouth, and his lips promote instruction. ~ Proverbs 16: 23 NIV
How can we live the Christian life well? Is it dependant on nebulous feelings of doing good? Thankfully, there's more guidance than that. Cultivating the cardinal virtues is one concrete way to live a solid Christian witness. The four cardinal virtues are: wisdom, justice, courage, and temperance.
Let's examine what one virtue looked like in the life of someone committed to Christ.
If someone asked me to draw a picture of wisdom when I was a child, I would have drawn an old, wrinkly, robed man meditating in a tent. I imagined wisdom as something that belonged to those focused on the "higher things," people isolated from the day-to-day grind of life. But this is a faulty understanding of wisdom. True wisdom contains both clarity of insight and the ability to apply that insight to real life situations
In my recent reading of the book The 33 Doctors of the Church, I came across an ancient Christian who exemplified both aspects of wisdom. While his name is not well-known, God worked through St. Ephrem to greatly influence the early Church.
Ephrem was an eastern Christian, born in Syria during the 4th century. His native language was Syro-Chaldaic -- the same language Jesus, His family, and His apostles spoke in everyday life. Born of Christian parents, Ephrem developed a thirst for God's Word early in life. He soaked in the Scriptures line by line, delving into the nuances that came more easily to him than you and me today.
Ephrem's deep study of Scripture inspired him to employ his gift for language by writing countless poems, hymns, and homilies for God's glory. Unlike most writers, he never seemed to be at a loss for words. Bishop Gregory of Nyssa, a contemporary of Ephrem's, joked that if you needed a cure for writer's block, you should just ask Ephrem for an idea he already "prayed away."
In some ways the studious, poetic Ephrem resembled that old, robed man in the tent because he lived as an unmarried hermit. But Ephrem hardly isolated himself. He often wrote to instruct the confused and played an active role in shepharding youth.
One of his more famous uses of his poetic talent came in response to a heresy spreading among the local community in the form of a collection of popular hymns. He witnessed young people embracing the songs' messages and falling away from godly living. In response, Ephrem borrowed the melody and wrote new lyrics. Ephrem's version of the hymns, superior in artistry and taught with fatherly love, ultimately became so popular the old hymns were all but forgotten.
Ephrem's love for God's Word also inspired him beyond his writing and music. He often pitched in to help the local community during times of need, and he was loved even by bishops abroad. Ephrem was a sensitive, kind man known for joyfully weeping with those who rejoiced and sorrowfully weeping with those who mourned. He died from exhaustion in his 60's after assisting his suffering community during a famine.
Ephrem's legacy continues to resonate with the modern world. He lived in a time and place not unlike our own, surrounded by war, sadness, confusion, and even rebellious youth. He could have thrown his hands up and said, "What difference can a poet make?" Yet he did not shun the surrounding culture but wisely employed his gifts to engage those around him. In fact, Ephrem's gift for hymnody was so great, many churches around the world continue to sing his hymns today.
Intersecting Faith & Life: St. Ephrem cultivated wisdom by immersing himself in God's Word. This week, read a chapter of the Bible you've never read before and study up on its meaning.
Further Reading
Proverbs 16: 21
:angel:
January 26, 2011
You Never Do Anything You Don't Want to Do
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.
Galatians 6:5, The Message
If I try, I can remember my friends from 10th-grade Sunday School. In fact, I'm still tight with two of them. I remember our church, our youth group, and our youth minister. What I don't remember so well are the individual lessons we learned from the Bible each week. As I realize that, I give myself another kick for not having gotten into note-taking and journaling. I'd like to have those things to review now.
What I do recall from one particular class session, however, has always stuck with me. And it wasn't even a quote from the Bible. To show how much I've forgotten, I don't even remember the name of the teacher who said it! He was tall, well-accomplished, but still wanting to give of his time to young men. And one day he looked at us and said the following:
"Today's lesson is going to be very short. Look at me, because whatever you remember from today, remember this. Whatever you remember from your time in this youth group, remember this: You never do anything you don't want to do."
That was it. Obviously I still remember it. Why?
I remember challenging the teacher on that day, most of us scoffing and saying things like, "Yeah, right... I can honestly tell you I do not want to do my homework tonight."
"Yes you do."
"No, I really don't."
"What will happen if you don't?"
"Well, I guess I'd be embarrassed when it was time to turn it in, I'd probably have to lie to my parents when they asked if I'd done it yet, and I wouldn't be prepared for the upcoming quiz."
"So I guess the reason you're going to do your homework is because for the motives you just stated, you DO want to do it."
Snap.
A dozen high school boys just got handed a logic lesson in responsibility, desire, and motivation. All around the room you could see eyes and minds opening to new possibilities.
This is what we'd been hearing about free will. But now contextualized and personalized.
This is what our parents and teachers had been getting at as they spoke to us about becoming responsible young men.
This put my actions all squarely back on me. And oddly enough, that was something I could tangibly handle.
The applications were endless.
I'm still not even sure his statement was absolutely true, or biblical. But to be honest, it doesn't matter anymore, because it informed and continues to inform many things in my life that are true and biblical.
Do I want to lay in bed or do I want to get to work? Why or why not? Do I really "want" that sportscar, or can I put it out of my mind to burden me no more since it conflicts with several of my primary wants?
Why am I overweight? Well, my bad. Guess I wanted that, too, when you get down to the nub of it. Certainly didn't do the things I knew would prevent it.
One of the doors that opened to me was in realizing that once I got past "my will be done," I could begin to pray as Jesus did, "Your will be done."
Another was in being able to recognize motivation. Why am I going to conquer this lust or pursue this knowledge or accomplish this hard task for God's Kingdom? Because ultimately, what I want to do is to have my heart's desires be the same as Yours, Lord. That's where You tell us delight is, and that's the only place where we know what we want is right.
Intersecting Faith & Life: What action or reaction in your own life have you been blaming on other people or circumstances? Write down all the ways you yourself can own up to it.
Further Reading
1 Thessalonians 5:12
Philippians 1:23
We Are Responsible for Others
:angel:
January 27, 2011
Not What You Wanted?
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you?"
James 4:1
A holiday edition of the TV show "America's Funniest Home Videos" showed various children opening their presents on Christmas morning. Apparently, it's hard for many kids to see humor in getting an unwanted gift. Most of their reactions were, well... downright childish. .
When the ribbons and paper were torn off, one child pulled out a new pair of socks, threw her head back and erupted in an angry sob. A matching outfit given to another child produced a tantrum across the floor followed by stomping footsteps up the stairs. Other children glowered with frowns and snarls. One even screamed at the parent holding the video camera, then hurled the unwanted gift back in his face. Not exactly the funniest home videos.
In contrast to all the immaturity and ingratitude came a bright ray of hope at the end of the montage as a little brown-haired girl in pink pajamas ecstatically jumped up and down with glee. She held in her hands a tiny chestnut and spun around to the camera exclaiming, "A nut! A nut! I got a nut! I don't know what kind it is, but I got a nut!"
James 4:1-6 says that sinful responses erupt from hearts that are controlled by overwhelming desires. They don't have to be sinful desires necessarily. The degree to which "harmless" desires become sinful is shown by what happens when things don't turn out as you hoped or expected. Whether it is irritability, or an angry tantrum or a sulking frown; sinful responses show that something in the heart has replaced God.
Notice verse 1 where James asks the question (paraphrasing), "Why are you so upset? What's the real problem in your heart?" And then he answers with divine wisdom, "I'll tell you what the matter is: it's your pleasures—your desires—that are waging war within you. And the result is sinful fights and quarrels."
Certainly, there's nothing inherently sinful about simply having desires in life. God created us to have desires. There are many good things to desire in life: having adequate food, clothing and shelter, having a happy marriage, getting a promotion at work, buying a nice car. There is nothing wrong with these kinds of desires... nothing inherently wrong, that is.
The problems come when, in our hearts, those desires turn into something else. The word translated as "lust" in verse 2 is actually "desire" with the added element of "strong craving." Epithumeo is not a word that necessarily means "lust" in the sexual sense. The idea conveyed in the original text is "you are controlled by desire." In other words, some desire—perhaps, even for a good thing—has gotten so wrapped around your heart, that it has become more important than God to you.
Whenever this happens, the result is sinful behavior. And the sin of the heart that must be confessed first in cases like this is no less than the sin of idolatry. False worship occurs whenever worship of the true God is replaced with the god of "my way."
What a peaceful contrast is painted in verse 6. God gives grace to the humble. That is, those who humbly submit their desires to God and trust Him as the sovereign provider of needs are given grace. Grace here is the desire and ability to obey God and respond in a way that pleases Him. Such recipients of grace are able, then, to deal with whatever happens—whether the present under the tree is a pair of socks, a cool skateboard, the keys to a new car, or a tiny chestnut.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Does your situation today resemble what you expected or wanted in life? What is your response to this?
Think back to a recent outburst of anger, or incident in which you showed irritability. Trace it back to the unfulfilled desire that had control of your heart. What was it that you wanted?
Ask God to reveal any desires seeking to control your heart so that you can humbly submit them to Him and release them to His sovereign care. Repent of any lingering idolatry. Ask Him for grace to deal with whatever happens. Trust Him to provide for your needs.
Further Reading & Listening
Isaiah 40:12-31
Listen to an example of what humility sounds like here
(Indelible Grace Acoustic "By Thy Mercy")
Thomas Watson, The Lord's Prayer
:angel:
January 31, 2011
You Will Find Rest
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30, NIV
Listen. Can you hear it? That's your life passing you by.
That's pretty much what I thought to myself during a recent week of vacation when I actually took the time to stop, unplug and smell the roses.
It was truly a gift to rest both physically and spiritually. I had a very loose agenda. I let my laundry pile up. I skipped a day or two of working out. I enjoyed time with family and friends who I haven't seen in months. And I people watched at the mall. Good times.
I also didn't worry about my future. I didn't compare myself with others and what God was doing in their lives (and not in mine). And I didn't fill up my time feeling pressured to read the "it" Christian book of the moment or listen to any online sermons that could "change my life" (not that any of that is bad). But I just relished in listening and sitting quietly and waiting for what the Lord wanted to say directly to me during this week of rest.
In hindsight, it was one of the best vacations I've had in my life. Now that I'm back in full swing, though, I look back on that week and wish I could incorporate it into my "normal" life. And with a little creative planning, I think I can. Here's what I can do:
Turn off the phone. Shut down the e-mail. Quit wasting time on social networking sites. My communication devices are not the boss of me. Yes, people are important. But I can return messages and correspond with them tomorrow.
Schedule a "night off" or "personal time" in my calendar. I tried doing this last year, but I didn't always respect that time that I had blocked out for just sitting on the sofa or reading a book or playing with my cats. I intend to be better at making time to "just be" in this new year.
Make my quiet time a priority. In my world, I fit in things when and where I can. I have a schedule, but it's a little more flexible than it should be for some of my priorities—including my time spent with the Lord. I should treat this time like I would anything else that's sacred or precious to me and that captures my undivided attention (Um, the recent Superbowl or upcoming Oscars? Anyone?).
Eliminate whatever is making me anxious or making me feel bad about myself or is not good for my spirit. And by that I mean reading material, television shows or any other type of information or entertainment that is not edifying. We each have our own standards of what we are or are not comfortable with taking in. But why am I living by someone else's? If something is not good for me and the Holy Spirit tells me so, then I need to stand firm and just say "no."
Rejoin a Bible study group. Ironically, I took off last semester from Bible study because I was too "busy." And now I'm feeling the effects of not having been a part of this important source of fellowship and spiritual formation in my life. Next month, however, I'll be back in action with my group, and I can't wait to see what God is going to do.
So, like me, have you been feeling weary, too? Are you stuck in patterns or "priorities" that are weighing you down? Are there changes you need to make in your life? Take a hard look at what you need to do so that you can enter into the Father's rest, not tomorrow but today.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
We live in a world of "the tyranny of the urgent," and each of us must determine who or what is in charge of our lives. Sit down with your calendar today. See what's there. And then ask the Lord to help you take it one day at a time, as you focus on what he wants for you to do—or not to do—in the days to come.
Further Reading:
Psalm 37:7, NIV
Matthew 6:25-34, NIV
1 Corinthians 10:23, NIV
:angel:
February 1, 2011
Waiting for Spring
Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." - Romans 1:20
When was the last time you wondered if spring would ever come? Not in the ironic sense - really wondered if winter might last forever, something like the 100 years of winter in Narnia. My guess is never. Most of America lives in the reality of four seasons, and expect the Earth to naturally cycle from winter to spring to summer to fall. We expect trees to unfurl new leaves this time of year because they're supposed to.
But what if they didn't? What if the trees bloomed in winter when their new leaves would freeze, or what if their flowers matured into hornets' nests instead of apples? What if they didn't bloom at all?
In his autobiographical work, Orthodoxy, G. K. Chesterton remembers his journey from agnosticism to faith including such nonsensical questions. Before he became the great 20th century apologist, he was a man confined to the world of determinism, where the natural world was governed by impersonal laws or nothing. But observing spring outside his window, he was struck by the wonderful fact that for some reason, trees do indeed bloom into fruit.
"They talked as if the fact that trees bear fruit were just as necessary as the fact that two and one trees make three. But it is not... You cannot imagine two and one not making three. But you can easily imagine trees not growing fruit..."
"I had always vaguely felt facts to be miracles in the sense that they were wonderful: now I began to think them miracles in the stricter sense that they were willful. I mean that they were, or might be, repeated exercises of some will. In short, I had always believed that the world involved magic: now I thought that perhaps it involved a magician." (Orthodoxy)
I owe Chesterton a great debt, because he taught me amazement at everyday grace. After all, how often do we marvel that the sky is blue (or grey) instead of orange or electric pink? Yet again, familiarity breeds contempt, and we forget what incredible world this "magician" made and keeps in order. Like children who see the same magic trick one too many times, we stop wondering "how did he do that?" and are bored until we see something new.
I use the term "magician" loosely - Jesus didn't feed the 5,000 just to wow the crowd. But I wonder that we lose our wonder of this world, even in its fallen state. As Paul writes in Romans, the evidence of God's incredible, "eternal power" and transcendent, "divine nature" is right in front of our eyes. How do forget a God so great that He makes trees bloom?
As I wait for spring to return to Virginia, I can't help but look outside and be amazed. To paraphrase Chesterton, the fact that grass is really green - and so perfectly suited for picnics and frisbee - truly is a miracle, a supernaturally guided fact. What an awesome God.
Intersecting Faith & Life: When was the last time you took a look outside? Consider that "the heavens declare the glory of God" (Psalm 8:1) and the Earth is the work of his hands. Are you properly inspired to worship their Creator?
Further Reading:
Psalm 8
Psalm 33:5
Genesis 8:22
Jeremiah 5:24
:angel:
February 2, 2011
St. Polycarp: Christian Hero
Sarah Phillips, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5: 12
Christian. When you hear the word, what images come to mind? It's too easy for me to approach the faith only in a modern context.
But there is so much more to professing faith in Christ than what we see today. Whenever I need a little dose of context, I read about heroic Christians from other eras. This week, I came across a Christian in a unique position: he was among the first generation of Church leaders after the apostles passed away.
St. Polycarp, a 2nd century bishop of what is now part of Turkey, was a disciple of John the Apostle. St. John, often known as the "beloved disciple," was privileged to stand at the foot of the Cross. He knew and cared for Mary, Jesus' mother. He was in the upper room after the Resurrection and was a member of the original twelve.
St. Polycarp was one of the first Church leaders who did not get to do any of these things. Perhaps this seems like an easy position to be in. After all, Polycarp knew those who witnessed Christ's life with their own eyes. But being a second generation Church leader wasn't a comfortable position. It meant you were entering unknown territory - territory filled with disputes and heresies that threatened to destroy Christianity in its infancy. These leaders had to place incredible faith in the Holy Spirit to guide them.
Not only did Polycarp and his peers face disagreements within the Church, but they also faced pagan persecution from the outside. During this time, Christians were called "atheists" because they rejected the predominant polytheistic beliefs of their culture. In these early days, pagans would burn Christian "atheists" or feed them to wild animals.
Polycarp stayed grounded by keeping his focus on Christ. He was known for being very tough on heresy but gentle on fellow believers who disagreed with him on non-essential details of the faith. When the eastern and western churches could not agree on how and when to celebrate Passover and Easter, Polycarp did not force the issue with other leaders when it became apparent that both approaches were true to the gospel.
St. Polycarp also relied heavily on a deep prayer life. He prayed specifically for people he encountered and the needs of his particular era. He was committed to leading his fellow Christians effectively and never sought glory for himself.
Although Polycarp was well-loved and respected by both pagans and Christians, he was keenly aware that one day he may face martyrdom. When his time finally came, he was already eighty-six years old, and he went willingly. He could have pledged his allegiance to Caesar to save himself, but instead Polycarp told his captors, "If you imagine that I will swear by Caesar, you do not know who I am. Let me tell you plainly, I am a Christian."
After his death, Christians kept his bones in his memory and as a reminder of the persecution the early Christians faced.
In some ways, Polycarp faced situations unfamiliar to us and yet in other ways, his story reminds us that the trials we face today are not as unique as they may appear. If we keep our focus on Christ and our days filled with prayer, we can continue the legacy the faithful left to us almost 2,000 years ago.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Do you find yourself distracted from love of Christ because of bickering in your local church or challenges from those who don't believe? Take a lesson from Polycarp. Spend additional time in prayer this week to refocus, refuel and discern the best way to proceed.
Reference: "Saint Polycarp," Catholic.org
:angel:
February 3, 2011
Temporary Non-Path of Patience
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.
James 5:7-8
We all know that patience isn't easy, or fun. What it is, though, is the path of the wise. Or, perhaps it's better to say the "non-path," since it usually involves a decision to do nothing for a while, to be still and know that you are not God, to reflect, or to strategize.
I recently gained new insight into the value of patience and the reason it's prized so highly in the Bible, from verses about "those who wait on the Lord" to "letting endurance have its perfect result."
In the first half of 2010 I raced through a blog of the TV show LOST. The series is replete with Christo-religious metaphors and parallels. One such area it studies in detail is patience. Early on, one of the characters tells another that "Patience, which you lack, is the quality of a leader." It almost flew right by me, like it did the first time. Patience? The quality of a leader? Does that sound right? Not really, not to today's ears. Don't we usually think of leaders as people who make immediate, command decisions, rush into action, tell others what to do, and make people feel safe (which is to say, how they think they need to feel)?
That's part of it; however, those are the very flaws about the concept that plagued most of the characters on LOST. They were so driven to do, fix, run, save, correct, fight, and prove that they often didn't take time to actually ponder the next step or, even better, wait for the next step to present itself. Their lack of wisdom in making rush decisions and actions was obvious to the audience, who kept wondering why they couldn't remember the miracles they'd already seen, why they couldn't reflect on what they'd already come through, the amazing ways they'd been granted second chances, the redemption they'd been given despite not deserving it, the way they kept longing for home while failing to realize they were building a new one (if they could have just slowed down and seen it).
As I watched it all unfold, I was reminded of the children of Israel. Granted, 40 years in a desert would be a long time to wait for anything, particularly a promised new home. So they grumbled. They longed for the old ways, even though those meant bondage and servitude. They failed to stop and understand that the miracles of manna and the Red Sea meant more were on the way - at the right time. They nagged their leadership, sought unproductive solutions, and just like the characters on LOST, were plagued by always feeling they had to do something, to take control.
The paradox is that control is indeed involved, but it's self-control instead of situational control. Relax. Quiet yourself. Let's remember where we came from and the amazing ways we passed through peril for a while. Let's reflect on the present - the fact we're here - and how amazing the Lord is. Let's ponder our future steps before rushing up them and tripping.
Patience - the "strengthening of the heart" James refers to - then is directly related to another fruit of the Spirit, self-control. Self-control thus leads to maturity, which is completeness, which is wisdom, which is leadership, which is purpose, which is ministry, which is being used of God, which is where we see miracles again. Full-circle we come, eventually, when we patiently wait on the Lord, who is never late and perpetually victorious.
Situational control may provide temporary satisfaction, but it also often makes a situation worse. Patience is a willing temporary dissatisfaction, but it puts your emotions under control and God in control. It might make a situation feel like it's not getting better, but the solution can only be miraculous with it as part of the equation. Patience prevents rash judgment, and judgmentalism. It secures a plan. It is a beautiful paradox of being a non-action and yet a conscious exercise of free will. It is the basis for the merciful ways the Lord deals with us. Patience provides the path in proper time, and promises that faith will be rewarded.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Practice patience this week by seeking not to pursue control in one particularly vexing portion of your life, and ponder whether it's indeed your problem to solve in the first place. Start by remembering the miracle of how God got your attention and delivered you, and his promise that the great work he began in you will not remain incomplete, no matter how long it takes. What miracle will be next? Wait and see. "You will know that I am the LORD; Those who hopefully wait for Me will not be put to shame (Isaiah 49:23)."
Further Reading
Galatians 5:22
Hebrews 6:12
1 Corinthians 4:5
Isaiah 40:31
:angel:
February 4, 2011
Forgive the Neighborhood Bullies?
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors."
Matthew 6:12
"Were you guys ganging up and throwing things at him again?"
"Yes."
"Well, let's not do that anymore."
"Ok."
"What can you do?" said the other dad, turning to me. "You know? Boys will be boys. Not everyone is nice all the time. Your kid isn't perfect either."
Oh, the joys of neighborhood life among families who don't always share the same approach to parenting. No admission of wrong. No apology. No genuine reconciliation.
It's been a challenge at times trying to help our 8-year-old son (and ourselves) understand that we live in a sinful world in which things like this happen. There is still a struggle to respond in a way that shows God's grace to neighbors He has called us to reach. One habit that seems to bring about the right change in our hearts is to simply talk to the Lord about it as a family. We often close our day reciting "the Lord's prayer," which reminds us of our own sins as we say the line: "...and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors."
Thomas Watson, the great Cambridge scholar and Puritan preacher from the 1600s, wrote commenting on that phrase (in Matthew 6:12) "We are not bound to trust an enemy; but we are bound to forgive him." (Body of Divinity, p. 734). Going further (p. 734), he asks: "When do we forgive others?"
Answer: "When we strive against all thoughts of revenge; when we will not do our enemies mischief, but wish well to them, grieve at their calamities, pray for them, seek reconciliation with them, and show ourselves ready on all occasions to relieve them--this is gospel forgiving."
Watson, being the biblical scholar that he was, did not derive his answer from thin air. Each part of it comes straight from Scripture:
Resist thoughts of revenge: Romans 12:19, "Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,' says the Lord."
Don't seek to do them mischief: 1 Thessalonians 5:15, "See that no one repays another with evil for evil..."
Wish well to them: Luke 6:28, "Bless those who curse you."
Grieve at their calamities: Proverbs 24:17, "Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles."
Pray for them: Matthew 5:44, "But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you."
Seek reconciliation with them: Romans 12:18, "If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men."
Be always willing to come to their relief: Exodus 23:4, "If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey wandering away, you shall surely return it to him."
It's great when there is peace in the neighborhood. But we can't always count on it. Our battle with unforgiveness needs Watson's biblical counsel and God's grace.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
In what situations are you tempted to harbor unforgiveness?
How does God look upon unforgiveness? (read Matthew 6:15).
Is there a situation in your life today in which you can apply "gospel forgiving?"
Further Reading
Psalm 73
Thomas Watson, A Body of Divinity
Thomas Watson, The Lord's Prayer
:angel:
February 7, 2011
Servants, not Celebrities
by Ryan Duncan
Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms. 1 Peter 4:10
I have a daily routine. Every morning I get up at 7:00 am, shower, shave, and get dressed. Then I start preparing my meal for the evening. As I'm a single male just out of college, this usually boils down to finding whatever looks edible and tossing it in a crock pot. After that's finished I start packing my lunch for the day. Again, I am a single male, so crock pot leftovers are the daily special. Finally, once those are finished, I pour myself a bowl of cereal and log on to CNN.com.
I admit most mornings I'd rather be on Hulu catching up on my TV programs, but I've found that CNN helps me stay up-to-date on events and issues I'd normally miss. One of my favorite features is the CNN Heroes tribute. In 2007, CNN began a worldwide news campaign that highlighted individuals who were fighting to make the world a better place.
This tribute has continued in the following years, taking nominations that included Dan Wallrath, a man who builds mortgage free homes for wounded soldiers, and 2010's signature hero, Anuradha Koirala, who fights to save girls from human trafficking rings in Nepal.
I can remember reading about these heroic individuals and being stunned that I had never heard of them before! On a whim, I googled a list of famous people. Do you know who names dominated the list? Lady Gaga, Stephen Colbert, Megan Fox, Mark Zuckerberg.
In Mark 10: 44-45, Jesus says "Whoever wishes to be first among you shall be a servant of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as ransom for many."
There's nothing wrong with being a celebrity. There's nothing wrong with pursing dreams to become a famous singer, writer or athlete. But what we Christians must remember is that God called us to do wonderful, extraordinary things that may just go unnoticed by the rest of the world.
Our work is not meant to draw the spotlight on us but to point others toward the grace and forgiveness we were shown by Jesus Christ. Because truthfully, celebrities come and go -- replaced every year with newer, younger talent. But the actions of a godly heart, the spirit that strives to follow Christ, those are the things that truly last.
Intersecting Faith and Life
What are you putting before God? Take some time to pray and reconnect with Christ.
Further Reading
Galatians 5:13
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February 8, 2011 SUBSCRIBE TO PODCAST | LISTEN TO DEVOTIONAL
Don't Forget to ...
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. ... Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Deuteronomy 8:2, 11, NIV
Whoever invented Post-it® Notes is my hero. Really. Truly.
If you came to my home, you would see at least one of these self-adhesive squares of paper somewhere, in some room, on some surface, at all times. As my mind is aging, I really need all the help I can get to remember what I'm supposed to do, where I'm supposed to go, who I'm supposed to be with and at what time.
Just yesterday, I wrote "Don't forget to bring in the cyclamens!" on a note and stuck it to my bathroom mirror to remind me to bring these little potted plants inside before the temperatures dipped below freezing overnight. It's safe to say I would have forgotten them had I not put this visual reminder to myself in a prominent place where I would see it (The mirror is a gal's best friend, yes?).
I use Post-it® Notes to remind me of other important things to grocery lists, chores, people to call, inspiration for writing projects and more. I'm so thankful that I have a relatively painless and inexpensive way to get my attention so that I will take action and complete these tasks. These little scraps of paper keep me focused and keep my mind on what I need to be doing.
Back in Bible times, there weren't any of these types of handy-dandy items per se, but the people definitely had their own ways of remembering. Altars were built, geographical landmarks were given special names and temple ceremonies and family observances and rituals were constant reminders of where people had come from, what God had done, was doing and would do in the days ahead and what his purposes were in their lives.
In Deuteronomy 8, Moses exhorted the Israelites not to forget what the Lord had done in bringing them through the wilderness:
Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years ... He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna ... Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years ... For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with streams and pools of water, with springs flowing in the valleys and the hills ... a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing ... When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God. ...
Oh, how easy it is to forget when we get to the other side of a test or a trial in our lives! We all do it. We quickly close the chapter on what was uncomfortable and painful, on what made us unhappy and on what caused us fear or doubt or unrest.
And oh, how all of us would do well to look back and with grateful hearts thank the Lord for leading us through these "wilderness" times in our lives—for guiding us, for sustaining us, for not giving up on us when we gave up on him.
Whether you are in the "wilderness" today or if you are experiencing a time of prosperity, let us not forget who God is and what he has done, is doing and will do in our lives in the days to come.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Perhaps a particularly painful or trying time period in your life came to mind as you read the above devotional today. How did you feel then? And how do you feel now? List out the ways that God provided for you then and how he has blessed you since. Praise him for leading you and providing for you whether in times of plenty or want and purpose to remember his blessings in your life every day.
Further Reading:
Genesis 22:1-18, NIV
Psalm 34:9-10, NIV
Philippians 4:19, NIV
February 9, 2011
The Person Behind the Plan
Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"O Lord, you have searched me and you know me!" - Psalm 139:1
Consider the last conference you attended. Or just remember back to your days at summer camp. If the event coordinator had any talent at all, you probably didn't spare a thought about this person's help in planning your activities. You bustled through your day and merely assumed that the schedule was planned so that you could reach each seminar, speaker, meeting, or perhaps the next camp activity in time. You assumed logistics would be properly worked out. Especially if you're remembering your camp experiences, you probably didn't stop to ponder the "big picture" of your week at the lake, the archery course and the rock climbing walls. You placed inherent faith in the plan, and perhaps gave event coordinators the obligatory applause at the end of the scheduled activities.
The knowledge that "God has a plan" provides me with great peace of mind and heart. Too often, however, I go through my little life with an automatic faith, giving God the obligatory kudos as the grand events coordinator and little else. In other words, I'm most prone to remember him when my "schedule" clashes with my agenda.
How often do you consider the person behind the planning? His personality? His motivation behind the scheduling and planning? The interpersonal relationship between you and him?
The miracle of the Gospel is almost a paradox: God so loved the whole world that he would have died for only one sinner. To say it another way, God's grand plan for the universe complemented an intimate desire to know each of his people. Consider the way the psalmist talks to God in Psalm 139, as he remembers the Lord's plan for his life from the moment of conception. He stands amazed that this God of the universe will be with him wherever he goes. He sees God's grace not only in the Lord's plan for him, but also the Lord's relationship with him. In doing so, the psalmist discovers the mercy of God's care for him, and finds that the Master Planner also accounts for the smallest of our needs. A humbling juxtaposition, isn't it?
My daily challenge is to follow God's plan, yes, but it's so much greater than that. My daily calling is to better know this God who makes the stars spin while caring for the sparrow. When that happens, we can appreciate his plan all the more because we know the person behind it. Let's not cobble together the obligatory applause, but give him the heartfelt praise he deserves.
Intersection of Faith & Life: My mother often told me, "When you can't see God's plan, trust his heart." And how can we trust a person we don't know well? When push comes to shove, the authentic Christian life will be defined not by trust in a nebulous master plan, but by knowing the God who orchestrates all things for his glory and our good.
Further Reading
Ephesians 1:3-10
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February 10, 2011
Community Commitment
by Sarah Phillips, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you. 2 Timothy 1:1-5
Who passed the faith on to you? Who gave you your first Bible or explained the meaning of the Cross in a way you could understand? Who influenced you to keep persevering when you felt like giving up?
Not long ago, I was awakened to the necessity (and challenges) of passing on the faith to the next generation. I walked into a Sunday school classroom prepared to assist the 8th grade teacher -- but she never showed. A family emergency prevented her from arriving on the very first day. Did I mention I'd never taught Sunday school before?
While my teaching skills won't be winning any prizes, we all walked away mostly unscathed. But one thing became clear to me that day - these middle schoolers need someone older and wiser to mentor them or their faith won't survive life's challenges.
Of course, we can't expect 8th graders to make radical, lifelong commitments to Christ without assistance when even the apostles who personally knew Jesus relied on one another to grow in faith. In Acts, we see Peter and the others sorting out the details of early Christian doctrine among each other. And Paul's letters, some of the most quoted versus in the Bible, were written for encouragement and instruction to individuals and Christian communities.
One reason we rely so heavily on one another is that God set it up that way. He created the Church with Christ as the Head and you and I - believers -- as the Body:
But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body's growth in building itself up in love. Ephesians 4:15 - 16
In our individualistic society it's easy to reduce faith down to a personal preference or a private journey. But just as our bodies rely on our organs to work together to thrive, the Body of Christ relies on its members to work together to thrive. So whether we like it or not, we're part of a community and people depend on us. While I don't always feel like the "perfect" Christian, God wants to work through me - and you - to further His work here on earth.
Intersecting Faith & Life: We all have at least one person who acted as a vehicle of God's grace in our lives. This week, honor a pastor or teacher who was influential in your faith journey. If you're not already mentoring a younger believer, find a way to get involved. You don't have to be perfect!
Further Reading:
1 Cor 10: 17
Colossians 2:4-12
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February 11, 2011
"Overcoming the Past"
By Stephen Sanders
Audio/Video Editor for Salem Web Network
I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back. Philipians 3:12-14 (The Message)
Last night, I went to a college basketball game with my wife and kids. For the first time in a really long time, I was overwhelmed with a sense of not fitting in with those around me. As we sat and waited for the game to begin, my discomfort level steadily increased with every college kid that filled that arena. The clothing trends, the blaring hip-hop music and the comradery between the students took me back to a place in time that I tend to block out. As I drove home, I couldn't help but ponder all the pressures of my teenage years.
Now don't get me wrong, I love to reminisce about the good ole days just as much as the next guy. I think we all have at least a few fond memories that cause us to close our eyes and think about the things that we really miss. For example, if you are anything like me, there will never be a better era for music than when I was in high school.
Grunge bands like Smashing Pumpkins, Soundgarden and Stone Temple Pilots were still cranking out mainstream hits. Bands like Incubus and Limp Bizkit were at the forefront of what would soon be called the Nu Metal movement. And I was still faithfully rockin' that same green flannel shirt from middle school. Yep, those were the days...
The good memories are something that I revisit quite frequently at this point in my life. After all, I am in my 30's now, and I am getting a gray hair or two in the old beard. I even noticed the other day that I'm starting to make strange grunting noises when I sit down or stand up, like I'm in pain or something. What's up with that?!?! I also have a pre-teen living in my house, which never fails to take me back to all that teenage drama. My point is: it's fun to think about the fun stuff, but usually not so fun to relive the not-so-fun stuff.
For me, the not-so-fun side of high school was being the loner. Now I'm not talking about that super cool James Dean or even that Arthur Fonzarelli kind of loner/rebel. See, I was always the guy in high school who didn't really fit in with anyone; at least, I never felt like I did anyway.
It's funny because I don't tend to be that way anymore. Since I became a Christian in 2002, I feel like I've slowly become more confident in who I am. I don't tend to be so concerned about how other people perceive me, but rather try to understand that everyone has been created differently; that all we have control over is ourselves and how we choose to interact with the other 7 billion people on planet earth.
So, last night as I drove home from the game, I asked God to help me learn from what I was feeling. Why was I so uncomfortable and so bitter towards these strangers? What was it about this event that made me so judgmental towards people who I knew absolutely nothing about? It's funny because I didn't get a direct answer from God. All I can tell you is that I had a peace about what I was feeling. The sin within myself that had stunned me just a few hours prior had now been covered by the promise of my savior. It was no more a part of my life than that hideous green flannel shirt my wife threw out years ago.
Intersection of Faith and Life
The difficult things in life, past, present of future, all pale in comparison to the joy we have found in Jesus Christ. In Philipians 4:11-13, Paul said, "...I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me."
Today, my hope is that, no matter how good or bad our circumstance is, that we choose to focus on the strength that is available to us in Christ.
For Further Reading
Philipians 3 & 4
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February 14, 2011
The Month of Love
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
Husbands, go all out in your love for your wives, exactly as Christ did for the church - a love marked by giving, not getting.
Ephesians 5:25, The Message
For once in my marriage, I really did something right.
My wife's name is Valerie - Val for short - so she's always held Valentine's Day in even higher esteem than most women. Not only that, but her birthday is March 15, so she's always believed that February 14 though March 15 = "The Month of Love" = it's all about her for one-twelfth of the year.
One year, I decided to agree. Each morning for 31 days when she woke up, there was a small hand-made red envelope (amazing what useful skills one can learn watching children's programming) stuck on some wall of our house. Written in sparkly marker (chicks dig the sparklies) on the outside of the envelope was one of her top character qualities. Inside the envelope was a Bible memory verse related to that quality. Embedded in the memory verse was a clue to where a small hidden gift could be found in or around our home.
I just thought this could be a nice little way to tell her I love her. Boy was I short-sighted. I could have bought her the Taj Mahal and she wouldn't have appreciated it more, been more thoroughly impressed. "He went to Jared"? No way. He went to PBS and Ben Franklin. But already Val is considering how to pass this story down to our grandchildren. She says I will never top myself. And she was saying these things before she even knew about the surprise at the end when all the envelopes could be arranged so that the first letter of each character quality would spell out the grand prize: that she had her choice of a new wardrobe, upgraded wedding ring, or vacation, any of which would be shopped for together, 'cause she's big on that. Of course, this was back when she was working, so we had money in the bank. Even so, she never took me up on the grand prize. I can't say I wasn't a little bit disappointed, but she was definitely exercising the wisdom of foresight. And anyway, to her, the biggest gift had already been received.
Valerie thinks this took me ages to dream up and hours to prepare, but it took me about 10 minutes per day, plus a weekly trip to the store to stock up on a few minor gifts. But the outcome net me - if not crowns in Heaven - at least major returns in this life. Anytime a group of gals gathers together and asks each other, "What the best gift you've ever received," I get bragged upon. Several times during the Month of Love itself I was told to take an evening to myself and go see a movie. And I learned something I thought I already knew - diamonds aren't a girl's best friend. Her husband is, if he even shows a rhinestone's-worth of interest in her.
Not every wife speaks the same "Love Language." I know some who truly would have preferred a simple one-time big purchase. Some would just be satisfied with a husband who washed dishes and dusted shelves. But this I can be fairly sure in saying about wives: what all of them really want is a husband that makes an effort to understand them and speak their language, whatever it is, without being told. Yeah, I know, and all one has to do to make millions in the majors is hit a curveball. But unlike the major leagues, in marriage, most of the time, simply making the effort is appreciated.
Intersecting Faith & Life: If you haven't already, read The Five Love Languages with your spouse. Once you learn what says, "I love you" to him or her, come up with a special way of saying so.
Further Reading
Hebrews 13:4
Languages of Love
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February 15, 2011
What Is True Spirituality?
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate."
Genesis 3:6 NASB
It seems clear to me that the root of all human sin is unbelief. Doubt. I've heard people argue that the most basic sin is pride, and well, I suppose that's somewhere lurking on the other side of the coin. But if we start at the beginning of the Bible, the Genesis 3 account shows that Eve first doubted God. That was her sin. After her unbelief came the outward act of disobedience.
Francis Schaeffer, commenting on this, said: "By her doubting she called God a liar. Eve doubted... mankind in revolt doubts God" (chapter seven, True Spirituality).
On the contrary, the person who is at peace with God does not doubt Him. Rather, he/she trusts God. Schaeffer says this is the simplest way to describe true spirituality: it is believing God.
But it is more than just believing God at one isolated point in life. It is believing God and having ongoing belief in Him. There must be moment-by-moment personal communion with Him.
God created us to be relational, not mechanical. Healthy relationships depend on good communication. But communication is an always-in-flux, moment-by-moment kind of thing. That is why all our mechanical efforts at the Christian life fail. It's not about reading a set number of chapters of the Bible each day. It's not about praying for so long.
No. What is needed first, and what inspires trust is, throughout the day, seeing before us the most basic teachings of the Bible:
God exists and He is personal.
God is holy and sin will be judged, but Christ's atonement removes the guilt of sinners.
We are saved from condemnation by the finished work of Christ, and we are brought into a proper relationship with God in a personal way.
We are joined to Christ spiritually.
We can enjoy communication with the Creator on the basis of what Christ has done. (1 John 1:5-9)
These truths don't change, regardless of how I feel at any given moment.
The rediscovery of believing God and these truths moment-by-moment is what lifted Francis Schaeffer out of a long, dark season and re-energized his life.
In our lives, what generally causes us to distrust Christ and run elsewhere is that we often think that we have a better way. We think that, somehow, God really doesn't have our best interests at heart. Like Eve, we think that God is withholding something good from us.
I know for me, personally, distrust happens mostly when I am "Law-minded" in a way that discounts or obscures the gospel. One writer, Milton Vincent, in his A Gospel Primer for Christians provides a helpful counter to this erroneous and sinful way of thinking (p. 18):
"...when I begin my train of thought with the gospel, I realize that if God loved me enough to sacrifice His Son's life for me, then He must be guided by that same love when He speaks His commandments to me. Viewing God's commands and prohibitions in this light, I can see them for what they really are: friendly signposts from a heavenly Father who is seeking to love me through each directive, so that I might experience His very fullness forever." (see Deut. 5:29)
Intersecting Faith & Life:
The rediscovery of believing God and these truths moment-by-moment is what lifted Francis Schaeffer out of a long, dark season and re-energized his life. If you've come to see that God doesn't deserve our suspicion, seek His aid to maintain this moment-by-moment walk of faith with Him. I look forward to seeing you on the next leg of the journey.
For Further Study:
Isaiah 30:15 "Thus the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, has said, 'In repentance and rest you will be saved, In quietness and trust is your strength.'"
For further study, read Romans 6-8 and 1 John 1:5-9
:angel:
February 16, 2011
The Bible is Not a Cheat Sheet
by Ryan Duncan, Fish.com Editor
Teach me, LORD, the way of your decrees, that I may follow it to the end. Give me understanding, so that I may keep your law and obey it with all my heart. Psalm 119: 33-34
I have a confession to make. Back when I was still in school, I attended a chemistry class that I hated. The building was cold and smelled like chemicals. The lessons were slow, with hours of homework assigned afterwards. On top of everything, I had never been good at chemistry, and my frustration usually boiled over faster than our science solutions did.
The class did have one upside though; the way the room was set up allowed me a perfect view of the desks in front of me. So, whenever an exam was held, I cheated. I used a variety of excuses to justify this. Chemistry wasn't my gift, so why should my GPA suffer? The answers were there, they were available, why shouldn't I use them? Who cares how I got the answers so long as they're the right ones?
It was only later that I realized my mistake. Sure, I knew the correct answers, but I didn't understand how the formulas constructed those answers. Without that, my knowledge of chemistry was surface level at best. I was completely and utterly lost.
I think sometimes we like to use the Bible as a cheat sheet. When the world confronts us with a problem, we open our Bibles and yell, "See, the Bible says it's wrong, end of story!" But the Bible was meant to serve as a textbook, not a cheat sheet. If we don't study God's word, we won't understand why Jesus said the things he did. We fail to ask questions, and we breeze through passages without taking time to consider their meaning. We are, quite frankly, bad students.
Try to think of it this way. Before a doctor can heal a person's illness, they must first understand the disease at work. They have to understand where it came from, what affect it has on the patient's body, what types of treatment can fix the problem, why those treatments work, and which of the treatments is best for the patient. If the doctor does not understand this, there is a good chance they'll end up hurting their patient. God calls us to be healers and lights to the world, but without understanding his word first, we become heavy-handed.
We must not be afraid to question our faith. Instead, we must study it with an open mind and faithful heart. That way, when the real exam comes, we pass with flying colors.
Intersecting Faith and Life
What questions do you have about the Bible? Take some time to talk them over with a friend or Pastor.
Further Reading
Psalm 119
:angel:
February 17, 2011
Have You Chosen What is Better?
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." Luke 10:41-42, NIV
In the case of Mary and Martha, Mary certainly "got it." She chose what was "better."
What is so genius about the story of these two sisters is how simply it is told in Luke 10. There's really no guessing at all as to what Jesus means in his assessment of the situation. But part of this lesson really escaped me until I was reading it again recently in a Bible study.
Jesus was on the road and stopped in Bethany, which was just east of Jerusalem. It was also his last week on earth—and I think that's important to note here, as I'm sure Jesus' heart was heavy and he probably wanted to share as much as he possibly could before leaving.
No doubt weary, but ready for some fellowship with friends, he settled in to the sisters' home. But as he was trying to connect with them through small-group teaching, he probably couldn't help but notice that only one sister was listening.
"Mary ... who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said."
So while Mary was paying attention, Martha was buzzing around the kitchen. Perhaps she had a chicken roasting in the oven and it needed constant monitoring. Or maybe her potatoes gratin wasn't bubbling up fast enough or needed some extra cheese grated on top. Who knows what was keeping Martha away from Jesus! Whatever it was, she had made it a higher priority and it was causing her to miss out on what was better.
I'm sure, like most women, Martha was trying to do it all and didn't ask for help. And then playing the "martyr card," she finally went public with her irritation.
"Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"
Oh Martha. I just love her, because she reminds me so much of myself. Her attention was directed toward that which seemed more important, but in reality it wasn't nearly as important as the message she was missing out on right there in her living room. How could she miss that? Jesus, in the flesh, teaching in your own home?
"But wait a minute," you might say. "Isn't taking care of company and making sure there's food on the table important, too?" Well yes, of course it's always good to make sure you are serving others. But if what you make a priority is at the expense of seeking the Lord first, then you have to rethink your priorities.
Jesus then kindly answered a frazzled and frustrated Martha.
"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed."
Now, insert your own name there and think about that again. And just for kicks and grins, I'll insert mine.
"Laura, Laura" the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed."
Really, Lord? But what about what's going on in this possible relationship in my life right now or what about what's happening in the economy and in my dwindling 401K or what if I don't work on this urgent project right now and I miss the deadline?
And then Jesus gently answers.
"Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."
Simple as that. And it is our choice. What is better is choosing time spent with the Lord, hearing from him and gleaning from the teaching of his Word. And that is what can never be taken away.
That was a new lightbulb moment for me in rereading this passage. When we choose time spent with the Father, the benefits cannot be taken away from us. Scripture that you hide in your heart, spiritual truths that you study and learn ... these are treasures that you have stored within you. They will not burn. They are investments in the Kingdom. And they are eternal and everlasting.
Remember, when you choose to make God a priority in your life, you will always choose what is better and it will not be taken away from you.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Put down the phone. Set down your agenda. Put any whining children in time out. And get in the Word. If you're in a meeting or driving your car, then meditate on Scripture. Ask God to help you choose what is better in every situation, in every hour and in every decision today.
Further Reading:
Psalm 25:4-5, NIV
Hosea 12:6, NIV
Hebrews 10:19-23, NIV
:angel:
February 18, 2011
When 'Good Morning' Is a Bad Word
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
If a man loudly blesses his neighbor early in the morning, it will be taken as a curse. - Proverbs 27:14
Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. - Ephesians 4:29
I am not a morning person.
My college friends and I still joke about the semester our intrepid Bible study (we were studying Romans with just about every denominational background represented) decided it was a good idea to change our meeting time to Saturday mornings. My nocturnal habits often made me the least inclined to drag myself from repose, and I confess that I used the "I think I'm coming down with a cold" excuse more than once. On one such morning, another member of the group decided she would jumpstart my lethargic spirituality. While I was groggily ignoring my roommate's gentle encouragement to come to Bible study, she walked the dorm room, threw open the curtains to the sunshine, and loudly proclaimed, "GOOD MORNING, KATHERINE!"
I have no idea what I said in response, but I'm sure it wasn't Christian.
I respect my friend's abiding faith in early bird philosophy, but I was delighted a few months later when I discovered Proverbs 27:14. The Message clarifies the verse by putting it this way: "If you wake your friend in the early morning by shouting 'Rise and shine!' It will sound to him more like a curse than a blessing."
I immediately told my friends that my discovery. I had found concrete evidence that God was not a morning person.
Of course, the verse's real point deals less with God's waking hours and more with speaking wisely. Proverbs once again brings the focus back to the power and timing of our words when we relate to other. The funny illustration demonstrates that wisdom is more than a wholesome word or truth. Wisdom is also a truth aptly spoken.
Sunday School has drilled the catchphrase "Speak the truth in love" (Ephesians 4:15) into our heads, but even this approach can lack grace. Paul himself encouraged his readers to consider that not every word is fit for every occasion. Even the comforting promise of Romans 8:28 - that God works all things for good of those who love him - should sometimes give way to grieving when the cancer diagnosis is first announced or a loved one dies. Those are obvious examples, and the more subtle situations are myriad. But here's the lesson I take away from this verse: We're supposed to consider the impact on our hearers. Wise words do more than offer the right word and expect our friends to recognize its truth even if we choose an inopportune moment. Instead, I have to recognize that the right word offered at the wrong time might as well be a curse instead of a blessing.
I take comfort in knowing that I don't have to spew every nugget of knowledge at every pertinent encounter. We're not supposed to be somebody else's Holy Spirit, convicting them of every errant or off-color word. Nor are we supposed to be perpetually perky saints, walking around singing hallelujahs all the time. There's a place for bold ministry, but too often I confuse boldness with my very human need to "say something" - and the results are rarely "good for building up" or "as fits the occasion."
Intersecting Faith & Life: Don't be the neighbor who yells, "Good morning" too loudly. Let's encourage each other with words that "will give grace to those who hear" this week. Our goal is not to make others see our point of view or our wisdom, but to build each other up with the love of Christ.
Further Reading:
Ecclesiastes 3
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February 21, 2011
Blessed are the Meek
by Sarah Phillips, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Mt 5: 5 (NIV)
I used to have a strong dislike for the word "meek." It brings me back a decade to a defining moment during my sophomore year of high school.
I was a shy teenager who had stepped outside of her comfort zone by enrolling in several theater classes, including a class on "behind the scenes" theater productions. This should have been the easiest of all the courses for my sensitive nature. But my instructor, while delegating roles for the Spring production of Peter Pan, proved me wrong when she voiced her choice of stage manager like this:
"I've chosen Melissa because I need someone with a strong personality - someone who isn't meek, like Sarah."
Of course, I only drove her point home when I didn't stick up for myself. I spent years after that scene developing assertiveness, determined to prove that Sarah Jennings was not meek. Like this teacher, I associated meekness with weakness and both were traits that needed to be eradicated if I was going to get anywhere in life.
At least that's what I thought until I found that dreaded word jumping off the pages of scripture at me in the Gospel of Matthew. There it was, one of the first things Jesus says in his famous Sermon on the Mount.
Our deacon offered some thoughts on this verse that helped put things in perspective for me. He shared that it's in the Sermon on the Mount where we see Jesus begin to expand on His true purpose - and to the disappointment of many, He was not going to be an earthly king bestowing power and prestige on His people, not just yet. Instead, God's plan for mankind included an interior transformation of souls for the sake of an eternal kingdom. To properly prepare us for this kingdom, God rejected earthly methods of acquiring power in favor of the healing that comes with merciful love.
It is God's mercy that changes our hearts from hearts of stone to hearts of flesh. It's Christ's humility, His lowliness, that beckons us into a relationship with Him. And ultimately, it was Christ's willingness to give up earthly glory that opened the door for us to share in His eternal glory.
Now, as much as I would like earthly power, He asks us to "learn from him." As our souls find rest in God, He can continue His redemptive work through us as we display these same "weaker" virtues to the world.
This isn't to say God lacks power or that Christians should throw out virtues like courage. I think sometimes cultivating traits like meekness and humility are trickier than learning boldness because we can easily tip the scales too far and become passive. It's a difficult balance, but a necessary one if we want to reflect Christ to a hurting world.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Is there a situation in your life right now that would benefit from a little meekness, humility, or gentleness on your part? Ask God to show you how to have a meek and humble heart like His - one that offers healing and restoration while maintaining your God-given dignity.
Further Reading:
Psalm 37: 11
Ephesians 4: 2
James 4: 10
:angel:
February 22, 2011
Fits Any Niche
By Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.
Psalm 119:105
All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.
2 Timothy 3:16
As the editor responsible for all devotional content here at Crosswalk, one of the questions I'm asked most frequently by our beloved users goes something like this:
"Your devotional offerings are great, but could you please include one for cousins of divorcees with sleeping disorders who have befriended agnostic vegetarians? Because that would be really great."
Okay, that's an exaggeration (but only barely). And it's not like we dislike filling niches. We have devotionals for women, the workplace, weight loss and the list goes on. We're continually adding to the selection and have plans for a men's devotional, a children's devotional, a singles devotional, and more. To an extent, we're at the mercy of what's well-written, theologically sound, recognizable, and most of all, available.
But when I'm asked a question like, "My fiance and I are interested in a devotional for yet-to-be-married couples living in the mid-Atlantic from different church backgrounds who are both post-millenialists. What do you recommend for us?" my answer is always the same:
Just study the Word, man.
Whether you find it here or somewhere else, locate a ministry, author, preacher, or regular old Joe/JoAnn whom God has gifted with insight into his holy scriptures, and read their take regularly. Follow that up with your own deeper individual study. Take that into praying with a spouse, accountability partner, disciple, or mentor. Join a group Bible Study. And take notes during sermons.
It's not much more complicated than that. We sometimes make it so. We pigeonhole ourselves or our current life situation or level of belief, and so risk hindering the effective wholeness of the Word.
Besides, if there's one thing I've noticed through almost a biblical generation of life, it's that our specific situations are many times made more complex by our non-stop obsession with them, and are often made more simple by backing off and getting at them indirectly through solid study that may not at first seem related to what we are going through.
There's nothing wrong with wanting to hear which verses were blessings to folks who have gone through heartbreaks or challenges similar to what you are now experiencing. What I'm suggesting is that the Word of the Lord never returns void. And that there have been several topics I've tried to understand (and been disappointed in the lack of direct guidance the Bible appears to give on the subject), or several life situations I've wanted to study (and not known where to start or how to find others who have biblical wisdom to offer in the form of a devotional) that have been solved when I stepped away and just studied sound teaching with prayer.
One example is when, as a young man, I wanted to find everything the Bible said about the "big sins" our youth ministers were so concerned with keeping us from -- sex and drinking. I shortly exhausted all the verses that dealt directly with these topics. But it wasn't until I backed away from a focus on these issues and began more comprehensive studies of what God had to say about all things that the picture grew bigger and the reasons for abstinence, purity, sobriety, and not causing others to stumble became clear in the light of grace, righteousness, sacrifice, and ministry.
Another example is the time I was battling a crippling depression. I found few answers and little comfort in attacking the problem directly - even if there didn't seem to be a lack of correlative verses or devos, which only would have reminded me double of the state I was in. What did help was reading other topics from the Bible, and books from established Christian authors and preachers about the Bible itself, about faith, about truth. Eventually the clouds lifted, and I was stronger for having gone through the darkness and for the overarching principles that brought me home.
Let me encourage you today not to wall yourself off from the full richness of the Word, but to seek out sound doctrine and study on general principles regularly that I promise will apply to your specifics, whether directly or indirectly, immediately or eventually.
Further Reading
A Plea to Use the Bible Every Day
How to Have a Meaningful Quiet Time
:angel:
February 23, 2011
Freedom from Sin in This Life and The Next
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments, and His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith."
1 John 5:3-4 NASB
We know that Christ secures heaven in the next life, yes. But we often forget that Christ is our basis for a growing freedom from sin in this life as well. It's easy to slip into self-effort and start thinking that it's up to us to somehow overcome our sin and selfishness.
First John 5:4 says that faith is the victory not self effort. As we have seen in previous study, the Christian faith is never just faith in faith. It is not just some leap in the dark. It is faith in the objective truth of Christ in space, time and history. Christians trust in a Person—the Lord Jesus Christ.
First John 5:4 says that faith is the key to victory, and the key to faith is Christ. Our ongoing focus must be Him—all that He is—not just what He did at the cross. Instead of compartmentalizing Christ to merely being our Savior, we must value all that He is—His perfect life, death, resurrection, ascension, current ministry of intercession, and His promised return. The Apostle Paul says in Colossians 3:4 that Christ is our life.
If we neglect the full scope of who Christ is and what He did and we only focus on a part of what He did at the cross, we will fall apart in our practical living.
Francis Schaeffer wrote of this fully orbed, Christ-saturated view of living the Christian life in chapter eight of True Spirituality:
"It is not we who overcome the world in our own strength. We do not have a power plant inside ourselves that can overcome the world. The overcoming is the work of the Lord Jesus Christ... if we raise the empty hands of faith moment by moment and accept the gift. This is the victory that overcomes the world—our faith."
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Ask God for grace to remember throughout the day today that victory over sin, doubt, and discouragement rests solely on the person and work of Christ.
For Further Study:
Consider memorizing Romans 8:32-34
32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?
33 Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies;
34 who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.
:angel:
February 24, 2011
God is a Sports Fan
By Ryan Duncan
Fish.com Editor
Back when I was in college, I witnessed a "debate" between one of my Bible Professors and a Philosophy major. What were they "debating" about? Was it the idea of a Triune God? The infallibility of Scripture? Predestination? Actually, it was about Football.
The Super Bowl had come around again, and the Philosophy Major was arguing that sports, at their core, drew our focus away from God and should therefore be considered idols. His basis for this was that every student would be watching the game Sunday night, and would probably skip Chapel Monday morning.
I had to admit he had a point, some students made a habit of sleeping through the schools 10 am chapel services, but when there was a game of Ultimate Frisbee or Soccer they never failed to show up. I tried to imagine what Church would be like if people came the same way they did for a Super Bowel, bodies painted and ready to celebrate. Maybe we were losing our focus.
Still, did that really make sports an idol? That seemed a little extreme to me. It would be years later when I'd find the answer in a familiar story, Matthew 25:14-26, the Parable of the Talents.
14 "Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. 15 To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. 17 So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. 18 But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.
19 "After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.'
21 "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'
22 "The man with two bags of gold also came. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.'
23 "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'
24 "Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. 'Master,' he said, 'I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.'
26 "His master replied, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
Traditionally, we are taught that this passage relates to our spiritual gifts, but I believe the talents of this parable can also be used represent our faith in Christ.
Sometimes we Christian become afraid of God. We know God is a harsh master, asking us to stand against an entire world that has turned against him, and we fear that if we start enjoying things in this world like Football or Soccer that they'll steal our faith from us.
So, instead of interacting with the world and engaging it with our faith, we bury it in the Bible to keep it safe, like the third servant. We turn our lives into one endless Bible study. Problem is, when the Master returns, when God calls us into his service, we discover that our faith hasn't grown! We've spent our entire lives studying how to be a Christian, but never actually living as one.
Honestly, I think God wants us to be part of this world. He wants us to enjoy games of sports, to write stories and poetry, to study math and science and discover more about his creations. Yes, we need to be careful these things don't replace God, but when handled correctly, they allow us to engage the world, enjoy our faith, and understand those we are called to witness to.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Do you have an unhealthy fear of God? Take some time and study the character of Jesus.
Further Reading
Matthew 17:20
:angel:
February 25, 2011
When We "Sort of" Obey
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
But Samuel replied: "Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams." 1 Samuel 15:22, NIV
Recently I witnessed a dangerous near collision while driving in traffic.
I was headed toward an intersection where my light was green. A few cars were ahead of me, but none of us was speeding. From the opposite direction, a car was sitting in the turn lane and waiting to go left when there was a break in oncoming traffic from my direction. As I drove nearer, I saw the turn-lane driver becoming antsy. He edged out into the middle of traffic and looked like he was going to make a dangerous turn that was way too close to the cars in front of me.
And sure enough he did—narrowly, and I mean narrowly, missing the oncoming traffic. Had there been a collision, I would have surely run right into the crash or would have caused my own accident by swerving to miss the one right in front of me. So why did the driver do that? And why didn't he wait until it was safe—as we're all instructed to do in drivers' education and required by the law—to make his turn?
Well, after witnessing the almost-accident, I started thinking about my life and how I don't always want to wait on God or follow his ways either. I also get antsy and take matters into my own hands. Why is that? Pure and simple, I am disobedient and don't always trust in the Lord and his plans for my life.
Saul was like that as well. In 1 Samuel 15:1-29, we see how he followed his own instructions and completely missed the blessing that the Lord had in store for him.
Samuel said to Saul, "I am the one the LORD sent to anoint you king over his people Israel; so listen now to the message from the LORD. This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them. Do not spare them.'"
Simple enough, right? But what did Saul do? Well, he "sort of" obeyed, you might say. Which is really code for "disobedience." Sure, he attacked the Amalekites, but he spared the king (Agag) and kept sheep, cattle and "everything that was good." Now why would he do that? Well, why do any of us take "creative license" with what God is telling us to do in our lives and then do what we want?
When Saul was confronted by Samuel about his actions, he told him that he had "carried out the Lord's instructions." (Hey, not so fast, Saul.) To which Samuel replied:
"What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?" Saul answered, "The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the LORD your God, but we totally destroyed the rest."
Excuses, excuses, excuses! Sort of like, "The devil made me do it," or "God wouldn't have put _____ into my life if he didn't want me to ______." How lame is that? And how often do we twist what God is saying to us in order to get our own ways? We don't want to wait on him and follow his instructions, which means we don't want to obey, which means we miss out on the perfect plans that God has for us and we can make serious messes of our lives.
Then Samuel replied to Saul:
"Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams ... Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you as king."
That's a hard lesson to learn, my friend. But it's been written and preserved for our instruction and application in our lives today. Let's both learn from Saul's example as we strive to obey the Lord, no matter what he asks and without any excuses.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Are you guilty of "sort of" obeying traffic rules when you're driving? Think about the driver described in the earlier scenario, and then see if that example applies to any area of your life. Are you living recklessly? Are you proceeding how you want to in your life? Who's instructions for living are you following?
Further Reading:
Acts 13:22, NIV
James 4:17, NIV
:angel:
February 28, 2011
Title
Renewal in the Desert
By Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"Therefore I am now going to allure her [Israel]; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her." - Hosea 2:14
The prophet Hosea certainly had one of the least enviable jobs ever. God commanded him to take a wife who both God and Hosea knew would be unfaithful, so Hosea married Gomer, a prostitute. They had several children together, but at length she went back to her old ways. She left Hosea, went back to her lovers, and ended up betrayed into the slave market.
Hosea then did the unthinkable. He bought her back.
"The LORD said to me, 'Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress...' So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and about a homer and a lethek of barley. Then I told her, "You are to live with me many days; you must not be a prostitute or be intimate with any man, and I will live with you." (Hosea 3:1-3)
In a very real sense, Hosea redeemed his wayward bride. Instead of leaving her to the natural consequences, he brought her back into the covenant of marriage.
From the very beginning, the Lord makes it clear to Hosea that the pain of betrayal, ingratitude, and inconstant nature of Gomer was nothing less than God himself experienced at the hands of his bride, the people of Israel. Idolatry far exceeded faithfulness to the covenant, and the nation became increasingly entangled with foreign kingdoms, against God's direct commandment. They were the wayward bride, and their fate would be no less than Gomer's. Hosea assured every Israelite that the natural consequences of their action - slavery and destitution - were coming.
And yet the Lord did not abandon them. Instead, when everything they had trusted was stripped away, he pursued them. God said,
"Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her ... I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion." (Hosea 2:14,19)
Once emptied of its treasures, its gods, and its affluence, Israel found that they were not an object of ultimate wrath, but of ultimate mercy. All this despite the broken covenants, promises, and ingratitude toward the God who had already saved them from slavery. The commentator Matthew Henry notes the incredible grace displayed here in the Old Testament:
"When it was said, She forgot me, one would think it should have followed, 'Therefore I will abandon her, I will forget her, I will never look after her more.' No, Therefore I will allure her. God's thoughts and ways of mercy are infinitely above ours; his reasons are all fetched from within himself, and not from any thing in us; nay, his goodness takes occasion from man's badness to appear so much the more illustrious... the design is plainly to magnify free grace to those on whom God will have mercy purely for mercy's sake."
Let's never forget that in God's hands, even the desert is a place of restoration.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Are you in the desert right now? Financially? Relationally? Spiritually? Take comfort in knowing that God strips away our luxuries to return our focus where it belongs.
She shall be as a traveller that not only knows not which way to go, of many that are before him, but that finds no way at all to go forward. ... The disappointments we meet with in our pursuits of satisfaction in the creature should, if nothing else will do it, drive us at length to the Creator, in whom alone it is to be had. - Hosea 2: 6-12
God will have us to know, not only that we have all our creature-comforts and enjoyments from him, but that he has still an incontestable right and title to them, that they are more his than ours, and therefore are to be used for him, and accounted for to him. He will therefore take their plenty away from them, because they have forfeited it by disowning his right, as a tenant by copy of court-roll, who holds at the will of his lord, forfeits his estate if he makes a feoffment of it as though he were a freeholder. He will recover it, will free or deliver it, that it may be no longer abused, as the creature is said to be delivered from the bondage of corruption under which it groans, Rom. 8:21.
:angel:
March 1, 2011
Merciful Redeemer
by Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. 1 Timothy 1:16 NIV
Paul is one of the most beloved Saints of all time. His love for the Lord, preserved in the canon of Scripture, inspires many to this day. Yet, even this extraordinary man was a sinner -- according to his own words "the worst of sinners." How can this be? Surely he is just exaggerating for effect? Or taking humility a little too far?
But I like to take Paul at his word here. After all, this man had persecuted Christians before his conversion. He had done horrible things in the name of righteousness. Surely, he knew his shortcomings more intimately than you or I. So, let's say Paul truly was the worst of sinners -- and yet we see God did not withhold His mercy.
One of the most moving stories in the Bible is that of another terrible sinner - the woman with the alabaster jar. Interrupting a dinner party at a Pharisee's house, this woman (in what I think would be a very socially awkward moment) wept over Jesus' feet, wiped them dry with her hair and applied perfume from the jar.
Simon, the hosting Pharisee, was disgusted at this public display of humility, especially by a woman known to be a sinner. Jesus replied to his indignation with this story as recorded in Luke 7: 41- 43:
"Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?"
Simon replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled."
"You have judged correctly," Jesus said.
Jesus went on to say, "I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven -- for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little." (v. 47)
So often, when we think of our sins and shortcomings we feel ashamed. We want to hide from God like Adam and Eve hid after eating the forbidden fruit. We think God, in His divine perfection, could never want us back or look on us again with the same love as before. Perhaps you've even experienced this kind of rejection in a tangible way -- through the abandonment of a family member or loved one.
But this isn't the way God works.
The amazing thing about God's mercy is its accessibility. The bigger the sin, the more anxious God is to pour out His mercy at the first hint of repentance. The Bible tells us that when one sinner repents, heaven rejoices (Luke 15:10). And through Paul's testimony, we can know without a doubt of Christ's unlimited patience and unfailing love. God seeks the love of sinners -- no matter how many times you've sinned or how dark the sin, He desires to shower you with His mercy if you are willing to receive it.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Matthew 5: 7 says Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. We are called to show mercy just as Christ shows us mercy. Is there someone in your life in need of your mercy and forgiveness? Give it.
Further Reading
Hebrews 4: 16
Proverbs 28: 13
:angel:
March 2, 2011
Tsunami of Emotion and Understanding
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
"Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!"
Job 2:9
This week, I came across a story that is all at once heartbreaking and hope-giving, tragic and uplifting, devastating and determined.
This excellent article by the International Mission Board's Shawn Hendricks chronicles what has happened to and through one Christian family on India's east coast since the tsunamis of late 2004. I encourage you to check it out. If you do, it will effectively function as your devotional for today much better than what I am about to write in response to it.
In a real-world account of events straight from the Book of Job, Paramesvaran and Choodamani lost all three of their children the day after Christmas that year. My heart breaks for families who lose one child, much less three. Imagine having lost one of them who was in your arms but who you were just not strong enough to hold on to against the crushing force of so much water.
Imagine being mocked by your friends and family for your faith while you are suffering such tragedy and burying your own offspring.
Imagine being so full of grief you discuss a suicide pact.
But then... eventually... the clouds lift, first for one spouse who is gifted by a word from the Lord about the blessing that her husband survived when so many others did not. Then, later, the husband feels the tugging of the Lord letting him know that his children are safe with Jesus, they're okay, they're full of praise and life.
The real, personable, meaningful faith in God pulls the couple up, and back together. They are blessed with two new children. But beyond that...
...the fact they are alive and together allows them to become adoptive parents to TWENTY orphaned children. Each of them has come to a saving relationship with Jesus, several helping their new father preach the gospel throughout the area.
The example of the family, assisted by donations of Christians around the world, has "brought the Good News into areas that were once unreceptive to Christianity."
The ends of things are truly never known until later. Purpose is often invisible until it isn't. Damaging floods can become cleansing baptisms through the passage of time and reflections from fresh perspectives.
Job refused to curse God and die. He instead decided ultimately to acknowledge that nothing he ever had was his, and that the only thing worth living for was the knowledge that God is awesome, powerful, and beyond our comprehension. And yet, loves us beyond measure.
His story is not just a fable or morality tale. It can seem that way to our modern ears, which are unaccustomed to the reality of THAT much tragedy. But that much tragedy occurs all too frequently around our globe, and when it does, it should not shock me to the extent it did when I read this story. I feel like I should nod knowingly about the cost and fragility of life on this big blue ball, and how despite all the shaking and quaking there can still be a steady security when I give up any notions that I am god, that I am in control, that my job is to do anything with my time here but praise and share, worship and help, live and move and be every minute that he allows.
Intersecting Faith & Life: May God continue to bless the ministry of Paramesvaran and Choodamani, and increase the strength in them that was built from climbing out of their tragic valley. May I not complain today about events that matter not. May I continue to see God's hand in everything as long as I have eyes to take it all in. And should I or my loved ones suffer anywhere close to this much, may we never forget this example of coming out the other side reborn, making ministry from the madness.
:angel:
March 3, 2011
Stinky Kitchen Rags
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"...All our righteousness-es are as filthy rags..."
Isaiah 64:6 KJV
"Gross. Who left this rag in the sink full of dirty dishes?" I asked.
No answer.
I picked up the soaked, dripping, smelly, slimy, green towel from the bottom of the kitchen sink—pinching it with thumb and forefinger on the driest corner possible.
"Well, whoever it was, please hang it up next time instead of leaving it in the sink. Thank you," I said as I dropped the rag into a plastic bag before taking it outside to dry.
Isaiah 64:6 didn't come to mind at the time, but what a great reminder of what our self-effort looks like to God. "All our righteousness-es are as filthy rags," says the King James Version. (Yes, apparently, there's a plural for "righteousness.")
An article I read recently made this connection for me. The writer, Ann Dunagan, said:
We may think our own self-efforts help us earn "brownie points" with God. But, to Him, our human works are as worthless as stinky rags.
If we try to earn favor with God — instead of trusting in Jesus — it's like collecting yucky rags. The more they pile up, the more they stink and mildew.
Of course, the rags being referred to in Isaiah 64 are technically more 'unclean' in a biblical sense if you know what I mean (see notes on v. 6 here and here) than smelly kitchen rags, but the picture is clear.
Colossians 3:4 says that Christ is the believer's life. Our moment-by-moment mindset is to be Christ—His perfect life, death, resurrection, ascension, intercession for us, and promised return to rule forever.
If I lose that moment-by-moment focus on Christ and fall into sin, it does me no good to try to return to God with self-effort—that's like offering Him stinky rags. Only the cleansing sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross can make us righteous before God.
Hebrews 12:10 says that God disciplines us... "for our good, so that we may share His holiness."
And 1 John 1:9 assures us that "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
"If we have sin in our lives, and we go on, and God does not put His hand in loving chastisement upon us, then we are not children of God," so wrote Francis Schaeffer in chapter eight of his book True Spirituality.
He went on to make the point that God disciplines us not only that we may share in His holiness, but that—as Hebrews 12:11 says—we may have the "peaceful fruit of righteousness." God wants us to experience relational peace with Him, not just be right with a rule book. As a perfect Father, He deeply loves His adopted children.
"This is what we ought to expect," says Schaeffer, "Given the biblical teaching that God really exists, that He is personal, and He has a holy character."
If this is what God is... and if I have become His child, should I not expect that when I have sinned, when I have done what is the opposite of His character, I must go back to Him as a Person, and say I am sorry?
He is not just a doctrine, or an abstraction; He is a Person who is there.
The first step of restoration after I have sinned, then, is in exactly the same line [as in becoming a Christian]. I must acknowledge that I cannot live the Christian life in my own strength or in my own goodness. I must raise the empty hands of faith for God's gift—only the finished work of Christ in space, time, and history, back there on Calvary's cross is enough. I must bring the specific sin under the blood of Jesus Christ, by faith.
Everything rests upon the reality of the fact that the blood of Christ has meaning in our present life, and restoration takes place as we, in faith, act upon that fact in specific cases of sin.
When my heart condemns me and cries, "You've done it again," I am to believe God again as to the value of the finished work of Jesus Christ for the present.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
If you want a restored relationship with God, you can have it as His child. But not until you humbly call specific sin sin.
Ask God for the grace to stop trying to return to Him with the rags of self-effort, to see and confess any sin in your life to Him, and then—as Schaeffer says—raise the empty hands of faith, counting on the availability of the blood of Christ for forgiveness and restoration in this present moment.
For Further Study:
Read Hebrews 12 and 1 John 1
:angel:
March 4, 2011
A Jonah Moment
By Ryan Duncan
And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins. - Mark 11:25
Last week I had a Jonah Moment. I was on Facebook, e-mailing some old friends, when I noticed a message posted on one of the walls. A guy I knew from school had just been admitted to the hospital, and though it wasn't anything serious, he had still sent out a Facebook post asking for prayers in the days ahead. Now, this guy and I had never gotten along, and I'm ashamed to say that my first thought after reading the post was "Ha, you deserved that."
A day later, I was reading my Bible when I came across the story of Jonah. Most Christians probably learned this story in Grade School. They'll remember how God commanded Jonah to preach to the people of Nineveh, but Jonah, hating Nineveh, tried to sail to Tarshish instead. God then sent a great fish to swallow him and deliver him to the city. Look at what's written in the very last chapter of the book.
But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry. He prayed to the LORD, "O LORD, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. Now, O LORD, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live."
But the LORD replied, "Have you any right to be angry?" Jonah went out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city. Then the LORD God provided a vine and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the vine. But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the vine so that it withered.
When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah's head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, "It would be better for me to die than to live." But God said to Jonah, "Do you have a right to be angry about the vine?" "I do," he said. "I am angry enough to die." But the LORD said, "You have been concerned about this vine, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?" - Jonah 4:1-11
We Christians usually give Jonah a lot of grief for not following God's commands, but the truth is we aren't much different. Like Jonah, I had let my pride and my past feelings get in the way of my duty to God.
God does not allow us to carry old grudges, and if we think becoming a Christian means Christ will beat up on our enemies, we will be sorely disappointed. Instead, Jesus has commanded us to live in harmony with our Christian Brothers and Sisters, and forgive those who have sinned against us. After all, that's what Christ did for us.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Is there anyone in your life you feel anger towards? Take some time to pray about it, and seek peace with God.
Further Reading
Proverbs 20:22
:angel:
March 7, 2011
It's Good for Your Character
Laura MacCorkle, Senior Editor
Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. Romans 5:3-5, NIV
I grew up in a very special church back in the '70s and '80s. It was nondenominational, had tremendous traditional worship and congregational singing and was attended by many seminary professors and students.
Seeds that were sown in my life in those early years of my spiritual growth are now sprouting, and I'm drawing upon what I have learned as I make my way through adulthood.
From time to time, I flip through a bound collection of meditations on sayings that my pastor put together. He would regularly refer to these life principles from the pulpit, and today, whenever I hear them being said (or concepts that are similar) by others, I remember what he preached on them many years ago.
"It's good for your character," he would often say. And here's how he explained that further:
"God uses the routine, the difficult, even the painful to develop in us qualities of Christlike character that can be learned in no other way."
When we begin to see our lives from this perspective, that's when we've turned a corner. But in order to keep thinking in this way, we have to make daily readjustments, as we don't always want to see the routine, the difficult and even the painful in this way. I know I don't. But it is the right way to look at any uncomfortable situation in our lives. The classic passage regarding trials in James 1:2-4 helps us to see this.
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Let's break that down even further:
Consider it pure joy. How do you do this when you're going through a divorce? Or after the death of a loved one or in the loss of a job? What will it take to see the joy despite the circumstances? Only God can give us this joy and change our perspective.
Testing develops perseverance. In order to learn how to persevere, we have to go through some trying times. Think back on the trials in your life. What were the results? Did you make changes in your life? Did God help you get through them? Remember what he did for you as you continue to serve him.
Perseverance must finish its work. We can't go from diapers to dungarees in the snap of a finger. Living takes time. And there are "pains" that go with it. Sure, it hurts sometimes, but know that the uncomfortable seasons mean that you are growing.
Be mature and complete. When you were a child, you didn't have a bulging file folder of life experiences to draw from. Now that you're older, hopefully you can see how you've grown closer to the Lord and how he has changed you. Draw from past lessons as you choose to live and think differently today.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Can you look back on the routine, the difficult, even the painful times of your life and see how God has developed your character? List some specific trials and the resulting changes that have been made in your character and praise your merciful Savior.
Further Reading:
2 Corinthians 4:7-12, MSG
1 Peter 4:12-13, NIV
:angel:
March 8, 2011
Who Cares about Leviticus?
Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"You are to be holy to me, because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set your apart from the nations to be my own." – Leviticus 20:26
Like most evangelicals, I haven't devoted much time to parsing Leviticus. After all, we live under the new covenant ushered in by Christ's death and resurrection, and we're Gentiles to boot. Leviticus was written for a particular people at a particular time, and vast sections of the book have been demoted to historical curiosities at this point. The fledgling kingdom of Israel – really, a collection of tribes that had more in common with their pagan neighbors than today's Christian enclave – were on the other side of history's turning point. The Lord dictated incredibly detailed ceremonial law for this emerging nation that has since passed away, as we have a new and perfect high priest.
Still, the apostle Paul insists that "all Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching" (2 Timothy 3:15). Remember, this is Paul speaking, the same apostle who vilified the Judaizers for insisting the law must be upheld in its minutae to achieve salvation, and who wrote that "no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law." The resolution of the paradox might be a bit more apparent through the example of Park Street Church in Boston.
Pastor Daniel Harrell convinced 19 members of his congregation to join him in an experiment in "living Levitically," despite the drastic changes they had to make in their daily living. The group grew out their beards, kept kosher, cleaned their homes meticulously, observed the Sabbath, and even stopped wearing clothes made from blended materials. One of the few exceptions to the experiment was animal sacrifice, as the group intended not to break any U.S. laws while observing the ceremonial ones.
The group found it absolutely impossible to obey every tenet. But the Park Street Church says that wasn't the point. Seeing firsthand that they couldn't perfectly fulfill the law, they realized the need for grace in a whole new way. As Romans 5:20 explains it, "The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more."
Could it be that, in ignoring Leviticus as a whole, we forget how awesome grace is? True, not every ceremonial law (washing your feet? Wearing blended materials?) is also a moral law. But God still told the Israelites to keep it as his law. Reading about the church's example reminded me of a couple things:
First,God's people are supposed to be set apart. The Israelites were supposed to look different, act different, worship different, and spend their time in different ways than the nations around them. It was an integral part of their calling as God's people. The manifestations aren't quite the same, but Christians have the same calling today.
Second, we aren't set apart enough. As Park Street Church rediscovered, the law points out our insufficiencies. Even if the law were just a set of external rules, we still couldn't keep them perfectly. We just can't measure up to following the law or Christ's example.
Third, only in Christ can we find rest from the law and a new identity that really sets us apart. The writer of Hebrews notes that the law is "only a shadow of the good things that are coming." And yes, the law is a good thing – it makes us realize how much Christ had to atone for on our behalf. Not only that, God has adopted us as sons and daughters through Christ to really set us apart. And then he gives us the grace to live it. Sure, we'll still fall, and that will remind us to run to grace. But the power of the law is gone through Christ.
Intersecting Faith & Life: This week, take time to read Hebrews 10. Notice how beautifully Christ not only supersedes the law, but fulfills all of its demands. That ought to inspire the worship that God desires more than the Israelites' burnt offerings.
Further Reading:
Living Leviticus: Who Could Do It? Who Would Want To?
How to Use the Law – Lawfully to Bear Fruit for God
:angel:
March 9, 2011
Ashes to Ashes
by Sarah Phillips, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return. (Genesis 3:19).
"Remember that thou art dust and unto dust thou shalt return." These are the priest's words as he solemnly traces an ashen cross on the forehead of each believer with his thumb every year on Ash Wednesday. This Wednesday, Christians around the world will flock to receive these ashes, marking the first of the forty days of Lent 2011.
So where did this tradition come from? Why do so many Christians feel compelled to "get their ashes" every year?
Dust made an appearance in Scripture at the very beginning. God made Adam out of dust before breathing life into him. But after Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, God gave the pair some bad news: death would now return them and their descendants to dust. In recognition of this tragic day, ancient Israelites customarily sat or rolled in ashes when mourning the death of a loved one.
But ashes were not just worn after a physical death. Wearing ashes also became symbolic of spiritual death. In the Old Testament, a penitent sinner often covered his head in ashes as an acknowledgement of his wrongdoing. We see both Job and the prophet Daniel do this. Here is Daniel's heartfelt prayer recorded in Daniel 9: 15 - 16, 18:
"Now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of Egypt with a mighty hand and who made for yourself a name that endures to this day, we have sinned, we have done wrong. O Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, turn away your anger and your wrath from Jerusalem, your city, your holy hill... We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy..."
Today, the ashes of Ash Wednesday continue to represent physical mortality. They are a sign of the physical consequences of original sin: death. They also remind us of Christ's suffering and death on the Cross.
But perhaps more importantly, ashes continue to symbolize public repentance and spiritual conversion. Like Daniel, ash-wearers openly acknowledge their sinful nature, repent of their wrongs, and recognize that salvation flows from God's mercy, not their righteousness.
This penitent attitude is at the heart of Lent. Whether you receive ashes on Wednesday or not, these forty days are set aside to help believers come to terms with humanity's universal sinfulness, as well as help each one of us recognize the ways we personally sin against God. As we take responsibility for the areas in life where we've fallen and seek God's forgiveness, our relationship with Him deepens.
In a culture where self-esteem is a high priority, the Lenten observance does not always come easily. We'd prefer to rationalize wrongdoing while publicizing our talents. But the purpose of Lent is never to leave us sitting in a heap of ashes. Instead, it's meant to bring us a little closer to reality and to cultivate a sense of awe and gratitude for God's incredible mercy towards those who trust in Him. At the end of the journey, the Lenten traveler enters more deeply into the joy of the empty tomb, the resurrection, where sin and death no longer hold power over God's people.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Reflect on the past year and your Christian walk. Ask God to show you where you need to change. What sins do you gravitate towards? What sins have you rationalized away? Make peace with God by confessing and sincerely apologizing for your sins. Thank God for His mercy. Pray about any action you may need to take to avoid temptation to sin.
Further Reading
Ash Wednesday: A Time to Reflect and Prepare
Ash Wednesday Reflections
:angel:
March 10, 2011
Spring Training for Christians
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
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.
2 Corinthians 5:16, The Message
You've probably heard that God loves baseball. After all, He began his holy book with the words, "In the big inning..." Everyone who loves baseball like the Lord does feels a tremendous rush this time of year with another set of words: "Pitchers and catchers report." For the uninitiated, this phrase signals the official start of spring training, which brings with it new hope, and knowledge that at least there's a thaw and green grass in some parts of our country.
In fact, the game I love, and the game of fantasy baseball off which it is based, are both so prevalent in my mind this week that as I sat down to write this I found my mind wandering. So, noticing that a good friend, fellow fantasy baseballer and pastor was active on his Instant Messenger, I began the following conversation:
Me: I'm sitting here trying to write this week's devotional, but I've got a screenful of stats in front of me, taunting me. Pastor Jay, is there any way I could combine the two? Does our league have any good devotional content?
Jay: Oh, I'm sure we do. How about how we peak spiritually at age 27, like most hitters do?
Me: Goodness, I hope that's not true. How about our Spiritual Slugging Percentage... are we whomping our fair quota of sinners and unbelievers regularly?
Jay: Uh, right... How about how On-Base Percentage equals theological correctness/sound doctrine, and Slugging Percentage equals evangelism, the impact you're making for the Lord?
Me: You're on to something.
There are truly spiritual parallels everywhere.
But as is always the case, snippets of insight and truth are only valuable when applicable. The above only served to remind me that it's time to take a break from my analysis of the statistics of men who play a game, and check in on my own statistics, go through my own spring training of sorts.
Today's verse gives us a starting place for where to look, what kind of statistics are important in the Kingdom as opposed to the diamond. Things like height, weight, vertical leap, 40-yard-dash times, race, creed, color, gender... none of those matter. Here's the checklist we'll be using to see who's gonna make the team this season:
Measurables
On-Base Percentage - Like my buddy said, in our checklist this involves good theology and doctrine. Baseballers like to hear chatter out there on the infield. Are you talking the talk?
Slugging Percentage - Now you have to put the above theology to good use, and walk the walk. How much 'oomph' can you contribute to the goals of the team?
Batting Average - The most you can do is just put the bat on the ball. So many other factors determine if you're gonna get a safe hit or not, meaning you'll probably fail to connect or reach safely at least 70 percent of the time... and that's if you're one of the best. The rest is up to God.
Errors - Can't be avoided, even by the very best of us. What's important is that we don't grow complacent with making them. Biblical ignorance is not an acceptable excuse. Neither is yelling at your teammate for making an error.
Strikeouts and Walks - Both are fine. They reveal effort. The way you know you're off-track is when these become Walkouts and Strikes. I don't need to be leaving, boycotting, quitting, or checking out in the middle of a slump or when the other team is full of punks.
Sacrifices - When the coach calls for you to bunt another person into a more prominent position, will you obediently lay one down? When you can bring in a run by hitting a fly ball for an out will you gladly do so?
Intangibles
Coachability - I can't think of a single reason or supporting scripture for a me-first attitude on the Kingdom Conquerors.
Discipline - To what do you say yes, to what do you say no? What do you fail to do? What do you never fail to do?
Leadership - Look behind you. Is anyone following?
Performance Enhancers - Yes, please. I'm simply not good enough to compete in this game without them. No, not steroids, but the Holy Spirit, and regular Bible study and prayer times.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Watch a sporting event with a younger person this week, and see how many parallels and applications you can make together to our spiritual journey.
Further Reading
Opening Day for America
Finish Strong in the 9th Inning of Life
The Magic of Opening Day
:angel:
March 11, 2011
The First Fruit of the Gospel
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"For whosoever shall be ashamed of Me and My words, of him shall the Son of Man
be ashamed, when He shall come in His own glory..."
Luke 9:26 NASB
It is important to be clear in our understanding about the substitutionary nature of His death for sinners. Second Corinthians 5:21, "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."
Nothing—not good works, religious rituals, not anything can add merit to His perfect work of atonement.
Still, virtue does flow from the work of Christ in our lives.
One virtue that is the necessary result of the gospel in our lives is the habit of dying daily. Francis Schaeffer, in his book True Spirituality, insightfully takes us to Luke 9:22-26 about this where Christ is telling His disciples the certain order of events that would soon occur to Him... that He would be rejected, slain, then raised.
Jesus immediately relates this order—rejected, slain, raised—to the Christian life as well.
In Luke 9:23-24, Jesus says, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it."
"Jesus is talking here about our death by choice in the present life. He applies it to a specific situation to make it more concrete. "For whosoever shall be ashamed of Me and My words, of him shall the Son of Man be ashamed, when He shall come in His own glory..." (Luke 9:26)
"The Bible is not speaking of some romantic feeling, some idealization, some abstraction. Jesus carries this concept of facing the rejection, being slain, down to a very practical situation: facing an alien world. It is the saying "no" to self when our natural selves would desire acceptance by the alien world—a world in revolt against its Creator and our Lord.
"...this command of Christ is not limited to one situation; it is that which is to be the whole mentality and outlook of the Christian's life.
"As Christ's rejection and death are the first steps in the order of redemption, so our rejection and death are the first steps in the order of true and growing spirituality.
"As there could be no next step in the order of Christ's redemption until the step was taken, so in the Christian there can be no further step until these first two steps—rejected, slain—are faced; not in theory only, but at least in some partial practice."
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Is the gospel bearing fruit in your life in this way? Put another way, do you increasingly treasure Christ so that things and self receive less and less of your time, attention and resources?
Ask God for grace to live before the watching world in a way that others would see the blessings of a resurrected life in you.
Further Reading:
Philippians 1
The Expulsive Power of a New Affection
:angel:
March 14, 2011
Sweet Frog
By Ryan Duncan, Editor for TheFish.com
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. - Jeremiah 29:11
On Presidents Day weekend, my father and sister drove from Illinois to visit me in Virginia. It was a great weekend, one of the best I've had in a while. We toured Richmond city, ate at some of the best local restaurants, saw two movies, and spent our time as a family.
On their last day in Richmond, the three of us traveled to a small part of the city known as Cary Town where we stopped for frozen yogurt in a neon-colored shop named "Sweet Frog." That's when it happened. I should have know, should have seen it coming. The brightly colored walls, quaint setup, even the concept -- frozen yogurt -- how could I have missed it? But no, I was totally blindsided when my dad leaned over to me and said,
"You know, Ryan, this would be the perfect place to take a girl on a date."
To be fair, I love my Dad and giving good advice is what Dads do, but I am more than aware of how painfully single I am.
Jon Acuff, author of Stuff Christians Like, once wrote an article about what happens when young, twenty-something guys are asked if they're dating.
"If you answer 'yes', I imagine fireworks go off, confetti cannons fire and you get a ribbon that says "1st place" but when you answer 'no,' three things happen:
My friend's mom brings up my last High School girlfriend, a prom date, or "that one girl your mom was telling me about at school" and proceeds to ask, "what happened with 'that'?" Then I awkwardly explain why those relationships didn't wind up with me being on one knee, pledging my life to that female. A generic cliché like, "Life was just taking us in different directions" usually gets the job done.
My friend's dad hears I am single, which causes him to give me an abundance of "Dad's trying to be cool" fist pounds and references to me being a single man and "free." Once the high fives stop, he gives me a ten-step action plan on how to meet women based on what he did to meet his wife.
But the worst, no question, is the little old ladies at church. Being 22 and single is something they absolutely cannot fathom. They often explain how they had been married for 5 years at this point in their life and had two kids and one on the way. Nothing you say to justify your state in life appeases their grief that you are not married."- (Stuff Christians Like # 955)
Funny as this is, in all honesty, I was worried. Since college, three of my best friends had gotten engaged. Two others were in serious relationships. I was just, well, single. I am not good a dating; I never have been. What if I never meet someone? What if I never start my own family? What if God's plan for my life was to stay single?
As I sat there, stewing in my own anger and self pity, my sister pointed toward the wall. "Hey, look at the acronym they made." I turned my head. The store had decorated the walls with shirts bearing their name and logo. On one shirt, beneath the Frog in "Sweet Frog" someone had printed the words, "Fully. Rely. On. God." It's strange to think that God would speak to someone in a neon-pink frozen yogurt store, but honestly, I think he did.
God does have a plan for our lives. We can spend our time worrying about what the future holds, or we can trust him, and take each day as the gift it was made to be. It doesn't mean life is going to be easy, far from it, but we can be reassured with the knowledge that our Heavenly Father knows what he is doing.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Are you single and worried about your future? Get involved with openings at your church, and give some of your time to God.
Further Reading
Proverbs 3:5
:angel:
March 15, 2011
And She Was Sore Afraid
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid? ... For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock ... I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. Psalm 27:1, 5, 13-14
Sorry, there's no catchy intro for today's devotional. No special personal story to tease. No witty comments to keep you invested. Just some raw and unrefined honesty. And here it is:
I am afraid.
Yes, I am afraid. Perhaps it's a result of spending too much time watching cable news in the past week or so. War, violence and bloodshed, political demonstrations, natural disasters, crazy weather patterns, a limping economy, massive debt and the like. Or maybe it's due to the fact that so many friends and family and acquaintances of mine are experiencing hard times right now as well: job loss, illnesses, marital failures, devastating sin issues, home foreclosures and on and on.
I confess that I have found myself mired in the hopelessness and despair of it all. And I am sad and feel very small. Does anything really matter any more? Is my witness making a difference? Is God really in control of all of this? Does he care? And is the world just going to crash and burn anyway?
I know that this is where the enemy wants to keep me: stuck in my fear with emotions and dismal circumstances blurring my vision. He doesn't want me to remember that I have a lifeline—the hope for eternity that is found in God's Word.
But ha! on the enemy. That's where I'm going right now, and I'm taking you with me. Let's take this fear, measure it against Truth and see what the Great I Am, the Alpha and the Omega and our Jehovah-jireh has to say:
The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you (Psa. 9:9-10). Yes, I will seek the One who is secure and offers me protection! He is my safe place.
"Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me (Psa. 50:15). Yes, I will cry out to the Lord! Help me, my great Protector! You are worthy to be praised!
The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe (Prov. 18:10). Yes, he is my mighty and unfailing fortress! Of whom shall I be afraid?
You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal (Isa. 26:3-4). Yes, I will meditate on the Truth found in God's Word! I will think on the eternal, unchangeable God and not what I see happening around me. His perfect peace is available to me!
Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the word of his servant? Let him who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God (Isa. 50:10). Yes, I will trust in my God as I obey what he is asking me to do! He is all I need to guide me when life is confusing and my way is not clear.
I know I can't be the only one who has been "sore afraid" as of late. And perhaps these verses will encourage you today as well. When we focus on the Lord instead of whatever or whomever makes us afraid, we can be confident in he who is our light and our salvation and the stronghold of our lives.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Are you afraid? What is causing you to forget who God is and how he has provided—and will continue to provide—in your life? Spend some time meditating on Psalm 23, and remember that the Lord is the great shepherd of the sheep and that HE is watching over you!
Further Reading:
Psalm 18:3
Isaiah 43:2
Matthew 10:29-31
Hymn: "My Hope is in the Lord"
Composer: Norman J. Clayton (1945)
:angel:
March 16, 2011
The Fool for Christ
Katherine Britton, Crosswalk News & Culture editor
"Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe." 1 Corinthians 1:20-21
I read Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment for fun when I was 15. In college, I took classes on constitutional law and Byzantium and Islam as electives. Now, I'm an editor who reads and writes all day, and lo, the sun shineth upon my great vinyl desk. I'm definitely an academic at heart. And who doesn't like to appear smart? Or wise? Or "in the know"? Or just downright witty and funny? In my human heart, I love it when someone says, "Wow, that's a great point" or "Haha! Great comeback!" to something I said.
You can imagine me deflating when a Sunday school teacher brought out these verses a few days ago. What do you mean I'm called to look like a fool? God nudged me and I looked back with a little pout. Then He nudged me again and pointed to his "more excellent way." (1 Cor. 12:31)
The apostle Paul had the ability - and the guts - to take on the philosophers of Athens, the Jewish elite, and any other wise guy who came his way. But in his God-given wisdom, he understood that it wasn't about winning the argument, or even sounding intelligent. His goal was to speak God's truth and let the Lord work on people's hearts and minds.
Paul knew that "the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing" - those who don't know Christ don't "get" what's so earth-shattering about the Gospel. Yet "to us who are being saved it is the power of God," (1 Cor. 1:18) it's far more incredible than anything Plato could dream up or Shakespeare could write. The fact that God took me when I was dead in sin and made me "alive together with Christ" (Eph. 2:5) shuts my mouth and heart to anything "smart" I have to say. There's no room for my tiny human accomplishments beside God's infinite wisdom and work. God's love simply overwhelms, well, everything. That humbles me. My attitude should be like that in the praise song:
How can I keep from singing Your praise?
How can I ever say enough?
How amazing is Your love!
How can I keep from shouting Your name?
I know I am loved by the King
And it makes my heart want to sing.
Everything else is just tomfoolery compared to such grace. How can I keep from singing His wisdom?
Intersection of Faith & Life: In your conversations today, ask yourself what's behind your words. Is it a motivation to be funny for its own sake? Impress someone with your knowledge? Or to live out the Gospel by humility, edification, and love?
Further Reading:
1 Corinthians 2:2, 20
Galatians 2:20
Psalm 117:2
:angel:
March 17, 2011
Look Up
by Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
But he answered and said to his father, "Look! For so many years I have been serving you and I have never neglected a command of yours; and yet you have never given me a young goat, so that I might celebrate with my friends; but when this son of yours came, who has devoured your wealth with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him." ~ Luke 15: 29 - 31
I recently ran across a forum discussion about being single that reminded me of my single days. The original posting went something like this:
"I really want to be married. I've waited years and years to be married. I've saved myself for my wedding night and lived a life pleasing to God. So it really pains me to see all these people who compromised their purity getting married when I've lived chastely but remain single and dateless. It's just not fair."
Have you ever felt this way? It's natural to feel frustrated when we make good choices and get burned while those who made poor choices seem to have it easier. Yes, most of us have empathized with the older brother of the prodigal son at some point. After all, he is the son that did everything right.
But truthfully, the older brother wasn't much different from the younger. Both brothers believed a fallacy: If I do things my way, I'll win. The consequences of a prodigal son's actions are often obvious - life often crumbles around them as they break away from God's truth and embrace reckless living. But what exactly happens when we embrace the attitude of the older brother?
We may still attend church, continue to make righteous decisions, and maintain the appearance of well-being, but we begin to rot on the inside as we internally pull away from the Father's life-giving love. I see three subtle dangers to the soul who suffers with Older Brother Syndrome:
1. Loss of spiritual clarity. When we embrace the stance of the older brother, our spiritual vision darkens because we turn our gaze away from Christ to fixate on someone else's life. The older brother travels down an ungodly path because he fails to see things from his merciful father's perspective. From his corner, he cannot see that the prodigal brother suffered for his transgressions and repented with sorrow, nor can he see his own blessings clearly. He festers with envy over the celebration and misinterprets his father's forgiveness as a personal slight. While the older brother may justify his anger in light of the pain his younger brother inflicted on their father, the oldest son only increases his father's pain with his bitter, ungrateful heart.
2. Pride finds a foothold. Let's face it - comparing our "goodness" to another's faults can only lead to a full-blown case of spiritual pride. And pride is deadly to the soul. It causes us to lose gratitude towards our Father, obscures our own need for mercy, and misleads us into thinking God owes us something. We may make ineffective -- even destructive -- attempts to grasp at the blessings we no longer trust God to provide for us.
3. Misery settles in. Unlike the prodigal, the eldest brother had access to his loving father for his entire life. Yet his response to his father's joy does not reveal a joyful heart. Pride, envy, judgmental attitudes and perfectionism squeeze peace and happiness out of our lives.
So what can we do to find peace when we feel life treats us unfairly? I think its okay to acknowledge feelings of sadness, frustration and even confusion. But at the end of the day, it's best to stop looking at others and start looking up.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast?" (Gen 4: 6). Cain and Abel are another set of brothers who suffered from envy. Cain's sin ultimately mastered him. Is there anything you're holding onto in your heart that is causing you to "look down," away from the Father's loving gaze? Ask God to remove it from your heart.
:angel:
March 18, 2011
Men & Christian Friendship: It Won't Just Happen on its Own
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need.
Proverbs 17:17, NLT
I own many books, but the ones I reference often I keep above my desk at work. One of these is a 1983 edition of David W. Smith's The Friendless American Male. It's a title that, sadly, has only grown more accurate in the last 28 years, its content more applicable. Men, especially us hard-working, married-with-children types, are lacking in close biblical friendships. The reasons are varied and several, and it's not my intent in the space of a daily devotional to present or solve them all. Suffice to say that most men I talk with vouch for the lack of friends in their life, even if they speak of different reasons for the condition.
It's something I worry about, something I marvel at when I consider some of the differences between myself and my own father. Back when my father was climbing the ladder in the Tucson Real Estate industry and had children aged 7 and 5 like I do now, his weekends were all his own. Tennis in the morning on both Saturday and Sunday. Soaking up sun at the pool or doing yardwork in the afternoons. Watching sports or even working in the evenings. A quarterly fishing trip. Several of these activities involved his friends and acquaintances. It's worth noting that he didn't know the Lord at this time in his life, but also important to note that, to the best of my recollection, we kids weren't starved for his attention or affection. It still seemed like we were close, and had plenty of time together. So, I use my father as an example of the model I was shown for what men were expected (allowed?) to do and be in the 1970s.
At some point things changed, and yes, in most ways, for the better. Men began leaving their work at work. Being conscious about setting aside time for family activities. Reserving weekends for playing with their kids and going to soccer games rather than hitting the tennis court or the golf links or the lake. Technology, instead of saving us time, only seemed to create more ways in which we could spend it working. Where my father routinely met his buddies for a beverage after work, it's all I can do to rush home, swallow some food, and not leave my wife and kids feeling neglected before I log on for another couple hours of work and then an exhausted collapse into bed. Meeting another dude for a beer or coffee? Seriously, I don't want to laugh, but when? Even if I had a hole in my schedule, what makes me think the person I might invite (even if I knew someone well enough to want to spend time with him) would have time and desire, too? I've been heavily involved in our Adult Bible Fellowship class at church for years now, and I can count on one hand the times I've done something outside of church with any of the men in that group.
So, something is definitely missing. Somewhere, we went too far. I remember being single and having the privilege to work with some very close friends in our college admissions office, both of whom were newly-married. Getting them to do anything outside work was just about impossible. One of them wouldn't even go see a movie with me - one that I was offering to pay for - on the night his wife was busy studying for her nursing final exams. The other wouldn't even ask his wife whether he could put off lawn mowing for one more day to attend a minor league baseball game with a mutual friend who was in town for one night. What was going on?
Sure, I was tempted to blame their wives for not letting their husbands out to play, but even if there was truth to that notion, it wasn't the issue. The issue was, and is, that men simply are not bonding much these days... that the Bible speaks about friendship and male leadership and iron sharpening iron... and we are either purposefully choosing or unwittingly failing to make bonding and sharpening a priority.
So how do we purposefully choose?
For me, the solution lies partly in my favorite time of every year, mid-March. That's when I and 13 of my friends from college and camp get together for a long weekend of fishing, good food, fantasy baseball drafting, and most importantly, fellowship. We call it "Draftmas" because it's very much like a holiday for us, and it centers around our fantasy baseball draft and league as a device to draw us all together, give us common footing. But to a man, most would tell you that the baseball is not the point. So what is?
Back to Smith's book; on page 52 he writes: "Close friendships don't just happen. They result from the application of principles recorded throughout the Word of God." He contrasts the kindness and affection that David and Jonathan shared with the "lack of sympathy" and "overt emotional harrassment and condemnation" Job experienced with his pals Zophar, Eliphaz, and Bildad. The difference, Smith says, can be found throughout the Bible in these six principles of male friendship:
1. God-Centered
2. Formation of a covenant
3. Faithfulness
4. Social involvement
5. Candor
6. Respect
Just as Amos 3:3 says, "Do two men walk together unless they have made an appointment?", so do we display an intentional commitment to this activity as central to who we are as men, to who we want to be the rest of the year for our families and each other. While having close friends who don't live near me (but whom I'm always in contact with) does, admittedly, sometimes hinder me making new friends locally, it also serves to remind me how making new friends is possible and necessary. And I can see Smith's principles at work in this treasured group: God is indeed at the center of each of our lives; we've formed an agreement to meet together and communicate together around something we all enjoy, and are faithful to that agreement, to God, and to each other. We all fill roles, and are active socially and economically with each other, lending a hand in often amazing ways when needs arise; we speak freely and candidly, and we respect the various issues everyone brings to the table.
This year more than any other year in the past, those issues are big ones. Joblessness. Crises of faith. Being overwhelmed. Economic hardship. Remarriage. Career decisions. Waiting on God. Loneliness. Recently-deceased parents. Autism. Health. I'm really wondering how different this gathering is going to be from past ones. With so many of us suffering so many trials of life right now, some might think this sure sounds like a downer of a man-cation. I don't think it will be. In fact, I can't wait to get out of town to really bounce ideas and prayers off my friends, really seek out ways we can help each other, while at the same time destroying them by catching more fish and outbidding them for Albert Pujols.
It's an amazing dynamic, one I could not live without. One of our group recently told me, "You know this is only going to get harder to keep up the older we get." I disagreed. I know that I and several others are only finding it easier. For one thing, our wives have finally seen the difference in their men when they spend this time with each other. Mine practically pushes me out the door even though the event is usually over her birthday weekend. It's not a perfect answer to what I'm missing and seeing so many other men miss in their lives, but it's a start, and even, I realize now, a model.
Intersecting Faith & Life: What common interest can you center a group of Christian men around? It should be an excuse, a starting point, a conversational diving board. While things like sports, fishing, golfing, and other stereotypical male things are good, bear in mind that no one man enjoys all of these activities or subjects, and often, it's a sore spot with them, one that might be the very thing that, deep down, has them feeling like not as much of a "man." Wives, you can help "wake up" your listless man by hooking him up with his friends (not YOUR friends' husbands on a grown-up play-date, mind you), letting him reconnect with those who share his memories and activities he used to enjoy. Several healthy couples I know set aside one weekend every year for each person to spend a same-sex getaway with close friends, while also not feeling threatened by the idea of an evening here, an afternoon there causing any damage to the relationship. If anything, it'll make your marriage healthier, and bring back some things to talk about and pray for.
Further Reading
1 Samuel 18:1-4; 19:1-10
The Making of a Friendship
Why Men Need Friends
:angel:
March 21, 2011
Seven Habits of Truly Effective Living
by Alex Crain, Editor, Christianity.com
"They will still yield fruit in old age; they shall be full of sap and very green."
Psalm 92:14
The phrase, "begin with the end in mind" may sound familiar if you've read the popular life management book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Even if you aren't familiar with the phrase (or the book), you get the general idea. Simply stated, it's a good idea to ask the question "How do I want this to turn out?" before you begin a task or project. This question helps sharpen your focus and should produce effective action. What is missing from the book, however, is the God-sized perspective that we see in Psalm 92.
If your only source of vision and motivation is the self, frustration will actually result; even though you may lead a life of effective action,
People typically envision the ideal life as one that's surrounded by beauty, valuable things, and great people. We want plenty of leisure time and the health to enjoy these things. But without God, such a life is depicted in Scripture as empty and deceptive. It is a self-absorbed dream that springs from a heart tainted by sin. If we are to be truly effective at living, we must humbly begin with God's end foremost in our minds.
In Psalm 92, the ideal end God depicts for one's life on this earth is that of the righteous person who is "full of sap and very green." In other words, he is filled with spiritual vitality, even at the end of life when the temptation to grumble and express radical selfishness is often the strongest. Instead of complaining, his lips are filled with praise—declaring that there is no unrighteousness in God, his Rock (v. 15).
The roots for such vigor of soul are woven throughout the preceding verses where we see seven habits of truly effective living unfolded for us. They are:
#1 Seeing thankfulness and praise to God as desirable, not as duty (v. 1).
#2 Focusing on God's lovingkindness in the morning and His faithfulness at night
(v. 2). For the righteous man, each day begins and ends with God, implying that God is central in his thoughts throughout the entire day. Literally, lovingkindness refers to God's covenant loyal love, which features His promise of salvation. The righteous person is not self-righteous, or externally moralistic. Rather, he looks to God's promises and unchanging character as the basis for his right standing before his Creator-Judge. The Lord Jesus Christ is, of course, the fulfillment of these promises. So, the one having faith in Christ is counted righteous and delivered from a petty life of vain pursuits.
#3 Enjoying resounding music and singing for joy at God's great works (vv. 1, 3-4).
#4 Pondering the deep thoughts of God (v. 5)—not being characterized by a shallow, pragmatic view of God that sees Him merely as a means to get other things.
#5 Praising the transcendence of God—declaring that God is the "Most High" who is above all His creatures. The righteous one realizes that man is in no way equal to God. Thus, he can never legitimately view God with suspicion or call Him into judgment (v. 8).
#6 Resting securely in the fact that, in the end, God will have the final say on all matters. He will deal justice to the enemies of righteousness (vv. 9-11).
#7 Depending continuously upon God for strength—for "fresh oil" (v. 10), knowing that yesterday's supply never carries over to today.
Perhaps you know an older believer who embodies these seven habits. My own 'eighty-something' grandmother, "Meme," is one such saint. At the time of this writing, she was in a hospital bed, and having serious health problems. But during a recent phone call with her, she talked to me not about her pain but about her delight in truths she read that morning in her well-worn Bible. She asked me about my family, my work, and what I've been reading and learning. She spoke of various hymns and songs she had been singing throughout the day. Her prayer at the close of our conversation was full of gratitude and praise to the Lord, evidencing a deep, personal knowledge of and trust in God. While I listened, I thought to myself: This is what Psalm 92 is all about. Here is a person who, by God's grace, has learned to practice the habits of truly effective living.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Let's ask ourselves honestly: how regularly are these seven habits in Psalm 92 seen and practiced in my daily life? Given the way I am right now, will I spend my latter days of life on this earth in spiritual vitality---"full of sap and very green?" If not, what is the source of the problem? Do I not know God? Is there an idol in my life? Re-read habits 1-7 above to reflect again on what the psalmist delighted in.
Further Reading:
Philippians 2:12-18
Numbers 14
:angel:
March 22, 2011
You Can Do This
By Ryan Duncan
Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. – Luke 6:30
Every other day, just after finishing with work, I head to the gym and spend some time exercising. I like to work out. It's a great way to stay healthy and burn off stress at the same time.
My routine is pretty simple. I start by running on a treadmill, then I wander around the free-weight section for a variety of exercises. Finally, I try to finish off by swimming a few laps in the pool. When it's over I always feel tired and sore, but good that I completed such a full workout.
One day, I was invited to work out with a friend of mine. As we made our way around the weight room, my friend stopped at the bench press and placed two huge weights on the side of the bar. Immediately, I became nervous. I had done the bench press before, but never with that much weight. I wasn't sure I'd be able to lift it. Pride got the better of me though. Instead of saying something, I just braced myself and lifted the bar with all my strength.
To my surprise, it wasn't that heavy. Sure, it took more effort than usual, but I realized my continuous workouts had made me a lot stronger. I had underestimated my own strength.
I think Christians can sometime have the same problem when it comes to their faith. We keep telling ourselves we are not ready, that we need just a little more time to prepare ourselves. We underestimate our ability to be of service to God. Take a moment to read this excerpt from the book of Acts.
After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them. – Acts 18: 1-3
Acts continues to explain that while Paul ministered in Corinth, Aquila and Priscilla opened their home, helped with his teaching, and even followed him on some of his travels. Now read the verse again. Aquila and Pricilla weren't anything special, they were tent makers. If anyone had an excuse to think they weren't ready for ministry, it was them. Instead, they gave what they had while serving where they could and God did amazing things through them.
So, instead of wondering if you ready to serve, ask yourself what could you do to serve?
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Take a moment to review your strengths. How can these be used to serve God?
Further Reading
Proverbs 21:26
:angel:
March 23, 2011
It'll All Come Out in the Wash
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. ~ Psalm 51:10, ESV
"Oh man, you have GOT to be kidding me!"
That's what I exclaimed this past week while standing in my home's laundry area and pulling my clothes out of the washer, and discovering, yet again, that a rogue tissue had gotten all over everything. I mean allllllll over.
This is a pet peeve of mine, as I really do try to be vigilante about checking all of the pockets and nooks and crannies of all of my clothing before washing them. I zip and unzip. I turn inside out and then right-side in. I look inside all the pockets. And then I do it all again. Well, usually.
But once again, I had missed something. Somewhere lurking in a coin pocket, in the fold of a pleat or a sleeve, in the recesses of a pair of jeans, there was a tissue. Ugh. Not again!
There's no escaping a tissue coming out and being exposed and disrupting the rest of the load of laundry. It always, always happens when I've missed it. It's impossible for it to stay hidden when the water loosens everything and anything that's caused it to be stuck. The cleansing process definitely does its job in bringing out the tissues in my loads of laundry.
As I stood there, grumbling to myself and picking off all of the white residue from all of my clothing before I could throw the items into the dryer, I couldn't help but think about the very obvious parallel: my sin. Because that's how it works.
Like any other Christian trying to walk the straight and narrow, you think you're being vigilante about examining your heart. Oh, I'm good. I know what my sin issues are. I'm top of it. You think you're confessing what you need to confess and submitting all of your life to God. Yeah, I'm working through this area of life and God's helping me in this other area. But just these two areas. That's pretty much where I'm at right now. But then WHAMMY! You get blindsided by a sin you didn't even know was there or one that was so well hidden in your life that you couldn't even see it. Or maybe you just didn't want to see it. Kind of like putting a painting in front of a hole in the wall in your living room or scooting a sofa over an ugly stain on your carpet. Right?
One of my favorite sayings related to sin is this: "We are blind to our blindness." Because it's so true. We can't see everything in our lives that God can. We have no clue about everything that is littering our lives with ugliness.
So as we go about our day—or our laundry—today, let's take our cue from David, who so honestly and humbly prayed in Psalm 51:
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. ... Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice. Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
As you're checking for those rogue tissues in your laundry this week, remember that the Father lovingly checks his children when we submit to him and come into his presence in humility and in confession.
Further Reading:
Psalm 139:23-24, NIV
2 Corinthians 6:14-18, NIV
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24, NIV
Hebrews 10:11-14, NIV
:angel:
March 24, 2011
Waiting on the Lord
by Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. Psalm 27: 13-14
I read a book a few years ago for couples discerning marriage called The Exclamation. The author pointed out that God could answer the question "Should I marry him/her" in only three ways: Yes. No. Wait.
I think the toughest of the three is, "Wait." It's not just that we live in an impatient society (we do), and it's not just that we can be selfish, demanding creatures (we can), and it's not just that we tend to want life on our own terms (we do) -- it's that waiting requires surrender of one of man's most precious commodities: time.
Our lives are finite. Each day is precious, each month, each year, because we only have but so many. So when the Infinite God whispers to His limited creatures, "Wait," our responses often sound something like this:
"You see, you don't get it, God. Sure, it's easy for you to wait – you have all of eternity. But I really need some answers. You gave Amy answers, and Chuck answers, and Lori answers, so it's only right and fair you give me answers. After all, you said 'whoever seeks shall find' and stuff, so now I'm seeking, and 'wait' just isn't an acceptable response."
I think it's even tougher to wait when we have pain lingering in our pasts. We may wonder, "Why should I trust God? Last time everything ended in disaster." I speak from experience here. I've had to wait on an answer to prayer for a long time now – even for someone of my youthful age. I know how tough it is to receive the umpteenth "not yet" from God. I know what it's like to look back on painful deferments and feel like life is slipping by.
Yes, waiting isn't for spiritual wimps, but for those strong of heart. Obeying a "not yet" from God requires true faith. It's handing over our days and years and months to God, trusting that we won't regret holding off. It's believing God's plan is truly the best plan even when several other enticing options tempt us. It's deferring what is good for what is best.
And there's the reward of waiting. Even in the midst of my own unanswered prayers, I still believe God isn't out to get you or me. He doesn't ask us to wait to torment us. In His infinitely perfect nature, He sees what we can't and wants to give us more than we're currently asking for. All the times I've ignored God's "wait" and taken matters into my own hands, a lot of precious time was wasted. But those that wait on Him will experience joy that far surpasses any temporary pleasure that comes with forging ahead alone.
Weeping may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning. Psalm 30: 5 (NAS)
Intersecting Faith & Life: Are you waiting for an answer to prayer? My goal this week is to embrace the confidence of the psalmist, knowing I will see the goodness of the Lord if I just wait a while longer. Pray simply and directly about that which you're waiting for – like a child seeking answers from a parent – and then lay it down for the week.
Further Reading
Lamentations 3: 24
Psalm 37: 7
When Dreams Come True
:angel:
March 25, 2011
Don't Bother Me with Details!
Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture
So Joshua took the entire land, just as the LORD had directed Moses, and he gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal divisions. Then the land had rest from war. – Joshua 11:23
Every so often I take out my old "Dear Diary" from when I was eight years old, and thumb through it for the sake of hilarity. Most entries go something like this:
"Today I woke up at 7:47 a.m. Then I ate pancakes for breakfast! I love pancakes! Then I did school, and I brought my magnifying glass with binoculars with me to co-op. Then we played outside in the afternoon. I scraped my knee when I fell off my bike, but I rode all the way around the house on the grass!"
Riveting, no?
Amusement carries me through about three (very short) "Dear Diary" entries, then I close the flowery notebook and get back to my current life. After I've read through a week of what I had for breakfast, I'm done observing my former status as a "cute kid." Every little detail that I thought was so important when I was eight just doesn't thrill me now.
Unfortunately, I've have a tendency to take the same approach to certain portions of Scripture. You know the ones I'm talking about – "This is what Moses had given the tribe of Gad... from Heshbon to Ramath Mizpah and Betonim, and from Mahanaim to the territory of Debir." All the territories and distances and kings of what city etc. are very much like those breakfast entries. That's nice, God, but frankly, I don't really care anymore.
I didn't think it was possible to make a sermon out of such details, but a pastor proved me wrong on Sunday. In fact, he made a sermon out of all nine chapters detailing which tribes and clans got what land when the Israelites finally took Canaan. And – unbelievably – I found myself reveling in the "inane" details.
Consider that this doling out of territory was 600 years in making. A promise made to Abraham 600 years before this moment, before Egypt happened, before Abraham even had an heir of his own kin. Six hundred years later, God's promise that Israel would possess the land of Canaan finally comes through – and in all that time, God has not lost sight of the details. In the midst of this plan that span more than half a millennium, the Lord of Israel comes from the span of heaven and picks out every plot of earth that every clan will inherit.
We serve a God who controls both the universe and the finest breath of wind, who orchestrates all of history and the little details for our lives. Nine chapters about plots of land? Apparently, he cares enough about the details to include them in divine revelation. And yet how often do we pass over these same details tucked away in Scripture – even when we're searching for assurance of God's hand in our life!
As Abraham Piper writes, "It's true that knowing Michmethah is east of Shechem ranks very low in the list of facts that are important to know from the Bible. But it matters, because the sum of all the dull details that God has accomplished proves that whatever he promises, he will do."
Intersecting Faith & Life: Is your life "boring" right now as you work through the inane details of day to day living? Rejoice in knowing that God's hand is at work even in these little things.
Further Reading:
When the Bible Is Boring
the-ol-o-gy
Joshua 21:45
Joshua 23:14
:angel:
March 28, 2011
The Hunger: Is It In You?
Alex Crain: Editor, Christianity.com
"...like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk so that by it you may grow up in your salvation."
1 Peter 2:2, NIV
Crave is a word of intense longing. According to this text, the type of appetite we are to have for the Word of God is that of a newborn child, desperate to feed. Peter isn't talking about being infants in Christ. That's not his point. Rather, he's simply talking about hunger. He is talking about desiring the Word.
The Greek word here (epipotheo) means to long for greatly, to earnestly desire and even to starve. Such hunger is natural. All living things crave nourishment. Dying and dead things do not. If hunger isn't present, there's something wrong.
Interestingly, the wrong things that Peter mentions in this passage are not the "big ones" you might think of—the grosser sins of the pagan life. Rather, they are the common everyday vices that destroy relationships. These are the sins that undermine the mutual acceptance and belonging that ought to exist between believers, regardless of skin color, birthplace or position—whether social, educational or economic.
I once heard these sins called "tuxedo" sins because they seem to be tolerated even by people who appear to be most respectable. Because they are so common, we can sometimes think of them as small and harmless. Not so, according to Scripture.
Having Malice? Ill will? Don't we all do that? Yes, but God says: "Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor" (Rom. 12:10).
Deceit? God says: "Put away lying, let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor, for we are members of one another." (Eph. 4:25)
Hypocrisy & Slander? Yes, these too need to be put away as God says they:
are characteristics of the devil himself: (Rev. 12:10)
separate friends (Prov. 16:28)
cause strife (Prov. 26:20)
sow discord among the brethren (Prov. 6:19)
destroy neighbors (Prov. 11:9)
can lead to violence and murder (Ps. 31:13)
The truth is, we must be UNTAUGHT these fleshly, ordinary responses that are so deeply rooted in our minds and hearts. Lack of zeal for God and His Word; being bored with or indifferent to the Bible are clear indicators that these sins are still there, robbing us of spiritual nourishment.
This is not meant to give you a guilty conscience and just leave you wallowing there. First Thessalonians 5:9 is clear that "God has not destined us for wrath, but for salvation." Francis Schaeffer speaks to this also in chapter eight of his book, True Sprituality: "God means us to have, as one of His gifts in this life, freedom from a false tyranny of the conscience."
So, like any good doctor, Peter not only points out the problem but also gives the solution—not striving in our own strength or trusting in our confession of sin but trusting in the gospel of Jesus Christ—in the Savior Himself. The price He paid for sin is enough. We can have forgiveness, cleansing and renewed hunger for the Word in Christ!
Intersecting Faith & Life:
If you have a good appetite for the Word of God and are enjoying daily nourishment from reading it and meditating on its truth, pause and thank God for that clear sign of life, health and maturity. If not, ask God to give you eyes to see what may be keeping you from longing for His Word.
Further Reading:
Eph. 4:25
Rev. 12:10
Prov. 16:28
Prov. 26:20
Prov. 6:19
Prov. 11:9
Ps. 31:13
:angel:
March 29, 2011
Freedom from Self
Sarah Phillips, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
Restore to me the joy of thy salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. (Psalm 51: 12)
Do you have a hard time embracing the idea that God loves you? Do you struggle with a nagging sense of inadequacy or unworthiness?
As we kick off Lent, we encounter a lot of talk about sinfulness, reparations, confession, and penance. The Lenten focus is wonderful and necessary for all of us. We are sinners in a fallen world, and we can find ourselves forgetting our need for God and His grace readily.
It's easy to see how Lent can infuse humility into one who suffers from pride. But what about those of us who suffer from scrupulosity? A quick internet search of this term brings us to Wikipedia which defines scrupulosity as "obsessive concern with one's own sins and compulsive performance of religious devotion." Scrupulosity is basically an obsession with our own faults and failings. It often plagues perfectionists and can be paralyzing to the believer's life. The scrupulous believer holds on to his or her sins and even erroneously labels innocent acts as sinful, convinced God could not love them enough to forgive them.
When the tendency to hyper-focus on imperfections and sins takes over, we need to remember that Lent is the journey towards Easter. It is meant to help us grow in our relationship with God, not lead us into clinical depression.
Let's take the Lenten practice of fasting, for example. Why do Christians fast? Fasting can be found in both the Old Testament and the New, with Moses (Exodus 34:28; Deuteronomy 9:9,18 ), Elijah (1 Kings 19:8), and our Lord (Matthew 4:2) all participating in 40-day fasts. Biblically, fasting centers around genuine humility and a desire to be in right relationship with God. Fasting is a way of denying ourselves excesses so that we might be more attuned to the Lord's voice. This requires first and foremost a belief that one can be in right relationship with God; that He is accessible to the believer!
Fasting makes the most sense when we consider it in light of Genesis 1, which reveals that we all have inherent dignity as creatures created in the image and likeness of God. An excerpt of this chapter states:
Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them... God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. (Genesis 1: 26 - 27, 31)
As human beings with this dignity, we can exercise our gift of free will to embrace opportunities God gives us to experience His refining grace in our lives. In doing so, the small aches and pains that come with fasting should draw our attention away from our failings and towards the reality that God loves us so much that He would suffer profoundly for us on the Cross.
Intersecting Faith & Life: If you suffer from scrupulosity, give it up for Lent. Instead of repeating your sins to God over and over, spend the next several weeks studying the gospel in light of God's love for you.
:angel:
March 30, 2011
Death and Taxes
By Ryan Duncan, Editor for TheFish.com
Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin." - John 8:34
A classmate of mine once said that she could not believe in God because a loving God would not be so cruel as to send people to Hell. I admit, at the time, I couldn't help feeling she was right.
I had sat through countless lectures on the love and mercy of Christ; but how could that same God justify sending people to Hell? Sure, maybe murderers and criminals deserved to be punished, but the average Joe? For all eternity? Just because they weren't a Christian? That seemed pretty ruthless.
Fast forward a couple of years and I am introduced to the American Tax System. I swear, nothing in life has even been so needlessly complicated, painfully frustrating, or overwhelmingly stressful as doing taxes. I spent an entire afternoon typing in my name, age, blood type, psychological profile, if I was filing jointly with an iguana, and giving background on every job I've ever held, including a lemonade stand from when I was eight.
Somewhere in the midst of W2 forms though, it struck me how my taxes may have provided the answer for my spiritual uncertainty. Taxes may be frustrating, but it was still the law, and the government was justified in making me do them. We can make excuses for how we spend, we can try to play the system with charitable works, but in the end, the law demands that we stand accountable before a greater power and face the consequences for our actions.
R.C. Sproul writes,
"Is the death penalty for sin unjust? By no means. Remember that God voluntarily created us. He gave us the highest privilege of being His image bearers. He made us but a little lower than the angels. He freely gave us dominion over all the earth. We are not turtles. We are not fireflies. We are not caterpillars or coyotes. We are people. We are the image bearers of the holy and majestic King of the cosmos. We have not used the gift of life for the purpose God intended. Life on this planet has become the arena in which we daily carry out the work of cosmic treason. – R.C. Sproul
The truth is not always kind, sometimes it is brutal, and the truth of God is that even the best of us has erred to the point of condemnation. So, what now? Well, we can spend our time trying to deny our guilt, or we can accept that Christ sacrificed himself to give us a way out. We can recognize Christ's grace for what it is, a gift, and we can forgive others the same way Christ has forgiven us.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Take some time to thank God of the simple things in your life.
Further Reading
Luke 16:15
:angel:
March 31, 2011
Are You Scared of Loving Zacchaeus?
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." Luke 19:5, NIV
I'm scared of some things—and some people—but I'm not too scared about spending time with those who don't know Jesus. Never have been.
In fact, I enjoy people who are vastly different than me. I must say, though, that I am nowhere even close to the greatest friend-who-knew-no-stranger-of-all-time: Jesus. And so I admire his ability to walk toward those who might scare you and me ... those who we might walk away from today.
Zacchaeus was one such character. He really was a despicable little man. As I'm sure you know, tax collectors in Bible times were not the sort of person you invited over for a potluck to your home on an early spring evening. No, they were viewed as the lowest of the low. The pond scum of society. The ones you wouldn't even let in your front door.
Amazingly, though, Jesus didn't adjust his course when he was walking through Jericho one fine day. With his eye on the tax collector, Jesus walked right to where Zacchaeus was perched in a sycamore tree. Because he was small in stature, Zacchaeus had climbed up this tree so that he could see who Jesus was when he passed by in the crowd of people. He had heard about him, and now he wanted to see for himself.
Had he heard how he'd performed miracles? How he'd attracted and fed large crowds of people? How he'd touched the untouchables and healed those with leprosy? How he'd stood up to the religious establishment and called them on their legalistic teachings?
Who knows for sure. But whatever he had heard, Zacchaeus wanted to see this man who defied everyone's expectations of what the Messiah would be.
"Zacchaeus," Jesus said as he addressed him by name. "Come down immediately. I must stay at your house today."
Can you imagine what Zacchaeus must have thought? He knows me! Wait, HOW does he know me? And why is he coming to spend time with me? Doesn't he know that everyone despises me because I take all of their money? Why would he want to spend time with ME?
But whatever Zaccheus may have thought didn't stop him from scrambling down the tree and welcoming Jesus "gladly." He was smitten with the love of the Savior. And he knew that this was the Christ.
"Look, Lord!" Zacchaeus said to him. "Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount."
And Jesus said to him, "Today, salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."
How amazing is that? Jesus didn't shy away from someone who the rest of society was shunning. He also didn't get up in Zacchaeus' face, make him feel like dirt and then strike him down with the Law in his initial effort to love him. No, he just said, "Hey, I see you and I'm going to spend some time with you. Come on, let's go!"
It's the "great commission" in action. "Go ye into all the world." Even to the parts of town that you usually avoid. Even to the societal groups that offend you. Even to the family member who has chosen to live a different lifestyle. He, she, they ... any of these people can represent Zacchaeus in your life.
But don't walk away from them. Walk toward them. And extend an invitation for a better way of living and the hope of a glorious eternity. Just like Jesus did for you.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
So maybe you think I missed that one part of the Zacchaeus story with the crowd. Well, I didn't. I just saved it for last. When the crowd witnessed Jesus make his invitation to Zacchaeus, they muttered, "He has gone to be the guest of a 'sinner.'" How sad. But isn't that also you and me? We all have a person or a people group who is hard for us to love. Don't be scared of loving the Zacchaeuses in your life. The Lord will help you follow his example as you love others to him.
Further Reading:
Mark 16:15, NIV
John 13:34-35, NIV
1 Peter 4:8-11, NIV
:angel:
April 1, 2011
"Don't Let Foolishness Get The Best of You"
By Stephen Sanders
Audio/Video Editor for Salem Web Network
Matthew 5:21 & 22 says:" You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.'But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, 'You fool!' will be liable to the hellof fire."
Okay, so I realize that talking about hellfire and damnation doesn't necessarily get this devotional off on the most pleasant of starts. So let me make a bit of a clarification. My focus here is to simply point out that anger towards people, resulting in insults and name-calling, is not encouraged in the Bible. Cool?
Now that we've gotten that out of the way, let me just dive right into a growing trend I've noticed and perhaps you have also. This phenomenon stems from our present-day culture. It has become increasingly intertwined with our everyday Christian culture and causes us to be conformed to the age in which we live. No doubt that social networking, video-sharing sites and blogs have made it even easier for Christians to be guilty of rudely calling out the foolishness of others.
Now I understand that there are times where we, as Christians, will need to approach a dear brother or sister in the Lord about sin. In one of my previous devotionals, "Be Yourself," I actually touched on how Matthew 18:15-17 instructs us on the proper way to confront sin. It starts with approaching the person face-to-face... not knocking them off their feet with a nasty tweet.
If you don't quite know what I'm talking about, just pull up any video on the web about Christianity or Jesus and you'll find just as many nasty critiques from Christians as you will from atheists and evolutionists. On Twitter and Facebook, you might have noticed how bold and brash some Christians can be in their convictions. Even the meekest of saints can become someone totally different online because, well, they just can! What's to stop them? This power to comment with little or no consequence is not only troubling to see and harmful to that person's character, but it's contaminating our witness as Christians in today's world.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Who's getting your goat these days? Is there someone in your life that doesn't seem to be making good decisions? A close friend or someone you've separated yourself from because of their lifestyle? Maybe someone in the public eye like, I don't know... a famous pastor perhaps? The President of the United States?
Whatever the case, John 13:35 says, "By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." So, the next time you get ready to speak your mind to the masses, stop and think about the overall outcome. Once you've had a chance to cool your jets, consider how you can address this issue in love.
You'll probably be really glad you did and may actually have a positive impact on the situation.
For Further Reading
The Sermon on the Mount
"Why Christians Are Jerks Online" by Jonathan Acuff
:angel:
April 4, 2011
Christianized Karma
by Katherine Britton
Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"...but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you..."– 1 Peter 3:15
Christians give really good hugs during trials and tragedy. As my own family has experienced recently, the body of Christ has long arms to embrace those in need, easing the burdens of bad times. The church at work offers silent – and strong – evidence of grace when we pick each other up off the ground.
Now, imagine for a moment that your community didn't provide any support during a trial. Imagine that instead of offering encouraging words and providing meals or other support after a tragedy, the whole community pulled away. Imagine if they acted like you were a disease they didn't want to catch while you shouldered the burden alone. And not only that -- they believed that your problems were your own fault, pure and simple.
That's karma at work. And it's a lonely road.
A missionary couple recently visited our church before heading to London, where they planned settle in an immigrant community that's mostly Hindu. The wife expressed her desire to see people set free from the bonds of karma. That caught my interest. I'd slipped into viewing karma through an Americanized lens, as a pseudo-Christian philosophy of reaping what you sow (Galatians 6:7). Faithfulness and selfishness often have their rewards in this life, after all, and good deeds are often repaid with a smile and expression of gratitude if nothing else. Karma may not be the full picture, but it seemed like an innocuous truism to me.
The missionary went on to describe the ugly side of karma, in which the community pulls away from its members who are suffering. Lose a job? It's a karmic effect – you must have cheated your employer or at least talked badly about him. Did you – heaven forbid – lose a child? Somehow, that's your fault too, as the universe balances out some evil you've done. If such horrible things are somehow your fault, it would also make sense for people to pull away. That's the bond of karma.
Christians rely on the promise that "all things work for the good of those who love God" (Romans 8:28). We fight to believe that, while "no discipline seems pleasant at the time... later on it produces a harvest of righteousness" (Hebrews 12:11). Like Job, we may never know the reason for our earthly suffering. But we know that, because of grace, suffering is not a quid-pro-quo retaliation for our sins. Even our suffering has been redeemed by God's grace through Christ's supreme act of love.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Unlike the Hindu system of karma and its effects, we know even our pain is used by a loving God. Because of that, we have real hope for tomorrow – because our future doesn't depend on us! No matter what trials we experience, we can rest in the knowledge that even when we are not good, God is. That's mercy, and that gives hope. Are you ready to give an answer for that hope?
:angel:
April 5, 2011
True Love for the Poor
Sarah Phillips, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. John 13: 34
Lent is a time when believers not only meditate on Christ's suffering, but they reach out to those in need. In light of this practice, I want to share an experience my husband and I had this weekend with a special group of Christians who understand the command to love one another at the deepest level. My husband and I spent a recent Sunday afternoon at a home run by The Little Sisters of the Poor.
The Little Sisters of the Poor are a religious order dedicated to the care of the elderly. St. Jeanne Jugan founded the order in revolutionary-era France. Like so many other founders and foundresses of religious communities, she didn't set out to start an order. She simply saw a need in her community and answered God's call to meet that need through her own life.
St. Jeanne Jugan's work with the elderly began in her teens when she would beg on behalf of the elderly poor. As a young woman, she rejected a sailor's proposal, sensing God had consecrated life in mind for her even though she did not know all the details yet of how it would play out. After years of living a life of prayer and service, she realized God wanted her to serve the elderly in particular. As more and more aging and poor came to her doorstep, young women joined her in service and the order began.
Today, the Little Sisters have homes all over the world. My husband's grandmother now lives in one. This is what brought us to our local Little Sisters.
I am not an expert on caring for the elderly, but I've certainly visited nursing homes before. My most memorable experiences occurred during my own grandmother's stays in several local nursing homes. I know how dismal these places can feel.
Our visit to the Little Sisters was anything but dismal. Everything was so peaceful and well-kept. The nuns, in full habit, were eager to meet me and the rest of the extended family. My husband's grandmother, already settled in to her new place, used her new walker to give us a tour of the place. It was neat to see her walking faster than I'd ever seen her walk.
We saw the handicap accessible chapel where a service is offered every single day - and the sisters will even wheel your bed in if need be. As we stood outside the chapel, another resident zipped by in her walker. A nun smiled and mentioned how she is always visiting the chapel to pray for her many grandchildren. We saw the calendar filled with events and visitors. We saw the handrails, wheeled chairs, and even the salon - every detail of the place's design was focused on allowing life to be lived to the fullest.
Beyond the practical details that make life easier for the elderly, the attitude that each human being has inherent dignity and worth permeated the place. The nuns were attentive to everyone, young and old, no matter how healthy or sick. As mentioned above, the residents were bright-eyed and social. Nobody was a burden or a lost cause (or a cause at all, for that matter). A small sign at the front desk showed a smiling picture of one of their residents who had recently passed, expressing gratitude for her and asking for prayers.
The Little Sisters of the Poor are immersed in the realities and complexities of aging day in and day out. And they are just one of many unsung organizations that reach out to those in need, not just once during Lent, but every single day for as long as they are needed.
It's true that the Little Sisters' lives are not glamorous. They receive no earthly reward - not even a high-paying salary - and yet they are happy, beautiful women and interesting conversationalists. These women have created an environment of love and expert care that so many other facilities struggle to achieve, and it's precisely because of their love for Christ.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Is God calling you to increase your service to others? Pray about ways you can reach out to others in need this Lent.
:angel:
April 6, 2011
God's Will: So Simple it's Hard
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
Rejoice always;
pray without ceasing;
in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
"God's will for my life"... how often have you pondered that notion? Studied it? Read untold books about it? Know people who torture themselves trying to locate it?
Well, here we have an obvious chunk of it, even compact and useful just as we like things to be, tucked away at the close of Paul's first letter to the church at Thessalonica. "This is God's will for you...," it says.
Well, yes, it says that, and it sure is pretty - almost poetic - but is it deep enough? Shouldn't there be more? Is it practical?
Okay. Then let's go Old Testament. Prophetic. Action-oriented. Micah 6:8 says, "He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"
It's still simple, still bunched in a group of three, still indicating that there's no big mystery way far out there which must be solved before we know how to act or decide, or how God wants us to act or decide.
So why do we seek for more?
I think it's because the ridiculously simple, paradoxically enough, is ridiculously hard, and we know it. G.K. Chesterton famously said, "The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult and left untried."
We could spend a lot of time discussing the ins-and-outs of how easy or hard God's will is, and where else in His Word we can find snippets of it. One woman from my Bible fellowship class is fond of asking during our lessons, "What does that look like?" Let's ponder on that for a minute here.
The situation is this: you've been sent on a missionary journey via a clear calling from God. The resources were there, the people willing. You are leading your group through a city when you encounter a psychic who keeps taunting you. After a while, through calling on the name of Jesus you cast out the evil spirit within her. Hooray! Score one for the Lord, and your group! But alas, there is no praise here, because those who had been making some cash off the now-set-free woman's powers aren't happy with you. They drag your group before local law enforcement, have you beaten, and thrown into prison. Hey now!
At this point, I am saying, "God, this is NOT your will. YOU made it very clear we were to come on this trip, and we even did a miracle for you! Now we're injured, in jail... I don't even know how I'm going to get home much less continue to be effective for you from here! I want a telephone, I want a lawyer, and I want you to reveal your ACTUAL will, right now, and suffer no more discomfort while doing what you sent us to do!"
And with that, my missionary journey would come to a close. But not the Apostle Paul's, not as we have it recorded in Acts 16:16-40, which is one of my all-time favorite passages. Paul, who knew God's will better than I, and practiced it, knew to "rejoice always." And so, bloodied and with his feet in stocks, he sings. Seriously, he sings hymns of praise. He also knew to "pray without ceasing," and so, in verse 25, that's exactly what you find - Paul and Silas praying... at midnight, even.
The missionaries on this journey got out of God's way by doing the simple things that God had willed for them to do, so that God was free to let fly with His own big, complex, miraculous will for everyone else. An earthquake shakes open the prison, snapping chains in the process. Prisoners, however, stay where they are. A jailer, about to kill himself, holds his sword, and moments later accepts Jesus into his heart. Then his family joins the flock, all because those he had persecuted chose to "love kindness."
At every step of the journey, Paul, Silas, and their companions chose to walk humbly, give thanks, and do what was just (speaking of which, once officially released, Paul did have some words of justice regarding their citizenship and treatment for the magistrates).
It's absolutely amazing to me the ways that God plans to accomplish His Will (big "W") on earth. His will in my life has already been decided. It is my job to walk humbly, get out of the way, always be in prayer, always rejoicing no matter what situation I'm in. But how often do we come back to the same situation, sitting in my car, simple traffic jam, me needing to be somewhere, telling God, "Did you not ordain that I should do such and such today? Or get this amount of work done so I can spend this amount of time with my family? Then this is on you unless you make such-and-such happen now!"
Sigh... how many miracles have I missed?
No, God's will for my life isn't difficult to know. It's just frustratingly hard to do if self is at the center. And that's the crux of the very question itself, "What is God's will for MY life?"
Perhaps when we get out of the way, we shall see better.
Intersecting Faith & Life: How long will it take to learn the lesson that even if I know I am doing God's will it doesn't mean everything will appear to go smoothly along the way? That there are purposes I either don't know or am unwilling to consider could be a part of inconvenience? If you're like me, start learning today by making note of every story in the Bible that suffers a delay, interruption, inconvenience or other problem before the payoff. (Hint: start with guys like Joseph, and Abraham...)
Further Reading
Acts 16
Micah 6:8
Stop Wrestling, Start Serving: The Non-Mystery of God's Will
:angel:
April 7, 2011
The Hunger: Is It in Y'all?
by Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"...like newborn babies, [you all] long for the pure milk of the Word,
so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation..."
1 Peter 2:2, NAS
A recent Crosswalk Devotional ("The Hunger: Is It in You?") highlighted the passage above and encouraged us to take an honest look at our personal degree of hunger for God's Word. The command in 1 Peter 2:2 seems simple and clear enough: "Long for the pure milk of the Word." But not so simple and clear in the text is the fact that the command is a second-person plural. So it actually reads: "You all long for the pure milk of the Word..."
If it seems like I'm dwelling on the tiniest detail of grammar, hang in there. Remember that Jesus affirmed every detail of Scripture is significant. So, let's take a closer look at this.
At first glance, we see 1 Peter 2:2 as directed toward the individual, as if to say, I cannot grow and I cannot have a healthy appetite for God's Word as long as I harbor any of the sins mentioned in the text (i.e., malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander). And while that's certainly not a false idea, such an emphasis on the individual leads us away from applying the passage to its intended place—the whole church community.
Since the "you" pronouns in 1 Peter 2:1-3 are all plural, the Scripture is actually emphasizing the church's collective experience of growth. In other words, healthy growth ought to be the normal course of life together. The Christian life is not a solo journey, but about being involved in each others' lives. It's about each believer being nourished by the truth of God's Word and ministering that Word to others. My friend, Jonathan Leeman, puts it well when he says that the Word ought to reverberate throughout the body.
While regular corporate times of teaching and worship are important, a church isn't to be merely a "Sunday service machine." That kind of thinking can produce an unhealthy assembly of strangers. First Peter 2 says that wherever we find an unhealthy church there must exist some degree of malice, deceit, hypocrisy, and slander. These are relational sins, and they quench the collective body's craving for spiritual nourishment. There can be a lot of well-crafted speech, fine music, and maybe even increasing numbers; but if there is no community of healthy relationships there will be no real growth.
Idealistic? Maybe. But it certainly seems to be affirmed by Scripture. Churches really do work, thrive, grow, and reproduce when they collectively put away relational sins, collectively long for the pure milk of the Word and collectively see it reverberate throughout the entire body.
The place of restoration in all of this is the gospel, not a "do more, do better, try harder" works attitude. If you've led or have been part of an unhealthy, machine-like congregation, draw encouragement from this week's reading in Francis Schaeffer's book, True Spirituality. He discusses the path to healing at the close of chapter eight:
"Most Christians find that the first step in the substantial healing that they can have in the present life is the substantial healing of the separation from themselves that is a result of the Fall and of sin. Man is first of all separated from God, then from himself, and finally from his fellow men and from nature. The blood of the Lord Jesus Christ will give an absolute and perfect restoration of all these things when Jesus comes.
But in the present life, there is to be substantial healing. If we call our sin sin, and bring it under the blood of Christ, it is forgiven. This is the reality of restored relationship. Reality is not meant to be only creedal, though creeds are important. Reality is to be experienced on the basis of a restored relationship with God through the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross."
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Do you see your own spiritual health as something that either helps or hinders your fellow believers? Or do you tend to see it as something that affects primarily you?
What receives more attention at your local church: healthy relationships or "the Sunday machine?"
Further Reading
1 Cor. 12:14-27
:angel:
April 8, 2011
Laying Bricks
By Ryan Duncan, Editor for TheFish.com
Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 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: 43 – 45
Sometimes, I get restless. I went to college at Taylor University, a small Christian school in the middle of Cornfield, Indiana. Though Taylor wasn't very big, it strove to serve Christ, and encouraged its students to impact the world for God. During the January term, when you could sleep all day and goof-off all night, Taylor offered something called Lighthouse Missions. Instead of wasting their brief vacation, students became a part of service-learning projects that allowed them to share Christ with a world in need.
When Spring Break came around, and the beaches of Florida were calling, it sent students everywhere from Russia to the neighboring town of Grant County, where they engaged in housing projects, orphan care, and outreach. It was tough giving up those precious vacation days, but it felt good to know you were serving Christ. Unfortunately, after graduation opportunities like these are harder to come by. With a forty to fifty-hour work week, not to mention budgeted money and vacation time, jetting off to some foreign location isn't something you can just do.
I can remember sitting in church, boiling with frustration because I couldn't just go do something like I had in college. God clearly has a sense of irony, because at that moment the pastor stood up and asked for volunteers to help pack up after the service. My problem? I had become the "wealthy giver." Not sure what I mean? Read this story in Mark 12:
Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything--all she had to live on." – Mark 12: 41-44
It's amazing how serving Christ can easily become something selfish. I was only interested in serving if it was on my terms, and because of that I let a lot of opportunities pass me by. The truth is that volunteering for a church nursery could be just as important in God's eyes as building houses in another country.
An old professor once told my class that the kingdom of God is built on willing hearts. When we choose to follow God, we are laying the bricks of his kingdom, and creating a sturdy foundation for others to stand on. So get involved, and if you feel God leading you toward a big opportunity, take it. But don't be too proud to serve in the small places. Sometimes it's the little things that make all the difference.
Intersecting Faith and Life
What opportunities does your church offer for serving? Take a moment to look them over and see if one is good for you. Churches are always looking for volunteers to help with children and young adults.
Further Reading
Philippians 2:1-4
:angel:
April 11, 2011
Are You Walking the Walk?
Laura MacCorkle, Senior Editor
Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. 1 John 2:6, NIV
About five or so years ago I bought a treadmill for my home. No, it wasn't the result of getting sucked into a late-night infomercial's claims. It was simply the by-product of some cost-cutting measures.
You see, I had just moved into my first home and had just paid my first mortgage payment. Realizing that something had to quickly go in the ever-dwindling budget, I decided to cancel my gym membership. And thus, the treadmill was purchased so I could work out more inexpensively—and more conveniently—in the comfort of my own home.
For a while, I did what I said I would do and what I said I believed: I walked on the treadmill many times a week, and my health and fitness level were good. But pretty soon, the treadmill became more like a piece of sculpture sitting in the corner. It was only looked at, and it gathered lots of dust.
Well, my shake-up, wake-up call came many months later at my annual exam with my doctor. She noted that I had gained a few pounds since the last visit and that my cholesterol level was too high. Well, to say I felt like a failure is an understatement. I cried and was upset with myself, because I knew I hadn't done what I said I would do, and I was left with a poor lifestyle and declining health.
I vowed to make exercising and a better diet a higher priority in my life. And now, many years later, I'm pleased to say that I've kept to my word and feel so much better. I walk (or run) on my treadmill every other day, and I don't have to dust it nearly as much as I used to. And that's a bonus!
A few years before this diet and exercise regimen transformation, I had a spiritual shake-up, wake-up call of sorts. After reaching a low point in my life and coming to a crisis of faith, I made a decision: I have to live what I believe. I have to walk with the Lord. Only he can heal me and renew and reenergize my spirit.
I think I had been stuck sitting in life's "recliner" for many years before then, just watching others exercise what they believed and seeing them growing strong in their faith. I wanted what they had, and I wanted to be filled with the joy of the Lord as well. I knew what I needed to do. I knew I needed to get in God's Word and start building some spiritual "muscle." But I just wasn't doing it. I wasn't walking the walk.
Slowly but surely, though, the Lord drew me closer. I joined a Bible study and began reading more Scripture. I listened more intently to the sermons at church. I began asking questions to older, more seasoned, believers. And God met me everywhere I took a step in order to deepen my relationship with him.
What about you? Are you living with purpose and walking the walk today? Or are you stuck in "recliner" mode in your life and wishing you would feel better inside? If you are willing, God will help you take a step toward greater spiritual health as you seek to truly live in him.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Meditate on this verse—and the blessings from walking with the Lord—from the great hymn, "Trust and Obey," by John Sammis and Daniel Towner:
When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will, He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.
Further Reading:
Psalm 25:4-5, NIV
Proverbs 20:24, NIV
1 John 1:7, NIV
:angel:
April 12, 2011
Making Faces
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord. – Exodus 34:29
Once upon a time, armed with a couple brushes and makeup cakes, I specialized in turning 20-year-olds into 70-year-olds.
My time backstage in the college theater resulted in curious, long-term fascination with age lines and facial features. I more than once found myself ignoring a professor's lecture to study his face – ironically, studying the faces sometimes gave me a clearer insight into who my professor was as a person, and what his expectations might be. I've carried that quirk with me as I meet new people at church, at work, or at massive family reunions.
Here's the thing – sure, everyone gets crows feet as they age, but only some people have the unique quality that upgrades the "wrinkles" into "laugh lines." The eyes in those faces possess a permanent twinkle that makes me wish I had all day to listen to their tales of dare'n'do. Other faces have the stern, vertical jowl lines indicating a person might not have spent enough time smiling. It's easy to spot the people who talk with their eyes just by looking at their forehead and observing how prominent the creases are.
Backstage in college, these observations played an important role in every theater production. As part of the makeup crew, my goal was to create immediate character recognition and visible personality for actors before they even opened their mouths to say their first lines. This was especially important when creating older characters. The artifice of the theater let me speed through the years and imagine – if this sallow character was 50, 60, or 70 years old, what toll would their personality have taken on their expression? Add a line here, a perceived fullness there, a slight curve or shadow, and my college-age friends would (in theory) walk out not as themselves, but as a visual portrayal of a character. The lines served as an outward sign of an inner temperament.
Theater makeup allowed me to put the habits of a lifetime onto someone for just a few hours. After that, an actor could just wash off the brown and crème lines and "old age" foundation. The rest of us wear – and are always creating – more permanent lines.
The visual character sketches I used to create constantly reminded me that people either get "better or bitter" as we grow older. Our attitudes and values subtly reveal themselves on our faces from childhood on. Dorian Gray was a caricature, but actions do tend to work themselves to the surface whether we want the world to know or not.
You can look around to see what a lifetime of self-centered crankiness will do to a person's looks. On the other hand, if your church is like mine, you can also find faces that show a lifetime of peace in Christ. Those faces – and those eyes – are tied to a world that has more than a few difficulties and anxieties, but that's not what shines through. It's the joy of Christ that gives those eyes a constant twinkle.
Intersection of Faith & Life: We ultimately display what's in our hearts right on our faces. Moses experienced this everyday truth in a supernatural way every time he spoke with God (Exodus 34:29-35), when everyone could tell just by looking at his "radiant" face that he had met with God. After his heart had been fully focused on God, his face reflected it. When people look at your face, what do they see? Are you building attitudes and character traits today that you want reflected on your face in a few years time?
Acts 4:13
Proverbs 15:13
:angel:
April 13, 2011
The Call to Martyrdom
by Sarah Phillips, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." Matthew 16: 24
St Maximilian Kolbe once wrote, "Beyond armies of occupation and the hecatombs of extermination camps, there are two irreconcilable enemies in the depth of every soul: good and evil, sin and love. And what use are the victories on the battlefield if we ourselves are defeated in our innermost personal selves?"
Maximilian Kolbe has long been one of my favorite Christian heroes. A wild-child-turned-convert, he was a Polish priest during the dark days of World War II. He dedicated his life to boldly proclaiming Christ, traveling as far as Japan in spite of knowing very little Japanese. Ultimately, he found himself at Auschwitz, ministering to fellow prisoners. He died after offering his life in place of another prisoner who had a wife and children. That prisoner – a "nobody" by the world's standards -- went on to be reunited with his many children after the war. Kolbe's life is one of many amazing examples of Christians imitating Christ to the point of quite literally following Him to the Cross.
This coming Sunday is Palm Sunday. This feast day marks the solemn beginning of Holy Week. For our Palm Sunday service, our two pastors and deacon wear red robes – red being the liturgical color of martyrdom. The color is all too appropriate.
Often, when we think of martyrdom we think of dramatic and bloody deaths like the early Christians endured in the Coliseum or the horrors Kolbe faced in that concentration camp. These "red martyrdoms," while inspirational, seem reserved for a select few in far away countries.
Yet, in reflecting on Christ's sufferings this year, I've been pondering our own call as Christians to "take up our crosses" and follow in Christ's footsteps. In many ways, martyrdom isn't reserved for a few Christians in far away countries. There is a second kind of martyrdom to which all Christians are called, sometimes referred to as "white martyrdom."
White martyrdom is the subtle, but profoundly important "death to self" believers must embrace on a daily basis. It is a call to surrender all to the Lord, to be willing to sacrifice personal pleasures or temporary desires for a greater good. "White martyrdom" is the housewife who shelves her master's degree to stay home with her little ones. It's the husband who does household chores after a long day of work to give his wife a much-needed time to herself. It's the college student who stays chaste in the face of temptation, only to be "rewarded" by the ridicule of his buddies. It's the colleague who puts in extra hours, but never gets extra credit. White martyrdom is the stuff that builds character, the stuff that strengthens "spiritual muscles" – and its rewards may or may not come in this lifetime. Yet God does not fail to treasure each and every thing we do for Him - no matter how hidden or small.
Kolbe's death illustrates an important connection between white and red martyrdom. He was known for personal integrity, for living a life that daily revealed love for his Savior in every little action – long before he was faced with time at Auschwitz. Believers like Kolbe understand that life cannot be compartmentalized. We cannot act saintly one hour, devilishly the next, and say at the end of the day, "Well, on average I am a pretty good person."
No doubt, a life of small, daily moments of "choosing Christ," of constant conversion and submission to the Lord, paved the way for Kolbe and countless other heroes of the faith to choose Christ when it mattered most.
Of course, a life of "white martyrdom" may not sound very appealing to you. I've always marveled at my friends who thought Christianity to be a crutch – I think my pre-Christian days were easier! But the longer I walk the Christian walk, the more I realize how true glory cannot be separated from some measure of suffering – how Easter cannot be divorced from Good Friday.
Further Reading:
Philipians 2: 6 – 11
15 Ways to Observe Holy Week with Your Family
:angel:
April 14, 2011
Kill Me Now
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
If this is how you are going to treat me, put me to death right now -- if I have found favor in your eyes -- and do not let me face my own ruin."
Numbers 11:15
...while he himself went a day's journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die."I have had enough, Lord," he said. "Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors."
1 Kings 19:4
Now, O Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.
Jonah 4:3
What kind of a person feels like this? A schmo like me, at times, sure. Maybe you, or people you know. Surely not the heroes of the Old Testament.
Well, truth is, even God's greatest leaders and prophets got to the point in their respective stories where, even after witnessing indescribable miracles and blessings, their circumstances were so overwhelming, impossible and undesirable their attitude was, "Just kill me now, Lord!" Exhausted in body, soul, and spirit, they cried out that they had had enough. They could go no longer in their own power.
The first quote above is from Moses, who had a People Problem. The wandering Israelites were hungry, and as usual, it fell to Moses to solve the problem. He cried out to the Lord, "Was it I who conceived these people? Was it I who brought them forth?" He looked around and couldn't figure out how to satisfy everyone.
The second quote is from Elijah, who had a Pity Problem. This was a prophet who had just called down fire from heaven, destroyed the prophets of Baal, and witnessed the end of a long drought. But just a few verses later, one vow from one wicked queen has him in such despair that he fears he can't go on like this.
The third quote is from Jonah, who had a Pouting Problem. He'd finally obeyed to the point of going to Nineveh and preaching repentance, but when the Lord relented and stayed his hand rather than destroying the city, Jonah wasn't happy. He folded his hands and "became angry" that the destruction he forecast never arrived.
Consider who these men were and what they had seen, what the Lord had done through them. Moses parted the Red Sea and led a people out of slavery. Elijah stood strong for Israel during a time of tremendous pagan influence, prayed down fire and rain, and actually never died (so chalk up at least one unanswered prayer!). Jonah is one of the first stories we tell our children, about how God provided a great fish to swallow him for such a period as he could learn about obedience and repentance.
Not only that, but these guys all show up in the Gospels, in one way or another. Moses and Elijah are present at Jesus' transfiguration (Mark 9). In Matthew 12:38-41 (NIV), Jesus tells the Pharisees they won't get any sign from him other than the sign of Jonah, foreshadowing the three days He Himself would spend in the belly of the Earth.
But interestingly enough, Christ apparently never felt this way. He knew His destiny was to die, but even so prayed that such a cup might pass from Him. And let's not forget that He is our example, not Moses, not Elijah, and not Jonah, great as they were.
When we feel the way that these guys did, we need to realize that anyone wanting to die is under attack. And our enemy can bring that attack through people, pity, and pouting. It comes when our body is not healthy, our soul is not happy, and our spirit is not holy.
But conveniently enough, Paul shows us a prayer that covers all these bases. He writes in 1 Thessalonians 5, "Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass." (23-24).
You aren't alone when you feel like you can't go on, or like you would be better off dead than standing strong in the face of the overwhelming task God has given you, especially when you are weak in body, soul, and spirit, and the enemy is on the attack. And truly, it is comforting to know that some of the Bible's greatest faith warriors and miracle workers shared these feelings. But it doesn't mean they were right. Let us not indulge hopelessness, for it may always be found. Instead, let us remember that we serve a God of hope and of miracles and we follow the One who never copped to people, pity, or pouting, but willingly laid His life down.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Develop a plan that gives you exercise and rest in proper amounts for your body, soul, and spirit, so that you will be less prone to attack.
:angel:
April 15, 2011
Good without God?
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"...even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened."
Romans 1:21
Many are professing quite loudly today that they can be "good without God." And I think that I have a fairly clear understanding of what these people are trying to say. They haven't killed anybody. They work hard. They build community, are compassionate, and give to charity. I suppose that from a perspective in which the God of the Bible is ignored for a few moments, you could easily agree that they are decent people.
The rub comes, though, when you probe more deeply than the superficial. At the heart of the issue is how we define what "good" actually means. Who defines that? And by what authority? The natural man who claims to be "good without God" is saying, in fact, that he wants to improvise what good means and define it on his own terms.
Now, granted, if Jesus Christ did not rise from the dead and all the claims Christianity are irrelevant, then non-believers are free to live however they choose with no consequences. And that is exactly what most want. But that is a point of view that doesn't exactly square with reality or history.
In the end, man's attempt to redefine good on his own terms has no effect on the definition of good that's been eternally fixed by God. Romans 1:18-32 powerfully speaks to this, saying that man's very desire to determine for himself what is good is something that God actually mocks, calling it "futile... foolish... and darkened."
Think of it, as harmless as it may seem on the surface, it's really a grave offense for a creature made by God to stroll around on the earth that God made and pretend to himself that there is no God. Such self-centered unbelief actually screams that Jesus, the Apostles and the thousands of martyrs and godly believers through the ages are nothing more than a pack of liars.
Romans 1:18-21 says that the good-without-God kind of people "suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them... For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks."
Saying these things isn't meant as a beat-down on unbelievers so that believers can somehow feel good about themselves. Rather, it's truth offered in kindness to help people see their condition. It comes down to a simple question: Can a person be truly good when they are calling a good God and good people liars? No, a good person trusts God. A good person doesn't reject the testimony of reliable witnesses. A good person honors God and gives thanks to Him (Rom. 1:21).
The necessity of giving thanks brings up another type of "good without God" person that exists out there. Romans 1 teaches that not only is the irreligious, outright God-denier in that category, but there is also a religious type of God-denier. Respected Christian thinker, Francis Schaeffer, explains it well in the first chapter of his classic book, True Spirituality.
He wrote that as seemingly small, insignificant and optional as a thankful heart might appear to be at first glance, thankfulness turns out to be the litmus test for whether or not one really believes in God. If you say that God is a personal God and He is your Father, but by your life you do not trust Him, honor Him and give Him thanks, you're really denying what you say you believe. You're trying to be good without God. The path to true goodness starts then with a prayer spoken of in Mark 9:24. Christ always answers it: "Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief."
Yes, life is hard. Yes, we live in a sin-cursed and fallen world. Tomorrow's anniversary of the 9-11 tragedy is a stark reminder of that. Things are not as they should be. Still—and this may be a hard truth to accept—faith coupled with thankfulness in all things is not optional. It's essential. Not giving thanks with a plastic smile, but having genuine thankfulness that shows real trust in God through the hard things.
Without faith, man is out of touch with reality. People can only be good with God in His proper place.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
How firmly do you believe that God alone defines good and evil?
What does your level of thankfulness show about the reality of your faith in God?
If you have an opportunity to talk with someone today who is trying to be good without God, relate to him in a positive way about his desire to be good, and direct him to this deeper line of thinking in Romans 1.
Further Reading
How to Know Truth and Evaluate Competing Worldviews by Chris Daniel
Why I Believe in God by Cornelius Van Til
Ephesians 4:17-5:21
April 18, 2011
What's Your Sign?
By Ryan Duncan, Editor for TheFish.com
But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one. – 2 Thessalonians 3:3
I recently stumbled across an interesting Facebook thread. One of my friends had met a young man who claimed to be a Christian, but also believed in the zodiac. My friend had created the thread asking other Christians for their opinions on this, and as you probably guessed, most of them wrote back that it was all garbage. Some of them even called horoscopes "demonic" and quoted Deuteronomy 18 for emphasis.
Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you. - Deuteronomy 18:10-12
Surprisingly, a number of people also rose to the zodiacs' defense. A few argued that they fit their sign description to a "T," or that the little predictions sometimes came true. One person even stated that God had declared that the heavens were for "signs and seasons" in Genesis 1:14 and that Matthew 2 records the Magi using astrology to discover the birth of Jesus.
The whole thing made me curious. So I got on the internet, found my astrological sign, and started browsing the supposed character qualities. Honestly, it was pretty accurate. It even listed traits about myself I really didn't like. Maybe there was something to all this zodiac stuff, but then, why all the fuss about it in Christian circles? I mean, reading your horoscope wasn't exactly summoning the devil. The question stuck in my mind for a few days until I overheard my parents telling an old story of theirs.
It goes like this. A young woman had recently come to Christ. One day, the church she attended hosted a breakfast for its new members, and by some random act of chance, she ended up sitting next to the senior pastor. Wanting to make conversation, she turned to the pastor and asked, "So, what's your sign?" The pastor turned to her with narrowed eyes and replied, "Why, the Cross of Jesus Christ."
A little rude? Perhaps, but I think his response hits the nail on the head. The problem with horoscopes, aside from the whole sorcery deal, is that they're a petty form of idolatry. When we look at stars for answers, we are essentially telling God that he's not good enough. It shows we would rather depend on constellations instead of putting our trust in the all-powerful God who loves us.
So, does the zodiac have any special powers? The answer: it doesn't matter. We don't need to look at the stars. We have Christ, and there is no better sign to live under.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Are you putting something else in front of God? Try to rely more on your Heavenly Father.
Further Reading
2 Timothy 2:13
:angel:
April 19, 2011
There's Power in the Blood
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
There is power, power, wonder working power
In the blood of the Lamb;
There is power, power, wonder working power
In the precious blood of the Lamb.
"There Is Power in The Blood"
Words & Music: Lewis E. Jones
I recently watched Cecil B. DeMille's classic 1956 film, The Ten Commandments. And if you haven't seen it in a long time, then I recommend it for an old-school, over-the-top movie experience (while keeping in mind, of course, that this is storytelling done Hollywood style).
Sometimes campy in its performances, the film still caused me to crack open my Bible to the book of Exodus and revisit how God used Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt and communicate the Law to his chosen people.
Before that pivotal scene in the movie, though, four of the ten plagues that the Lord called for when Pharaoh would not let the Israelites go from Egypt are depicted on-screen. As I watched the acting during the final and tenth plague, the death of the firstborn, I marveled that the Israelites were protected from this by the institution of The Passover.
In Exodus 12, the Lord instructs Moses to tell the Israelites that they are to sacrifice a lamb (without defect) for each household and that the blood must then be placed on the sides and the tops of the doorframes of each home.
The movie showed the Israelites (who were still slaves in Egypt at that point) wiping the blood around their doors. After that, the Bible says, they were instructed to eat the meat of the sacrifice in a very specific way. On that very same night, the Lord passed through Egypt and struck down the firstborn—both men and animals—and brought judgment upon the land.
But the homes marked with lamb's blood were "passed over" and were saved from death. There was definitely power in that blood. But why is that? Because the blood was the means of deliverance and provided protection. Yes, God's pledge of mercy to the Israelites was established. But an animal's blood was needed to atone for their sins.
"For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life" (Lev. 17:11).
And this requirement for blood sacrifice pointed the way to the Messiah, the Lamb of God who was yet to come.
"She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins" (Matt. 1:21).
John the Baptist also fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah 40 when he called people to repent because the Messiah was soon coming.
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (Jn. 1:29).
When we receive Christ as our personal Lord and Savior, it HIS blood that washes our sins away. And THIS is the power that saves us!
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. ... If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us and purify us from all unrighteousness. ... He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 Jn. 1:7, 9, 2:2).
Do you believe that there 's power in the blood? If you've never accepted this free gift of salvation, I invite you to find out more in the Who Is Jesus? section at Crosswalk.com. You, too, can be redeemed through Christ's atoning sacrifice and the power of his blood that was shed for you.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Put yourself in the context of Isaiah 53:5: "But he was pierced for [my] transgressions, he was crushed for [my] iniquities; the punishment that brought [me] peace was upon him." Does this humble your heart and bring you to your knees today?
Further Reading:
Romans 3:21-26
1 Peter 1:17-21
:angel:
April 20, 2010
A Springtime Mystery
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse."
Romans 1:20
When was the last time you wondered if spring would ever come? Not in the ironic sense - really wondered if winter might last forever, something like the 100 years of winter in Narnia. My guess is never. Most of America lives in the reality of four seasons, and we expect the Earth to naturally cycle from winter to spring to summer to fall. We expect trees to unfurl new leaves this time of year because they're supposed to.
But what if they didn't? What if the trees bloomed in winter when their new leaves would freeze, or what if their flowers matured into hornets' nests instead of apples? What if they didn't bloom at all?
In his autobiographical work, Orthodoxy, G. K. Chesterton remembers his journey from agnosticism to faith including such nonsensical questions. Before he became the great 20th century apologist, he was a man confined to the world of determinism, where the natural world was governed by impersonal laws or nothing. But observing spring outside his window, he was struck by the wonderful fact that for some reason, trees do indeed bloom into fruit.
"They talked as if the fact that trees bear fruit were just as necessary as the fact that two and one trees make three. But it is not... You cannot imagine two and one not making three. But you can easily imagine trees not growing fruit..."
"I had always vaguely felt facts to be miracles in the sense that they were wonderful: now I began to think them miracles in the stricter sense that they were willful. I mean that they were, or might be, repeated exercises of some will. In short, I had always believed that the world involved magic: now I thought that perhaps it involved a magician." (Orthodoxy)
I owe Chesterton a great debt, because he taught me to be amazed at everyday grace. After all, how often do we marvel that the sky is blue (or grey) instead of orange or electric pink? Yet again, familiarity breeds contempt, and we forget what incredible world this "magician" made and keeps in order. Like children who see the same magic trick one too many times, we stop wondering "how did he do that?" and are bored until we see something new.
I use the term "magician" loosely - God is no mere conjurer of tricks, and Jesus didn't feed the 5,000 just to wow the crowd. But I wonder that we lose our wonder of this world, even in its fallen state. As Paul writes in Romans, the evidence of God's incredible, "eternal power" and transcendent, "divine nature" is right in front of our eyes. How do forget a God so great that He makes trees bloom?
As Virginia turns to spring again, I can't help but look outside and be amazed. To paraphrase Chesterton, the fact that grass is really green - and so perfectly suited for spring time sports - truly is a miracle, a supernaturally guided fact. What an awesome God.
Intersecting Faith & Life: When was the last time you took a look outside? Consider that "the heavens declare the glory of God" (Psalm 8:1) and the Earth is the work of his hands. Are you properly inspired to worship their Creator?
Further Reading:
Psalm 8
Psalm 33:5
Genesis 8:22
:angel:
April 21, 2011
A Clear Conscience
by Sarah Phillips, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness.
Romans 6: 12-13
This time of year tends to inspire a certain level of introspection among people. The other night I attended a Bible and catechism study at a friend's apartment. To kick off our evening, my friend's husband read an "examination of conscience." After opening with prayer, Keith read what Jesus said was the greatest commandment: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" (Matthew 22: 37). He then proceeded to read a litany of ways we can potentially fail to love God. The list was achingly thorough.
I didn't feel terribly comfortable as I felt my perceived "goodness" melt away.
"Sin" is not a common term used in our culture today. It's much easier to speak of our shortcomings in the context of psychology or environmental influences or biological predispositions. But the truth is, as creatures of free will, sometimes we just decide to do the wrong thing. We act selfishly when we could have been selfless. We get angry when we should have shown mercy. We seek personal gain at the cost of another.
But the point of this exercise was not to shame us. We listened to Keith read the list with full knowledge that:
a) All present in the room are guilty of falling short.
c) As creatures with free will, we can make better choices tomorrow.
b) God's mercy and transforming grace is available to us every moment of every day to help us shed the "old self" and put on the new.
The most profound result of doing an examination of conscience had little to do with feeling guilty – instead, it renewed our appreciation for God's great love for us. Romans 5: 8 sums this up beautifully and for that reason it's quoted often: But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Christ, with full knowledge of our darkest moments, died out of love for you and me when most of us wouldn't sacrifice half as much for a virtuous friend.
But we can't stop with this realization – we can't presume on God's mercy, doing as we please thinking "Oh, I can just repent later...." This attitude would be a terrible sin in it of itself. With full knowledge of Christ's sacrificial love, how we live our lives now matters more than ever. So, what if we took this time before Easter to tackle sin more intentionally in our lives? What if we identified our sin, confessed it to the Lord, and committed to practical ways of replacing each sin with a virtue?
Of course, it would be daunting to try to achieve perfection – we simply can't "acquire" holiness purely with our own efforts. But I am seeing in my own life that a more purposeful approach to sin is an integral part of maturing as a follower of Christ. Not to mention, "coming clean" with God can feel incredibly freeing.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Honestly examine your life in light of God's Word. A good way to start an examination of conscience is by praying Psalm 139, verse 23-24: "Search me, O God..." Then, hold up your life to the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20: 2-17). Don't forget to consider what resides in your heart, not just what you've physically done (example: "Thou shalt not murder" -- consider if you've held lingering hatred for someone. Or "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's goods" – consider if you, out of envy, spread gossip about someone). Confess, perhaps even to your pastor or an accountability partner, the ways you've sinned against God, thank God for His forgiveness, and ask Him for the grace to change. Don't get discouraged if you have many areas that need change – we're all works in progress.
Further Reading
Ephesians 4: 21-32
James 5: 16
How Repentance Heals the Broken Heart
:angel:
April 22, 2011
Easter: All That Matters vs. All I Live For
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
He has risen, just as He said.
Matthew 28:6, NIV
What would I ever do if someone I knew came back from the dead? Especially if he had said he would, and if he had spent a couple nights in a grave already?
Seriously, what would I do? What would you do? Wouldn't I blab to everyone I know - and most people I don't - about this miraculous event? Heck, I tell everyone when I'm feeling under the weather or when I saw a good movie.
Then factor in that the same guy was now telling us that because of what he had done, none of the rest of us would ever have to suffer death. What's more, simply by believing what we had seen, no matter our background, history, race, or education, we could restore our long-lost connection with the Almighty, and live forever.
Man... unfortunately, I'm having a hard time conceiving what I would do. Or, even if I can conceive it, I can't quite believe it, because honestly, I have seen this, I do believe this, and yet my daily reaction to it doesn't exactly line up with The Acts of the Apostles.
Has the news of a resurrected savior really become passe?
Why don't I want to read Acts?
What am I afraid of?
That I'll be rejected?
(He who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit (1 Thess. 4:8)).
That I won't be powerful enough?
(God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline (2 Tim. 1:7)).
That the good news isn't relevant enough?
Salvation and the message of the resurrection, the miracle of born again-ness, is a salve to all wounds.
This Easter I'll join choruses like "He's Alive" while pondering and praising the miracle, but when it comes time for the next day of my life to begin, a day and a life that means nothing if not lived for my Savior, it'll be all about me again and my troubles and making my way and who cut me off and what I have to get done and who I don't like and what can we complain about today.
Yuck.
I want this Easter to be real. Because I did see it happen (so to speak; the resulting spread of those who ran to the corners of the earth to tell the story with no regard for personal safety is traceable to this day), it is real, and I'm cheating life and people God loves if I'm not shouting those facts from every corner and rooftop I can find. Everything else is just window dressing; "Christian living" is often just how we pass all our extra time in this country where so many of our basic needs are so easily met, and where we can cordon ourselves off from each other. What matters in life?
1. That there is life, and...
2. how it came about that there might never be death, but...
3. there are still dead men walking.
Really, why else are we here if not to keep excitedly shouting the truth of the miracle as if we'd just experienced it with our own eyes yesterday?
Intersecting Faith & Life: For the longest time, I've felt a leading in my heart to launch out into a complete study of the book of Acts, something I've never fully done. For some reason, I continue to put it off. But in my quest this year to make Easter real, I'm beginning a study of what those who witnessed the resurrection couldn't keep themselves from going out and doing. Care to join me?
Further Reading
Acts 1
:angel:
April 25, 2011
Your Birthday: The Most and Least Important Day of Your Life
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." John 3:3
Just before our second son, Henry, was born earlier this year I remember standing with my wife in the nursery, looking around and just taking in everything. The wooden crib stood assembled and accessorized with matching mobile, blankets, padding and pillows. Diapers, booties and footy pajamas were tucked away in the bureau. The oak rocking chair sat sturdily in the corner nearest the window. In only a matter of days a tiny boy would fill that little room with life and great joy.
People love babies. There is an unexplainable excitement that surrounds the beginning of life. But as soon as the day of birth arrives, it becomes simultaneously the most important day and least important day of one's life. It is the most important because, without it, one wouldn't have life; but it is also least important because it is only the starting point and then it's past. After the moment of birth, the most important thing is, of course, living.
Obvious as it seems, I was reminded while reading Francis Schaeffer's book, True Spirituality, that many professing Christians seem to languish in denial of this fact regarding the moment of their own spiritual birth. Ask a friendly, "how is your relationship with the Lord?" and you may hear an answer emphasizing a past decision, a moment of crisis, or an experience—as if past events were all that mattered. Schaeffer wrote,
"In one way, the new birth is the most important thing in our spiritual lives, because we are not Christians until we have come this way. In another way, however, after one has become a Christian, it must be minimized, in that we should not always have our minds only on our new birth. The important thing after being born spiritually is to live." (ch. 1)
Yes, we are grateful for the past. We look forward expectantly to the bright future ahead with Christ in His manifest presence. But our present walk with Christ, right now, is the most important moment. Romans 14:17 says, "The kingdom of God is [present tense] ... righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit."
First John 1:7 reaffirms this emphasis on the present—true spirituality is concerned with walking [present tense] in the light "as He is [present tense] in the light, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, cleanses us [present tense] from all sin."
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Refocus today on your present walk with Christ. If your fellowship with the Lord is broken, let 1 John 1:8-9 illumine the path. It says, "If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Trust God's promise of forgiveness and cleansing in Christ, and begin to walk with Him again. The important thing after being born spiritually is to live spiritually.
Further Reading
Psalm 86:7-12
Continuous Revival, by Norman Grubb (Chapter 1: "The Walk")
:angel:
April 26, 2011
The Race
By Ryan Duncan, TheFish.com Editor
For I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith - 2 Timothy 4:7
On April 2nd, my home city of Richmond held its annual 10k run through the historic Monument Avenue. Thousands of people turned out to join the race, while others crowded the sidelines to wave signs, shout encouragement, or play music for the passing runners. As for me, I found myself somewhere in the middle of the moving heard, running at a steady jog. Initially, I had been unsure about joining the 10k. Sure, I enjoyed jogging every now and then, but a 10k was completely different.
This race would be fun, but it would also be hard. That thought followed me all morning as I lined up in my starting position. I began having visions of my lifeless body sprawled across Monument Avenue, trampled to death by Olympic sprinters and power-walking grandmothers alike. The buzzer sounded and we took off, and for the first mile or so everybody was ok. Soon enough though, all that running began to sink in.
I started passing people who had slowed to a walk, while a few individuals stopped off for momentary breaks on the side of the road. To be honest, there were times I was close to joining them. So why didn't I? Because I wasn't running alone. I ended up running the 10k with a co-worker of mine named Marvin, and throughout the race we helped each other keep pace. Having a friend by you is always great because when things get tough, they'll encourage you, and you're able to do the same for them. In the end, I finished the race in fifty-eight minutes, a personal best for me.
Paul often compared the Christian life to a race, and I can see why. The Christian life is not easy, sometimes there are moments when you're so tired you just was to give up. Sometimes there are moments when you want to compromise, just a little bit, because it would make things easier. Sometimes you're not sure you have the strength to go another mile. I believe that is why God created the Church, because when someone is running beside you, you somehow find the strength to keep going.
The problem is, we Christians often try to go it alone. Maybe we are ashamed of the baggage we're carrying or maybe we don't want to appear weak. Whatever the reason, we keep people at arm's length and try to power on alone, taking everything with our own strength, but it never works. That's because the whole point of the Christian faith is that we can't win by ourselves. We can only reach salvation through the grace of Christ, and we can only hope to live the Christian life by helping each other. So don't be afraid to ask for help, we were never meant to finish the race alone.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Is there anything troubling you that you need help with? Reach out to someone in your Church or small group and ask for their help. Has someone come to you with a personal problem? Don't turn your back on them just because it makes you uncomfortable.
Further Reading
2 Thessalonians 3:5
:angel:
April 27, 2011
The Iniquity of Us All
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray ; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. ~ Isaiah 53:4-6, KJV
A couple of weeks ago I had the privilege of singing George Frideric Handel's Messiah in concert. It was probably the third or fourth time I've performed this great oratorio—which Handel wrote in just 24 days back in 1741—but perhaps the first time I've really stopped to consider the words and felt them so deeply that I was moved to tears.
Maybe it's due to the fact that I'm also studying Isaiah in Bible study right now, and that Messiah's libretto is drawn so heavily from this prophetic book.
Many associate Messiah with Christmas, but it was originally written to coincide with the Easter season as it illustrates a Savior, Christ the Lord, who saved the world through his victory over death. In my times of reflection during Holy Week last week and in preparation for Ascension Day, the movements that have been most meaningful to me are those that illustrate Isaiah 53 so beautifully and communicate what Jesus did for you and me through his sacrifice on the Cross ...
Surely, He hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows ...These words are from the 22nd movement of Messiah, and I cannot sing them with getting a lump in my throat. "He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities." Yes, it is my sin. And it's personal. But it's not something I like to think about that often, especially as a lifelong believer who likes to think she's got her spiritual act together. But it is a powerful reminder of the truth that I need a Savior—someone to save me from my depravity, someone who gave his life so that I might live for him.
And with His stripes we are healed ...That's all the text there is to sing in the 23rd movement. Over and over again this phrase is repeated throughout. Why was this phrase singled out to have its very own movement? I don't know, but I can't sing it without realizing the amazing love that came forth from God the Father to sacrifice his Son for me. Because he suffered, died and rose again, I am clothed in righteousness. His body was beaten and broken so that I could be made whole. That is amazing love!
All we like sheep ...In the next movement of Messiah, the 24th, we are reminded how, even as believers, we are so much like sheep. We become easily distracted. We get tired of following the Shepherd. Each of us wants to go his or her own way. I know I struggle with that on a daily basis. And because I am so prone to wander, that means I need a Shepherd who will protect me and keep me on my path. The ending line, and the remarkably slower tempo of the final section of this movement, reminds me of this and the consequences of living for myself: "And the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all." Jesus did what I couldn't. He was the spotless and blameless Lamb, and he gave up his life to save me from my sins and give me hope for eternity.
I invite you to read through these passages in Isaiah 53 today and to take a hard look at yourself, at your condition, at your lifestyle, at your choices. Are you living for the moment? For what feels good? For what is comfortable? For what will get you by?
Let the impact that "the iniquity of us all" was laid on our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and that he suffered, bled and died for you really sink in. Your life was bought and purchased. Your transgressions were blotted out, and you have been made clean (Psa. 51:1-2). May the indescribable gift (2 Cor. 9:15) of God's Son make a difference in how you choose to live today.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
First John 1:9 says: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." Do you believe that? When we confess, he will forgive. Praise God that Messiah has come, and we are no longer separated by our sins!
Further Reading:
Rom. 3:22-24, NIV
Rom. 8:1-2, NIV
1 Cor. 15:57, NIV
:angel:
April 28, 2011
Prayer at the Pump?
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Pray like this: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name..." (Matthew 6:7-9)
We know God cares about something as small as a sparrow, because he says so. But does he care about the price of gasoline?
My husband couldn't help stirring the pot during a recent youth group discussion, and pulled out a news story on a subject. Down in Dublin, Georgia, one pastor is leading his congregation in literal prayers at pump once a month, where they ask the Lord to drop the price by at least $1.50. And they pray for prayer at the pump to spread across the state.
The pastor of Beacon of Light Christian Center, Marshall Mabry, says, "I don't understand how anybody can say God doesn't have anything to do with gas prices. God has everything to with the country.... Prayer is always my foundation, and I can always go back to God in prayer."
Do you agree? The kids in our youth group found themselves first agreeing, then questioning, then agreeing, and so on for the whole discussion. The idea of praying at the pump generates some fundamental questions, such as, why do we pray? What good is prayer? If God knows what we need, why ask? What should we pray about?
I'm certainly not going to try answering all those questions in the span of one devotional, but I will point back to the ultimate model for our prayers: Christ's example in the Lord's Prayer. Let's consider just a couple things embedded in that prayer:
God wants us to pray.That's why Jesus bothered to provide us with a model for how we should go about it. We're told to pray even though God already knows what we need. That means he is not bothered by our prayers, but wants our attention and our trust.
Only one line in the prayer is about stuff.As a man, Jesus required the same necessities we do, but "give us our daily bread" is all he says about food, shelter, and clothing. He asks for just enough to sustain him day to day, and then moves on. Why? Because he knew that God always finds a way to provide, even if it's in unexpected ways.
We're praying to "Our Father."We don't pray to a sovereign deity who deigns to give us good weather if we offer the right words and rituals. Instead, Christ's directive indicates that we pray to a Father who loves and cares for us – and desires a relationship with us. That relationship status automatically directs our prayers beyond our wants and needs.
Intersecting Faith & Life: You've probably heard the acronym "ACTS" used as a prayer guide – Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication. Notice how the bit in which we ask for our needs comes at the very end, after we've spent time admiring who God is in light of who we are and what he's done for us. It's a lot harder to stay focused on those truths than we realize. This week, try using ACTS as a reminder. And most importantly, get praying!
:angel:
April 29, 2011
He Defeated Death
by Sarah Phillips, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast." Now none of the disciples dared ask him, "Who are you?" They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead. (John 21: 12 - 14)
Recently, my husband and I attended a forum to discuss the increasingly controversial issues surrounding end of life decisions. The event was intended to approach the topic from a Christian worldview, drawing on the Christian teachings of the dignity of human life.
Most of us came expecting experts to delve into the ways we can ethically preserve a person's life in a culture all too quick to promote what Pope John Paul II coined "the culture of death." This aspect of end-of-life issues is a very important one, and it was discussed at length. But before we got to those topics, a local trauma surgeon gave the first talk. And her words sunk in deeply with the entire room.
She highlighted the reality that death is part of human life, and when it's a person's time, it's okay to die. She offered ways families can come to recognize - and find peace - when that time comes.
I can't lie - these words were hard to hear even though we all, deep down, know we are mere mortals. Nobody wants to die. Nobody wants to think about death. It is strangely easier to discuss heavy issues such as battling diseases or unethical procedures than to discuss the need to accept natural death.
Undoubtedly, part of our hesitancy to discuss the topic is fueled by our own sense of self-preservation and fear of loss. But I also think the topic is difficult because as Christians we celebrate life - and rightly so. We are people of hope, people who cherish the gift of life and the blessings that come with it. For centuries, Christians have been among the first to defend life and promote the dignity of even the tiniest, most fragile person.
But the trauma surgeon's talk about preparing for natural death does not run contrary to being people of hope. She spoke these words in light of our true hope: Jesus Christ. She highlighted that while we should not prematurely end our earthly lives - because, yes this life is a gift - there is eternal life with Jesus Christ awaiting those who believe. Our time here is a time of preparation for the fullness of life in Christ. She said (to paraphrase), "Natural death of a loved one or even our own is the time we are called to put into practice that faith we've developed year after year as church attendees, deepening our relationship with the Lord."
During this Easter week, we celebrate the resurrection of the risen Christ. Jesus Christ faced all the loneliness, pain, and fear that comes with death and conquered it. And as we read the Easter scriptures, we see that he did not disappear or abandon his disciples after the resurrection, but walked among them in his glorified state to offer further hope and instruction. So now, as we celebrate this profound moment in salvation history, we must ask ourselves: Do we truly believe He has conquered death and will never abandon us? As Christians, we can say yes with confidence.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Do you know someone who is ill or even grieving a loss? Find a way to be Christ's comforting presence for that person this week even if it's through a small gesture like a card.
Further Reading:
Acts 4: 1 - 12
John 21: 1 - 14
:angel:
May 2, 2011
Both / And
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Him who is the Head, that is, Christ.
Ephesians 4:15
Consider the following sets of words:
Compassionate, communicative, kind, fair, long-suffering, patient, accepting, gentle, merciful, understanding.
Honest, holy, set-apart, stand-taking, consistent, dedicated, mature, righteous, unyielding, just.
Which set best describes you?
Sometimes it feels like we Christians divide ourselves into these two camps. Camp A rightly believes that "God is love," and as such they do a fairly good job of not alienating those they meet and know and care for. Of course, with every strength there's a weak side, and sometimes our well-meaning Camp-A brethren can become wishy-washy and overly accepting, even false.
CampB, on the other hand, rightly believes that "God is holy," and as such they do a fairly good job of reminding those they meet and know and care for that sin is sin, and God can not tolerate it. Of course, sometimes our well-meaning Camp-B brethren can end up sounding a lot like gongs and cymbals, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. People know we're here, but they wish we'd quiet down for a bit. Perhaps all the conflict between our own camps has torn at your heart and worn down your spirit, too.
Now consider... which set of words best describes Our Father? Think about it before answering. Honestly, isn't it both? We'll come back to that thought in a minute.
I have a close friend, a youth minister, who has served many years at his current church. Recently, he was summoned to a meeting with the personnel committee and several parents. The gist of their message was that he was teaching the students too much about discipline and truth and knowing what the Bible says and so on. The criticism apparently was that there wasn't enough about love and compassion in his messages.
Reading between the lines, it was clear that fear was at work: fear that these students weren't being prepared for college and a world that is more about tolerance and acceptance and where Christian students who literally believe the Bible are ostracized. After all, who hopes for their child to face unpopularity, embarrassment, and harsh criticism while they're already struggling to get ahead in the world? My friend would point out that he's not opposed to compassion and love, not in the least. But what kind of foundation do you want to build in the youth?
It's sad. Because at the end of the day... why can't we have both?
I'm not talking about vacillating. I'm not talking about compromise. I don't want to be lukewarm.
I am talking about balance; checks and balances. I do wish to be balanced. A position of balance is a position of strength. A balanced person stumbles less often. How much fun is a teeter-totter where all the weight is pushed to one side?
I am also talking about paradox. A paradox is a seeming contradiction that nonetheless contains truth. A paradox says an object or person or idea is both this and that. Jesus is the world's greatest paradox, being both fully God and fully man. With Christ as the example and the cornerstone, one learns to see that the whole Bible is full of paradox, including the fact that we can and should "Speak truth." "In love." Both/and. Just like Jesus.
He didn't excuse sins. But He did forgive them.
He was equal with God. But He didn't consider equality with God a thing to be grasped.
He was sinless. But He refused to cast the first stone at the accused.
He demanded His followers take up a cross and follow Him unreservedly unfettered. But He was sad for those who weren't ready to do so.
Truth. In. Love. Both. And.
Don't forget, Campers, you have the Holy Spirit, which gives you wisdom, which instructs you as to which set of characteristics is needed in a given circumstance. Pull up the tent poles. Become nomadic. You can put on the armor of God, but if your feet aren't balanced underneath you? Ask any beginner student of martial arts what the result will be.
But even if you find yourself gravitating more towards one campsite or the other, that's okay. The same chapter that talks of the need to speak the truth in love also mentions, just a couple verses earlier, that, "It was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up."
We're on the same team. And the goal is a "built-up body." One that won't stand unless balanced, unless level, unless unified. What's the result? Refer back to our verse today. When we "speak truth in love," we will "grow up." Bottom line, Campers, our body needs to mature.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Simply ask yourself the next time you proclaim the word: am I being loving? Are my motives pure? Likewise, the next time you get those good feelings about how fair and open-minded and communicative you're being with unbelievers and sinners, ask, "Lord, what truth do they need to know?" Love enough to tell the truth. Be truthful enough to not misrepresent how your Lord met people where they were. It can be scary to think about doing, but remember that "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and love, and discipline."
Further Reading
1 Corinthians 13
Discovering the Value of Your Personality
Education and Relation - or - Truth and Love
:angel:
May 3, 2011
A Stubborn Intolerance for Joyless Christianity
Alex Crain, Editor, Christianity.com
"Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation."
Habakkuk 3:17-18
Should one's relationship with the infinite and personal living God be joyless? Francis Schaeffer didn't think so. Yet there he was, a joyless man. Technically, he was theologically sound, but there was no denying that he had become a completely joyless Christian man. If that had continued, no one would be speaking of Schaeffer or his writings, or his legacy today. Thankfully, he was stubbornly intolerant of joyless Christianity.
In True Spirituality, Schaeffer tells how the spiritual reality, which would become the hallmark of his life, came about only after a time of great personal crisis. It was 1952. Schaeffer had become a Christian from agnosticism years before. After that, he had been a pastor for ten years in the U.S. and was now a missionary in Switzerland living with his wife and young children. Over a period lasting several months, Francis worked through the disturbing gap that he saw between the large amount of Bible data he claimed to believe and the lack of genuine spiritual joy in his life.
One significant and challenging question that caused Francis to ponder long and hard is recounted by his wife, Edith, in her book, The Tapestry, p. 356 ff.)...
"I wonder what would happen to most of our churches and Christian work if we woke up tomorrow morning and everything concerning the reality and work of the Holy Spirit, and everything concerning prayer were removed from the Bible? I don't mean just ignored, but actually cut out—disappeared. I wonder how much difference it would make?"
Apparently during that period, it was making no difference in Schaeffer's life. His doubts had cut the nerve of faith. And over those months as he walked in the mountains, Francis re-thought the doctrines of the Bible, the reality of the Holy Spirit, and each of his reasons for being a Christian.
At last, he declared...
"Gradually the sun came out and the song came... I saw again that there were totally sufficient reasons to know that the infinite-personal God does exist and that Christianity is true.
"In going further, I saw something else which made a profound difference in my life. I searched through what the Bible said concerning reality as a Christian. Gradually, I saw that the problem was that with all the teaching I had received after I was a Christian, I had heard little about what the Bible says about the meaning of the finished work of Christ for our present lives.
"Interestingly enough, although I had written no poetry for many years, in that time of joy and song I found poetry beginning to flow again—poetry of certainty, an affirmation of life, thanksgiving, and praise. Admittedly, as poetry it is very poor, but it expressed a song in my heart which was wonderful to me."
(from True Spirituality, p. 196 in The Complete Works of Francis Schaeffer, vol. 3 © 1982 Crossway Books, Wheaton, Illinois).
That time of crisis—and more importantly, his rediscovery of the meaning of the finished work of Christ for his present life—settled the crucial issue of spiritual reality for Schaeffer. Francis saw and believed that the finished work of Christ really is the source of the Christian's life. Rather than pursue the trappings of Christian leadership while personally being a joyless Christian, he determined to wait for a greater reality of knowing God. With such a solid spiritual basis for his own life, he went on to become a great source of help for countless others.
Intersecting Faith and Life:
Are you stubbornly intolerant of joyless Christianity in your own life?
What would happen if you woke up tomorrow morning and everything concerning the reality and work of the Holy Spirit, and everything concerning prayer were removed from the Bible? Not just ignored, but actually cut out... How much difference it would make in the way that you live?
How can you grow to become a greater source of spiritual help for others?
Further Reading:
John 6:68
Ephesians 4:17-24
Ephesians 5:18-21
:angel:
May 4, 2011
A White Bread Faith
By Ryan Duncan, TheFish.com Editor
This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.- 1 John 3:10
When I was still in high school my mother became a vegetarian. Now, I have nothing but respect for vegetarians, but as a guy who likes his steaks extra-rare, this created a few problems in our household. Suddenly our family was exploring what people called "organic" dishes. Tofu, quiche, we dined on whole-grain pastas sprinkled with nuts, strange cheeses, and enough broccoli to kill an entire fourth grade class. It wasn't all that bad actually; my mother was very gracious and still cooked meat for the carnivores in the house, but I suspect a soy based meat substitute found its way into our meals on more than one occasion.
The worst part though, was the bread. My family went from using your typical sleeve of wheat bread to buying those thick, iron cast loaves so brown they were almost black. I can remember sitting in the cafeteria during lunch, watching my classmates as they flagrantly devoured their delicious, white-bread PB&J's, while I chewed the same bite of sandwich over and over for almost an hour because chunks of grain were still floating around in it. Back then, I would have given anything for a sandwich made from white, Wonder Bread.
The thing is though, ask any nutritionist and they'll tell you white bread barely counts as grain at all. It tastes good, but that's because it's been almost entirely drained of nutrients. All the beneficial vitamins and minerals have been lost, and in the end we are left with a food that really isn't as healthy as we'd like to think it is.
How many of us Christians are looking for a "White Bread" relationship with God? We show up at Church on Sunday and pray before each meal, then tell ourselves that should be enough to help us grow in our faith. It's a sweet deal with all of the benefits and none of the drawbacks. Don't fool yourself; God wants to be so much more in our lives than our Sunday morning service. He is looking to make us lights of the world, to bring peace where there is strife, hope where there is despair, and grace where there is hate. You won't be very prepared for that if you just stick to the Sunday Sermons. Don't deny yourself a good, healthy, relationship with God. Read the Bible, get involved, and above all, be sure to make him a part of your daily life.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Find ways to get involved with you home church. Volunteer for events, or try mentoring some of the younger students. Parents, are your children involved in a youth group? Encourage them to give it a try.
Further Reading
Revelation 3:15-17
:angel:
May 5, 2011
Who's That Lady?
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Proverbs 31:30, NIV
Much has been written about the Proverbs 31 woman. And rightly so, as she's the kind of lady who makes you do a double take: How does this woman do it all? What is her secret? And may I please have whatever she's having?
Like me, I'm sure you know of someone who exemplifies her many qualities as described in verses 10 through 31. For me, it's my longtime friend Kelli.
When we first met as four-year-olds, she was the teacher's daughter at a backyard Bible club that I attended. I can still remember the first time I saw her, too. Kelli was the picture of perfection with a head full of curls styled just so and the prettiest sundress I had ever seen. She dutifully assisted her mother with the flannel-graph and the song boards, as the children followed along.
Over the years, and after Kelli's family began attending my church, we became close friends. We went through the fun, carefree elementary years together, survived adolescence and teen heartbreaks, and then forged an even stronger bond once we hit high school and college.
Today, although our lives are completely different, I am pleased to say that we are still friends. It is a joy to see Kelli thriving as a mother of five beautiful children who "arise and call her blessed" (v. 28). Her husband is held in high regard (v. 23), and I know he would be the first to tell you that she is the strong and calm wind beneath his wings (v. 12, v. 28b).
She lives outside the city limits on several acres of land, where she has a garden and has planted beautiful flowers and vines all around her home (v. 17). She has a menagerie of animals to care for (v. 27), and her talent for making something out of nothing and experimenting with different ingredients in the kitchen is always well received (v. 15).
Kelli homeschools and also volunteers in the children's ministry at her church (v. 26). She sews lovely draperies and clothing (v. 19). She knows how to work a dollar, too, whether in negotiating sales of property (v. 16) or in seeking out incredible deals for budget-friendly family vacations (v.27).
Her neighbors and family members are the better for knowing her as she lends a hand whenever it is needed (v. 20) and always sows seeds of godly wisdom, encouragement and truth (v. 26). With the passage of youth, her inner beauty is coming to the fore as it radiates to everyone she meets (v. 30).
When I make the hour-long drive to visit my dear friend, I am always refreshed after spending time with her. And I am continually inspired as I observe her life.
Though we live in different locales and seasons of our lives and have been blessed with different talents and gifts, the Lord has shown me that I have much to learn from the character of my wonderful Proverbs 31 friend.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Looking ahead to Mother's Day in a few days, is there a woman of "noble character" who comes to your mind? Whether she is your mother or not, married or single, take time in the upcoming days to let her know that you are thankful for her life and how she is living out the qualities found in Proverbs 31.
Further Reading:
Proverbs 31:10-31, NIV
Matthew 5:12-16, NIV
1 Peter 3:3-4, NIV
:angel:
May 6, 2011
Be Still
Sarah Phillips, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
Be still and know that I am God. (Ps. 46: 10)
The affairs of God are accomplished little by little and almost imperceptibly. The Spirit of God is neither violent nor hasty. -- St Vincent de Paul
The past several weeks have been filled with jam-packed schedules -- a never ending stream of noises, technology, and motion. It seems the older I get, the more those lazy summer days of childhood feel like fairy tales from another life.
If you're American, you're probably just as busy if not busier than I am right now. We're a country filled with activity. Studies show we're some of the most sleep-deprived people in the world. We work long hours, come home to more work (completed with the television blathering on in the background) before collapsing into bed to repeat the process again the next day.
Why do we live such frantic, hyper stimulated lives? Sometimes it's out of a sense of obligation - we feel it's a sin to say "no" so we overextend ourselves trying to fill the roll of Savior for everyone around us. Sometimes our frenzied lives stem from a sense of inadequacy - "If I work hard and accomplish such-and-such, I will have value." Sometimes it's a mode of escape - burying ourselves in work or in a TV program keeps our minds off life's disappointments. And sometimes we've just lost sight of our priorities, defaulting to the heightened pace of the culture around us, unaware that we've let our down time slip away little by little.
Regardless of why we're living in the fast (and loud) lane, deep down we all know we need to get out of it. Our souls crave peace, stillness, and silence. And even if we can ignore the cries of our souls for awhile, our bodies demand it when they eventually wear out.
Why do we crave that stillness? It seems the "noise" of life is more often man-made than God-ordained. In Scripture we see that time and again, God calls us to find peace in Him, to lighten our burden with Him, to set aside our anxieties and meaningless business. We see God speak to the prophet Elijah through a "gentle whisper" and tell an anxious Martha that her sister Mary chose the "better" part when she abandoned household duties to sit at Jesus' feet. (Luke 10: 41-42)
After a long day of running here and there, I find myself longing to be peaceful Mary whose only job is to be with Christ. So how can we become more like Mary when the vast majority of us more closely resemble worried Martha? I love the opening Scripture verse -- it's so simple, it cuts through all the junk clanking around in my brain. Be still.
In the midst of the activity surrounding her, Mary made a simple choice. To sit and be still. You and I can make that simple choice too, even when life seems to be pressing on all sides. It may be awkward at first - we may be tempted to grab for the remote or cut our time with God short. But by seeking stillness we are effectively saying, "Nothing else is as important to me as You at this moment, Lord." When I've spent time at our local Adoration chapel - a place void of constant noise and movement - I find I am never sitting in an empty room doing "nothing" but a place filled with God's presence and love, a place I can truly know God.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Visit a local chapel this week where you can sit, reflect and be alone with the Lord for one hour.
Further Reading
Luke 10: 38 - 42
1 Kings 19
:angel:
May 9, 2011
Communication Isn't the Key?!
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you."
Colossians 3:13
Wedding-hopping is a weekend pastime at this stage of my life. I've bounced through half a dozen weddings this summer, yet I'm struck by how different each has been from every other. Each couple has a different story that shone through their choice of venue, vows, and – of course – bridesmaids dresses. What I've loved most about the differences, however, is the unique wedding homily that each pastor has imparted. One homily in particular has stuck with me, because it upset a few of my presuppositions.
During one ceremony, the young minister told the story of his last trip to premarital counseling before his own wedding. Their mentor asked a familiar question: "What do you think is the key to a loving, healthy marriage?"
His wife paused for a moment. "If you'd asked me six months ago," she pondered, "I would have said communication. But now, I think it's something different. I think the real key is forgiveness."
Forgiveness?
Yep, that sounded about right after I thought about it. I had been married just two weeks at that point, but my sin nature had already made unwelcome appearances in our house. Communicating a sinful attitude to my husband didn't change it into a right attitude. Nor did communicating that I was upset with an omission on his part move me past frustration.
"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."
The minister continued by pointing to the greatest example of forgiveness – that of Christ forgiving His wandering bride. Where He would have been justified in communicating his anger and walking away from her, He chose a different method entirely. The key wasn't communication, although He told her of His love and what pained Him. He didn't wait for her response. Instead, He loved His bride enough to forgive her everything, even though it cost Him everything.
I am that bride. I need that forgiveness.
It's not that communication is worthless, or that dialogue isn't an expression of love. On the contrary, scripture is full of commands to encourage and exhort each other in love. In rare moments, communication even lets my husband – or my sister, or my best friends, or my fellow church members – completely understand each other's perspective. But that only goes so far.
Unconditional love manifests itself in that "while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8) Yes, the sinner, that's me. I need that forgiveness just as much as anyone, and I need Christ's example to be able to forgive others. It's a two-way street that points out our own flaws even as we decide to overlook those of others. Humbling, isn't it?
Intersecting Faith & Life: How many times are we tempted to remember little annoyances that those closest to us have committed, the details they forgot to take care of, or the times they simply crossed our whims? Yet we have been forgiven so much more than that. I pray that as you interact with the people closest to you today, you will remember that "as far as the east is from the west, so far as He removed our transgressions from us." (Psalm 103:12)
Further Reading
Colossians 3:12-17
2 Corinthians 2:5-11
25 Affirmations about Forgiveness
:angel:
May 10, 2011
Dangerous Love
Sarah Phillips, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Ephesians 5:1 -2 NIV
Love.
It's a beautiful thing, right? Little girls dream of their future Prince Charmings sweeping them off their feet. Young men put their hearts and pride on the line to pursue beauties in hopes of finding happiness.
Although romantic love is a gift - a little slice of heaven at it's finest - let's be honest: it's also the primary place all our little demons come out to play.
After all, the one who knows us most intimately is not just privy to our gifts and strengths. He or she eventually sees us at our worst. And there's something about romantic love that seems to amplify the worst - even when our intentions are good.
It's astounding to me that marriages last a lifetime given the pain we are capable of inflicting on each other. Poets and writers have referred to love as a form of insanity. I was joking with a friend recently that infatuation probably is a form of insanity. But for the Christian, love is so much more.
If we look to Christ on the cross, we see that true, godly love bleeds. Love is vulnerable and suffers.
In his book The Four Loves, C.S. Lewis observed:
"To love at all is to be vulnerable... If you want to make sure of keeping your heart intact, you must give your heart to no one...Lock it up safe in the casket of your selfishness. But in that casket -- safe, dark, motionless, airless -- it will change. It will not be broken -- it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable... The only place outside of Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from love is Hell."
As much as we'd like to do away with the painful, dangerous side of love -- would we have known the depth of God's love for us without the cross? I doubt it. Scripture points out the hard truth about human nature: most of us wouldn't die for a friend. But Christ - fully anticipating the pain -- died for friends and enemies alike. That's love expressed more eloquently than the finest love letter.
Christ's example alone is enough to justify the risks that come with love. But thankfully, love isn't just suffering. If it were, then love really would be insanity.
Instead, God -- in a way only God can - uses suffering to bring forth life... life far better than had we avoided the dangers of the cross. Resurrection follows for the couple willing to mutually embrace Christ and the cross of love. And it is this transformation that makes sacrificial love "fragrant."
In our own brief time together, my husband and I can attest to God's redemptive work. We've dated for 3 years. We've seen ugliness. And we've also seen the sweet rewards of working through that ugliness. Of submitting it to God. Of allowing Him to make the cross our "glory."
Sometimes I wish we had one of those whirlwind romantic courtship stories. You know, where boy meets girl, and after 6 months of whispering sweet nothings, they get engaged and plan their fairy tale wedding.
Instead we got heavy discernment. Some tears and some wounds. But in being open to love and in submitting all the ups and downs to Christ, we also experienced growth, depth, and now a brand new life together.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Have you ever met someone who got burned in love and vowed to never give their heart away again? Perhaps this describes you. Spend some time in prayer this week asking God to break down any unhealthy walls built around your heart so that you can give and receive love more fully.
:angel:
May 11, 2011
Traveling Mercies
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
You will not be afraid of the terror by night, Or of the arrow that flies by day.
Psalm 91:5
With summer travel season nearly upon us - well, for those who haven't been grounded by the economy, anyway - I've been reminiscing upon all the times the Lord has watched out for me on the road through all my journeys. Here are just a few examples:
When I helped my wife - before she was my wife - move from Columbia, South Carolina to Farmville, Virginia, we rented an auto transport to trail her car behind the U-Haul so that we could both ride together in the truck. I had helped load her car onto the transport before we left. We decided to get out of town and onto the interstate before we gassed up. We'd traveled up and down hills, across several railroad tracks, on the interstate, in stop-and-go traffic... and it was raining. You'll understand the reason I tell you all that momentarily.
When we pulled into the gas station, we realized we didn't have Valerie's key chain. It held the keys to her car, her new home, her old home, and several expensive keys to the University of South Carolina. Neither of us had any idea where they could be. I got out of the truck to think... and I spotted them, there on one of the two-inch thick beams of the auto transport. I yelled for Valerie, who came to look. I carefully touched the keys with my fingertips... and they dropped to the ground. Neither of us could believe our eyes, or that those keys had remained there of their own accord over the route we had driven. It had to be the Lord. If not, well, He got the praise and glory anyway.
Another time, when I was just a boy, my mother's station wagon had a flat tire on a remote stretch of road outside Tucson. My sister and I were in the car as my mother struggled to get the hubcap off. In those days, on that model, a special tool was required to be able to get to the lugnuts. We didn't have the tool. Just then, a guy rode up on a bike. He happened to have the tool. He handed it to my mother, who to this day swears he was an angel. I'm not sure I can argue with her.
At other times there have been individuals who showed up with just the right help during blowouts, or - believe it or not - airline personnel who actually made my trip better than it could have gone. The most memorable of these instances, truly, have come during times I prayed, read my Bible, and had decided in advance not to get bent out of shape about delays or other problems. One such cross-country trip resulted in an out-of-nowhere upgrade to first class from Philadelphia to Seattle, where I also ended up in position to calmly solve a dispute between passengers. Indeed, the Lord has been gracious to me in travel.
My wife's family has a tradition before every trip they take to read Psalm 91. It reminds them that He is their refuge as they go, wherever they go. And of course before every trip we take, my family prays for safety, and mercy... and the opportunity to minister, even if it is an inconvenience to our plans.
One way or another, this prayer is always answered. Still, it's hard to remind myself of goodness and opportunity in delay. Sometimes I still feel that the trip, the vacation, is my time... that whatever gets in the way shows that the Lord does not care, or did not "bless" our travels. That's when I remember Paul's travels. I am sure he didn't think shipwrecks and imprisonment were helps toward spreading the Word. But in the end, they were. Are our travels - no matter what purpose we think they hold - any different?
Jesus told a story about a traveler who had been robbed, beaten, and left for dead on the road. Those who passed him by had in mind only their own agendas and their desire not to be inconvenienced, even if they were priests by vocation. What would you do? Would you have the time, yearning, and empathy to interrupt your travels to do as the Samaritan did?
Understand that I am not discounting that the Lord must lay on your heart the decision to stop and help, especially in these troubled times. But do be open to it. So few times anymore do we make it outside our home or neighborhood. Those times we do should not merely be restful, but ministerial. Pray that God would give you opportunities to serve him - and yes, even to see His glory in watching over you! - as you go.
Intersecting Faith & Life: This summer especially, be on the lookout for fellow travelers who are stranded. Rising gas costs could cause more and more motorists to run out of fuel. Consider taking along a spare gas can and assisting stranded folks, who might be in need of the gospel message.
Further Reading
Luke 10: 25-37
Psalm 91
A Father's Summer Trip Road Rules
Tips to Keep Your Family Vacation Affordable and Fun
:angel:
May 12, 2011
Are You Reciting the Gospel by Yourself?
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"...with Him... Moses and Elijah, who, appearing in glory, were speaking
of His departure which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem."
Luke 9:30-31 NASB
It's good to see that the idea of 'preaching the gospel to yourself everyday' is becoming more popular. At least that's how it seems to me. Things that point to the gospel are popping up in all kinds of places and ways, not only in big and new movements but in short videos, articles and Twitter messages ("Gospel Tweets"). A caution in the way we think about the gospel was brought to my attention recently in chapter two of True Spirituality. If you're not following along in our weekly journey through this important and helpful work by Francis Schaeffer, I invite you to join us.
In chapter two, Schaeffer mentions our Scripture passage today (above) where we see Moses and Elijah speaking with Jesus at the Mount of Transfiguration about His impending departure—His death.
It's subtle, but notice that they're not just making a passing mention of the fact. Rather, they were actively and continuously speaking about it. They were dwelling on the gospel; at least the substitutionary atonement part of it. And with the Object of their redemption (Christ) standing right there, no doubt there must have been more than just theological accuracy in their conversation. Probably more like amazement and deep gratitude. As they thought of all that Christ was about to endure for their sin, I'm sure they had correct thoughts about the gospel. But Christ's own presence energized their orthodox theology.
At times, there can a detached, tearless way that we think about the gospel. When I have well-articulated and familiar facts about Christ's life/death/resurrection/ascension, and they are just empty echoes down the icy corridors of my thoughts, the diagnosis is simple: I have broken fellowship with Christ. It's evidence of unconfessed sin.
Schaeffer reminds us that when we rehearse the gospel, we must do so in the presence of the Living Christ; in humble worship of Him. He is not a distant figment of man's imagination. He is the God Who is there. Just as Moses and Elijah were "with Him"... in His presence, so we too must continuously rehearse the gospel while recognizing that we are in the presence of the God Who is there. The Christian life flows from the constant spring of dwelling on the gospel with the Redeemer Himself.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Remember this paraphrase of John Piper: the gospel is like blood, it's supposed to course through your veins not be carried in a bucket.
John Owen, (a 1600s Puritan) often prayed, "Lord, may I commune with You in the doctrines I espouse." Make this your prayer and experience today.
Further Reading
John 15
The Gospel in Six Minutes (John Piper, video)
"While all that borrows life from Thee is ever in Thy care;
And everywhere that man can be, Thou, God art present there."
From the hymn, "I Sing the Mighty Power of God" by Isaac Watts
:angel:
May 13, 2011
The Poor, Widowed, and Orphaned
Ryan Duncan, TheFish.com Editor
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1: 27
It was Spring Break of my senior year, and I had decided to end college with a bang. A classmate of mine had invited our wing down to Florida to stay with his family over break. I was going to spend almost two weeks hanging out with friends, hitting the beach, and sleeping in one of the nicest houses in the area. It was going to be a Spring Break to remember.
God, however, had other plans. Spring break finally rolled around, but I wasn't in Florida. Instead, I found myself huddled together with a few other college students in the cold, gray countryside of western Russia. My college had set up a small mission trip over Spring Break with an organization called The Boaz Project, and despite my attempts to ignore it, God had pushed me into going.
The whole trip bothered me, and not just because I was missing a two week vacation in Florida. The Boaz Project served as an outreach to the orphans of Russia, and I wasn't exactly a kid person. I could barely handle one crying baby or a hyperactive youngster, and I dreaded to think what waited for me in Russia. On top of everything was the language barrier. I had barely passed Spanish 101, there wasn't a chance I'd be mastering Russian.
All my worrying turned out to be pointless though. On our first day the children surrounded us as though we had brought Christmas presents. They didn't care if we couldn't speak their language; it thrilled them to have someone to play with them, to notice them. A wiry boy named Sasha kept asking me for piggy-back rides, and by the end of the day my shoulders ached. The trip passed in a whirlwind of games and activity, and then suddenly it was time for us to go home.
We went around and said goodbye to all of the children. I hugged Sasha one last time, and as I did I couldn't help feeling as though I were abandoning him. As our vans drove away I saw him out the window waving at us, and when we reached the main road I put my head in my hands and started to sob. It was the first time I had cried in nine years. How could you fit and entire lifetime of love and affirmation into a few short days? Had I even accomplished anything by coming here? I knew the statistics, as these children grew older they would most likely be lost to a world of drugs, prostitution, and homelessness. And the worst part was that nobody would notice. No one would care.
At that point God touched my heart, and I realized why he had wanted me to come to Russia. These children weren't alone. There was God, and there was me, and there was a whole Kingdom of believers whom Christ had commanded to care for the poor, widowed, and the orphaned. We are the Church, and it is our duty to serve as lights and protectors in a very dark world. That is what Christ calls us to do; it is what God demands of us. Because if the Church does not help these children, who will?
Intersecting Faith & Life
Find out a way to reach someone in need. For more information on The Boaz Project, visit www.boazproject.org
Further Reading
James 1: 1-27
:angel:
May 16, 2011
Be on Your Guard
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position. 2 Peter 3:17, NIV
Who of us doesn't remember a film, television show, book or play with some swordsman in chainmail declaring, "On guard!" before engaging in a duel with someone else?
In that type of adversarial situation, the warning is said to alert the other party that "I'm armed, so prepare to defend yourself." And in light of the current belief battles going on today within evangelical Christianity, that meaning has been front and center in my head and heart—especially after reading through today's verse in 2 Peter.
I did a little further study and found what I read in the New Testament portion of The Bible Knowledge Commentary to be quite helpful in understanding this passage:
If readers were not careful, they could be carried away by the error of lawless men ... The verb "carried away" emphasizes a group or corporate movement. False teachers are not satisfied with ambushing one or two, now and then, here and there; they want to sweep large groups of people away from the correct doctrine of Christ. Those who keep company with such people are in danger of being led astray.
I don't need or want to name prominent names or cite recent book titles or the like within the Christian bubble, as I'm sure that one or many have already come to your mind by this point in today's devotional. Sadly, false teaching is everywhere these days and only seems to be gaining momentum as we head further into the twenty-first century.
It's alarming, for sure, to hear those who are in pastoral, shepherding or leadership positions mishandle God's Word or imply that there is suddenly a new "change" in the meaning of scriptural doctrines that trained theologians and Bible scholars have agreed upon for centuries prior.
But Truth is supposedly relative in the world where we now live, isn't it? What's true for you may not be true for me and so forth. Right? So how do we arm ourselves and follow Peter's instruction to "be on your guard" as believers?
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18).
First, there's grace. Unmerited favor from God. How do we grow in that? By reminding ourselves continually of what God did for each and every one of us. If we don't understand grace, then we will never know who God is, what he stands for and what a right relationship with him looks like. "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom. 5:8). When we get that, in turn, our lives will be lived from a place of humility and in testimony of what God has done through us.
And then there's knowledge. We will only grow spiritually and know God as much as we can in this life if we know the Word. And that doesn't begin and end only with what someone says the Bible says (which isn't bad in and of itself). But it means reading the Bible for yourselfon a continuing basis, so that it will take root in your heart and inform your thinking and your actions. There is no better way to mature in the Lord and know Truth (and be corrected in your thinking, if it's "stinking") than to spend time getting to know God through the Word.
No one else can have your spiritual relationship for you. And anyone who leads you away from Truth is leading you away from a secure position. So be on your guard. And get in there, dig deep and know His unchanging truth.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Are you ready to confront false teaching and see through the devil's schemes to trick and deceive—even in Christian circles? Always consider the source and always measure what you hear or read against God's Word.
Further Reading:
Matthew 7:15-20, NIV
Ephesians 6:10-18, NIV
2 Timothy 3:16-17, NIV
1 John 4:1-6, NIV
:angel:
May 17, 2011
Bless His Heart, but...
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"Do not withhold your mercy from me, O LORD; may your love and your truth always protect me." - 1 Thess. 5:11
Beware if ever you hear a southerner begin a sentence with "bless his heart." I often follow that genteel saying with the critical conjunction "but," and some criticism of motive or action is about spew forth. An example would be, "Bless his heart, but he just doesn't get it at all," or "Bless his heart, but he is making things difficult for himself."
That's criticism at its veiled best – distant, underhanded, and with a pretense of concern.
We all like to pretend that we're good at "speaking the truth in love," don't we? But how often do we arm ourselves with the "bless his heart" mentality, thinking that we can throw out any comments by prefacing them with a benign statement? Instead of crafting our whole response in love, we think a quick show is enough.
When I was about eleven, I misunderstood a pastor's tongue-in-cheek statement about the "gift of criticism" and took him at his word. Criticism is a spiritual gift, I thought? Whoopee! I can be contradictory with a purpose, oh boy! I can defend myself with "the truth!" I'm making the world a better place by pointing out all its flaws! Thankfully, my mom caught up my bad theology pretty quickly.
This Sunday's sermon reminded me of that childish belief, as the pastor focused on Jesus' response to Mary and Martha at Lazarus' death. The story doesn't have much to do with criticism, but everything to do with speaking in love and truth at the same time. Read the story (John 11) for yourself, and note all of the ways Christ sympathizes with the grieving sisters, instead of stopping with a terse expression of truth or belittling them for not having enough faith. He even cries with them. He never lets them lose sight of who He is, but encompasses both truth and love in His responses.
Psalm 40:11 underscores our need for truth coupled with love: "Do not withhold your mercy from me, O LORD; may your love and your truth always protect me." It's not a balance between the two, but a synthesis that blends the two into one fantastic mystery called the Gospel. Without God's truth, we don't know we need mercy. Without God's love, the truth blasts us to smithereens.
I wrote a while back about the power of the tongue for life and death. I think we undergo another "tongue transformation" when we focus on how God has dealt with us through this love/truth synthesis. How do we go on pointing out what's wrong with people and pretending like criticism is a gift when we realize how much is wrong with us? More than our words change; our attitudes do, too.
The sermon on Lazarus' death concluded by reminding us that "love demands an answer." If God was simply a God of truth, Christ's death on the cross wouldn't have happened, would it? It was because "God so loved the world" that Christ came to extend mercy that goes beyond the harsh truth. How do we respond?
Intersecting Faith & Life: How can you extend love instead of criticism today? With your spouse, family, friends, co-workers? Contemplate this: Christ's sacrificial love is where our hope comes from. How does that hope shape your words?
Further Reading
The Gift of Cynicism
Women: Put the Power of Your Words to Good Use
John 11
:angel:
May 26, 2011
Defying Gravity
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand." – 1 Chronicles 29:14
While I was in elementary school, family friends made the decision to leave the States for Kiev, Ukraine. This family of seven, including children my age, had to downgrade from a four bedroom suburban home to an 800 square foot flat. That meant getting rid of a house full of clothes, toys, yard tools, furniture, dishes – a whole host of personal preferences and "needs." Each family member had the luxury of one big trunk as they moved halfway around the world.
For this family, however, the joy of sharing the Gospel in a former USSR satellite nation outweighed all their possessions. My dad asked his friend how he was handling the sudden "loss." His answer was telling.
"Actually," the new missionary responded, "this is the most freeing thing I've ever done."
This family found a special freedom far before I began to sniff it out. For me, this reorientation is coming slowly, helped along recently by a little book called The Treasure Principle. In it, Randy Alcorn uses a science metaphor to explain why our friends felt unshackled rather than empty. He writes:
It's a matter of basic physics. The greater the mass, the greater the hold that mass exerts. The more things we own—the greater their total mass the more they grip us, setting us in orbit around them. Finally, like a black hole, they suck us in.
Consider our materialism that way – the more stuff, the more mass. The more mass, the greater its gravitational pull. And the harder it is to escape.
Compare this to David's exhilaration in 1 Chronicles. He is humbled not by how much God has blessed him with – but by how much God has allowed him to give away. The king of Israel, a center of the ancient world, found his joy not in the palaces and the women at his disposal, but in the act of returning to God was rightfully God's. How many of us can say the same?
We live in a physical, material world. But we have the chance to defy its hold on us with every cent, toy, and "need" that comes our way. Are you ready?
Intersecting Faith & Life: I want to relearn the joy of giving in a more tangible way than ever before. As Alcorn puts it, "We give because He first gave to us" the most valuable gift of all. What ministries, families, or other kingdom cause is on your heart?
:angel:
Read II Chronicles 18 -- 20
Highlights:
King Jehoshaphat relies on God, but his association with wicked Ahab, and later with Ahaziah, lead to some serious consequences.
Surrounded by vast armies of enemy nations, the people of Judah hastened to Jerusalem, bowed before God, confessed their sins, and prayed earnestly for God to protect them. They placed their confidence in God when the prophet Jahaziel said: Be not afraid . . . for the battle is not yours, but God's. . . . Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established (II Chr. 20:15,20). Then they began to sing and to praise the Lord.
Victory is always sure to those who trust in Him. When difficulties mount, misunderstandings arise, or situations you can neither deal with nor escape threaten you, reach out in faith and begin praising the Lord — the Christian's True Source of strength.
An important principle in praising God is to take your eyes off the alarming predicament and put them on Him as you pray unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ . . . That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man (Eph. 3:14,16).
Jehoshaphat was one of the most godly kings in the 500-year history of Judah. He appointed Levites throughout the country to read and instruct people in the Law of God. He forced the Baal and Ashtoreth cult followers, as well as the male cult prostitutes (homosexuals), out of the Kingdom of Judah (I Kin. 22:46; II Chr. 17:3-9). But Jehoshaphat made a serious mistake when he associated with Ahab, the Baal-worshiping King of the Northern Kingdom.
The marriage of Jehoshaphat's son Jehoram to Athaliah (18:1; 21:1,6), the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, opened the door to Baal worship in Judah and the eventual massacre of all of Jehoshaphat's sons and grandsons, except for one-year-old Jehoash (Joash), who was hidden by the high priest Jehoiada for six years (22:10-12).
All of our relationships should be guided by the Scriptures: Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? . . . Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith theLord (II Cor. 6:14,17). And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness. . . . Redeeming the time, because the days are evil (Eph. 5:11,16).
Thought for Today:
Is not My Word like as a fire? saith the Lord; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock into pieces (Jer. 23:29)?
Christ Portrayed:
By Micaiah, who told the Truth even though it was unpopular with his listeners (II Chr. 18:12-27). We are reminded of Christ when He spoke the unpopular Truth to the Pharisees (Matt. 12:1-14). Jesus responded: Now ye seek to kill Me, a Man that hath told you the Truth, which I have heard of God (John 8:40).
Word Studies:
18:1 joined affinity, allied himself by the marriage of his son to Ahab's daughter; 18:9 a void place, an open area near the city entrance; 18:15 adjure, command under oath; 18:33 at a venture, randomly without aim; harness, armor.
Prayer Needs:
Pray for International Broadcasts in memory of Iva Ann McElroy • Staff: Ilene Wallace • Government Officials: Sen. Kay Hagan (NC), Rep. Janice Schakowsky (IL), and Rep. Rich Nugent (FL) • Country: Hungary (10.1 million) in east-central Europe • Major language: Hungarian • New freedom has opened the door to evangelism and Bible distribution • 61.7% Roman Catholic; 24.4% Protestant; 12.5% non-Religious/Other; .8% Jewish; .3% Orthodox; .2% Marginal; .1% Muslim • Prayer Suggestion: Confess and repent of any known sin (I John 1:9).
Optional Reading: I Corinthians 13
Memory Verse for the Week: John 15:10
:angel:
May 27, 2011
The Dip Swimmer
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely? But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."
James 4:4-6
August is often monsoon time in Tucson, Arizona. The rains can come quickly, bringing flooding to dry ground not primed to soak them up. He always looked forward to that time of year, to the brief respites from the scorching zephyrs. But not this year. This year was his "nowhere year," the one between high school and college, the one where he lost sense of self, God, and purpose. Most of his friends had gone to school or summer projects. He himself would finally do so in just a few weeks. There was excitement in that knowledge, but also much apprehension. All he had known was Tucson. All he had was there. His best friend and his girlfriend and his family -- he'd be leaving them behind.
The leaving was becoming even more difficult because there were rifts growing. His girlfriend had requested a break because, among other things, he had begun to put on weight. Things weren't good between them. In fact, things weren't good anywhere. This was supposed to be one of the best times of his life, but all he felt was lost, left out, and lethargic. The weather wasn't helping. Neither was the fact that his Triumph TR6 convertible, the one he had received from his dad, the original owner, had finally died. He'd gone from driving that prime machine to a hand-me-up, dented Volkswagen Dasher from, insult of insults, his younger sister. His parents had opted to provide her a more reliable vehicle, a shinier, newer, cuter Honda Civic. It took him a long time, sad to say, to get over that.
On this night, he was also house-sitting for a friend of his mother's. It was a depressing apartment, containing two very depressing dogs. One was very old and mostly blind, and would spend each night spookily wandering from room to room. He would wake up and see it stalking the halls as if in trance. Freaky. The other one was a three-legged little mutt who was so scared of him that the very reason he was housesitting became obsolete! Every gentle attempt to let the dog out created so much fear in the animal that it would do its business in the process of running out the door, meaning he not only had clean-up duty, but still had to convince the frightened critter to come back inside!
So basically, he was bummed. Bummed and lonely. And the last thing on his mind was the Lord, even though he'd known Him for 10 years. He knew he had to get out of there and gain some perspective. Maybe Jay was around. His house wasn't too far away from Dog Central. He decided to try his luck in the monsoon.
As soon as he got to the Dasher, he should have known it was a bad idea. He'd left his windows down. He sat down anyway, right in the puddle of rain and dog hair and his sister's ancient cigarette ashes. At least the car started. He pulled it out onto Alvernon Road, and headed south toward Grant.
Grant Road, when he got there, no longer looked like a street. It was a rivulet. I don't know why, but he pulled out into it. For a while, the old wheezy car made its way slowly through the water. But eventually, it could go no more. He'd killed it. He stepped out into knee-deep water and looked to the heavens. A couple guys who were standing uphill in a shopping center watching the action helped him push the Dasher out of the street and up into the lot. Suddenly he heard shouts of joy and glee. He turned his head in time to see two kids in an inflatable raft cruise down a side street and out onto Grant, laughing all the way. Nice. Did anyone else want to mock him?
Well, what next? He had no cash, no coins. No cell phones in 1989. No ATM nearby.
There was only one thing to do: walk the rest of the way to Jay's house. Why not? He couldn't suffer much more, could he? It was a good 25 blocks. He'd gone about 24 of those in the rain when it was finally starting to let up. But through the parting drops he saw that he made yet another error in judgment. Rather than staying on the main road, where there was a bridge that crossed over a wash, he had taken a side street that dipped right down into it. It was going to mean another half hour if he backtracked, so he made his umpteenth stupid decision of the night. He tied his shoes around his neck, waded into the dip... and swam to the other side (kids, don't try this at home. He got lucky the current wasn't strong).
Emerging, he imagined himself as the creature from the black lagoon. Only several more houses to go. He knocked on the door. Jay's mother answered. She looked confused, then concerned, then sprang into action. "Oh my goodness! Get in here!" She got him towels and something hot to drink, and let him know Jay wasn't home yet. He was out on a date. She was going to bed, but he was welcome, as always, to wait up for Jay.
He sat in a dark corner of the living room, wondering how in the world he had sunk to this. He heard a key in the lock. He saw his best buddy enter, saw him notice a blob sitting in the corner, saw him realize he'd seen no car outside. When Jay recognized his pal, he paused, looked more closely, then... burst into laughter.
What happened next was an all-night conversation that would change both their lives. The gist of it was, "We've been giving lip service to our God and our church for a long time now. We've been part of this great youth group, but at heart we both know we love the popularity more than the fellowship. We've talked about the guys in our group who we know are authentic, who really study, really live the Word. Maybe it is time for us to be that, too? Maybe it's time to stop sinning and start taking Christianity seriously?"
Yes. We decided it was. In the morning the mercy was palpable and freeing. We went to the bookstore and bought a study guide on James. We drove up to Mount Lemmon, just outside the city, praising the Lord on the way and praying once we got there. With James's help, we decided to begin with practicality. We put away childish things. We took our eyes off ourselves, and we recognized that God had been active in answering prayers we'd prayed over a year ago (flippantly though they were spoken) that God would get our attention, develop in us humilty and patience, and a genuine idea of what following Jesus was about.
Relatively speaking, we didn't suffer much, though our achings were deep and real for the time. God put us on our knees, gently but firmly, and turned us around, which is the essence of humility, repentance, and restoration. The Dasher was definitely dead... but we were alive.
Only a couple years later, God gave me a gift, an incredible, forever reminder of that night and what I learned and how it would carry me through the future. It came in the form of a song by Rich Mullins. To this day, I believe that Rich must have been there, must have seen what transpired. For he wrote:
I see the morning moving over the hills
I can see the shadows on the western side
And all those illusions that I had
They just vanish in Your light.
Though the chill in the night still hangs in the air
I can feel the warmth of morning on my face
Though the storm had tossed me
'Til I thought I'd nearly lost my way
And now the night is fading and the storm is past
And everything that could be shaken was shaken
And all that remains is all I ever really had
What I'd have settled for
You've blown so far away
What You brought me to
I thought I could not reach.
And I came so close to giving up
But You never did give up on me.
I see the morning moving over the hills
I feel the rush of life here where the darkness broke
And I am in You and You're in me
Here where the winds of Heaven blow.
And now the night is fading
And the storm is through
And everything You sent to shake me
From my dreams they come to wake me
In the love I find in You
And now the morning comes
And everything that really matters
Become the wings You send to gather me
To my home
To my home
I'm going home...
Intersecting Faith & Life: 1. If a storm were to shake your life, and "everything that could be shaken was shaken, and all that remained was all you ever really had," what would it be that remained? 2. What would you have settled for that God has blown so far away? What has He brought you to that you thought you could not reach? 3. What does it mean to go back "to my home," even if you're actually about to start a journey? 4. When was the last time you shared your testimony? Make an effort to write it down or share it today.
Further Reading
Closer to You Than to Me, David Jeremiah
The Finger of God, Os Hillman
Lamentations 3:22-23
:angel:
May 30, 2011
What Hath Worldview to Do with Memorial Day?
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"...let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness..."
Genesis 1:26 NASB
Begun as a ritual after the American Civil War to honor fallen soldiers, Memorial Day seems to have broadened in recent years. Many people view it as a day to remember deceased friends and loved ones, regardless of military service. The propriety of this phenomenon is not so much the focus of this devotional. What is of interest, however, is the fact that there even exists a universal human urge to honor the dead. Thinking worldview-ishly—what perspective besides the Christian's is able to provide a consistent and satisfying explanation for this?
Take atheistic evolution, for example. 1How do invisible realities like love, honor, and dignity evolve by random processes in a purely material universe? These are enduring aspects of human personality. Each is non-material, but each is very real. Deep down, we all know that they exist. Yet atheistic evolution, which says that these things can be nothing more than the product of chemical reactions in our brains, renders them meaningless. (Somehow, that little factoid gets swept under the rug in biology class though, doesn't it?)
At a fundamental level, we know that these ideals aren't just the product of chemical reactions in our brains. Oh, someone might protest that they are just chemical reactions. But if you could follow that person home and observe him for a while among his friends and loved ones, you'd see a different story played out.
The image of God is something which humans cannot contain or fully eradicate. Sooner or later it pokes out and finds expression. In an unguarded moment, the God-denier looks into the eyes of his beloved, or cradles a child or grandchild in his arms and knows deeply that the love he's experiencing is not a mere product of bio-chemistry. In The God Who Is There, author Francis Schaeffer said it this way:
"Though your system may say love does not exist, your own experience shows that it does." (chap. 2, conclusion)
We humans have an insuppressible knowledge that love is real and that there is something eternal and significant about us. We may not be able to put our finger on it or explain it precisely, but the Bible says that the living God has made mankind in His image. At the very least what that means is that we are distinct from animals. The ability to reflect on ourselves and write an essay about it (or read one), sets us apart from every other species. This is a function of the image of God at work.
God specially created us as rational and moral creatures possessing complex, intangible elements of personality. We are self-conscious; we reflect on memories of ourselves and others; we experience love—on and on. These are distinctly human qualities. We are unique in our "mannishness" as Schaeffer called it. Elsewhere, he wrote concerning this, saying:
God thinks and we think. The world of thoughts is that which distinguishes me as a man.
...the battle for people is centrally in the world of thought.
(True Spirituality, chap. 9: conclusion)
Granted, people don't always live in full awareness of these deep truths. But a so-called "non-religious" holiday like Memorial Day can help shock the awareness back, if we pause to consider it.
As Christians, we are right to observe Memorial Day. Honoring the dead is something completely consistent with our worldview. We might also observe Memorial Day by looking for opportunities to graciously challenge others to think about where their worldview leads them, and why they do what they do.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
When a non-Christian friend, neighbor, or family member brings up the subject of Memorial Day, ask them why they think humans honor their dead. Seize the occasion to start a conversation that points others to their Creator whose image they bear.
Further Reading:
Colossians 3 (esp. 3:10)
The Myth of Neutrality (a worldview & apologetics study by Greg Bahnsen)
How to Know Truth and Evaluate Competing Worldviews, by Chris Daniel
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1The deficiencies of other worldviews are demonstrable re: honoring the dead. However, for the sake of brevity, the discussion is being limited here to atheistic evolution.
:angel:
May 31, 2011
God Has a Plan... Really
Ryan Duncan, TheFish.com Editor
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."- Jeremiah 29:11
I had a rough time after graduating college. The economy was in the tank, and I was having trouble finding work. I was living with my parents, missed all my friends, constantly bored, and I was probably the only person from my university that had graduated without a girlfriend, wife, or fiancée.
I can remember on one particularly bad day, my mother came up to me and said, "Ryan, God has a plan." I don't remember what I said to that, hopefully something polite, but what I do remember is that underneath I completely snapped. I hate it when people tell me God has a plan. I wanted to scream, "I don't care if God has a plan! What about my plans? What about my goals, my dreams? Does God care about them? Would God like to share this ingenious little plan of his, or is it just going to be a big surprise for later?"
Maybe you're like me. Maybe sometimes the future looks dark and hearing someone say, "God has a plan" is the equivalent to rubbing salt in an open wound. If you are, I've got some good news for you: the Bible is full of people like us.
David was promised to become the next king of Israel. But before that happened he found himself on the run from a half-crazy Saul who wanted to kill him.
Daniel and his friends became leaders and high officials, spreading God's word to Babylon. Of course, first they had to be kidnapped, renamed, and face death on multiple occasions.
Finally, Jesus' disciples believed they had finally found the one true Messiah, and then had to watch the Son of God be executed like a common criminal. Do you think there were ever moments when each of them wondered, "Does God really have a plan?"
The truth is, God really does have a plan. We never know what tomorrow may bring, and we never know how past events, even a painful ones, might be used by God to create a brighter future. Life is tough, but that does not mean God doesn't care. He knows what he's doing; he's got a plan.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Take some time to be alone and talk with God
Further Reading
Ephesians 1:4
:angel:
June 1, 2011
Giving Up the Funk
Laura MacCorkle, Senior Entertainment Editor
I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do ... So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! Romans 7:15, 21-25, NIV
I didn't sleep well the night before. So naturally, the next morning I was prepped to be in a funk. And on a Sunday, no less.
The coffee didn't taste as good, and my morning bagel wasn't that satisfying. Even the butter I slathered over and under and inside and around every toasted nook and cranny did nothing to lift my spirits.
I had gotten up later than normal, so I knew I wouldn't make it to the first service at church. Actually, I didn't want to make it. Didn't want to go to church at all. And so it was official: I was in a funk.
I then decided it was best that I stay home, because I was really tired after all. And how could I possibly drive the ten minutes to church, find a parking spot and pay attention during a thirty-plus-minute sermon?
As I was creating this rationale in my mind, something told me to call my mom. I thought sharing my stay-at-home plans for the morning would make me feel better. But after I hung up the phone, I knew it wasn't right. My cup was empty. Bone dry. And I needed to get it filled. Fast.
So I got it together and made it to the late service, but my funk was still ever present. Everything annoyed me: the perky greeters at the door, the music man leading the hymns too slowly, the off-center creases in the bulletin, the special music that wasn't so special, and even the pastor. His message was emotional and caused him to speak slowly and pause often—either for dramatic effect or due to his heart's softness in responding to the important subject matter: God's love and its expression through us (1 John 4:7-21).
Had I been sitting at the end of my row, I would have left. But (providentially, I believe), I was seated in the middle. So there I stayed with my heart of stone. I didn't smile. I didn't tear up. Everyone else around me did, though. They were open. They were ready to receive the message about the condition of their hearts.
As I drove away from church afterward and scowled at the sunny day around me, I asked the Lord to help me give up the funk. I didn't know what had caused it, and I didn't know why my heart didn't want to worship that day.
Like Paul contemplated in Romans, I did not understand why I was doing what I did not want to do. In my mind, I wanted to worship that morning. I wanted to receive. I wanted to love. But my sinful nature was battling and blocking; it wanted to control the desire of a child who really wanted to honor her Father.
Over the next couple of hours, I got to the end of myself. And the stoniness of my heart—the rebellion—began to crumble. I softened. I teared up. "What a wretched woman I am!" I could have shouted, echoing Paul's sentiment. And I know that this transformation—this removal of my funk—was not of my doing.
Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! That is the answer, my friend. And truly, and ever so gratefully, it's all any of us should say when we understand our condition and when what we hate is what we do.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Are you battling the funk today? Although we still have a flesh nature this side of heaven, we also have Christ in us through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Don't give up. Ask your Heavenly Father to help you overcome so that he may be glorified in and through you.
Further Reading:
Romans 8:12-14
Galatians 5:22-25
:angel:
June 02, 2011
Trust at High Speeds
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6
I had been on a WaveRunner before. "No problem," I said to myself as I climbed on behind my husband last weekend. I looked down at the brackish water that was more chilly than refreshing and told myself firmly, "Remember, you like going on adventures with him." Sure enough, David looked back and grinned at me when we got away from the dock. He told me to hold on. Then he gunned it.
Jumping on a WaveRunner seems easy when I'm the one driving, because then I get to decide just how sharply I want to bank to catch that big wake. Or I can keep shooting out towards the Chesapeake Bay and avoid the wake altogether if I want. I can slow down if I scare myself, and I only "catch some air" if I'm good and ready - which, in reality, is almost never. Riding behind someone else, however, even when I trust him more than anyone, demands a leap of faith. The only thing I have to hang onto is his life jacket, and this guy in front of me gets to make the decisions while I peer over his shoulder. It's hard to anticipate or even see what is coming next, and leaning the wrong way when we bank could throw me into the cold water at 50 miles per hour.
Out on the open water, with the wind stinging my eyes and convincing me that I'm about to fly off my seat, I'm pushed out of my comfort zone and into something more exhilarating than I'd wander into by myself. And the whole experience stems from letting someone else sit in the driver's seat with not even a seatbelt for me. David knew I didn't want to capsize, and he directed the little WaveRunner accordingly. But he wouldn't let me be completely comfortable, because then we might as well take the paddleboat out and save gas. He made sure we got the full experience of saltwater, fun, and incredible views.
If I can trust my husband who loves me, how much more should I trust my Heavenly Father, who knows my fears, needs, and weaknesses far better. God desires to take us on an adventure that lets us experience Him and His creation more fully and joyfully than we can imagine. Focusing on our fear of some abstract unknown keeps us from being open to the adventure unfolding before our eyes every day. We tend to forget God's amazing promise, that "the LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you" (Deut. 1:8). Fear and worry indicate that we don't really believe that promise, and that we think we'd do a better job steering. Instead, when we make a conscious decision to trust the Lord - even when life is way too busy and fast for our liking - we find the peace to take a deep breath, smell the salty air, and enjoy where He is taking us.
Intersecting Faith & Life: If you're comfortable with life now, are you open to changes in God's plan for you? If life is crazy now, do you try too hard to make sure everything is under control, instead of resting in God's promises? Roll down your car window for a minute today and feel the wind rushing by. Remember that the Lord of the universe, the One who controls the wind and the seas, calls us cast all our cares on Him (I Peter 5:7).
Further Reading
Proverbs 19:21
Philippians 4:6-7
The War over Worry
:angel:
June 3, 2011
Bearing With One Another
by Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Colossians 3: 13-14
Sometimes I think the biggest stumbling block to living the Christian life exists in our interactions with other Christians. Those who profess faith in Christ are very capable of hurting each other – perhaps even unusually "gifted" at it.
Yes, fellowship within the Church can be wonderfully fulfilling, offering true glimpses of the unity we will experience in heaven. But (as life frequently reminds us) we're not in heaven yet, so our relationships with one another often fall short of the "Beatific Vision."
So what do we do when we're faced with failure in our relationships, especially when our fellow Christians fail to meet our expectations? Much has been said about the necessity of forgiving trespassers. Scripture makes it clear we are to imitate Christ and show mercy to those who have wronged us, and counselors have written extensively on the personal freedom one finds in forgiving even the most terrible sins. But I think sometimes it's not the huge transgressions that challenge us most. Sometimes it's the smaller infractions that wear on our souls.
Perhaps you've observed imperfections in another that open personal wounds, rub you the wrong way or just plain annoy you. Perhaps there is someone in your life that consistently brings out your ugly side or whose presence simply symbolizes something you desire but have not achieved. This kind of pain is often absorbed interiorly. There's no public stand to take, no 12-step program designed to walk you through.
Over time, we may find that we begin to keep count of this person's failings. We may catch ourselves gossiping about them or avoiding them in our daily lives. Each infraction is like a small stone that eventually builds a wall around the heart, a wall that stands not only between you and that person but also between you and Christ.
One of my favorite Christian heroes, St. Therese of Lisieux, faced such a situation in her community of cloistered Carmelite nuns. Behind the walls of her tranquil convent, relational strife simmered. Some nuns had maddeningly annoying habits that interfered with prayerful contemplation whereas others displayed a variety of mundane vices like laziness or sloppiness. St. Therese had a personal dislike for a particular nun who often acted unhappy and critical. She sought ways to avoid this person in her daily tasks – until she realized she was failing to love one of God's children. Therese had personally experienced Christ's love, with full knowledge of her invisible imperfections, so how could she justify failing to love this nun just because her faults were visible?
As her heart changed, so did her actions. Therese chose to smile at this young woman every time she passed her. She displayed unusual grace in their interactions, always ready to help with a task or share a kind word.
The change in Therese's demeanor did not go unnoticed. This nun made note to others that it seemed Therese had an unusual affection for her, and she began to return Therese's smiles.
I realize I would do well to imitate Therese more often. I struggle with the small acts of charity, the little things that only God notices. Yet, the decision to love in even the most seemingly insignificant ways transforms hearts. And while Therese's actions may not have brought on world peace, they brought Christ's peace to her world.
Intersecting Faith & Life: While it's good to speak out against wrong, some situations call for a silent gesture of love and grace. This week, perform a small act of kindness towards a person you find challenging to love. Remember that Christ knows all of our faults, yet His love never wavers.
Further Reading
Matthew 18: 15
The Command to Forgive
:angel:
June 6, 2011
Only One Way to Achieve Patience
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride.
Ecclesiastes 7:8, NIV
Our senior pastor came into the room for a pre-arranged talk with all of us high school senior guys. He wanted to share something with us as we moved off into the next phases of our lives.
Out of all the applications and biblical wisdom at his disposal, what one topic was on his heart? What advice did he wish to impart above all?
He began by asking us to envision where we'd be in five, 10, 20 years. I'm just now coming up on that 20th year; I'm amazed at how differently some things have turned out, and how similar to my goals other things are. But that's not the point.
Our pastor next told us that the one thing we ought to pursue more than any other was... not holiness, not righteousness, not prayer... but patience. "Boys, raise your hand if you want to be a man of patience."
Okay, sure. Sounds good. Patience, yeah, that could be helpful to me. Hand up.
"Great. I'll tell you what, boys, can I pray with you now? But be aware, only agree with me in this prayer if you mean it, if you really want patience. Because do you know what it takes to develop patience? Problems. Only problems - and the way you react to them and trust God through them - can develop patience. Do you understand? So that's what I'm going to ask God for right now, that He'll bring you all problems. Are you ready?"
Sure. Why not?
Oh boy. Looking back, the last 20-plus years haven't been hell on earth by any stretch, but they've sure been full of their share of problems. As of this writing, I've got one that's forcing me to wait... and wait... and wait for an answer. I feel shamed when I go through a study about Abraham and how long he waited and waited for God to fulfill a direct promise, because I can't imagine waiting any longer than I already have. The only reason I continue to do so is because of the patience and wisdom I've built up having passed through earlier problems and trials, the outcomes of which inform me to keep waiting.
What's the moral here? Be careful what you pray for? Hmmm... maybe... but I think I prefer the lesson in today's verse, that patience (trusting God's way and waiting on His promise) is better than pride (my idea of the best way). To me, it's really eye-opening to think of those two concepts - patience and pride - as the opposites of each other. But that's exactly how this verse sets them up. It suggests patience is akin to humility, and pride the brother of instant gratification. And I guess that makes sense. But why is patience better? Especially in this day and age when so much is there for the taking? When the respected thing to do is reach out and go for it? What had my pastor so convinced that doing the opposite was the most important lesson to send young men out into the world?
Honestly I haven't completely figured that out yet. Appropriately, it's something I'm willing to be patient to gain the wisdom of. But I suspect it has something to do with that pesky old verse from James:
Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing (James 1:2-4).
Only problems can bring patience; only trials can test faith and make it real. Only endurance can lead to completion.
And when I am complete, I will lack nothing. At which time I apparently will have superceded even patience, as what would there be to wait for if I lack nothing?
It sounds almost mystical, almost unachievable, at least until the end of my life or when I meet God. Until then, I simply pray that the experience of each problem and the eventual result will steel me into calm, patient submission to God's perfect timing.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Are you willing to pray a problem into your life? Why or why not?
Further Reading
Afraid God Will Give You Patience?
Pursue Patience
:angel:
June 7, 2011
Christ Did Not Ascend into the Realm of Mere Religious Ideas
by Alex Crain, Editor, Christianity.com
"Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus." Romans 6:11 NASB
We live in a world in which critics of Christianity consider the Gospel accounts of Jesus' life, death, resurrection and ascension completely absurd. They count us, His followers, to be fools. They must. They have no other choice. And we do not live by their opinions.
Rather, we pray and live in such a way so that God might use us to open their eyes to the reality of Christ's resurrection. He is Lord of all and is seeing history through to its appointed end. Nothing can change this.
One way that God opened my eyes to the truth of Christ years ago was by putting me in the company of a Christian who had moved past his fear-of-man issues and was living out the verse above. I remember that he even explained his faith to me, a skeptic, in terms of Romans 6 as if it were true in present history—in real space and time. It was unsettling.
He had mentioned reading Francis Schaeffer, whose book True Spirituality I am currently working through on "Crosswalk the Devotional." This week, in chapter three, Schaeffer dwells upon the Romans 6 message about the necessity of the Christian to believe that he has really been joined in union with Christ. Schaeffer points out from Romans 6 that this is the essential message of the Christian life.
From what I can tell, skeptics and critics who suspect that Christians are just trying to make them conform to a moral or political agenda really don't know what to do with the undiluted message of Christianity—that of being spiritually united with Christ. Quoting Schaeffer:
This is the basic consideration of the Christian life.
First, Christ died in history. Second, Christ rose in history.
Third, we died with Christ in history, when we accepted Him as Savior.
Fourth, we will be raised in history, when He comes again.
Fifth, we are to live by faith now as though we were now dead, as though we have already died.
Sixth, we are to live now by faith as though we have now already been raised from the dead.
What this means to the true believer is that the world's power to conform us to its way of thinking and living is broken. All things look different now.
Paraphrasing Schaeffer:
How can we conform to that which is so marred, so broken, so caught up in revolution against God? The praise of the world is worthless when one has stood in the presence of God. The wealth of the world is worthless when one has seen the treasure of heaven. What is earthly power after one has seen the reality of heaven and the power of God?
And this is not a matter of projecting our imaginations. We recognize that the Lord Jesus Christ indeed lives in the presence of the Father (Rom. 6:10), and this is where we are called to live, alive to God in communion with Him, in communication with Him—saying "thank you" in all the ebb and flow of life.
When I am dead both to good and bad [circumstances that happen to me], I have my face turned towards God. And this is the place in which, by faith at the present moment of history, I am to be.
When I am there, what am I? I am then the creature in the presence of my Creator. It is though I am already in the grave, and already before the face of God. When through faith I am dead to all, and am face to face with God, then I am ready by faith to come back into this present world as though I have already been raised from the dead. It is as though I anticipate that day when I will come back.
Our primary call, then, is to be alive to God moment by moment. Our "doing good" should not become a thing in itself and thus spoil the most basic call of being alive to the presence of God.
Christ was not raised mythically. He did not ascend into the realm of mere religious ideas. He was raised historically in space and time. He lives presently and sustains all things by the word of His power. The dominion of sin is broken. Because He lives, we can live free from conformity to the world and be alive in the presence of our Creator.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Are you joined in union with Christ? Is yours a Christless Christianity that is more focused on your own goals, fears and feelings than what is historically and presently true of Christ?
Further Study on the Validity of the Christian Worldview:
Dr. Greg Bahnsen's peerless lectures: "Basic Training for Defending the Faith" (YouTube)
:angel:
June 8, 2011
The Wedding Day
By Ryan Duncan, Editor for TheFish.com
As a young man marries a maiden, so will your sons marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you. - Isaiah 62:5
Last weekend one of my best friends got married. The wedding took place outside at their old college, the place where the two had first met. A few of the groom's friends and I helped raise a white tent on one of the school's grassy fields while the bridesmaids rushed back and forth setting tables, adjusting flowers, and making everything look just right. The ceremony was beautiful. The bride and groom received their parents' blessing, exchanged vows, and kissed with loud applause from the audience.
For me though, the best part came during the reception when the bride and groom had their first dance. As I sat there watching my friend and his wife dance to "You're Beautiful" by Phil Wickham, it struck me why Jesus often used weddings to describe the Kingdom of God. You see, in that moment the only thing that mattered to the two of them was each other. It didn't matter that the road to marriage had been crazy, stressful and hard. It didn't matter that the weather wasn't perfect or that they had to wait a few days for their honeymoon. The only thing that mattered to my friend was holding the woman he loved in his arms and knowing that she loved him in return.
Life really is like a wedding banquet. The time leading up to the ceremony will be chocked full of mistakes and uncertainty, and there will be moments when we're unsure if we can live up to Christ's expectations. But if we continue to believe in Christ, then on the day when we stand before him, we will realize that none of those mistakes matter anymore. All that will matter is that he loves us, and we love him in return.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Married couples, take a moment to appreciate your spouse and reflect on Christ's blessing in your life.
Further Reading
Jeremiah 33:11
:angel:
June 9, 2011
Why Lord?
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 2 Cor. 4:8-10, NIV
It happened again just a little over two weeks ago.
Loss.
In Joplin, Missouri, a town of only 50,000, a tornado swept through and leveled about 75 percent of what had been there. Churches, hospitals, shopping centers, homes ... an entire community was nearly wiped out in minutes. And this only added to the previous flooding by the nearby Mississippi River that had already affected this area.
Friends of friends of mine lost almost everything in their home. And relatives of theirs lost everything. Everything but the clothes on their backs. But their lives were spared. And they're now sleeping on cots in a church until they decide how to put the pieces of their lives back together.
Loss due to natural disasters continues to increase as the years go by; earthquakes, tsunamis, flooding, tornadoes, wildfires ... it seems like each week there's a report of one of these catastrophic events somewhere in the world.
It can be overwhelming to watch such tragedy happen to others. Will we ever understand? Are we supposed to? Perhaps loss of any kind is simply a reminder to us that God is, and should be, the very center of our lives. And nothing or no one else should take his place of honor.
That's what I've taken away from the major losses in my life. It helps to know that God is orchestrating, that he has a purpose and that he is near in times like these. But that doesn't mean I don't feel or deny the impact of such great loss. The shock, the numbness. And then the pain and the intermittent suffering throughout the years.
We've all gone through loss of some kind in our lives ...
The life-long best friendship that disintegrated over a dumb misunderstanding.
The job that would elevate one to the next level, but was eliminated after a corporate merger.
The marriage destroyed by pornography, unfaithfulness or abandonment.
The college student's dream or hoped-for career path dashed by controlling, overbearing parents.
The promising romantic relationship that just didn't translate to marriage.
The reputation now marred with the careless words or accusations of another.
The death of any family member or loved one held dear.
The burglary of a home and the dashed sense of security and peace of mind.
Loss hurts. In many cases, it can feel like someone is ripping out your heart right from your chest. You can't breathe. You can't feel. You don't even know what day it is. And, at the time, you don't care.
But time gives us perspective and some healing. And, in my own experience, I have found that profound loss can either refine us and draw us closer to Christ or cause us to reject the Creator and lead a life that is in outward rebellion to his leading in our lives.
I don't offer this devotional as a solution or an answer to the loss you have in your life today. But I offer it as a reminder that life is not only what we see and what we cling to here on earth. It is so much more than that.
If we lift up our heads, that is a great place to start. And we will be looking in the right, and most satisfying, direction. Heavenward. Where we can find hope, salvation and everything we could ever want or need.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
You probably already knew that I'd tie in the book of Job somewhere in this devotional today, right? But where else better can we go in God's Word when we are looking for comfort in the aftermath of loss? Job wanted to understand why God was doing or allowing what he was. But maybe the bigger lesson learned here is that God is God, and we are not. His ways and purposes are higher. And if we never fully understand why we must suffer this side of heaven, we should still praise a sovereign Lord as Job did: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised" (Job 1:21-22).
Further Reading:
Psa. 34:17-19, NIV
Rom. 8:17-18, NIV
James 5:10-11, NIV
:angel:
June 10, 2011
Crosswalk.com - The Devotional
Hoping for the Wrong Escape
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith." Galatians 6:9-10
Well, here we are, aren't we? May 21 came and went without the Rapture, and we're now two weeks closer to the new predicted date of October 21. Many of the thousands of people who spent their life savings in preparation for May 31 are now trying to hang on until fall, when everything will okay because Jesus will come back. I have a lot more sympathy for them now.
On May 22, I was scrounging around the news sites, looking for reactions from the people who had invested their time, money, and faith in forecasted Rapture. I found a quote from a truck driver name Keith Bauer, who drove his family across the country from Maryland to California, stopping at places he'd always wanted to see, like the Grand Canyon. He crystalized the appeal of end times, saying simply, "I was hoping for it because I think heaven would be a lot better than this earth." I have to agree with him there.
You see, Keith Bauer was a man possessed of an idea. It's the same idea that leads little children to knock their heads against the back of dark closets searching for Narnia and sci-fi addicts to write volumes of Star Wars fan fiction. It's the idea that our surroundings are too constricting, and we might experience greater freedom if we can just escape its confines. Like we could discover a world with an added dimension that would let us fly. Bauer uprooted his family in pursuit of a dream that someone else would fulfill for him. It's like someone else was winning the lottery and giving it all to him – no work, all gain.
Except, of course, that's not what happened. Bauer and his family shut their eyes against the naysayers but eventually had to peek, because May 22 dared to show its face. No magic portal to a good life opened up. They're still shackled to daily living. They haven't escaped life's consequences, nor have they escaped their earthly responsibilities. Bauer still has to figure out how to put food on the table and keep a roof over his kids' heads. He'll have to worry when they're out after curfew. He will have to deal with loss, as those he loves will move away over time and even die. Yes, I understand Bauer's furious belief that the escape hatch is within reach, because heaven "would be a lot better than this earth."
Intersecting Faith & Life: Christian escapism appeals to our spiritual certainty of worldly unsatisfaction. After all, the great Christian quotable C.S. Lewis vouchsafed this idea. But longing for Jesus – the heart of heaven – actually leads us in the opposite direction. It demands real interaction and real living on our part. In that sense, the Kingdom of heaven primarily exists on real dirt, not a heavenly beach. We will always long for something beyond ourselves. But there's a world of difference between longing for a promise fulfilled and escaping to our happy place. When we forget that, we fall into the temptation of escapism, a temptation that stands waiting for us every time we think running away from this world is better than loving its people. We need to relearn the difference between escapism and true longing, and get back to living real life. That's the least confining pursuit anyone can dream of.
:angel:
June 13, 2011
Fiery Faith
by Sarah Phillips, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
And suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Acts 2: 2-4
This week we celebrate Pentecost, one of the oldest feast days on the Christian calendar. It traditionally falls on the 50th day of Easter, marking the close of the season - and talk about ending things with a bang.
The spectacular scene described here has understandably captured the fascination of countless artists through the ages. While traveling in Spain, I was blessed to encounter one such painting by El Greco which quickly became a favorite of mine.
The vibrant piece, stretching from floor to ceiling, portrays the Apostles and Jesus' mother Mary with rapturous facial expressions illuminated by the brilliant flames of God's Spirit hovering above their heads. The fiery tongues seem to be the only source of light in the room – anything outside the reach of the Holy Spirit's glow quickly fades from dazzling color into shadowy darkness.
And yet for all the glory of that moment, the moments leading up to the descent of the Holy Spirit were, according to Scripture, filled with fear and uncertainty. The disciples had witnessed a roller coaster of events from the devestation of Jesus' crucifixtion to the stunning miracles in the days following Jesus' resurrection to the promise that somehow, Jesus would be with them until the end of the age even after his ascension into heaven. They had experienced doubt, despair, awe, and amazement. Their lives had been turned upside down, and they could only wonder what might happen next.
After a pregnant pause, God came through for this faithul bunch, and the Church was officially born. Pentacost marks the day the apostles received the gifts of the Holy Spirit, allowing them to spread the gospel and baptize all nations.
Pentecost reminds me that even those who witnessed the miracles of Christ firsthand had to face and overcome uncertainty and fear. The disciples weren't perfect, and they weren't always clued into the details of God's bigger plan. Just like the early disciples, we are often called to simply take one day at a time and trust God with whatever the future may bring.
Pentecost also reminds me that while God often works in seemingly ordinary ways, sometimes He bursts through the veil that separates heaven and earth and wows us beyond our wildest hopes and dreams. He doesn't wait for us to be perfect or holy to bless us with His presence, but instead fills our frail selves with His glory and empowers us to do great things.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Do you remember times in your faith when you were truly "on fire" for God? When His presence was tangible and your heart was willing to go wherever He led you? Reflect on those times, and ask God to renew your fire for Him.
Further Reading
1 Corinthians 12: 4-7
John 20: 19-23
:angel:
June 14, 2011
Crosswalk.com - The Devotional
Armor 'n Enemies
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel.
Ephesians 6:13-19
Six pieces of armor. Five primarily defensive, one primarily offensive. And yet...
Have you ever used the chest-bumper of righteousness on someone? How about the head-butter of salvation? The bludgeoner of faith? The shin-kicker of readiness or the gut-puncher of holiness?
Even the sword of the spirit has its proper purpose - to fight our enemies. Which are?
Other Christians? Unbelievers? Mean people?
While we humans can be so hard on each other, no. One verse earlier, Paul tells us what we're fighting:
our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil (v. 12).
Quite convicting, really. Not only do I clearly go into many days without getting completely dressed, even when I do I'm mis-using my equipment, fighting in the dark, swinging blindly, or wounding with friendly fire.
I don't know about you, but for me, the elemental Bible verses I first learned as a youth (like today's verse) are the ones I need to continually reconsider, because they're the ones I tend to just believe without acting upon.
When times come - like these days we're in now - where there is fierce political thought and lines being drawn and opinions spouted as truth, including the opinion that there is no truth - it's just so easy to get drawn in before we remember to put on our armor or be trained in using it. When that happens, we tend to view our enemies as each other, and forget or deny that the war is still spiritual. And therefore more serious, more wearying, not less.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Get dressed this morning, and tomorrow morning. Once equipped, try emphasizing the defensive uses of most of the armor. Stand up for someone. Protect the reputation of another. Shelter someone in loving truth. Run quickly to someone in need. I pray you'll begin to survive your days much less scathed.
Further Reading
Romans 8:38
Fight or Flight? Weighing Your Instincts Against God's Word
:angel:
June 15, 2011
The Christian Faith Is Not a Leap in the Dark
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"...we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal."
2 Corinthians 4:18 NASB
We can divide the universe into two categories of reality: the material and the non-material; or that which is seen and that which is not seen. In talking about unseen reality, I'm obviously not talking about things that must be relegated to fantasy or pure imagination. Rather, I'm talking about unseen (yet real) fixed concepts which our world operates by constantly. Take, for example...
Moral absolutes (e.g. Child abuse is wrong.)
The uniformity of nature (e.g. We live on the assumption that planets and stars move in a predictable fashion. On this assumption we plan trips not only to grandma's house, but to the moon and beyond.)
Universal Laws of Thought* (e.g. The principle of contradiction: a maxim stated by Aristotle as: "contradictory propositions are not true simultaneously." [cf. Aristotle's Metaphysics, 1011b13-14]) Avicenna is said to have put it more colorfully, "Anyone who denies the law of non-contradiction should be beaten and burned until he admits that to be beaten is not the same as not to be beaten, and to be burned is not the same as not to be burned.
These are all things that are real, yet are unseen. Laws of thought and moral absolutes may not be able to be weighed, measured or stored in a cupboard, but we count on them and live by them every day just the same.
From what I've observed, both children and adults in Christian circles struggle at times with the things they are called to believe in. God seems like a distant idea. Doctrine seems far removed from day-to-day life. At times, you or someone you love may be tempted with the thought, "I wonder if God, salvation, heaven and hell is all just a made up fairy tale."
At that point you should take a step back and remember that everyone has a faith in their particular view of the world. Worldviews need to be evaluated by whether or not they account for the unseen realities mentioned above. Fortunately, biblical Christianity (not to be confused with tainted, politicized, or hypocritical forms of Christianity that bear no resemblance to the life and message of Jesus Christ) is a worldview that is well able to account for these unseen realities. The biblical God (note well, not just general theism) capably undergirds all unseen moral absolutes, natural constants and universals. Other competing worldviews are weighed in the balance and found wanting.
When we are called on to believe in the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 5:5), we should recognize that this is another unseen reality. The truths of Galatians 2:20 belong in the category of the unseen as well...
"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me." (Gal. 2:20)
Let's not gloss over the fact that we are called to believe in unseen things. But at the same time let's not jump to the wrong conclusion that Christ asks us to take an idiotic leap in the dark. We all believe in well-founded unseen things everyday.
This week in chapter four of Francis Schaeffer's True Spirituality (I'm reading through the works of Schaeffer and posting about it regularly here at Crosswalk the Devotional), he calls our attention to this biblical view of truth by underscoring that there are "two streams, two strands of space-time reality—one in the seen, and one in the unseen..."
"[God] is not asking us merely to act on some psychological motivation, but on what really is... there is a Holy Spirit who has been given to us to make service possible.
"The Christian dead, including my loved ones, are already with Christ now, and Christ really lives in the Christian. Christ lives in me.
"Here is true Christian mysticism—not based on content-less experience, but on historic, space-time reality—on propositional truth. Christian mysticism is communion with Christ. It is Christ bringing forth fruit through me, the Christian, with no loss of personality.
"He is the Christ who has died, whose work is finished, who is raised, who is ascended, who is glorified. It is this Christ. Not simply an idea. It is the Christ who was seen after the resurrection... by Stephen, by Paul, by John."
Let's walk on today, confidently believing in these unseen realities—Christ was not raised mythically; Jesus, the apostles and the Christian martyrs were not liars; and "the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who is given unto us" (Romans 5:5).
Intersecting Faith & Life: Are you at a loss for words when asked why you believe in unseen things? Learn how to converse with others in terms of their own beliefs in unseen things (like moral absolutes, etc.), and help them discover the worldview that is charged with the majesty and grandeur of God.
For Further Study:
What Is a Worldview? Dr. James Sire
Introduction to Worldviews (series of lectures) Dr. Greg Bahnsen
:angel:
June 16, 2011
Appearances
Ryan Duncan, TheFish.com Editor
Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin.- 1 Peter 4:1
I was not a very popular kid growing up. For starters, I was a bookworm. I read anything I could get my hands on. I was one of those kids who enjoyed doing book reports and actually looked forward to their summer reading list. Not something that wins you many friends at school. Secondly, I wasn't very athletic. I was slow, uncoordinated, not very aggressive, and had a tendency to catch footballs with my face instead of my hands. On top of everything, I was shy and never took any risks. I mostly just stuck to the background, watching other guys break the rules and do something wild or crazy that earned them respect and admiration.
It always made me jealous -- watching them. There was one guy in particular (I'll call him Jake) who I really envied. Jake was a part of the Church youth group and was incredibly popular. He was athletic, charming, good looking and basically everything I wasn't. Mostly I just tried to ignore him, but occasionally I'd see him surrounded by a group of friends and wonder why he got to be so cool while I was, well, me.
Then, during my sophomore year of high school, our youth group took a retreat to a nearby ski camp. That evening, our pastor gave a lesson about the qualities of a father and how they were present in God, our heavenly father. He was about midway through the sermon when Jake broke down and started to sob. In-between choked tears he told everyone how his own father was an alcoholic and how the two of them fought constantly. Anger and stress had caused him to experiment in a dark lifestyle, and in the end, he's started drinking himself. I sat there, shocked as the guy I had always envied poured out sorrows I couldn't begin to imagine. The worst part though, was when Jake admitted that the reason he'd kept it all a secret was because he didn't wanted to look weak.
Appearances mean everything these days. We all fear the shame that comes when we admit something's wrong, that we've made mistakes and can't fix things on our own. Sadly, this is pretty common in the Church too. We constantly try to project an image of believers who are happy, strong, and sure in our faith when in reality many of us struggle with personal demons. But the Church was never meant to be a showcase. Instead, its purpose is on par with AA meetings, a place where there are no lies, no excuses, and no illusions. We, the Church, are meant to be a place where we can show our scars and find peace in Christ and in others. Like Brennan Manning says in The Ragamuffin Gospel,
"To live by grace means to acknowledge my whole life story, the light side and the dark. In admitting my shadow side, I learn who I am and what God's grace means."
Integrating Faith and Life
Stop trying to impress those around you and try to live your life with transparency.
Further Reading
Matthew 6:5
:angel:
June 17, 2011
Making Faces
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord. – Exodus 34:29
Once upon a time, armed with a couple brushes and makeup cakes, I specialized in turning 20-year-olds into 70-year-olds.
My time backstage in the college theater resulted in curious, long-term fascination with age lines and facial features. I more than once found myself ignoring a professor's lecture to study his face – ironically, studying the faces sometimes gave me a clearer insight into who my professor was as a person, and what his expectations might be. I've carried that quirk with me as I meet new people at church, at work, or at massive family reunions.
Here's the thing – sure, everyone gets crows feet as they age, but only some people have the unique quality that upgrades the "wrinkles" into "laugh lines." The eyes in those faces possess a permanent twinkle that makes me wish I had all day to listen to their tales of dare'n'do. Other faces have the stern, vertical jowl lines indicating a person might not have spent enough time smiling. It's easy to spot the people who talk with their eyes just by looking at their forehead and observing how prominent the creases are.
Backstage in college, these observations played an important role in every theater production. As part of the makeup crew, my goal was to create immediate character recognition and visible personality for actors before they even opened their mouths to say their first lines. This was especially important when creating older characters. The artifice of the theater let me speed through the years and imagine – if this sallow character was 50, 60, or 70 years old, what toll would their personality have taken on their expression? Add a line here, a perceived fullness there, a slight curve or shadow, and my college-age friends would (in theory) walk out not as themselves, but as a visual portrayal of a character. The lines served as an outward sign of an inner temperament.
Theater makeup allowed me to put the habits of a lifetime onto someone for just a few hours. After that, an actor could just wash off the brown and crème lines and "old age" foundation. The rest of us wear – and are always creating – more permanent lines.
The visual character sketches I used to create constantly reminded me that people either get "better or bitter" as we grow older. Our attitudes and values subtly reveal themselves on our faces from childhood on. Dorian Gray was a caricature, but actions do tend to work themselves to the surface whether we want the world to know or not.
You can look around to see what a lifetime of self-centered crankiness will do to a person's looks. On the other hand, if your church is like mine, you can also find faces that show a lifetime of peace in Christ. Those faces – and those eyes – are tied to a world that has more than a few difficulties and anxieties, but that's not what shines through. It's the joy of Christ that gives those eyes a constant twinkle.
Intersection of Faith & Life: We ultimately display what's in our hearts right on our faces. Moses experienced this everyday truth in a supernatural way every time he spoke with God (Exodus 34:29-35), when everyone could tell just by looking at his "radiant" face that he had met with God. After his heart had been fully focused on God, his face reflected it. When people look at your face, what do they see? Are you building attitudes and character traits today that you want reflected on your face in a few years time?
Acts 4:13
Proverbs 15:13
:angel:
June 20, 2011
What a Spiritual Investment Can Yield
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:5-7, NIV
Today is my mother's birthday.
Most of you who will read or listen to this devotional don't know her, but what we can learn from the legacy of her life is something that I believe we should all consider.
When I think of my mother, I think of someone who has invested in me—most importantly in a spiritual way.
In the first chapter of 2 Timothy, the apostle Paul recognized this kind of investment as well as he noted what Timothy's mother (and grandmother) had done in his life in his formative years. Verses 14 and 15 allude to this priceless gift:
But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
When I read those verses, I cannot help but think of the many years that my mother spent with me in reading God's Word and in helping me memorize Bible verses each week. While I loved being read to from Dr. Kenneth Taylor's wonderful Bible storybook called The Bible in Pictures for Little Eyes, I had a harder time with Scripture memory.
Perhaps it reminded me of tedious math problems to be solved in school. Or maybe I just wasn't as patient as my mother, who painstakingly worked with me to memorize each verse by rote. I can't imagine how much patience that must have required of her to repeat the phrases of each verse over and over and over again to me until I finally had each one memorized.
That time spent reading Scripture and training me in God's Word through memorization marked time that she sacrificed for her own pursuits and interests. It marked time she didn't take to spend with her friends at lunch or to go to the mall to do some shopping or to let "Calgon take her away" from a frustrated and antsy child.
To invest in my spiritual growth and development and future, it meant that she had to set aside her own plans and submit to the leading of the Holy Spirit in her life in order to follow the command found in Proverbs 22:6.
Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.
As an adult, I am realizing more and more what a great spiritual inheritance that I have because of my mother's willingness to invest her life by making herself available in mine. I am growing in my Christian faith and continue to learn new truths from passages of Scripture that are familiar yet fresh with meaning after all of these years.
But an investment strategy such as my mom's was with me is not just reserved for biological parents and children, but to spiritual sons and daughters as well. In fact, Paul himself addresses his first letter to Timothy in 1 Timothy 1:2: "To Timothy, my true son in the faith." This represents a spiritual investment that Paul, a seasoned believer at this point, was making in the life of a young pastor, Timothy, who was newer to ministry. Timothy went on to help with the church in Thessalonica (1 Thess. 3:2), as well as in the Corinthian church (1 Cor. 4:17; 16:10) and was called a "faithful and beloved child in the Lord."
In pondering the investment my mother has made in my life, I must look around for what that has yielded or what it is yielding in my life today. Are there rich blessings that I am using wisely? Or have I squandered away my spiritual inheritance or buried it so deeply that it is not being put to any good use at all? Am I reaching out and using what I have received and reinvesting in the lives of those around me?
As I wish my mother a happy birthday today, I offer a prayer of thanksgiving for her life and what her spiritual investment has yielded in mine. And I pray that we all would be encouraged to reinvest what we have been given spiritually as we give of ourselves to those around us.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Are you ready to invest? Or if you're already investing in someone is it time to up your contribution? Take time to ponder your spiritual investment strategy this week, as you spend some one-on-one time with your heavenly "Advisor."
Further Reading:
Isa. 55:11
Matt. 28:16-20
Luke 8:8
:angel:
June 21, 2011
The Command to Rest
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com Editor
Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the LORD has been good to you. – Psalm 116:7
We humans aren't as unstoppable as we'd like to think. Every night, we have to stop what we're doing and close our eyes for a few hours. We aren't capable of finishing our creations in a day, a week, or even a year sometimes. We must break off and sleep before then. Individually, we have to acknowledge our limitations and rest, even if inadequately, before springing up again for our work. Our progress comes in halting steps, our work never quite finished, so unlike the God who created the world in six days and then rested. Sleep is a physical humility, an acknowledgment of God's greater power and our trust that he works and watches even when we're unconscious. It means believing that he "gives to his beloved even in his sleep" (Psalm 127:2).
So what happens when we get so busy that we don't rest?
I'm talking about physical rest as well as mental rest. We read lots of health articles about the importance of reducing stress, and plenty of spiritual growth advice focuses on not worrying. And of course the doctor is always telling us that we need a good eight hours of a sleep a night. But – and maybe it's just me – sometimes it's tempting to wear my lack of sleep, my busy schedule, and my looming responsibilities like a badge of honor.
We secretly glorify the people who do it all, no matter the costs. Sure, we all have busy seasons with a new baby or the project due at work. But often, I think my refusal to rest is a symptom of self-sufficiency hardening into pride. The longer I'm awake, the longer I can control my environment and my results. It means less trusting that God will give me what I need and more time scraping together what I need and desire. Often, it means getting so busy doing things for God that we neglect our primary relationship with him.
The command to "be at rest" isn't just for our benefit. Rest is not a guilty pleasure we have to sneak. Instead, we need to think of rest as a grace-filled reminder that we are creatures of clay dependent on a much stronger God. Our energy levels wind down until we are forced to acknowledge that – surprise! – we can't engineer our lives as much as we'd like to think. But that weakness allows God to make us a promise in Matthew 11:28: "Come to me... and I will give you rest."
Intersecting Faith & Life: God can bless even our rest when we're following him. And he wants us to rest as an acknowledgment of our human limitations. When we rest, we're expressing our faith in God's ability to bring to all things to completion.
:angel:
June 22, 2011
The Attractiveness of a Surrendered Life
by Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." Luke 18:22 NIV
"I have been all things unholy. If God can work through me, he can work through anyone." St. Francis of Assisi
Have you ever wished you could share your faith with friends or loved ones who do not know Christ? Or have you ever worried that our culture is slipping farther and farther away from God's truth, but don't know how to turn it around? In past devotionals, several of us have quoted St. Francis of Assisi's approach to evangelism: "Preach the Gospel all times and when necessary, use words."
St. Francis' entire life was one of radical conversion that led to many giving their lives to Christ. Let's see what we can apply from his medieval story to modern times.
Francis' story takes place in the early 1200's - an era when Christianity enjoyed prominence in Europe. But sadly, even with widespread power and acceptance of the Church, many Christians did not lead lives in keeping with their faith. Francis was no exception. He came from a wealthy Italian family; his father earned a comfortable life as a successful cloth merchant, and his mother was of noble birth. The handsome, witty Francis was spoiled rotten by his parents, showing more interest in playing than in his academics or his father's career.
Francis' life of ease and play received a rude but life-changing interruption in 1201. After being captured in a small battle between rival cities, Francis spent a year sick and alone. His time of weakness and contemplation made him realize how useless his life had been up to that point.
But transformation for Francis was slow. After he regained his health, Francis desired personal glory. He signed up for the military, even fancying one day he'd be a great prince. But illness and a sense that God was calling him back to Assisi brought him home again.
It was around this time friends began to notice a lasting change in this attractive, party guy. Friends asked if he had a woman on his mind. He responded, "I am about to take a wife of surpassing fairness." But this wife was not a mortal woman. Instead, Francis renounced his inheritance, gave what he had to the poor, and wedded himself to "Lady Poverty" (much to his father's fury).
Not long after taking his vow of poverty, Francis heard Christ speak to him while he was praying in a small, shabby chapel. The voice said, "Francis, go out and build up my house, for it is nearly falling down." At first, Francis thought he needed to repair the actual building he was praying in. But soon it became clear Francis' mission was really to restore genuine faith among the church - God's people.
So Francis began spending most of his time praying, serving the sick and preaching repentance throughout the region. He had no intentions of starting a community of religious, but single men of diverse backgrounds became intrigued by Francis' humility and wholehearted devotion to the Gospel. And not long after men began joining his mission, a privileged young woman named Clare left her riches behind, bringing women alongside Francis to restore genuine faith among the people.
With so many joining in, Francis realized he was becoming the leader of a monastic movement. So, he sought to keep their focus on Christ by establishing a rule of life on Scripture. In short, the mission of the Franciscan monks and Poor Clare nuns would be to "Announce the kingdom! Possess no gold or silver or copper in your purses, no traveling bag, no sandals, no staff" (Luke 9:1-3). They imitated the early disciples by traveling in twos, owning few personal possessions, and serving those in need while sharing the Gospel to all. Their spiritual legacy continues with Franciscan and Poor Clare communities in regions all over the world today.
Some other little-known facts of how God worked through this influential Christian:
Did you know Francis once challenged a Muslim sultan to consider the truth of Christianity - and the sultan actually considered it?
Did you know Francis is credited with creating the first living Nativity scene at Christmas?
Did you know that, centuries before the Reformation, Francis taught and wrote about the faith in local dialects so commoners could understand?
Francis' story gives us encouragement today. After all, we too live in a culture where Christianity was the dominant religion for a long time but sadly, it's now common for good people to lose sight of the faith. But God worked through a spoiled, wealthy young man to show the surrounding community that even worldly comforts could not satisfy the deepest yearnings of their souls - and He can do the same today.
While most of us are not called to take vows of poverty, it was Francis' unwavering, single-minded devotion to the Gospel that most attracted others to him. And this is something we can - and should - aspire to imitate. As we seek to surrender our lives to Christ more completely, God will work through each one of us in unique ways to inspire others to join us on the faith journey.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Sometimes, the idea of giving everything to God is scary. I personally used to dislike reading stories like Francis of Assisi's because I was afraid I'd have to leave my life behind and become a nun in a foreign country. But the truth is, God will never disappoint those who surrender all to Him. Are you holding anything back from God? Ask God to give you the faith to surrender whatever fears, sins, or idols to Him.
Further Reading
Mark 8: 34
"Pulling an Assisi" - Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Devotional, Sept. 12th
References: "St. Francis of Assisi" at Wikipedia.org , "St. Francis of Assisi at AmericanCatholic.org, Catholic Encyclopedia.
:angel:
June 23, 2011
Ambition
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands. 1 Thessalonians 4:11, NAS
Quaint, right?
Be honest; read today's verse and then try telling your children that such is all they should aspire to; that, essentially, unheralded, nose-down, mouth-shut, blue collar work should be their ambition. Aim high? Sounds more like settling for anonymity.
What could Paul be getting at? Sure there are times we all grow tired of the rat race and perhaps dream about a scenario where we forsake the city and a high-pressure job for a more pastoral setting, crafting furniture and knick-knacks, living in harmony with nature and all that. Is that what this verse is suggesting?
Let's look deeper.
The Greek word philotim means to labor, endeavor, strive, study to become. It is used in three places in the New Testament. The first is quoted above, regarding ambition, which we've already noted sounds not much like what we typically imagine when we think of things about which to aspire.
Another place the word appears is Romans 15:20, where Paul writes, "And thus I aspired to preach the gospel..."
And in 2 Corinthians 5:9 we read, "We have as our ambition... to be pleasing to Him."
Now let's contrast these goals with the first definition under "ambition" on Dictionary.com:
1. an earnest desire for some type of achievement or distinction, as power, honor, fame, or wealth, and the willingness to strive for its attainment.
I thought so. The more I study, the more I philotim to know God, the more I understand how different the Word and the world really are. Perhaps folks who live in other parts of the globe are less shocked to learn such lessons. For me, born, raised, working, and raising children in these United States, the lesson is always one of dichotomy, paradox, and sadly wondering if I'm handicapped beyond repair from truly following.
One of my bosses is fond of saying that in business, it's crucial to determine early on whether a person you are dealing with is a "make me rich" or a "make me famous" person. Everyone, the story goes, is either one or the other at heart. And truly, according to the world's definition of ambition, that makes sense. We all have something we want that drives us.
Lately I've been wondering a lot at where this has gotten me. Everything I have done, accomplished, purposed, learned, studied (i.e. "philotim-ed") in life has led to... what, exactly? What goal? When I pray that the Lord would make my life useful and provide for me and let me know His will and keep me safe it's all so... what? So I can watch my TV programs every night without acid in my stomach and with an easy feeling in my chest? As opposed to having to really live by faith?
Today I read this quote by the English poet Samuel Johnson: "To be happy at home is the ultimate result of all ambition." Instantly my face fell. I knew that feeling all too well. All my aspirations only lead to the place of comfort, happiness, the path of least resistance. What's wrong with that? It quickly becomes a place that feels too far from God, too self-centered, too out of the loop, too air conditioned... too far removed to be making a real difference.
So then, what is the ambition of the Christ-follower? Let's recap from the verses we've looked at today:
Lead a quiet life
Attend to your own business
Work with your hands
Preach the gospel
Be pleasing to Him
In other words, don't stress yourself with fame, or getting and spending, always climbing, making more more more. Don't bother with being a busy-body or a gossip. Be creative; let God work through you. Tell others about Him. And live by faith.
It's so simple, almost too simple. Ambition isn't something far out there, some unabashed worldly success beyond our dreams, though that's where God may take us. It all goes back to the very reason God made man in the first place - to have someone to know Him.
And there's just not anything quaint about that.
Intersecting Faith & Life: The bulleted points above might sound too easy, too simple. And they can be. But when was the last time you made any or all of these your ambition? Pick one and practice it today, perhaps preaching the gospel to someone, perhaps seeking God's pleasure more than your own in any decisions you make.
Further Reading
Romans 15:20
2 Corinthians 5:9
What Motivates You?
:angel:
Bible Pathways
Read Job 38 -- 40
Highlights:
God asks questions no man can answer (Job. chap. 38 — 40), reminding Job of man's limited knowledge and the Lord's infinite wisdom. Job remains silent before God (40:3-5)!
Elihu was interrupted by the storm which had been gathering during his speech. Suddenly the voice of God was heard out of the whirlwind and the accusations from the ultimate know-it-all came to an end. The faithfulness of God to His people often comes disguised as a storm. But the Lord is in the storm, and He speaks from it just as He answered Job's grief from His whirlwind. Day after day, Job was left to wonder why he was experiencing so many disasters, but there was not even the slightest word to explain his suffering.
Then the Lord answered Job (Job 38:1). The Voice from the whirlwind neither offered explanation of the mystery of his past sufferings nor promised future restoration. God did not explain that Satan was the source of all Job's suffering and that it was all within His permissive will for Job's ultimate good.
Job had said: Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him (13:15). God will reveal His very best to all who will trust Him. This is illustrated in chapters 38 — 41, where He revealed to Job His greatness, power, and majesty through His creation. These chapters also show how confident we can be to trust God regardless of circumstances. Satan's slanderous accusations were proven false, and the devil was defeated. Under fierce temptation, Job proved the genuineness of his devotion to God..
Faith is trusting God even when we don't understand. When we consider the greatness of the wisdom of God, we too will recognize our insufficiency to know what is best and will trust God to direct our lives. To impress this upon Job's heart, God said: Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades (the 7 stars that stood for the 7 influences of spring), or loose the bands of Orion (that stood for the storms)? . . . Canst thou lift up thy voice to the clouds, that abundance of waters may cover thee? Canst thou send lightnings, that they may go, and say unto thee, here we are? . . . Doth the eagle mount up at thy command, and make her nest on high? . . . Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct Him? he that reproveth God, let him answer it (38:31,34-35;39:27; 40:2).
When we consider the greatness of the wisdom of God, we realize how incapable we are of understanding His ways. Those who see the hand of God controlling everything are able to leave everything in His hands. Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen (Rev. 7:12).
Thought for Today:
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth His handywork. . . . There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard (Ps. 19:1-3).
Christ Revealed:
As the One who laid the foundations of the earth (Job 38:4). By Christ, God created our universe (Heb. 1:1-2). All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made (John 1:1-3).
Word Studies:
38:1 Pleiades the seven stars that stood for the 7 influences of spring; bands of Orion storms; 38:9 swaddlingband wrapping; 38:12 dayspring dawn; 39:9 unicorn wild ox; 40:4 vile insignificant; 40:21 fens marshes.
Prayer Needs:
Pray for Staff: Mike Moore • Country: Malaysia (22.7 million) in Southeast Asia • Major languages: Malay and English • All Christian witness to Muslims is illegal • 58% Muslim; 23% Buddhist/Taoist/Chinese; 8% Christian; 6% Hindu; 5% Sikh/Animist/Other • Prayer Suggestion: Pray, remembering that there is no one like God (II Kings 19:14-15,19).
Optional Reading:
Philippians 1
Memory Verse for the Week:
Acts 2:36
:angel:
June 27, 2011
The Jungle Book
By Ryan Duncan, TheFish.com Editor
If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. - John 15:19
One of my favorite books is Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book. The story begins with Mowgli, a "Man Cub" as the animals call him, being found in the jungle by a family of wolves. The wolves decide to raise the baby boy as their own, and Mowgli grows up in the jungle alongside all the animals. It's a great story, full of danger and adventure, but beneath all the excitement the story carries a rather interesting message.
You see, from the very beginning of The Jungle Book, Mowgli is aware that something is wrong. The jungle has been his home all his life, but more and more he feels that he does not belong there. He tries to bury his feelings by traveling deep into the jungle and living like one of the animals, but in the end, Mowgli finally comes to terms with the truth of his situation. He does not belong in the jungle. I don't know where Kipling stood spiritually, but I think most Christians understand what Mowgli was going through.
You see, I've always thought of The Jungle Book as another way of looking at the Christian life. In one of his more confusing verses, the apostle Paul writes, "We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do."(Romans 7:14-15). God created us to be in a relationship with him, but because of sin we find ourselves living in a world that exists apart from him. We know something is wrong, we can sense it, so we try to bury those feelings buy indulging in the world around us. Some people try to find fulfillment in their jobs, in fame and fortune, or maybe their spouses, while too many turn to darker lifestyles to fill the void.
However, it is only when we accept Christ that we finally understand the root of our emptiness. As Christians, we realize that Christ plan for our lives is so much bigger than what this world can offer us. Like Mowgli, we should live our lives in the jungle, but never forget where our true home lies. Like C.S. Lewis says in Mere Christianity,
"If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world."
Intersecting Faith and Life
In what ways are you conforming to the world? Take some time to reflect on this.
Further Reading
Romans 12:2
June 28, 2011
That Skip-Over Verse
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, NIV
Today's verse is one that I like to skip over in my Bible, even though it's highlighted. And underlined. And on a page that's dog-earred.
You see, whenever I read 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, I can't help but think this: Really? Be joyful ALWAYS? And how am I supposed to pray CONTINUALLY? And give thanks in ALL circumstances? Who can do all of THAT?
I'm sure you probably have a verse or two that you really don't like to read or mull over either. But conveniently, God has ordained it so that I've had many opportunities to put my skip-over verse into action just this past week ...
When I said "hello ... how are you doing?" in passing to an acquaintance and was greeted with a cold "hello" and a sharp "I'm fine" in response. Ouch. Where's the joy here? What did I do to deserve that kind of treatment? Why doesn't this person like me?
When funny, but certainly unkind, words flew out of my mouth at the expense of someone else and his feelings. Why, oh WHY, did I do that just so I could make fun of them? And feel better about myself? Obviously, I was not praying while saying.
When a friend's van, in which she had just pumped a couple thousand dollars for repairs a few weeks earlier was pronounced "dead" by mechanics. How could anyone be joyful in this type of circumstance? I want to greet these mechanics with a "holy punch" on her behalf.
When people are difficult just to be difficult and disagree with every factoid or opinion you might share. You say black. They say white. You say gray. They say plaid. Am I supposed to be thankful for this? Isn't there some other way I can learn humility? 'Cause I'd be ever so grateful if it was a different circumstance, Lord.
What also stands out to me about these verses in 1 Thessalonians is that each thought gets its own verse. I think that this week is the first time that has registered with me. I think Paul wanted to give specific emphasis to each facet of how we should be living:
Be joyful always
Pray continually
Give thanks in all circumstances
These three directives were part of the "Final Instructions" section in Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians. He was reminding the church in Thessalonica of how God's people are to live and how our attitudes should not be affected by (or a result of) our circumstances.
This is a hard pill to swallow. Sure, it's easy to be joyful, praying continually and giving thanks in all things when life is going great, when everyone is your best friend and when the blessings (usually material) are just raining on down.
But what about when you've had a week from below the earth's crust? Philippians 4:13 says, "I can do everything through him who gives me strength."
That's the key. God, through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, is the one who powers me and helps me to live in this way. And this is the kind of living that God wants for his children. It is his will for us, not our own. And it is that which is pleasing to him.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Please don't skip over 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. Let it cause you to pause. What is it—or who is it—that's got you not joyful, not praying and not giving thanks? Ask the Lord to soften your heart and change your attitude. He doesn't want to skip over you. And if you are willing, through YOU he can work wonders!
Further Reading:
Romans 8:28, NIV
Ephesians 5:20, NIV
:angel:
The Faith for Big Prayers
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven" -- Daniel 10:12
One Sunday morning shortly after my husband proposed, I remember singing at church on a fairly unremarkable Sunday. I don't recall the sermon or anything else that day, but I do remember one of the praise songs - "Blessed Be the Name of the Lord." The song personalizes Israel's trials in the wilderness and the abundant streams of the promise land for the believer's life today, directing her to sing praise no matter the circumstances:
You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
'Lord, blessed be Your name!'
Sitting in church that day, I momentarily stopped singing. After dating this guy for almost four years, I finally had a ring on my finger. I finally had a token that what I longed for so hopefully was coming. The slightest hint that the world could be otherwise - and I could still praise God - baffled me at that moment. My selfish heart did not have the faith to pray that prayer, not at that moment.
Recently, I encountered another prayer that I couldn't quite pray:
"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 7b-9, The Message)
Few of us have trouble asking God to keep us out of poverty. But asking God to keep us from being too comfortable? I'm too American to pray that without hesitation. By contrast, consider the boldness of these people:
Hannah, the formerly barren woman who gave birth to the prophet Samuel - "And she made a vow, saying, "O LORD Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant's misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head." (1 Samuel 1:11)
The psalmist who wanted nothing hidden from God - "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts." (Psalm 139:23)
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego before being thrown into the fiery furnace - "If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." (Daniel 3:17-18)
Jesus Christ, who would later use this verse in the Garden of Gethsemane - "Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:10)
Do we have the kind of faith that can pray hard verses like these and mean them? It's easy to pray for blessings, wisdom, health, and the "joy of the Lord." Those prayers make our lives better, we think, and don't require a sacrifice or change of plans. When we come across difficult verses, however, we so easily shy away. Why?
Sometimes my response is too much like Ahaz's, who was offered a sign from the Lord as evidence of Isaiah's prophecy. Instead, Ahaz proudly said, "I will not ask; I will not put the Lord to the test." He deluded himself. He passed off his lack of faith for his unwillingness to "test" God. Instead of praising his decision, Isaiah announced that he - and God - were about out of patience.
Contrast this to the apostle James, who urged the church to ask with abandon so that they could see God at work. But he gave them this warning: "But when you ask him, be sure that you really expect him to answer, for a doubtful mind is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind" (James 1:6).
Intersecting Faith & Life: Are you avoiding a difficult prayer? What's your reason? Disbelief that God will really answer? Refusal to acknowledge God's imminence? Fear that God will upset your apple cart? Ask yourself what's holding you back. Let's pray for humility and understanding, and the rest will follow.
:angel:
June 30, 2011
Truth or Love?
Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com's Family Editor
Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. Ephesians 4:15 NIV
"Love takes up where knowledge leaves off." ~ St. Thomas Aquinas
It's a common quote among Christians: "Speak the truth in love." It's also one of the greatest challenges of being Christian. Even those unfamiliar with the Christian faith and this scripture verse battle with balancing truth and love. It is why the "white lie" - a common tactic to avoid sharing unflattering truths to loved ones - is so popular.
I recently had a conversation with a Christian struggling with this tension between truth and love. A zealous soul, this Christian is convicted in the truth and concerned that many will die without the truth. His concern, no doubt, is born out of love. But his delivery of the truth often does not reveal love for the recipient. Unsure of how to proceed, and fearful of watering down the truth, he has come to the conclusion that some are called to focus more on love while others are called to focus more on truth.
I think this struggling Christian's conclusion hits at the heart of the dilemma. In our broken, splintered natures, we tend to see truth and love as opposing forces - at best, difficult to reconcile. Yet this perception that there is tension between truth and love can prove fatal. Putting truth on one end of the spectrum and love on the other, we are forced into measuring each situation on a linear plane. "Hmmm, should I err more towards the truth end or the love end today?"
It only takes a little imagination to see how this approach fails. How many times have we encountered a person that "chose love" and glossed over the truth? We see souls confused and dying in the wake of this person. While "love" may have been the intent, their victims have not been loved.
And how many times have we encountered a person who spat cruel words in the name of truth? While illumination (or perhaps justice) was the goal of this person, we clearly see that those left in their wake have bitter souls, scarred and blinded to the truth.
Ultimately, Scripture reveals that God is both Truth and Love. If this is the case, the two cannot be contradictory or incompatible.
So where does that leave us?
Scripture tells us we cannot do anything "against the truth" (2 Cor 13: 8) while also emphasizing that "whoever does not love does not know God." (1 John 4: 8)
This message doesn't offer us the luxury of a simple, clear-cut gameplan to every situation we will ever encounter. But it does leave us with confidence that as we grow in our relationship with God, we will also grow in our ability to approach the challenges of life with genuine truth and love.
I've also found it helpful to continually revisit my definitions of "truth" and "love" by examining the ways Christ lived out these two traits. Christ's love is both soft and tough. His expressions of truth are both merciful and just. He comprimises neither yet expresses them differently depending on the need.
The next time you find yourself battling with how to express something truthfully and lovingly, don't settle for choosing one over the other. Pause before you act and dig deeper. Allow God to lead you down his path of truth and love.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Which do you struggle with more? Speaking the truth or effectively expressing love? Pray about the reasons you get tripped up, and ask God to help you grow in your area of weakness.
Further Reading
1 Corinthians 13
:angel:
July 1, 2011
"It's Not About Who's Right Or Who's Wrong"
By Stephen Sanders, Audio/Video Editor for Salem Web Network
It's not about who's right or who's wrong. It is about glorifying God no matter who's doing what.
In my role here at Salem Web Network, I have the privilege of being able to see the best (and worse) the Body of Christ has to offer. Unfortunately, it is probably more bad than good in a lot of cases. But I guess it makes sense when you think about what Jesus said: "the road to life is a narrow road and few will follow."
This variety in the Body of Christ has been an ongoing struggle for me since the work environment I'd been in for the 5 years prior was very sheltered. I was working at a church, so I only saw that perspective on the Christian walk. But now I'm exposed to what seems to be millions of different outlooks on what it means to be a Christian.
A recent google search revealed to me that there are approximately 38,000 denominations of the Christian faith. I suppose you could probably lump a lot of those together into a few hundred general categories if you wanted to, or even protestant/catholic if you really, really wanted to. But the point is...even if it was 380 instead of 38,000...that is A LOT. But back to the perspectives...
With these 10's of thousands of denominations come even more views on what is right and what is wrong. What is "Christian" behavior and what isn't and so forth and so on. It is (and has been for me) a very easy thing to get caught up in if one isn't careful. In a recent devotional I wrote titled, "Don't Let Foolishness Get the Best of You"I shared how easy it has become for Christians to share their voice more boldly online. It's been over 2 months since I published that article and I'm still processing this whole ordeal; trying to find my place in all of this chaos.
Yesterday I think I finally came to a conclusion: No one is totally right. (Brilliant, I know) No matter how confident we may sound when we claim that, "__________ is what the Bible says about _________," none of us are right. How could we be? We still live in a sin-cursed world, we all still make mistakes, all still fall short of perfection that only God possesses.
Some of us sound really smart with our proclamations and it can be very easy for someone like myself to become mesmerized with a specific stance on certain matters. But what happens is that these perspectives, once taken to a certain level, become idols of our worship. And that goes for disagreeing with the perspectives just as much as showing allegiance. Let me give you an example.
Pastor _______ writes a book on ______ perspective on ________. Some agree with his refreshing insight while others accuse him of blasphemy. 1000's of people chime in and before you know it, it has become a bigger topic amongst Christian circles than the Gospel itself. Isn't that more evil than good? Isn't that behavior exalting the flesh and not the Spirit?
It becomes even more disturbing when it becomes more personal.
A first time visitor walks into a church sanctuary or youth group that is more about the issues than it is the Gospel message. They develop a perspective of what Jesus is like from these encounters. After all, that's why people come to church. To hear about Jesus, right? Will they leave confused not knowing what they've just witnessed? Perhaps worse, will they become fascinated and faithfully follow a "man of god" who isn't Gospel-centered in his preaching.
Galatians 5:16-26
Walk by the Spirit
...walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. Now the works of the flesh are evident: ...enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger,rivalries, dissensions, divisions...and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love...peace, patience, kindness...gentleness, self-control. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
So, realizing the harm I've witnessed first hand on such matters, I've come to the conclusion that humility is key. As a Christian, I must never make certain things "sins" that the Bible doesn't claim to be sin. I must never make certain spiritual gifts bigger than they actually are. I must never become so involved in perspectives that I lose sight of how the Bible tells me to conduct myself. I must never make definitive statements about anything other than Jesus being God and the only way to eternal life. Because when I do that, it becomes more about me and less about Him.
Intersecting Faith and Life
I've been forcing myself to not become a part of such matters, not because I'm so fantastic, but because I think about how this causes others to perceive our faith. What must it look like to people who don't believe in Jesus when we act like this? Is this something you'd want to be a part of? Analyze your walk with me today and ask God if there are stances you are taking that overshadow Him.
:angel:
July 2/3
A Clean Heart
Psalm 119:9-11
Reaching our full potential begins with a clean heart—one that loves the Lord and desires to obey Him. However, each of us was born with a nature bent away from God. Jeremiah 17:9 describes the heart as deceitful and inclined towards wickedness. Pleasing self is man's normal state.
Salvation changed our hearts and lives. Jesus' death on the cross paid the penalty for our sin and broke its power over us. By receiving Christ as Savior, we each became a new creation—with a heart sensitive to the Holy Spirit's leading and a mind that strongly desires to know the Father better. We also received the Spirit's power to deny our selfish desires and obey God. With clean hearts, we can begin to realize the capabilities our loving Lord has given us.
The best way to maintain a clean heart is by meditating on Scripture. It acts like a mirror in which we see ourselves as God does. Through it, we discover the areas where we have been faithful and also the places where we've veered from His path. Expressing genuine repentance brings God's forgiveness and cleansing (1 John 1:9).
The heart represents the seat of our mind, will, and emotions. When we strive to keep it pure, we will more easily discern the Lord's plan, submit our will to His, and follow Him obediently.
Becoming the person God planned for each of us to be requires an intimate relationship with Him and a desire to obey His Word. Apart from Jesus, we can't achieve anything of lasting value (John 15:5). Cooperating with the Holy Spirit's transforming work will help us keep our hearts clean.
For more biblical teaching and resources from Dr. Charles Stanley, please visit www.intouch.org.
Used with permission from In Touch Ministries, Inc. © 2009 All Rights Reserved.
Recently on In Touch with Dr. Charles Stanley
:angel:
July 4, 2011
Freedom Fried
Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
So now, come back to your God! Act on the principles of love and justice, and always live in confident dependence on your God. ~ Hosea 12:6, NLT
The 'Fourth of July' devotional.
It fell to me this year.
And whoa if I didn't have a firecracker of a time coming up with what to write.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not riding on the trendy bandwagon of American self-loathing. I love my country. I dig personal and religious freedom. Without a free press I'd be out of a job, and without free speech I'd be locked up somewhere. But not here!
So why the long face on red-white-and-blue, take-a-day-off, fire-up-the-grill day?
Because Christianity has so little yet too much to do with the American Dream. To wit: "After centuries of shacking up with 'the American dream,' churches have perfected a dicey codependence between consumer-driven therapeutic individualism and religious pragmatism. These theological proxies gnaw, termite-like, at our identity as the Body of Christ, eroding our ability to recognize that Jesus' life of self-giving love directly challenges the American gospel of self-fulfillment and self-actualization" (Kenda Creasy Dean, Almost Christian).
Because I get sad when I consider the evolution 'Freedom' has undertaken just in my lifetime – from "allowed to act responsibly" to "if it feels good do it" to "absolutely anything goes and don't even try to suggest otherwise to us, or we might just take away your freedom."
Because "Independence Day" is a disconnect for me, devotionally speaking, from things I know to be true: that independence has never served me well where family or friends or work colleagues or the Church or the Lord are concerned.
And so, left without the trite and tried-but-true for today's devotional, I settled on the short, bittersweet, and eternal...
Neither politics nor religion nor any mixing of the two will save me.
Some things are really messed up. Most things are really not mess-up-able. A few things that are require only repentance to restore.
It's never wrong or out-of-style to be thankful, to express gratitude.
You can pledge your allegiance to the flag every day and admit your own and your country's independence, but "when you bow down before the Lord and admit your dependence on him, he will lift you up and give you honor" (James 4:10, NLT).
Have a safe and blessed holiday, everyone.
:angel:
July 5, 2011
The Duty of Living in the Reality of the Supernatural
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"...without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him."
Hebrews 11:6 ESV
"Doctrine is important," writes Francis Schaeffer in chapter five of his book True Spirituality, "but it is not an end in itself. There is to be an experiential reality, moment by moment... in the power of the crucified and risen Christ, through the agency of the indwelling Holy Spirit, by faith."
Yes, yes, yes... we nod our heads, agreeing with such a fine statement of what ought to be the daily experience of one who follows Christ. But is that our experience? Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed that little by little, the reality of the supernatural is all too easily lost in our generation?
What seems to elude most Christians is a daily experience of living in the reality of the supernatural. We can polish and refine our doctrinal statements and discuss the finer points of what's going on in the world and how to fix our institutions and churches until the cows come home. But what often gets crowded out of the picture is the simple reality of God. When that happens, the world squeezes us into its way of thinking. To quote Schaeffer on this...
"Our generation is overwhelmingly naturalistic [i.e. meaning everything is the result of natural causes in a closed system]. If we are not careful, even though we say we are Biblical Christians and supernaturalists, the naturalism of our generation tends to come in upon us."
Schaeffer compares this creeping in of the world's naturalistic mindset to barnacles that grow on the bottom of ships, creating drag on vessels that were meant to efficiently cut through the water. So, as an antidote, he points us to classic Scriptures that teach the nearness of the supernatural all around us.
For example, Luke's passage on the post-resurrection appearance of Jesus to two disciples walking on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:31) says that their eyes were opened and they realized it was Jesus, then He ceased to be seen by them. Paraphrasing Schaeffer: "It wasn't that Christ was no longer there, but that they simply did not see Him any longer. John 20:19 and 26 gives the same emphasis."
Another classic text that Schaeffer takes us to is 2 Kings 6:16-17 where Elisha is surrounded by an enemy, and the young man standing with him is overcome with fear. "Elisha prayed and said, 'O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.' So the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha."
"The supernatural was not something far off; it was there. All the young man needed was to have his eyes opened to see it. As soon as we remove the supernaturalness of the universe, all we have left is Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, in which religion is viewed simply as a sociological tool... a mere psychological mechanism."
Schaeffer rightly notes that this is precisely where the battle rages today. The naturalists are determined to get rid of the supernatural, to argue against it, that it is not there. Therefore...
"...we have thrust upon us the high calling and the duty to live in light of the existence of the two parts of the universe, the seen and the unseen parts, in the realization that the "heavenlies" are not far off. They are about us here."
Losing the reality of the supernatural is no small, insignificant detail. It is not an optional feature of true spirituality. When it is absent from our experience, all we are left with is a dead sociological tool; a mere psychological mechanism for manipulating ourselves and other people. As the Apostle Paul said, "If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied." (1 Corinthians 15:19)
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Are there any barnacles of naturalism built up on the hull of your "ship" lately? Ask God for renewed eyes of faith as you dig deeper into these Scriptures...
For Further Study:
Luke 24
2 Kings 6:16-17
1 Corinthians 15
:angel:
July 6, 2011
Be Still
Ryan Duncan, TheFish.com Editor
"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." – Psalm 46: 10
Midway through the Book of Luke, there's a section where Jesus and his disciples visit the house of Mary and Martha.
"As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." – (Luke 10: 38-42)
It's easy when reading this for us to laugh and shake our heads at Martha. It seems so obvious that listening to Jesus was more important than housework, but how many of us have made the same mistake at one point or another? I know I have.
A week ago I found myself in a pretty bad place. I was tired, angry, and stressed. I'd let all sorts of little things compile during the week, and while in hindsight none of them were that important, it reached the point where I couldn't even relax at home. With no idea what to do, I went out to my patio and had a ranting session with God. I began venting my worries about work, finances, small group, and a hundred other things when I suddenly felt God say, "Ryan, Stop!"
I stopped mid-sentence and looked around. The sun was setting over the James River. Birds were flying in the air, all the trees and plants seemed to glow green, and a freight train was slowly making its way over a bridge into the city. It was as if God had painted a picture and said, "See, look what I can do. Look what you're missing because your anxiety got the better of you." For a while I just sat there and watched the scenery. By the time I finished I felt calmer, collected and my worries didn't seem all that big anymore. Sometimes we get so agitated that we forget who God is, and we end up running to him with demands like "Fix my problems!" In times like this, it's important that we take a step back and remember, He is God.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Be still and know that He is God.
Further Reading
John 16: 33
:angel:
July 7, 2011
It's Hard to Be Still
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
"Be still and know that I am God." - Psalm 46:10, NIV
I'm one of those people who likes going 90 mph—not in my car, of course, but in my day-to-day living.
I enjoy moving fast, juggling multiple tasks and having a full schedule with lots of things to do, people to see and places to go. Variety is definitely the spice of my life, and without it everything starts feeling a little "vanilla."
Thus, I guess you could say I'm having what feels like a bland kind of summer—and definitely not "jamocha almond fudge," if you will. All of my extracurricular activities that keep me busy during the school year are on break until sometime in August. And so that leaves me with a lot of undefined time each week, and a lot of stillness.
I was complaining about this to my sister the other day and had expressed that I was bored with temporarily not having an "exciting" schedule. But I had also been wondering if the Lord wanted me to use this time to rest or think about things that I don't usually focus on when I'm so busy in the fall, winter and spring.
So I had been trying to think about what I was supposed to be thinking about. So I could then write down what I was supposed to be thinking about on my to-do list. So I could then be thinking about what I was supposed to be thinking about. So I could then cross off that I had been thinking about what I was supposed to be thinking about. And be done thinking about it.
See how that great logic has been working out for me?
My sister first probably had a good chuckle to herself. And then she thoughtfully responded with the lyrics to Watermark's poignant song, "Still" ...
Still, let me be still
Let me be okay
With the quiet in my heart
Still, I want to be still
I'm so quick to move
Instead of listening to you
Shut my mouth
Crush my pride
Give me the tears
Of a broken life
Still ...
Oh. I get it. When I become still before the Lord, it's more about God and less about me. Or my "exciting" activities or the control I think I have over my life. When I become still, I can see more clearly what God is trying to show me. And I can either respond or fill up my time with something else while I wait for my "vanilla" summer to end.
By and large, there's nothing wrong with having a full life. But it is very easy to tip the scale and land on the side of too much, where worship of a heavenly Father gets lost in the wrongful worship of earthly things that a very busy schedule can certainly bring.
That's what I've learned so far about stillness this summer. Perhaps you, too, have a need for speed and are prone to going 90 mph on the freeway of your life. Why not spend some time at a rest stop with me in the coming months, and be still for a little while? The Lord is waiting and ready to meet us both there.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Some people schedule regular personal retreats with the Lord. Whether you can get away to a cabin in the woods or just set up a hammock between two backyard trees, see how you can schedule some time for stillness with the Lord before summer's end.
Further Reading:
1 Kings 19:11-12, NIV
Proverbs 20:27, NIV
Isaiah 32:17, NIV
:angel:
July 8 2011
Beach Lessons
Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven – for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little." – Luke 7:47, ESV
How do you explain to a child that's never been to the ocean what waves are like? You might fill a bathtub with water and splash it back and forth. That could teach action of waves – but what about the look? You might take the child to a nearby river with a few rapids, and show them how the foam collects at the bottom of a fall "like on top of a wave." You might show them a 4x6 inch photograph. You might try to show them what waves sound like with a conch shell. But what about their vast dimensions along the shore? What about their unending nature? What about the undercurrent of a wave going back to sea?
No substitute can convey the scale and true nature of waves continually breaking on the shore. No analogies or to-scale models prepare children for their first trip to the beach. They can't grasp the greatness until they've seen it for themselves.
Have you seen the greatness of God's forgiveness yet?
No measure of teaching, preaching, and analogizing can make us really grasp what God's forgiveness means. Even after we reach adulthood, we're still creatures of experience. It takes a firsthand experience – recognition of how vast our sins really are – before we can appreciate how vast God's mercy is to cover them.
Jesus gave Simon the Pharisee the example of two men who owed another money – one owed him five hundred days' wages, one owing him fifty. The moneylender forgives both debts, but, as Simon empathizes, the one forgiven the larger sum has a greater reason to love the one who cancelled his debt. But all Simon heard were the Jesus's words. He failed to realize what a vast stretch of sand he stood on, and what a great tide it would take to overtake all of those grains of sand. As a result, it's the woman Jesus recognizes for her great love of her Savior.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Is it possible that we can extend love and forgiveness if we don't understand how much Christ has shown us? Take your own "beach trip" and survey the vastness of God's incredible forgiveness that covers incredible sin.
:angel:
July 11, 2011
Seeking God for the Right Reasons
by Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. Philippians 1: 21
I ran across an article years ago that really touched me. In her piece "A Change of Plans," Lindsy Pike details the excruciating decision to call off her wedding to a man she loved dearly. Reflecting on the mix of pain and peace that comes with any situation where we must give up something precious, Pike rewinds a few centuries to Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son, Isaac:
"God promised to give Abraham a son and finally, after years of waiting, God came through, with Isaac. Why in the world would God ask Abraham to give up that gift? In my opinion, it is for the same reason He asked me to call off my wedding. God wants us to love Him more than we love His promises. The minute we get those out of order, He readjusts us."
While we don't fully know the mind of God in Abraham's situation, Pike's simple thought sheds light on a struggle I think all of us encounter at some time in our lives – the struggle to love God above everything else, even His blessings. God wants us to love Him because of who He is, not what He can give us. Yet, how often do we confuse our love of God's promises with love of Him? How often do we see Him as the divine blessing machine, ready to dole out happiness on our terms? The popularity of "prosperity theology" reveals how easy it is for believers to twist love of God into the pursuit of earthly happiness.
To be honest, it's not just greed that gets in the way of loving God. It's also a limited understanding of who God is. I used to wonder how some Christians could sit for over an hour praying. Is God really that interesting? I'd wonder. This type of thinking reveals a fundamental flaw in how I perceived God, and I think that flaw is what keeps many from coming to Christ in the first place. It's easy to see Him as limited like we are limited. It's easy to forget that God is truly our all in all. As C.S. Lewis once said, "God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing."
Still, had I not gone through a similar situation, I might not have believed Pike's sincerity when she says: "I am thankful for His grace that saved me from ruining my life by pursuing my dream."
In a "reach for the stars, be anything you can be" culture, the idea that pursuing any dream could ruin my life seems foreign. The more I think about it, though, the more I see that living outside God's will – even if it is for a "good reason" – is a recipe for failure.
Yet, when we give up our dreams for something greater - for Someone greater than ourselves - we begin to see we can trust God no matter what. We find solace in the incredible peace that comes with knowing that even if life here includes sorrow or dreams unfulfilled, there is a God that transcends not only all that's missing in this life, but also all the good this life has to offer.
Intersecting Faith & Life: This week, do something for God without expecting any reward or blessing in return.
Further Reading
John 16: 33
Author Debunks Prosperity Gospel Myth
:angel:
July 12, 2011
My Conversation with a Hedge
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
He who neglects discipline despises himself, But he who listens to reproof acquires understanding.
The fear of the LORD is the instruction for wisdom, And before honor comes humility.
Proverbs 15:32-33
Every summer, my wife and kids leave me for two-to-three weeks to visit all of her relatives in Texas while I stay home and work. For the first day or two that they're gone, I enjoy my freedom from some of my responsibilities. After that, though, I tend to go a little crazy. I find myself wandering around the house, or doing "improvement" projects I have no business tackling. Making up song lyrics. Or having conversations with inanimate objects.
A couple years ago, in the middle of their trip, I was trimming the bushes beneath our front windows. The three on the right side of the stoop grow more uniformly than the three on the left. On the left, the one closest to the stairs is healthiest, while the other two, thanks to heavier afternoon shade, don't do as well. Oh, it's hard to tell, because I keep them pruned so that they "grow together" in the middle and stay squared off on the tops and corners. But obviously, the two weaker bushes suffer the pruning less frequently, because I let them grow out to fill in the gaps.
As I was working, their healthier sibling, I imagined, began to speak to me. Or to whine is more like it...
Hey! What gives?
Nothing, my good man. Just time for your monthly trimming.
But why? I'm not doing anything wrong. Just sitting here minding my own business. Doing good, doing what I'm supposed to do. And here you come...
Well, just sit still, please. Trust me, I have a purpose here.
Really? Well forgive me for asking, but why doesn't that purpose seem to apply to my lazy, stunted brethren here? All this time and barely a scratch. Maybe a nip, a cut. Nothing lost, no pain.
You're not happy with how you look? Where you're situated?
I'm fine. But that's just it. I don't deserve this cutting and trimming.
You think you planted yourself in this primo spot?
Never really thought about it. I just want to know why you're taking so much away from me and nothing from them.
I told you I have a purpose. You can't see what I can see. In fact, you can't see much at all. You're completely rooted in place. But I've seen all around you and through you, and have since you were planted.
But it hurts. I don't like losing things.
Never having them in the first place, and never really growing, that's not much good either. I have to give extra care and attention to those others. I can only hope it brings them up to the same level of maturity as you...
Hmmph.
I finished trimming up the hedges, and went my way, unsure I had gotten through. But when I stood back, I beheld something beautiful. I could only hope those under my care understood, had not despised their discipline, and opted to forsake impractical, joyless comparison.
Intersecting Faith & Life: The next time you feel like others aren't being as challenged as you are, or like the Lord is picking on you unfairly, consider that you can't see all the perspectives or purposes of the Lord, not in your life and especially not in the lives of others. The Lord loves you enough to discipline you, and he knows you're healthy and with enough green growth to handle His pruning.
Further Reading
John 15
Pruning Your Vineyard
:angel:
July 13, 2011
What Do We Do Now, Exactly?
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world..."
1 John 5:3 NASB
We continue to build upon Francis Schaeffer's earlier instruction about the reality of the biblical God (though He is unseen) and of the bankruptcy of atheism and all other perspectives that exclude the God of the Bible.
Instead of being cowed by unbelievers, we march forward today with the clear-eyed viewpoint expressed by the writer of this recent article on Christianity.com...
It is not Christianity that is a crutch, but atheism. Believing that when you die, you're just dead is far more comforting than believing that after death that we will be summoned to answer to a just and holy God for the good or evil we have done in this life.
Having ceased calling God a liar and having come to embrace Christ alone by faith alone, we now are justified—declared righteous by God... our status of moral guilt is reversed. Scripture says: "...there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1).
But "salvation is not just justification and then a blank until death," writes Schaeffer (True Sprirituality, chap. 6). Therefore, we must become increasingly conscious of is the perpetual relevance of Christ's work now in our lives. As Romans 1:17 says, "the just shall live by faith."
Quoting Schaeffer again: "The how of the Christian life is the power of the crucified and risen Lord, through the agency of the indwelling Holy Spirit, by faith moment by moment."
The effect of such a moment-by-moment life of faith in loving relationship with Christ is expressed in First John (1 John 5:3). "This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome."
With refreshing honesty, Schaeffer recounts that for many years he did find the commandments grievous and burdensome:
"For many years as a pastor, preaching the gospel, I never preached on this verse for the simple reason that I did not understand it. I could hardly bear them (the commandments of God). And then one day, as I was wrestling with this topic, I saw that all one had to do was to look at the immediate context: "For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith."
"On the basis of the finished work of Christ, a moment-by-moment life of faith is "the victory"—not our victory, but Christ's victory, purchased for us on Calvary's cross, laid hold of moment by moment in faith. Now, let me be absolutely clear about it, the basis is not your faith; it is the finished work of Christ. Faith is the instrument to receive this thing from God that Christ has purchased for us. If we try to live the Christian life in our own strength, we will have sorrow; but if we live in this way, we will not only serve the Lord, but in place of sorrow He will be our song."
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Are the commandments grievous to you? Are they burdensome? Whose strength and wisdom are you depending on to bring about victory? Rest today in the power of the crucified and risen Lord, through the agency of the indwelling Holy Spirit, by faith moment by moment.
For Further Study & Prayer:
Romans 15:13
"Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
:angel:
July 14, 2011
Dentists and Coca-Cola
by Ryan Duncan, TheFish.com Editor
"If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it." – Genesis 4:7
I really like drinking Coca-Cola. The habit started when I went overseas my junior year of college. None of us could drink the water because we might get parasites, so I ended up drinking Coke with most of my meals. I thought I'd kick the habit once I got back to the United States, but if anything it only made my addiction worse. I suddenly became aware of how easy it was to find a nice, cold Coke.
They were so cheap and so accessible that I barely needed an excuse to buy one. Sure, I knew drinking too much was bad for me, but I figured as long as I exercised and brushed my teeth there wasn't any harm in having one a day. Then I had my dentist appointment. I think most people would agree that going to the dentist would not be the highlight of their week. Well, imagine going to the dentist and being told you have three cavities that will require fillings. Sure, on the upside I did get to chat with a cute receptionist, but when the dentist began jabbing around in my mouth trying to find a good place to inject the Novocain, it dawned on me that maybe I should start watching how much I drank.
All joking aside, I think sin works in the same fashion. Each day we are tempted, and it's remarkably easy to find an excuse to justify our behavior. We tell ourselves it's not that bad, that as long as we read our Bible and go to church we'll be balancing the scales, but that's not how it works. Sin will slowly corrode your character until one day you'll find yourself with a serious problem. Because of the cross, we have received the grace of Jesus and are now free from sin, but the battle is not over.
Every day we will be tempted, and every day Jesus will call us to turn from sin and live a life according to his word. There cannot be any compromises with sin; it will only devour us.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Take a moment to consider where you are being tempted.
Further Reading
John 8:34
:angel:
July 15, 2011
Living in a Dream World
By Stephen Sanders, Audio/Video Editor for Salem Web Network
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. Psalm 23: 1
A life with no challenges would be awesome, wouldn't it? Always making the right decision, never running out of money, your kids always doing what they are supposed to do, never biting off more than you can chew... circumstances just magically falling into place so that we can effortlessly waltz through life in a state of constant enjoyment. Man, that sure would be nice...
Let's just close our eyes for a few seconds and imagine what that would be like...
I'm 32, and I have 3 daughters. One of them just turned 13. The other is 7. The youngest is 2. They are all very, very different. I cannot begin to tell you how overwhelming this can be sometimes.
The baby is absolutely the cutest little thing ever. However, she has turned out to be the "stubborn child." She writes on everything no matter how many times we tell her to stop. She refuses to use the potty. She will do a halfway-pee in her diaper, hold it and wait for you to change it, then pee in the fresh one immediately. It's not like we don't discipline her because we do!
But she's cute, and she's little and can only really get into so much trouble, so she doesn't stress me out too much...
The middle child is fairly drama free these days. She recently got 1st and 2nd semester honor roll and citizenship awards at school with pretty much zero supervision. But a couple years ago she was the bane of her K4 teacher's existence. I got called to the office, seriously, almost every single day that school year for her bad behavior. The principal felt like our daughter might have psychological problems. The teacher broke down in tears in the middle of multiple conversations. We had no answers.
The very next year my daughter was the teacher's pet. But, at the time, we blamed ourselves for these issues because we were her parents. Now we don't feel like such failures.
My oldest is actually my stepdaughter, and this relationship comes with its obvious trials. She's also a very attractive 13-year old; this poses even more issues. And if that wasn't enough already, there are the unexpected things that happen. They are like dreams you hoped would never happen but did. Then they rear their ugly heads and taunt you like a nightmare you swear you've had before...
...they cause you to wake earlier than you want to type a devotional at 4am...
I remember living in a dream world when I was her age. I knew everything. Everyone else was wrong and stupid. I know that will change. What I don't know is what scares me. Will she get involved in the wrong crowd at school? Will she make one bad decision and end up pregnant before she graduates? Will she grow up and want to live a life that is pleasing to God or pleasing to her? These are new questions that have started popping into my head recently.
I try so hard. I desire more than anything for her to grow up and have a perfect life; a life where she always makes the right decisions. A life where she never runs out of money. A life where... yeah...
I begin to realize that my expectations for her life are unrealistic. She is going to make bad decisions. I just need to be here to listen, to guide and to comfort her. Let her fail. In those things, listen to her worries and hurts and remind her why we need Jesus in the first place.
He isn't our God for our benefit... even though our relationship with Him does benefit us. He isn't our God because He will make us rich and healthy and free from the pain and difficulties of this world we live in. But He is here with us through these trials.
Intersecting Faith and Life
I recently started studying the Book of Psalms; a part of the Bible I've always neglected to see the true value in. I suppose God must have inspired them for times when His people were having times like I'm having right now. It's only by God's grace that I am as content as I am these days. I honestly don't stress too much about the things that are going on in my life. Even when I do begin to stress, God brings others to my attention, like homeless people, and I realize things could be so much worse. Or maybe the material things I deem so important actually cause me more stress... who knows.
All I know is that God continues to teach me how to be more like Him. My kids will be OK. My family will grow and become everything they are supposed to be. I just have to have faith in God and know that He has a plan that is so much greater than I could ever predict -- that this crazy world I live in isn't going to change. I will probably have a few more sleepless nights because of it; some nightmares may actually come true, but He is with me to provide peace and restoration and comfort.
For Further Study
Psalm 1
"In The House of God, Forever" by Jon Foreman
:angel:
July 18, 2011
What's Your Nineveh?
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Those who worship false gods turn their backs on all God's mercies. But I will offer sacrifices to you with songs of praise, and I will fulfill all my vows. For my salvation comes from the LORD alone. Jonah 2:8-9, NLT
Have you ever run away from something that God wanted you to do? If so, then you've got a lot in common with Jonah. You know the story . . .
Guy in a tunic hears from God.
Guy doesn't like what God wants him to do.
Guy runs in the other direction. Literally.
Guy gets on a boat.
Guy get tossed overboard during a storm.
Guy gets swallowed by a big fish.
Guy repents.
Guy goes and does what God tells him (a second time) to do.
Guy gets angry when God is compassionate to others (who guy doesn't think are deserving).
Guy gets rebuked, and God has the last word.
Jonah was running from Nineveh—a city with an idolatrous people so wicked that they would cut off the feet and hands of their captives just to intimidate others. Yikes!
So it's probably safe to say that all of us might have felt like Jonah did when thinking about ministering to the Ninehvites: scared for himself and disbelieving that these people could ever be saved. Why even try, right?
But God wanted Jonah to preach and to reach out to others, because God has reached out to all of us. We are all undeserving of his love and his unmerited favor, but mercifully God forgives. Jonah didn't want to see this, and so he ran.
Perhaps you are running as well. You're trying to get as far away from your Nineveh—the thing that truly scares you, the thing that you know God is leading you toward, the thing you don't really want to do.
I have run away from so many things in my life. But one of these days, maybe I will have grown enough in my faith that I will immediately say "Yes, Lord" when he gives me instruction.
Until that point in my maturity, there's a current Nineveh that has been occupying a lot of my thoughts lately. It's my fall group Bible study. Now, that's not so scary in and of itself. But you know what is? What we'll be studying come September: the book of Revelation.
I confess that I've thought about dropping out a few times already, as I've had too much time to anticipate and be afraid. To me, this is the most intimidating book of Scripture. I have a fear that I'll never understand the symbolism, that I'll look dumb trying to answer the questions in front of my group and that I'll spend the entire eight months of study in a fog of frustration.
But I think I'm missing the most important point. What seems impossible to me is exactly what God wants me to do. So that I will learn. And grow. And draw closer to him as I work on understanding his Word.
Jonah is one of the shortest books of the Bible, so I invite you to read through it today when you have a half hour to spare. See if you don't see yourself in Jonah's thoughts and fears, in his actions and in his initial response to God's call in his life.
And then ask yourself, "What is my Nineveh?" and pray. Ask the Lord to help you work through your fear, your anger, your rebellion.
Instead of running this time, and from our own Ninevehs, may God help us all to run toward what he has purposed for our good.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Stop running in the wrong direction! Repent and start moving obediently toward whatever God is calling you to do today. Despite our proclivity toward unfaithfulness, he is always faithful.
Further Reading:
2 Samuel 22:1-4, NIV
2 Corinthians 10:5, NIV
Philippians 1:6, NIV
:angel:
July 19, 2011
"Just Keep Swimming!"
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." – Hebrews 12:1
On Saturday night, I let myself go limp in front of the TV. The blur of activity, newness, and ridiculously hot weather the week before had exhausted me, so a complete mind/body check-out seemed in order. I don't have cable and I didn't bother to turn on instant streaming, so my viewing selection was pretty limited. I soon found myself watching "Finding Nemo."
Remember the part where the all-important scuba mask slips down, down, down into the dark gorge? Marlin panics and goes after it, only to swim frantically back out of the darkness. Then the crazy blue fish with a short term memory problem frolics her way into that same blackness with nary a care. A moment later Dorrie comes back to encourage Marlin. "Hey, Mr. Grumpy Gills," she says, "When life gets you down, you know whatcha gotta do?" "No, I don't want to know watcha gotta do." "Just keep swimming! Just keep swimming! Just keep swimming!"
Not that I'm taking lessons from a digitized blue fish, but Dorrie's attitude reminded me what perseverance should look like. It's not that sitting on the couch and taking a break was evil in itself, but my can't-go-any-farther attitude was. That attitude indicated that I was slogging away in my own strength and had run out of energy without looking to the Lord for supernatural help. At points like that, even though I know the answer, "I don't want to know watcha gotta do" to keep pursuing what God has called me to do. Wallowing in my exhaustion seems so much easier.
Sunday evening, someone reminded me that, "when life gets you down" and you're exhausted, God's faithfulness has the chance to shine through. The end of my rope is the beginning of grace made evident in my life, providing the strength to "keep swimming" even though I'm exhausted. And He gets the praise, because I know that strength is no longer something in me. His mercies are "new every morning" (Lam. 3:23) and enough to keep me moving in the direction that He encourages me to go. My responsibilities are just one more way to bring me to my knees and let the Lord refresh me with His grace. After that, I can keep going in His mercy, and even sing while I'm at it. His faithfulness never ends.
Intersection of Faith & Life: The Bible is full of reminders of God's faithfulness to believers, and the stories all end with God being glorified for their reliance on Him. In the end, it's when we are weak that He makes us strong (2 Cor. 12:10).
Further Reading:
Philippians 1:4-6
1 Corinthians 9:24
How to Pray on the Go
:angel:
July 20, 2011
A Life Dedicated to the Gospel
by Sarah Phillips, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. Mark 8:35
"To love God as He ought to be loved, we must be detached from all temporal love." ~ St. Peter Claver
Sometimes God asks us to faithfully follow Him in the everyday tasks, and sometimes He calls us to do something really big and really hard. This is the kind of calling I stumbled across when I read about a man named Peter Claver while researching Christian heroes of days gone by. While our lives are playing out in different times with different issues, reading about his courageous devotion to the Gospel is a good reminder to me of what it looks like to live for God instead of myself.
Born in 1581, Peter Claver's beginning reads like the typical story of a man growing up in 16th century Spain. He studied theology and joined the Jesuit order of priests. But in 1610, Peter left his homeland to become a missionary in the country we now call Colombia.
Columbia was the center of the slave trade in the New World during this time, and while church officials had openly condemned the injustices of the African slave trade, the industry continued to flourish. Peter's mission in this foreign land would be to minister to fellow foreigners, the African slaves.
Bought, sold and treated worse than animals, thousands of African men and women were shipped into the wealthy city of Cartagena to be sold to plantation owners. An estimated one third to one half of them died on the journey over, unable to endure the horrific conditions - conditions so putrid, it would make you feel ill if I described them in depth. By the time Peter Claver met them, these men and women were starving, dying, dirty, and mentally broken.
Peter Claver was known for boarding the suffocating ships immediately upon arrival with food and medicine, caring for men and women in a situation most would find unbearable.
But Peter's ministry did not end with meeting physical needs. He trained interpreters to communicate with the diverse array of African dialects, assuring each person of their dignity and worth as human beings created in God's image. After sharing the Gospel in their respective languages, he baptized men and women before they were sold.
While Peter Claver was powerless to stop the slave trade, he worked hard to defend African men and woman against their oppressors every chance he got. He visited their plantations to encourage them and exhorted the plantation owners to treat them well. He even assembled African slaves for worship services during Easter and did everything he could to fight for their freedoms and meet their needs.
Claver not only displayed Christ-like love to the oppressed but with God's grace he overcame personal shortcomings. Born with a timid nature, Claver displayed uncharacteristic boldness in his ministry. He endured hatred from the slave traders and societal rejection from the citizens of Cartagena. Even some Christians thought he was wasting his time, but Claver continued his work. He baptized an estimated 300,000 African men and women in his 33 years of ministry.
Claver ultimately became a societal force for good in Cartagena, and after his death, the "apostle to the slaves" was openly granted the respect he never received in his lifetime.
How can a man give up all that is familiar and comfortable to spend a life defending those few were interested in saving at that time? Claver was not holier than you or I, he simply followed God's leading in his life. His love for God and for those in need superseded everything else, and no doubt he enjoys many friendships in heaven.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Has God ever asked you to do something hard, something that felt impossible or threatened your reputation? What was your response? Ask God for the grace to do His will, even in the face of personal sacrifice.
Further Reading:
John 12: 20 - 36
William Wilberforce: The Man Who Didn't Desert
*Details of Peter Claver's life from: "St. Peter Claver", "Saint of the Day, September 9th," "Saints and Angels: St. Peter Claver"
:angel:
July 21, 2011
When Life Gets Hairy
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
In him all things hold together.
Colossians 1:17
"It's just hair; it'll grow back. She'll still look cute."
My encouragement was falling on deaf ears. It was all my wife could do to hold it together. We had just picked up our 4-year-old goldilocked girl at a friends' house, and my wife was met at the door by a teary-eyed mother whose own daughter had just practiced for pre-K cosmetology school.
Me? I was just glad everyone still had their eyes and ears, and that Lauren had not been the one doing any cutting (though letting someone do that to you is an issue in its own right). My son - he didn't understand what the big hairy deal was at all. His sister was still his sister, and we were still going out to dinner for his excellent report card... weren't we?
Everyone had their own point of view and their own set of facts. Nobody else's views or words were doing much swaying. All that was going to fix this was a detour to the one who can right all wrongs, by which I mean, of course, Desiree, the woman who was familiar with my daughter's hair from having trimmed it on several occasions.
She worked a miracle I didn't believe was possible. The women rejoiced! "Why is Mommy hugging the woman?" asked my son. "Come, son," I said. "Come with me. Let me explain to you what hair means to a woman."
My daughter does look cute again. A special spritzing scrunching product helps you not be able to see the jagged cuts. A pleasant side effect is that her blue eyes look bigger and really pop now. Already, my wife feels silly for having reacted like she did (though I do have to point out she was gracious and forgiving to the mom of the little girl who did the dastardly deed). We have heard from untold numbers of folks who have experienced something similar. We have even begun to look back on this - as I suggested right after it happened - as a funny story.
But at the time? Nothing was going to be right; nobody was going to convince anybody else of anything, no words were going to be meaningful until everyone and everything came together in The Great Fixer.
It's no different with real-life events, real points of view, real pains, real cuts, real well-meaning people. Until we slow down and see the miracle, it's all just noise and chaos.
He makes all things new.
He makes all things hold together.
He makes you look back and shake your head at yourself and maybe even laugh.
He is the judge, doctor, professor, artist, miracle worker. And his office is always open. After he does his thing, you can count on hugging and rejoicing and chances for bonding. Multitudes will be able to relate.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Don't panic. Don't argue. Just go see him. Bring your friends and family, too. See what he can and will do.
Further Reading
All Things
Why I Believe in God
The Trend of 'Believing without Belonging'
:angel:
July 22, 2011
High Infidelity
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"...you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God."
Romans 7:4 NASB
Usually, we think of "having faith" as simply "trusting, believing." And while that is true, it can be incomplete if we forget that, as Christians, we are also joined to Christ as our Bridegroom. In other words, there is a real relationship with Him—the living Christ—that is at stake. It is not just a matter of possessing correct content of what we believe about the person and work of Christ. And although we never have a legitimate cause to do so, we often break faith with and betray our faithful Bridegroom.
Francis Schaeffer talks about this in chapter seven of True Spirituality where we continue our journey with him this week. Citing the passage above, he notes that since we have been rescued from the tyranny of the devil and placed safely in the arms of the Lord Jesus Christ—we are now positioned to bring forth His fruit.
Schaeffer expands upon the simple, yet remarkably powerful word picture in Romans 7:1-4 to make the point plain:
"Imagine a married couple both of the one color of skin. Suddenly the wife brings forth a child clearly of another race [sic]. All the world would know that she has been unfaithful to her proper mate. So it is with us."
When we do not bring forth His fruit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (per Galatians 5:22)—but bring forth immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these (Gal. 5:19-21), it is because we have broken faith with Him and are in the state of infidelity of the highest order.
What generally causes us to distrust Christ and leads us to break faith with Him and run to the arms of another is the fact that we often think that we have a better way. We think that, somehow, God really doesn't have our best interests at heart. I know for me, personally, this happens mostly when I am "Law-minded" in a way that discounts or obscures the gospel. One writer, Milton Vincent, in his A Gospel Primer for Christians provides a helpful counter to this erroneous and sinful way of thinking (p. 18):
"...when I begin my train of thought with the gospel, I realize that if God loved me enough to sacrifice His Son's life for me, then He must be guided by that same love when He speaks His commandments to me. Viewing God's commands and prohibitions in this light, I can see them for what they really are: friendly signposts from a heavenly Father who is seeking to love me through each directive, so that I might experience His very fullness forever." (see Deut. 5:29)
Not only are they friendly signposts, they are friendly love letters from our faithful Bridegroom who has done nothing to warrant our distrust. By His life-giving Spirit, He is actively seeking to love us and bring forth His fruit in us today. What is the state of your union with Him?
Intersecting Faith & Life:
In light of today's devotional, contemplate afresh Schaeffer's summary of the life of faith: "The how of the Christian life is the power of the crucified and risen Lord, through the agency of the indwelling Holy Spirit, by faith moment by moment."
For Further Prayer & Study:
If repentance for spiritual infidelity is in order, reflect on Isaiah 30:15 "Thus the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, has said, 'In repentance and rest you will be saved, In quietness and trust is your strength.'" For further study, read Romans 6-8.
:angel:
July 25, 2011
Unqualified
Ryan Duncan, TheFish.com Editor
"It is the LORD your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him."- Deuteronomy 13:4
Sometimes I feel like, as a Christian, I'm no good. I have no memory for Bible verses, I don't have any gifts in leadership or preaching, and I've done some pretty stupid, not to mention embarrassing, things while trying to serve Christ in the past. In moments like these, I try to remember Gladys Alyward.
Gladys Alyward was a London born woman who became a missionary to China in the 1930's. Another missionary named Mrs. Lawson had invited Alyward to China, where the two women would run an inn and tell Bible stories to the passing travelers. Lawson and Alyward were the only foreigners in the city, at a time when Europeans were looked on with great distrust by the Chinese, and not long after her arrival, Mrs. Lawson suffered a severe fall and died a few days later.
Only a few weeks after Lawson's death, Alyward was approached by the city's Mandarin. The government had decided to put an end to the ancient practice of foot-binding, and this meant the government needed a foot-inspector, a woman (someone who could invade the women's quarters without scandal) who would patrol the district and enforce the decree. Though Alyward was now running the inn by herself, she chose to accept the position and used it to minister to countless individuals.
A year after that, Alyward was once again summoned by the Mandarin. A riot had broken out at a local prison, and Alyward was told to calm it. The prison guards had heard of her strange religion and wanted to put it to the test, so Alyward had no choice but to walk into the rampaging prison. To everyone's surprise, when Alyward called for the rioting prisoners to stop, they did. She told them to select a spokesman for the prisoners whom she could speak with, which again, they did without argument. It turned out the prisoners were confined to close quarters all day, with nothing to do and nothing to eat but food sent to them by family members. Though prison reform was unheard of at the time, Alyward managed to gather equipment the men could use to grind grain, earning them money for food.
As the years passed, the people of the city gave Alyward the name Ai-weh-deh, meaning "Virtuous One". Her inn expanded to become an orphanage where she cared for over 100 children, and when the Japanese threatened to invade in WWII, it was she who led the children over the mountains to safety. Alyward continued to preach the message of Christ all her life until she died in 1970.
Funny thing about Gladys Alyward: when she first applied to be a missionary, she was turned down. The organization she'd applied for considered her "unqualified" to minister in a foreign country.
God loves unqualified Christians. Look at Peter - a day laborer and a coward. Look at Matthew, who was a tax collector and an outcast. Look at Mary, who the scripture say Jesus cast twelve demons from. Don't underestimate what Christ can do with your life. Give God one willing Christian, and he can change the face of the world.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Do you feel like an unqualified Christian? Don't feel down; pray to God and seek a place where you can serve him.
Further Reading
Romans 12:11
:angel:
July 26, 2011
Appearances Can Be Deceiving
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7, NIV
Leave it to God to pick the guy no one else would have picked to become Israel's greatest earthly king: David.
When I think of how unlikely it is that a shepherd boy became a king, I am reminded of the song I used to sing in Sunday School as a child, "Only a Boy Named David" . . .
Only a boy named David
Only a little sling
Only a boy named David
But he could pray and sing
Only a boy named David
Only a rippling brook
Only a boy named David
But five little stones he took
And one little stone went in the sling
And the sling went round and round
And one little stone went in the sling
And the sling went round and round
And round and round
And round and round
And round and round and round
And one little prayer went up to God
And the giant came tumbling down
"Only" this and "only" that. There's so much depth of meaning in the word "only," isn't there? At the time, I don't know if I really grasped the concept of God's powerful hand at work in and through the life of such an unlikely hero, but I sure do now.
David was small in stature, young and inexperienced when the Lord instructed Samuel to anoint him as the chosen one who would replace Saul as king.
In Samuel 16, the Lord had told Samuel to find Jesse because he had chosen one of his sons to be king. As probably most of us would do, Samuel first gravitated toward who looked best suited for the part: the oldest and taller child, Eliab.
"Surely the LORD's anointed stands here before the LORD," Samuel thought.
Nope. Not quite.
In verse 7, we see how the Lord showed Samuel that what he was looking for was not in someone's appearance or in anything that man can see.
"Do not consider his appearance or his height . . . Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."
So Samuel considered another son. And then another. Yet the parade wasn't over until seven of Jesse's sons had been seen by Samuel.
"Are these all the sons you have?" he asked Jesse. "There is still the youngest," Jesse replied, "but he is tending sheep." "Send for him," Samuel said. "We will not sit down until he arrives."
He was "only a boy named David." But Samuel heeded the Lord's command ("Rise and anoint him; he is the one"), and David was filled with the Spirit of the Lord and his life—and history—was changed forever.
Only a boy named David. How can you not be encouraged after reading these verses? If God can use "only a boy named David" to carry out his plan, can he not use you and me as well?
Perhaps you are the one who is limiting yourself and all that God wants to do through you. Have you ever thought about it in that way?
Stop looking at yourself the way the world sees you—the way the world wrongly places importance on what is temporal and fleeting—and start looking at yourself through the eyes of faith. What does God want you to see? What purposes does he have for you? How is he equipping you to serve him in mighty ways right now?
Yes, appearances can be deceiving. But thankfully our God sees underneath to the wonderful creations he has made us to be.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
A couple of years ago, I had the opportunity to hear Nick Vujicic speak. He was born without limbs, but hasn't let that slow him down as he travels worldwide sharing the Gospel through his ministry, Life without Limbs. I encourage you to learn more about his story at www.lifewithoutlimbs.org. Be inspired and remember that no matter how the world tries to label our "limitations," God can see our true potential and can use any and all of us for his Kingdom.
Further Reading:
Luke 1:37
2 Corinthians 4:16-18
Philippians 4:13
:angel:
July 27, 2011
"I Have Confidence!"
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed,
but of those who believe and are saved."
Hebrews 10:38
One of my favorite moments in "The Sound of Music" comes when Maria's perky "I Have Confidence" song suddenly ends at the sight of the Von Trapp mansion. She gulps and just manages to squeak, "Oh, help."
This last week presented me with some similar moments, as my husband David and I got off the proverbial bus and discovered this road led to a rather different place than we'd expected. We knew we were following God's leading, thanks to the peace He'd given us so far. But seeing that great big house - a rather different opportunity than we had expected - made us gulp and wonder if we were in over our heads. For a day, we were stuck. Unsure about walking through that gate, we thought about continuing along the road and looking for a not-so-huge opportunity to trust God.
As we surveyed our options, we pondered what it means to take a "step of faith." We've never heard of someone taking a step backward in faith, we realized. We were confident that the Lord would direct us to the right place, and apparently this gate we need to walk through. The final push came from Hebrews 10:35, as the author writes, "So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded." Confidence? "Oh, help."
God must chuckle when we go bug-eyed at His plans. I'm like Maria as she stands before that gate, wondering how she'll manage when this place so little resembles what she anticipated. Thankfully, the confidence to take the step of faith lies not "in me," but in knowing that God has led me to my destination. The Lord answers my cries of "oh, help!" with ultimate peace and a taste of what He has planned just beyond the bend.
The apostle Paul knew how to strip away the fears and insecurities and see the essentials. Paul visited some incredible places, and had some incredible adventures on his missionary journey. I'm sure that very little could surprise him by the end of his lifetime. Yet he wrote to the Corinthian church that even in his vast experience, nothing kept him going forward except God's calling (2 Cor. 3:5). The confidence to carry out his mission came from knowing who sent him and who directed his steps. He had seen God work, and knew that the Lord would provide everything necessary, including the confidence to walk forward.
Intersecting Faith & Life: In Jeremiah 29:11, God says simply, "I know the plans I have for you... plans to give you hope, and a future." That means God's plans for us don't include dead ends, but more opportunities. When we believe this, practical changes happen. We don't "shrink back," but step out in faith. How does this look in your job situation? In your family? In your leisure time?
Further Reading:
Hebrews 4:16
Wild Goose Chase
:angel:
July 28, 2011
Wisdom for All Ages
Sarah Phillips, Crosswalk.com Senior Family Editor
A wise man's heart guides his mouth, and his lips promote instruction. ~ Proverbs 16: 23 NIV
How can we live the Christian life well? Is it dependant on nebulous feelings of doing good? Thankfully, there's more guidance than that. Cultivating the cardinal virtues is one concrete way to live a solid Christian witness. The four cardinal virtues are: wisdom, justice, courage, and temperance.
Let's examine what one virtue looked like in the life of someone committed to Christ.
If someone asked me to draw a picture of wisdom when I was a child, I would have drawn an old, wrinkly, robed man meditating in a tent. I imagined wisdom as something that belonged to those focused on the "higher things," people isolated from the day-to-day grind of life. But this is a faulty understanding of wisdom. True wisdom contains both clarity of insight and the ability to apply that insight to real life situations
In my recent reading of the book The 33 Doctors of the Church, I came across an ancient Christian who exemplified both aspects of wisdom. While his name is not well-known, God worked through St. Ephrem to greatly influence the early Church.
Ephrem was an eastern Christian, born in Syria during the 4th century. His native language was Syro-Chaldaic -- the same language Jesus, His family, and His apostles spoke in everyday life. Born of Christian parents, Ephrem developed a thirst for God's Word early in life. He soaked in the Scriptures line by line, delving into the nuances that came more easily to him than you and me today.
Ephrem's deep study of Scripture inspired him to employ his gift for language by writing countless poems, hymns, and homilies for God's glory. Unlike most writers, he never seemed to be at a loss for words. Bishop Gregory of Nyssa, a contemporary of Ephrem's, joked that if you needed a cure for writer's block, you should just ask Ephrem for an idea he already "prayed away."
In some ways the studious, poetic Ephrem resembled that old, robed man in the tent because he lived as an unmarried hermit. But Ephrem hardly isolated himself. He often wrote to instruct the confused and played an active role in shepharding youth.
One of his more famous uses of his poetic talent came in response to a heresy spreading among the local community in the form of a collection of popular hymns. He witnessed young people embracing the songs' messages and falling away from godly living. In response, Ephrem borrowed the melody and wrote new lyrics. Ephrem's version of the hymns, superior in artistry and taught with fatherly love, ultimately became so popular the old hymns were all but forgotten.
Ephrem's love for God's Word also inspired him beyond his writing and music. He often pitched in to help the local community during times of need, and he was loved even by bishops abroad. Ephrem was a sensitive, kind man known for joyfully weeping with those who rejoiced and sorrowfully weeping with those who mourned. He died from exhaustion in his 60's after assisting his suffering community during a famine.
Ephrem's legacy continues to resonate with the modern world. He lived in a time and place not unlike our own, surrounded by war, sadness, confusion, and even rebellious youth. He could have thrown his hands up and said, "What difference can a poet make?" Yet he did not shun the surrounding culture but wisely employed his gifts to engage those around him. In fact, Ephrem's gift for hymnody was so great, many churches around the world continue to sing his hymns today.
Intersecting Faith & Life: St. Ephrem cultivated wisdom by immersing himself in God's Word. This week, read a chapter of the Bible you've never read before and study up on its meaning.
Further Reading
Proverbs 16: 21
:angel:
July 29, 2011
Friends with Benefits
by Stephen Sanders, Salem A/V Editor
"Everything is permissible"--but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"--but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others. -1 Corinthians 10:23-24 (NIV)
Anyone who has been a Christian for an amount of time has probably experienced an unfriendly encounter with another believer. It's just inevitable. People have bad days, become influenced by the wrong things and make the wrong decision sometimes. Christians, in our culture specifically, also have a tendency to be very judgmental...and that is probably a bigger problem than most of us realize.
In recent months, I've seen really strong arguments online about a variety of issues. Here are a few:
-Can someone watch Harry Potter movies and still be a Christian?
-Can someone drink an alcoholic beverage from time to time and still be a Christian?
-Is it God's will for all Christians to be rich?
-Should Christians take medicine for illness or trust God for healing?
-Why did God create people that He knew would go to hell?
As you read some of these, you probably immediately formed an opinion based on what you have found to be "true" in the Bible or in your Christian walk. Maybe you have spent countless hours stewing over and standing for one of the sides to these arguments because you feel so strongly about them. You could be one of the few people who don't get caught up in such arguments and, for that, I salute you. But, regardless of who you are, there is a very important lesson to learn from all of this.
God has made it perfectly clear in the Bible that it is His will for Christians to be a light to this world. He has called us to be a people who draw the lost to Him, who share the Good News with those around us in order for them to be reconciled to Him. Those who are not Christians should look at us and see a group of people who love one another. This we know.
However, there are some things that we do not know for sure. We have not been given the ability to look into the hearts of other Christians and know what motivates them. It is absolutely impossible for any of us to walk in the same shoes as those around us come to the same conclusions about the issues of life. But isn't it funny how sometimes we still try?
Is Harry Potter something that Satan could use to pull a believer closer to him? Perhaps, but I think that he would be far more likely to use something or somebody far more unlikely to do it...like another believer. Could a Christian become addicted to alcohol and do damage to himself and others around him? Yes, but could a Christian also practice moderation and shame the devil? Definitely. Did God create people that He knew would go to hell? If so, does that really change the way we have been called to behave and minister to those around us? Absolutely not.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Everyone has their own perspective on what is beneficial or what should be permissible. This week, step outside of your regular circle of Christian friends and create some bonds with some Christians that you may not see eye to eye with on all the issues. You might be surprised at just how much God will use that to grow you. You might just find that you receive something far more valuable than the satisfaction you get when you've proven your point: a friend.
Further Reading:
1 John 3:11-24
James 4:1-12
:angel:
Crosswalk.com - The Devotional
Aug. 1, 2011
Free Radicals
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
"Woe to you when all men speak well of you..."
Luke 6:26
How deep does my arrogance run? Put it this way: you didn't ask, but I'm going to tell you anyway. You see, the biggest reason I've not yet written the book I've got jangling around in my brain is that deep down I still actually believe a complete impossibility: that hidden between my mind and my keyboard are the magic, just-right words that will get everyone to agree. On everything. Or at least, on everything as I have interpreted it. The words that will get Christians to start treating sinners as they treat themselves, and sinners to stop sinning. Phrases that will be so beautifully turned that neither liberal nor conservative will have aught to say about them. A book that will bring everyone together, and that, most importantly, will not cause anyone to write me nasty letters, claim I am deluded, or call me an idiot.
The irony, of course, is that my goal is already shot. The ideal itself is delusional, and pure idiocy. And as the saying goes, if you want everyone to like you, nobody will.
So what should be the goal? Well, truth, sure. And being obedient to simply be the vehicle through which God wants to impart a particular take on His Truth.
But why is that so hard?
I think it's because we continually re-invent Jesus, who is paradoxically uncomplicated and difficult to parse. Who already lived here before me, whose words are already recorded for anyone to read. The Lord called Himself 'the Truth' while giving us a version of how to walk on this planet that is so contrary, so impractical, so frustratingly (if I hope to be honest about it) radical.
Beginning with what I already admitted at the top of this devotional, bear with me as I turn Christ's Great Sermon from Luke 6 into something of a dialogue...
Jesus (vs. 26): Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for in the same way their fathers used to treat the false prophets.
Me: Ew. Cut to the chase about what I'm going through, why don't you? So I've set myself on the path of the false prophet, have I? Swell; I knew I couldn't trust myself. But Lord, anything else I say or write or do is going to lead to having enemies, people who are upset with me. What do I do about that?
Jesus (vs. 27-28): Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
Me: Oh... so it's an action thing instead of an avoidance thing. Pretty mind-boggling concepts. I can't help but notice you didn't say, "bash those jerks' heads in with rightness." Because that feels more natural, Lord. But assuming you're on to something, what does that look like in practice?
Jesus (vs. 29-30): Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either. Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back.
Me: Ooh, yeah, ya see, the thing is, Lord... there's a lot of people who might take advantage of that. And what in the world are you saying: there might be people who want to hit me in the face?! Is that what I signed up for in following you? I gotta be honest, it doesn't sound like a very comfortable, or practical, way of living in this day and age, this country, this world. Can't you simplify it for me?
Jesus (vs. 31-33): Just as you want people to treat you, treat them in the same way. And if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.
Me: Wow, that just blows my mind, Lord. Of course you're right... what is there to separate me at all from anyone else, even the most vile of unrepentant sinners, except how I react to situations and treat people? But don't you know how hard this would be? What am I saying... of course you do..., but... please forgive me for saying so, it just feels like giving some bully my coat, shirt, or other cheek is somehow crazier, tougher, more insane in 21st-century America than first-century Jerusalem. I hate asking, but if I'm gonna commit to this, I gotta know... what's in it for me?
Jesus (vs. 35, 37-38): Love your enemies and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men... Do not judge and you will not be judged... pardon, and you will be pardoned... Give, and it will be given to you.
Me: Man... and here I was thinking that I was the one who needed to come up with the words that helped us treat sinners as ourselves, and to what ends. You truly have covered all things and lived all things, Lord. Now, I just wonder if I can really do this, Lord, even for the rewards you promise.
Jesus (vs. 46): Why do you call me, "Lord, Lord" and do not do what I say?
Me: Because it's so contrary, upside-down, and radical that it's seriously hard to trust... even to trust you, Lord. Although, if it were easy I guess it wouldn't be called 'trust.' It just seems like there's so much to lose. Help me to be free. Help me to take this risk, to think not of myself, my safety, my comfort first, to love people as you love them. If I may be so bold, it's almost like you were... blessed to be unattached and to have no place to lay your head? Still, despite my handicaps, I want to try, Lord... I want to try.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Now here's a challenge -- but it's straight from the mouth of Christ: the next time you are wronged, hurt, or had something taken from you... can you give the person responsible even more of what they took? And believe you'll somehow be blessed for it? And if not, why not?
Further Reading
John 12:25
Radical Graditude: Grateful in Tough Times
Someone Worth Losing Everything For
Are You a Radical?
:angel:
August 2, 2011
What Is True Spirituality?
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate."
Genesis 3:6 NASB
It seems clear to me that the root of all human sin is unbelief. Doubt. I've heard people argue that the most basic sin is pride, and well, I suppose that's somewhere lurking on the other side of the coin. But if we start at the beginning of the Bible, the Genesis 3 account shows that Eve first doubted God. That was her sin. After her unbelief came the outward act of disobedience.
Francis Schaeffer, commenting on this, said: "By her doubting she called God a liar. Eve doubted... mankind in revolt doubts God" (chapter seven, True Spirituality).
On the contrary, the person who is at peace with God does not doubt Him. Rather, he/she trusts God. Schaeffer says this is the simplest way to describe true spirituality: it is believing God.
But it is more than just believing God at one isolated point in life. It is believing God and having ongoing belief in Him. There must be moment-by-moment personal communion with Him.
God created us to be relational, not mechanical. Healthy relationships depend on good communication. But communication is an always-in-flux, moment-by-moment kind of thing. That is why all our mechanical efforts at the Christian life fail. It's not about reading a set number of chapters of the Bible each day. It's not about praying for so long.
No. What is needed first, and what inspires trust is, throughout the day, seeing before us the most basic teachings of the Bible:
God exists and He is personal.
God is holy and sin will be judged, but Christ's atonement removes the guilt of sinners.
We are saved from condemnation by the finished work of Christ, and we are brought into a proper relationship with God in a personal way.
We are joined to Christ spiritually.
We can enjoy communication with the Creator on the basis of what Christ has done. (1 John 1:5-9)
These truths don't change, regardless of how I feel at any given moment.
The rediscovery of believing God and these truths moment-by-moment is what lifted Francis Schaeffer out of a long, dark season and re-energized his life.
In our lives, what generally causes us to distrust Christ and run elsewhere is that we often think that we have a better way. We think that, somehow, God really doesn't have our best interests at heart. Like Eve, we think that God is withholding something good from us.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
The rediscovery of believing God and these truths moment-by-moment is what lifted Francis Schaeffer out of a long, dark season and re-energized his life. If you've come to see that God doesn't deserve our suspicion, seek His aid to maintain this moment-by-moment walk of faith with Him.
For Further Study:
Isaiah 30:15 "Thus the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, has said, 'In repentance and rest you will be saved, In quietness and trust is your strength.'"
For further study, read Romans 6-8 and 1 John 1:5-9
:angel:
Aug. 3, 2011
Man Up
By Ryan Duncan
Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. – 1 Corinthians 16:12
My senior year of college, I applied to be part of a short term mission trip to Russia where my classmates and I interacted with children at the local orphanage. During my time there, I saw and experienced Christ in ways I never expected, and though I hated to leave, I couldn't wait to get back home to tell everyone about it. That trip literally changed my life, so I was furious when I discovered that out of next year's two-hundred applicants, only twenty of them were guys.
One of my growing concerns for the Church today is the decline of leadership among male Christians. Trust me, I'm no exception. I'd much rather hang out with a group of guys then try to manage some complicated project or get involved in something that will cost me time and effort. Still, it's gotten to the point where God is trying to put us in the game but many of us are choosing to stay benched. It's a familiar story, one the Bible tells in the book of Judges.
"Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time. She held court under the Palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites came to her to have their disputes decided. She sent for Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, "The LORD, the God of Israel, commands you: 'Go, take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead the way to Mount Tabor. I will lure Sisera, the commander of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his troops to the Kishon River and give him into your hands.' " Barak said to her, "If you go with me, I will go; but if you don't go with me, I won't go." "Very well," Deborah said, "I will go with you. But because of the way you are going about this, the honor will not be yours, for the LORD will hand Sisera over to a woman." So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh," – Judges 4: 4-10
I can sympathize with Barak. Sisera had been cruelly oppressing the Israelites for twenty years, and he commanded 900 iron chariots which where the equivalent to army tanks in the ancient world. Barak had good reason to feel uneasy about this battle. At the same time though, Barak was commanded by God, through a judge no less, to rescue his people and his overall response is, "Meh, I don't know."
God needs men of faith to stand up and act. You don't have to fight 900 iron chariots, but maybe it's time we started looking around for things we could do. Consider starting a small group for younger guys, participate in a mission trip or attend your Church's prayer brunch! You don't have to do everything, just do something. God has given us opportunities to impact the world for good; let's not miss out just so we can sleep in and watch reruns.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Guys, look around and find ways to actively live out your faith. Ladies, encourage reluctant guys to get involved at Church.
Further Reading
Micah 6:8
:angel:
August 4, 2011
Want vs. Need
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19, NIV
Leave it to God to give me some food for thought from a relationship advice book/memoir written by someone who is not exactly purporting to have a biblical worldview.
In Lori Gottlieb's Marry Him: The Case for Settling for Mr. Good Enough, she writes: "What you want isn't necessarily good for you. And in going after the person you think you want, you ignore what you really need."
How true, Ms. Gottlieb, how true. After I thought about that, I expanded the notion to everything in my life—not just relationships or finding a mate. And that made me think about people in the Bible who wanted what they wanted but who got what God determined they needed.
Jacob ...In Genesis 29, we read how Jacob didn't want to marry Leah who had "weak eyes." He wanted to marry Rachel who "was lovely in form and beautiful." But Laban gave his other daughter Leah to Jacob instead of Rachel on their wedding night.But Jacob wanted what he wanted. So he promised to work for Laban for seven more years in order to have Rachel. Because of that "delay," Jacob grew spiritually and his character was refined. His sons would become the nation of Israel, and through Israel God blessed mankind.
Jesus ..."My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me," Jesus said in Matthew 26. "Yet not as I will, but as you will." Jesus did not want to be separated from the Father by the sin that he was about to die for when he was crucified in our place on the cross. But to save the world, a perfect, spotless lamb was needed to take away our sin (Jn. 1:29). God, in his great love and mercy, purposed that his only begotten son would die to pay the price for you and me.
Paul ...He was a zealous persecutor of the church who later became a passionate missionary. When he was Saul, he didn't want the gospel to spread. But in Acts 9, God intervened, blinded him temporarily and then gave him a new vision for the rest of his life. Once renamed Paul, he was armed with the story of his amazing conversion experience, as he made three missionary journeys to represent Christ, mentored young ministers including Timothy and wrote many of the Epistles in the New Testament.
What God needed to happen in each of these lives was all part of his perfect plan. We can see it now, but I'm sure that while Jacob, Jesus and Paul were in their midst of their painful struggles, God's plans might have been more difficult to accept as what they needed in their lives.
As you personalize this today, what is it in your own life that you want? And what is it that God is telling you that you need? Make peace with what you want versus what God says you need, as you rest in him and his perfect plan for your life.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
I have always loved CeCe Winans' song, "Rest in Me," from the Coram Deo II: People of Praise project. Ponder the words from the chorus today as you contemplate letting go of what you want and receiving with open hands what God says you need:
Rest in me, rest in me
I'm the rock of your salvation
Can't you see?
Rest in me, rest in me
Perfect peace belongs to you
If you believe
Further Reading:
Matthew 11:28-30, NIV
Romans 8:28, NIV
:angel:
August 5, 2011
The Aligned Heart
by Katherine Britton, BibleStudyTools.com Editor
"Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough?" - 1 Corinthians 5:6
I wish I could say I hurt my back while jumping from a runaway horse or belaying down a mountain. But I don't have a good story – or any story at all – accompanying my recent injury. All I know is I had the audacity to wake up and couldn't get out of bed properly, nor could I stand up straight. At best, I managed a lopsided shuffle from bed to couch, with much grunting and groaning. Moving up and down stairs took an eternity. And most of all, it hurt like crazy.
After a couple days of doing the zombie shuffle, I got desperate. I couldn't cook dinner, I couldn't clean, I couldn't comfortably drive anywhere, I couldn't even watch TV without wincing at the smallest movements. I popped ibuprofen like candy. I promised God that I would never, ever, EVER make fun of my father again when he complained about back trouble. I began to imagine the rest of my life with chronic back pain, always careening to one side and never being able to stand up and look friends in the eye. That's when I broke down and went to the chiropractor.
Wow.
A few cracks and pops later, and I knew how the lame beggar must have felt when Peter pulled him to his feet. A few disks and joints back in proper alignment and I was almost back to normal. I felt like belting out an Hallelujah Chorus or two. I felt whole again.
God created the human spine to support the rest of the body. So when even one of our 26 vertebra slip out of alignment, the whole body suffers. The pain doesn't stay isolated; as I discovered, it affects every moment of my day. That's bad. Really bad.
Paul makes a similar point to the Corinthian church, as they had accepted various and apparently insignificant problems into their lives. But Paul knocks them over the head and says, "Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough?" (1 Cor. 5:6). His point was quite simple – living with sin will affect every part of you. A full life depends on a heart fully aligned to Christ's desires, because there is no such thing as a little sin.
Intersecting Faith & Life: In Romans, Paul warns believers not to think grace gives them the freedom to continue in their old ways. "Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?" (Romans 6:1-2) Rooting out sin is about more than condemning a behavior or an attitude. It's about aligning our hearts to live life more abundantly.
Further Reading:
1 John 1:8-10
:angel:
August 8, 2011
Living the Consistent Life
Sarah Phillips, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
"He must increase, but I must decrease." John 3: 30, NIV
Teaching high school religious education can be an educational experience - not just for the kids but us teachers, too. High school students have so many questions, and their questions often reveal their struggles to live out their faith.
In the years I've taught religious education to teens, I've noticed that many of the questions our students ask reveal inconsistent thinking. When teaching on the sanctity of life, the class agreed with the beautiful Christian ethic that calls upon each one of us to respect human life from conception until natural death and protect those vulnerable among us.
As the conversation digs deeper, however, it's not uncommon for some students to cook up every scenario they can imagine where they think it would be "okay" to terminate an innocent life. They try to push the limits with us, try to get us to bend on truth. They also wanted assurance from us that if they felt strongly enough about something, they too could bend the truth.
Of course, my co-teacher and I could not give them that reassurance. As painful as some situations can be, we're called to conform to God's truth, not the other way around.
As tempting as it may be to blame the teens' questions on their ages, don't we all play this game? We embrace the Christian faith with conviction... until it becomes uncomfortable. Then we start asking the same questions these teens asked, but perhaps a bit more artfully.
Surely, God would understand if I go against his Word this time... I mean, this situation is different, isn't it? Then we start rationalizing, like teenagers trying to get our of our parents' well-designed rules.
It's a struggle to live consistently with God's truth, isn't it? I'd say it's a lifelong struggle. Thankfully, God gives us the grace to conform to His will if we're open to it. He increases in us as our former selves decrease. Little by little, our inconsistencies become clearer to us and less appealing.
If you're struggling with an inconsistent life, remember that where sin is present grace abounds. (Ro 5: 20)
Intersecting Faith & Life: Examine your life this week. Are there areas that are not consistent with God's Word? Are there areas you've compromised? Seek out God's grace to bring your life in conformity with his will.
Further Reading
Romans 12: 2
:angel:
Aug. 9, 2011
"Whatever": Simultaneously the Worst and Best Word We Have
by Shawn McEvoy, Managing Editor, Crosswalk.com
Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute... dwell on these things (Phil. 4:8).
On the one hand, it's always good to get scientific affirmation for something you believe or suspect.
On the other, it's never fun when you've been planning to write about that same belief or suspicion for over a year and someone goes out and steals your thunder.
But that's okay - this Fox News report about a survey by Marist College on the most annoying words in American conversation just gives me the excuse to get around to it now.
The article states,
47 percent of Americans surveyed in a Marist College poll released Wednesday [found "Whatever" to be the most annoying word we use].
"Whatever" easily beat out "you know," which especially grated a quarter of respondents. The other annoying contenders were "anyway" (at 7 percent), "it is what it is" (11 percent) and "at the end of the day" (2 percent).
"Whatever" — pronounced "WHAT'-ehv-errr" when exasperated — is an expression with staying power. Immortalized in song by Nirvana ("oh well, whatever, nevermind") in 1991, popularized by the Valley girls in "Clueless" later that decade, it is still commonly used, often by younger people.
It can be an all-purpose argument-ender or a signal of apathy. And it can really be annoying. The poll found "whatever" to be consistently disliked by Americans regardless of their race, gender, age, income or where they live.
Exactly! I've felt that way for years. When someone uses "whatever" on me in a conversation or email, it's a kick to the groin of non-importance. Beyond annoying, it's rude and dismissive. It's also ignorant, especially when delivered at the end of what was supposed to be a friendly debate or argument, because it illustrates that the person had no better retort and is now summarily ending the conversation with a parting shot connoting that nothing you just said mattered anyway. "Whatever!"
In a country sorely lacking in civility, manners, and conversation skills... and ripe with apathy and self-importance, "Whatever" is the motto du jour.
Then again... what a powerful word it can be for our walk with Christ.
It's kind of like when you are reading a play, or preparing to act in one. You have the script before you. There are minimal clues for how any word in the text should be read. What inflection, what level of voice, what tone shall I use? What does the context and the setting and the personality of the character tell me in regards to how this word or line is going to sound? Ultimately, you and the Director decide.
And I've decided that "Whatever" can be, if we so choose, the defining word of the Christian life. Because while few other words carry the same potential for dismissive rudeness, no other word holds the same potential for all-out surrender and steadfast faith.
I find you guilty in your sins.
Whatever you say, Lord, I repent and accept the sacrifice of your Son who atoned for them.
This situation you're in is going to hurt.
Whatever. I know my faith will be made strong through trials, and that I can do all things through your strength.
You don't know what the future holds; only I do.
Whatever it is, you deserve glory and honor and praise. Bring it on!
I want you to [go to Africa / give to this homeless person / quit this job / plant this church / preach my Word]
Whatever!
I know you think this is unfair compared to that person's situation, but do not let comparison steal my joy from you.
Whatever, God. Whatever.
The Apostle Paul was the master of "whatever." To wit:
Phil. 4:11: I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.
1 Cor. 10:31: Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
Gal. 6:7: Whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.
Eph. 6:8: Whatever good thing each one does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether slave or free.
Phil. 4:8: Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.
Whatever!
:angel:
Aug. 10, 2011
Romans 8:28 Does Not Mean Giving Thanks with a Plastic Smile
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."
Romans 8:28
Catastrophes like recent earthquakes, hurricanes, and even terrorist attacks remind us that, indeed, we live in a sin-cursed world. Not only do tragedies like these cause many to lose their lives, they often leave countless others in their wake---roiling in doubt and disbelief. The horrors of human suffering can stain our minds and souls and often obscure our vision of the God who is there. How are we supposed to respond?
Closer to home, we experience the curse of sin in personal ways through losses or disappointments that grieve the heart. We may wonder in all honesty at such times what verses like Romans 8:28 mean. Does Christ ask His followers to simply put on a plastic smile and somehow grin and bear it?
Hardly.
Francis Schaeffer offers a helpful explanation to this dilemma in the first chapter of his classic book, True Spirituality. In fact, he says that a proper grasp of Romans 8:28 is crucial to understanding the world.
First of all, he takes care to point out that the Bible's view of life in the world is clear-eyed and realistic: At the Fall of man, everything became abnormal. The whole world is not what God made it to be. Therefore, Scripture verses like Romans 8:28 cannot be calling us to think...
"...that in some magical way everything is really fine when it isn't. Rather, we are to say "thank You Lord" knowing that God will somehow bring good ultimately, though we may not know how all the pieces fit together.
"It is not that Christians are to give thanks with a plastic smile, saying things are wonderful when they are hard.
It is knowing that the hard things are really hard things, a result of the abnormality of the Fall, yet not revolting
against God when the hard things come."
"We do honor to God and the finished work of Christ as we throw the words 'all things' in Romans 8:28 like a circle around all things..."
"...we are contented before God... not complacent about the suffering of the world."
In other words, Christ neither calls us to be indifferent nor to put on a plastic smile. Rather, we are to face the facts of hard reality and then sink our roots more deeply in who He is.
What a privilege that we who are naturally God's enemies can have a relationship of trusting Him—the faithful, sovereign, covenant keeping God who is incapable of failure. He makes and keeps great promises not only for His glory but for the ultimate good of those who are His.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
In what situations are you tempted to be shaken from trusting God?
Clearly, this is a sin-cursed world. Still, do you sometimes catch yourself expecting a rosy path? Why? What do we really deserve? (Read Romans 3:10-20)
Further Reading
Jonathan Edwards' sermon: "Men Are Naturally God's Enemies"
:angel:
August 11, 2011
Setting a Christian Example
Sarah Piper, Crosswalk.com Editorial Assistant
Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe. 1 Timothy 4: 12
Has there ever been a time in your life when you felt like you had nothing to offer or that your contributions didn't matter? Ever had to prove yourself to others in order to gain their respect? Think back to your childhood—maybe you experienced this in a classroom or on a sports team. It's easy to be intimidated or overshadowed by those who are older, smarter, more talented or more experienced than we are. In 1 Timothy 4:12, Paul is writing to Timothy, a young believer. He encourages him not to give anyone an excuse to write him off as immature or undeserving of their attention, but instead to confidently set an excellent example of the Christian life.
Of course, Paul's message here doesn't apply only to Timothy, but to us as well. Even if we sometimes feel useless, God has a plan to use us for His glory in every situation. He enables us to live in a way that exalts Him and to bless others with our example.
In this verse, Paul names five specific areas in our lives that should be representative of a changed heart, the first of which is speech. This is probably one of the most difficult aspects of our character to keep in check; as James 3:6 says, "the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness." Although there's no denying that it's challenging, it's vital that we learn to control what we say since it often has a huge effect on others. Thoughtful and loving words can establish relationships, but just a few angry or careless words can destroy years of friendship.
Next, Paul emphasizes our conduct. In his letter to the Philippians, he encourages them to "conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ." As believers, we have a responsibility to represent Christ to the world through our actions. If we wear the label of "Christian," we must be willing to live our lives to that standard.
Perhaps the most essential aspect, love must also be characteristic of our lives. As Jesus says in John 13:35, "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." More than anything else, our love distinguishes us from unbelievers. Christians are called to exhibit a kind of love that others would see as crazy, the same kind that Jesus showed us: unconditional, undeserved, and often unrequited—the type of love that makes people do a double take.
Next, Paul addresses our faith. As believers, "we walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7). We trust that the Bible is true, that Jesus was who He said He was, and that God has the ability to keep the promises He has made to us. This faith should give us courage to live boldly for Christ because we know God will love, protect, and provide for us no matter what.
Finally, we are called to be an example of purity. In the Beatitudes in Matthew 5: 8, Jesus says, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." Because of our fallen nature, we can't reach perfection in this life, but nevertheless, we are to strive to keep God's commands as a demonstration of our love for Him and gratefulness for the saving work He's done in our lives. As we grow in our walk with Him, He promises to purify us and make us more like Himself.
The characteristics outlined in this verse aren't easy to perfect by any stretch of the imagination. That doesn't give us a free pass not to work towards that goal, though. Paul challenges us to reach for a higher standard, not only to set an example for other believers, but also to make unbelievers wonder what we have that is so special that it changes everything about our lives.
:angel:
August 12, 2011
Plans Interrupted
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9, NIV
Have you ever had your plans interrupted?
This can either make you cranky or make you grateful. In my case, it's usually both. Cranky at first. And then eventually grateful after days, weeks, months or even years later when I finally see that God's plans were so much better than mine.
Just last weekend, my plans were interrupted. I had been planning a day-cation for a while and was going to take my mom to visit my hometown's "friendly" rival city that's just a short drive away. We'd never before explored its downtown area and had heard great things about it. And so we thought it would be a fun place to visit on a Saturday.
But the plans had to be scrapped as a result of a minor family emergency. In this case, I was grateful that I could alter my course and help out. And I know it was the right thing to do to set aside these prior plans.
Other times in my life, I haven't been so quick to be grateful when God has interrupted my plans. At the time, my plans seemed right and logical. But they were plans that, had they gone through, would have just been awful. In hindsight, I see how the Lord has saved me from myself time and time again and how he truly knows what is best for my life.
Before he was one of the greatest apostles in the Bible, Paul also had his plans interrupted. Now his plans would arguably have had more disastrous consequences than some of mine, but he believed he was doing the right thing and was set on seeing them through. That is, until God interrupted.
In Acts 9, Paul was still known as Saul. He was an enemy of believers (known as "the Way") and was focused on persecuting anyone who called himself a Christian. He had heard that many had fled to Damascus, so he secured letters of arrest from the high priest and headed off in pursuit of them.
But on the road, God intervened and interrupted Saul's plans. The conversion was radical and news-making. Saul was blind for three days, and then his sight was restored through Anaias, who God told that Saul was his "chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel (Acts 9:15)."
When the scales fell from Saul's eyes, he was filled with the Holy Spirit. Later, he became known as the apostle Paul and was perhaps the greatest of all Christian missionaries. He also wrote 13 of the 27 books of the New Testament!
Can you imagine what type of effect his conversion must have had on the believers he had been seeking to persecute? Or how about the Gentiles to whom he ministered for years afterward? And then who knows how many countless readers of God's Word have been blessed by Paul's testimony and his inspired writings?
These are God's amazing plans at work, my friend. And thankfully, he interrupts ours.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
How did you respond the last time God interrupted your plans? Have you thanked him for saving you from your plans? We will never know this side of heaven all that God has done and is doing in our lives. Let's thank him for his perfect plans for us today.
Further Reading:
Proverbs 3:5-6, NIV
Proverbs 19:21, NIV
:angel:
August 15, 2011
A Hedge of Clichés
by Katherine Britton, News & Culture Editor
"And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words." - Matthew 6:7
A Bible study friend recently encouraged me to rewrite the famous passage on Proverbs 31 woman in my own words, with application to my own life. I took her up on the challenge, thinking the task wouldn't be too hard for someone who writes for a career.
Crafting a modern application took an hour—much longer than I figured. Getting away from verbatim repetition to explore specific application required much more of my time and energy than I would typically spend journaling on a passage. Stepping back from the verse-by-verse analysis, though, I thought I saw the Proverb 31 woman's characteristics a bit more clearly. Rewriting the passage didn't destroy the original language for me—on the contrary. The "words, words, words" seemed fresh and clear from my new vantage point.
Unfortunately, reading and "hiding Scripture in our hearts" quickly slips into rote recitation for me. It's like Tim Hawkin's hedge of protection comedy sketch; the words have power, but we start spouting them off without much thought. Pretty soon, I'm sitting in church and halfway through a hymn before I realize that I'm singing. My heart gets left behind too when my mind is disengaged. Pretty soon, I'm praying a "hedge of protection" for somebody, partially because the phrase sounds good without making me think too carefully about their specific needs.
The Pharisee Jesus described in Luke 18:9-13 had mastered the art of hiding insincerity behind the right phrases. He knew the turn of phrase that would convey holy devotion, regardless of the filth in his heart. "Words, words, words" became meaningless, as Hamlet saw them in the dead books - they became a socially acceptable key to avoid the real attitudes.
Contrast this to the tax collector. He understood that social niceties wouldn't veil his sins before God, and he didn't continue with a recitation the way the Pharisee did. His simple prayer was, "God, have mercy on me, a sinner." That was it. He knew the impact of his simple phrase far better than the Pharisee did. He didn't need to "babble" to impress God or those around him; he simply spoke his heart, knowing that ability to pray is itself a mercy.
The beautiful language of Scripture is best adorned with sincerity of heart, not how many words we can string together in holy sentences. After all, consider how simple the Lord's Prayer is written - and how difficult and miraculous it is to proclaim "Your will be done."
Intersecting Faith and Life: There's not a "holy attitude" that we put on at "holy times" - we are called to be holy all the time, in our joking with friends as well as our prayers. We need to speak simply, truly, and to God's glory all the time. This week, practice this by eliminating Christian catch phrases from your prayers, instead journaling your prayers to bring a fresh application.
:angel:
August 16, 2011
Is Love Just a Choice?
Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.
1 John 3: 18
"Love is a choice."
"Why drag a relationship out? Just commit!"
"People today wait too long to get married. They need to find someone in their early 20's and just tie the knot!"
As a single woman and in my role as Crosswalk's Family Editor, I've heard relationship advice like the statements above more times than I can count.
This kind of advice stems from a very real concern in Christian culture: young people today are waiting until their 30's to marry more than ever. This trend pulls an entire decade of adulthood away from family life and some serious issues have arisen as a result. Pastors, cultural analysts, and everyday well-meaning people have stepped in to say, "Enough! Make a commitment!"
I have a problem with this advice, though.
10 years ago, as a 19-year-old just stepping into adulthood, I sat in the passenger seat of my father's car while we drove home from a weekend conference. After mulling over the relationship advice given at the conference, I finally blurted out, "Dad, if love is just a choice, than why not just marry someone walking by on the street? They criticize us for analyzing our dates too much or having high expectations, but by what criteria are we to choose a spouse?"
We didn't come up with any satisfactory answers that day.
Years passed, and while I appreciated the fact that typical Christian relationship advice was more solid than the mainstream "just go with your feelings" message, a piece of the puzzle remained missing for me. Is it really godly love or "God's will" when a young couple high on emotions gets engaged and married within a matter of months? Does simply "getting married" solve the problems we're hoping to solve?
During our marriage prep, my husband and I have found greater clarity on some of these questions as we work through Fr. Karol Wojtyla's book Love and Responsibility. Fr. Wojtyla writes that biblical love isn't merely a choice but a choice based on truth. Wojtyla states:
"Only true knowledge of a person makes it possible to commit one's freedom to him or her." This is because, "True love, a love that is internally complete, is one in which we choose the person for the sake of the person - that in which a man chooses a woman or a woman chooses a man not just as a sexual 'partner' but as the person on whom to bestow the gift of his or her own life."
Translation: We must know the truth of the person to whom we're committing and also know ourselves in light of God's truth, otherwise love is "blind" and not love at all. This is because we don't just marry a generic man or woman, but a unique, complex person created with dignity and in the image of God.
Fr. Wojtyla tackles the issues that come with rapid commitments in this context. He affirms that while emotional warmth is important to a relationship, the emotional and sensual highs often present in the early dating days can actually obscure the truth of another person thus hindering love from flowering. Later, this couple will experience disillusionment as the fantasy fades. Fr. Wojtyla writes that love for a particular person requires time to unfold and allowing for this time isn't the same as fear of commitment or avoidance of responsibility.
Wojtyla writes from a scriptural foundation. In the Bible, we see that love and truth are intertwined. We see God's love is a very personal love, beginning in the womb (Psalm 139: 13). He has knowledge even of the hairs on our heads (Matt 10: 30). God has no romantic illusions of who you are, yet He chooses you - and cherishes you. This is genuine, unconditional love that brings lasting happiness for all including the warmth of emotion we so desire.
Thankfully, true love does not depend on our flawless execution of it. We've all failed in some capacity. Fr. Wojtyla comforts his readers by reminding us of God's work in the lives of those who seek Him: "There is no need to be dismayed if love sometimes follows tortuous ways. Grace has the power to make straight the paths of human love."
Intersecting Faith & Life: Are you single and dating? Honor that person by taking the time to get to know them for who they are. Have you already committed? Fr. Wojtyla writes that the marriage commitment creates a lifelong "school of love," giving spouses unique opportunities to develop mature love as they grow in truth and grace. Ask God for ways you can grow in your love for your spouse.
:angel:
August 18, 2011
From Middle of Life to Center of Truth
Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
Do not withhold your mercy from me, O LORD; may your love and your truth always protect me.
Psalm 40:11, NIV
I turned 40 a couple months ago. Woo-hoo.
You'll pardon my "enthusiasm," I'm sure. What nobody tells you about turning 40 is that you ask yourself a lot of questions, sort of a checklist of making sure you have certain things right before proceeding to the most meaningful half of the game. It's like you're in the locker room at halftime of life - bandaging injuries, reflecting on the strategies of the first half - both failed and successful - and considering your options as you re-emerge to the field.
One upside of this odd time (one of my most awkward since adolescence; think of me as a teenager plus a modicum of wisdom, confidence, and gainful employment. I even found a couple of zits this week for goodness sakes) is empathy. I wouldn't call what I'm going through a "mid-life crisis"... but I now understand why some people have them. I wouldn't say that agnosticism is any kind of answer to the meaning of life... but I now understand why people gravitate to it, conscientiously or not. I wouldn't say this life is the point or that this world is our home... but I get why people begin to make the most of the time they have left as they see the clock running down.
The downside, however, is that I find myself prone to thinking I'm smarter than I am, to thinking so much depends upon me, to buying into answers that are all at once beyond biblical teaching in both complexity and sanity. My like-it's-on-hormones brain has me wondering about...
Dinosaurs, definitions of marriage, death, love, whom I've loved, whether I've loved, addictions, exercise, accountability, honesty, privacy, sexuality, inerrancy, accuracy, cosmology, biology, psychology, mighta-beens, coulda-beens, shoulda-beens, woulda-beens, fairness, facts, food, euthanasia, hip dysplasia, adoptions from Asia, character, selfishness, and yes... even shiny new sportscars.
Good gracious.
Take any one of those categories - plus many more - and I've been bogged down thinking about it. Some of my thoughts challenge my own beliefs, beliefs I've long held as established, settled. Some of my thoughts wake me up to new possibilities, or things I haven't done yet that I may still be called to. But in the end all these ideas remain merely...
My. Thoughts.
Biblically, those just aren't very trustworthy words. So what do I do now?
The same thing I've always done - come back to first principles. Study the old verses from childhood. Memorize scripture. And be really, really honest with friends and acquaintances. That authenticity, though, is a new ingredient, one that is making this halftime speech much more meaningful, bearable, and shared.
But at its root is just the same formula from which I deconstruct everything: something happened in Jerusalem and the surrounding areas over 2,000 years ago that sent plain old uneducated men to the corners of the earth convinced that everything - life, meaning, all time and all space - was on the line, and there was a Truth worth dying for. They did this because they knew a man who was also God, whom death could not hold, and who offered an amazing gift to anyone who would faithfully open it. And there's this book about those men, and the One in whom they believed, and no matter how many questions you seem to have about this book or how it was put together or who wrote it or whether its teachings are fair or right, one thing is for sure - it spoke in advance of the One who came, and in Him it becomes a whole lot clearer.
And the same God who caused all that to happen wanted the rest of the story told in certain ways. He told us some things were good for us, some bad. He told us some things were right in His eyes, some wrong. He told us He created this place we live in a period of days. No matter how confusing any of that may seem (and make no mistake - child-like faith is one of my favorite things, but growing in wisdom is a stretch to that faith, and stretching is almost always a good thing to do with aging muscles), it holds that there was a Truth. And the God that foretold, sent, and raised this Truth is the one telling the story in a way that might make you scratch your head, puzzle out how things piece together, but before you know it, you have been thinking, praying to, and meditating upon Him and how He did it, how it all might paradoxically mesh.
Simplicity out of complexity. Youthfulness out of age. Truth out of confusion. Beauty out of chaos.
So far, I have to tell you, the 40s just rock.
Intersecting Faith and Life: No matter how old you are, make a list of what's behind you and what you think or hope lies ahead. Admit the concepts with which you struggle, and the bedrock that does not move, and find the place they meet for you. And move forward from there.
Further Reading:
John 18:37-38
What is Truth?
:angel:
August 19, 2011
No Worries
By Ryan Duncan, TheFish.com Editor
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7
A few nights ago, I was driving back home when I reached a stoplight just in front of my apartment. It was late, I was the only car on the road and to be honest, I wasn't paying much attention. I automatically made a left turn into the nearby parking lot and suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw a flash. I felt my stomach twist into a knot. Had I just turned on a red light? Had that flash been a traffic camera? Was I going to get fined?
In retrospect, it wasn't that big of a deal, but I was still worrying about it the next day when I went off to work. Would I be receiving a ticket in the mail? How much would I have to pay? With a poor driving history and not much money in my bank account, all I could think about was the humiliation of having to pay a fine and watching my insurance rates go up.
It's amazing how we let fear and insecurity rule our lives. If something as small as a possible traffic ticket can ruin our whole day, how will we be able cope when real tragedy strikes? Surprisingly, many Christians can't let go of their worries, or worse, don't seem to know how. Philippians 4:6 reads "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Despite this, I think we sometimes hesitate to bring our problems before God. It may be because A.) We don't want to sound like we're whining to God, or B.) We know that praying to Christ does not guarantee things will turn out the way we want them to.
But there is more to praying about problems than simply asking God for a solution. God wants us to rely on him fully, even in the worst circumstances. When we give our cares to Him, we are reminded that He loves us, and that He is in control. I'm pretty sure that soon I'll have to pay for running a red light, but by bringing my worry before God I was able to accept it and move on. Don't let life's worries get you down. As my Dad used to say, "The most common phrase in the Bible is 'Fear not.'"
Intersecting Faith and Life
Is their anything you're worried about? Take some time to simply pray about it to God.
Further Reading
Matthew 6:25-34
:angel:
August 22, 2011
I Want Answers Now!
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
In his heart, a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps. Proverbs 16:9, NIV
Living in the Information Age, we're so used to getting what we want as soon as we want it.
We're becoming more and more accustomed to not having to wait for anything, as instant gratification is the norm in many areas of our lives.
A gourmet, meat-and-three meal ready in less than three minutes from the microwave. Check.
Instant text messages sent directly to our handheld communication devices. Check.
Mobile phone reception and extensive coverage wherever we may travel. Check.
Wireless Internet access so we can log on whenever and wherever we want. Check.
A new group of "friends" in an online social network who we don't have to spend face-time with in order to call friends. Check.
Can you relate? God forbid that we should ever have to wait on something, because that's when the real whining and the complaining kick in. I should know.
I've been struggling with an ongoing life situation that has got me journaling and praying and reading and discussing up a storm. I don't understand what God is doing, and I want answers and a flowchart of how this will all be worked out. Right now.
I want to plan my course and make something happen—move the situation along, if I can, and get the results that I think should be had and on my time schedule.
Not long after I have a mental outburst such as this, I am immediately convicted. And I know that this is not the right way to respond. How must God interpret this type of thinking? Does he lovingly shake his head and murmur, "Oh, sweet child. Someday she'll learn." Or perhaps I disappoint him because I cannot trust in him without struggling with my desire to first know all the steps he's planning for me to get from Point A to Point Z.
While flipping through my Bible this week, I found that the words of Psalm 145: 3-7 have helped me to see this struggle in a different light:
Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
His greatness no one can fathom.
One generation will commend your works to another;
They will tell of your mighty acts.
They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty,
and I will meditate on your wonderful works,
and I will proclaim your great deeds.
They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.
After reading this passage, I was reminded that it doesn't matter that I understand what is going on in the world. It doesn't matter that I can't control what is or isn't happening. What matters is that I know and profess that God is great, and that he is good. Period.
Why even struggle with trying to understand the ways of a sovereign God? He alone is worthy of our praise and adoration. Why not just immediately respond with celebration for who he is? Why not just surrender and rest in him? For his answers for our lives are never late and always arrive at just the right time.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Are you wrestling with God, as Jacob did at Peniel (Gen. 32)? It is God—not you—who holds your destiny in his hands. Ask him to help you take one day at a time as you trust in him and his plan and timetable for your life.
Further Reading:
Isaiah 55:8-9, NIV
Romans 8:28, NIV
:angel:
August 23, 2011
Words, Words, Words!
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."
John 3:3
American English uses hundreds of idioms, both helpful and just plain ridiculous. It's entirely possible slink through a whole day without expressing a single original phrase, if we try hard enough. It's not rocket science, I mean. You can blow your top, or go overboard, or feel like you're an emotional rollercoaster, or wind up between a rock and a hard place, or hit the wall. Maybe it's a cloud nine day, and you're walking on air. And no, I'm not pulling your leg. There's a method to my madness.
You can probably think of a dozen more idioms that I omitted. Nowadays, we use overuse all those phrases and stick them into our conversation as a substitute for original thought. But once upon a time, all those things we call clichés resonated with meaning. Consider just a few:
That's a load of hogwash – This wholesome little phrase comes straight from the farm, where "hogwash" designates a concrete mess of garbage and refuse that's only fit for the pigs. The good-for-nothing stuff certainly isn't a compliment; in fact, it's downright nasty.
Catch-22 – We use it now for any situation with a lose-lose outcome, but the original phrase actually comes from a 1961 novel by the same name. The plot highlights the result of bureaucratic regulations that take their validity from each other but can't stand alone. The bewildering, circular logic keeps characters from any good outcomes, thanks to the nonsense to which they're subject.
"The lady doth protest too much, methinks." – Shakespeare would probably roll over in his grave if he could hear us butcher this one so royally. The phrase actually comes from the lips of Queen Gertrude, who rather hastily marries her husband's brother after her husband dies. Gertrude was actually sneering at the faithful promises – the protestations – of the queen in a play, who promised eternal love and faith to only one man. And so, her inconstant character announces itself to Hamlet and the audience.
Your John Hancock – As president of the Continental Congress, Hancock's name appeared before all others on the first copy of the Declaration of Independence. By that action, Hancock marked himself among the primary traitors if the War for Independence failed. He risked his life, his fortune, and indeed, his sacred honor. Is that what you think of every time you sign a credit receipt?
We all use language, and it's a hop, skip, and a jump from a meaningful metaphor for a dull catchphrase. After that, real meaning gets lost in the hubbub of "words, words, words," as Hamlet would say.
I mention these cultural amusements for a simple purpose.
Do you remember how totally radically it is to be "born again"?
Christians – myself included – so easily wear down the language of grace into simple catchphrases. When Jesus told
Nicodemus that he "must be born again," he was conveying a radical idea, and Nicodemus knew that much. "How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!" (John 3:4) Jesus goes on to explain the obvious changes that come from being born again of the Spirit, so that a person changes completely. "Born again" meant so much more than a hidden identity. As my pastor pointed out Sunday, you might as well ask, "Is that baby new?" as ask, "Are you born again?" The answer should be obvious to all. Is it?
Intersecting Faith & Life: The slip from authentic faith to rote "Christianese" is sometimes nothing more than a wandering mind, and sometimes as much as complete forgery. As you pray and read the Bible this week, take time to meditate on what simple phrases like "mercy," "born again," "repent," genuinely mean. Find names or attributes of God that you don't usually use and meditate on them. As Jesus said to his disciples (ironically, right before he gave them the Lord's Prayer, which far too many of us utter by rote), "And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words." (Matthew 6:7) The fight against complacent muttering finds success when it's joined by a genuinely appreciative heart, so let's skip the babbling and get down to praising God for the radical way He has saved us!
Further Reading:
Luke 18:9-14
Zephaniah 3:14-18
Top 10 Irritating Phrases
:angel:
August 24, 2011
The Quest for Perfection
Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matthew 5: 48
The Scripture above is one most of us would read with some perplexity. As Christians we know we're sinners in need of a Savior. Every Sunday at church we thank God for His divine intervention through Christ's death on the cross.
Yet the very One sent to die for us seems to be asking us here to be that which we know we can't: perfect. Not just really, really good. But perfect in the way God is perfect.
Now if you're a perfectionist like me, you may already have your pen out to list all your weaknesses so you can strategize the best plan to eradicate them from your life.
This isn't a bad exercise, but I've often become easily frustrated and tired when I set out to perfect myself. That's precisely the problem with this approach - it's all about me, myself, and I. An old friend of mine, in his quest to eliminate his selfish attitude, would often exclaim with much exasperation: "I keep trying to get rid of my selfishness but in the process of trying to improve myself, I end up focusing on my self all the time!"
It's hard to stifle a smile at his candor. It seems God has something better in mind for us than a glorified self-help program.
Perhaps the verse above is easier to understand when cast in a different light. Peter doesn't use the word "perfect" but instead calls believers to "holiness":
" ... but as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct: since it is written 'you shall be holy, for I am holy.'" (1 Peter 1: 15 - 16)
Holiness transcends what someone does (or doesn't do) and ties directly into who God is. As believers, we aren't necessarily called to be "perfect" by the world's standards, but instead to reflect God's nature to others. His goodness, truth, strength, and love.
The only way we can accurately reflect God to others is to strive daily to know God. To be in His presence. To meditate on His Word. Unlike the futile self-help approach, the more we focus on God, the less self-focused we become. And the more available we make ourselves to His transforming grace in our lives.
"Above all the grace and the gifts that Christ gives to his beloved is that of overcoming self." ~ St. Francis of Assisi
Intersecting Faith & Life: Do something this week that requires you to "forget" yourself and your struggles. Serving those in need is usually a good way to do this.
Further Reading
2 Samuel 22: 31
Matthew 19: 21
:angel:
August 25,2011
That Boy Dating Your Daughter is More Than a Nuisance
Shawn McEvoy
Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts...
Psalm 95:6-8
My little girl will turn five in a week, and believe it or not... I'm looking forward to the day she starts bringing boys home.
Oh, believe me, there's no rush. I'm happy to remain Numero Uno in little Lauren's eyes as long as possible. All I'm really saying here is that I believe in her, in how she's being raised, in how she's taking after her mother. Whoever she brings home - I'm confident saying - is not going to be a person without redeeming qualities (and if you don't mind me bragging, she's already made three little boys from preschool so giddy their parents joked with us about an arranged marriage).
So what has me so primed for this experience that I don't sound like the typical dad at the door with a sneer and a shotgun? What else? The experience of having been valued and trusted myself.
Twenty-three years ago I didn't know it, but I became part of a family. The McGriffs were a very unique family. When I met their eldest daughter, Dick and Susan had just remarried each other after having divorced each other. I never knew all the details, only that this was their first example to me of it never being too late, of recognizing wrongs and repenting.
They took to me right away, but don't get the impression that they didn't lay down the law or have rules. It was the way they imposed them - agreeably, fairly, seriously - that made so much of a difference. It's not even that they didn't try to "change" me - to be perfectly honest they did try: suggesting Christian alternatives to my secular music, suggesting viewed-at-their-home Cary Grant movies to the ones I would have preferred taking their daughter to the theater to see, giving us five minutes after a date to say goodnight before the front lights would be flicked on and off signaling that, okay, that's enough now.
I dated Malia for four-and-a-half years, off and on. During that time I built memories, house-sat for their family, came to cherish younger sisters Michelle and Amy like they were my own. Oh, like most young couples our relationship wasn't perfect; we would fight and make things more difficult than they had to be, just as I continue to do. But from her folks there was always instruction, encouragement, solidity. Laughs and firm handshakes. Always trust regardless.
Thanks to Facebook, I've regained contact with these three sisters, observed how their family has grown, and chuckled at the way they continue to interact despite living all over the country (Malia in particular had the most amazing talent for taking tense situations and making them laughable, one I'm told she still has, one that is a story for another time). I sent them the following email:
Just wanna say... You three are still some of my favorite people I've ever met, especially for a trio of sisters. I love how life has worked out for all of you, and how large that family has grown, and how involved your folks are in visiting. You have fantastic men who seem to get you and treat you well.
You're all three beautiful examples of Christian motherhood and of being distinctly individual yet connected. It was transformative to grow up as a semi-adopted part of your clan, and it's a blessing to see your joy - and how you've dealt with the pains - today.
You gals rock!
And from each I received back a distinctive, meaningful, heartfelt response. And I traced it all to the commitments, re-commitments, and never-give-up attitudes their parents made so obvious without being annoying. And shoot, even if they were ever annoying, I love them the more for it now.
There are opportunities everywhere. And yes, there are dangers. And times are different, and believe me - I know guys and what is on their minds. But I was politely welcomed and discipled as more than the sum of my convertible sportscar + raging hormones, and in so many ways, that made as much difference as several lessons my own parents modeled for me.
Thanks again, McGriff family.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Are you nervous about your daughter starting to date? Why or why not? Have you taken an active role in helping her decide in advance what choices are better than others? Will you be able to understand or tolerate failings? Are you able to be firm while smiling and maintaining a sense of humor or gentility? Willing to be labeled as old-fashioned but resolute in knowing your ways are good ways? You never know who or what that boy is going to become, but you have a chance to help ensure it's something good.
Further Reading
Proverbs 22:6
1 Corinthians 2:5
Raise a Godly Daughter in an Ungodly World
:angel:
August 26, 2011
Freedom from the Bonds of Sin
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"...if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live." Romans 8:13
While reading this week in chapter eight of Francis Schaeffer's True Spirituality where he is speaking about freedom from the bonds of sin, I was reminded of the story of an experienced, 27 year-old rock climber named Aron Ralston. One beautiful spring morning in 2003, he jumped into his truck with just enough food and water for the day. He took off by himself and drove a hundred and fifty miles south of Salt Lake City to his favorite spot—a remote canyon area that used to be the hideout for wild-west outlaws Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
By afternoon, he was suspended seventy-five feet high off the canyon floor—climbing in a crevice that was just a few feet wide. It was a perfect day. But then without warning, a boulder suddenly broke loose from the rock wall above him, hurtled down and trapped Ralston's right arm against the wall, completely crushing his hand. At that instant, Aron's hand—one of his greatest assets—had now become his greatest liability.
Five whole days passed as he tried various ways to free himself—all to no avail. His efforts to chip away at the boulder with a pocket knife only made a small dent. Rigging up a pulley system to move the boulder proved fruitless.
Finally, a moment of decisive clarity came. The thoughts came fast and furious: he could break his forearm, cut through the muscle with his dirty pocket knife, detach his arm, and use a piece of rope as a tourniquet.
Aron explains that he was driven by "some sort of autopilot" as he went about the gruesome task of amputating his own right arm just below the elbow. After he was finished, Aron lowered himself down and began trudging slowly in the direction of his truck. Later, he stumbled across two hikers who used a mobile phone to call in a rescue helicopter. Amputating his right arm was a radical act, but it was one that saved his life and reunited him with his family.
God calls us to deal with sin in our life in a way that is surprisingly similar. The Bible doesn't offer a laid-back, live-and-let-live approach at all. It's so radical, that we don't really like hearing about it or talking about it. Recall what Jesus said in Matthew 5:30, "If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell." While Jesus was not literally talking about physical amputation, He was saying that sin's deadly effects call for extreme measures. Even though it hurts, we must rid sin from our lives. In fact, our eternal destiny hinges on how we deal with sin.
Really? Well, why else would Jesus talk about hell in the same breath that He talks about how we are to deal with sin if He didn't mean to teach that our eternal destiny hangs in the balance? Clearly, it's a matter of preferring one destiny over the other. Outward behavior indicates what the heart primarily loves. If Aron Ralston had stayed there on the canyon wall with his hand pinned down by the boulder, he would have died. But because he was willing to kill his hand, his life was saved.
The same goes with us as we deal with sin. It really comes down to what we value most. Colossians 3:5 says, "Put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry." The world may tell us to laugh about sin, to lighten up about it, to tolerate it, and just let it be... that it's not idolatry; it's not an issue of worship. God says the opposite is true.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
What is robbing you of the blessings of peace with God?
What is keeping you from treasuring the Lord Jesus Christ above all other things?
Pray for grace to heed God's radical call to amputate sin from your life in His strength.
Further Reading
Romans 8:10-18
"Is Christianity just a bunch of rules for how to live?" (by John Piper, DesiringGod.org)
Between a Rock and a Hard Place (by Aron Ralston, © 2004 Simon & Schuster)
:angel:
August 29, 2011
Playing With Fire
By Ryan Duncan. TheFish.com Editor
Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins. – James 4:17
Last week I decided to take a few days off work and fly into Green Bay so I could spend the week with my family. I was really looking forward to my vacation, not only because it would be a chance to relax, but also because I'd get to see my oldest sister and newborn niece for the first time in almost two years.
So Tuesday evening I left work in a good mood, checked my bags into the airport, and made my way through the customary TSA groping to the terminal where I was promptly told that my flight had been canceled. With no other planes headed to Green Bay that night, I had no choice but to go home and try again another day. The next morning I got up at 4 am and returned to the airport where the airlines announced that the same thing had happened again. Clerks informed everyone that they would do their best to find us all new flights, and that all passengers would be given compensation when we pried it from their cold, dead hands.
At this point my mood was as black and foul as boiling tar, and I waited sullenly until one of the attendants asked me where I was headed. No sooner had the words "Green Bay" left my mouth when (and I am not making this up) a fireman came running through the side doors and announced that an airplane had caught fire outside the gate, and everyone needed to move to the end of the terminal. Overall, it wasn't one of my best traveling experiences.
The thing is, during all of this I could feel the Holy Spirit nudging me. I think God knew I was angry, and was encouraging me to pray, to read my Bible, even to do simple things like write or walk around the terminal and cool off. Each time I felt the nudging though, I stamped it out. I didn't want to be patient, I wanted to be angry. I wanted to groan and complain and go ballistic in the middle of the airport. I was completely justified in doing so, and I didn't care that my anger wouldn't fix anything, or that the clerks already had four people yelling at them already. I chose to wallow in my rage instead of pushing it away.
How often do we allow ourselves to play with sin? How often do we tell ourselves that we're justified in our behavior because life isn't fair, or the situation is against us? One of the toughest challenges we Christians face today is remembering to reflect Christ, even when things get bad. Take it from me, don't ignore the Holy Spirit. Sure, you're still going to get angry, and but how you handle that anger will determine how Christ works in your life, and more importantly, how others will see Christ in you.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Are you unable to let something go? Take a moment to talk with God and let him take it from you.
Further Reading
Proverbs 19:11
:angel:
August 30, 3011
Getting Busy While You Wait
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
But while Joseph was there in the prison, the LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph's care, because the LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did. Genesis 39:20-23, NIV
This summer, I've been studying Joseph's journey from being thrown into a pit and sold by his brothers to his triumphant rise as second in command in Egypt under Pharaoh. I've found it to be an amazing study in the timing of God's plans and purposes and then in our serving and obeying as we wait on him.
The part of Joseph's story that I've been really chewing is the two-year span of time when he was in prison. He found himself there after being wrongly accused of trying to sleep with his employer Potiphar's wife. Now, at first glance it might seem like these years were a waste of time. But to God they were certainly not.
At this point, Joseph had already had two dreams (Gen. 37) in which God illustrated— with sheaves of grain and the sun, moon and stars—that his brothers would bow down to him. We don't know if Joseph fully grasped the meaning of these dreams at the time, but surely while he was in prison he was holding on to the promise of what God had shown to him. During this time, Joseph also learned patience and trust and humility. He learned to wait on the Lord and to continue serving him where God had placed him, even if it wasn't somewhere that Joseph would have chosen for himself.
Instead of curl himself up into a little ball and sulk in the corner of his cell, he got busy. That's right. Joseph wasn't in prison long before the warden unbound him and put him in charge of other prisoners. And then because he was put into the prison where the king's prisoners were held, he was able to meet two men who had held important positions with the king: the chief cupbearer and the royal baker.
This wasn't just happenstance. In fact, Joseph interpreted two dreams had by these men while they were in prison. One predicted the demise of the royal baker, but the other showed that the cupbearer would be restored to his position and his close proximity to the king.
Because of this cupbearer connection, Joseph was later recommended to Pharaoh when he needed his dreams interpreted. And the next thing you know Pharaoh was so well pleased with Joseph that he elevated him to second-in-command and in charge of Egypt's food rationing and storage program for the upcoming years of famine. During that time, Joseph's brothers would arrive in search of grain and would bow down to him (check out Genesis 37-42 for the full story).
But the moral of the story isn't that waiting yields you fame and fortune. It is simply this: when we wait on the Lord and allow him to work his plan in our lives, we will always experience his blessing in our lives.
Now, I know that we're all waiting on something today. Each one of us has a "prison" area in our lives where we feel stuck, shackled and perhaps very alone. But be encouraged! Just like Joseph, God is with us as we wait. So let's get busy and see what he wants to do through our lives wherever he has placed us today.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Do you feel like God has forgotten you? He hasn't for he has promised that he will never leave us nor forsake us. Ask the Lord to show you how to make the most of your current situation today. Like Joseph reached out to the cupbearer and the baker, perhaps there is someone who needs your help and will be blessed by God through you.
Further Reading:
Psa. 118:6-7, NIV
Isa. 40:31, NIV
:angel:
August 31, 2011
On the Lack of Lightning Bolts
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6
I memorized these verses years and years ago, along with John 3:16 and other verses that good little children in Sunday School learn. In my five-year-old mind, I associated the proverb with a mental picture of a road stretching out for miles until it merged with the horizon. That was the "straight road" that I could so easily understand – clearly marked, unswerving, and, most importantly, unchanging. All I had to do was trust God and keep following that path. Little did I know, right?
At times the journey has felt more like an anecdote that Abraham Lincoln told of a man traveling through a thunderstorm. Through the mud and the sheets of rain, the poor traveler felt that he would lose his way entirely. The thunderclaps seemed right overhead, jolting his senses every few moments. Only the flashes of lightning helped him keep to the road. Finally, after a particularly loud crash, the man fell to his knees and cried, "O, Lord God, if it's all the same to you, I would like a little more light and little less noise!"
The major and minor uncertainties I've encountered – and will encounter in the future – often leave me with that sentiment. I think back to the promise of paths made straight and grumble that the signposts would be a lot easier to follow if they were in neon. We all ask, is this the career path you want me to take, God? Is this the man you want me to marry? Should I buy this house? Are we supposed to settle at this church? In what kind of school should we enroll the kids? God, I could really use a lightning bolt to clarify things!
It's easy to forget that the proverb reserves the promise until the last quarter of the verse, not the first. Review the wording of verse 6 with me. "In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."
I memorized this verse years ago, but I'm still learning it by heart. Task-oriented person that I am, it's easier to visualize myself making "progress" towards a goal than it is to stop and refocus on inner attitudes. It doesn't occur to me that part the plan is simply standing still, waiting, and listening. I demand lightning bolts to see God's working rather than taking responsibility for the part assigned to me. My part lies in the trusting, the repudiating of self, and a settled confidence that he will work all things for his purpose. Then... the path is straightened. We may not even realize it this side of heaven, but the promise is that he guides our feet when our eyes are on him.
I fully believe that the Lord guides us in specific ways – through the Word, through the counsel of godly mentors, through nudges of the Holy Spirit – and yet we get caught up in the road metaphor a little too much. We're so distracted looking for the path that we forget a lifestyle of worship. To an extent, it matters less what we're doing than how we're doing it. As Paul wrote, "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." (1 Corinthians 10:31)
The wonder of God's plan for us lies in this – in taking our eyes off the road at our feet and looking to him, God finds our way for us.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Step one: trust in the Lord with all your heart. Step two do not lean on your own understanding. Step three: in all your ways acknowledge him. Result: whatever your path, he will direct your steps and make your path straight.
Further Reading:
Psalms 37:34
Philippians 1:4-6
Waiting on the Promises of God
:angel:
September 1, 2011
The Simple Truth
by Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. John 15: 4-5
I like complexities. Nuances excite me. It's why I loved studying English Lit as an undergrad. Picking apart brilliant passages by some of the greatest writers, holding them up to view them from every angle and uncovering the hidden layers fueled me.
Yes, the mind can be a great thing.
And yet it isn't the highest thing. I'll never forget an exchange that occurred in one undergraduate literature class that went something like this. A student, frustrated that a book like the Bible could have any meaningful contribution to society, began to argue that humanity would be just fine throwing the Bible out and living off plain logic.
My professor responded matter-of-factly: "Oh, so you worship the mind."
Confused the student replied, "What? I don't worship anything! I'm an atheist. Didn't you hear me? I said if we just use our brains and think logically, we'll be able to create a peaceful and happy society."
"Yes, I heard you," replied the professor. "You are saying you see the mind as the highest source of Truth. That nothing exists above it. And that through the use of our brains, we will obtain all the answers we seek. Yes, that is a clear case of mind worship."
I don't like to admit it, but I have to say I've fallen into the practice of "mind worship" more than once in my life. Have you ever spent hours trying to solve the world's problems by anxiously mulling, analyzing, examining, agonizing, and exhausting yourself? If you're anything like me, you've probably lost more than a few nights of sleep thanks to a racing mind.
Accepting that the most profound truths are often the simplest ones has relieved me of some huge mental burdens. And better yet, these simple truths originate from a source much bigger and more knowledgeable than our muddled minds.
In the verse above we see that Christ is the true vine, and we are the branches. Apart from Him, nothing is possible. No amount of brilliant thought, good works, or shining accomplishments will give us the answers we seek or lead us to eternal life. On the flip side, a life that is brief or broken or seemingly normal is filled with eternal significance when united with Christ.
So how do we "abide" in Christ? Once again, a life dedicated to Christ can be a very simple one. We can:
-- Pray (communicate with God) daily.
-- Worship weekly (at Sunday service)
-- Read God's Word
-- Develop virtue (strengthen those character traits that reflect God's goodness)
-- Eradicate sin (confess and abandon those character traits that don't reflect God's goodness)
-- Serve those in need.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Are you overwhelmed with decisions or juggling too many responsibilities? Get back to the basics. Rededicate your life to the Source of life and focus only on what pleases Him. You'll be amazed at the spiritual fruit.
Further Reading:
Acts 2: 37- 47
:angel:
Sept. 2, 2011
Yard Sale Christianity
By Stephen Sanders
A/V Editor for Salem Web Network
As many of you know, summer is prime time yard sale time and you can't drive anywhere in the south on a Saturday without passing at least a few. This past Saturday, we stopped at one not far from our house.
In the past when I've been with my wife to these things, I seldom find anything that I get REALLY excited about. I usually just look for old books because that's the only thing I can find for a buck that I might actually use. But this past Saturday, as I dug through a box of old CDs, I found something that I couldn't pass up.
When I look back at my childhood and think about music, two names come to mind: Michael Jackson and the Beastie Boys. The very 1st album that my mom ever bought me was "Thriller." The first album that I ever bought with my own money was "Licensed to Ill" at a Kmart in Mason, Ohio with my cousin Mark. I can still vividly remember driving home that weekend with my parents in our '78 Chrysler New Yorker bumping "Fight For Your Right To Party." We had the cassette adapter for the 8-track player that was in there. I guess this was probably about 1986-87. This tape stayed in my silver boom box until it broke a couple years later.
During my middle school years, I developed a second wind of musical enlightenment. This was when hip-hop was at its peak in the early 90's. I'd picked up this interest from my good friend Chad, who bought me an NWA tape in 1992. This was, of course, followed by Dr. Dre's "The Chronic" in 1993...then "Enter the 36 Chambers" by Wu-Tang Clan later that year...
The Beastie Boys released "Check Your Head" in 1993 also. They were still just as relevant then as they had been in the 80's even though the style had changed a bit. They'd evolved from a party rap trio to a 3-piece jam band in what seemed like no time...but it had been 7 years. I loved this CD.
My love for hip-hop slowly but surely vanished as grunge slowly gained my affection and carried me through my high school years. The Nu Metal genre developed as I entered my college years; a movement that was pretty much over almost as soon as it started. I picked up a bass guitar my freshman year at SECC and my love for hip-hop officially died. But my love for the Beastie's never did...
In 2002, on a couch at a friend's house, I discovered "Paul's Boutique" by the Beastie Boys. This album was released in 1989; many consider this to be their finest work. This album soon became my "favorite album to listen to while I played video games with Eddie." And even still, the Beastie's were just as relevant in 2002 as they were in 1986... and 1989... and 1993...
Now, flash-forward to 2011... I look into a box of CDs at a yard sale and find "Check Your Head" and "Paul's Boutique" in perfect condition... for $5. SOLD! As I walked away, all I could think about were the good times I'd had with my cousin Mark, Chad, Eddie; some of the best times of my life. I couldn't wait to listen to them when I got home.
I got home, went upstairs, turned on my computer to do my homework and hit play...and immediately realized how much Christ has changed me as an individual. It's not so much the music itself, because it is still just as creative and impressive as it ever was. It's the message behind the music that causes a separation. It's just not the same anymore.
Jesus and Paul talked a lot about this sort of thing in the Bible. You know, the difference between who we were before accepting Christ into our hearts versus the new man who has surrendered his life to Jesus. I don't think I've ever seen this played out in my life in such a real way until this episode. There is simply nothing I can gain from this music at this point in my life without turning my back on Christ.
Now let me make a bit of a clarification before I go any further. I'm not talking about legalism here. I'm not saying that, "Christians cannot listen to secular music because it is sinful." If that had been the case, I never would have bought these CDs to begin with. Now, the Stephen from 5 years ago with his sheltered, legalistic, judgmental Christian mindset would have been outraged at the idea of a believer being excited about a secular CD or movie or anything else that wasn't "Christian." I'd been taught that everything was a black or white issue. If it wasn't "Christian" then it was sin.
But in recent years, with a change of logic and a new church environment, I've realized that my old mindset was a very self-serving mindset to have. In reality, not everything in the real world is a black or white issue. Not all "Christian music" is godly and not all "secular music" is sinful. When I used to believe this way, I would make my walk with God a lot easier, while making it more difficult for everyone else I came in contact with.
What I'm talking about is true relationship with Christ where He deals with me personally while I only focus on how God views me, not those around me.
Believe me when I say that I really wanted to enjoy these CDs when I got home. But there was something inside of me that no longer desired or could allow me to digest them. I fully believe that this is what Christ does to our lives. He draws us close to Him by his Spirit and these desires just naturally fall off. They happen in His timing, not our timing and not in the timing that other believers feel they should happen in our lives.
It's experiences like these that let me know that I am certainly not who I used to be. Fleshly desires that I used to have simply do not exist anymore. I don't have to beat down my flesh and force myself to exhibit Christian behavior anymore. Christ's desires just naturally become mine. True freedom in Christ started when I stopped trying to achieve the unachievable: being a perfect Christian.
Intersecting Faith and Life
We all have our individual walks with God that we have to experience. So many of us try so hard to make things automatically sinful for the sake of comfort. We attempt to force our religion on others around us, instead of simply sharing the Gospel. But that's not what we, as Christians, are called to do. We are simply called to love God and love others. Love doesn't cause me to push myself on anyone. It subtracts from me and adds to the world around me.
For Further Study
1 Corinthians 10:13-33
:angel:
Sept. 5, 2011
The Heroic Faith of Edith Stein
by Sarah Phillips, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ... No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. Romans 8: 35, 37
Whenever life gets difficult or perplexing, I like to read about Christian heroes that came before me to glean some insights and inspiration. So I googled Christian Saints, and discovered that last month, August 9th, was the feast day of German philosopher Edith Stein – also known by her religious name, Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. I decided to "get to know" this modern Christian convert a little better, and I'm glad I did – it wasn't a boring read. Here's a brief summary of her life.
Born in 1891 on the feast of Yom Kippur (the Jewish day of Atonement), she was the 11th child to join her orthodox Jewish family. But she abandoned her Jewish spirituality as a teenager in favor of intellectual atheism. Lacking faith, but gifted with a brilliant mind, she was one of the first women admitted to a German University where she spent many years studying philosophy under respected scholar, Edmund Husserl.
Her quest for truth through philosophy did not allow her to stay an atheist for long, though, and she began to look to religion again. In 1921, after befriending several devout Protestant Christians and reading the autobiography of a Catholic nun, Stein realized all the answers she sought could be found in Christ. She was baptized that year at age 29.
Her life after conversion continued to be one of scholarly endeavors. She used her sharp mind to champion the dignity of women through her writings and teaching, promoting a form of feminism quite different from what most of us would call "feminism" today. Her writings reveal a woman who treasured the unique differences between the sexes and who felt the "maternal gifts" were central to womanhood. But in spite of her love for motherhood, she never married or had biological children although one could argue she became a sort of spiritual "mother" to many.
Stein might have spent the rest of her life studying and teaching, but the darkness brewing in Europe interrupted. In 1933, she was banned from teaching in German universities because of her Jewish heritage.
Deprived of her public life, the unmarried Stein took this opportunity to become a Carmelite nun. For a while, she joyfully spent her days in France, cloistered in prayer and study, growing more in love with Christ and in awe of His Cross.
Sadly, her love for the Cross and contemplations on Christ's suffering would prove both necessary and prophetic. As World War II heated up, Stein secretly fled to a convent in Holland, fearing that her presence in the French convent would endanger her sisters. But peace in Holland was temporary. The Germans overtook Holland, and Dutch Bishops responded by drafting formal letters -- to be read from every pulpit -- denouncing Nazi persecution of Jews.
The Nazi's retaliated by rounding up all Christians of Jewish descent for deportation to Auschwitz. Reports say Edith went willingly, assisting Jewish mothers and their children on the terrible journey. On August 9, 1942 Edith and her biological sister, Rosa, died in a gas chamber standing alongside their beloved Jewish brethren.
Edith Stein's dramatic story is a reminder to me of God's power and grace, of the amazing things God can accomplish through those who love Him – even someone who spent her early adult years devoid of faith. And while her story may have ended tragically, her life was anything but tragic. She seemed to have a keen sense of Romans 8: 35-37 as reports say she never conveyed much sadness about her sufferings – just sadness for the sufferings of others.
Edith Stein is also a reminder to me of how simple the Christian life really is, no matter how famous or how obscure we are. She sums up the purpose of our days beautifully in this quote:
"To suffer and to be happy although suffering, to have one's feet on the earth, to walk on the dirty and rough paths of this earth and yet to be enthroned with Christ at the Father's right hand, to laugh and cry with the children of this world and ceaselessly sing the praises of God with the choirs of angels -- this is the life of the Christian until the morning of eternity breaks forth."
Intersecting Faith & Life: Are you facing a challenge in your life right now? Take heart in knowing that absolutely nothing can separate you from the love of God, and that many believers have walked the road before you and found victory in Christ.
Further Reading
Finding Joy When Life Isn't Fair
:angel:
September 6, 2011
Bring Oil
Ryan Duncan, TheFish.com Editor
Then the angel said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!' " And he added, "These are the true words of God." - Revelation 19:9
For the second time this year, I had the privilege to be part of a friend's wedding. I was one of the groomsman, and I was honored. Being a groomsman is a tough gig though. While supposedly there was a list of duties I needed to perform, I soon realized my main job was making sure the groom didn't spontaneously implode from stress. This was crucial because if anything happened to the groom the bride would probably strangle everyone with her own wedding veil. Luckily, my fellow groomsmen and I managed to play our parts with no major errors.
My only slip up happened during the rehearsal dinner, when I excused myself to go look for a bathroom. I was probably gone for only a few minutes, but when I came back I found the groom's father was in the middle of the dinner toast. I didn't want to be rude, so I stood outside the room for about fifteen minutes waiting as everyone toasted the bride and groom. All in all, it wasn't that big of a deal, but as I stood out there and watched the celebration from behind the door, I remembered a parable Jesus had once told his disciples.
"At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. "At midnight the cry rang out: 'Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!' "Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.' " 'No,' they replied, 'there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.' "But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. "Later the others also came. 'Sir! Sir!' they said. 'Open the door for us!' "But he replied, 'I tell you the truth, I don't know you.' "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour." (Matthew 25:1-13)
Sometimes I think we underestimate the parable of the virgins. We were always told it represented Jesus return, and our duty to be ready, but I think there's more to it. We are, in a sense, the wedding party for Christ's marriage to the Church. Like the bridesmaids and groomsmen, it's our responsibility to help prepare the celebration by following Christ and working to serve him. It also means we'll have to endure a long night filled with uncertainty, and our faith, like the lamp oil, must constantly be replenished. It's going to be a lot of hard work, but when the groom arrives and the celebration begins, there's no doubt it will all have been worth it.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Takes some time to read Jesus' parables and reflect on their meanings.
Further Reading
Matthew 13:44
:angel:
September 7, 2011
Good without God?
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"...even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened."
Romans 1:21
Many are professing quite loudly today that they can be "good without God." And I think that I have a fairly clear understanding of what these people are trying to say. They haven't killed anybody. They work hard. They build community, are compassionate, and give to charity. I suppose that from a perspective in which the God of the Bible is ignored for a few moments, you could easily agree that they are decent people.
The rub comes, though, when you probe more deeply than the superficial. At the heart of the issue is how we define what "good" actually means. Who defines that? And by what authority? The natural man who claims to be "good without God" is saying, in fact, that he wants to improvise what good means and define it on his own terms.
Now, granted, if Jesus Christ did not rise from the dead and all the claims Christianity are irrelevant, then non-believers are free to live however they choose with no consequences. And that is exactly what most want. But that is a point of view that doesn't exactly square with reality or history. At least one atheist, Joel Marks, who writes at the New York Times blog, Opinionator, seems to have a clear grasp of this truth. If there's no good God we're accountable to, then morality is just a fairy tale and the terms "right" and "wrong" have no meaning.
In the end, man's attempt to redefine good on his own terms has no effect on the definition of good that's been eternally fixed by God. Romans 1:18-32 powerfully speaks to this, saying that man's very desire to determine for himself what is good is something that God actually mocks, calling it "futile... foolish... and darkened."
Think of it, as harmless as it may seem on the surface, it's really a grave offense for a creature made by God to stroll around on the earth that God made and pretend to himself that there is no God. Such self-centered unbelief actually screams that Jesus, the Apostles and the thousands of martyrs and godly believers through the ages are nothing more than a pack of liars.
Romans 1:18-21 says that the good-without-God kind of people "suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them... For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks."
Saying these things isn't meant as a beat-down on unbelievers so that believers can somehow feel good about themselves. Rather, it's truth offered in kindness to help people see their condition. It comes down to a simple question: Can a person be truly good when they are calling a good God and good people liars? No, a good person trusts God. A good person doesn't reject the testimony of reliable witnesses. A good person honors God and gives thanks to Him (Rom. 1:21).
The necessity of giving thanks brings up another type of "good without God" person that exists out there. Romans 1 teaches that not only is the irreligious, outright God-denier in that category, but there is also a religious type of God-denier. Respected Christian thinker, Francis Schaeffer, explains it well in the first chapter of his classic book, True Spirituality.
He wrote that as seemingly small, insignificant and optional as a thankful heart might appear to be at first glance, thankfulness turns out to be the litmus test for whether or not one really believes in God. If you say that God is a personal God and He is your Father, but by your life you do not trust Him, honor Him and give Him thanks, you're really denying what you say you believe. You're trying to be good without God. The path to true goodness starts then with a prayer spoken of in Mark 9:24. Christ always answers it: "Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief."
Yes, life is hard. Yes, we live in a sin-cursed and fallen world. Things are not as they should be. Still—and this may be a hard truth to accept—faith coupled with thankfulness in all things is not optional. It's essential. Not giving thanks with a plastic smile, but having genuine thankfulness that shows real trust in God through the hard things.
Without faith, man is out of touch with reality. People can only be good with God in His proper place.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
How firmly do you believe that God alone defines good and evil?
What does your level of thankfulness show about the reality of your faith in God?
If you have an opportunity to talk with someone today who is trying to be good without God, relate to him in a positive way about his desire to be good, and direct him to this deeper line of thinking in Romans 1.
Further Reading
How to Know Truth and Evaluate Competing Worldviews by Chris Daniel
Why I Believe in God by Cornelius Van Til
Ephesians 4:17-5:21
:angel:
September 9, 2011
You Got a Lot of Potential
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. ~ Ephesians 1:18-19, NIV
Just this past week I was reading an article on Crosswalk.com (I know ... go figure!), and I was encouraged by this thought:
God has a way of raising our level of potential, until we're shocked by our own accomplishments.
So, have you ever been shocked by what God has done through your accomplishments? I've seen God do this personally in my life time and again. When there have been circumstances in my life where I didn't know how something was going to get done or when or why or how, I remember consciously praying, "Lord, you're going to have to show me how to do this, because I have no idea how it's going to happen."
He has shown me that when I trust him and his timing and follow his direction (even if I don't understand it), that he will get things done. Amazing are thethings he will get done! So amazing, in fact, that I know that there is no way I could have accomplished what he has done on my own.
I shouldn't be surprised really, because I know that in Christ "we are more than conquerors" (Rom. 8:37). Yet, as believers who are still being sanctified, we may still doubt what God can do through us. But like Vivian Ward says to Kit De Luca in the film Pretty Woman (and I'm not endorsing this movie, so please don't send me hate mail), "You got a lot of potential."
It's true! We all have a lot of potential. Unlimited, in fact. But instead of believing who God says that we are in him and all that he can do through us, we choose to believe the lies of the culture. And when we limit ourselves to what humans say we can or can't or should or shouldn't do, then we will never realize our full potential in Christ who transcends anyone or anything in this world.
For he has saved us ...
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:1).
He has changed us ...
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! (2 Cor. 5:17).
He has adopted us ...
You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ (Gal. 3:26-27).
He has given us an inheritance ...
Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession (Eph. 1:13-14).
He has empowered us ...
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth (John 14:16-17).
So, my friend, the next time you think you don't have a lot of potential, just stop. Remember who you are in Christ and remember that the Creator of the universe is living inside of you by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. And then prepare to be shocked. Because in Christ, we can do everything through him who gives us strength (Phil 4:13).
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Do you believe that God created you to work in and through your life? Don't compare your potential to that of others. Trust in the Lord and lean not on your own understanding. When you surrender your life and your expectations to God, you will be shocked to see what he will accomplish through the power of his Holy Spirit in you.
Further Reading:
Isaiah 40:26, NIV
Haggai 2:4, NIV
Ephesians 2:8-10, NIV
How Do You Let God Work in Your Life?
:angel:
September 12, 2011
Make Me Happy!
Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
We love, because he first loved us.
1 John 4: 19
I have a confession. I'm a Bachelor addict. You know, the ABC reality show where they set one man up with 25 potential matches? Yes, I keep up with it.
Honestly, this show was cathartic for me during my crazy dating days. It reminded me that perhaps I wasn't the only one struggling with romantic love. And it also provided plenty of object lessons on what not to do in the quest for a spouse.
Sadly, in spite of the show's goal to offer eligible bachelors a chance at lasting love, very few couples make it to the altar. You can blame the elaborate set or the pressure created by the roses, but I think the reason the couples have little success is because the show is founded on commonly held, yet flawed, beliefs about love.
Like so many of us out here in the real world, love on the Bachelor is usually equated to the giddy, mushy, feelings of infatuation. Time and again, the Bachelor expresses the fairy tale notion that they want to find someone who "completes them" or makes them feel happy. They spend hours interviewing and wooing these women then agonizing over eliminations at the famous rose ceremonies in their efforts to find the one woman who will make them happy forever.
But what happens after the final rose when these giddy feelings of personal "completeness" fade? When flaws and hardships overwhelm their early romance? This is when so-called "love" fades for most couples. And we just can't figure out what went wrong.
In his book Love & Responsibility, Fr. Wojtyla explains these perplexing relationship failures. He explains that this notion that we're supposed to find someone to "complete us" is off course. You see, when we date a person with the primary goal of experiencing pleasure - or a sense of "fulfillment" - we're actually using that person. Sure, we may like the person. But we're still using them as a means to our end, our pleasure. And using a person is the opposite of loving them.
Not only does using a person fail to nurture true love, but Fr. Wojtyla insists that the "pleasure approach" is impractical because it is very difficult to predict who will bring us the maximum amount of personal pleasure long-term (I think the Bachelors would agree here!). Thus begins the cycle of serial monogamy as we hop from one high to the next.
So how do we find true love if we can't just look for the person who gives us the biggest high? It's not that we shouldn't enjoy our mates. Quite the contrary. But we need to start off on a different foot. Fr. Wojtyla shares that true love finds its beginnings when two human beings make a free will commitment to a good, the greatest good being God. He writes, "Love... is conditioned by the common attitude of people towards the same good, which they choose as their aim, and to which they subordinate themselves."
Why does this work? In joining another for good, the focus becomes less, "What can you do for me?" (which is self-centered) to "What can we do together to serve God?"
Intersecting Faith & Life: Are you frustrated with your spouse? Do you feel like he or she is not doing enough to make you happy? Pray about ways to resolve your feelings of discontent. If you are both believers, pray about ways you can serve God as a couple.
Further Reading
1 Cor 13
Why Are Today's Parents So Unhappy? by Albert Mohler
:angel:
September 13, 2011
Toys into Tools
Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. Luke 12:48
With the start of football season this month, I've heard the phrase, "to whom much is given, much is required" used a lot... and that's a good thing. A great thing. Athletes, profiled on sports shows, have been given chances to explain how they are using their celebrity and/or money to help mankind, or even spread the gospel.
One prominent athlete was interviewed about wanting to use what he's been given as a platform to further the Kingdom of God. His goals were reminiscent of the parable Jesus told about the difference between faithful and unfaithful servants, stewards of the kingdom. Faithful servants are to be about their master's will, not doing their own thing, not squandering what they've been given, but instead, realizing how much they've been given, and that there are punishments awaiting those who knowingly disobey (and even for those - albeit less severely - who unknowingly disobey. Seem harsh?).
Nonetheless, I enjoy verses like our main verse today, where a concept is repeated synonymously for effect. The Bible's wisdom literature is ripe with this structure, and Jesus makes use of it here. The phrase "Everyone who has been given much" is echoed by "the one who has been entrusted with much," and "much will be demanded" becomes synonymous with "much more will be asked." It drives the point home.
We often hear the first part of this verse quoted, and it works fine by itself: "To whom much is given, much is required." That concept even works well in the secular world, so much so that non-Christians quote it, perhaps without even knowing it's biblical in origin, and superhero movies use it as a thematic element.
But this week, after seeing and reading those profiles of Christian athletes, I read the verse in its entirety, and it opened up a new level of meaning for me.
Generally, when I think of things I've been "given," or "gifts," I tend to think of presents, possessions... toys, even. Things that are mine. Things I can hoard, break, forget about, get tired of, use for personal gain, waste, sell, or lose. Some things we are "given" include salvation, spiritual gifts, genetic gifts, talents, financial blessing, testimonies, family, forgiveness, love, and more.
Now, does your perspective shift at all if you think of those things not merely as "things given," but as "things you are entrusted with"?
For me, the ante gets upped. There's a new level of seriousness. The steward who has faith must, by definition, be faithful.
My toys, as I grow up, must become my tools - the things the Master has given that He expects will be used to build and further His Kingdom.
Intersecting Faith & Life: What gift have you been entrusted with that you are still just playing with? Or hiding? Or wasting? Knowing the Master's will, decide what you would say if He returned today to find you not busy at Kingdom work. Then decide one way you can use what you have been entrusted with to edify others this week. You may not have the platform of a Tim Tebow, but you've been given all the requirements necessary to do the job assigned to you.
Further Reading
James 2:14-18
1 Corinthians 4:2
Envisioning Your 'God-Sized' Calling
:angel:
September 14, 2011
Freedom from Sin in This Life and The Next
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments, and His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith."
1 John 5:3-4 NASB
We know that Christ secures heaven in the next life, yes. But we often forget that Christ is our basis for a growing freedom from sin in this life as well. It's easy to slip into self-effort and start thinking that it's up to us to somehow overcome our sin and selfishness.
First John 5:4 says that faith is the victory not self effort. As we have seen in previous study, the Christian faith is never just faith in faith. It is not just some leap in the dark. It is faith in the objective truth of Christ in space, time and history. Christians trust in a Person—the Lord Jesus Christ.
First John 5:4 says that faith is the key to victory, and the key to faith is Christ. Our ongoing focus must be Him—all that He is—not just what He did at the cross. Instead of compartmentalizing Christ to merely being our Savior, we must value all that He is—His perfect life, death, resurrection, ascension, current ministry of intercession, and His promised return. The Apostle Paul says in Colossians 3:4 that Christ is our life.
If we neglect the full scope of who Christ is and what He did and we only focus on a part of what He did at the cross, we will fall apart in our practical living.
Francis Schaeffer wrote of this fully orbed, Christ-saturated view of living the Christian life in chapter eight of True Spirituality:
"It is not we who overcome the world in our own strength. We do not have a power plant inside ourselves that can overcome the world. The overcoming is the work of the Lord Jesus Christ... if we raise the empty hands of faith moment by moment and accept the gift. This is the victory that overcomes the world—our faith."
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Ask God for grace to remember throughout the day today that victory over sin, doubt, and discouragement rests solely on the person and work of Christ.
For Further Study:
Consider memorizing Romans 8:32-34
32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?
33 Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies;
34 who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.
:angel:
September 15, 2011
The Older Son
Ryan Duncan, TheFish.com
"But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal." – Matthew 6:20
Most Christians have heard the story of the Prodigal Son. For those of us who grew up in the Church, the story probably conjures up memories of Sunday school, when the teacher would reenact the parable on one of those crazy felt boards. The Prodigal Son really is a perfect description of God's relationship with us, his children. I don't know about you, but I've done more than enough stupid stuff in my life to qualify as a prodigal. Lately though, I've found myself relating more and more to the older son in the story, the one most people tend to forget about.
"Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing.So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on.'Your brother has come,' he replied, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.' "The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!' " 'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' " – Luke 15: 25-32
It's almost unsettling how easily we Christians can become the Older Son. Maybe you're having a bad month, or maybe it seems like someone else is getting all the rewards you desire. In those moments it's so tempting to turn on God and yell, "I've followed all the rules. I've done everything right! Would it kill you to throw me a bone once in a while?" But God isn't Santa Claus; he doesn't keep a list of whose good and bad then parcel things out accordingly.
For all his mistakes, the younger brother understood that anything he got from his Father would be out of grace, and for all his good work, the older brother let his anger blind him to the many blessings he already had. A friend of mine once told me, "Being a Christian doesn't mean you have to dance happily in bad situations" and it's true. Being a Christian means that we are saved by Christ through grace, and good times or bad, his blessings are still there even if we don't see them.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Take a moment to count your blessings.
Further Reading
Luke 15: 1-7
:angel:
September 16, 2011
Be Present
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14, NIV
Sometimes we need more than a caffeine jolt to be present.
My latest "awakening" has come to me via two books: Anne Graham Lotz's Expecting to See Jesus: A Wake-Up Call for God's People and Sam Childers' Another Man's War: The True Story of One Man's Battle to Save Children in the Sudan.
I don't think it's an accident that I have been reading both titles at the same time. And I don't think it's an accident that the headlines from Crosswalk's Religion Today section (as of the time I am writing this) are focused on humanity, suffering and the Christian faith:
Hurricane Irene Kills 25: Southern Baptist Disaster Relief Mobilizes Response
24 Killed in Series of Attacks on Christians in Nigeria
Open Doors Reports Tripoli Christians Safe, Praying
Both books and these news stories are jolts to my consciousness. I have been especially convicted while reading Lotz's book encouraging believers to WAKE UP, humble ourselves before the Lord and invite personal revival into our lives. And heartbroken while reading Childers' first-person account about the ongoing terrorism and horrible atrocities that are yielding countless young victims of war in Southern Sudan.
And so in light of all of that, whether or not my toenail polish goes well with my dress that I'm planning on wearing to church this Sunday morning really doesn't seem to matter at all.
I'd laugh if this didn't make me cry inside. Because this is the real world. This is human life. These are Jesus-is-coming-soon type of matters. They are what our purpose for here on earth is all about. And if we are present, we can see this continuing battle of the lies of the culture versus the Truth of God's Word.
As I've immersed myself in these books and in paying closer attention to what is happening in the world, I find myself being reminded to be present in my own life. Which ultimately means humbling myself before the Lord and yielding my life to him, so that he may use me and see his will be done. In the lives of those in my family and friends. In my church. In my community. In my priorities. In where my money is going. In where or on what I am spending my time.
But I find myself battling myself to do that. To bend my knee, to sacrifice and make myself available for the person who is right in front of me. For the person who needs someone to listen to them. For the person who needs me to help them. For the person who just needs me to . . . be present.
And it's not that complicated. Jesus just sat down and shared a meal with people. He traveled to people's homes. He listened. He spoke Truth. And news of him spread organically: person to person. Face to face. In community.
We are all challenged to follow his example of being present. Are we listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit? Are we following his prompting, his leading and his direction? Is our passion for Jesus stronger and burning more brightly than our love for football, the latest iPhone, the next Peter Jackson film or anything else in this life?
Life is over in a blink of an eye. And with the world changing as fast as it is, with natural disasters happening every week or so, with the value of human life continuing to decrease, and with right and wrong just about done trading places, the time is NOW for you and me to be present as we seek the Lord.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
I have a challenge for us both this weekend: what do you say we turn off our televisions? I know. I don't want to either. But let's do it. Let's use that time to reach out to someone else. Could be someone with whom you need reconciliation. Could be someone who thinks life isn't worth living and is about ready to end it. Could be anyone going through anything. You just never know. So let's be available and be present and see what God is trying to say to us and do through our lives.
Further Reading:
Psa. 46:10, NIV
Jer. 15:19-21, NIV
James 4:7-10, NIV
:angel:
September 19, 2011
Community Commitment
by Sarah Phillips, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you. 2 Timothy 1:1-5
Who passed the faith on to you? Who gave you your first Bible or explained the meaning of the Cross in a way you could understand? Who influenced you to keep persevering when you felt like giving up?
Not long ago, I was awakened to the necessity (and challenges) of passing on the faith to the next generation. I walked into a Sunday school classroom prepared to assist the 8th grade teacher -- but she never showed. A family emergency prevented her from arriving on the very first day. Did I mention I'd never taught Sunday school before?
While my teaching skills won't be winning any prizes, we all walked away mostly unscathed. But one thing became clear to me that day - these middle schoolers need someone older and wiser to mentor them or their faith won't survive life's challenges.
Of course, we can't expect 8th graders to make radical, lifelong commitments to Christ without assistance when even the apostles who personally knew Jesus relied on one another to grow in faith. In Acts, we see Peter and the others sorting out the details of early Christian doctrine among each other. And Paul's letters, some of the most quoted versus in the Bible, were written for encouragement and instruction to individuals and Christian communities.
One reason we rely so heavily on one another is that God set it up that way. He created the Church with Christ as the Head and you and I - believers -- as the Body:
But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body's growth in building itself up in love. Ephesians 4:15 - 16
In our individualistic society it's easy to reduce faith down to a personal preference or a private journey. But just as our bodies rely on our organs to work together to thrive, the Body of Christ relies on its members to work together to thrive. So whether we like it or not, we're part of a community and people depend on us. While I don't always feel like the "perfect" Christian, God wants to work through me - and you - to further His work here on earth.
Intersecting Faith & Life: We all have at least one person who acted as a vehicle of God's grace in our lives. This week, honor a pastor or teacher who was influential in your faith journey. If you're not already mentoring a younger believer, find a way to get involved. You don't have to be perfect!
Further Reading:
1 Cor 10: 17
Colossians 2:4-12
:angel:
September 20, 2011
Simon Says Walk by Faith
Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
Jesus said... "If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me."
Matthew 16:24
You remember how to play Simon-Says, don't you? It's probably been a few years. It's the children's game where a leader gives verbal commands that are to be followed if and only if they are preceded by an explicit statement of permission bearing the warrant of mighty Simon himself. Non-"Simon-Says" commands are worthless, and following them only gets you in trouble.
Aside from being fun (for a few minutes anyway), the game also helps kids work on motor skills, coordination, listening skills, manners, and respecting authority. But shhhh... don't tell them that.
I'm not convinced the game's so popular these days, as everyone's more interested in raising leaders than followers anymore, but I digress.
Let's just look closely at the three actions in the verse above, which begins not with "Simon Says," but rather "Then Jesus said..."
1) Turn Around ("let him deny himself..."). This is what denying one's self is all about. Repentance. Seeing things God's way. Going from darkness to light. Playing the fool for God. Even the notion of playing a child's game is apropos here, as we must not use our own adult human knowledge and wisdom to accomplish this step, but instead we die to self and come willingly in faith like a child.
2) Bend Over, Stand Up ("take up his cross..."). When you pick up the cross, you have to set down other burdens, the other things that you tend to think define "you." Taking up your cross does not equal the burden of being you, your identity. You are indeed unique, but each day you should take on something new from Christ that makes you more like Him.
3) Go Forward ("...and follow Me"). Following = sacrificial living. It's advancement toward a Kingdom goal. In Matthew 8:1 we find that when Jesus "had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him." He had just finished teaching them; they had received instruction from one who had no place to lay his head and was feeding thousands on mere loaves and fishes. Moving forward in the Kingdom can only involve putting others in front of self. Is it really all that foreign to us? People sacrifice all the time to climb ladders in their career and for other personal goals. Why not sacrifice without the ladders?
Intersecting Faith & Life: Is this verse, are these three instructions, hard, or easy? The answer depends on perspective. Quitting smoking looks easy to the non-smoker, but the smoker must take it one minute, one day, one step at a time. Losing weight is a manageable goal for most, but if the focus is on losing 60 pounds in the first day the dieter is fighting a losing battle. Make it your goal to Turn Around, Bend Over/Stand Up, and Go Forward one day this week and see where playing "Jesus Said" takes you.
Further Reading
Shoulder Your Cross
Refusing Directions
Matthew 10:38
:angel:
September 21, 2011
Stinky Kitchen Rags
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"...All our righteousness-es are as filthy rags..."
Isaiah 64:6 KJV
"Gross. Who left this rag in the sink full of dirty dishes?" I asked.
No answer.
I picked up the soaked, dripping, smelly, slimy, green towel from the bottom of the kitchen sink—pinching it with thumb and forefinger on the driest corner possible.
"Well, whoever it was, please hang it up next time instead of leaving it in the sink. Thank you," I said as I dropped the rag into a plastic bag before taking it outside to dry.
Isaiah 64:6 didn't come to mind at the time, but what a great reminder of what our self-effort looks like to God. "All our righteousness-es are as filthy rags," says the King James Version. (Yes, apparently, there's a plural for "righteousness.")
An article I read recently made this connection for me. The writer, Ann Dunagan, said:
We may think our own self-efforts help us earn "brownie points" with God. But, to Him, our human works are as worthless as stinky rags.
If we try to earn favor with God — instead of trusting in Jesus — it's like collecting yucky rags. The more they pile up, the more they stink and mildew.
Of course, the rags being referred to in Isaiah 64 are technically more 'unclean' in a biblical sense if you know what I mean (see notes on v. 6 here and here) than smelly kitchen rags, but the picture is clear.
Colossians 3:4 says that Christ is the believer's life. Our moment-by-moment mindset is to be Christ—His perfect life, death, resurrection, ascension, intercession for us, and promised return to rule forever.
If I lose that moment-by-moment focus on Christ and fall into sin, it does me no good to try to return to God with self-effort—that's like offering Him stinky rags. Only the cleansing sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross can make us righteous before God.
Hebrews 12:10 says that God disciplines us... "for our good, so that we may share His holiness."
And 1 John 1:9 assures us that "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
"If we have sin in our lives, and we go on, and God does not put His hand in loving chastisement upon us, then we are not children of God," so wrote Francis Schaeffer in chapter eight of his book True Spirituality.
He went on to make the point that God disciplines us not only that we may share in His holiness, but that—as Hebrews 12:11 says—we may have the "peaceful fruit of righteousness." God wants us to experience relational peace with Him, not just be right with a rule book. As a perfect Father, He deeply loves His adopted children.
"This is what we ought to expect," says Schaeffer, "Given the biblical teaching that God really exists, that He is personal, and He has a holy character."
If this is what God is... and if I have become His child, should I not expect that when I have sinned, when I have done what is the opposite of His character, I must go back to Him as a Person, and say I am sorry?
He is not just a doctrine, or an abstraction; He is a Person who is there.
The first step of restoration after I have sinned, then, is in exactly the same line [as in becoming a Christian]. I must acknowledge that I cannot live the Christian life in my own strength or in my own goodness. I must raise the empty hands of faith for God's gift—only the finished work of Christ in space, time, and history, back there on Calvary's cross is enough. I must bring the specific sin under the blood of Jesus Christ, by faith.
Everything rests upon the reality of the fact that the blood of Christ has meaning in our present life, and restoration takes place as we, in faith, act upon that fact in specific cases of sin.
When my heart condemns me and cries, "You've done it again," I am to believe God again as to the value of the finished work of Jesus Christ for the present.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
If you want a restored relationship with God, you can have it as His child. But not until you humbly call specific sin sin.
Ask God for the grace to stop trying to return to Him with the rags of self-effort, to see and confess any sin in your life to Him, and then—as Schaeffer says—raise the empty hands of faith, counting on the availability of the blood of Christ for forgiveness and restoration in this present moment.
For Further Study:
Read Hebrews 12 and 1 John 1
:angel:
The Spiritual Weed Whacker
Ryan Duncan, The Fish.com Editor
"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."- Matthew 6:34
Have you ever heard of the Kudzu vine? For all you botany fans out there, the Kudzu vine is a climbing, coiling plant that's earned a pretty dubious reputation In the United States. The Kudzu, you see, is an invasive species that's very, very hard to kill. It can resist pesticides, survive without soil for long stretches of time, and has tiny nodes that it uses to climb even difficult surfaces. A small portion of the Kudzu can latch onto a tree and continue to grow until it literally strangles the host plant and steals all its nutrients.
Like most invasive species, the Kudzu has no natural enemies, which allows it to grow relatively unhindered. This is particularly bad because the Kudzu vine is one of the fastest growing plants in the world, sometimes averaging feet a day. In fact, the Kudzu has devoured so many forests in the southern United States that it's been given the nickname "The Vine That Ate the South". It is, in short, one gigantic super-weed.
So, I bet you're asking "why the biology lesson?" In Matthew 13 Jesus tells his disciples the Parable of the Sower, and uses the image of weeds to explain how daily life can interrupt our faith.
"The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown." – Matthew 13:22
As a kid, I helped my parents with the gardening, and I learned two things about weeds. First, weeds always start out small, but if ignored they grow into something huge and hard to uproot. Secondly, weeds will always grow back. The same could be said about life.
If we let daily problems overwhelm us, our faith will wither and die, or if we allow ourselves to get too comfortable in our faith, we'll end up stunting our growth. Let Christ be your spiritual weed killer. Whether it's through Church, small group, or even a morning devotional, give God the opportunity to pull away life's distractions and teach you more about who he is.
The seeds are ready. What will your harvest look like?
Intersecting Faith and Life
How often do you take time to study Gods word? Does your schedule need improvement?
Further Reading
Psalm 55:22
:angel:
September 23, 2011
What's in a Name?
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it. Revelation 2:17, NIV
Growing up, I always wished for a "kinder, gentler" name.
With a last name like "MacCorkle," I'm sure you can imagine the kind of variations on a theme that I encountered during my formative years: MacDorkle, MacSnorkle, MacaDoodle, MacCorky-Snork. And so on.
I really didn't want to stand out and just wanted to blend in and have a "normal" name like everyone else. I remember thinking "Foster" or "Graham" or "Smith" might be nice and less conspicuous names. But, as I would later realize, changing your name is no simple task. It becomes a legal issue, whether you go to court to have it changed or (for the female set) whether or not you get married and take your husband's last name.
In the Bible, sometimes it took supernatural intervention to change names: Abram to Abraham, Simon to Peter and Jacob to Israel. In Genesis 32, we read:
That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two maidservants and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of Jabbok. After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob's hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. Then the man said, "Let me go, for it is daybreak." But Jacob replied, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." The man asked him, "What is your name?" "Jacob," he answered. Then the man said, "Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome." Jacob said, "Please tell me your name." But he replied, "Why do you ask my name?" Then he blessed him there. So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, "It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared."
Jacob's name being changed to Israel signified a turning point in his life. A spiritual crossroads. After wrestling with God, he had a new identity and a new purpose going forward. His name meant "prince with God," and his descendants were known as Israelites.
While I was wishing for a different last name as a child, I didn't realize that I, too, had already undergone a name change. It happened when I was three years old and accepted Christ into my heart. At that point, I became known as a Christian. "A child of God. An heir to the Kingdom. A member of a royal family and priesthood. And a descendant of Israel"(Eph. 3:6).
What about you? If you have not asked Christ to come into your life, are you ready for a new name today? Please visit Crosswalk's Who Is Jesus? section for help in taking this important step. And if you have already become a Christian, consider what your new name means to you.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Whether you have just become a Christian or have walked with the Lord for quite a while, you have a new name in Christ. Reflect on what your name—your identity as a believer—means to you. Does it define who you are? Ask God to help you to know who you are in him.
Further Reading:
Isaiah 62:2, NIV
1 Peter 2:9, NIV
Revelation 3:5, NIV
:angel:
September 26, 2011
Is Your Soul Healthy?
By Sarah Phillips, Crosswalk Family Editor
His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness... For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1: 3 – 8)
When I first became a believer, I was like the woman with the alabaster jar (Matt 26: 7). I loved much because I had been forgiven much. But as the years slipped by something happened in my life that happens to many believers: my gratefulness towards God's mercy transformed into frustration at my lingering sinful nature. I understood why I failed so greatly before knowing Christ, but it was difficult to accept my failings when I felt I should know better.
It's easy to beat yourself up, even run from God, when you fall. Out of frustration and shame, I have begged God to rid me of my sinful tendencies. Of course, God didn't instantly heal me with a lightning bolt, but answered me with a different kind of grace. The answer to my prayer came in the form of a Sunday school lesson on "holy habits," more traditionally known as virtues.
Practicing virtue is a lot like lifting weights – it's exercise that builds health in your soul. There are many virtues, but as we learned in class that day, the foundation of all virtues can be found in the four natural virtues or cardinal virtues. These were first articulated by Plato but hardly belong to Plato. They are part of what theologians call "natural law" – God's design for humanity woven into our beings since the beginning of creation. When a person cultivates these virtues in his or her life, they are cooperating with the Creator's design for the human soul.
It's important to note here that pursuing a virtuous life is not the same as trying to earn salvation. Our salvation is a gift that flows from God's grace. But in our Christian journey, it's important to do our part to improve our character so that we can grow in character and more accurately reflect Christ's goodness to the world. Now let's take a closer look at each cardinal virtue:
1. Wisdom: For wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her. (Prov. 8: 11). You've probably known people with book smarts who lack common sense. Or perhaps you know someone with street smarts who lacks knowledge. A person who has cultivated the virtue of wisdom can not only discern truth but has the ability to implement their insights appropriately in any given situation. According to scripture, characteristics of wise people include those who prepare properly for hard times (Prov. 21: 20), those who humbly heed instruction and correction (Prov. 9: 8-9), those who hold their tongues from saying foolish things (Prov. 10: 19), and those who fear the Lord (Prov. 14: 16, 1: 7). Because wisdom allows us to discern right from wrong, this virtue sets us up to practice all other virtues.
2. Justice: Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed (Isaiah 1: 17). Most of us have some sense of justice from a very early age when we yell, "It's not fair!" A just or righteous person gives to others what is deserved, keeps his word, and acts fairly even when no one is looking. According to scripture, a just person favors the innocent over the wicked (Prov. 18: 5), never accepts bribes (Prov. 17: 23), aids the poor, fatherless, and widows (Prov. 29:7, Is 1: 17), and experiences joy (Prov. 21: 15).
3. Courage: In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence (Prov 14: 26). While most of us associate courage with lack of fear, courage has more to do with fear put in proper perspective. A courageous person chooses right even when a decision is frightening or comes with personal cost. Among many traits, the courageous person exalts Christ (Phil 1: 20), holds on to God's promises (Acts. 27: 25), and gives an effective witness for Christ (Acts 4: 13). A person can not exercise any virtue for long without courage because sin often appears easier or more attractive than virtue.
4. Temperance: Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control (Prov. 25: 28). Temperance is an old-fashioned word for moderation. A temperate person exercises self-control, building a wall against unhealthy, sinful extremes. Among many qualities, scripture tells us that a temperate person does not gossip (1 Tim 3: 11), does not vent anger (Prov 29: 11) is respectable and able to take on leadership roles (1 Tim 3: 2), and is sexually pure (1 Thes 4: 2 -5).
So, are any of these virtues lacking in your life? I can see some areas where I am still weak. Thankfully, with God's grace and a few good decisions, we can grow in our effectiveness and productiveness for Christ.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Identify which cardinal virtue you struggle most with. Ask God for the grace to grow and make one positive change in your behavior this week that will help you develop this "holy habit."
Further Reading:
Matthew 25: 23
Ref: Kreeft, Peter. "Justice, Wisdom, Courage, and Moderation: The Four Cardinal Virtues". (c) 1986 Ignatius Press.
:angel:
September 27, 2011
What are You Drunk On?
Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
And they all continued in amazement and great perplexity, saying to one another, "What does this mean?" But others were mocking and saying, "They are full of sweet wine."
Acts 2:12-13
"These men are not drunk, as you suppose," Peter told the bewildered crowd at Pentecost. "This is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel." The Holy Spirit had been poured out, and I've always found it fascinating that its effects could be mistaken for the pouring out of, shall we say, less holier spirits.
To be sure, the Bible instructs Christ-followers to be "sober-minded" (1 Cor. 15:34, Titus 2:6). And there's honor and maturity in a steadfast, stoic reaction to life's trials. But then there's this fantastic scene in Acts that just fills me with tiny bubbles of delight. There's so much joy and power and overflowing involved with the Holy Spirit, that sometimes, well, we Christians just seem a little bit crazy. Flipped-out. Punch-drunk. Downright giddy.
And who wouldn't like to see more of that side of us these days?
Reflecting on this kind of Spirit-trusting, God-leaning fun reminds me of my three summers as a Christian youth camp counselor. The labor was hard but not in vain. The purpose was evident. The craziness was everywhere. "Go nutso-picasso," our Director would say, and show these kids that being a Christian isn't some droll, fun-killing existence, but something real, life-giving, sustaining, and joyous.
And indeed it was, and is. My closest friends and I had an odd high school experience, in that we had a hard time understanding why our peers found it so fun and/or necessary to involve alcohol - illegally, even - in their weekend plans. We were having more laughs and fun than we could imagine without any drugs. What were we filled with? Why didn't we need anything else?
Later, when I worked at camp, one of the things we would do is create a video of each week for the students to take home with them. One of the features on each week's video was a "blurb" from one of the counselors, an off-the-cuff, from-the-heart snippet of encouragement. I recently found the videotape of the week I was interviewed, and my response reminded me so much of what today's verse means to me, what real life under the guidance and excitement of the Holy Spirit is about. Here's what I said:
I think so many times in our youth groups back home we get tired of hearing the same things: don't drink, don't do drugs, don't have sex. And that's good advice to be sure, but why? So many kids here at camp and the ones I knew growing up weren't doing these things anyway; don't we have any more to offer them? Do we have any explanation for what is filling them, and what they can do with it? It just seems to me that those I've come across who are involved in these so-called "greater sins" are often engaging in them just to fill a void caused by, maybe, disobedience to parents, rebellion, lying, or a poor self-image. So what I like to do is show them that Jesus has given them everything they need to be content, secure, high on real life. And it takes a lot of energy to do that, but I find that the energy is there when I need it, and anyway, if it means leading a young person to the Lord or just reconciling someone to their parents, hey, that's worth it to me.
That's healing through a Holy infectiousness. Won't you take a sip and pass it on?
Intersecting Faith & Life: Are you in a prolonged stupor, or are you tipsy on the outpourings of the Holy Spirit in your life? What's holding this back? Is there a dam keeping the river from flowing forth out of you, keeping it fresh and alive? Take the first step to remove it by looking back to a time when you were first saved or relying entirely on God to do work in His Kingdom.
Further Reading
1 Corinthians 14:23
Acts 7:51
Expect the Holy Spirit to Work in Your Life
:angel:
September 28, 2011
Not What You Wanted?
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you?"
James 4:1
A holiday edition of the TV show "America's Funniest Home Videos" showed various children opening their presents on Christmas morning. Apparently, it's hard for many kids to see humor in getting an unwanted gift. Most of their reactions were, well... downright childish.
When the ribbons and paper were torn off, one child pulled out a new pair of socks, threw her head back and erupted in an angry sob. A matching outfit given to another child produced a tantrum across the floor followed by stomping footsteps up the stairs. Other children glowered with frowns and snarls. One even screamed at the parent holding the video camera, then hurled the unwanted gift back in his face. Not exactly the funniest home videos.
In contrast to all the immaturity and ingratitude came a bright ray of hope at the end of the montage as a little brown-haired girl in pink pajamas ecstatically jumped up and down with glee. She held in her hands a tiny chestnut and spun around to the camera exclaiming, "A nut! A nut! I got a nut! I don't know what kind it is, but I got a nut!"
James 4:1-6 says that sinful responses erupt from hearts that are controlled by overwhelming desires. They don't have to be sinful desires necessarily. The degree to which "harmless" desires become sinful is shown by what happens when things don't turn out as you hoped or expected. Whether it is irritability, or an angry tantrum or a sulking frown; sinful responses show that something in the heart has replaced God.
Notice verse 1 where James asks the question (paraphrasing), "Why are you so upset? What's the real problem in your heart?" And then he answers with divine wisdom, "I'll tell you what the matter is: it's your pleasures—your desires—that are waging war within you. And the result is sinful fights and quarrels."
Certainly, there's nothing inherently sinful about simply having desires in life. God created us to have desires. There are many good things to desire in life: having adequate food, clothing and shelter, having a happy marriage, getting a promotion at work, buying a nice car. There is nothing wrong with these kinds of desires... nothing inherently wrong, that is.
The problems come when, in our hearts, those desires turn into something else. The word translated as "lust" in verse 2 is actually "desire" with the added element of "strong craving." Epithumeo is not a word that necessarily means "lust" in the sexual sense. The idea conveyed in the original text is "you are controlled by desire." In other words, some desire—perhaps, even for a good thing—has gotten so wrapped around your heart, that it has become more important than God to you.
Whenever this happens, the result is sinful behavior. And the sin of the heart that must be confessed first in cases like this is no less than the sin of idolatry. False worship occurs whenever worship of the true God is replaced with the god of "my way."
What a peaceful contrast is painted in verse 6. God gives grace to the humble. That is, those who humbly submit their desires to God and trust Him as the sovereign provider of needs are given grace. Grace here is the desire and ability to obey God and respond in a way that pleases Him. Such recipients of grace are able, then, to deal with whatever happens—whether the present under the tree is a pair of socks, a cool skateboard, the keys to a new car, or a tiny chestnut.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Does your situation today resemble what you expected or wanted in life? What is your response to this?
Think back to a recent outburst of anger, or incident in which you showed irritability. Trace it back to the unfulfilled desire that had control of your heart. What was it that you wanted?
Ask God to reveal any desires seeking to control your heart so that you can humbly submit them to Him and release them to His sovereign care. Repent of any lingering idolatry. Ask Him for grace to deal with whatever happens. Trust Him to provide for your needs.
Further Reading & Listening
Isaiah 40:12-31
Listen to an example of what humility sounds like here
(Indelible Grace Acoustic "By Thy Mercy")
Thomas Watson, The Lord's Prayer
:angel:
September 29, 2011
Mind the Cannons
Ryan Duncan
"When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom." – Proverbs 11:2
Pop quiz: How much do you know about Hawaii? If you're anything like me, the only things that come to mind are beaches, palm trees, sharks, cruise ships, bigger sharks, Pearl Harbor, and really big sharks with lots of teeth. What you may not know about our 50th state is that before it became a part of the USA, there was a civil war in Hawaii between two rival chieftains.
Now, one of the generals in this war was a man named Kaiana. Kaiana was a seasoned warrior, and had gained a big advantage in the war by positioning his forces in some strategically well-defended areas. Kaiana was also a proud man, and he was known to display his rank among the soldiers by wearing bright clothing with many colors. Unfortunately, Kaiana failed to realize this would make him more noticeable on the battlefield, and the general met his end after being shot by a cannon.
The Bible has some pretty dire warnings about dealing with pride,
"Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be lowly in spirit and among the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud. Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is he who trusts in the LORD." – Proverbs 16: 18-20
Pride will always be one of the most difficult sins to guard against because it has a way of hiding behind the things we value. Perhaps you take pride in your athletic ability, but do you flaunt that ability over your teammates or use it to inspire them? Maybe you take pride in having a nice job with a high salary, but does that pride make you generous or arrogant? What about your appearance? Are you proud of the way you look, and if those looks were gone, would others still find you beautiful?
Take a lesson from Christ. He was the son of God, yet chose to lay down his infinite majesty to become a human. His followers could have been priests and princes, but he extended his hand in friendship to fisherman, foreigners and outcasts. He was the King of Kings, but the only crown he wore was made of thorns. Don't allow pride to shape who you are. God made you to be an amazing person, and trust me, his work is always better.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Are you letting pride influence your actions toward others? Take a moment to reflect and consider your attitude.
Further Reading
Psalm 62
:angel:
September 30, 2011
What Are You Hiding?
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Psalm 119:11, NIV
My parents enrolled me in a Scripture memory program at a very young age. I was only three years old.
I remember the very first memory book I had that was specifically for preschoolers. Each letter of the alphabet coincided with a verse:
A: "All we like sheep have gone astray."
B: "Be ye kind one to another . . ."
C: "Cast all your cares upon him for he careth for you."
D: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."
And so on . . .
My mother worked the most with me in helping me to memorize the allotted verses, and then I would recite them to a "hearer" at my church each week. A "hearer" was a neutral-party person, and in my case it was a fellow church member who happened to be the mother of one of my good friends. She was very kind and when necessary gently corrected me or prodded me along as I would recite my memory verses to her.
As I got older, in grade school, junior high and onward, I began to resent having to memorize Bible verses. It was just another "chore" in my weekly doings, another task to cross off the list. I also memorized Scripture at church: in Sunday School classes, in Pioneer Girls club, in "big church" and later on in the high school youth group and in other Bible studies.
They were just words to me during those years. I knew it was good that I was memorizing from the Word, but it just didn't mean a whole lot to me then. Seeds were being planted, but nothing was growing in my heart. Everything lay dormant.
Until . . .
Many, many years later, something began to happen. After living life my way, after numerous mistakes and poor life choices, I finally gave up and gave in to God.
"Lord, I know you can redeem the years I have wasted. Please invade my heart. Take over. Make something good out of the mess I've made."
And he did. Slowly but surely I began searching the Scriptures (hungrily and with desperation this time) to help me apply Truth to my life. And the verses I had memorized came back to me! The treasure that had been stored years ago had not been snatched away. It was still there, hidden in my heart. And it was growing! Perhaps I couldn't recall all of the references, but I knew the words. And I still do to this day.
Friends, the Bible is powerful. It is so worth your time. And it is our lifeline here on earth. If you want to see real and radical change in your life, if you're looking for hope in a hopeless world, if you desire to know who God is and if you want to share this Good News with someone else, then get in the Word and start hiding it in your heart.
I promise you this: as you draw closer to God in this way, he will draw close to you. And you will never be the same.
Remember Isaiah 55:10-11:
As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
It is never too late to start hiding God's Word in your heart. Begin with one verse a week. Write it on a sticky note and place it on the bathroom mirror in your house or the rearview mirror in your car. Speak it out loud, consider its meaning and ask the Lord to help you apply it to your life.
Further Reading:
Ephesians 6:17, NIV
1 Thessalonians 2:13, NIV
Hebrews 4:12, NIV
:angel:
October 3, 2011
Unfulfilled Desire
by Sarah Phillips, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
"I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4: 12 - 13
"For a long time I have not belonged to myself since I delivered myself totally to Jesus, and He is therefore free to do with me as He pleases." ~ St. Therese of Lisieux
Do you have unrealized desires? They have a way of burning up our insides, don't they? Perhaps you wish to be married, but year after year remain single. Or you wish for children, but remain childless. Or maybe you want to write books, but never make any headway.
Confusion and despair over unrealized desires feel the most intense when they seem natural and God-honoring. Doesn't the Lord want me to be married? Didn't He place in me this desire to be a pastor? Didn't God give me these gifts? So why do all the doors remain closed?
I've been noticing a theme lately in the stories of revered Christian heroes. Most of them had personal desires that were put on hold or even went completely unfulfilled - at least from the outside observer's perspective. Some of these desires seemed especially holy.
Take St. Martin of Tours for example. From an early age, this Christian convert's sole desire was to be a monk. But the laws in 4th century Rome required him be a soldier - an occupation that did not suite him well. Even after the military finally released Martin, his plan to dedicate his life to solitary prayer never played out as he hoped. Martin's unique spiritual wisdom drew crowds to him and ultimately, the beloved monk was ordained a Bishop against his wishes.
St. Therese of Lisieux is another example. This French beauty from the 19th century longed to be a Carmelite nun and a missionary. While Therese's first desire came true at the early age of 15, her second never did. At 22, tuberculosis limited her to her French convent.
Why does God allow some desires to go unfulfilled? There's no simple answer to that question, however, I think it's fair to say that when good desires lay dormant, God does important work through us that might not otherwise have been possible. Paul articulates this when he is torn between two holy desires: a desire for heaven and a desire to continue to build up the Church on earth. Through eyes of faith, he sees how God can work through both outcomes.
I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith Philippians 1: 23 - 25
The same peace we see in Paul can be found in the stories of countless Christians who set their personal preferences aside.
In her autobiography Story of a Soul, St. Therese reflected, "God cannot inspire unrealizable desires. I can, then, in spite of my littleness aspire to holiness." Therese recognized that her earthly desires really boiled down to a desire for God, and while her personal limitations frustrated her, they did not limit God's work in her life. Therese spent her remaining two years on earth "in the mission fields" by praying for and corresponding with missionary priests who drew much strength from her support.
St. Martin of Tours also accepted God's calling with peace in his heart. He made an excellent Bishop in spite of his introverted ways. The key to his contentment? His love for God enabled him to love needy souls more than his solitary lifestyle.
While it's hard to accept that our personal desires sometimes have to be put on hold, it's also incredibly freeing. I think if you had a chance to speak with Paul, Therese, or Martin they'd all agree that life is much more fulfilling when the Creator of the Universe is in control instead of our little selves. What desires can you hand over to Him today?
Intersecting Faith & Life: What dreams have been put on hold in your life? Think of ways God has worked for good in your waiting. Write down one (or more) blessings you may not have received had your original dreams come true.
Further Reading
James 4: 1
Psalm 37: 4
Realizing Your Dreams
:angel:
October 4, 2011
How I Came to Enjoy Raisins
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. -- 1 John 2:10
Worst advertising slogan ever: "Two scoops of raisins in Kellogg's Raisin Bran." Blech. But apparently it worked on my mother, who bought the stuff like it was going out of style, while referring to delicious breakfast desserts such as Lucky Charms and Crunchberries as "cardboard." So unfair. So there I sat, choking down my raisin bran, or even oatmeal cookies with raisins in them, always suffering the same horrible fate: the bran or cookie part would be chewed and swallowed before the gooey chewy raisins, leaving me a mouthful of not-nearly-as-tasty goop.
I despised raisins. Thought about writing Kellogg's and telling them that backing off to one scoop would be plenty (nothing like getting to the bottom of the bowl and finding no flakes, only 10 little black things. Ew).
Flash-forward a quarter century. I'm having a similar issue to the raisin problem with people. Specifically, I'm loathe to admit, some Christian people. No, I haven't been eating them, but sometimes, I do find us hard to swallow. Part of the problem, ironically, is my job! Here at Crosswalk we often receive angry emails from fellow Christians who don't like the movie we reviewed, the way we said something, the ad we ran, or the author we allowed to appear on the site. Criticism's fine, even justified; I just have a hard time when it comes with a "You call yourself Christian?" or a "Have you even read the Bible?" punch to the gut. Sometimes it feels as if we Christians are concerned more with hammering home universal truth no matter how bluntly, or railing against _(fill in the blank)_ than genuinely loving people and meeting needs. Of course, the obvious irony here is that I then, looking in the mirror, find myself in short supply on genuine love myself. Which is not where Christ wants any of us to be. In fact, in Revelation 12:10, the title "Accuser of the Brethren" is given to our enemy Satan at his judgment. Yikes. Do I really want to claim that monicker for myself?
So what does this have to do with raisins? Well, recently I discovered I kinda like the shriveled little things! I pack 'em for snacks, and eat them with the kids. I like the nutritional value, the fiber, the chewiness. What's changed? My tastes? No. The raisins? No. Not the packaging, not the flavor, not even my effort (I'm not choking them down because they're good for me, I genuinely like them). I realized that what has changed is my perspective. It didn't happen overnight, but about the time "Craisins" (dried Cranberries) came on the scene, I began enjoying all sorts of dried fruits. And here's what I noticed: I like cranberries, ergo I like dried cranberries. I like apricots, therefore I like dried apricots. I love grapes, so obviously I... hate raisins? That didn't seem to make logical sense. Maybe it was time to give raisins another try. Maybe I shouldn't even think of them as raisins. Maybe I should just think of them as "dried grapes!"
That may sound extremely silly... but it worked! I felt like I had come into the light. The texture was suddenly different. The way I savored them changed... everything. And a fun new world of food possibilities has re-opened to me, simply thanks to a different way of looking at something.
1 John Chapter 2 is all about Light, who it comes from, what it helps us do, and what it shows about us when we walk in it. Light is a perspective-changer. It reveals the true nature of hidden or darkened things. It doesn't change them, but it can and does change how they appear, how they are perceived, and the details we notice. Our verse today says, "Whoever loves his brother lives in the light," and I think it also works backwards: "Whoever lives in the light loves his brother." It's not going to be easy for me to see fellow redeemed sinners - especially the angry ones - as Jesus does, but it's clearly possible, and commanded, and in the raisin example it wasn't about my efforts anyway - just turning on a light.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Who's got your goat? Have you ever tried seeing that individual, group, or faceless internet personage in a different light, from a different perspective, or even as God sees them? Have you considered how you might look different to others in a new light? Try filling these blanks in for yourself: "I like ____(x)_____, therefore I like even __________ _____(x)_____."
Further Reading
John 1: 4-11
Light and the Nature of God, by Regis Nicoll
How to Deal with Angry People, by Gary Chapman
:angel:
October 5, 2011
Seven Habits of Truly Effective Living
by Alex Crain, Editor, Christianity.com
"They will still yield fruit in old age; they shall be full of sap and very green."
Psalm 92:14
The phrase, "begin with the end in mind" may sound familiar if you've read the popular life management book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. But even if you aren't familiar with the phrase (or the book), you get the general idea. Simply stated, before you begin a task or project, it's a good idea to ask the question "How do I want this to turn out?" This question helps sharpen your focus and should produce effective action. What is missing from the book, however, is the God-sized perspective that we see in Psalm 92.
If your only source of vision and motivation is the self, frustration will actually result; even though you may lead a life of effective action and reach your goals.
People typically envision the ideal life as one that's surrounded by beauty, valuable things, and great people. We want plenty of leisure time and the health to enjoy these things. But without God, such a life is depicted in Scripture as empty and deceptive. It is a self-absorbed dream that springs from a heart tainted by sin. If we are to be truly effective at living, we must humbly begin with God's end foremost in our minds.
In Psalm 92, the ideal end that God depicts for our life is that of being a righteous person who is filled with spiritual vitality. As Psalm 92:14 says, "full of sap and very green." Even at the end of life when the temptation to grumble and express radical selfishness is often the strongest, we are to be full of spiritual health. Instead of complaining, his lips are filled with praise—declaring that there is no unrighteousness in God, his Rock (v. 15).
The roots for such vigor of soul are woven throughout the preceding verses where we see seven habits of truly effective living unfolded. They are:
#1 Seeing thankfulness and praise to God as desirable, not as duty (v. 1).
#2 Focusing on God's lovingkindness in the morning and His faithfulness at night
(v. 2). For the righteous man, each day begins and ends with God, implying that God is central in his thoughts throughout the entire day. Literally, lovingkindness refers to God's covenant loyal love, which features His promise of salvation. The righteous person is not self-righteous, or just externally moral. Rather, he looks to God's promises and unchanging character as the basis for his right standing before his Creator-Judge.
Twentieth-century author, Francis Schaeffer, speaks of this in chapter eight of his book True Spirituality: "It is not honoring to the finished work of Christ to worry about [forgiven sins] as far as our relationship to God is concerned. Indeed, to worry about them is to do despite to the infinite value of the death of the Son of God. My fellowship with God is restored upon the basis of the value of the blood of Jesus Christ."
#3 Enjoying resounding music and singing for joy at God's great works (vv. 1, 3-4).
#4 Pondering the deep thoughts of God (v. 5)—that is, not being characterized by a shallow, pragmatic view of God that sees Him merely as a means to get other things.
#5 Praising the transcendence of God—declaring that God is the "Most High" who is above all His creatures. The righteous one realizes that man is in no way equal to God. Thus, he can never legitimately view God with suspicion or call Him into judgment (v. 8).
#6 Resting securely in the fact that, in the end, God will have the final say on all matters. He will deal justice to the enemies of righteousness (vv. 9-11).
#7 Depending continuously upon God for strength—for "fresh oil" (v. 10), knowing that yesterday's supply never carries over to today.
Perhaps you know an older believer who embodies these seven habits. My own 'eighty-something' grandmother, "Meme," is one such saint. At the time of this writing, she was in a hospital bed, and having serious health problems. But during a phone call with her, she talked to me not about her pain but about her delight in truths she read that morning in her well-worn Bible. She asked me about my family, my work, and what I've been reading and learning. She spoke of hymns and songs she had been singing throughout the day. Her prayer at the close of our conversation was full of gratitude and praise to the Lord, evidencing a deep, personal knowledge of and trust in God. While I listened, I thought to myself: This is what Psalm 92 is all about. Here is a person who, by God's grace, has learned to practice the habits of truly effective living.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Let's ask ourselves honestly: how regularly are these seven habits in Psalm 92 seen and practiced in my daily life? Given the way I am right now, will I spend my latter days of life on this earth in spiritual vitality? If not, what is the source of the problem? Do I not know God? Is there an idol in my life? Re-read habits 1-7 above to reflect again on what the psalmist delighted in.
Further Reading:
Philippians 2:12-18
Numbers 14
:angel:
October 6, 2011
Theocratic Bilateral Dispensationalism
Ryan Duncan, TheFish.com
For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. – 1 Corinthians 3:11
The immortal bard, Dave Barry, once wrote "The problem with writing about religion is that you run the risk of offending sincerely religious people, and then they come after you with machetes." All humor aside, I can't help but agree with Mr. Barry, especially where Christians are concerned. You see, we Christians have a habit of tangling our faith in things other than Jesus Christ. As a kid, I can remember my initial confusion when words like "Baptist", "Catholic", or "Calvinist" where added alongside "Christian". This didn't bother me much, they still meant Christian after all, but it surprised me how these words sometimes caused tension between believers.
Soon, other words started finding their way into the term "Christian". Words like Republican, Democrat, Moderate, occasionally Communist, Egalitarian, Complementarian, Theocrat, or Dispensationalist. Aside from being really confusing and hard to spell, these words caused more than one disagreement among Christians. The first disciples saw their fair share of division too. In fact, Paul dedicated most of 1st Corinthians to calling for unity within the Church.
I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. My brothers, some from Chloe's household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, "I follow Paul"; another, "I follow Apollos"; another, "I follow Cephas "; still another, "I follow Christ." Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul? I am thankful that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, so no one can say that you were baptized into my name. (Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don't remember if I baptized anyone else.) For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel--not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. – 1 Corinthians 10 – 17
I can just imagine Paul madly shaking some ancient Christian and yelling "DON'T YOU GET IT! IT DOESN'T MATTER! CHRIST IS ALL THAT MATTERS!" and he's right. As Christians, it is important that we be on our guard against false teachings, but it is equally important that we do not let ourselves become divided. God never meant for his children to become separated, and when we allow issues like denominations or political leanings to cause strife between us, the message of the Cross becomes obscured.
We were meant to be one body, one family, unified, as brothers and sisters. In his infinite grace, Christ called us to be Christians.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Are you letting political or personal issue keep you from loving fellow Christians? Read 1 Corinthians and reflect on Paul's words.
Further Reading
Psalm 133
:angel:
October 7, 2011
Are You There God?
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? Psalm 13:1, NIV
Are you there, God? I am hurting. Please be near to me.
I remember the first time I cried out like this to God. Really cried out from a place of pain and agony. Of confusion and of understanding that was little to none.
Still really just a child, I was only 17 and had just learned of what was really going on in my family. It apparently had been broken and troubled for many years. But I did not know up until then, and had been shielded from the truth.
In one afternoon, though, everything I had believed in—the image of a strong family unit I thought I knew and could trust in—all came crashing down. Like a house of flimsy cards.
A couple of years later, my parents would divorce. And this time of trial in my life would continue through many more years of grief, withdrawal, and searching for something or someone to offer comfort and heal my pain.
I dare say I felt a lot like David did in Psalm 13:
How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Look on me and answer O LORD my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death; my enemy will say, "I have overcome him," and my foes will rejoice when I fall.
Now David was in a serious time of trial when he wrote this. He was facing an illness, and his condition was dire. His enemies would have liked nothing more than to see him defeated (even unto death).
I know this feeling, too. In a different manner—but in the same reality—I was also asking to be delivered from my circumstances. From the horrible pain of the dissolution of my family as I knew it.
Whether divorce has touched you in some way or not, all of us have been through some sort of trial that has shaken us to the very core. That has rattled our bones. That has turned our lives upside down. Whether it be a broken relationship, the death of a loved one, the dashing to pieces of a dream, childlessness, defeat in your career or prolonged singleness . . . we all know what it means to lose something or to have a void in our lives.
During times like these, I believe that the Enemy would like nothing more than for our faith to die and for us never again to bear fruit. But it is during our trials that we must continue seeking God. For it is while our faith is being tested that we are being molded into the image of Christ.
As believers, we are advised many times throughout Scripture to expect trials. Yes, we will know both suffering and rejoicing as we walk with the Lord. We are promised as such. And whether we are just coming out of a trial, are currently in the midst of one or are unknowingly getting ready to go through one, we must cling to the knowledge that trials produce a faith that results in praise.
Never forget: God is there. He is good. He is sovereign. And he is in control.
But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the LORD for he has been good to me (Psa. 13:5-6).
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Like the old hymn says, "there is a balm in Gilead to make the wounded whole" (Jer. 8:22). Only God can heal us and bring us through. Let us cling to the knowledge that despite our trials, God sacrificed his Son for us and is worthy of our praise.
Further Reading:
1 Peter 1:6-9, NIV
James 1:2-4, NIV
:angel:
October 10, 2011
Trusting in God's Word
by Sarah Phillips, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
"Since many have undertaken to set down an orderly account of the events that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed on to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, I too decided, after investigating everything carefully from the very first, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus." Luke 1:1-3
Things are starting to rev up in the political realm again. One of the things I dislike most about politics is that when politicians speak, they often give us a spin on the truth. Most of us who care about particular issues end up immersed in hours of research trying to uncover the unbiased facts.
Thankfully, God and His Word do not operate on the same level as our political system.
I found some unexpected relief recently when I decided to do a little research on the life of St. Luke. The opening verses above are the first words recorded in Luke's gospel account. They are reasonable, straightforward words that show Luke approached his writing as a historian investigating and recording the facts.
A skeptic might respond, "Well of course an early disciple of Christ would say he is recording only facts. But how can we be sure?" Skeptics and believers alike might be interested in knowing that Luke's writings are so consistent and accurate, even secular, modern historians hold great respect for them.
So who was St. Luke? Well, historians generally agree that he is the author of the third gospel account and the Acts of the Apostles. His writings give us a glimpse into Christ's life and a vital record of the workings of the early Church. Biblical scholars aren't sure if Luke was Jewish or a gentile, but his gospel account certainly shows a special sensitivity to the gentiles, the poor, and sinners. Luke probably also had medical training -- scholars usually link the writer/historian with the Luke Paul refers to as, "the beloved physician." (Colossians 4: 14)
What else do we know about Luke? The Acts of the Apostles indicate he spent much of his adult life traveling with Paul, even sticking with Paul through his suffering and death (2 Timothy 4: 11). He also probably spent quite a bit of time with those who knew Jesus during His earthly ministry, including Mary, the mother of Jesus. After all, the Gospel of Luke is the "Christmas Gospel" – the only Gospel where we get the details of Gabriel's appearance to Mary and get unique glimpses of Jesus' boyhood. It's also the only gospel where we hear Mary, inspired by the Spirit, proclaim the famous Magnificat ("My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior..." Luke 1: 46 – 55).
But for all the facts Luke left us about Christ and His Church, he left very little information about himself. While we have details of the martyrdoms of many early followers, historians don't know how long Luke lived or how he died.
Of course, it's pretty safe to assume that Luke wasn't out to make a name for himself, but to make a name for God. And that's really where Luke's life and writings leave us – with yet another reminder that our confidence can rest securely with God and His Word. In a world that is always trying to sell us something, God gives us the wisdom we need to make the hard choices. In a world where words are often used to obscure the truth, God's Word cuts through the haze with profound, timeless truths. In a world where public figures cannot always be trusted, God works through His humble followers to restore our trust in Him.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Economies fluctuate and nations fall in and out of power. Put down the latest political commentary or turn off those negative news reports, and spend some extra time this week reading the eternal Word of God instead.
Further Reading
Matthew 22: 15 - 22
Faith, Not Fear: God and Wall Street
References: "St. Luke," "Luke the Evangelist"
:angel:
October 11, 2011
Mini-Miracles
Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
So they all ate and were filled. Mark 6:42
The title of my devotional today strikes me as oxymoronic. Miracles, after all, are defined as acts of God, amazing and marvelous events, and "seals of a divine mission" (Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary). Generally speaking, there's nothing small about them.
What I'm talking about then, are instances of heavenly intervention in the lives of believers that impact what we would consider "minor" areas of our existence, the things that cause us to make statements like: "It showed me that God cares about even the small things in our lives," always as if that's a profoundly shocking proclamation. Nobody ever responds by saying, "Well, duh..."
I think that's because it never stops being a mind-blowing concept - the Creator of the universe, who hears the prayers and praises of billions simultaneously and loves each one the same, provided, perhaps, just the right amount of money for a struggling single mom to buy her child a pair of shoes. It's not the parting of the Red Sea to preserve for Himself a people, or the resurrection of His son to purchase the redemption of humanity. It's, for lack of a better term, a mini-miracle.
I remember one time in our Adult Bible Fellowship class my friend Karen stepped in to teach our continuing series in Mark's gospel. We were in Chapter Six, focusing primarily on the Feeding of the 5,000. As she began her lesson, Karen admitted that she'd never quite been able to visualize this scene, or understand exactly what the miracle was meant to show. I mean, there is the lesson of provision, but the human body can go without food for quite some time. Jesus Himself fasted in the wilderness for 40 days (Matthew 4:1-4). So it's not like life and death were hanging in the balance if the people who had followed Him to this "desolate place" went without dinner that night.
It could be, Karen suggested, Jesus just didn't want the people to go away - He had just suffered the death of His cousin John the Baptist, and recently endured the "amazing unbelief" (Mark 6:6) of those from His hometown of Nazareth. It could be Jesus took immense delight in this multitude foregoing their bodily needs to attend to His Word. It very well could be our Lord simply wanted to do something "just for them."
Maybe, Karen said, that's why she always tended to overlook this miracle a little bit. "You know how sometimes when God does something that you know was 'just for you,' and you tell someone else about it, and they're like, 'That's cool and all,' but it just doesn't carry the same meaning for them?"
I knew exactly what that was like, and I liked where she was going. I could see an even greater personalization in mini-miracles, in God drawing delight from blessing our socks off in ways that speak to our individual hearts. The idea also gave me greater permission to attribute to the Lord all sorts of transpirings that I had chalked up to my own efforts, happenstance, or even worse, had gone without noticing.
If, for instance, I told you about the time we thought we'd lost my wife's keys - including several costly ones - only to find them sitting precariously on a single steel beam of the trailer behind our moving van, maybe you'd respond the way my friend Scott did: "You got lucky, dude." Yeah, well, that's why Karen says sometimes these events are "just for us." I saw those keys, I knew the bumpy route we had traveled, I was astounded, I was humbled. I decided that giving credit to the Lord for things that bless you is never wrong, as suggested by James 1:17.
I just don't do it enough.
I wonder how many mini-miracles I've missed out on by being impatient, angry, or inattentive. Donald Miller, in Blue Like Jazz, has Moses tell those worshipping the golden calf: "Your problem is not that God is not fulfilling, your problem is that you are spoiled" (92). Romans 1:20 would seem to indicate that the Lord's hand is evident everywhere - "people can clearly see His invisible qualities." I like that verse very much, because I like to think of myself as on the lookout for God.
But that brings me to the other ways to miss miracles - by not accepting them or expecting them, by resenting them or wanting to earn them. I quote from Blue Like Jazz again, where Miller admits, "I love to give to charity, but I don't want to be charity. This is why I have so much trouble with grace" (84).
Intersecting Faith & Life: Can we get past the affront of accepting a free gift? If we can, we might see the Lord trying to say through the Feeding of the 5,000 and even today, "Here I Am, stay here, spend more time, no need to go away, please accept this, put yourself in My hands, keep your eyes open, I love you."
After all, says Matthew 7:11, "If you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him?" (Matthew 7:11). Mini-miracles are the treats God brings home to His kids, those who seek him with childlike faith, those who consider themselves "the little things in life." Well, duh...
Try bringing something small home to a loved one today to remind yourself of how much joy the Lord gets from giving.
:angel:
October 13, 2011
For Rainy Days
Ryan Duncan, TheFish.com
"And the ransomed of the LORD shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away."- Isaiah 35:10
Recently, my Small Group decided to take a weekend retreat down to the east coast. I've got to say, I was pretty excited. In the days leading up to the weekend I couldn't help but imagine hanging out at the beach, playing some football with the guys, and grilling copious amounts of meat for evening meals. When Friday finally rolled around, we loaded up our cars and made the two hour trip down to the coast where we had rented our cabin. Well, it rained. All weekend.
It wasn't the fun kind of rain either, the kind where if you get a few people brave enough you can run around outside like maniacs until you're soaked. No, this was the cold, unrelenting, kind of rain that makes you want to crawl back in bed and hibernate for a week. So I was a little surprised when Stephanie, one of the girls in our group, announced that she wanted to get baptized. She had planned on doing so at the beginning of the trip, and decided that she was going to follow through despite the weather.
She couldn't have picked a more miserable day. The sky was gray, the sea was white and foamy, and as we stepped onto the beach, I knew it would only be minutes until we were all close to freezing. I remember watching Stephanie and her friend wading into the sea and thinking that when I got baptized it would be somewhere tropical and sunny. But when Stephanie broke the surface, the joy on her face seemed uncontainable. You couldn't help smiling with her as she climbed out of the water.
Suddenly the sky didn't seem so gray, the rain wasn't so bad, even the wind, which was just as cold as ever, didn't bother me so much. It was one of those moments where you knew God was there. Life is full of bad moments and rainy days, and it's tempting to think God doesn't care when cloudy skies remain the same. But here's the thing about God, you never know him better than after he's taught you to laugh in the rain.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Take a moment to find Joy in the life God has given you.
Further Reading
Psalms 16:11
:angel:
October 14, 2011
Getting My "Belay On"
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. Psalm 121:3-4, NIV
Recently I went indoor rock climbing with my friend.
I met Lindsey and her family early on a Saturday morning and was dressed appropriately. Not-too-snug pants? Check. Long-ish shirt that just about covered the bum? Check. No aversion to wearing rented-out climbing shoes that might be stinky and have been worn by hundreds, possibly thousands, of others? Check.
I was almost ready to rock and climb!
So then I stepped into the harness (like an airy, seatbelt-looking set of briefs). Next, I clipped myself to the belay device which was secured to the floor. And then my friend Lindsey took on the role of belayer while I was the climber.
"On belay?" I asked. "Belay on," she replied, as I learned is the customary verbal safety exchange between climbers. And then I began my way up the wall, Spidey-style, with one toe in one tiny foothold at a time. It was pretty exhilarating, I must say. And from time to time I would pause to make sure I was making a good judgment call as to where to place which hand and where to wedge each toe. But should I have fallen, I knew that the rope (and the belay device) would have caught me . . . even if Lindsey wasn't holding on to the rope or taking out the tension. I trusted that I would be held secure come what may.
Soon, I safely made it to the top of the wall, smacked the pole on the ceiling as a sign of "victory," and indicated I was ready to come down. I let go of the wall, and tapped my toes lightly against the wall all the way as Lindsey gently let me down.
It was a great start. But then it was my turn to be on the ground and for Lindsey to climb. Suddenly I didn't like all of the responsibility that I was about to take on. All of the instructions that she gave me started swimming around in my head. I even had the guidance of her sister (who had competed in rock climbing events for years!) right next to me. But I was still afraid that I might forget something or do something that would harm Lindsey while she was climbing up the wall. I didn't trust myself or my lack of knowledge and expertise.
Once Lindsey was safely back down, and I had sweated a bucket, I quickly said, "Yeah, I don't want to do that again." And after we all had a good laugh, I proceeded to climb a few more walls before I said my goodbyes and left the gym.
Driving along on my way back home, I pondered what had made me feel so uneasy about being responsible for someone else . . . and why it had felt so much easier and freeing to climb when someone else had my back.
And that was it. I realized that because there was someone else—someone who was an expert and knew better—who was holding on to the rope, watching my every move, ready to release or hold the lever at any given moment and shouting out words of encouragement or guidance to me, I was able to relax and just enjoy the thrill of the climb and concentrate on whatever step I was on or planning on taking next.
It seems so simple. Because it is.
Just like my relationship should be with God, because he has already promised that he will watch over me. And when I'm not in control, then I am free to follow his instruction. I am unencumbered by excess this, by fiddling with that, by worries, by fears, by wondering if I'll ever be able to do everything correctly and make sure everything turns out "right" in my life.
But thankfully as his child, God's got my "belay on." And he is all the protection I will ever need.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Who's got your back in your life? Or rather, who's got your "belay on"? Is it you? Or is it something or someone else? Bottom line, wherever you are putting your trust will tell you a lot. Ask God to help you let go and "climb" with freedom. If you are his, then he's got your back and will always have your "belay on."
Further Reading:
Crosswalk.com's "Who Is Jesus?" section – to learn more about freedom in Christ
"Leaning on the Everlasting Arms" (1887)
Words: Elisha A. Hoffman
Music: Anthony J. Showalter
What a fellowship, what a joy divine,
Leaning on the everlasting arms;
What a blessedness, what a peace is mine,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.
Refrain
Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms;
Leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms.
O how sweet to walk in this pilgrim way,
Leaning on the everlasting arms;
O how bright the path grows from day to day,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.
Refrain
What have I to dread, what have I to fear,
Leaning on the everlasting arms;
I have blessed peace with my Lord so near,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.
Refrain
:angel:
October 17, 2011
Our Love Should Be Ridiculous
by Stephen Sanders, Salem Web A/V Editor
Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Romans 12:10
Every once in a while, you meet a Christian who just flat out makes you feel good about life in general. It doesn't happen probably as much as it should, but nonetheless, it's always nice to see. Even though it may just be a brief encounter, you leave that conversation feeling important, hopeful and restored. Sometimes, it's even so powerful that it inspires you to become a better person.
I recently had an encounter with a certain pastor who just flat out blew me away with the way he carried himself. This was actually my 2nd time meeting him, and I just can't describe the attitude of this man. His love for God and love for people was simply contagious. Everyone in the room was just so peaceful and complimentary after he left. I found myself wanting to be more like that because, well, I'm not.
Showing "brotherly affection" towards others is not something that comes naturally for me. I tend to make a lot of excuses when it comes to being more outgoing and more loving. After all, it's much safer to just ignore people I don't know or have things in common with. That makes perfect sense, right? It's wiser to just let someone else share God's love with them; someone who can "minister to them more effectively than I."
God continues to deal with me about this on a daily basis. Not only is displaying love towards one another one of the chief commands of the Christian faith, but it's the core of who Jesus Christ was while he was on earth in the flesh. It's easy to assume that Jesus would have gotten along easier with the "church folks," but He actually spent all of His time with tax collectors, prostitutes and such; people who He had absolutely zero in common with.
The religious people of that day mocked Jesus for loving the way He did. Jesus' love was ridiculous.
I've been studying the heck out of the book of Romans lately. It's been great because I've begun to see this continuing contrast between the "church folks" and the "actual church" that Paul was ministering to in those days. The "church folks" were so proud of the list of regulations that defined who they were and set them apart from the society in which they lived. The "actual church" simply grabbed hold of the free gift of Christ and displayed it openly to that same society. The "church folks" disqualified others from becoming God's Chosen because of what they were unwilling to do. But the "actual church" made no assumptions about who could and could not be "saved."
The early church let the good news of the cross speak for itself... and they would scream this truth to everyone... everywhere... .even if it meant dying a gruesome death. Their love was ridiculous.
In today's culture, self-sacrificial love to the point of death sounds just as extreme as it did back then. So many of us make excuses as to why we don't need to love like that. Christians and church doctrines manage to create unwritten laws that shield us from having to actually love like the Spirit of Christ so desperately wants us to. We take specific scriptures and turn them into shield for our own protection. Take Romans 12:1-2 for example:
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Until recently, I'd only recognized this scripture as an instruction to "beware of society and it's influences." And it's true that the world does things way differently than the Holy Spirit does. But I've always overlooked the importance of "test and discern what is the will of God." You see, we cannot "test the will of God" if we are so far removed from society that we are out of touch. The same "enemy society" that we are to not become influenced by is also the same exact place where God has strategically placed us to seek His will for our lives and display the gifts and talents He has placed in us.
Sound impossible? It's really not... it just takes a ridiculous love for this lifestyle to be functional.
In actuality, it may appear to many as being very dysfunctional. But that's okay! This Christian walk was never meant to be something that caused us to take ourselves more seriously than we ought to anyway. To tell you the truth, Jesus said that the "actual church" would "confound the wise and shame the strong." So don't be afraid to be excessively full of life, hopeful, positive and patient when others try to make that difficult to do. Look for excuses to just randomly meet the needs of others... especially your enemies! That's love... that's the sort of thing that everyone, Christians and non-Christians, long for deep down inside. That's what the love of Christ is all about.
I'm challenging myself (and you) to reach out in some way to someone every single day... starting today. God has radically changed our lives. He has given us something that is more valuable than anything. It's time we share it, not from a soapbox or inside our church walls, but in the every day hustle and bustle of where we already exist...
...and be proactive because, chances are, if you don't then no one else will.
For further study, read Romans Chapter 12.
:angel:
October 18, 2011
Is Suffering Inevitable?
Shawn McEvoy
For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong.
1 Peter 3:17, NAS
Suffering. It's not standard daily devotional fare, because let's face it, usually we want to begin or end our day being uplifted, or even better, lifting up God, rather than focusing on our pains and problems.
But there's the rub... we all have pains and problems. Christian and non-Christian. Lifelong disciple and baby believer. Red and yellow, black and white. Everyone, from the moment he or she was born, has struggled, tried, failed, hurt, sinned, misunderstood, and reacted. Humanity shares a true brotherhood over suffering, one that we might understand a lot better if suffering weren't also so relative. By which I mean, one person's issues may sound simple, easy-to-solve, even petty to another. "That's nothing compared to what I've had to endure!"
But the fact is, your sorrows and difficulties are real to you. It's one reason why I'm no fan of when people say a certain place or time in their lives isn't "the real world," as if the spot they are currently tucked away at is immune from any degree of difficulty.
Suffering is very real, and there's certainly no reason any Christian would expect life to be otherwise. We purport to follow a "Suffering Savior." His stripes have healed us, and wow do we seem to feel them sometimes, which is as it should be, as we deserved them instead of Him. If we agree that no person but one - no matter where they lived or how easy or hard they had it - has escaped sin's corruption, then how much more must we agree that truly NO person has escaped suffering?
Look at what Peter suggests in today's verse: you can suffer for doing good, or you can suffer for doing bad. By extension, some of the problems in your life may be a result of your own rebellion, while other hurts may naturally result from walking so closely with Christ that you ache at the injustice and hardship around you, with the world despising and persecuting you.
In the classic allegory Hinds' Feet on High Places, Much-Afraid journeys with companions named Sorrow and Suffering, and these two assist her in her climb up the Injury Precipice, which is a part of her transformation into "Grace and Glory."
The same is true for you. Your sufferings have informed you, educated you, helped you along in your journey. You may despise them, but they are yours. And they will be with you whether you are doing right, or not. Of course, the nature of them will be quite different.
There may be one way, though, to avoid suffering. There's a third option, left out here by Peter, but not left out by John in the Revelation. It's the lukewarm response to life, the do-nothing approach. This is the approach that cocoons itself off from life and all of its pain. And make no mistake, "Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something," says that famous theologian the Man in Black in The Princess Bride.
You may not feel anything from inside a cocoon; in fact, it may be an abundance of pain and suffering that forced you in there. But remember, no creature that cocoons itself is intended to stay locked up forever. The point is to be rested, healed, matured, transformed. To become more beautiful, useful. Even the emerging process itself carries a degree of struggle, but one that, if the insect did not go through itself, would leave it too weak to fly.
So be lifted up in your suffering today.
It is a companion.
It is designed to transform you.
It gives you a share in the inheritance of Christ and the brotherhood of humanity.
And it gives you empathy, which gives you every excuse for ministry.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Make it your goal to partake, as much as possible, only of the brand of suffering that comes from doing what is right according to God's Word.
Further Reading
God's Undeserved Gift to the World: Christian Sufferers
Trusting God in the Darkness
:angel:
October 20, 2011
You Can Do This
By Ryan Duncan, TheFish.com
Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. – Luke 6:30
Every other day, just after finishing with work, I head to the gym and spend some time exercising. I like to work out. It's a great way to stay healthy and burn off stress at the same time.
My routine is pretty simple. I start by running on a treadmill, then I wander around the free-weight section for a variety of exercises. Finally, I try to finish off by swimming a few laps in the pool. When it's over I always feel tired and sore, but good that I completed such a full workout.
One day, I was invited to work out with a friend of mine. As we made our way around the weight room, my friend stopped at the bench press and placed two huge weights on the side of the bar. Immediately, I became nervous. I had done the bench press before, but never with that much weight. I wasn't sure I'd be able to lift it. Pride got the better of me though. Instead of saying something, I just braced myself and lifted the bar with all my strength.
To my surprise, it wasn't that heavy. Sure, it took more effort than usual, but I realized my continuous workouts had made me a lot stronger. I had underestimated my own strength.
I think Christians can sometime have the same problem when it comes to their faith. We keep telling ourselves we are not ready, that we need just a little more time to prepare ourselves. We underestimate our ability to be of service to God. Take a moment to read this excerpt from the book of Acts.
After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them. – Acts 18: 1-3
Acts continues to explain that while Paul ministered in Corinth, Aquila and Priscilla opened their home, helped with his teaching, and even followed him on some of his travels. Now read the verse again. Aquila and Pricilla weren't anything special, they were tent makers. If anyone had an excuse to think they weren't ready for ministry, it was them. Instead, they gave what they had while serving where they could and God did amazing things through them.
So, instead of wondering if you ready to serve, ask yourself what could you do to serve?
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Take a moment to review your strengths. How can these be used to serve God?
Further Reading
Proverbs 21:26
:angel:
October 21, 2011
Finding Your Calcutta
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
"I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." Matthew 25:40, NIV
In Finding Calcutta: What Mother Teresa Taught Me About Meaningful Work and Service, college professor Mary Poplin tells her story of volunteering for two months in Calcutta, India, with Mother Teresa and the Missionaries of Charity.
It was the summer of '96, and being a new Christian, Mary was on a quest to explore all the parts of the body of Christ and to understand what it means to serve Christ as his follower. But never before had she been so close to such outward poverty or exposed to the "least of these"—those who no one else wanted to help.
During her time working in a home called Shishu Bhavan, Mary cared for children ranging in age from newborn to 10 years old—some were handicapped or deformed, others were sick with illnesses such as malaria or tuberculosis, and still others had mild forms of retardation. While helping these helpless, needy little ones, she came to realize that not all poverty is apparent to the human eye.
"Mother [Teresa] told me how people in the West are poor," she says. "In fact, she considered us the poorest of the poor spiritually because our physical comfort makes us believe we do not need God and our busyness makes us ignore him."
After her two-month stay—and with new eyes—Mary was able to clearly see the meaning of Mother Teresa's words: "Find the sick, the suffering and the lonely right there where you are. You can find Calcutta all over the world, if you have eyes to see."
But where was Mary's "Calcutta" and where was God calling her? How was she supposed to find it back in the comfortable and wealthy United States—where most of us never think we will encounter the "poorest of the poor"?
Mary says, "Often people teach that to know our calling, we must know our spiritual gifts, desires, opportunities and special skills. Clearly, these are useful. However it is perhaps even more the case that our crises and grievings reveal our call."
Her crisis of faith came as a result of her involvement in higher education. Like many of her colleagues, for years she had believed that Christianity was oppressive and the root of most social ills in the world. But through various measures—and a fellow professor whose life lived before her was a powerful testimony and whose "deep peace" disconcerted her—she opened her life to Christ.
At this point, it's not hard to figure out where Mary would eventually find her Calcutta. Upon her return home, her watershed moment came when she was asked to speak about her time with Mother Teresa before an annual conference of women school administrators.
While standing before her peers—and with the tears flowing freely—she knew at that moment that she was called to reach the university world with the love and truth of Christ. It was the very same world where God had revealed himself to her!
And it was there that Mary found her Calcutta.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Where is your Calcutta? As close as your home? Perhaps next door? Maybe further down the road at your workplace? Or even on a mission field miles away? If we empty ourselves, God can reach hearts and minds through you and me. Ask him where "your Calcutta" is today so that you may live out the love of Christ to the physically—and spiritually—poorest of the poor.
Further Reading:
Matthew 5:14-16, NIV
Romans 10:15, NIV
:angel:
October 24, 2011
A Messy Life for God
by Sarah Phillips, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens opened and the Spirit descending upon him like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, "Thou art my beloved Son; with thee I am well pleased." Mark 1: 9 – 11
Have you ever read the biography of a great Christian, a man or woman who dedicated all to the Lord, and felt inferior? I have. It seems I am too normal and too flawed to live such a life. I am not as bold as St. John the Baptist or as eloquent as St. Thomas Aquinas. I don't have a radical story like Mary Magdalene, or a dramatic calling from heaven like St. Paul.
And yet deep down, I yearn to imitate "the greats" – those who loved God so much, it spilled over into every aspect of their beings. So, I was encouraged when I cracked open a book my discerning uncle gave me - a book titled The 33 Doctors of the Church by Fr. Christopher Rengers -- to discover that some of the most noteworthy Christians in Church history were quite normal.
The book's title doesn't refer to the kinds of doctors we associate with medicine but profiles those Christians who, over the centuries, proved themselves to be exemplary docere (Latin for "teachers") of Christian doctrine. Familiar names like Augustine and Thomas Aquinas are among this group, but so far one obscure Doctor stands out to me: St. Gregory of Nazianzus.
Born in 4th century Asia Minor to a family of devout believers, Gregory enjoyed blessed beginnings – excellent education, financial comfort, and great Christian friendships. But like St. Nicholas, Gregory faced a Church fraught with controversy and confusion from the Arian heresy. By the time Gregory was ordained a priest in his 30's, so many had fallen away from true faith in the divinity of Christ that an alternative Arian church hierarchy had been established.
The faithful needed bold teachers of the truth to help them understand Christ's real identity and to heal the wounds of division. But "bold" didn't exactly describe this sensitive, reluctant saint. Gregory suffered from great inner turmoil over his vocation as a pastor, feeling his zealous father had pressured him into being ordained. Only after months of solitary prayer following his ordination did he embrace the responsibilities of his ministry.
Even after Gregory accepted his calling, he struggled throughout his life to accept certain leadership roles, often retreating into solitude to study or in some cases, nurse wounded emotions. One of his greatest struggles occurred when his best friend, St. Basil, appointed Gregory bishop of a very undesirable region, leaving Gregory feeling exiled and useless. The damaged friendship between these two great men never fully healed.
In spite of Gregory's weaknesses and relational rifts, God worked through his sensitive and solitary nature to raise up one of the greatest theologians in all of history. St. Gregory played a key role in converting powerful Constantinople from the Arian heresy, risking his life to shepherd the pathetically small community of believers. While other theologians wrote formal, lengthy treatises on Jesus Christ, Gregory was gifted at integrating and articulating truth in a way that reached both the scholarly and the unscholarly. Fr. Renger writes that he made "true doctrine live in the minds of his audience," and the result was a flourishing church where the faith had once almost been lost. Renger goes on to describe Gregory's lasting theological influence on the early Church:
"St. Gregory of Nazianzus was given the title of 'The Theologian' or 'The Divine' (the theologian) because of his skill and eloquence in upholding the truth of the Divinity of Christ. The title did not have the more exclusive meaning it now has, but it attests to his reputation in the early Church... History has given this title only to St. Gregory of Nazianzus and St. John the Evangelist. In the case of St. Gregory, perhaps it is God's way of giving earthly glory to a man who had shunned glory, who hated pomp and display and whose life was marked by recurring flights to the world of solitude, as well as by somewhat pathetic returns to the call of insistent duty."
Gregory's orations and writings inspired and influenced scholars for hundreds of years after his death, and we still use some of his key words when describing the profound relationship of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit today.
Reading about St. Gregory's life has given me much to ponder about living for God. Gregory, like so many other faithful Christian heroes, was a normal man with real emotions. Yet God worked through the messiness of life to accomplish great things through him. While Gregory's sensitive spirit may have been a shortcoming in some arenas, it became one of his greatest strengths in bringing the Gospel to the world.
Gregory's story is also a reminder that there is no utopian Christian community, no perfect pastor or church unaffected by sin. Even the "greats" had relational problems. At the same time, God often works through fellowship with one another to help us reach our full potential.
Intersecting Faith & Life: What are your weaknesses and shortcomings? What ways can they become strengths when submitted to the grace of God? What ways can you show grace and godly love to others who, in their own weaknesses, have failed you?
Further Reading
Romans 12: 6 - 8
:angel:
October 25, 2011
Elbows & Ears
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
I will redeem you with an outstretched arm.
Exodus 6:6
Be merciful to me and hear my prayer.
Psalm 4:1
Once, when my son was just shy of three, he informed his mother he was drawing a picture of God.
"Oh... What does God look like?" she asked.
"Well, I put some elbows and some ears," he replied, and he went back to his work.
I was told that story when I came home from work. Cute, I thought. Not exactly as awe-inspiring as Ezekiel's vision, but sounds like a weird picture. I mean, where is the face?
"The face of the Lord is not one you could look upon" (Exodus 33:12-23), came the voice inside my head.
Where are the hands and feet?
That's you.
Oh yeah, that's true...
So... elbows and ears, huh?
Well, I guess God does reach us, and move us, and nudge us, and hold up the light to our paths. As Wayne Watson sang, "No one in this world can slip beyond the reaches of the long arm of the Lord."
And I know he hears us. He created us for fellowship. He desires praise and prayer. He's absolutely listening. He can even hear things we don't even know we're saying. As Steven Curtis Chapman sang, "The cross should have been mine, But His love broke through time, And heard my heart's cry."
So in one statement about one drawing by one child, I had digested a complete meditation on the nature of God, who He is and what He does, even what He leaves for us to do. As Casting Crowns sang, "If we are the body... Why aren't His hands healing... Why aren't His feet going?"
Intersecting Faith & Life: Consider today what part of the body you are playing, and what other parts (eyes, mouth, shoulders, etc.) describe what you know about the character of your God.
Further Reading
Video: "Proof" Most of us have thought how much easier it would be to follow God if we could just see Him once. The truth, though, is that He is all around us...
Matthew 5:8
:angel:
October 26, 2011
Where True Worship Is Found
Alex Crain, Christianity.com
"Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10.
As a worship leader for my local church, I confess that weekly service planning and preparation can become routine at times. This week, I had one of those days of "worship-less worship planning." Not proud of that fact, but I too often rely on experience, which has taught me how to put songs together for congregational singing. I easily get focused on the human activity side of things and forget the Holy Spirit. Change keys here. Do this musical transition there. Go into a refrain of old hymn and then back into the contemporary chorus that we started off with... In a way, I somehow think my role is to charm people into a 'worshipful' frame of mind.
This week, as I was thinking ahead to this coming Sunday and getting into planning mode, I found myself going on autopilot again. Then I recalled something: "Worship is found not in stained glass windows, candles, or altar pieces, not in experiences, but in communion with the God who is there—communion for eternity, and communion now with God as Abba Father."
It wasn't an audible voice. (I have suspicions about those.) Rather, it was something I'd stumbled across in chapter 10 of Francis Schaeffer's True Spirituality (p. 317). By the way, when he says 'communion' he's not talking about taking the bread and cup of the Lord's Supper. He's talking about simply being with God, enjoying His presence, and knowing His blessing through faith in Christ. Again: "Worship is found not in stained glass windows, candles, or altar pieces, not in experiences, but in communion with the God who is there—communion for eternity, and communion now with God as Abba Father."
Too often, communion with God is something that is assumed by me in my planning. I wrongly assume that the awareness of this blessing and unbreakable relationship with God is cultivated by every believer who comes to worship. I say 'wrongly' because I know of the numerous times that I, myself, fail to rely on God's grace and be in regular communication with Him. I don't intend to roll out of bed and into a church service with just about the same degree of preparation as I would for a ball game or a concert, but that's exactly what I do at times.
"Be still and know that I am God," says the Lord in Psalm 46:10.
By God's grace, I need to resist the urge to justify my role as a worship leader by planning out every second. Not to be formulaic and reactionary, but this week, I'm allowing for indefinite times of silence and stillness. If we do less activity, make less noise, and acknowledge the presence of the God who is there, true worship can be found by just that—being still and knowing that He is God.
Intersecting Faith & Life
Today, fight the impulse to let distractedness and the hectic pace of life dictate your soul's lack of calm and quiet dependence on God.
For Further Reading
Psalm 46
Isaiah 57:15-21
:angel:
October 27, 2011
Lean on Me
Ryan Duncan, TheFish.com
"Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." – Ecclesiastes 4:12
A few months ago I got in a car accident on my way to the gym. Thankfully, no one was hurt, but my car, which I had only owned for a few months, was completely totaled. This left me with a really big problem. I now had no car, and no money to buy a new one. With no other options, I made that last, painful move that only desperate men can bare to make. I called my parents.
After playing phone tag for a few days, it was decided that in two weeks my mother would come down to visit and in that time she'd help me search for another car. Until then, I'd have to make do asking friends for help getting around. Now, let's be clear on something; I hate asking for help. Overall, I think our culture puts a lot of emphasis on being independent. From an early age we're taught you should deal with problems on your own, and that if you ask others for help, it's a sign of weakness.
For me, it had been humiliating enough asking my parents to bail me out, and the thought of asking friends to chauffeur me around drove me completely nuts. So, I started walking everywhere I could manage. It got to the point where I'd walk two miles just to go work out at the gym, and it was only after eating a dinner of ramen noodles and peanut butter that I finally broke down and asked someone to take me to the grocery store. Things probably would have continued going like this, but then one of my friends shared a story with me from the book of Exodus,
"Moses said to Joshua, "Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands. So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses' hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up--one on one side, one on the other--so that his hands remained steady till sunset." - Exodus 17: 9-13
I can't help but wonder what would have happened if Moses had been too proud to let others help him. I mean, he was the leader of the Israelites, there must have been enormous pressure for him to put on a strong face, but instead he brought others to that hilltop because he knew he couldn't do it alone. As Christians, it's important that we don't become so proud or stubborn that we are incapable of asking for help. The truth is, none of us can make our way through life alone, and Christ called us to help one another when we were in need. So swallow your pride and ask for help, because helping hands make a light burden.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Is your pride stopping you from asking for help?
Further Reading
Psalm 94:17
:angel:
October 28, 2011
Community Is Where You Find It
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. Acts 2:42-47, NIV
You know what's not so great about getting older? Well, for starters there's the gray hair. And then the memory loss . . . no, let's call that "a recall challenge."
But another issue that really stood out to me as not so great as I've aged is community. Or the lack thereof. Community truly is the buzz concept these days. In churches, there are now "community groups," otherwise known as small groups. And outside of the Christian bubble, it's interesting to see that even Hollywood has covered the topic of community in several recent films—The Way,Seven Days in Utopia, The Help, Dolphin Tale and even Winnie the Pooh.
The fact is: We were created for relationship, as we help one another and walk this journey together.
I remember how easy it used to be to find community when I was a younger. I was four years old on the first day of Sunday school at my new church, and I met Holli. She sat by me, and we started talking. By the end of the hour, we were buddies. And we've been friends ever since. How easy was that?
Continuing through elementary, junior high and high school, it was no trouble to find others who were likeminded or wanted to spend time with me and had my back. My community was bountiful—almost effortless—and I cherished every minute of it. Doing life together with my dear brothers and sisters in Christ yielded many meaningful and uplifting moments together, and I truly treasure those years.
After college, as people entered into the different life stages (career, marriage, parenthood) and some even moved away, it seemed like it wasn't as easy to find community anymore. All of a sudden I didn't have the community that occurred naturally and was readily available to me in structured settings such as school or youth group or social organizations.
Now that I was older, I realized I would have to do a little extra work to find community for myself.
In 1 Peter 4:10 we read: "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms."
I love that verse, because it reminds us of our responsibility as believers in the lives of others. We are instruments of God's grace. That means we are to be proactive in reaching out, instead of waiting for someone to reach out to us. And when we do reach out to others, not only can we help one another tangibly, prayerfully and with our spiritual gifts, but we can also find community.
In recent years, I've found it in some unexpected places, and if you looked at my list of friends I consider my "community," you would find all different ages and shoe sizes. I've even found community with complete strangers. In fact, this past summer I met a lovely father and son while on a return flight home from a trip. I'm never afraid to chat up a stranger, and it didn't take us long to get a great conversation going. Throughout our discourse, I found out that the father and son were also believers, and so this added an even sweeter depth to our mile-high discussion.
As the flight prepared for landing, the father leaned over and told me that he felt that our meeting on the plane and time spent sharing with each other was providential, and that he and his son had been blessed. I wholeheartedly concurred and came home from that trip very much encouraged and felt like my spirit had been lifted. I didn't have to reach out to them, and they didn't have to reach out to me. But we did, and God was there in our midst during our two-hour conversation.
By God's grace, I happened to find community on a plane one day. Which just goes to show: if you're looking, community is where you find it.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Today's devotional verse describes what community looked like in the first Christian church. How does what you read apply to you today? Are you part of a thriving community? Do you long to be? Ask God to reveal how you can reach out to others and where you should be looking for community in your life today.
Further Reading:
Galatians 6:2, NIV
Colossians 3:12-14, NIV
1 John 3:17-18, NIV
:angel:
October 31, 2011
Honoring All Souls
by Sarah Phillips, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. And even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you." Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?" She said to him, "Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, he who is coming into the world." John 11: 17 - 27
Most of us who've been around for more than a couple decades have experienced the death of a loved one. I remember when a close family friend died while I was in high school.
"Uncle" Ed was only in his 40's, a tough looking, bearded guy with a jolly sense of humor. I remember the day he called my mom, a seasoned ICU nurse, with some unusual symptoms. My stomach felt uneasy as I overheard my mother tell Ed he needed medical attention as soon as possible.
My sisters and I would only see Ed a couple more times after that call. Once, just before he was admitted for a bone marrow transplant to treat the rare disease attacking his body. He was wearing his regular clothes and looked like the Ed we always knew.
The second time was in the hospital after his transplant. He looked weak and bald, and that scared me a bit. It was the day before prom, and mom urged me and my twin sister to tell him about the prom dresses we designed. Ed listened to our descriptions as if our dresses were the most important topic in the world. A few weeks later, I got a phone call from my mom telling me Ed passed away.
One of the saddest aspects of Ed's untimely death was that he never fulfilled his long-held dream to marry and have children of his own. That stuck with me. But another thing that stuck with me was Ed's memorial service. I was not a Christian, and to my surprise, Ed's Lutheran funeral was filled with one story after another describing his devotion to Christ and his lengthy trips into the mission fields. Ed's death played an instrumental role in bringing me to faith in Christ a few years later.
I know many of you have similar stories. Life was going along swimmingly, and suddenly the phone rang and nothing was ever the same. I also know many of you have encouraging stories of how God worked through the death of someone in a special way.
Some of the most encouraging reflections on death and eternity I've read can be found in a book published by former hospice nurse, Trudy Harris, titled Glimpses of Heaven (Revell, 2008). Harris collected stories of her dying patients to offer comfort to those who have experienced loss, and also to share the profound spiritual insights she has gleaned from those getting ready to pass into heaven. Having observed God's tender care for her patients time and again, Harris says, "Those who have allowed themselves the luxury of being present with patients as they are dying come away realizing in a whole new way that there is only one Divine Physician, and it is He alone who sets the timetables of our lives."
While death is always a tragedy, Harris confirms what Christianity teaches – that even death has merit when doused with God's grace. Harris writes that many of her patients could sense – even see -- God's presence in ways most of us can't right now. She notes her patients, who endured painful illness, were anxious to give hope, comfort, and wisdom to the living before they passed on. Some even died with so much grace, they wore a gentle smile.
Of course, we can look to our Savior, who did not avoid death even when He could have, to see two truths: God works through the dying process to draw each of us closer to Him, and death – no matter how horrible - does not have the final word.
While it can be difficult for those of us here to bear the weight of losing a loved one, like Martha we can find peace in knowing God does not abandon us or our loved ones even in the darkest moments of death. And while we don't yet have the privilege of seeing God in all His glory, we can faithfully entrust our futures and the futures of our loved ones' to the merciful love of Christ.
Intersecting Faith & Life: While many of our loved ones are not famous Saints like Augustine or Aquinas, they are just as precious to us and to God. Nov. 2 is the Feast of All Souls – the day when Christians officially remember all who have gone before us, like Ed. Thank God for the blessings of the time you had with your loved ones, and perform some little act of kindness in their memory
Further Reading
Romans 5: 5 - 11
John 10: 9 -10
1 John 3: 1 – 3
Living -- and Dying -- Well
:angel:
November 1, 2011
Child-Like Trust in the Lord
by Shawn McEvoy, Managing Editor, Crosswalk.com
O Lord, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty;
Nor do I involve myself in great matters, or in things too difficult for me.
Surely I have composed and quieted my soul;
Like a weaned child rests against his mother,
My soul is like a weaned child within me.
Psalm 131:1-2, NAS
This song, like most of the Psalms, was written by David - the man who would be Israel's greatest king. Is David who comes to mind when you think of someone "not involved in great matters" (kingdom conflicts, maybe)? Or unbothered by "things too difficult" (slaying a giant, anyone)? No, to me, this doesn't really sound like David. Doesn't really sound like me most of the time either.
Let's take a quick look at three things that stand out about this little Psalm:
1) Attitude. David's "heart" - his inner being, his spirit, is not proud... of things he's done, of where he's been and where he's going... but neither is he beating himself up. He is just... content.
2) Appetite. David's "eyes" - his senses - are not haughty. He's not seeking to please them. He doesn't have the look of arrogance. He knows Whose he is, and that his needs are met not of himself. He is not restless to feed like an infant, he is not stalking around asking to eat out of boredom like my 2-year-old.
3) Aptitude. David places the responsibility for this peaceful state upon himself. Not circumstances, not achievements, not even on God. "Surely I have quieted my soul," he says.
Taken all together, this shows us what trust looks like, and helps us understand why trusting God brings such soothing peace. Jesus said we must have faith like children to come to Him. Apparently, trust is also best exemplified in little ones.
David's "talk" is of not being proud; his "walk" then backs it up by what he "involves" (or doesn't involve) himself in. This doesn't mean God hasn't given him - or you - important stuff to get done, just that David has "declared himself free from excessive ambition" (Ryrie study notes).
To sing not of self, to seek not to fill the senses, to seek the will only to be quiet before God - that is trust. A "weaned child" knows instinctively where to find trust. By extension, and through the example of "the man after God's own heart," so do we.
Intersecting Faith & Life: "Involve" yourself in a small, humble matter today - perhaps a child's squabble, creating a meal, or going for a walk - and see if you can compose your soul.
Further Reading
Matthew 18:4-5
When Old Men Trust, by Calvin Miller
:angel:
November 2, 2011
Seven Habits of Truly Effective Living
Alex Crain, Christianity.com
The phrase, "begin with the end in mind" will be familiar to anyone who has read the life management book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen R. Covey).1 But if you aren't familiar with the phrase or the book, the general idea of "begin with the end in mind" is fairly straightforward.
Simply stated, before beginning any project, you should always ask the question "How do I want this to turn out?" Otherwise, you may end up climbing a ladder, but not find success because your ladder is leaning on the wrong wall.
While the advice in Covey's book can help sharpen focus and cultivate good work habits, something that's missing from the book is the God-sized perspective on life that we see in Psalm 92.
Stephen Covey invites his readers to the pathway of success by beginning with their own desires. In other words, "Imagine life as you want it to be." Naturally, the ideal life for most people is one surrounded by beauty, expensive things, favorite people, etc. We want plenty of leisure time and the health to enjoy these things. But without God, such a life is depicted in Scripture as empty and deceptive. It is a dream that springs from a heart tainted by sin. Frustration and disappointment results when our primary source of motivation is the self.
If we are to be truly effective at living, we must humbly begin with God's end in mind.
Psalm 92 paints a picture of the ideal life as that of a righteous person who bears good fruit, even to old age. He is "full of sap and very green." In other words, he is filled with spiritual vitality at the end of life when the temptation to grumble and express radical selfishness is often the strongest.
The roots for a strong, 'sap-filled' soul are found in Psalm 92. Here, the seven habits of truly effective living are unfolded for us:
#1 Seeing thankfulness and praise to God as something desirable, not as a duty (v. 1). Far from complaining, his lips are filled with praise—declaring that there is no unrighteousness in God, his Rock (v. 15).
#2 Focusing on God's lovingkindness in the morning and His faithfulness at night
(v. 2). For the righteous man, each day begins and ends with God, implying that God is central in his thoughts throughout the entire day. Literally, lovingkindness refers to God's covenant loyal love, which features His promise of salvation. The righteous person is not self-righteous, or externally moralistic. Rather, he looks to God's promises and unchanging character as the basis for his right standing before his Creator-Judge. The Lord Jesus Christ is, of course, the fulfillment of these promises. So, the one having faith in Christ is counted righteous and delivered from a petty life of vain pursuits.
#3 Enjoying resounding music and singing for joy at God's great works (vv. 1, 3-4).
#4 Pondering the deep thoughts of God (v. 5)—not being characterized by a shallow, pragmatic view of God that sees Him merely as a means to get other things.
#5 Praising the transcendence of God—declaring that God is the "Most High" who is above all His creatures. The righteous one realizes that man is in no way equal to God. Thus, he can never legitimately view God with suspicion or call Him into judgment (v. 8).
#6 Resting securely in the fact that, in the end, God will have the final say on all matters. He will deal justice to the enemies of righteousness (vv. 9-11).
#7 Depending continuously upon God for strength—for "fresh oil" (v. 10), knowing that yesterday's supply never carries over to today.
Perhaps you know an older believer who embodies these seven habits. My own 'eighty-something' grandmother is one such saint. We affectionately call her "Meme." Not long ago, Meme lay in a hospital bed with a serious health situation. I called her on the phone expecting to cheer her up, but she was the one who brought cheer to me.
Instead of complaining about her pain, she spoke with delight about truths she had just read that morning in her well-worn Bible. She told me of the various hymns and spiritual songs had been going through her mind throughout the day. She took time to ask me about my family and how things were going in ministry at our local church.
Her prayer at the close of our conversation was full of gratitude and praise to the Lord. The tone of her voice showed a deep awareness of God's presence right there with her. While I listened, I thought: This is Psalm 92 in action—here is someone who, throughout her life by God's grace, has learned and is still practicing the seven habits of truly effective living.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
If these seven habits aren't part of your daily life, why not pause right now and ask God to make them so?
Further Reading:
Philippians 2:12-18
Numbers 14
Notes:
1. https://www.stephencovey.com/7habits/7habits.php
:angel:
November 3, 2011
The Single "Gift"
Ryan Duncan, The Fish.com
"I wish that all men were as I am. But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that." – 1 Corinthians 7:7
For the past few weeks my Church has been doing a series of sermons on relationships. The first was dedicated to husbands, the seconds for wives; the third focused on marital intimacy, and last was the customary lesson for singles. Talk about depressing. Being single, I almost didn't go to the last one. To be fair, the pastor did a good job, but his advice was mostly about how singles should pursue fulfilling relationships.
What I had hoped to learn more about was Paul's infamous "Gift of Singleness." I don't know about you, but the thought of growing old alone scares me, and whenever someone mentions the "Gift of Singleness" I can't help but roll my eyes in annoyance. How could being single ever be a gift? Romance permeates every fiber of our culture. The biggest pop stars are always singing about their latest hookups and breakups, books and movies make fortunes on romantic storylines, and television, well, have you ever heard of a show called The Bachelor?
Even the Bible can be frustrating. Didn't God decree in the very beginning of Genesis that it wasn't good for man to be alone? Eventually, I tracked down the verses Paul used to explain himself.
"I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord's affairs--how he can please the Lord. But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world--how he can please his wife-- and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord's affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world--how she can please her husband. I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord".-1 Corinthians 7:32-36
When I first read this I thought Paul needed to get out more, but after a while I started remembering my best friend's wedding, and something struck me.
Thinking about him and his new wife, I realized that, from now on, that was their life. They would get a home together, and he'd start searching for a job so he could provide for the two of them. In a few years they'd have their first kid, and if everything went well they may have another a few years later. After that, it would be mini vans, ballet recitals, little league games, and family vacations. It would be a good a life, a happy life, but it also came with a price.
When you lay down roots like those, you can't just dig them up. You'll have responsibilities you can't walk away from, and serving God becomes more difficult. Christ has called us to go out into the world, making disciples of all nations, and to stand against injustice, to feed the hungry, to heal the sick, and to speak for those who have no voice. Could you commit your life to these causes while supporting a spouse and children? I don't think I could.
So, what are we singles supposed to do? Well, I haven't given up hope at a relationship quite yet, but in the meantime I've started researching ministries like Operation Mobilization and Love146. I may be single, but with Christ, I am also unlimited. Each of us has the potential to impact countless people -- who knows how meaningful our lives may one day become?
Intersecting Faith and Life
Are you single? Try to find ways in which you can dedicate your time to Christ.
Further Reading
2 Corinthians 4:6
:angel:
November 4, 2011
How to Get Up When You're Feeling Down
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:30-31, NIV
At this time of year, a lot is heading downward.
Leaves are falling. Temperatures are dipping. And with this coming Sunday's time change, the sun will be setting a little earlier. For many, these changes bring about depression, lethargy, fatigue and other problems. In its most serious form, it adds up to Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).
But symptoms such as these don't occur just in the fall or only at times when there is less sunlight. In their lesser form, these feelings can come about quite easily in day-to-day living.
Like when an unkind word from a co-worker crushes your spirit and sets the rest of the work day into a tailspin. Should you be surprised? Or when your best friend is the one who is getting married or having a baby or got a promotion. And you got . . . nothing.
Or perhaps you've said "yes" to organizing and leading every church committee, every parent-organized school event, the community Bible study and your neighborhood's monthly block party. Your mind is mush, your body is shutting down and you have nothing left to give.
See? We can quickly sink to the depths of despair in our spirits or become quickly fatigued taking care of everything and everyone else and not ourselves. We're tired and weary, stumbling and falling. And . . . we're human, after all.
But thankfully, when we are feeling weighted down, the Lord will help us to soar. He is the one who raises us up. And not any twelve-step plan, self-help book or audio tape series. Now while these are worthy aids—and God can work through systems and processes designed by men—we must look to him and his Word first for direction in how we should live.
David was a man who understood this. Many passages in the book of Psalms read like his personal diary of sorts and record the times when he felt down and sought the Lord.
He had it right when he said in Psalm 62:5-8: "Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge."
When we focus on our circumstances and on what is or isn't happening in our lives, we will feel down. Like David, we need to go to the One who will lift us up. It is in God alone that we will rise above and find our rest.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
What is bringing you down? Is the Lord asking you to make a change in your life? Is it time to simplify in some area? Take some time this weekend for quiet reflection and seek God's direction for what He would have you do.
Further Reading:
Romans 15:13, NIV
2 Corinthians 4:7-12, NIV
:angel:
November 7, 2011
Christian Marriage: "The Most Excellent Way"
Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
And now I will show you the most excellent way. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal...
1 Cor 12: 31, 13: 1 NIV
Have you ever found yourself in a room of marriage cynics? The comments sound something like this:
1. Wait as long as you can to get married. Live your life before you have to give it up!
2. Marriage is hard.
3. Marriage just doesn't "work" for most people.
4. My husband doesn't... (fill in the blank here with unmet desires)
5. I wish she wouldn't... (fill in the blank here with built-up frustrations)
There's a lot of negativity out there about marriage. I'm sure I haven't even covered the full spectrum of comments. It's enough to give a bride an anxiety attack.
What kind of credence should we give to such comments? I've had to think about this a lot lately. I mean, am I really just a blind idiot entering into a broken, unfulfilling institution? Looking around at the broader culture, it can sure seem that way.
But, not long after I got engaged, a married coworker slipped into my office. She shared: "You'll hear people tell you how awful marriage is. Don't listen to it. Trust me, a marriage centered on Christ is very fulfilling!"
Then I ran across this inspiring article titled More Than a Table for Two: The Difference a Christ-centered Marriage Makes by bride Stephanie Duncan. She observes:
Our culture tells so many stories of relational wreckage. Instead of learning love from a Personal Being, a secular marriage too often practices love not as a sacred quality but a sentiment divorced from its very Creator. In a sense, they are borrowing an attribute that belongs to a God they don't know and exercising a representation of a spiritual truth they don't believe.
This disconnect from the Author of Love seems to be at the very root of why there are so many marriage cynics out there. After all, scripture tells us clearly "We love because he first loved us" (1 John 4: 19). How on earth could we love another human being at all, much less for life, if we're cut off from the source of all love?
I would also like to read the book that instigated the article - Rebecca Price Janney's Then Comes Marriage?: A Cultural History of the American Family (once we're done with Fr. Wojtyla's "greatest hits" of course). Janney is a "theologically trained historian" who sets out to put American family life in perspective by debunking some of the myths fueled by 1950's pop culture. Duncan shares:
Rather than condemning the culture, Janney turns this scenario on its head by placing the weight of responsibility on Christians to display "the most excellent way" and shine all the brighter... After intriguing tales of bride ships, Victorian modesty, and feminist activism, Janney brings her readers to the conclusion that the restoration of the American family is up to the saints.
In other words, challenges to marriage are nothing new. But no matter the era, Christian couples can help others see "the most excellent way" (1 Cor 12) of true love. What a wonderful mission for married life!
Of course, it's a bit presumptuous to think that just because you're Christian, you can start preachin' and teachin' marriage seminars. So I appreciated Duncan's thoughts on how she and her fiancé want to take up the challenge to redeem the crumbling state of marriage. She shares:
Zach and I may not have company china or the kind of house that can accommodate a church retreat, but we will get to know our neighbors. In August we plan to run a 5K together to support the local crisis pregnancy center, and once we find a church we plan to get involved. This is not because we think we have anything fantastic to offer, but because we feel that opening our lives to others is part of spiritual obedience and we want to start this habit now.
I couldn't agree with this approach more. Normal people doing normal things to grow closer to God, each other, and as a result, shine a light in the surrounding community. Fiancé and I look forward to joining Stephanie and Zach in this "most excellent way." Christian marriage may not translate into the "most easy way" or "the most obvious way," but I suspect the Christ-centered journey will be the most joyful way. And hopefully we'll take a few people along the road with us.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Are you frustrated and exhausted with the constant political wrangling over the definition of marriage? You may feel there is little you can contribute to the issue, but as a Christian, your life is a witness to the world of Christ's love. If you're married, your marriage is also a special witness of Christ's love. Are you living in a way that allows His love to shine clearly and brightly to a hurting world?
:angel:
November 8, 2011
Thanksgiving: For Richer or Poorer
by Shawn McEvoy
"Christians who are poor should be glad, for God has honored them." James 1:9
The rich eat ham,
The poor eat tuna.
Doesn't take as long to cook,
So we eat soona.
--Jay Henze
The words of that heretofore unknown poem were uttered by my lifelong best friend sometime around our senior year of high school. He conjured it out of thin air while I was spending the night at his house. It was the result of one of those "I'm so tired I'm laughing at anything" sessions you'd often experience with close friends around midnight.
It was also the result of Jay's enduring awareness of the socio-economic differences between himself and many of his friends, like me, from the affluent north side of town. So whenever I think of ham, tuna, or Jay, I often think of richness and poorness as well.
Recently, thanks to a fantastic tour around the Missionary Learning Center, I was thinking about missions and outreach. It struck me as interesting that whenever a mission of mercy or evangelism is commissioned, it tends to be to an area where there is a high concentration of poverty, whether it's to India, Mexico, or inner-city Philadelphia. Well, yes, as it should be.
After all, Christ commanded us, if we loved Him, to tend to His lambs (John 21:15-17). James 2:15-16 admonishes us not to ignore those in need of food or clothing. Paul and the Apostles started churches among those who were poor (Acts 9:36; 10:4). Poverty was crippling in the time of Christ and so it continues to be now. The very fact that Jay had a roof over his head and the fish he despised came in a can rather than him having to catch it made him one of the wealthiest persons on the planet. So the holidays are certainly a time to think about - nay, physically assist - those less fortunate than ourselves (2 Corinthians 9:9).
Then again, are we missing something?
Consider James 1:9 - "Christians who are poor should be glad, for God has honored them." There are lots of ways to be poor, and Jesus told us they brought about blessing in the long run (Matthew 5:3-12). Those poor in spirit will inherit the kingdom of heaven. Those mourning loved ones will be comforted. Those who make peace rather than seeking their own profit will be called sons of God, Who chose the poor of this world to be rich in faith (James 2:5). 2 Corinthians 6:10 states: "Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything."
And what about the rich?
That's the hard part, literally. Jesus said it's very difficult for the wealthy to enter the kingdom of heaven. Those who love their life too much find it hard to lose it. James reminds us it's the rich who "oppress us and drag us into court, blaspheming the fair name by which we've been called (James 2:6-7)." The word "miserable" has at its root the word "miser." The love of money isn't just the source of evil, but also of depression and dissatisfaction.
So... doesn't that mean that the rich have just as many spiritual needs, if not more, than the poor? Who will go to them? Who will train them in the joy of giving their money away and not living by comparison to others? What mission trips are planned?
I contend that untold legions of us are making such a trip this very month, back home to our families and friends, where a big ham might fill the center of the table, people will put on their fineries, and a lot of the talk will focus on the daily drudgeries of keeping our precious lives in working order to cover up the hole that's getting bigger in the soul.
We might spend a few minutes at the table saying how we're thankful we're not like others, or that we have our health, or that our family is with us - before we stuff ourselves, stare blankly at the Dallas Cowboys or Detroit Lions to avoid looking at each other, or fall asleep. Of course, you probably know someone for whom Thanksgiving is an unwelcome chore, a painful experience of dodging rejection, annoyance, questions of future or romance, and Uncle Jimbo.
Or, if you're truly rich, as I am for marrying into a godly family, there will be genuine thanks, true giving, heartfelt prayers, and corporate worship.
Whatever the case in your gathering, let me encourage you to take the love of Christ with you and accept the difficult challenge of bringing it to the wealthy this Thanksgiving. Jesus said a camel fitting through a needle's-eye was difficult, not impossible (thank goodness for most of us).
Intersecting Faith & Life: While you're together, try to figure out a way your clan can come together to do something for the impoverished among us. Without that outpouring, the warm comfort of wealth can grow stale and dry. Meanwhile, the next time you think on the cloud of poverty and those who suffer at its chill, remember that, at least in the biblical view, it carries a silver lining of comfort, inheritance, peace, and, I suppose, eating soona. And if those elements are present at your table, then you have a cornucopia indeed.
Further Reading
1 Timothy 6:6-11
Matthew 5
Make Your Life Rich without Money
:angel:
November 9, 2011
The Hunger: Is It In You?
Alex Crain: Editor, Christianity.com
"...like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk so that by it you may grow up in your salvation."
1 Peter 2:2, NIV
Crave is a word of intense longing. According to this text, the type of appetite we are to have for the Word of God is that of a newborn child, desperate to feed. Peter isn't talking about being infants in Christ. That's not his point. Rather, he's simply talking about hunger. He is talking about desiring the Word.
The Greek word here (epipotheo) means to long for greatly, to earnestly desire and even to starve. Such hunger is natural. All living things crave nourishment. Dying and dead things do not. If hunger isn't present, there's something wrong.
Interestingly, the wrong things that Peter mentions in this passage are not the "big ones" you might think of—the grosser sins of the pagan life. Rather, they are the common everyday vices that destroy relationships. These are the sins that undermine the mutual acceptance and belonging that ought to exist between believers, regardless of skin color, birthplace or position—whether social, educational or economic.
I once heard these sins called "tuxedo" sins because they seem to be tolerated even by people who appear to be most respectable. Because they are so common, we can sometimes think of them as small and harmless. Not so, according to Scripture.
Having Malice? Ill will? Don't we all do that? Yes, but God says: "Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor" (Rom. 12:10).
Deceit? God says: "Put away lying, let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor, for we are members of one another." (Eph. 4:25)
Hypocrisy & Slander? Yes, these too need to be put away as God says they:
are characteristics of the devil himself: (Rev. 12:10)
separate friends (Prov. 16:28)
cause strife (Prov. 26:20)
sow discord among the brethren (Prov. 6:19)
destroy neighbors (Prov. 11:9)
can lead to violence and murder (Ps. 31:13)
The truth is, we must be UNTAUGHT these fleshly, ordinary responses that are so deeply rooted in our minds and hearts. Lack of zeal for God and His Word; being bored with or indifferent to the Bible are clear indicators that these sins are still there, robbing us of spiritual nourishment.
This is not meant to give you a guilty conscience and just leave you wallowing there. First Thessalonians 5:9 is clear that "God has not destined us for wrath, but for salvation." Francis Schaeffer speaks to this also in chapter eight of his book, True Sprituality: "God means us to have, as one of His gifts in this life, freedom from a false tyranny of the conscience."
So, like any good doctor, Peter not only points out the problem but also gives the solution—not striving in our own strength or trusting in our confession of sin but trusting in the gospel of Jesus Christ—in the Savior Himself. The price He paid for sin is enough. We can have forgiveness, cleansing and renewed hunger for the Word in Christ!
Intersecting Faith & Life:
If you have a good appetite for the Word of God and are enjoying daily nourishment from reading it and meditating on its truth, pause and thank God for that clear sign of life, health and maturity. If not, ask God to give you eyes to see what may be keeping you from longing for His Word.
Further Reading:
Eph. 4:25
Rev. 12:10
Prov. 16:28
Prov. 26:20
Prov. 6:19
Prov. 11:9
Ps. 31:13
:angel:
November 10, 2011
Remembering Thanksgiving
Ryan Duncan, TheFish.com
"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God." – Colossians 3:16
Thanksgiving has got to be one of the most underrated holidays in America. Once Halloween has finished and the Jack-O-Lanterns are all put away, the Christmas frenzy takes over. Holiday specials start playing on TV, stores decorate their aisle with snowflakes and mistletoes, and people take the chance to hang Christmas lights while there's no snow. It's not all that surprising really; the Christmas spirit can be pretty infectious, it's also a lot harder to profit off a holiday that emphasizes thankfulness.
I feel like this is how many people, even Christians, treat the idea of thankfulness in general. I don't know about you, but I'm much faster at coming up with a list of things I want for Christmas than a list of things I'm grateful for. It's also pretty easy for our prayers to become filled with phrases like "God, please give me...", "God, please help me...", or "God, I need...". We get so tied up in what God can do for us, how Christ can impact our lives, that we forget how to be thankful for what we have. Luckily, God is good at reminding us what's important.
A few months ago, I was leaving for work in the morning when I was greeted by my apartment's cleaning lady.
"Good morning," she said, "How you doin?" I thought about the question for a second and, trying to sound funny, said,
"Well, it's a Wednesday."
"Now, now," she said, "It's a good day. Do you know why? Because you're walking, and you're breathing." You can't really argue with that, can you?
So, this Thanksgiving, amidst the mayhem of football games and turkey dinners, I encourage you to take a moment to pray and simply thank Christ for the things in your life. Whether is for home, family, or a hot meal, remember to give thanks, for God is good.
Intersecting Faith and Life
During this fall season, remember to give thanks for your blessings
Further Reading
Psalm 69:30
:angel:
November 11, 2011
Those Who Serve
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13, NIV
Today, on Veterans Day, we honor all of those who serve in the United States Armed Forces.
This morning, at the Arlington National Cemetery, a Veterans Day National Ceremony will take place where a wreath is placed at the Tomb of the Unknowns by a color guard made up of members from each of the military services.
While those who have passed away are certainly remembered on this day, Veterans Day is primarily intended to thank those Veterans who are still living for their time in service to America. In fact, it is said that today there are over 24 million Veterans who have served and reintegrated back into society. And I hope for both of us, if we know one of these men or women, that we will thank them today.
Veterans are probably some of the first people we think of when considering those who serve others or have jobs that cause them to sacrifice in some way in their lives. I also think many of us would agree that you could count firefighters, teachers and missionaries in that category as well.
But perhaps we should also consider others who serve today—the ones behind the scenes and the unsung heroes of our lives, if you will.
I'm sure you know of someone in your life who has greatly impacted you with his or her selfless acts of kindness and service. Perhaps it's a parent or a friend, a neighbor or someone at your workplace. Whoever they are, they stand out to you because they don't call attention to themselves. Their actions are what speak loudest, because they are living for something—and for Someone—greater than themselves.
Two women in Scripture who exemplify these kind of "undercover" people who serve are Lois and Eunice, who were Timothy's grandmother and mother respectively. Paul acknowledges them for their significant work in Timothy's life in his letter to Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:5:
I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.
And then later on in chapter 3, verses 14 and 15 he also says to Timothy:
But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
We don't often call out Lois and Eunice as great heroes of the faith when we talk about examples from Scripture, do we? But these few verses point to the very important sacrifices they made in their lives to make sure that Timothy was taught the Word. They were faithful in service to God, as they gave what had been entrusted to them—the gift of God's Word—to Timothy, so he would, in turn, be equipped to share the Truth in service to God and others.
On the surface, this sounds like an easy way to serve. But when was the last time you sat down with someone, day after day, month after month, year after year and worked with them in their spiritual growth and development? It's a sobering thought. Because it requires the sacrifice of our time, our desires and our very lives.
Veterans or not, those who serve are all around us today. So let's give thanks for them all and for the difference God has made in our lives through those who he has led to serve.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
As you give thanks for those who have served America today, take inventory of how you are serving others. What sacrifices is God asking you to make so that you can demonstrate his love and make an eternal difference in the life of someone else?
Further Reading:
John 21:15-17, NIV
Romans 12:10-13, NIV
1 John 4:19, NIV
:angel:
November 14, 2011
Merciful Redeemer
by Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. 1 Timothy 1:16 NIV
Paul is one of the most beloved Saints of all time. His love for the Lord, preserved in the canon of Scripture, inspires many to this day. Yet, even this extraordinary man was a sinner -- according to his own words "the worst of sinners." How can this be? Surely he is just exaggerating for effect? Or taking humility a little too far?
But I like to take Paul at his word here. After all, this man had persecuted Christians before his conversion. He had done horrible things in the name of righteousness. Surely, he knew his shortcomings more intimately than you or I. So, let's say Paul truly was the worst of sinners -- and yet we see God did not withhold His mercy.
One of the most moving stories in the Bible is that of another terrible sinner - the woman with the alabaster jar. Interrupting a dinner party at a Pharisee's house, this woman (in what I think would be a very socially awkward moment) wept over Jesus' feet, wiped them dry with her hair and applied perfume from the jar.
Simon, the hosting Pharisee, was disgusted at this public display of humility, especially by a woman known to be a sinner. Jesus replied to his indignation with this story as recorded in Luke 7: 41- 43:
"Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?"
Simon replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled."
"You have judged correctly," Jesus said.
Jesus went on to say, "I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven -- for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little." (v. 47)
So often, when we think of our sins and shortcomings we feel ashamed. We want to hide from God like Adam and Eve hid after eating the forbidden fruit. We think God, in His divine perfection, could never want us back or look on us again with the same love as before. Perhaps you've even experienced this kind of rejection in a tangible way -- through the abandonment of a family member or loved one.
But this isn't the way God works.
The amazing thing about God's mercy is its accessibility. The bigger the sin, the more anxious God is to pour out His mercy at the first hint of repentance. The Bible tells us that when one sinner repents, heaven rejoices (Luke 15:10). And through Paul's testimony, we can know without a doubt of Christ's unlimited patience and unfailing love. God seeks the love of sinners -- no matter how many times you've sinned or how dark the sin, He desires to shower you with His mercy if you are willing to receive it.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Matthew 5: 7 says Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. We are called to show mercy just as Christ shows us mercy. Is there someone in your life in need of your mercy and forgiveness? Give it.
Further Reading
Hebrews 4: 16
Proverbs 28: 13
:angel:
November 15, 2011
Anything and Everything
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
"He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?" Romans 8:32
My children, aged almost-five and almost-three, know my weakness.
They know it's not ice cream, baseball, or their mom's chili... or even a hug or puppy-dog eyes from them.
See, none of the above make me cry (although the chili almost did once). Yes, my children have seen their father cry. It's not something I wanted, or intended. I'm a man, after all. I go to work, show my strength. I coach, help, show, point, and guide. I communicate, discipline, and lead. I pray. I do not cry.
...Except when I read Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree, that is.
And like I said, my children know this. And oh, do they twist that knife, the little devils. We must own a couple hundred children's books, but if it's a night where Daddy is doing the bedtime reading rather than Mommy, what do they invariangly pick (while smirking)? Of course! The Giving Tree!
I've been reading this book, first published in 1964, since I myself was a child, and no matter how many times I do, I am unable to de-sensitize. I mean, when I watch the movie Field of Dreams and Ray has a catch with his ghost-dad, that gets me. But if I see the scene over and over within a certain time frame? Nah. No sweat, no tears. But this blasted children's book... well... what's going on here?
First of all, you're probably wondering that very thing if you aren't familiar with the story. A tree and a boy are the best of friends during an idyllic childhood for the young man where he eats apples from the tree, climbs her trunk, swings from her branches, and rests in her shade. Then things change, as things do, and we see the boy approach the tree at all the various stages of his life, caught up - understandably, even - more in wanting and needing than in just being. Every time he has a "need," the tree obliges... and is happy for having done so. She doesn't have much, but gives all she has until eventually, she is nothing but a stump. At the end of all things, however, it turns out a stump is just what the old man needs - a quiet place to sit down and rest and reflect. "And the tree was happy. The end."
And I am undone... again.
Is it because I am reading the story to my children, and I know our stories will be very much like that of the tree and the boy, where they are my delight but eventually I must simply become provider as they go out into the world? Yes and no.
Is it because our family copy of the book - the one I read to the kids - carries an inscription from my wife on our first Christmas as husband and wife that says, "With God's help, may I love you like this"? Yes and no.
Is it because I once read the book aloud at at emotional family Thanksgiving, illustrating how we too infrequently practice the "giving" half of the word? Yes and no.
Is it because as my father lay dying seven years ago that I told him of the story (he wasn't familiar with it), and how he had been that tree for me? That's definitely part of it. My mother, I remember, commented that she didn't recall it being a "Christian" book. I didn't really have an answer to that, only to what I saw in it. Which is...
Complete love to the point of emptying. Unquestioning sacrifice, even for someone who isn't appreciating or understanding what they've been given. A desire only to have communion. An entering into final rest. In other words, a perfect example of the immensity of what Jesus did for me, desired from me, provides for me, and will carry me to.
That is why I always cry.
So every time I finish the story, eyes full of tears, my kids look at me as if to say, "Are you okay?" My little one asks, "Why you cry, Dad?" And every time I explain, I think she understands just the tiniest bit more. These are tears of being overwhelmed by the enormity of the giver and the gift. I only pray these children will open their hearts and receive it, and that they won't miss the other lesson: all our Giver really wants in return is our time, for us to come to Him as we did as children.
Intersecting Faith & Life: But can any of us actually hope to become more like the tree in the story? Parents know what it means to give every last ounce of everything they are to the betterment of their children. We have reason for doing so. Do you know anyone who empties themselves this way for those they don't have a familial reason to love? What steps can you take to emulate their Christ-like, unconditional love?
Further Reading
Giving is What Living is All About
2 Corinthians 8:3-12
:angel:
Authentic Christianity
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"...be filled with the Spirit...
singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart,
giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Ephesians 5:18-20 ESV
Months ago, I began a journey through the works of Francis Schaeffer beginning with the book True Spirituality. I've been writing about that here at Crosswalk the Devotional and am now in chapter seven. There is still time to catch up if you want to join the journey, and I hope you will.
As C.S. Lewis once said: "First-hand knowledge [of great authors] is not only more worth acquiring than second-hand knowledge, but is usually much easier and more delightful to acquire." (Quoted from his introduction in Athanasius', On the Incarnation, St. Vladimir's Seminary Press: Crestwood, New York, 1993, p. 3).
In other words, you'll probably enjoy Francis Schaeffer much more than reading my devotionals on Francis Schaeffer. But it is not just your delight in reading a great man that is at stake. No. Schaeffer's message is a much-needed remedy for the low condition of joy and genuine faith that seems to plague this generation.
And Schaeffer knows something about that. He was once a joyless Christian himself.
In 1971, Schaeffer published True Spirituality to help people experience the reality of Christ in daily life. Not just at the moment of salvation. At first, his book was a series of Bible lessons. He taught them to his family and students who gathered regularly in their home in the Swiss Alps. But before they ever became that set of lessons to others, Schaeffer taught them to his own heart.
Before Schaeffer ever became the famous author and Christian leader that he eventually became (and prior to the time that L'Abri began), Francis went through a dark period lasting several months. He was troubled by the disproportion that he saw in himself between the large amount of Bible data he knew and claimed to believe and the lack of genuine spiritual joy in his life.
Over those months as he walked in the mountains, Francis rethought his reasons for being a Christian and, at last he...
"...saw again that there were totally sufficient reasons to know that the infinite-personal God does exist and that Christianity is true.
"In going further, I saw something else which made a profound difference in my life. I searched through what the Bible said concerning reality as a Christian. Gradually, I saw that the problem was that with all the teaching I had received after I was a Christian, I had heard little about what the Bible says about the meaning of the finished work of Christ for our present lives.
"Gradually the sun came out and the song came. ...and although I had written no poetry for many years, in that time of joy and song I found poetry beginning to flow again—poetry of certainty, an affirmation of life, thanksgiving, and praise. Admittedly, as poetry it is very poor, but it expressed a song in my heart which was wonderful to me." (from True Spirituality, p. 196 in The Complete Works of Francis Schaeffer, vol. 3 © 1982 Crossway Books, Wheaton, Illinois).
Francis Schaeffer saw and believed that the finished work of Christ really is the source of the Christian's daily life. He grew deeply convinced that the Christian life is not just about conversion, but about moment-by-moment living out of the grace of God today, in the present by the power of the Holy Spirit.
While what I've been writing at Crosswalk the Devotional faithfully summarizes Schaeffer' message, I suspect that my writing carries only a fraction of the impact that reading True Spirituality would have upon you. God has used this book to shed light and build faith in the hearts of many for years. And as C.S. Lewis said, there really is something special about reading the greats for yourself. Only then can you experience the transforming progression of Schaeffer's argument, the clarity of his thought, and his wise use of Scripture and illustrations throughout his book.
Think about it: If it suddenly became possible for you to be personally mentored by Dr. Francis Schaeffer, would you take the opportunity? In a way, you can. Pick up True Spirituality, then follow with us on the trail of his thought.
Intersecting Faith and Life:
Imagine that a friend or family member is called upon to testify of the presence of spiritual reality in your life. What evidence would they give?
Think through the reasons why you became a Christian. Reflect on what it means to have an authentic relationship with the infinite-personal God who is there.
Further Reading
Psalm 16
John 6:68
Ephesians 5:1-21
:angel:
November 17, 2011
Idols and iPods
By Ryan Duncan, TheFish.com
Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'This is the first and greatest commandment. – Matthew 22:37-38
Recently, my pastor encouraged our small group to pray and ask God to "break us" so that we would become fully reliant on him. Now, I don't know about you, but that statement gave me pause. Anyone who has read the book of Job knows that inviting God to "break you" isn't something you do lightly. Eventually, I decided it was worth the risk, and prayed that God would make me more reliant on him. At first nothing happened, and then my iPod broke.
I was running on a treadmill when it slipped through my fingers and hit the conveyer belt, which shot it straight into a brick wall. Immediately, my world stopped. I quit my workout and started hunting for a new one. My entire Sunday was spent driving from store to store looking for a replacement, and when I discovered my particular model was no longer available, I paid around $150 dollars to get an upgrade. I then used the rest of my night getting it synchronized, creating new playlists, and making sure everything was in good condition.
Looking back, I don't think I've ever shown the same amount of devotion to my Christian faith as I did to that iPod. It was a sobering realization. I had asked God to break me, but instead he broke the thing I was actually devoted to. We like to think idols are a thing of the past, and that the modern age is more rational than the ancient world but the truth is, they're still around. They can be big things like money, a car or a job, or they can be smaller like an iPod, a computer or a smartphone.
As Christians, our faith should rest in Christ and him alone. This can be pretty difficult, especially when living in a country like America, where comfort and security are advertised on every television. Machines will always break though, money will come and go, even people can end up disappointing you, but through all things, God remains. So take a moment and ask yourself, "Are there any idols in my life?"
Intersecting Faith and Life
Take some time and consider whether you need to rely on God more.
Further reading
Ezekiel 43:9
:angel:
November 18, 2011
Available and Vulnerable
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
When we choose to be a servant, we give up the right to be in charge. There is great freedom in this. . . . When we choose to be a servant, we surrender the right to decide who and when we will serve. We become available and vulnerable. —Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline
When I first read the words "available and vulnerable" in the above quote, my mind immediately went to what a personal ad might say. But in this case, it would be a "personal servant ad" in the fictitious Ministry Daily News . . .
AVAILABLE AND VULNERABLE . . .
SWF seeks 24/7 ministry opportunities. Creative, outgoing, loves serving the King of Kings. Leadership skills in abundance, but also comfortable as a team player in group settings. Local projects a plus, but will consider long-distance. No task too menial or small. Money, time and personal agenda not a problem. Ready to sacrifice and serve at a moment's notice. Acclaim and reward not required.
If only that were accurate, right? What seems to stand in the way of me living a life of true service and being "available and vulnerable" like this is me. I'm not unlike James and John who also struggled with what it means to serve Christ:
Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. "Teacher," they said, "we want you to do for us whatever we ask." "What do you want me to do for you?" he asked. They replied, "Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory" (Mark 10:35-37).
They wanted the acclaim and the visibility. But what they didn't get at this point is what is required in Christian service: sacrifice.
"You don't know what you are asking," Jesus said. "Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?" "We can," they answered. Jesus said to them, "You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared" (Mark 10:38-40).
Only Christ could bear the wrath of God's judgment and die in our place on the cross. Only his blood could atone for our sins. As Christ followers, James and John shared in his sufferings (as do we all). But their places of honor would be determined by God.
Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 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 10:43-45).
Some of us might say, "Oh, but I love to serve!" and "I have a servant's heart!" or "I serve whenever I can!" And perhaps we truly do. Or, perhaps we only serve when it feels right, when the popular people are asking us to or when it works out with our schedule or when it is for a cause that is "big" or involves traveling to an exciting destination. See how we can easily place these perimeters and try to control when and how and whom we serve? I do it, too. If I'm serving, then it's going to be on my terms.
But that's not true service . . .
"Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them" (John 13:14-17).
Washing someone's feet. Think about it. That is truly making yourself available and vulnerable—especially if the condition of the feet are rank and unpleasant to behold. To me, foot washing represents the task that I don't want to do. It's the ministry opportunity for the person who drives me nuts. It's the service project that cuts into my "more important" appointments. It's the mission of mercy that will cause my finances to be stretched beyond my comfort zone or will require me to give up some of my belongings to someone else. By and large, it's something that in my flesh I just don't want to do.
True service is not a feeling, but an act of submission . . . a way of life that is patterned after Jesus Christ. Will you give of yourself and make yourself available and vulnerable today? Let's learn to serve our Savior as he has served us.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
If you are ready to serve like this—if you are ready to let go and quit gripping so tightly to your life—then ask God to present an opportunity to you right now. Ask him to open your ears, eyes and heart so that you will recognize and accept however he is calling you to be available and vulnerable.
Further Reading:
"Rise" by Robbie Seay Band
Slow down, be still
Let go, we will
Be here, be now
Slow down, be still
Breathe in, refill
Be here, be now
If you choose to love
To know that the call
Is to give all you are
To give love away, away
Rise, rise, people of love rise
People of love rise, give yourself away
Rise, rise, people of love rise
People of love rise, give yourself away
Give yourself away, give yourself away
Slow down, just breathe
Be still, believe
Be here, be now
Slow down and see
It's all you need
Be loved and free
And to hear the call, is to give your love away
And to hear the call, is to give your love away
And to hear the call, is to give your life away
Is to give your life away
We're not safe, we're not safe
But we will rise
:angel:
November 21, 2011
The Gift of Family
by Sarah Phillips, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. Romans 12: 4-6
Holidays – how we would love for them to be simple. But they rarely are. My mom and I recently realized, through tearful laughter, that we can identify our holiday get-togethers by the key awkward moment that occurred that year.
Don't get me wrong – our family overflows with love and fond memories. But it's a rare family that can gather into one room without bumping into an issue.
One long-term challenge in my family involves comparisons. If you have siblings, you know what I mean. A sister might have been the "favored child" growing up. Or a brother has achieved remarkable career success while you struggle to find your niche. There are as many ways to compare one another as there are people in the world. And, adding to the fun, there's often one family member who feels a driving need to vocalize the perceived discrepancies among individuals. There may be big family events where you leave wondering, "God, what were you thinking when you threw us all into the same family pot?"
Not only do comparisons hinder our ability to love one another, they are a waste of energy because they are based on surface perceptions which can be inaccurate.
In recent years, I've come to find freedom from the comparison game by lining up my way of thinking to be more like the opening verse. Paul's words to the Romans reveal God's design for His spiritual family, but these words could apply to our biological families, too. They remind me that while each person is valuable in the eyes of God, no one person can achieve it all – no matter how perfect he or she may appear. Furthermore, each one of us has special gifts, and we depend on each other to fill in the gaps for the areas we lack.
For better or for worse, each member "belongs to all the others." Pondering God's gifts revealed in my family members helps me focus on the true heart of Thanksgiving – As a day set aside for gratitude
Intersecting Faith & Life: What are your gifts? This Thanksgiving, see if you can identify the various gifts each member of your family possesses, especially for that one family member you find difficult to love.
Further Reading
Mark 9:33-35
1 Corinthians 12:7-11
Of Comparisons and Rulers, by Awnali Mills
Comparison or Contentment? Find Joy in Your Marriage, by Whitney Hopler
:angel:
November 22, 2011
The Hunger: Is It in Y'all?
by Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"...like newborn babies, [you all] long for the pure milk of the Word,
so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation..."
1 Peter 2:2, NAS
A recent Crosswalk Devotional ("The Hunger: Is It in You?") highlighted the passage above and encouraged us to take an honest look at our personal degree of hunger for God's Word. The command in 1 Peter 2:2 seems simple and clear enough: "Long for the pure milk of the Word." But not so simple and clear in the text is the fact that the command is a second-person plural. So it actually reads: "You all long for the pure milk of the Word..."
If it seems like I'm dwelling on the tiniest detail of grammar, hang in there. Remember that Jesus affirmed every detail of Scripture is significant. So, let's take a closer look at this.
At first glance, we see 1 Peter 2:2 as directed toward the individual, as if to say, I cannot grow and I cannot have a healthy appetite for God's Word as long as I harbor any of the sins mentioned in the text (i.e., malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander). And while that's certainly not a false idea, such an emphasis on the individual leads us away from applying the passage to its intended place—the whole church community.
Since the "you" pronouns in 1 Peter 2:1-3 are all plural, the Scripture is actually emphasizing the church's collective experience of growth. In other words, healthy growth ought to be the normal course of life together. The Christian life is not a solo journey, but about being involved in each others' lives. It's about each believer being nourished by the truth of God's Word and ministering that Word to others. My friend, Jonathan Leeman, puts it well when he says that the Word ought to reverberate throughout the body.
While regular corporate times of teaching and worship are important, a church isn't to be merely a "Sunday service machine." That kind of thinking can produce an unhealthy assembly of strangers. First Peter 2 says that wherever we find an unhealthy church there must exist some degree of malice, deceit, hypocrisy, and slander. These are relational sins, and they quench the collective body's craving for spiritual nourishment. There can be a lot of well-crafted speech, fine music, and maybe even increasing numbers; but if there is no community of healthy relationships there will be no real growth.
Idealistic? Maybe. But it certainly seems to be affirmed by Scripture. Churches really do work, thrive, grow, and reproduce when they collectively put away relational sins, collectively long for the pure milk of the Word and collectively see it reverberate throughout the entire body.
The place of restoration in all of this is the gospel, not a "do more, do better, try harder" works attitude. If you've led or have been part of an unhealthy, machine-like congregation, draw encouragement from this week's reading in Francis Schaeffer's book, True Spirituality. He discusses the path to healing at the close of chapter eight:
"Most Christians find that the first step in the substantial healing that they can have in the present life is the substantial healing of the separation from themselves that is a result of the Fall and of sin. Man is first of all separated from God, then from himself, and finally from his fellow men and from nature. The blood of the Lord Jesus Christ will give an absolute and perfect restoration of all these things when Jesus comes.
But in the present life, there is to be substantial healing. If we call our sin sin, and bring it under the blood of Christ, it is forgiven. This is the reality of restored relationship. Reality is not meant to be only creedal, though creeds are important. Reality is to be experienced on the basis of a restored relationship with God through the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross."
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Do you see your own spiritual health as something that either helps or hinders your fellow believers? Or do you tend to see it as something that affects primarily you?
What receives more attention at your local church: healthy relationships or "the Sunday machine?"
Further Reading
1 Cor. 12:14-27
:angel:
November 23, 2011
Living Your Thanksgiving
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Make a glad sound to the Lord, all the earth. Give worship to the Lord with joy; come before him with a song. Be certain that the Lord is God; it is he who has made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep to whom he gives food. Come into his doors with joy, and into his house with praise; give him honour, blessing his name. For the Lord is good, and his mercy is never-ending; his faith is unchanging through all generations. Psalm 100, The Bible in Basic English
When I was younger, Thanksgiving was pretty much just another holiday—a day when I got to eat a whole lot of good food and nibble on all the sugary stuff I wanted.
In fact, one year it only took me, my sister, two forks and about 30 minutes to finish off the rest of the pecan pie, while everyone else was either glued to the football game or snoring in a recliner. We had no regrets, and I'm pretty sure we'd do it again.
But besides being a holiday when I had permission to indulge, Thanksgiving was also a word my grandfather always incorporated at the end of his prayers: "And with thanksgiving, in Jesus' name, Amen." I always wondered why he used a word that made me think of cornucopias and construction-paper turkeys; but he had the Th.D. in our family, and I did not. So I knew he must have had a good reason.
Years later, I think I now understand. In that one word, he was saying "Thank You for giving." You, being God. From my grandfather's example, I see that thanksgiving was more than a one-day family gathering. It was and is a way of living, a daily act of expressing gratitude to our Maker who first gave to us.
At this time of year, I sit and think about when I last thanked God for giving me anything—let alone his son, Jesus Christ. I'm ashamed to admit that I don't remember. But I know that I want to make such gratefulness as prominent as the giant turkey on the table and see thanksgiving become a way of life.
There's no better thanksgiving wisdom than that found in God's Word, specifically The Old One-Hundredth (Psalm 100). If you open your Bible and take a look at this passage, you'll see a notation under the heading: "A psalm. For giving thanks."
Following that, there are many directives listed that can help us live our Thanksgiving . . .
Make a glad sound to the Lord
Give worship to the Lord with joy
Come before him with a song
Be certain that the Lord is God
Come into his doors with joy, and into his house with praise
[Remember] for the Lord is good . . . his mercy is never-ending . . . his faith is unchanging
Reflect on Psalm 100 today, and ask the Lord how he can help you really live out Thanksgiving each day of the year.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Your celebration with friends or loved ones is probably already planned by this point. But here is your Thanksgiving Day challenge: take time to "live your Thanksgiving" and call or visit someone who is alone or having a hard time (for whatever reason) on this holiday.
Further Reading:
Psalm 107:1, NIV
Psalm 150, NIV
Ephesians 2:8, NIV
:angel:
November 24, 2011
A Thankful Tomorrow
By Ryan Duncan, TheFish.com Editor
"How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you, which you bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in you." – Psalm 31:19
I've always really enjoyed Thanksgiving. Sure, the family can be pretty crazy at times, and I usually end up on dish duty after the meal, but Thanksgiving has always been a time for me to stop and realize how blessed I am. Friends, family, a warm meal, there are many simple things in this life that are easy to take for granted, so it's good to have a day that reminds us to be thankful for all God has given us. The problem is that's usually how long it lasts, a day. After the food has been eaten and prayers have been said, many people wake up the next morning and jump head first into the madness of Black Friday.
I can only remember shopping twice on Black Friday, and I regretted it both times. It's complete chaos, with people running, screaming, and sometimes even fighting each other over things they want to buy. I've never had any crazy experiences myself, but my brother-in-law remembers a particularly strange incident that happened while he was in college. One year, while he and my sister were still dating, he drove up to visit her on the Friday after Thanksgiving. He had left his house at 3am with hopes of avoiding the holiday rush and was making good time on the freeway when suddenly, out of nowhere, a long line of traffic appeared in the distance.
At first he thought there had been an accident, but as he got closer he realized that the stalled traffic was due to cars making complete stops on the freeway so their passengers could get out, jump the guard rails, and climb a small hill to a nearby outlet mall. It's ironic, and a little sad, that a day which celebrates American greed happens after the holiday about being thankful. At times like these, it's important that as Christians realize we cannot live Christ-centered lives when we leapfrog between God and possessions.
"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money." (Matthew 6:24)
So don't throw out your thankfulness with the evening leftovers, but hold onto it as the Advent season begins. Remember the blessings Christ has given us and use them to prepare yourself for Christmas, when we celebrate the birth of Christ, the greatest gift of all.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Don't let the crazy shopping season distract you from what's really important.
Further Reading
1 Timothy 4:4
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November 25, 2011
The Thrill of Hope
Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13
"A thrill of hope; the weary world rejoices, for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn." ~~ O Holy Night
Does Christmas thrill you?
Children get excited at the coming of the season, and often we might feel a bit of a charge through experiencing their amazement, but the chores we go through to provide that for them are often the very things that rob us from knowing the wonder for ourselves. Plan the party, trim the tree, max out the MasterCard, wrap, ship, take a trip. And that's assuming we aren't one of the multitudes who find themselves with a case of the Holiday Blues.
So if Christ's coming into this world offers hope, and hope, as the song says, provides a thrill, how do we locate that experience amid the distraction and disillusionment of December?
Well that's the cool thing about Hope. Just as total darkness can't hold back the light of a tiny flame, so does even the smallest increment of Hope provide joy and purpose.
Here are a few scriptures I've been mulling over on the subject:
Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1).
Notice the parallel between "things hoped for" and "things not seen." Talk about a paradox; try applying "assurance" to something your five senses can't detect. It's a challenge. The plus side is that hope, through Christ, is available to you no matter what you see, hear, or feel. It's above your circumstances.
"We also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance [brings about]proven character; and proven character [brings about] hope; and hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us" (Romans 5:3-5).
Do you ever hear people say, "I don't want to get my hopes up" because they're afraid of being disappointed? What would you make of Paul's claim that "hope does not disappoint"? Might the disconnect have something to do with what we're hoping for or expecting? Max Lucado thinks so:
"Hope is not what you'd expect; it is what you would never dream. It is a wild, improbable tale with a pinch-me-I'm-dreaming ending... Hope is not a granted wish or a favor performed; no, it is far greater than that. It is a zany, unpredictable dependence on a God who loves to surprise us out of our socks and be there in the flesh to see our reaction."[1]
"Love... hopes all things...but now abide faith, hope, and love; but the greatest of these is love" (1 Corinthians 13:7,13).
Ever wonder why faith, hope, and love are the greatest virtues, and apparently in that order?
Maybe hope isn't actually something we do, but something we receive, like grace. If it's true that "without faith it is impossible for us to please Him" (Hebrews 11:6), perhaps it's conversely true that without Hope it would be impossible for Him to please us. The same verse says that God is a rewarder of those who seek Him. Is hope that reward?
I mean, if faith is what we give to God, and hope is what He gives to us, then we have the dynamic of a relationship. With that in place, we can love. So love is built on hope, which is built on faith.
For hope to exist, unfortunately it looks like there has to be hopelessness first. A perfect world wouldn't have any need of hope. Deliverance arrives undeservedly and perhaps unexpectedly, just as in the unlikely way God came to earth to provide a once-and-for-all substitute for the sins of all men on the first Christmas. That's why things can look bleak, but that's where hope lives.
The good news is: you simply can't hope big enough, which goes back to the idea of our minds and senses being inadequate to judge God's design and methods, and hope being more a function of God's involvement than our desires. I readily acknowledge I could not have conceived of the plan of salvation or the virgin birth. I couldn't have imagined the plan for the walls of Jericho to crumble, for hungry lions to turn into Daniel's pet kittens, or the Red Sea to part and offer up dry land. So neither do I know how my problems will be solved, or what miracles I'll be blessed to see this Christmas.
Isaiah 9:6-7 concerns the hope of the prophecy being fulfilled that brought us a "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, and Prince of Peace." The last sentence of verse seven says it's "the zeal of the Lord" that will accomplish this. God is excited! He's zealous (enthusiastic, passionate, obsessive even) to bring us this hope!
Romans 15:13 is my Christmas prayer: "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
Why is there hope? Because Jesus was born. O holy night. What a thrill. God is at work.
[1] From God Came Near, page 89
Intersecting Faith & Life: What does hope out of despair look like? There are lots of examples in any Christian's life, but in terms of contemporary cinema, I know of no better example than the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Go back and watch those movies again over the holidays, keeping an eye out for allusions to hope and hopelessness.
Further Reading
Isaiah 9:6-7
The Promises of God
:angel:
Nov. 28, 2011
The Last Days
Sarah Phillips, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
"And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and upon the earth distress of nations in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, men fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, look up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." Luke 21: 25 - 28
Most of us don't love to wait. We want to get on with things. Tie things up neatly so we can move on to the next thing. We often forget that in some cases, the opportunity to wait is an expression of God's mercy.
You see, this past Sunday was the first Sunday of Advent. It came quickly this year. I was so busy preparing for Thanksgiving, I almost forgot about Advent. Thankfully, our reliable pastor was decked out in purple this Sunday, scripture readings and hymns ready to go.
Advent isn't really an event so much as a season set aside to wait for an event. We can choose how we want to practice Advent. We can see it as a burden, an afterthought, or a hindrance. Or we can see its greater application to all of life. We can recognize it for what it is: a reminder to stop, clear away some of the normal "stuff" of life, and remember that throughout our life here we are waiting for something big, something that needs our attention and preparation: The second coming of Christ.
Many times I've heard fellow Christians express the desire for the day to just get here already. Can't we just end the wars and suffering... the waiting... and get on with Christ's return? Many pick apart the Scriptures, looking for details, for signs, that Christ is coming soon. Groups form and debates rage about the finer details of the end times.
While I am sure God appreciates our interest in and desire for his arrival, I am not so sure we really know what we're asking for when we say we wish he would hurry up and appear.
Think about it. Are we really ready? Is the world really ready? If you had to stand before Christ tomorrow, would you be ready? I don't mean "ready" as having correctly predicted the dramatic events that would unfold during the end times. I mean would your life reflect service to him? Love of him? Submission to him?
Mine wouldn't. At least not to the extent that it should. I'd like a few days, or um decades, to straighten things out. And to the best of my humble abilities, help a few more of those living in the dark find the light.
Suddenly, waiting doesn't seem too bad. God's plan to give me and the rest of the world a little more time doused with a lot of his grace doesn't seem so frustrating.
After reading the dramatic scriptures above, our pastor did not delve into prophecy or speculation about the last days. He backtracked a little, and instead opted to focus on the here and now. He challenged us to avoid the "drowsiness" that comes with our everyday cares and concerns. He challenged us to become disciplined people, Christians whose lives are truly transformed by Christ instead of by the seductive "spirit of the age." He held up examples of fellow Christians who came before us and conquered their own contemporary challenges.
He reminded us that we will each have our own "last day" even if our lives here do not witness the Last Day.
That's what Advent is really about... grace today for whatever may come tomorrow. It's about God's incredible patience and love for children who have much to learn and need plenty of precious time to allow for stumbling along the way. As for the final days, set aside the speculation and leave that to God's perfect timing. He'll know when we're ready.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Our pastor wisely pointed out that a disciplined prayer life opens our lives to God's transforming graces. Set aside a little extra time every single week, from now until Christmas, to spend time in prayer.
Further Reading
Jeremiah 33:14-16
Psalms 25:4-5, 8-9, 10, 14
Luke 21:25-28, 34-36
:angel:
Nov. 29, 2011
Are We Immune to Blessing?
By Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:3
Our company has a set of really great tickets to the local minor league baseball team, just three rows behind the home dugout. This past summer, I got to use them to take my son to his first game. My wife and I took Jordan and his pal Victor, watched them gorge on hot dogs and sno-cones while dancing hilariously to every song blared over the loudspeaker, and had a grand ol' time.
Making the experience even richer was that the boys, who brought their baseball gloves, got not one... not two... but THREE baseballs that night! One was given by an older gentleman who had snagged a foul ball during batting practice. Another we caught ourselves. The third came when one of the fielders who had caught it as the final out of an inning tossed it into the crowd on his way back to the dugout. Of course, the moment that made me the most proud was when the boys, already with one ball each, decided that it would be nice to give the third one to a kid who hadn't gotten a ball yet. It was hard not to get a little misty watching my son seek out a younger boy of a different race and ask if he'd like to have a ball. I just love baseball.
Then came game two.
The next time we got to use the tickets, we took Jordan and his little sister. Again it was an idyllic evening, but this time... no foul balls. My son was hard to console on the walk to the parking lot. The little guy had no framework to understand what I was telling him: that of all the games I have been to in my life, I have never come away with a ball, outside of our last trip to the park. Most fans don't. The reason we bring our gloves just boils down to faith, hope. But he still couldn't get it. How could we have gotten so many balls last time, but none this time? What did we do wrong?
Game three came a few nights later. It was the sixth inning, and still no baseballs. Jordan was losing hope, getting a little grumpy. He looked up at me and said, "I've decided that if we don't get a ball I'm not going to be happy. If we do get a ball, I'm going to be happy."
Well... My 'teachable moment' alarm went off, but as usually happens, so did my 'not just for Jordan' alarm. I had a second to carefully consider what to say and use as an example.
I put my hand on his little Red Sox cap and bent down to whisper to him. "That's pretty wise what you said, son, and you might not even realize it. It IS your decision. Since that's true, if you wanted to, you could make a different decision. You might decide to be happy anyway, just because you're here with me, and not in bed yet, and watching a great game on a beautiful night, and hoping like crazy for a shot at a ball. That way, whether we get one or not, we still win, because we're still happy."
He didn't say anything, but somehow, I could tell I'd hit home, probably because his demeanor changed ever so slightly. Then, I spent most of the next inning silently considering the ramifications for myself of what I had just sold my son. Words from my own past and present came to mind. "If I get this job... if I don't hit traffic... if the house isn't a mess... if I get recognized for what I did... if I'm appreciated... if I get a raise... then I'll be happy..."
There's a reason why the Beatitudes intermingle the word "blessed" (meaning happy) with a lot of circumstances that don't sound altogether happy. Meekness, being poor in spirit, and making peace hardly seem like the parts of a happy life or time. But being happy based only on whether things work out how we think is almost as odd to consider as being happy at all because there's so much suffering and hardship around us, whether it's happening directly to us at the time or not.
Joy is consistent, happiness is fleeting, and blessedness is always going on whether we take time to recognize it. But when we do? It's like catching a baseball at every game you attend.
Incidentally, we did end up getting a ball in that third game. A player threw it to me, and a pre-teen snatched it out of my glove. But when he saw who I was catching it for, he handed it to Jordan. I didn't expect that, and neither did my son. That was the blessing that night. On the way out of the park, Jordan walked to the boy's seat to thank him, as did I. The kid was shy about it, possibly even regretting having given up his prize.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Do you ever regret showing mercy, doing right, or making peace? If life is like a baseball game, what do you think - should we attend expecting or not expecting a foul ball to come our way?
Further Reading
Blessed are the Persecuted
:angel:
November 30, 2011
Oops! Advent Began Last Sunday?
Alex Crain, Christianity.com
"Revive us, and we will call upon Your name. O LORD God of hosts, restore us; Cause Your face to shine upon us, and we will be saved."
Psalm 80:18-19
Yes. If you meant to include Advent in your Christmas celebration this year, it officially started on Sunday, November 27, 2011. Sorry. But, if you're like me—sometimes a few days late and a few dollars short for things—don't let a little detail like that stop you from joining in now.
Advent is meant to focus our thoughts on Christ, and there's never a wrong time for that.
This ancient Christian tradition—often eclipsed in modern times by glitter and gifts—helps us ponder why we need a Savior and teaches us to anticipate Christ's coming with joy. To be honest, I'm not an expert on Advent. I didn't grow up in a family that celebrated it. I've read about it and heard others say how helps them slow down and focus on God amid the hustle and bustle of the holidays. More importantly for my wife and me, Advent has been said to help make a lasting impression about spiritual truths on the hearts of children. So, this year, we've decided to formally celebrate Advent for the first time. I'll hopefully be able to give a positive update about how it went for the Crain family in a future edition of Crosswalk the Devotional.
If you missed the first Sunday of Advent, don't let that deter you from catching up. Today's Scripture in Psalm 80 was from the list of readings this past Sunday, so be encouraged. You're already on your way! Advent wreaths, candles, and calendars can be found online or in local bookstores. Most important is the reading, sharing, and reflection on God's Word. In fact, here is a 25-day Christmas Bible Reading Plan with selected Scriptures for each day in December up to Christmas Day. It begins tomorrow, December 1, 2011.
See? You're not late for everything.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Pause and thank the Lord that He takes you just as you are. Ask Him to revive you, to restore your appetite for His Word, and to keep your eyes focused on Him this Christmas season.
Further Reading
The Christmas Bible Reading Plan at BibleStudyTools.com
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December 1, 2011
Lessons from a Superhero
Ryan Duncan, TheFish.com Editor
"And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1: 14 NAS
Who is your favorite superhero? If you asked me, the answer would be Aquaman. Most people might find this surprising since, let's face it; Aquaman has never been that popular of a superhero. He doesn't strike fear into the heart of evil, like Batman, or block bullets like Wonder Woman. Heck, even most sidekicks are able to fly, but Aquaman needs to hail a seahorse to get anywhere.
For me though, that's why I like him. Whenever Aquaman fights, he's always at a disadvantage. His ocean powers never help him on the land, but despite that he still fights the bad guys and wins. It's easy to be brave or strong when you have the home field advantage, but what happens when the tables are turned and you find yourself in enemy territory?
This all sounds pretty corny, I know, but things like this remind me of what Jesus faced when he became a man. We Christians are quick to quote Jesus' death on the cross, the sacrifice he made so that we could be forgiven, but sometimes I think we forget about his life. We forget the miracle that occurred when a Holy God chose to step into a world overrun by sin.
Can we even begin to imagine what it must have been like for the all-knowing, all-powerful God of the universe to become a human? To understand the indignity of stubbing a toe or skinning a knee, the frustration of being confined to a small desert when the whole universe could not contain him, the humility required to endure hunger and thirst? Meanwhile, the devil stood in the background promising release, offering to make everything the way it was if Jesus would only pay a small, insignificant price.
I think C.S. Lewis says it best in Mere Christianity when he writes,
"Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is. ... We never find out the strength of the evil impulse inside us until we try to fight it: and Christ, because He was the only man who never yielded to temptation, is also the only man who knows to the full what temptation means—the only complete realist."
Jesus greatest triumph was His death and resurrection, there can be no mistake. Yet every day he lived, he battled the temptations of lust, envy, greed, pride and triumphed over them. So this December I encourage you to read the Christmas story and remember the miracle of Jesus' birth. Remember that our Heavenly Father became a small baby so that we might one day live in eternity with him. Remember that Christ lived as a man, was tempted as we were, and has defeated sin.
We are His, and He is ours.
Further Reading
Luke 2: 1 - 21
:angel:
Dec. 2, 2011
Ho Ho Hum . . . Merry Christmas!
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Hear the snow crunch
See the kids bunch
This is Santa's big scene
And above all this bustle
You'll hear
Silver bells, silver bells
It's Christmas time in the city
Ring-a-ling, hear them sing
Soon it will be Christmas Day
"Silver Bells"
Songwriters: Jay Livingston & Ray Evans
The beginning of December can certainly feel like "Santa's big scene," can it not? Especially as the real meaning of Christmas continues to be watered down like a fast-melting icicle.
When I focus on the hustle and bustle, the holiday concerts and the parties, the "what gift should I get for whom?" and so forth, I am quickly put into a "ho ho hum" state of mind. It can easily become the season of "how can I get through this?" instead of the season of "Emmanuel, God with us!"
But when I draw closer to Christ, then the meaning of Christmas become like an oasis of calm to me even though the snow may crunch or the kids may bunch. As the saying goes, "Jesus is the reason for the season." And whether that sounds tired or gimmicky to you or not, I fully embrace it. Because it's true!
The verse 1 John 4:19 so aptly reminds us that "we love because he first loved us." And that's it in a nutshell when it comes to Christmas, isn't it? It's a season about God's love for his people. The incarnation of his son, Jesus Christ. When Light came to the world and gave us a way out of darkness.
Recently a wonderful reminder of what Christmas is all about came to me in the form of a gift catalog from Samaritan's Purse. When I opened up my mail box and saw it, I wondered what types of gifts this international Christian relief and evangelism organization would be promoting to me. I had participated in their Operation Christmas Child shoe-box program before at my church, but had never seen a gift catalog. Perhaps there would be some really cool bracelets made by ladies in an African village or some woven ponchos from somewhere in South America. I was excited to flip through and see what I wanted to get.
But what I quickly learned was that the gift catalog was not for me. Not really. It was for others. As in, here were gifts that I could purchase to help other people all over the world at Christmastime and beyond.
For example, a gift of $45 will help save the lives of mothers and babies by training Christian birth attendants and providing them with equipment and medicine to provide crucial prenatal care. I flipped through some more pages and saw that $20 will give Gospel booklets to 40 children in their own languages with colorful pictures and a clear presentation of the story of our Savior. Near the middle of the catalog I found out that $150 will help build a church for suffering believers. The church pictured was one that had been built in Sudan to replace those destroyed during the civil war. And then I also discovered that for those who travel to preach the Gospel in the remotest of areas, a gift of $35 will provide audio/visual equipment, a month of Bible instruction or other resources to help reach people for Christ.
Well after taking in all of the many gifts that were available to be given, I set down the catalog. My heart was moved. And I couldn't help but cry a little. This is what the season is all about.
And I tell you about this catalog today not because I'm being paid, nor did anyone from this organization ask me to do so. This is just an experience that helped to remind me that Christmas is not "Santa's big scene." And giving a gift through an organization like Samaritan's Purse is just one way of giving to others because of a Savior who was given to us.
I pray that we will all be inspired, in whatever way God leads, to share the real meaning of Christmas today and in the days of Advent that are still ahead.
Intersecting Faith & Life: If you're feeling "ho ho hum" today, why not take some of the funds you've earmarked for Christmas presents and give a gift to help others in honor of your friend or loved one? Imagine their faces when they see that a gift has been given to someone else in need in their honor!
Further Reading:
John 1:14, NIV
2 Cor. 9:15, NIV
"Emmanuel God with Us"
Songwriters: Amy Grant, Chris Eaton and Robert Hall
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December 5, 2011
Becoming Real
by Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel" (which means, God with us)." (Matthew 1: 18-24)
The story is about a toy rabbit given to a boy for Christmas. The rabbit befriends one of the oldest, wisest toys in the nursery – The Skin Horse. One day, he asks the Skin Horse what it takes to become a real rabbit instead of a sawdust-filled bunny. Here is an excerpt of their conversation from Margery Williams', The Velveteen Rabbit:
"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"
"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."
My stepmother, a family counselor, would smile at the Skin Horse's words to his young friend. She approaches her calling as more than patching up broken lives, but helping each person become what she calls "real." A "real" person is one who has shed all that is false and embraced what is true and pure. A theological word for becoming "real" would be sanctification.
I am often tempted to approach Christmas like I often would like to approach sanctification – as something that happened all at once and can now be relegated to a box from the past, marked "done." Yet this Christmas, I am struck with how the first Christmas is very closely tied to our ongoing journey towards "realness."
That's because Christmas is the day God became Real. Oh, sure God's always been real, but on that day, he became real to us in a special way. He entered the world as a baby that could be cuddled and held by people like you and me.
Theologians have a fancy word for God becoming Real: the Incarnation.
What is so amazing about the Incarnation is that God didn't merely become similar to us -- He wasn't like an angel who experimented with a few human experiences. No, God became fully human, through and through. And he didn't just become human to empathize with us (although He certainly does), but to quite literally transform us, through and through. You see, if God hadn't become Real, we would have no hope of becoming real.
St. Athanasius, a great defender of the doctrine of Incarnation explained it like this:
"He sanctified the body by being in it ... Just as the sun is not defiled by the contact of its rays with earthly objects, but rather enlightens and purifies them, so He Who made the sun is not defiled by being made known in a body, but rather the body is cleansed and quickened by His indwelling."
Even before the Cross, Jesus' birth began the reversal of the divorce between creation and the Divine caused by Adam and Eve's fall from grace. By becoming man, God didn't merely descend to our human level but lifted humanity up to His Divine level. Sin and its effects on the body and soul met it's match in the mere existence of this Child. As our former pastor used to say, "Christmas was a marriage between heaven and earth."
The miracle of the Incarnation not only changes humanity's relationship with God, but also with each other. After the Fall, Adam and Eve hid from one anther. Family life was forever affected, tainted by our first parents. Now, can you imagine the first Christmas? Mary and Joseph, husband and wife, held God Incarnate in their arms. This humble couple peered into the Face of the very same God who, in the Old Testament scriptures, could not be directly looked upon or touched. The same God from whom their first mother and father fled in shame. Jesus' quiet birth to Mary and Joseph elevated family life beyond its natural and legal purposes, opening the door for family life to unite us with God and thus, more closely unite us with each other.
"Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. (Luke 2:9)
On the first Christmas, Jesus, Mary and Joseph still had a journey ahead of them. You and I also have a journey ahead of us – we are not finished products yet. As we walk life's road, shedding the old for the new along the way, let's imitate Mary by "treasuring up" the miracle of the Incarnation in our hearts. Soak in the fact that Our God became Man so that all that was once lost could be restored, and we as His people, could share in His glory. That is as real as it gets.
Further Reading
Titus 2: 11-14
Luke 1: 26-38
The Beauty of an Ugly Christmas Tree, by Whitney Hopler
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December 6, 2011
Peace on Earth?
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:7
Our Adult Bible Fellowship class just finished a study of Rick Warren's The Purpose of Christmas. First, I'd like to tell you that I highly recommend this material, especially the DVD for families or groups who will have Christmas visitors. It's easy to watch and delightful to follow as Pastor Warren - as always - delivers the gospel in such a warm and welcoming manner.
During the program, as Warren is speaking of the angst and dis-ease in the world, here is one of the claims he makes in Part 3 of The Purpose of Christmas DVD:
"There will never be peace in the world until there is peace in nations.
There will never be peace in nations until there is peace in communities.
There will never be peace in communities until there is peace in families.
There will never be peace in families until there is peace in individuals.
And there will never be peace in individuals until we invite the Prince of Peace to reign in our hearts.
Jesus is the Prince of Peace."
I think he's right. One criticism unbelievers often have about Christ is that if he was supposed to bring peace, why do we have wars, why is there strife? The answer, as well as the question, is summed up in Warren's quote above.
But one question remains - how to achieve peace? The angel did say, after all, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men" (Luke 2:14). Yet the world is in conflict! What to do? Do we need Compromise? Tolerance? Conquest?
None of the above. We need Reconciliation, the catalyst of peace.
Warren's DVD cites 3 kinds of peace that begin with a person reconciling their sin with God, which can only be done through Christ:
1. Peace WITH God, which is Spiritual peace, and brings...
2. Peace OF God, which is Emotional peace, and fosters...
3. Peace WITH OTHERS, which is Relational peace.
Interesting how that works - from the inside out. It's something we all know about the peace Christ brought, but perhaps we don't always feel or apply.
That's why today's verse struck me in a new and interesting way today. Not only is God's peace mind-boggling ("beyond comprehension"), and calmly assuring (minds and hearts at rest), but it is also its own gate-keeper.
That's right. Paul writes here that such peace - once reconciliation is achieved - serves as the very GUARD against the agents and circumstances of unrest. That's a pretty amazing thing when the very bridge you hope to erect is self-sustaining and the very wall you seek to build is self-defending!
Intersecting Faith & Life: Follow Paul's charge to young Timothy, and "pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart" (2 Tim. 2:22). Start with reading the verses below. Merry Christmas! Peace on Earth, good will toward men!
Further Reading
Hebrews 12:14
1 Thessalonians 5:13
Psalm 34:14
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December 7, 2011
Romans 8:28 Does Not Mean Giving Thanks with a Plastic Smile
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."
Romans 8:28
Catastrophes like recent earthquakes, hurricanes, and even terrorist attacks remind us that, indeed, we live in a sin-cursed world. Not only do tragedies like these cause many to lose their lives, they often leave countless others in their wake---roiling in doubt and disbelief. The horrors of human suffering can stain our minds and souls and often obscure our vision of the God who is there. How are we supposed to respond?
Closer to home, we experience the curse of sin in personal ways through losses or disappointments that grieve the heart. We may wonder in all honesty at such times what verses like Romans 8:28 mean. Does Christ His followers to simply put on a plastic smile and somehow grin and bear it?
Hardly.
Francis Schaeffer offers a helpful explanation to this dilemma in the first chapter of his classic book, True Spirituality. In fact, he says that a proper grasp of Romans 8:28 is crucial to understanding the world.
First of all, he takes care to point out that the Bible's view of life in the world is clear-eyed and realistic: At the Fall of man, everything became abnormal. The whole world is not what God made it to be. Therefore, Scripture verses like Romans 8:28 cannot be calling us to think...
"...that in some magical way everything is really fine when it isn't. Rather, we are to say "thank You Lord" knowing that God will somehow bring good ultimately, though we may not know how all the pieces fit together.
"It is not that Christians are to give thanks with a plastic smile, saying things are wonderful when they are hard.
It is knowing that the hard things are really hard things, a result of the abnormality of the Fall, yet not revolting
against God when the hard things come."
"We do honor to God and the finished work of Christ as we throw the words 'all things' in Romans 8:28 like a circle around all things..."
"...we are contented before God... not complacent about the suffering of the world."
In other words, Christ neither calls us to be indifferent nor to put on a plastic smile. Rather, we are to face the facts of hard reality and then sink our roots more deeply in who He is.
What a privilege that we who are naturally God's enemies can have a relationship of trusting Him—the faithful, sovereign, covenant keeping God who is incapable of failure. He makes and keeps great promises not only for His glory but for the ultimate good of those who are His.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
In what situations are you tempted to be shaken from trusting God?
Clearly, this is a sin-cursed world. Still, do you sometimes catch yourself expecting a rosy path? Why? What do we really deserve? (Read Romans 3:10-20)
Further Reading
Jonathan Edwards' sermon: "Men Are Naturally God's Enemies"
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December 8, 2011
The Angel
Ryan Duncan, TheFish.com
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." – Luke 2: 13-14
My family has a tradition. Each Christmas, when the whole family has gotten together, we take an evening to decorate the tree. My sisters and I unwrap our favorite ornaments and try to get them some premium tree-placement while our parents take out some older decorations to fill in the gaps we leave behind. The crown jewel of our Christmas collection is the angel, which is always put on last and always at the top of the tree. Only one of us got to put up the angel, and as kids, every year we would fight like crazy over whose turn it was (Actually, even as adults I think we still flight like crazy over whose turn it is). There was just something so wonderful and amazing about that angel that you couldn't help trying to get it, even if you knew it wasn't your turn.
Looking back on those nights now, I can't help but envy the shepherds of the Christmas story. Of all the Christmas gifts that have ever been given, they hands-down received the best. They witnessed the declaration of Christ's birth from a host of angels.
"And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told." – Luke 2:8-20
I doubt you or I will ever be able to fathom what the shepherds experienced in those moments, but the wonder of the angel's message still remains. Christ the Lord was born on earth, and his birth signaled the beginning of our freedom from sin. This Christmas season, don't let cold weather or crazy shopping cause you to forget the splendor of the angel's message. Instead, be like the shepherds, glorifying and praising God for all the things you have seen and heard.
Intersecting Faith and Life
This Christmas, consider taking part in Operation Christmas Child through Samaritan's Purse, and bring the hope of Christmas to a child in need.
Further Reading
Read Luke 2
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December 9, 2011
Less Is More
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
" . . . And they will call him Immanuel"—which means, "God with us."
Matthew 1:23b, NIV
I put up my Christmas tree a couple weekends ago right after Thanksgiving. Perhaps you did, too.
This year, however, I only hung up about two-thirds of my ornaments. Also, many of the holiday knickknacks that I normally display I left remaining in their boxes. I didn't even run to the store to replace two strands of twinkly, white lights that quit on me while I was wrapping them around the tree. No, I just made do with what I had. And I was okay with it.
In fact, I decided that I like seeing some more of the Christmas tree. Negative space is good, and I don't need to cram ornaments and white lights into every nook and cranny where there's some green showing. Know what I mean?
Up until now, I wouldn't have believed that I would have been okay with the above two paragraphs. I was compelled to put out everything I owned that had a Christmas theme so it would all be on display. Then, I had to purchase several ornaments each year to augment my collection so that it was always growing and featured the latest and greatest in holiday decor.
But this year, something is changing inside of me. And I think I'm finally learning that Christmas is really more about less. It's more about what God has given to all mankind.
The prophet Isaiah foretold it: "Immanuel . . . God with us." And then Matthew quoted him years later in the New Testament. But what does knowing that God is "with us" really mean to me?
He lives in my heart, but I wonder how differently I would feel if God was sitting on his throne in my very own home—right there in my living room, where I could see him. If he was visible, in all of his splendor and blinding light, I would certainly take notice. I would live differently, wouldn't I? My priorities would surely change. I probably wouldn't care about anything else this holiday season: the decorations, the baking, the gifts, the parties. I would just want to sit at his feet and worship him.
I am reminded of Mary's response to Christ in the story about Mary and her sister Martha in Matthew 10:38-42:
As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."
"Immanuel . . . God with us." What more does Christmas need to be to me? To you? All we need is Jesus. He is more than enough this Christmas. Let's ask him to help us focus less on our holiday agendas, as we spend more time at his feet worshipping Christ our King.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Are you caught in the web of "more is more" this Christmastime? Meditate on "Immanuel . . . God with us."
Further Reading:
And the years they come,
And the years they go,
Though we may forget somehow
That the child once born in Bethlehem
Is still among us now.
Emmanuel, God with us,
Emmanuel!
Emmanuel, God with us,
The son of Israel.
"Emmanuel, God With Us"
Composers/Lyricists: Amy Grant, Chris Eaton, Robert Marshall
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December 12, 2011
Potholes
Anna Kuta, Crosswalk.com Editor
"As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you." Joshua 1:5b
I was driving home late the other night, rolling down the winding, two-lane country road I've been down so many thousands of times I could probably drive it in my sleep. I had the radio turned up and one hand on the wheel, and then — CLUNK! Before I knew what was happening, my front right tire thudded through a gigantic pothole that came out of nowhere. The whole car jolted and I just knew a noise like that had to have done some damage.
"Oh, please don't let me have a flat tire," I said out loud. Cringing, I pulled over at the next road and worked up the courage to get out and look ... and to my surprise, my tire was still intact. I stared at it for a few minutes, waiting until I was sufficiently assured that it wasn't going to deflate in front of my eyes, and then I breathed a sigh of relief and continued my drive, albeit a good bit slower and more cautious this time.
Isn't life just like that? You're going along smoothly, and all of a sudden something turns your world upside down. A loved one gets a cancer diagnosis. You lose your job. Your best friend moves halfway across the country. Someone dies too young. You're making your way down the road just fine and then you crash into a pothole that almost derails you. We all know the feeling all too well.
I was having one of those weeks where every single thing seemed to be going wrong, and then I heard a sermon illustration that stuck with me. It was the story of a gravel lane leading to a farm and a huge pothole that appeared after a rainstorm. Before anyone had a chance to fill it in, though, a bird laid her eggs in the pothole. She hatched her chicks there and stayed with them until they left the nest. All the locals warned their families and friends to avoid the pothole, and everyone drove slowly by to see for themselves the little birds thriving in a place that no one would expect.
How often do we look at the potholes in our lives and curse them? Yet, from a rocky, ugly place, little birds sang and took flight.
God did not promise that our Christian walk would be easy, but he did promise he would never leave us. His presence, His love and His peace are the only things that can fill in the holes in our lives. He smoothes out the roughest of roads with His strength and comfort. And above all, He grants us grace sufficient to make it through whatever may come. The Lord will never leave our side.
If not for the pothole on that gravel farm lane, the travelers would never have been able to witness a small miracle taking place there. If not for the pothole on my drive home the other night, I probably wouldn't have slowed down and I might have had an even worse encounter around the next bend – with a herd of deer in the middle of the road.
In the midst of a week where I thought my world might crash down, I cried out to God to help me through, and it was only when I had nothing left to rely on but Him that I felt His presence more clearly than I had in a long time – and it was exactly what my heart had been yearning for. "Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you," as James 4:8 says. Only God can fill our potholes, and he fills them with Himself. May we never miss the little blessings hidden along a bumpy road.
Intersecting Faith and Life
When you hit a pothole, pray for God to give you strength and remind you of His presence. Seek a closer relationship with Him and remember that He is your refuge and strength.
Further Reading
Deuteronomy 31:5-6
Psalm 46:1
Psalm 55:22
Psalm 73:23-24
Isaiah 43:2
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December 13, 2010
"Blessed are you among women!"
Sarah Phillips, Family Editor Crosswalk.com
In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to the city of Judah, and she entered the house of Zechari'ah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and she exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord."
Luke 1: 39 - 45,
You don't need me to tell you Christmas is fast approaching. We're approaching the last week to prepare for the big day. Chances are, you're rushing around trying to get last-minute errands completed. I have a mental list of "must do's" running through my own head.
So as I read this gospel for the final Sunday of Advent, I am struck by how Mary prepared for Christ's coming. Mary received the biggest news of human history, the coming of the Messiah (through her!?), and what does she do? Mary sets aside her own agenda and "went with haste" to visit her cousin Elizabeth. At this point, Elizabeth's pregnancy is entering the final trimester and no doubt this older mother is tired and in need of assistance.
I imagine Mary must have had a lot of thoughts running through her head on the way to Judah. "Is Elizabeth really pregnant in her old age? She must be... but really? And how am I going to explain my situation to Elizabeth? Will she believe me?"
Mary's arrival is one of those great moments in history - a moment that reverberates throughout the ages that follow. This simple story of two pregnant women meeting carries so many implications. Some of the themes that stick out to me include:
1. Mary's faith. Mary was obedient to God and put faith in him. She set aside her own comfort and questions to help Elizabeth. Mary's virtue shines through here, and God throws in a little reward - a miraculous and joyful greeting from Elizabeth.
2. Elizabeth's selflessness. Elizabeth's news is a pretty big deal. Her husband receives a vision from an angel and she conceives in her old age after years of waiting. Yet, her first response focuses not on her big news, but on Mary's. This reveals Elizabeth's virtue and also adds emphasis to the reality that Mary's news holds even more profound implications for humanity than Elizabeth's miracle.
3. The humanity of the unborn. In those days, pregnant women didn't enjoy the luxury of ultrasound technology. Yet, God makes the humanity of these little ones very clear here. Elizabeth exclaims, "And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" Elizabeth refers to Mary as "mother" in the present tense and she refers to the growing baby inside of Mary (who probably wasn't even showing yet) with his proper title: Lord. God was "with us" the moment Mary conceived, and even the unborn John the Baptist recognized this!
4. God works through fellow human beings. God could have found any number of ways to communicate his message that day. He chose to speak through Elizabeth and John and the communion between Mary and Elizabeth. He also brought help to Elizabeth during her last trimester through Mary and comfort to the newly pregnant Mary through Elizabeth.
5. God's love for women. How can there be any doubt that God has a special place in his heart for the fairer sex after reading of Mary and Elizabeth's stories? God could have arrived on earth in any form he chose... and while the rest of the world remained ignorant, two women basked in the presence and knowledge of the Lord.
I am sure great theologians can extract even more from this story, but I'll leave it here for today. As your schedule ramps up in these final days of Advent, imitate Mary who "treasured up" the mysteries revealed to her and "pondered them in her heart." (Luke 2: 19)
Intersecting Faith & Life: How is God present in your life this holiday season? Think of the little ways God makes his presence known and brings you comfort and joy even in the midst of trials.
Further Reading
Psalm 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19
Hebrews 10:5-10
Women of Advent and Christmas: Elizabeth
Women of Advent and Christmas: Mary, Not Just a Womb
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December 14, 2011
Free Radicals
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
"Woe to you when all men speak well of you..."
Luke 6:26
How deep does my arrogance run? Put it this way: you didn't ask, but I'm going to tell you anyway. The biggest reason I've not yet written the book I've got jangling around in my brain is that deep down I still actually believe a complete impossibility: that hidden between my mind and my keyboard are the magic just-right words that will get everyone to agree. On everything. Or at least, on everything as I have interpreted it. The words that will get Christians to start treating sinners as they treat themselves, and sinners to stop sinning. Phrases that will be so beautifully turned that neither liberal nor conservative will have aught to say about them. A book that will bring everyone together and that, most importantly, will not cause anyone to write me nasty letters, claim I am deluded, or call me an idiot.
The irony, of course, is that my goal is already shot. The ideal itself is delusional, and pure idiocy. And as the saying goes, if you want everyone to like you, nobody will.
So what should be the goal? Well, truth, sure. And being obedient to just be the vehicle through which God wants to impart a particular take on His Truth.
But why is that so hard?
I think it's because Jesus, Who already lived here before me, Whose words are already recorded for anyone to read, and Who called Himself 'the Truth,' gave us a version of how to walk on this planet that is so contrary, so impractical, so frustratingly (if I hope to be honest about it) radical.
Beginning with what I already admitted at the top of this devotional, bear with me as I turn Christ's Great Sermon from Luke 6 into something of a dialogue...
Jesus (vs. 26): Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for in the same way their fathers used to treat the false prophets.
Me: Ew. Cut to the chase, why don't You. So I've set myself on the path of the false prophet, have I? Swell; I knew I couldn't trust myself. But Lord, anything else I say or write or do is going to lead to having enemies, people who are upset with me. What do I do about that?
Jesus (vs. 27-28): Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
Me: Oh. So it's an action thing. Pretty mind-boggling concepts. I can't help but notice You didn't say, "bash those jerks' heads in with rightness." Because that feels more natural, Lord. But assuming You're on to something, what does that look like?
Jesus (vs. 29-30): Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either. Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back.
Me: Yeah, ya see, the thing is, Lord... there's a lot of people who might take advantage of that. And what in the world are You saying that there might be people who want to hit me on the face? Is that what I signed up for in following You? I gotta be honest, it doesn't sound like a very comfortable, or even practical, way of living in this day and age, this country, this world. Can't you simplify it for me?
Jesus (vs. 31-33): Just as you want people to treat you, treat them in the same way. And if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.
Me: Wow, that just blows my mind, Lord. Of course You're right... what is there to separate me at all from anyone else, even the most vile of sinners, except how I react to situations and treat people? But don't You know how hard this would be? What am I saying... of course You do..., but... please forgive me for saying so, Lord, but it just feels like giving some bully my coat, shirt, or other cheek is somehow crazier, tougher, more insane in 21st century America than first-century Jerusalem. I hate asking, but if I'm gonna commit to this, I gotta know... what's in it for me?
Jesus (vs. 35, 37-38): Love your enemies and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men... Do not judge and you will not be judged... pardon, and you will be pardoned... Give, and it will be given to you.
Me: Man... and here I was thinking that I was the one who needed to come up with the words that helped us treat sinners as ourselves, and to what ends. You truly have covered all things and lived all things, Lord. Now, I just wonder if I can really do this, even for the rewards You promise.
Jesus (vs. 46): Why do you call me, "Lord, Lord" and do not do what I say?
Me: Because it's so contrary, upside-down, and radical that it's seriously hard to trust... even to trust You, Lord. It just seems like there's so much to lose. Help me to be free. Help me to take this risk, to think not of myself, my safety, my comfort first, to love people as You love them. It's almost like You were fortunate to "have no place to lay your head." But still, despite my handicaps, I want to try, Lord... I want to try.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Now here's a challenge -- but it's straight from the mouth of Christ: the next time you are wronged, hurt, or had something taken from you... can you give the person responsible even MORE of what they took? And believe you'll be blessed for it? And if not, why not?
Further Reading
John 12:25
Rich Man, Poor Man
Faith and Assertiveness
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December 15, 2011
Christ the Lord
By Ryan Duncan, TheFish.com Editor
And she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. – Luke 2:7
The Christmas story is one of the most amazing moments in the Bible, probably rivaled only by the crucifixion. It's the story of Christ's birth, the moment when God took on human form. In the bright lights of the holiday season, it's easy to miss the true wonder and raw power of its message. That's why, when I came across a modern day retelling of the Christmas story, a whole new side of Christ's birth was revealed to me. The story went something like this,
"Once upon a time, somewhere in North Dakota, there lived a rather unremarkable young couple whose names were Joseph and Mary. Joseph was a tradesman who worked in a factory for minimum wage. Mary was his fiancée, a High School dropout who lived with him in a small apartment, and who was currently pregnant. By the worlds standards they were nothing special, but still, they were good people who loved God and loved each other.
One year, Joseph's company announced it was going to hold a conference in Chicago, and all employees were expected to attend. The couple couldn't afford to fly, so the two of them made the three day trip to Chicago in Joseph's run down old Ford, only to find on their arrival that all the hotels had been booked for the week. The two of them searched and searched, but even the smaller motels were full to bursting. Finally, one of the motel managers took pity on them.
'It ain't much,' he said, 'But if you're really desperate I can gets some blankets and a few inflatable mattresses, and the two of you can sleep in the garage next door.'
With no other alternative the couple accepted. That night, Mary went into labor. Joseph called for paramedics, but for some reason they never arrived, and Mary was forced to have her child in a garage with no medical attention and only Joseph to help her. When she finally gave birth, they wrapped the baby in the few blankets they had and lay him in an old cardboard box the manager had been using to recycle old newspapers."
Strange, isn't it? I feel like we often romanticize the Christmas story. We imagine Christ's birth happened on a peaceful, starry night, in a warm and cozy stable surrounded by well-trained and cleanly washed animals. In reality, it was hard, painful, dirty, and depressing, but so much more incredible. The God of our universe, the Holy Being who created the earth, who set planets in motion, the God who existed before time itself began, stepped down from his heavenly throne so that he could be born as one of the lowest of beings, in one of the lowest of places. A sacrifice he made so that we may one day be reconciled to him. This Christmas season, take a moment to read the story of Jesus' birth and look at it with new eyes.
Intersecting Faith and Life
The Christmas, remember the birth of Christ and the sacrifice he made.
Further Reading
Read Luke 2
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December 16, 2011
Not What You Wanted?
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you?"
James 4:1
A holiday edition of the TV show "America's Funniest Home Videos" showed various children opening their presents on Christmas morning. Apparently, it's hard for many kids to see humor in getting an unwanted gift. Most of their reactions were, well... downright childish.
When the ribbons and paper were torn off, one child pulled out a new pair of socks, threw her head back and erupted in an angry sob. A matching outfit given to another child produced a tantrum across the floor followed by stomping footsteps up the stairs. Other children glowered with frowns and snarls. One even screamed at the parent holding the video camera, then hurled the unwanted gift back in his face. Not exactly the funniest home videos.
In contrast to all the immaturity and ingratitude came a bright ray of hope at the end of the montage as a little brown-haired girl in pink pajamas ecstatically jumped up and down with glee. She held in her hands a tiny chestnut and spun around to the camera exclaiming, "A nut! A nut! I got a nut! I don't know what kind it is, but I got a nut!"
James 4:1-6 says that sinful responses erupt from hearts that are controlled by overwhelming desires. They don't have to be sinful desires necessarily. The degree to which "harmless" desires become sinful is shown by what happens when things don't turn out as you hoped or expected. Whether it is irritability, or an angry tantrum or a sulking frown; sinful responses show that something in the heart has replaced God.
Notice verse 1 where James asks the question (paraphrasing), "Why are you so upset? What's the real problem in your heart?" And then he answers with divine wisdom, "I'll tell you what the matter is: it's your pleasures—your desires—that are waging war within you. And the result is sinful fights and quarrels."
Certainly, there's nothing inherently sinful about simply having desires in life. God created us to have desires. There are many good things to desire in life: having adequate food, clothing and shelter, having a happy marriage, getting a promotion at work, buying a nice car. There is nothing wrong with these kinds of desires... nothing inherently wrong, that is.
The problems come when, in our hearts, those desires turn into something else. The word translated as "lust" in verse 2 is actually "desire" with the added element of "strong craving." Epithumeo is not a word that necessarily means "lust" in the sexual sense. The idea conveyed in the original text is "you are controlled by desire." In other words, some desire—perhaps, even for a good thing—has gotten so wrapped around your heart, that it has become more important than God to you.
Whenever this happens, the result is sinful behavior. And the sin of the heart that must be confessed first in cases like this is no less than the sin of idolatry. False worship occurs whenever worship of the true God is replaced with the god of "my way."
What a peaceful contrast is painted in verse 6. God gives grace to the humble. That is, those who humbly submit their desires to God and trust Him as the sovereign provider of needs are given grace. Grace here is the desire and ability to obey God and respond in a way that pleases Him. Such recipients of grace are able, then, to deal with whatever happens—whether the present under the tree is a pair of socks, a cool skateboard, the keys to a new car, or a tiny chestnut.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Does your situation today resemble what you expected or wanted in life? What is your response to this?
Think back to a recent outburst of anger, or incident in which you showed irritability. Trace it back to the unfulfilled desire that had control of your heart. What was it that you wanted?
Ask God to reveal any desires seeking to control your heart so that you can humbly submit them to Him and release them to His sovereign care. Repent of any lingering idolatry. Ask Him for grace to deal with whatever happens. Trust Him to provide for your needs.
Further Reading & Listening
Isaiah 40:12-31
Listen to an example of what humility sounds like here
(Indelible Grace Acoustic "By Thy Mercy")
Thomas Watson, The Lord's Prayer
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December 19, 2011
Sometimes It Takes Two Christmas Trees
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
. . . He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Phil. 1:6, NIV
If you want to put up your Christmas tree one more time again this year, raise your hand.
I didn't think so. And I didn't want to put up my trusty, artificial Christmas tree again this year either, but I had to. You see, when I put up my first tree right after Thanksgiving, I knew that the rigging I had done to make sure the top half of the tree stayed in place was on its last leg and that I would need to break down and purchase a new tree next year.
But then something funny happened on the way to December 25. A couple of days later, the top half just fell off. As in, completely toppled over and onto my living room floor. For a second, I thought about just abandoning having a Christmas tree at all this year. I was frustrated and had already put in so much effort. Why go through this whole rigmarole again in the very same week?
But something in me wouldn't give up. I WILL have a Christmas tree, I thought. And I'll find a way and the time to get a replacement tree bought and decorated this week!
So I regrouped, purchased another tree and started all over again. Now, what I don't enjoy about putting up my tree is the unfurling of all of the branches that have been smashed up in the tree's box. And then even more unenjoyable than that is when I have to wrap the lights around the tree. The fake needles and branches scratch up my hands as I'm pushing lights into all of the nooks and crannies. It stings my skin, but I do it so that there's a beautiful glowy backdrop for all of my ornaments.
Once I get past all of that, then I actually do enjoy putting up my Christmas tree. First, I put the tree skirt in its place. Next, I lace around the sparkly garland. And then, since I have multiples of many ornaments (glass icicles, dangling bells, painted balls, etc.), I strategically place them first so that not all of one type of ornament is having its own holiday gathering on one branch of the tree. After I've done all of that, then I can place the one-of-a-kind ornaments here and there, pop the tree topper on the tree top and Christmas is good to go.
So then, there was great rejoicing when the Christmas tree was completed (and no, that's not a Bible verse). I just love looking at this beautiful creation. And to see it sparkle and glow . . . well, it makes for something glorious in my home.
Perhaps that's how the Father feels when he looks at us, his divine creations. How many times has he had to pick us back up when we've toppled over our lives? Or unwind the tangled mess we've made because of our disobedience to him? Somehow, in his great love, he never gives up on us. Because Jesus made a way for us to come to the Father, God is faithful and continually works to make us radiant and pleasing to him.
I'm thankful God doesn't tire of putting me back together each and every day of the year. In fact, if I know him, and I do, I think even if it took putting up a gazillion Christmas trees that he will never tire of working in our lives so that we might glorify him.
Intersecting Faith & Life: How has the Father shown you his kindness, his patience and the ways that he is long-suffering toward you this year? Thank him for the gift of his Son this Christmas and that because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed (Lam. 3:22).
Further Reading:
John 1:3-4, NIV
Rom. 2:4, MSG
Heb. 13:21, NIV
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Dec. 20, 2011
Tell Everybody!
Anna Kuta, Crosswalk.com Editor
So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, "Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us." And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds (Luke 2:15-18).
Every December my church puts on an event called Bethlehem Walk, an interactive living nativity of sorts that takes people through a recreation of first-century Bethlehem and then through scenes of the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Thousands of people from the community and even all over the state come each year to hear about the real meaning of Christmas. I've been a cast member almost every year, but this year for the first time I played the part of a guide, who leads groups of people through the city and from one drama scene to the next.
If I thought it would get monotonous saying the same lines, hearing the same story and seeing the same things acted out on repeat for 20 hours in one weekend, I could not have been further from the truth. One of my favorite parts was seeing the reactions of people in my groups to each of the scenes, especially the kids.
After the group watches the angels appear to the shepherds in the field and tell them of Jesus' birth, we hurry with the shepherds to the stable to see it for ourselves. After we learn that this baby really is the Messiah, the guide is supposed to tell the group, "Come, let us go tell others what we have seen!" (From there, the group stumbles upon the three kings and points the way to them.) One night, however, I had a group of kids who were as enthralled with the whole story as anyone I'd ever seen. When we got to the manger, they crowded in close, eyes wide, like they'd never seen anything like it. They watched with awe as Mary sang "Silent Night" and rocked the baby Jesus in her arms. And just when she finished and I opened my mouth to speak my lines, I was upstaged – one little boy in the front jumped up and shouted, "It's Jesus! We gotta tell everybody!"
Sure, we all crack a smile, but the little boy had it absolutely right. Tell everybody! The shepherds did just that after the angels pointed them to baby Jesus – they made it "widely known," according to Luke 2:17. How could they keep quiet, having seen what they had seen? How can I keep quiet, having been redeemed by Christ?
If you, like me, ever feel unqualified or unworthy to share the Gospel, remember the shepherds. They were the most unlikely messengers of the Messiah's birth – rough, poor, dirty; outcasts of society. God could have sent the angels to proclaim the news to anyone, but he chose the shepherds. He used them as the first-ever preachers of the Gospel.
Just as the shepherds could not keep quiet about what they saw when they found Jesus, so it should be for us. This Christmas season, share the good news – not just of Jesus as the baby in the manger, but of Jesus who came to save us from our sin.
Intersecting Faith & Life
Who can you share the good news of Jesus with?
Further Reading
Luke 2
Mark 16:15
Ephesians 6:19-20
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Rejoice!
by Sarah Phillips, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
I rejoice heartily in the LORD, in my God is the joy of my soul; for he has clothed me with a robe of salvation and wrapped me in a mantle of justice, like a bridegroom adorned with a diadem, like a bride bedecked with her jewels. Isaiah 61: 10
A few Christmases ago, I had the privelage of being part of two weddings involving four dear friends. These weddings held a particular joy for me not only because all four individuals are my friends, but also because each spouse gave their hearts to God before they ever gave their hearts to one another.
Surprisingly, the typical hubbub surrounding wedding preparations did not detract from my holiday season but added a new layer of meaning. There is much I learned from the joyful anticipation of planning a wedding that applies to our anticipation of welcoming our Savior on Christmas day.
My friends do not have perfect lives or perfect circumstances. Both faced frightening and unexpected medical emergencies, and both couples endured periods of unemployment during their engagements. On top of these major hurdles, they also tackled the normal challenges that come with uniting two lives. Both couples weathered the ups and downs of dating. Both attended intense spiritual retreats and prayed over their life-altering decisions. Both tried on countless wedding garments, stressed over guest lists, and fought over finances.
But both couples glowed with an unquenchable joy throughout the process. They knew these hardships were worth it, and would ultimately be used by God for good. They had confidence their joyful wedding days would come, and they lived accordingly. They also maintained faith that they could overcome any trials their future married lives might hold, and I've witnessed them do this. They oriented their days of preparation around the "Big Day," taking great care to be ready to enter into a profound union.
As believers, we too are anticipating a profound union. This past Sunday, our pastor pointed out that Jesus' arrival as a vulnerable baby was a marriage between divinity and humanity, a day when "the two became one." On the first Christmas, Christ's sanctifying presence built a bridge between a sinful world and a holy God, opening the door for you and I to become part of His family.
As we prepare to celebrate that momentous occasion, we also look to the future when an even greater marriage will take place: Christ's second coming. Scripture refers to this day as the great wedding feast of the Lamb, when Christ, the Bridegroom, comes for His Bride, the Church, never to be separated from us again. Death, sorrow, and sin shall be no more.
From start to finish, the Bible tells the greatest love story of all time: the love of God for His people. The truth of God's unfailing, eternal love for us - greater than any earthly spouse -- should fill us to the brim with joy.
The big question remains -- do our lives reflect joyful preparation for the "Big Day?" Or have distractions, life circumstances, or despair diverted us away from God's profound love?
Intersecting Faith & Life: The "pink" Sunday of Advent is my favorite Sunday, and is traditionally called Gaudete Sunday. Gaude is Latin for the word rejoice, found throughout Scripture. Set aside any unnecessary holiday preparations this week that sap you of your joy in Christ and replace them with preparations that focus on the truth of Christmas.
Further Reading
Is 61:1-2a, 10-11
Lk 1:46-48, 49-50, 53-54.
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December 22 10, 2011
Letter from Dad
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
Abba! Father! All things are possible for you.
Mark 14:36
My son was having a problem at school. Not with his schoolwork, or even socially. It was a personal problem, and it was minor, but it was of some concern to his mother and me. And if he didn't solve it soon, it would become of greater concern to him as well.
We tried all sorts of encouragement (even forms of discouragement). We did everything we could within the bounds of letting him feel secure, making sure we knew he was excelling at the important first-grader-type stuff, making sure he didn't develop a complex. Still, nothing was working. Basically, he'd get so involved and engrossed in whatever he was doing that day or at that hour that he just couldn't remember to take care of other important items. A multi-tasker he is not yet. Nor must he be. Laser-like focus and concentration is a trait I know many parents wish their children displayed.
Anyway, as with many things, the solution came from him. One morning as we were praying and encouraging him about the issue before school, he suggested a note. He said it might really help him if I wrote him a note - a special, secret note in a code just for us - that he could keep in his chair-pocket at school, one he could take out every day and read and think of me and remember what he was supposed to do.
Immediately I got out some paper, wrote out a message of love and encouragement that also contained a hidden meaning for Jordan, and sent him on his way, not knowing what to expect.
More than three weeks later, he'd not had an instance of the problem. He credits the letter from dad, says he takes it out before every class. It makes him smile, it makes him feel loved, it reminds him who he is and what he needs to do.
We all have one of those, you know. A letter from Dad. Something to read at the start of every day that tells us we're loved, encourages us, challenges us, reminds us who we are and what we need to do. A note that has surprising power to heal our woes and solve our problems.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Have you read yours today?
Further Reading
Proverbs 3:3
Deuteronomy 6:6-7
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December 23, 2011
The Bing Crosby Effect
Alex Crain, Christianity.com Editor
"For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come."
Hebrews 13:14
A lot of singers have tried their hand at recording the 1943 song "I'll Be Home for Christmas." But none I've ever heard comes close to capturing the mood of melancholy and longing of Bing Crosby's classic rendition. Just about every time that version is played, it conjures images of weary soldiers during WWII listening spellbound as they thought of being back home.
I'll be home for Christmas, you can plan on me.
Please have snow and mistletoe, and presents on the tree.
Christmas Eve will find me, where the love light gleams.
I'll be home for Christmas, if only in my dreams.
Crosby's voice captured the emotion of the war. "I'll Be Home for Christmas" stayed at the top of the charts for 11 weeks after its initial release. Ephesians 6:10-18 along with other Scriptures tell us that believers are soldiers engaged in war. Yes, it's wonderful to know that we are on the winning side, but deep within us there is still a longing that nothing can suppress. We want to be home.
This Christmas, you may be surrounded with family and presents, or you may be alone and going through difficult times, or you may experience some mixture of both. Whatever the case, rather than go looking for something to fulfill our souls on the battlefield, let's just stop and be silent like those WWII soldiers did.
For me, Hebrews 13:14 has the Bing Crosby effect of stopping me in my tracks and helping me to see more clearly that it's a losing battle to pursue lasting satisfaction in this life. The words "Here we have no lasting city" drive me to only source of contentment: the promise that Christ is always with me (Matthew 28:20) and that He's bringing me home to a place where love and laughter never end.
Intersecting Faith and Life
"Things won't always take a better turn on an Earth under the curse. Sickness, loss, grief, and death will find us. Just as our reward will come in Heaven, laughter (itself one of our rewards) will come in Heaven."
– Randy Alcorn
Further Reading
The Christmas Bible Reading Plan
Heaven: Home of Laughter
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December 26, 2011
Walking the Floodwall
Ryan Duncan, TheFish.com
"And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men." – Luke 2:52
I have a confession to make; last Sunday I skipped church. I actually had a very good excuse though; I wanted to spend more time with God. I know that sounds pretty strange, and I'm certainly not saying Christians should start ditching on Sundays, but that morning as I was getting ready to leave I couldn't help feeling (much to my surprise) that the Holy Spirit didn't want me to go to Church that day.
So instead, I stayed home and started reading the Bible. I'd only planned on reading two chapters that morning, but I ended up reading eight. Occasionally I'd re-read passages to let the words sink in or underlined verses that stood out to me. After I'd finished, I went outside and started walking. There's a floodwall near my apartment that acts as a kind of jogging trail, and as I made my way across it, I talked with God.
I just started praying, telling God about the things going on in my life. My worries, my hopes, what I was grateful for, I let it all pour out as I made my way to the end of the trail. To be honest, it was the closest I'd been to God in a long time. Looking back on it now, I can see God has a sense of humor. Not only did I spend three hours meditating with God, (an hour and a half longer than my usual Church service) but the first chapter I read that morning was Luke 2, which contains one of Jesus own experiences with our Heavenly Father .
"After the Feast was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you." "Why were you searching for me?" he asked. "Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?" But they did not understand what he was saying to them." – Luke 2: 43-50
Sometimes, Church can become a ritual. We go, we sing the songs, we sit through the sermon, and then forget everything once we've left. We allow our Sunday services to become our faith, and our time with God starts looking more like something out of a self-help seminar. But God doesn't just want our attendance on Sundays, he wants us. I think this story in Luke to shows us what our time with God should really be like.
For Jesus, his Father's house was a place of safety, a place where he could grow and mature, a place to listen and at the same time be heard. So the next time you go to Church, don't go out of habit, but apply the lessons to your life, and when you sing, sing for Christ.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Take a day and spend some personal time with God. Pray and meditate on his words.
Further Reading
Luke 2
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December 27, 2011
Want Vs. Need
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
So in the course of time Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, "Because I asked the LORD for him." 1 Samuel 1:20, NIV
Did you get what you wanted for Christmas? Or did you get what you needed?
What we want and what we need don't often go hand in hand. There are things that I have wanted for a long time now that apparently the Lord has not seen to be necessities in my life just yet. I know he knows what is best for me, but it is still hard to wait. And it is difficult not to look longingly at what others have received and wonder why I cannot be the recipient of such things as well.
This kind of struggle is not new to any of us. And Hannah, who we read about in the first chapter of 1 Samuel, is a great example of how to live when what you want is not yet something God says you need.
For years Hannah had wanted to become a mother. To bear a child. To give her husband, Elkanah, a son—just like his other wife, Peninnah. Being barren was considered a disgrace for a woman in those times, so Hannah most likely felt ashamed and alone and perhaps like a societal outcast. Instead of turning away, though, Hannah took her sorrow and her request for what she wanted to the Lord.
We don't know for sure how long she waited (perhaps years)—and we don't know the exact purposes of God's timing in her life—but we can still learn a great deal from Hannah's example.
She was persistent and continually sought the Lord.She did not give up and stop asking the Lord for what she wanted. Like clockwork, Hannah kept bringing her request to God, year after year (v. 7). No doubt her want continued to drive her to the Father and most likely deepened her relationship with him.
She was blessed with a lifeline.I am quick to forget that the beauty in the midst of Hannah's pain is that Elkanah loved her very dearly. I am sure this buoyed Hannah when she may have wondered if God would ever answer her prayer for a child. God was gracious in giving her a loving husband (v. 5, 8).
She did not give in to ridicule or naysayers.Even when Peninnah (who was fruitful and had children) taunted her because she was barren, Hannah did not add insult to injury (v. 7). She did not retaliate when ridiculed for her condition or her faith.
She shared her "want" and was encouraged by others.When the high priest Eli observed Hannah praying in the temple and inquired as to her condition, she shared with him what she was asking of the Lord. Eli encouraged her and asked God to answer her request (vv. 12-17).
She gave back to God what he had given to her.When God blessed Hannah with a child, she did not cling tightly to him. She kept her promise, let her son go and dedicated him to the Lord (v. 11, vv.21-28). That is model faith!
Like Hannah, are you waiting on the Lord to give you something you want in your life today? A new job? Reconciliation in your marriage? Blessing in your finances? A cure from illness? To find your soul mate? Victory over an addiction? A baby?
Each of us has something we want in our lives. But is up to God to decide if this is something we really need. May we continue to come to him with joy and thankfulness, as we acknowledge that he knows what is best for our lives.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Do you know that God has already given you what you need for this very day? Ask him to help you accept his plans and timing for your life—even when you don't understand.
Further Reading:
James 1:17, NIV
Matthew 7:11, NIV
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December 28, 2011
Reversing Babel
by Katherine Britton
May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. - Romans 15:5,6
Coca-Cola created a cultural meme of epic proportions with a TV spot in 1971. You've probably heard it. The brand jingle "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing" met such popular appeal that it merited a full song minus the Coke references. The New Seekers took their happy song high on the Billboard Hot 100 that same year, as people sang along with the hilltop melody. In case you've forgotten the original jingle, a few sample verses:
I'd like to teach the world to sing
in perfect harmony.
I'd like to buy the world a Coke,
and keep it company
I'd like to see the world for once
all standing hand in hand.
And hear them echo through the hills
for peace throughout the land.
It's the real thing
what the world wants today,
That's the way it'll stay
with the real thing.
This utopia of happy people might've been a little exaggerated (the song originated as a marketing campaign, after all), but the underlying ideal of unity clearly resonated with people. If Coke happened to be the original vehicle for such peace, love, and happiness, okay then. It's a delightful ditty that manages to communicate our need for unity and connection. But is unity alone enough?
Coke's marketing was clever, but not original. At its heart, the commercial and subsequent song celebrated a humanism that was also secular. Its message was for the people, by the people -- and by their creations. From that point of view, the message was the same as the message of Babel. In that instance, men united to sing praises from another hilltop. The praises were their own - praises of a unified people so in sync and powerful that they could rival the gods.
You know what happened next.
Matthew Henry's commentary observed of Babel that "unity is a policy but it is not the infallible mark of a true church." Babel was partially constructed before God decided to deal with their pride and disobedience, and looked plenty successful for a time. Call it a common grace that we have the ability to build relationships that work even in a fallen world. Even Babel - and Coca-Cola - can do that. Our attempts, however, may only work for so long.
Babel failed when its people "forgot their place" and sought their success, reputation, and a good life elsewhere than where God had commanded them. Their unity was founded on something temporal. As such, it was no matter for God to drive a wedge between the people and send them away from each other. That was his original command. He had told them to fill the earth, not stay in one place and build a single city for all humanity. Apart from his purposes, they had no real unity... only a secular humanism to temporarily stick them together.
While God can drive apart, he also has the power to bring people together for his purposes. As I talked about last week, the miracle of the Gospel doesn't just bring us back to God - it brings us back to each other. Matthew Henry's commentary says this:
As the confounding of tongues divided the children of men and scattered them abroad, so the gift of tongues, bestowed upon the apostles (Acts 2), contributed greatly to the gathering together of the children of God, who were scattered abroad, and the uniting of them in Christ, that with one mind and one mouth they might glorify God.
The Gospel brings us back to our right place. Observing our need of grace orients - and unites! - us towards Christ with other believers. Then, something crazy can happen. Babel reverses itself.
Babel happened when people took a superficial unity to the extreme, and ended up judged by God for their disobedience. Pentecost, with its universal call to repentance in Christ, forged a permanent unity between people who had little in common.
*This devotional originally ran January 6, 2011.
Intersecting Faith & Life: What holds our relationships together? Are we building our unity around a happy song that might ultimately disintegrate? That only works so long as we, so to speak, agree to sing exactly the same tune, words, and song. But when our focus is on living life to glorify God, we get something far more encompassing. That's enough to hold us together through the smaller disagreements here on earth. Babel's day is over - the miracle of Christian unity has taken over.
:angel:
Dec. 29, 2011
If Only
by Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new."
Revelation 21:5
I've never known anyone that claimed New Year's was their favorite holiday. The media shows flashy images of jubilant crowds forgetting their cares as they count down until midnight. After the ball drops, lovers kiss, friends embrace, and the partying continues into the wee hours.
In various real-life conversations, the consensus seems to be: New Year's isn't quite as fun as the TV makes it look. Many note the anti-climactic nature of this holiday, and have foregone the party scene for quieter evenings that may or may not last until midnight.
I think New Year's brings so many mixed emotions because New Year's (and birthdays) remind us that we are creatures limited to time. With the passage of time we not only sense our mortality, but most of us have accumulated personal losses or regrets alongside our precious memories. And time's indifferent, methodical nature does not allow us to go back and have a redo.
In a conversation last winter, a friend shared a perspective on time and eternity that really changed my approach to New Year's. A wise pastor once shared with her, "We struggle with time because ultimately our souls weren't meant for time. Our souls were meant for eternity, in relationship with an Eternal God."
Although I can't even begin to wrap my mind around the logistics of eternity (what is it like to have no beginning and no end?), my friend's comment gives me hope. Our linear existence is not "it." This, of course, doesn't mean we can approach time in a careless manner. Certainly God, the Creator of time, cares how we spend it. But our discomfort with the passage of another year points to a God who is bigger than the limitations of time and who loves us enough to prepare us for a day when we will no longer be bound to its limitations either.
But what of the regrets, the wrongs done, and the losses? These things seem set in stone, and like real stones they often weigh on us in our attempts to make fresh starts.
In the book of Revelation, we see that God, from His throne, continually makes all things new (21: 5). Once again, it's kind of hard to wrap your mind around a God who is bigger than time, Who can bring good out of a past we no longer have access to. But our pasts and all the failings and imperfections contained in them don't faze a God whose goodness knows no bounds. Although we are limited, God's grace is not.
When I look at it this way, I have to ask myself: "Why would I, a creature powerless to change the past, want to hold on so tightly to it? Why not give it to the One who can actually do something about it?!"
Can you hand your past over to the Eternal One in the coming year? Are you willing to surrender your present and your future as well? I know this without a doubt – surrendering your life to God is something you'll never regret.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Enjoy a peaceful New Year's Eve knowing the future is in God's Hands.
Further Reading
Psalm 96: 1-2
2 Corinthians 5: 17
Face the New Year Without Fear, by Adrian Rogers
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December 30, 2011
A Mathful God?
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
God doesn't count us; he calls us by name. Arithmetic is not his focus.
Romans 9:28, The Message
Thank God that he calls us by name, that our names have been written in the Book of Life. He knows us intimately. We are not just numbers to him, as the scripture above reminds.
That said, have you ever looked at the face of a calculator and marveled at how completely God is involved in all of those functions? He adds, he subtracts, he multiplies, he divides. Positives, negatives, rationals, irrationals, imaginaries, radicals... all indicate some aspect of God and what he does, how he interacts with his creation.
Let's take a look at some examples of the most basic of these functions, and how they suggest a perfect sum of completeness and trust. He's worked it all out. The numbers add up. The whole world - its time and history and future - is well calculated, and safe in his hands.
ADDITION
Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved. --Acts 2:46-47, NAS
So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. --1 Corinthians 3:7, KJV
"Nothing in Scripture and in the life of Christ could be clearer: Wealth is not an objective of the spiritual life. When we encounter money on the path of life, we are encouraged to do one of three things with it: Turn and walk in the other direction; pick it up and give it away; or use it for the necessities of life. It's this last part that I think has become skewed over time. Our list of 'needs' is much greater today than it was in 1900 and their list of needs were certainly greater than during the time when Christ walked the Earth. Now I know that here in the year [2010], it is countercultural to give money away. It is countercultural to seek your security in things that aren't man-made. But, remember what Jesus promised, 'But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you' (Matthew 6:33, NKJV)." --Steve Scalici, "Should Christians Strive for the American Dream?"
SUBTRACTION
The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! --John 1:29, NAS
If you subtract from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will subtract your part from the Tree of Life and the Holy City that are written in this book. --Revelation 22:19, MSG
"Our spiritual engrafting provides an eternity of new life. While the struggles of our present earthly existence cause momentary, light affliction, the life to come for those who are in Christ Jesus will last forever. There will be no more heartaches, no more pain. He has taken our heart of stone and replaced it with a heart of flesh. He died so that we might live." --Peter Beck, "Engrafted for Life"
MULTIPLICATION
For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. --Hebrews 6:13-14, KJV
Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. --2 Corinthians 9:10, NAS
"I would be afraid to bring children into this world if I did not know God. But because I know God, I am free to encourage you to have children... God's people are the ones who ought to be bringing a godly seed into this world. What does the world need? Jesus. How are they going to hear if the light goes out?" --Adrian Rogers, "Bringing Children into the World"
DIVISION
So you shall divide this land among yourselves according to the tribes of Israel. --Ezekiel 47:21, NAS
And the people of all the nations will be gathered before him. Then he will divide them into two groups, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. --Matthew 25:32, GNT
"God is in the business of division. As in creation, He divided whatever was necessary in order to bring order. He divides light and darkness today also. That is why His people are in this world but not of it. God's children are separated from the world as they are sanctified, or set apart, for the things of God. As Christians, we think of the Lord as One who wants to make "everything ok" or to bring peace to a given situation. However, the Lord Jesus clearly said that He came to divide. 'Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword' (Matt. 10:34)." --Tonilee Adamson & Bobbye Brooks, "Division"
The Sum of the Equation
I know that whatever God does will last forever; there is nothing to add or subtract from it; and God has done it so that people will fear him. --Ecclesiastes 3:14, CJB
Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped. He said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, And naked I shall return there. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD." -- Job 1:21, NAS
You can't take any of this stuff with you. Enjoy it and praise God for all of it. Instead of counting widgets, count blessings, count it all joy. Let him do the math of your life: be your accountant, buyer, salesman, financial planner, marketer and profiteer.
:angel:
January 2, 2012
What Is True Spirituality?
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate."
Genesis 3:6 NASB
It seems clear to me that the root of all human sin is unbelief. Doubt. I've heard people argue that the most basic sin is pride, and well, I suppose that's somewhere lurking on the other side of the coin. But if we start at the beginning of the Bible, the Genesis 3 account shows that Eve first doubted God. That was her sin. After her unbelief came the outward act of disobedience.
Francis Schaeffer, commenting on this, said: "By her doubting she called God a liar. Eve doubted... mankind in revolt doubts God" (chapter seven, True Spirituality).
On the contrary, the person who is at peace with God does not doubt Him. Rather, he/she trusts God. Schaeffer says this is the simplest way to describe true spirituality: it is believing God.
But it is more than just believing God at one isolated point in life. It is believing God and having ongoing belief in Him. There must be moment-by-moment personal communion with Him.
God created us to be relational, not mechanical. Healthy relationships depend on good communication. But communication is an always-in-flux, moment-by-moment kind of thing. That is why all our mechanical efforts at the Christian life fail. It's not about reading a set number of chapters of the Bible each day. It's not about praying for so long.
No. What is needed first, and what inspires trust is, throughout the day, seeing before us the most basic teachings of the Bible:
God exists and He is personal.
God is holy and sin will be judged, but Christ's atonement removes the guilt of sinners.
We are saved from condemnation by the finished work of Christ, and we are brought into a proper relationship with God in a personal way.
We are joined to Christ spiritually.
We can enjoy communication with the Creator on the basis of what Christ has done. (1 John 1:5-9)
These truths don't change, regardless of how I feel at any given moment.
The rediscovery of believing God and these truths moment-by-moment is what lifted Francis Schaeffer out of a long, dark season and re-energized his life.
In our lives, what generally causes us to distrust Christ and run elsewhere is that we often think that we have a better way. We think that, somehow, God really doesn't have our best interests at heart. Like Eve, we think that God is withholding something good from us.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
The rediscovery of believing God and these truths moment-by-moment is what lifted Francis Schaeffer out of a long, dark season and re-energized his life. If you've come to see that God doesn't deserve our suspicion, seek His aid to maintain this moment-by-moment walk of faith with Him.
For Further Study:
Isaiah 30:15 "Thus the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, has said, 'In repentance and rest you will be saved, In quietness and trust is your strength.'"
For further study, read Romans 6-8 and 1 John 1:5-9
:angel:
Laying Bricks
By Ryan Duncan, Editor for TheFish.com
Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.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: 43 – 45
Sometimes, I get restless. I went to college at Taylor University, a small Christian school in the middle of Cornfield, Indiana. Though Taylor wasn't very big, it strove to serve Christ, and encouraged its students to impact the world for God. During the January term, when you could sleep all day and goof-off all night, Taylor offered something called Lighthouse Missions. Instead of wasting their brief vacation, students became a part of service-learning projects that allowed them to share Christ with a world in need.
When Spring Break came around, and the beaches of Florida were calling, it sent students everywhere from Russia to the neighboring town of Grant County, where they engaged in housing projects, orphan care, and outreach. It was tough giving up those precious vacation days, but it felt good to know you were serving Christ. Unfortunately, after graduation opportunities like these are harder to come by. With a forty to fifty-hour work week, not to mention budgeted money and vacation time, jetting off to some foreign location isn't something you can just do.
I can remember sitting in church, boiling with frustration because I couldn't just go do something like I had in college. God clearly has a sense of irony, because at that moment the pastor stood up and asked for volunteers to help pack up after the service. My problem? I had become the "wealthy giver." Not sure what I mean? Read this story in Mark 12:
Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything--all she had to live on." – Mark 12: 41-44
It's amazing how serving Christ can easily become something selfish. I was only interested in serving if it was on my terms, and because of that I let a lot of opportunities pass me by. The truth is that volunteering for a church nursery could be just as important in God's eyes as building houses in another country.
An old professor once told my class that the kingdom of God is built on willing hearts. When we choose to follow God, we are laying the bricks of his kingdom, and creating a sturdy foundation for others to stand on. So get involved, and if you feel God leading you toward a big opportunity, take it. But don't be too proud to serve in the small places. Sometimes it's the little things that make all the difference.
Intersecting Faith and Life
What opportunities does your church offer for serving? Take a moment to look them over and see if one is good for you. Churches are always looking for volunteers to help with children and young adults.
Further Reading
Philippians 2:1-4
:angel:
January 4, 2012
Look What I Did!
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. James 4:10, NIV
"So . . . have we talked about me, yet?"
Several years ago, my good friend Jeremy and I would always kid each other with that question during our conversations. It was said after one of us realized we were talking way too much about ourselves, about our accomplishments or about anything that we wanted the other to know so he or she could give up some props and praise.
It was said in jest, but also with an ounce of truth. For we really were so self-focused that the other would periodically enter into the "conversation coma" while listening. You know . . . the whole eyes glazed over, occasional nodding of the head and maybe an "uh huh" every now and then type of thing.
I have gotten that a lot with my friends over the years. But I used to just think, Well, I'm just very verbal and like to over-describe things and tell really good stories . . . so that must be why people can't stay focused on what I'm talking about. Right.
Several times recently, the Holy Spirit has checked me on that interpretation. In one instance, I was sharing with a small group about my "ministry" of reaching out to back-burner Christians. I think if I had just simply said that I feel like the Lord surrounds me with these people and has allowed me to speak into their lives and that's all, then that would have been fine.
But ohhhhh no. I had to go on and on and list example after example of how I had "helped" and "ministered" and said exactly the right words to help a brother or sister see his or her bad life decisions, so that they would get back on track with the Lord.
I didn't realize what kind of a peacock moment this was was until later on. I've also noticed that I tend to be less than humble when it comes to sharing about my acts of service. I won't fall into my own trap and list them all out right here and now, but I sure would love to. Why? Because I want the praise. I want the recognition. I want to feel like Sally Field at the Oscars and know that "You like me . . . you really like me."
And that's where I get it all wrong. The Bible says that the Lord is the one who is supposed to lift us up. Not us.
"This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word" (Isa. 66:2b, NIV).
Even if no one ever found out what my "good deeds" were or how I prayed for this person or how I gave financially here and there, I should still be satisfied in knowing that God knows. Because everything I do should be for his glory and not my own. It's a tough pill to swallow for someone who enjoys running her own fan club. But Jesus tells us to live counter to our culture and to our fleshly desires.
Let us encourage ourselves—and one another—to seek humility and look to what HE is doing in our lives!
Intersecting Faith & Life: Think about an upcoming good deed that you are planning. Tell no one what you are going to do or afterward what you've done. The Lord knows, you will have glorified him, and he will be pleased. That's all that matters.
Further Reading:
Matt. 6:1-4, NIV
Matt. 23:12, NIV
:angel:
January 5, 2012
Resolutions and Redemption
by Anna Kuta, Crosswalk.com Editor
"For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9).
It's that time of year again! I'm talking about new year's resolutions, of course. It's still December as I'm writing, but I guarantee that by the time you read this, I'll already be asking myself what possessed me to come up with such grand, unattainable plans for 2012. (It seemed like a good idea at the time.) Every year I tell myself it'll finally be the year I keep all my resolutions. I mean, come on – how hard can it possibly be to finally set aside an hour for exercise each day, to stop consuming so much chocolate and coffee, and to never sleep for less than eight hours again?
Why are new year's resolutions so hard to keep? I don't know, but it's a lot like another area of life. Let me explain.
Before I became a Christian at the age of 17, I approached my life the same way I often approach new year's resolutions. I would try so hard to do the right things but I always ended up falling flat. I convinced myself that as long as I was the "good girl," I'd be fine, so I tried really hard to live up to certain standards to please everyone, and hopefully God too. The problem, though, is that there's nothing anyone can do in his or her own power to "earn" God's favor.
As Ephesians 2:8 says, it's by God's grace that we are saved, not because of anything we could ever hope to attain or accomplish. God's gift of His son Jesus Christ to save us from our sins through His death and resurrection is just that – a gift. Doing all the good, noble things in the world will never earn salvation, and like verse 9 says, nobody could ever think of boasting about such an undeserved gift.
Of course, the desire to do the right things is one result of making Jesus the Lord of your life, but we all continue to mess up because, after all, we are just sinners saved by grace. I still lose sight of it all sometimes and get caught up in the cycle of trying to "out-good" myself and others. This new year, however, in light of any new year's resolutions you may have made (or already broken), join me in remembering the assurance of one thing we never have to work to attain: God's grace.
Intersecting Faith & Life
It's hard to live up to new year's resolutions, but it's impossible to earn God's favor through good works or noble aspirations. This new year, realize and thank God anew for the gift of His grace and salvation through Jesus.
Further Reading
Titus 3:4-7
2 Timothy 1:8-10
:angel:
January 6, 2012
The Outsiders
by Sarah Phillips, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him."
Matthew 2: 1-2
Have you ever felt like an outsider? I have. If you saw me sitting at my desk now, you'd see a conservative-looking, young woman. But rewind to high school, and you'd see an awkward, lonely kid wearing super baggy, ripped-to-shreds jeans. I actually skipped my junior year to get out as quickly as possible. College was a turning point, and I will never regret my decision to graduate high school early.
If you've experienced the pang of being the odd one out, you hold a special place in the heart of God. On January 6th, many churches celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany. The Epiphany marks the arrival of the wise men after a lengthy journey guided by the star of Bethlehem.
As popular as these guys are in religious art, we don't know much about the Magi. There is no concrete evidence they were kings, no exact number of how many followed the star, no records of their countries of origin, and no official date of their arrival. Historical research indicates they were most likely members of a priestly caste from Persia who practiced a religion called Zoroastrianism.
So why set aside a special feast day to celebrate the arrival of some guys we don't know much about? Precisely because they were mysterious outsiders. Not only did their arrival catch King Herod by surprise and set into motion a series of prophetic events, but centuries later we see the wise men represented God's plan to save all who seek Him, regardless of their backgrounds.
Of course, God's saving plan for the Gentiles didn't go over well with everyone at first. Many of Jesus' early followers struggled with - even protested - this idea that Christ's kingdom would include outsiders.
All this forces me to slow down and think. Who are the outsiders today? And how do I treat them? Do I love everyone as God does? Do I entrust that God is working within others even if their lives don't take conventional paths?
Having had my own taste of being on the outside looking in, you would think I readily embrace all who come my way. Sadly, this isn't always the case. At church, I might see someone dressed unconventionally and make assumptions. Or perhaps I observe a peer that struggles to fit into my social group and put forth little effort to make them feel more accepted. I've failed outside of church, too. I'm ashamed to admit that I have, at times, caught myself embracing a judgmental "us vs. them" mentality when interacting with those who don't practice the Christian faith.
Imagine: What if Joseph and Mary had shut the doors on the Magi? I mean, these guys must have been a strange and unexpected sight to this young, Jewish couple when they arrived. What if they had been scandalized by their arrival, skeptical about their exotic gifts, and informed them they had no business paying homage to their son? Thankfully, they put their trust in God's unfolding plan, and welcomed them. But I'm learning that when I turn my back on those who don't fit into whatever mental requirements I've cooked up, I fail to love, and effectively turn my back on God's will.
Intersecting Faith & Life: One of my New Year's resolutions is to invest some time in those others might normally write off. Can you identify someone in your church or your life that in some way stands on "the outside?" Make an effort to get to know them a little better this week. You may be surprised at the blessings that flow from this new relationship.
Further Reading
Isaiah 60: 1-6
Ephesians 3: 2-3, 5-6
:angel:
January 9, 2012
You Never Do Anything You Don't Want to Do
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.
Galatians 6:5, The Message
If I try, I can remember my friends from 10th-grade Sunday School. In fact, I'm still tight with two of them. I remember our church, our youth group, and our youth minister. What I don't remember so well are the individual lessons we learned from the Bible each week. As I realize that, I give myself another kick for not having gotten into note-taking and journaling. I'd like to have those things to review now.
What I do recall from one particular class session, however, has always stuck with me. And it wasn't even a quote from the Bible. To show how much I've forgotten, I don't even remember the name of the teacher who said it! He was tall, well-accomplished, but still wanting to give of his time to young men. And one day he looked at us and said the following:
"Today's lesson is going to be very short. Look at me, because whatever you remember from today, remember this. Whatever you remember from your time in this youth group, remember this: You never do anything you don't want to do."
That was it. Obviously I still remember it. Why?
I remember challenging the teacher on that day, most of us scoffing and saying things like, "Yeah, right... I can honestly tell you I do not want to do my homework tonight."
"Yes you do."
"No, I really don't."
"What will happen if you don't?"
"Well, I guess I'd be embarrassed when it was time to turn it in, I'd probably have to lie to my parents when they asked if I'd done it yet, and I wouldn't be prepared for the upcoming quiz."
"So I guess the reason you're going to do your homework is because for the motives you just stated, you DO want to do it."
Snap.
A dozen high school boys just got handed a logic lesson in responsibility, desire, and motivation. All around the room you could see eyes and minds opening to new possibilities.
This is what we'd been hearing about free will. But now contextualized and personalized.
This is what our parents and teachers had been getting at as they spoke to us about becoming responsible young men.
This put my actions all squarely back on me. And oddly enough, that was something I could tangibly handle.
The applications were endless.
I'm still not even sure his statement was absolutely true, or biblical. But to be honest, it doesn't matter anymore, because it informed and continues to inform many things in my life that are true and biblical.
Do I want to lay in bed or do I want to get to work? Why or why not? Do I really "want" that sportscar, or can I put it out of my mind to burden me no more since it conflicts with several of my primary wants?
Why am I overweight? Well, my bad. Guess I wanted that, too, when you get down to the nub of it. Certainly didn't do the things I knew would prevent it.
One of the doors that opened to me was in realizing that once I got past "my will be done," I could begin to pray as Jesus did, "Your will be done."
Another was in being able to recognize motivation. Why am I going to conquer this lust or pursue this knowledge or accomplish this hard task for God's Kingdom? Because ultimately, what I want to do is to have my heart's desires be the same as Yours, Lord. That's where You tell us delight is, and that's the only place where we know what we want is right.
Intersecting Faith & Life: What action or reaction in your own life have you been blaming on other people or circumstances? Write down all the ways you yourself can own up to it.
Further Reading
1 Thessalonians 5:12
Philippians 1:23
We Are Responsible for Others
:angel:
January 10, 2012
Are You Reciting the Gospel by Yourself?
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"...with Him... Moses and Elijah, who, appearing in glory, were speaking
of His departure which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem."
Luke 9:30-31 NASB
It's good to see that the idea of 'preaching the gospel to yourself everyday' is becoming more popular. At least that's how it seems to me. Things that point to the gospel are popping up in all kinds of places and ways, not only in big and new movements but in short videos, articles and Twitter messages ("Gospel Tweets"). A caution in the way we think about the gospel was brought to my attention recently in chapter two of True Spirituality. If you're not following along in our weekly journey through this important and helpful work by Francis Schaeffer, I invite you to join us.
In chapter two, Schaeffer mentions our Scripture passage today (above) where we see Moses and Elijah speaking with Jesus at the Mount of Transfiguration about His impending departure—His death.
It's subtle, but notice that they're not just making a passing mention of the fact. Rather, they were actively and continuously speaking about it. They were dwelling on the gospel; at least the substitutionary atonement part of it. And with the Object of their redemption (Christ) standing right there, no doubt there must have been more than just theological accuracy in their conversation. Probably more like amazement and deep gratitude. As they thought of all that Christ was about to endure for their sin, I'm sure they had correct thoughts about the gospel. But Christ's own presence energized their orthodox theology.
At times, there can a detached, tearless way that we think about the gospel. When I have well-articulated and familiar facts about Christ's life/death/resurrection/ascension, and they are just empty echoes down the icy corridors of my thoughts, the diagnosis is simple: I have broken fellowship with Christ. It's evidence of unconfessed sin.
Schaeffer reminds us that when we rehearse the gospel, we must do so in the presence of the Living Christ; in humble worship of Him. He is not a distant figment of man's imagination. He is the God Who is there. Just as Moses and Elijah were "with Him"... in His presence, so we too must continuously rehearse the gospel while recognizing that we are in the presence of the God Who is there. The Christian life flows from the constant spring of dwelling on the gospel with the Redeemer Himself.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Remember this paraphrase of John Piper: the gospel is like blood, it's supposed to course through your veins not be carried in a bucket.
John Owen, (a 1600s Puritan) often prayed, "Lord, may I commune with You in the doctrines I espouse." Make this your prayer and experience today.
Further Reading
John 15
The Gospel in Six Minutes (John Piper, video)
"While all that borrows life from Thee is ever in Thy care;
And everywhere that man can be, Thou, God art present there."
From the hymn, "I Sing the Mighty Power of God" by Isaac Watts
:angel:
God and Treadmills
Ryan Duncan, TheFish.com Editor
"May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance."- 2 Thessalonians 3:5
Ever since I moved to Richmond I've acquired a taste for working out. There's just something addicting about going to the gym after a long day at the office and pounding a treadmill until you feel the moisture on your forehead. I'm not trying to sound like a stud (which of course I am), but if I don't get my usual workouts, I tend to go stir crazy. That's why I can't stand January. After every New Year's celebration, like clockwork, the gyms become crowded with people who have resolved to become healthier.
Because of the crowds, it becomes harder to get equipment, find parking spaces, or do any of my usual exercises. Now don't get me wrong, I'm glad people are trying to get healthier and I encourage anyone who wants to start working out to give it a try, but I still get frustrated because I know that within a month most of these people will be gone. Exercise requires a lot of commitment and perseverance, and while a lot of people have resolved to live better, when the hard part sets in they give up. You could say the same thing applies to faith; I know it does for me. I cannot tell you how many times God has revealed himself in my life through his grace, his power, or even his sense of humor. But despite all these moments, it's still so easy for me to doubt, to get angry with God and wonder if he has a plan, or if he's even there at all.
The book of James is useful in moments like this, and even offers some encouragement for when we're tempted to doubt.
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does." – James 1:2-8
The truth is our spiritual workouts are no different from our physical ones. If you want to run a marathon, you first have to run a mile, and if you want to become a tool for Christ, you have to trust him first. So don't be afraid of trials and challenges, but instead embrace them as opportunities to mature in your faith. It won't be easy, and odds are you'll probably have to endure some difficult and painful experiences, but in the end you'll look back and know you're stronger because of it.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Try to apply God to your daily life through prayer and service.
Further Reading
Hebrews 12:1
:angel:
January 12, 2012
Meanwhile, Back on Earth . . .
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." John 14:1-3, NIV
This month marks twenty years since my dad went to be with the Lord.
I've been thinking about him a lot lately and wondering what life would have been like these past two decades had he still been living on earth. When he left here for "home," I was just starting out in my career and I was still very much like who I am today: friendly, talkative, head-strong, independent, truth-seeking and bluntly honest.
I wonder if he would be proud of who I have become and the choices I have made in my life. I hope so. Our fathers play such important roles in our lives, whether we're sons or daughters. They set the example, they can either buoy or crush our spirits, and they either undergird our lives with love, instruction and understanding or are distant and uninvolved.
But thankfully, I had a father who always let me know I was the apple of his eye. We had our own inside jokes, enjoyed talking about life together and always found unconditional support and love with one another. My dad was interested in me and was amused by me and my quirky antics. I will always cherish knowing that I was valued and adored in our earthly father-daughter relationship.
Because of that, it's still hard for me to see a father and a young daughter together today, walking hand in hand or sharing a laugh or a special moment with each other. There are also certain movies I cannot watch because of the sweet father-daughter relationships depicted therein. It just hits too close to home.
Thankfully, since I've loved and lost, I can definitely identify with anyone else who grieves someone precious and dear. That's one blessing the Lord has given me over the years when I've been sad and have seen that I can still reach out to others through my tears. It's a reminder to me that we were made not only to seek relationship with the Father, but with others here on earth.
If you are missing someone, I hope you will consider Jesus' words to his disciples in today's verse found in John 14:1-3. He wanted to remind his closest, dearest friends that life on earth was not "it" in terms of the grand scheme of things, and that he was preparing something much more glorious and special for his own. He wanted them not to be troubled because of his separation from them.
After he was gone, he wanted them to continue living rich, full lives by telling others about him and spreading the word that one day we will be reunited with him in our heavenly home (Matt. 28:16-20). I can imagine my earthly father reminding me of this very same thing if he could come back and give me a message today.
No matter our circumstances, you and I are still here for a purpose. And our heavenly father wants us to continue making the most of our lives while living for him "meanwhile, back on earth" (2 Peter 3:11-12).
Intersecting Faith & Life: Is your heart troubled? Are you mired in the throes of grief today? Set your thoughts on what awaits you in the life to come, and ponder how God still wants to work in and through your life until you have reached your heavenly home.
Further Reading:
Luke 11:9-13, NIV
2 Peter 3:13, NIV
:angel:
January 13, 2012
Strangers in a Strange Land
Anna Kuta, Crosswalk.com Editor
"If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you" (John 15:18-19).
This fall, I took a road trip with some friends to watch our college football team, the Richmond Spiders, take on in-state rival James Madison University. Our team was 3 and 1 at that point in the season, and our only loss had come from a nailbiter the week before, so we were pretty confident as we set out that morning. It was a gorgeous day for football and we'd managed to get some of the very last tickets before the game sold out, so we were quite proud of ourselves and excited for what seemed like it would be an extremely successful trip.
However, it wasn't long before things started going downhill. We took a wrong turn and ended up circling the entire town of Harrisonburg twice. An hour and a half later, we finally got to the stadium gates just as the game started, but as we started climbing the bleachers to our seats, we began to realize we were the only ones in sight wearing Richmond red and blue. Turns out our tickets we were so proud of were not in the Richmond fan section, as we thought, but the reject seats on the complete opposite corner of the field. We felt like the enemy as we took our seats smack in the middle of a sea of yellow and purple, but that wasn't going to deter us from still cheering on a victory.
When Richmond made a touchdown right away for the game's first points, things seemed to be looking great (besides the dirty looks we got). Unfortunately, that was as good as it got. We didn't score again for the rest of the game. JMU piled on touchdown, touchdown, field goal, touchdown ... and with each point my friends and I sat a little more dejectedly in our seats. Someone threw yellow streamers and paper airplanes at us, and then it started pouring rain. It finally ended and we left the stadium soaking wet and miserable. But the ordeal wasn't quite over yet. We started walking back to our car, got heckled, decided against walking in the rain among hecklers, got on a shuttle, and proceeded to get heckled for the next half hour we were stuck in traffic. When we finally got back to the car, all we could do was grumble a little bit and shake our heads.
We can laugh about that disaster of a day now, but it certainly wasn't very funny at the time. Maybe you've had a similar experience at a sporting event, or you can identify with the same feeling of being unwelcome in a different situation. Have you ever faced similar hostility for your faith? Even though you and I might never experience anything close to the extreme suffering that many believers around the world face, we all have times when we feel out of place or downright vilified because of our faith.
As Christians, we are "strangers and aliens" in a world of unbelievers, as Peter says in 1 Peter 2:11. The older I get, the more keenly aware I am that I don't think like them, that I don't have the same desires, motivations and passions. The more I grow in my faith, the more different I feel from many people I come in contact with, and the more open I am about my faith, the more that difference becomes tangible. We are called to be set apart, yet we are in the world for a reason: to share Jesus. It's often not received with open arms, but it's what we are commanded to do as followers of Christ.
Like Jesus says in John 15:18, it's not always going to be easy. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own, He says. But when we accept Christ and enter into a relationship with Him, He chooses us out of the world. Like my friends and I felt when we were surrounded by fans of an opposing team, so we as Christians will never feel "at home" in this world. Yes, we'll face opposition, but Jesus Himself said it's a badge of the Christian faith and a sign that we belong to Him. In answering His call to reject worldly conformity, we can truly make an impact by being an example for Jesus.
Intersecting Faith & Life
It's not easy living a life of Jesus' high calling, and the way we're treated by the world can be plain discouraging at times. Pray for God to help you desire to be more like Him and to give you strength to stand up against opposition.
Further Reading
1 Peter 2:11-12
Romans 12:2
John 17
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Jan. 16, 2012
Ordinary Holiness
by Sarah Phillips, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of working, but it is the same God who inspires them all in every one. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 1 Corinthians 12: 4 - 8
We've now entered "Ordinary Time" in the Christian calendar. Christmas is officially over and Lent has yet to come. The label "ordinary time" may sound boring, but it's not meant to be a useless season. Most of life is spent in "ordinary time," and so it's our task to figure out what pleases God as we live an "ordinary" Christian life.
As I was posting an article in our Careers channel, I was struck by a point the author made. In his article "Is Secular Work Valued by God?" Os Hillman reminded readers that most of Jesus' life was spent as an ordinary carpenter. A working class man toiling beside St. Joseph, getting his hands dirty.
I think it's easy to forget that fact. So much of Scripture focuses on his last 3 years of life - yet Jesus Christ lived 30 years before that! He walked among us as an infant, a child, a young adult, and a career man. He loved his family and participated in his community. Hillman cites St. Bonaventure's thoughts: "His doing nothing 'wonderful' [in His first 30 years] was in itself a kind of wonder."
As Americans, I think we struggle a bit with being ordinary. We want to be extraordinary. We tune into shows like American Idol to live vicariously through these ordinary folks who rise to extraordinary heights. We look at the dedicated missionaries traveling the world and imagine their lives are more meaningful than ours. We dream about making our own unique mark on the world. Yet, our Lord did not spend most of his life seeking the extraordinary - at least not externally.
There's nothing inherently wrong with wanting to be extraordinary. But sometimes it can become more about self than about God. We forget that there is "wonder" in the ordinary, and that God places great value on the most ordinary of tasks if completed out of love for him and in imitation of him.
In fact, God's willingness to live an ordinary life consecrates the ordinary, making it extraordinary. The most mundane task can now be a channel for God's grace. Hillman points out:
"God values our work even when the 'product' seems to have no eternal value. His design for work is multifaceted: not only does He desire us to worship Him through our work, He is concerned about meeting human needs and has created each of us with unique DNA to be a conduit for Him to provide for those needs."
The opening scriptures remind us that "there are varieties of working, but the same God inspires them all in every one." While your daily responsibilites may look ordinary on the outside, God has a hand in your life. What are your gifts? In what ways does God want to use you to reach others? Don't be afraid if what you have to offer seems "ordinary."
Intersecting Faith & Life: Write down one or two ways you can serve God and others in your every day life this year.
Further Reading:
Isaiah 62:1-5
Psalm 96:1-3, 7-10
1 Corinthians 12:4-11
John 2:1-11
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January 17, 2012
The Temporary Non-Path of Patience
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. James 5:7-8
We all know that patience isn't easy, or fun. What it is, though, is the path of the wise. Or, perhaps it's better to say the "non-path," since it usually involves a decision to do nothing for a while, to be still and know that you are not God, to reflect, or to strategize.
I recently gained new insight into the value of patience and the reason it's prized so highly in the Bible, from verses about "those who wait on the Lord" to "letting endurance have its perfect result."
In the first half of 2010 I raced through a blog of the TV show LOST. The series is replete with Christo-religious metaphors and parallels. One such area it studies in detail is patience. Early on, one of the characters tells another that "Patience, which you lack, is the quality of a leader." It almost flew right by me, like it did the first time. Patience? The quality of a leader? Does that sound right? Not really, not to today's ears. Don't we usually think of leaders as people who make immediate, command decisions, rush into action, tell others what to do, and make people feel safe (which is to say, how they think they need to feel)?
That's part of it; however, those are the very flaws about the concept that plagued most of the characters on LOST. They were so driven to do, fix, run, save, correct, fight, and prove that they often didn't take time to actually ponder the next step or, even better, wait for the next step to present itself. Their lack of wisdom in making rush decisions and actions was obvious to the audience, who kept wondering why they couldn't remember the miracles they'd already seen, why they couldn't reflect on what they'd already come through, the amazing ways they'd been granted second chances, the redemption they'd been given despite not deserving it, the way they kept longing for home while failing to realize they were building a new one (if they could have just slowed down and seen it).
As I watched it all unfold, I was reminded of the children of Israel. Granted, 40 years in a desert would be a long time to wait for anything, particularly a promised new home. So they grumbled. They longed for the old ways, even though those meant bondage and servitude. They failed to stop and understand that the miracles of manna and the Red Sea meant more were on the way - at the right time. They nagged their leadership, sought unproductive solutions, and just like the characters on LOST, were plagued by always feeling they had to do something, to take control.
The paradox is that control is indeed involved, but it's self-control instead of situational control. Relax. Quiet yourself. Let's remember where we came from and the amazing ways we passed through peril for a while. Let's reflect on the present - the fact we're here - and how amazing the Lord is. Let's ponder our future steps before rushing up them and tripping.
Patience - the "strengthening of the heart" James refers to - then is directly related to another fruit of the Spirit, self-control. Self-control thus leads to maturity, which is completeness, which is wisdom, which is leadership, which is purpose, which is ministry, which is being used of God, which is where we see miracles again. Full-circle we come, eventually, when we patiently wait on the Lord, who is never late and perpetually victorious.
Situational control may provide temporary satisfaction, but it also often makes a situation worse. Patience is a willing temporary dissatisfaction, but it puts your emotions under control and God in control. It might make a situation feel like it's not getting better, but the solution can only be miraculous with it as part of the equation. Patience prevents rash judgment, and judgmentalism. It secures a plan. It is a beautiful paradox of being a non-action and yet a conscious exercise of free will. It is the basis for the merciful ways the Lord deals with us. Patience provides the path in proper time, and promises that faith will be rewarded.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Practice patience this week by seeking not to pursue control in one particularly vexing portion of your life, and ponder whether it's indeed your problem to solve in the first place. Start by remembering the miracle of how God got your attention and delivered you, and his promise that the great work he began in you will not remain incomplete, no matter how long it takes. What miracle will be next? Wait and see. "You will know that I am the LORD; Those who hopefully wait for Me will not be put to shame (Isaiah 49:23)."
Further Reading
Galatians 5:22
Hebrews 6:12
1 Corinthians 4:5
Isaiah 40:31
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January 18, 2012
The First Fruit of the Gospel
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"For whosoever shall be ashamed of Me and My words, of him shall the Son of Man
be ashamed, when He shall come in His own glory..."
Luke 9:26 NASB
This week in chapter two of Francis Schaeffer's True Spirituality, we build upon the foundation regarding our need to daily encounter Christ the Living Redeemer in His gospel.
It is important to be clear in our understanding about the substitutionary nature of His death for sinners. Second Corinthians 5:21, "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." Nothing—not good works, religious rituals, not anything can add merit to His perfect work of atonement.
That is not to say, however, that virtue does not flow from His work in our lives. Schaeffer discusses at length at least one necessary result of the gospel in our lives; that being the practice of dying daily. He insightfully takes us to Luke 9:22-26 where Christ tells His disciples the certain order of events that would soon occur to Him... that He would be rejected, slain, then raised. And then points out that Christ immediately relates this order—rejected, slain, raised—to the Christian life. Luke 9:23-24 "And He was saying to them all, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. 24 "For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it."
"Jesus is talking here about our death by choice in the present life. He applies it to a specific situation to make it more concrete. "For whosoever shall be ashamed of Me and My words, of him shall the Son of Man be ashamed, when He shall come in His own glory..." (Luke 9:26)
"The Bible is not speaking of some romantic feeling, some idealization, some abstraction. Jesus carries this concept of facing the rejection, being slain, down to a very practical situation: facing an alien world. It is the saying "no" to self when our natural selves would desire acceptance by the alien world—a world in revolt against its Creator and our Lord.
"...this command of Christ is not limited to one situation; it is that which is to be the whole mentality and outlook of the Christian's life.
"As Christ's rejection and death are the first steps in the order of redemption, so our rejection and death are the first steps in the order of true and growing spirituality.
"As there could be no next step in the order of Christ's redemption until the step was taken, so in the Christian there can be no further step until these first two steps—rejected, slain—are faced; not in theory only, but at least in some partial practice."
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Is the gospel bearing fruit in your life in this way? Put another way, do you increasingly treasure Christ so that things and self receive less and less of your time, attention and resources?
Pray for family, friends and loved ones who are infiltrated by the world with its attitudes that God would make them willing to walk, by His grace through the steps of being rejected and slain, and that they would know the blessing of a resurrected life.
Further Reading:
The Expulsive Power of a New Affection
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January 19, 2012
New Creations
Ryan Duncan, TheFish.com Editor
"For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God." – 1 Peter 1:23
Have you ever done something embarrassing? I know I have. In fact you could say my entire childhood (and a good portion of my adult life) has been one long string of embarrassing moments. I am still haunted by the memory of when I threw up during my English final, or the time I tripped while skiing and caused a massive, ten-man pile-up in front of the ski lift. The worst part is you're brain never lets you forget it.
The difficult news is it's not just embarrassing moments we seem unable to forget, it's our mistakes. Many of us have done things in our lives that we regret. We've acted selfishly, or violently, and other people have been hurt because of it. The Devil loves to use our past mistakes against us; they are by far his favorite weapons. He will always wait until we're vulnerable, then take our dirty laundry and rub it in our face.
It's at moments like these that I always turn to 2 Corinthians 5:17-19 and reminded myself about the truth behind Christ's ministry.
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation." – 2 Corinthians 5: 17-19
When we choose to follow Christ, our slates are instantly wiped clean. All the mistakes we've made all the stupid things we've done, embarrassing or otherwise, no longer matter to God. We may still have to accept the consequences of our actions, but we can take comfort in knowing that it God's sight we are new creations. So do not allow Satan to guilt you with past mistakes, you are a child of God and he will never see you as anything less.
Intersecting Faith a Life
Take a moment to read your Bible and reflect on God's words.
Further Reading
2 Corinthians 5
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January 20, 2012
Praying to the Heater God
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true—even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. 1 John 5:20, NIV
A portable space heater comes in handy this time of year.
I've got one in my home office that I place right in front of my feet, while I'm paying bills or working on something at my desk. No sooner have I flipped the switch to "on," then my two cats suddenly "appear" and are sitting very close to it.
I don't know how their little noses don't get burned, but I guess they know their own heat tolerance better than I do. They will generally sit in front of the heater until I turn it off . . . meaning, they never tire from taking in the irresistible warmth that makes them feel so good.
They practically worship the heater. And so when they sit there, I say that they're "praying to the heater god." Because that's what it looks like: down on all fours (almost prostrate), eyes closed (for better concentration and devotion), and focus directed toward the source of their (temporary) satisfaction.
This scenario got me to thinking one day about what I worship:What are the "heater gods" in my life? What things am I so dangerously close to that can burn me? And what's interfering with my devotion to the one, true God?
Well, I didn't have to think too long or look too far. I glanced around my office and saw some catalogs for department stores lying around. Then, I looked a little further and saw my jam-packed calendar. Just beyond that, my treadmill. And then there was my little television positioned strategically so I can see it while working out.
So, in that one little space in my home, I've got the false gods of materialism, achievement, appearance and entertainment all grouped together. But hey, my several Bibles and a couple of commentaries and Bible study books are there on my bookshelf, too. So just the very fact that I have these should help to cancel out the false gods, right?
I'd like to think so. But truth is they don't. Since I don't know my own "heat tolerance" as it were, I need to constantly gauge my levels in light of God's Word. And that means I need to constantly be exposing myself to the true God by reading those Bibles, books and commentaries, spending time in study, being in fellowship with other believers, using my spiritual gifts and so forth.
I think the fourth verse from the great hymn, "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing," details my constant struggle the best:
O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here's my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.
We're all prone to wander and to leave the God we should love. It is a daily battle, and it is only by his grace—his irresistible grace—that our minds can stay on him. May he continue to work in our hearts and draw us unto himself.
Intersecting Faith & Life: What are the false gods in your life? Ask God to help you resist anything that challenges your devotion to him.
Further Reading:
1 Chron. 16:11-12
Psa. 51:10
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January 23, 2012
Run for Your Life
Anna Kuta, Crosswalk.com Editor
"Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart" (2 Timothy 2:22).
Have you ever been at the beach in the summer and gotten in the ocean only to look up after a while and suddenly realize you've drifted way down from where you got in? It can be pretty scary sometimes, as you frantically try to find your way back to your spot amid crowds of people, umbrellas and towels that all seem to look the same. You thought you were just floating in the water, and it seemed like it, but the whole time the waves and the current were slowly carrying you down the shore.
You might have heard the saying that if you are not going forward in your Christian walk, you are going backwards – that if you are not actively progressing and growing, you are losing ground. It's similar to the way it works with the ocean. You might think you're staying in the same place, but you're losing ground without even realizing it.
Just as you have to continually keep swimming to keep the ocean from dragging you away from your place on the beach, growing in your faith and becoming more Christ-like is an active process, not a passive one. In 2 Timothy 2:22, Paul uses words with a connotation of intent and urgency to describe what we as Christians should do: flee youthful lusts, pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace. The word "flee" implies running as fast as you can away from something like you're afraid for your life, and that's exactly what Paul is saying we should do when confronted with "youthful lusts," or things that are not glorifying to God. Similarly, the word "pursue" implies following or chasing close behind something with the goal of catching it, like you're hot on its trail. This is the way God wants us to approach our relationship with Him – constantly striving to get to know Him more through His word, to follow His commands, to grow closer to Him, and to ultimately become more like Him.
The more we pursue godly desires and our relationship with Jesus, the faster we can flee those things that are not honoring to God. It is a one-or-the-other choice. I can't live a life that is glorifying to God if I'm continually dragged down by things that are detrimental to my spiritual growth. It's something that ultimately comes down to every little choice we make. With God's strength, though, we can deny wrong desires, and with His help, we can choose to do the right thing. Whatever you do, don't stand still – run for your life away from things that don't honor God and run equally fast toward Him.
Intersecting Faith & Life
Strive to learn more about Jesus through His word and grow closer to Him this year. Commit to pursuing your relationship with Him each day, and commit to asking Him to help you flee things in your life that are not glorifying to Him.
Further Reading
Jeremiah 29:13
Matthew 6:33
1 Timothy 6:11-12
Philippians 4:13
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Blessed are the Meek
by Sarah Phillips, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Mt 5: 5 (NIV)
I used to have a strong dislike for the word "meek." It brings me back a decade to a defining moment during my sophomore year of high school.
I was a shy teenager who had stepped outside of her comfort zone by enrolling in several theater classes, including a class on "behind the scenes" theater productions. This should have been the easiest of all the courses for my sensitive nature. But my instructor, while delegating roles for the Spring production of Peter Pan, proved me wrong when she voiced her choice of stage manager like this:
"I've chosen Melissa because I need someone with a strong personality - someone who isn't meek, like Sarah."
Of course, I only drove her point home when I didn't stick up for myself. I spent years after that scene developing assertiveness, determined to prove that Sarah Jennings was not meek. Like this teacher, I associated meekness with weakness and both were traits that needed to be eradicated if I was going to get anywhere in life.
At least that's what I thought until I found that dreaded word jumping off the pages of scripture at me in the Gospel of Matthew. There it was, one of the first things Jesus says in his famous Sermon on the Mount.
Our deacon offered some thoughts on this verse that helped put things in perspective for me. He shared that it's in the Sermon on the Mount where we see Jesus begin to expand on His true purpose - and to the disappointment of many, He was not going to be an earthly king bestowing power and prestige on His people, not just yet. Instead, God's plan for mankind included an interior transformation of souls for the sake of an eternal kingdom. To properly prepare us for this kingdom, God rejected earthly methods of acquiring power in favor of the healing that comes with merciful love.
It is God's mercy that changes our hearts from hearts of stone to hearts of flesh. It's Christ's humility, His lowliness, that beckons us into a relationship with Him. And ultimately, it was Christ's willingness to give up earthly glory that opened the door for us to share in His eternal glory.
Now, as much as I would like earthly power, He asks us to "learn from him." As our souls find rest in God, He can continue His redemptive work through us as we display these same "weaker" virtues to the world.
This isn't to say God lacks power or that Christians should throw out virtues like courage. I think sometimes cultivating traits like meekness and humility are trickier than learning boldness because we can easily tip the scales too far and become passive. It's a difficult balance, but a necessary one if we want to reflect Christ to a hurting world.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Is there a situation in your life right now that would benefit from a little meekness, humility, or gentleness on your part? Ask God to show you how to have a meek and humble heart like His - one that offers healing and restoration while maintaining your God-given dignity.
Further Reading:
Psalm 37: 11
Ephesians 4: 2
James 4: 10
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Fits Any Niche
By Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.
Psalm 119:105
All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness. 2 Timothy 3:16
As the editor responsible for all devotional content here at Crosswalk, one of the questions I'm asked most frequently by our beloved users goes something like this:
"Your devotional offerings are great, but could you please include one for cousins of divorcees with sleeping disorders who have befriended agnostic vegetarians? Because that would be really great."
Okay, that's an exaggeration (but only barely). And it's not like we dislike filling niches. We have devotionals for women, the workplace, weight loss and the list goes on. We're continually adding to the selection and have plans for a men's devotional, a children's devotional, a singles devotional, and more. To an extent, we're at the mercy of what's well-written, theologically sound, recognizable, and most of all, available.
But when I'm asked a question like, "My fiance and I are interested in a devotional for yet-to-be-married couples living in the mid-Atlantic from different church backgrounds who are both post-millenialists. What do you recommend for us?" my answer is always the same:
Just study the Word, man.
Whether you find it here or somewhere else, locate a ministry, author, preacher, or regular old Joe/JoAnn whom God has gifted with insight into his holy scriptures, and read their take regularly. Follow that up with your own deeper individual study. Take that into praying with a spouse, accountability partner, disciple, or mentor. Join a group Bible Study. And take notes during sermons.
It's not much more complicated than that. We sometimes make it so. We pigeonhole ourselves or our current life situation or level of belief, and so risk hindering the effective wholeness of the Word.
Besides, if there's one thing I've noticed through almost a biblical generation of life, it's that our specific situations are many times made more complex by our non-stop obsession with them, and are often made more simple by backing off and getting at them indirectly through solid study that may not at first seem related to what we are going through.
There's nothing wrong with wanting to hear which verses were blessings to folks who have gone through heartbreaks or challenges similar to what you are now experiencing. What I'm suggesting is that the Word of the Lord never returns void. And that there have been several topics I've tried to understand (and been disappointed in the lack of direct guidance the Bible appears to give on the subject), or several life situations I've wanted to study (and not known where to start or how to find others who have biblical wisdom to offer in the form of a devotional) that have been solved when I stepped away and just studied sound teaching with prayer.
One example is when, as a young man, I wanted to find everything the Bible said about the "big sins" our youth ministers were so concerned with keeping us from -- sex and drinking. I shortly exhausted all the verses that dealt directly with these topics. But it wasn't until I backed away from a focus on these issues and began more comprehensive studies of what God had to say about all things that the picture grew bigger and the reasons for abstinence, purity, sobriety, and not causing others to stumble became clear in the light of grace, righteousness, sacrifice, and ministry.
Another example is the time I was battling a crippling depression. I found few answers and little comfort in attacking the problem directly -- even if there didn't seem to be a lack of correlative verses or devos, which only would have reminded me double of the state I was in. What did help was reading other topics from the Bible, and books from established Christian authors and preachers about the Bible itself, about faith, about truth. Eventually the clouds lifted, and I was stronger for having gone through the darkness and for the overarching principles that brought me home.
Let me encourage you today not to wall yourself off from the full richness of the Word, but to seek out sound doctrine and study on general principles regularly that I promise will apply to your specifics, whether directly or indirectly, immediately or eventually.
Further Reading
A Plea to Use the Bible Every Day
How to Have a Meaningful Quiet Time
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Was Psalm 69:9 Jesus' Life Verse?
Alex Crain, Christianity.com
"For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope." (Romans 15:4)
There's a good chance you won't find the term "life verse" in a theological dictionary. For anyone who hasn't heard the phrase before, "life verse" has become a semi-popular term used by Christians to describe the fact that a certain part of the Bible can be a long-term, recurring source of encouragement... perhaps, throughout one's entire life.
I've heard some Christians say that the act of singling out a life verse can lower a person's view of the rest of Scripture. In other words, a life verse can be a bad thing. That seems a little picky though. Really, how bad can it be for a Christian to recognize the good effect that a certain Bible verse has on his attitude toward God, life, and whatever problems he's facing? Besides, doesn't it sound a little pompous to say, "My life verse is the BIBLE?"
To be honest, I've never given much thought about the merits or demerits of life verses. More than once I've had to stop and ask myself why I am even writing a devotional about them. But here's what sparked my interest in the subject. Recently, I saw a phrase in Romans 15that made me curious if Jesus, perhaps, had a life verse during His time on earth.
Paul quotes an Old Testament phrase in Romans 15:3 that Jesus (apparently) had the habit of thinking on as He walked the earth. If this is so, I'm not sure how Paul would have known this. We can speculate that perhaps other people who were close to Jesus during His earthly life may have observed Him quoting it on a fairly regular basis. Maybe Paul overheard something about it during the days he spent visiting the other apostles. Or, possibly, it was revealed to Paul directly during his three-year period of discipleship before he ever met any of the early church leaders in Jerusalem (cf. Gal. 1:15-24).
Whatever helped Paul to learn about the mental habits of Jesus, what is clear is that the Lord Jesus Christ characteristically overcame temptation for any and all self-indulgence. "Christ did not please Himself," is the near context of the Old Testament quote that Paul cites next. The way that the rest of the verse strikes me is that Paul seems to imply that Jesus overcame temptation while meditating on a phrase from Psalm 69:9, which says: "The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me." This passage from Psalm 69 would have been a clear reminder to Jesus that the scorn He received on earth was actually the scorn that people bear in their hearts for God. Such a verse would align His expectations about this life and reinforce Him in His earthly mission.
Now, notice what Paul tells the Romans immediately after his quotation from Psalm 69. See especially verse 4...
2 "Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. 3 For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, "The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me." 4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."
"For whatever was written..." is a phrase that conveys reasoning. Paul is making an argument for something here. Teasing out his argument a little, I believe Paul is saying:
"Look at Christ's example of how He dwelt on Psalm 69:9. Scripture gives encouragement and instructs our thinking. It was this biblical perspective that propelled the Lord Jesus with endurance to fulfill the Father's will and not live for Himself. That's what you and I are to do."
Remember, Paul was writing to Jewish and Gentile Christians around 56 AD who were all meeting in segregated house groups throughout Rome. They weren't exactly the picture of Christian charity and unity. They were looking out for their own preferences—"pleasing themselves" to borrow the language of Romans 15:3. A few chapters back, in Romans 12:1-2Paul pointed out that they were to be transformed by renewing their minds. Now, in chapter 15, Paul seems to show how that's exactly what Jesus did.
Whether or not Jesus had a "life verse," He did let Scripture "dwell richly" in Him (Col. 3:16). And that's what Christians are to do as well. Isn't it interesting that Paul doesn't just command it? He gives not only reasons but an example—the example of Christ Himself.
Intersecting Faith and Life:
Looking at Christ's example here, how can we doubt or downplay the role of meditating on God's Word moment by moment as we go through life? In His humanity, Jesus let the truth of God's Word constantly shape His perspective. This filled Him with encouragement and hope. Let's do the same today.
Further Reading
See this word study on "hope" at BibleStudyTools.com.
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January 27, 2012
Joy, Joy, Joy
by Ryan Duncan, TheFish.com
But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. – Psalm 5:11
I am a pessimist, just ask anybody I know. For me, the cup will always be half empty and whatever's in the cup will probably be backwash. So you can imagine the concept of joy has always been rather hard for me. The Bible, particularly the book of Psalms, is constantly telling Christians to have joy. Reading about joy is easy though, putting it into practice is a lot harder.
How are we supposed to have joy when our cars break down, when bills pile up, when bad days just get progressively worse? For me, it's almost insulting for someone to tell me things like, "count your blessings" or, "things could have been worse" when I'm in the middle of cleaning up a crisis. I've often wondered if this makes me a bad Christian. Over time, I did realize my attitude could certainly use some work, but I also learned that our idea of joy has become somewhat skewed.
Take a look at these verses from the book of John,
I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.- John 16:20-22
A pastor of mine once told me being joyful is not necessarily the same thing as being happy. We live in a fallen world, and odds are, we are going to have tough times over the years. So when the bad times come it doesn't mean we have to dance around and be happy about it, you just have to remember that these moments won't last forever. The bad things in our life cannot become what define us, instead, we have to trust God and remember the grace he has shown us. He will help us endure and won't abandon us to sorrow or despair. So take a moment, whatever your situation, to be joyful. No matter how bad things get, God is with us.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Take moment to pray and search your Bible for scripture that applies to your life.
Further Reading
Psalm 132
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January 30, 2012
The Impossible Is Possible
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
"With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26, NIV
How many times have you said to yourself, "Well that will never happen!"
Oftentimes, it is easy to get discouraged in this life, to shelve our hopes and dreams and to keep our focus on what is instead of on what could be or what is promised to us in the Word.
I've been reading the book of Genesis again this winter and have been struck once more with how God worked in the lives of Abraham and Sarah. In Genesis 18, the LORD told Abraham that in a year from that moment, he and Sarah would have a son.
"I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son," he said (v. 10).
Now, children are great and all, but beyond the pink and the blue what was so meaningful to Abraham and Sarah about this promise of things to come? It was significant because to the human eye it seemed impossible. Yes, God had made a covenant with Abraham (Gen. 17:1-2) and told him he would have many descendants. But Abraham was now 99 years old, and Sarah was 90 and barren. That's the end of life for most of us in today's space-time continuum and way past the typical childbearing years. But in God's economy, it was the perfect time for him to deliver upon the promise he had made.
While Abraham was hearing this word and the exact timing of when God said it would come to pass, Sarah was also listening.
"So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, 'After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?'" (v. 12).
I'm sure many of us have taken upon this "laughing attitude" as well in our own lives when considering what seems to be impossible in our current life circumstances. You're probably thinking about whatever that is right now—a child, a soul mate, a dream job, a cure for your illness, no more debt . . . whatever.
You've also probably shed some tears over what seems impossible to you right now and you've moved on to laughter—or rather unbelief—like Sarah. Really, God ... how could this ever happen in my life at this point? It's too unbelievable.
But the LORD heard her and said to Abraham: "'Why did Sarah laugh and say, 'Will I really have a child, now that I am old?' Is anything too hard for the LORD?" (v. 13-14).
Ask yourself that same question. Is it? Is anything too hard for the Lord? What have you given up on in your own life? What are you "laughing" about today that signifies your unbelief?
In chapter 21, we see how God's promise came to pass. He was "gracious to Sarah, as he had said," and she bore a son to Abraham "at the very time God had promised him." His name was Isaac, he was a miracle and he was—and is—a constant reminder of God's faithfulness even when we laugh and don't believe.
I believe stories like Abraham and Sarah's are included in God's Word so that we will better understand the nature of God. It's about him and not us. It's about what he has done, is doing and will do. It's about the joy that only he can bring. It's about trusting him along the journey and believing in the One who created all things, knows all things and can do all things—even the impossible.
Intersecting Faith & Life: What circumstances in your life require a mountain-sized miracle today? Thank God for the ultimate miracle of making the impossible possible—that he saves us through HIS indescribable work and by HIS amazing grace.
Further Reading:
1 Kings 17:7-16, NIV
Job 38:4-38, NIV
Rev. 4:11, NIV
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Jan. 31, 2012
Are You Bearing Fruit?
Ryan Duncan, TheFish.com
"No one lights a lamp and hides it in a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he puts it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light." – Luke 8:16
One of the traditions my family had while I was growing up was that every fall we would go apple picking at a place called Edwards Orchard. It was a great place. There were barn animals for kids to feed, a maze run that my siblings and I would always cheat to win, and a small kitchen that made the best apple doughnuts on this continent. Once we had exhausted ourselves on all the activities and eaten enough doughnuts to last us for days, our parents would load us up on the orchard's wagons, and we would go into the trees to pick apples.
Afterwards, we'd enjoy a long stretch of apple-related meals at home, and I was particularly fond of my mother's upside-down apple pie. Then one year, as we clambered out of our van like usual, we were met by an employee who informed us the orchard had closed that season. I don't remember exactly why -- I think a storm had damaged most of the trees -- but the absence of our usual Macintosh apples was pretty noticeable the following week. This was the memory that jumped to my mind a few days ago, as I was reading the book of Luke. Take a look at the following verses,
And he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. And he said to the vinedresser, 'Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down. Why should it use up the ground?' And he answered him, 'Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.'" – Luke 13:6-9
The simple truth is that there is not much use in a fruit tree that doesn't grow fruit, just like there isn't much use in a Christian that isn't living out Christ's teachings. God made us, the Church, to be people of growth and action. It is his desire that we constantly seek to mature in our faith, and the way we do that is by getting involved in the world around us. It doesn't have to be anything big. Become a greeter at your Church, make a small donation, of bring a meal to the couple that just had a baby. All that matters is if your heart is providing a harvest for God because you never know what he'll do with the spiritual fruit you create.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Find your own way to serve Christ's Kingdom, no matter how small.
Further Reading
Luke 14
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February 1, 2012
The Problem with Perception
by Sarah Phillips, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.
1 Samuel 16: 7b
A few years ago, an acquaintance of mine mused, "Why are people like Paris Hilton so unhappy? They have no earthly excuse to be." It's human nature to look at snapshots of someone else's life and conclude that they somehow have it better than we do. Too many times I've allowed my perceptions of someone else's happiness to create discontent in my own world. I wonder, "God, why are you blessing them and not me?"
Not only is it tempting to make assumptions about those who've achieved worldly success, but I've caught myself and others making wrong assumptions about what it means to be a godly person, a "good Christian." I hear fellow believers say they feel small or inadequate next to some perceived spiritual giant or that they envy some gift or perceived virtue of another.
I recently came across a reflection from a young woman that gave me a fresh perspective on those I perceive to be "perfect." St. Therese of Lisieux, a Carmelite nun who lived in the late 19th century, was a model Christian very young in life. Yet, a few years before her own young death at 24, she reflected on how others perceived her in her autobiography Story of a Soul:
"I cannot say that Jesus makes me walk the way of humiliation exteriorly. He is content to humble me in the depths of my soul; in the eyes of creatures, I succeed in everything."
Therese expressed much discomfort in the compliments lavished on her because, as she so matter-of-factly states: "I remember who I am." She knew the intimate details of her faults even while others could not see them, and often felt the difference between her and the great Saints like Aquinas was as vast as a grain of sand at the foot of a mountain.
St. Therese wasn't alone in her discomfort of others' perceptions. Mother Teresa often tried to deflect attention because she knew she wasn't really the true source of her "success." Mother Teresa's personal letters revealed her own private periods of darkness laced throughout her extraordinary life.
Sometimes, the unseen crosses weigh us down more than any outward suffering ever could. There is so little we truly know about other souls -- only that which others are willing to share with us. This is why the comparison game is such a sham. It creates a toxic cycle of private shame and envy that isolates individuals in a world where we're all trying to "measure up" to fabricated standards. Jim Hancock, author of Posers, Fakers, and Wannabes, expressed the dangerous game of comparison like this: "I judged what I knew about me by what I didn't know about them."
Life, of course, does not have to end with each one of us locked in a private world of faults and failings. Even with their interior crosses, both St. Therese and Mother Teresa knew they did not have to live a life of disconnection, shame or envy. They knew true inner peace rested with the only One who is perfect and yet, with full knowledge of our faults, loves us unconditionally.
Not only does God love us as we are, but He's ready to use even our failings for incredible good - perhaps even greater good than had we been "perfect." When we stop comparing and put energy towards building the most important relationship we'll ever have, doors open to a life greater than we could have planned or achieved on our own.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Americans are reportedly some of the loneliest people on the planet. Intimacy flourishes when we let our guards down and allow others to see who we really are, imperfections and all. Set aside a little time this week to strengthen a relationship with a friend or family member. Be open to talking about what's really going on in each others' lives so that you can build each other up in the faith.
Further Reading
2 Corinthians 12: 7-9
Luke 9: 46-48
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February 2, 2012
The Month of Love
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
Husbands, go all out in your love for your wives, exactly as Christ did for the church - a love marked by giving, not getting.
Ephesians 5:25, The Message
For once in my marriage, I really did something right.
My wife's name is Valerie - Val for short - so she's always held Valentine's Day in even higher esteem than most women. Not only that, but her birthday is March 15, so she's always believed that February 14 though March 15 = "The Month of Love" = it's all about her for one-twelfth of the year.
One year, I decided to agree. Each morning for 31 days when she woke up, there was a small hand-made red envelope (amazing what useful skills one can learn watching children's programming) stuck on some wall of our house. Written in sparkly marker (chicks dig the sparklies) on the outside of the envelope was one of her top character qualities. Inside the envelope was a Bible memory verse related to that quality. Embedded in the memory verse was a clue to where a small hidden gift could be found in or around our home.
I just thought this could be a nice little way to tell her I love her. Boy was I short-sighted. I could have bought her the Taj Mahal and she wouldn't have appreciated it more, been more thoroughly impressed. "He went to Jared"? No way. He went to PBS and Ben Franklin. But already Val is considering how to pass this story down to our grandchildren. She says I will never top myself. And she was saying these things before she even knew about the surprise at the end when all the envelopes could be arranged so that the first letter of each character quality would spell out the grand prize: that she had her choice of a new wardrobe, upgraded wedding ring, or vacation, any of which would be shopped for together, 'cause she's big on that. Of course, this was back when she was working, so we had money in the bank. Even so, she never took me up on the grand prize. I can't say I wasn't a little bit disappointed, but she was definitely exercising the wisdom of foresight. And anyway, to her, the biggest gift had already been received.
Valerie thinks this took me ages to dream up and hours to prepare, but it took me about 10 minutes per day, plus a weekly trip to the store to stock up on a few minor gifts. But the outcome net me - if not crowns in Heaven - at least major returns in this life. Anytime a group of gals gathers together and asks each other, "What the best gift you've ever received," I get bragged upon. Several times during the Month of Love itself I was told to take an evening to myself and go see a movie. And I learned something I thought I already knew - diamonds aren't a girl's best friend. Her husband is, if he even shows a rhinestone's-worth of interest in her.
Not every wife speaks the same "Love Language." I know some who truly would have preferred a simple one-time big purchase. Some would just be satisfied with a husband who washed dishes and dusted shelves. But this I can be fairly sure in saying about wives: what all of them really want is a husband that makes an effort to understand them and speak their language, whatever it is, without being told. Yeah, I know, and all one has to do to make millions in the majors is hit a curveball. But unlike the major leagues, in marriage, most of the time, simply making the effort is appreciated.
Intersecting Faith & Life: If you haven't already, read The Five Love Languages with your spouse. Once you learn what says, "I love you" to him or her, come up with a special way of saying so.
Further Reading
Hebrews 13:4
Languages of Love
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Existentialism... The Good Kind
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple..."
Luke 14:27 NASB
As chapter two of Francis Schaeffer's book, True Spirituality, comes to a close, the author highlights a crucial dimension of the gospel's first fruit (that of dying to self). It is that dying to self must be a continual reality. Schaeffer likens the proper mindset here to that of a philosophical existentialist...
"The existentialist is right when he puts his emphasis on the reality of the moment-by-moment situation. He is wrong in many things, but he is right here. Christ called His followers to continuously carry their own cross. He puts the command not in an abstract but in an intensely practical setting, in verse 26 (of Luke14) relating it to His followers' fathers, mothers, wives, children, brothers, sisters, and their own lives."
"He sets it among the realities of daily life. This is where we must die."
Christ is talking about putting to death what our hearts prefer; what we desire most. And we naturally prefer our own way. Ol' Blue Eyes, Frank Sinatra, set our deeply ingrained theme song to music when he sang, "I did it my way." How can we possibly overcome our instinct to want our own desires fulfilled? It seems to be an impossible command.
Even if we know the Proverb "There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death," such knowledge by itself is not enough to subdue a sinful, stubborn will. When the heart wants something, it can charge ahead in a mad quest to get its way without a single thought about consequences.
Paul Tripp and Tim Lane, in their book How People Change, cite no less than seven counterfeit gospels that prevent people from dying to self. They feed pride and give others the false impression that we're being true disciples. Because we are so prone to preserve ourselves, we can easily gravitate toward these false gospels. Their appeal is so insidiously strong because they allow us to deceive ourselves and others, AND dodge Christ's benevolent command to die to self. These counterfeit gospels are: formalism, legalism, mysticism, activism, biblicism, therapism, and social-ism.
Formalism says, "I'm always in church, but it really has little impact on my heart or on how I live. I may become judgmental and impatient with those who do not have the same commitment as I do."
Legalism says, "I live by the rules—rules I create for myself and rules I create for others. I feel good if I can keep my own rules, and I become arrogant and full of contempt when others don't meet the standards I set for them. There is no joy in my life because there is no grace to be celebrated."
Mysticism says, "I am engaged in the incessant pursuit of an emotional experience with God. I live for the moments when I feel close to him, and I often struggle with discouragement when I don't feel that way. I may change churches often, too, looking for one that will give me what I'm looking for."
Activism says, "I recognize the missional nature of Christianity and am passionately involved in fixing this broken world. But at the end of the day, my life is more of a defense of what's right than a joyful pursuit of Christ."
Biblicism says, "I know my Bible inside and out, but I do not let it master me. I have reduced the gospel to a mastery of biblical content and theology, so I am intolerant and critical of those with lesser knowledge."
Therapism says, "I talk a lot about the hurting people in our congregation, and how Christ is the only answer for their hurt. Yet even without realizing it, I have made Christ more Therapist than Savior. I view hurt as a greater problem than sin—and I subtly shift my greatest need from my moral failure to my unmet needs."
Social-ism says, "The deep fellowship and friendships I find at church have become their own idol. The body of Christ has replaced Christ himself, and the gospel is reduced to a network of fulfilling Christian relationships."
[From Paul Tripp and Tim Lane's How People Change (New Growth Press, 2008)]:
Which one(s) of the counterfeit gospels do you most tend toward?
In the end, only God's grace can subdue the heart of man and turn its desires God-ward. And such grace comes only through the true gospel of Christ. When God brings me around to embrace by faith that it was my moral failure that caused the sinless Son of God to suffer and die and, because of that, God does not treat me as my sins deserve, I see then that anything in life can be received with thankfulness.
How can we carry our cross and die daily? Only God can enable us by His "greater grace" to embrace the good kind of existentialism, depend on Him moment by moment, and continually ring the death knell to "my way."
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Do you see your own need for God's grace every moment so that you can die to self, yielding your desires up to Him? If not, what's preventing that?
Further Reflection:
Read James 4:6
My Heart Is Filled with Thankfulness (Stuart Townend, Keith Getty)
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February 6, 2012
Unhappiness: A Tempting Choice?
Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
"And the disciples were continually filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit."
Acts 13: 52, NIV
"Always be happy. I see you out there with your solemn faces and hands folded like this, and perhaps you think this is holiness. This sad, solemn-ness is not really holiness. Always be happy wherever you go; God is good."
These are words spoken by a priest from India at a recent retreat. No doubt, this priest is well-versed in the theology of redemptive suffering, so his words gave me pause. What does he mean by this? Is it even possible to be happy like this?
Later, in a discussion with my father, he mentioned that family counselors like my stepmother often encounter challenging clients who are married to their unhappiness. In other words, these individuals are so comfortable with their misery and dysfunction (born out of very real hurts, no doubt) they don't even want to be happy anymore.
Pondering all this has rearranged some of my thinking on faith and happiness.
Perhaps you've heard this common saying in Christian circles: "God doesn't promise us happiness here on earth." From what I've encountered in my studies of the Bible and theology, the statement is factual.
I used to interpret this fact as an indication that God just doesn't have happiness in his plans for some (and I was likely one of those people, right?). But as I am reflecting on Fr. Andrew's words and my stepmother's clients, it hits me. Perhaps God doesn't promise happiness because it's not his place to give it. In other words, perhaps happiness is part of God's plan, but it's something we also must choose on our end.
Think about it. Have you ever met that person who "has everything" but isn't happy? I knew a person like that. He possessed uncommon intelligence. He had a loving family, wealth, and opportunity. But he seemed gifted at finding the dark side to everything. And I mean everything. He suffered from incredible cynicism and depression. Let's put the possibility of a chemical imbalance aside for a second and ponder this truth: God has the power to bless us, but it's up to us to be happy about it.
I don't say these things to cause pain or make anyone feel guilty for not feeling happy. Trust me, I've had plenty of dark periods where happiness seemed like a joke. I firmly believe it's okay to feel unhappy sometimes. Jesus didn't always feel good either, and it's safe to say there was nothing wrong with him.
Still, it's important to remember that there is a danger in wallowing in darkness for too long. There is a great temptation to become attached to our sadness, our victim-hood. Our cross, instead of drawing us closer to life in Christ, ends up bringing us closer to spiritual death when we do this.
In his book The Great Divorce, C.S. Lewis explores this idea that we can become too attached to our brokenness. He sets up a fictional scenario where souls in hell get a second chance at heaven. But they ultimately do not choose heaven - they can't even enjoy heaven - due to their excessive attachment to hell.
This seems downright crazy, but it's not any different than the clients my stepmom sees every week. And it's a very real trap we fall into every time we hold too tightly to our hurts and sorrows instead of releasing them to God.
Lewis warns, "If we insist on keeping Hell (or even earth) we shall not see Heaven: if we accept Heaven we shall not be able to retain even the smallest and most intimate souvenirs of Hell."
But then what do we do with all the bad things in life? Certainly, we will feel sorrow and loss - we should feel sorrow and loss when bad things happen. How then do we avoid getting trapped by tragedy? How do we let go of the comforts, the "intimate souvenirs," of life's little hells? Lewis has more to say about that, and I will end here to ponder his words:
"'Son,' he said, 'ye cannot in your present state understand eternity... That is what mortals misunderstand. They say of some temporal suffering, 'No future bliss can make up for it,' not knowing that Heaven, once attained, will work backwards and turn even that agony into a glory. And of some sinful pleasure they say 'Let me have but this and I'll take the consequences': little dreaming how damnation will spread back and back into their past and contaminate the pleasure of the sin. Both processes begin even before death. The good man's past begins to change so that his forgiven sins and remembered sorrows take on the quality of Heaven: the bad man's past already conforms to his badness and is filled only with dreariness. And that is why... the Blessed will say 'We have never lived anywhere except in Heaven,': and the Lost, 'We were always in Hell.' And both will speak truly."
Intersecting Faith & Life: Have you held on to unhappiness for too long? Is your sadness, guilt, anger, or bitterness tempting you to sin or obscuring your faith? Ask God to help you let go of destructive thoughts or behaviors.
Further Reading
1 Peter 1: 8
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Read Leviticus 14 – 15
Highlights:
After reading these chapters, you will discover how awful sin is in the eyes of God. "Separation from sin" are the key words in today's Scripture. God expects His people to be "clean" clear through — not just in outward appearance.
This is the Law for all manner of plague of leprosy. . .To teach when it is unclean, and when it is clean (Lev. 14:54-57).
The disease of leprosy made a man unfit for society, separated him from the place of worship, and even forced him to leave his home and loved ones. He shall dwell alone; without the camp (13:46). He was an outcast and had to confess himself: Unclean, unclean (13:45). He defiled everything and everyone he touched.
Just as the leper was banished from the place of worship and the assembly of Israel, so the unsaved sinner is shut out from Jehovah's presence because of his defilement. He is unfit for fellowship with God.
If, by the mercy of God, a leper was healed, he still could not be restored to his home, society, or worship until after the priest pronounced the leper healed. Then two birds were brought for sacrifice. One was slain and its blood mingled with living water, symbolic of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God in operation through the living Christ who died on Calvary's cross. Then, the other bird was dipped into the water, mingled with blood, and was set free to fly into the sky — symbolic of Christ's resurrection and His ascension into heaven. It further symbolized that when the sinner is cleansed, he is free. The power of sin is broken, and we no longer have to live under the condemnation and power of Satan.
The cleansing and restoration of the leper foreshadowed the precious work of our Savior, who cleanses us from all unrighteousness (I John 1:9). The leper was helpless to pronounce himself cleansed. The priest had to first go forth out of the camp (Lev. 14:3) and make the sacrifice for the leper's cleansing and restoration.
Throughout the entire ceremony, the leper did nothing until after the blood was sprinkled (14:7). Even so, after a sinner confesses his sin and is cleansed by the blood, he is brought into fellowship with God and is a redeemed worshiper.
And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped Him, saying, Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean. And Jesus put forth His hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed (Matt. 8:2-3).
Thought for Today:
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God (Rom. 12:2).
Christ Portrayed:
By the priest who made atonement for a cleansed leper (Lev. 14:20). Our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement (reconciliation) (Rom. 5:11).
Word Studies:
14:8 tarry abroad, delay outside, stay outside his tent; 14:23 unto, in front; 14:32 whose hand is not able, who cannot afford; 14:38 shut up, quarantine; 14:41 within round about, all around inside; 15:19 put apart, keep separate, in a state of impurity.
Prayer Needs:
Pray for International Broadcasts: In memory of Iva Ann McElroy (Dr. John A. Hash's mother) • Staff: Barbara Bivens • Country: Russia (146.5 million) northeastern Europe and northern Asia • Major language: Russian • Religious freedom • 55% Russian Orthodox; 9% Muslim; 1% Protestant (Baptist, Pentecostal); .8% Shamanist/Animist; .6% Buddhist; .5% Roman Catholic; .5% New Religions (e.g., Hare Krishna); .4% Jewish; .1% Old Believers; 32.1% Agnostics/Atheists/Others • Prayer Suggestion: Ask the Lord to show you what to do, and then be willing to do it (Acts 9:6).
Optional Reading: Mark 9
Memory Verse for the Week: Ephesians 3:17
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What Are You Looking At?
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18, NIV
In "a previous life" and in a different job, I worked in a bull-pen situation.
For those of you who have not experienced this type of work environment, imagine this if you will:
A narrow room of maybe 100 x 400 feet. Four or five windows along the length of one wall. Exposed brick. Hardwood floors. High ceilings. Open-concept layout with desks for about 10 people.
Employees hollered across the room at one another to relay information, instead of phoning or instant-messaging. And most of the time, we would all just roll our office chairs across the floor to make our way from desk to desk.
Add in 10+ hour work days, music blaring (at each work station), phones ringing, keyboards click-clacking, voices chatting, a disco ball that came out after dusk (no kidding) . . . and well, you get the picture. Crazy as it were.
This was my life for about a year or so. But somehow, I learned to focus and get my job done despite all of the distractions. Looking back, I have no idea how I did it. I even did some writing while in this type of environment! Go figure. Most people require peace and quiet so that they may collect their thoughts and let the creativity flow uninterrupted. But in my situation, I had no choice. It was sink or swim.
Thankfully (and as fun as they actually could be at times), those circumstances were only temporary and didn't last long. Nowadays, I have my own office again and am able to get my work done in a relatively calm environment. But you know what? I have trouble focusing!
Unbelievable, I know. But when I do a little personal inventory to figure out what's distracting me, I see that it's mostly internal and all in my mind.
There's no one rolling past me in their chairs. No phones ringing or loud music playing. The noise is only in my head. Life issues, mostly. In fact, I just made a list of ten things that are distracting me right now and feel like they are sweeping over my life. They all seem to be crashing in and keeping me from the task at hand. They are "demanding" my attention and my natural response is to drop what I'm doing. To worry. To grow anxious.
Much like the disciples did when a storm overtook them in the Sea of Galilee (Matt. 8:23-27), I am not putting my faith in the Lord. "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Jesus asked them. I must ask myself the same question today. If God has power over all of nature, doesn't he also have control over all of the elements affecting my life? A thousand times yes!
"What kind of man is this?" asked the disciples after Jesus calmed the storm. "Even the winds and the waves obey him!
What signifies "the winds and the waves" in your life today? No matter what we think we see overtaking us, let's resolve to put our faith and our focus in what is unseen: the Lord of all creation, the Almighty God.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Make a list of everything that has got your mind tied up in knots today. Pray through these items and ask the Lord to help you not be overwhelmed and to fix your eyes on what is eternal.
Further Reading:
Hebrews 3:1, NIV
Proverbs 4:25, NIV
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St. Polycarp: Christian Hero
Sarah Phillips, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5: 12
Christian. When you hear the word, what images come to mind? It's too easy for me to approach the faith only in a modern context.
But there is so much more to professing faith in Christ than what we see today. Whenever I need a little dose of context, I read about heroic Christians from other eras. This week, I came across a Christian in a unique position: he was among the first generation of Church leaders after the apostles passed away.
St. Polycarp, a 2nd century bishop of what is now part of Turkey, was a disciple of John the Apostle. St. John, often known as the "beloved disciple," was privileged to stand at the foot of the Cross. He knew and cared for Mary, Jesus' mother. He was in the upper room after the Resurrection and was a member of the original twelve.
St. Polycarp was one of the first Church leaders who did not get to do any of these things. Perhaps this seems like an easy position to be in. After all, Polycarp knew those who witnessed Christ's life with their own eyes. But being a second generation Church leader wasn't a comfortable position. It meant you were entering unknown territory - territory filled with disputes and heresies that threatened to destroy Christianity in its infancy. These leaders had to place incredible faith in the Holy Spirit to guide them.
Not only did Polycarp and his peers face disagreements within the Church, but they also faced pagan persecution from the outside. During this time, Christians were called "atheists" because they rejected the predominant polytheistic beliefs of their culture. In these early days, pagans would burn Christian "atheists" or feed them to wild animals.
Polycarp stayed grounded by keeping his focus on Christ. He was known for being very tough on heresy but gentle on fellow believers who disagreed with him on non-essential details of the faith. When the eastern and western churches could not agree on how and when to celebrate Passover and Easter, Polycarp did not force the issue with other leaders when it became apparent that both approaches were true to the gospel.
St. Polycarp also relied heavily on a deep prayer life. He prayed specifically for people he encountered and the needs of his particular era. He was committed to leading his fellow Christians effectively and never sought glory for himself.
Although Polycarp was well-loved and respected by both pagans and Christians, he was keenly aware that one day he may face martyrdom. When his time finally came, he was already eighty-six years old, and he went willingly. He could have pledged his allegiance to Caesar to save himself, but instead Polycarp told his captors, "If you imagine that I will swear by Caesar, you do not know who I am. Let me tell you plainly, I am a Christian."
After his death, Christians kept his bones in his memory and as a reminder of the persecution the early Christians faced.
In some ways, Polycarp faced situations unfamiliar to us and yet in other ways, his story reminds us that the trials we face today are not as unique as they may appear. If we keep our focus on Christ and our days filled with prayer, we can continue the legacy the faithful left to us almost 2,000 years ago.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Do you find yourself distracted from love of Christ because of bickering in your local church or challenges from those who don't believe? Take a lesson from Polycarp. Spend additional time in prayer this week to refocus, refuel and discern the best way to proceed.
Reference: "Saint Polycarp," Catholic.org
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Tsunami of Emotion and Understanding
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
"Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!"
Job 2:9
This week, I came across a story that is all at once heartbreaking and hope-giving, tragic and uplifting, devastating and determined.
This excellent article by the International Mission Board's Shawn Hendricks chronicles what has happened to and through one Christian family on India's east coast since the tsunamis of late 2004. I encourage you to check it out. If you do, it will effectively function as your devotional for today much better than what I am about to write in response to it.
In a real-world account of events straight from the Book of Job, Paramesvaran and Choodamani lost all three of their children the day after Christmas that year. My heart breaks for families who lose one child, much less three. Imagine having lost one of them who was in your arms but who you were just not strong enough to hold on to against the crushing force of so much water.
Imagine being mocked by your friends and family for your faith while you are suffering such tragedy and burying your own offspring.
Imagine being so full of grief you discuss a suicide pact.
But then... eventually... the clouds lift, first for one spouse who is gifted by a word from the Lord about the blessing that her husband survived when so many others did not. Then, later, the husband feels the tugging of the Lord letting him know that his children are safe with Jesus, they're okay, they're full of praise and life.
The real, personable, meaningful faith in God pulls the couple up, and back together. They are blessed with two new children. But beyond that...
...the fact they are alive and together allows them to become adoptive parents to TWENTY orphaned children. Each of them has come to a saving relationship with Jesus, several helping their new father preach the gospel throughout the area.
The example of the family, assisted by donations of Christians around the world, has "brought the Good News into areas that were once unreceptive to Christianity."
The ends of things are truly never known until later. Purpose is often invisible until it isn't. Damaging floods can become cleansing baptisms through the passage of time and reflections from fresh perspectives.
Job refused to curse God and die. He instead decided ultimately to acknowledge that nothing he ever had was his, and that the only thing worth living for was the knowledge that God is awesome, powerful, and beyond our comprehension. And yet, loves us beyond measure.
His story is not just a fable or morality tale. It can seem that way to our modern ears, which are unaccustomed to the reality of THAT much tragedy. But that much tragedy occurs all too frequently around our globe, and when it does, it should not shock me to the extent it did when I read this story. I feel like I should nod knowingly about the cost and fragility of life on this big blue ball, and how despite all the shaking and quaking there can still be a steady security when I give up any notions that I am god, that I am in control, that my job is to do anything with my time here but praise and share, worship and help, live and move and be every minute that he allows.
Intersecting Faith & Life: May God continue to bless the ministry of Paramesvaran and Choodamani, and increase the strength in them that was built from climbing out of their tragic valley. May I not complain today about events that matter not. May I continue to see God's hand in everything as long as I have eyes to take it all in. And should I or my loved ones suffer anywhere close to this much, may we never forget this example of coming out the other side reborn, making ministry from the madness.
:angel:
February 13, 2012
Yes, Jesus Is Not a Fairy Tale
by Alex Crain, Editor, Christianity.com
"Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus." Romans 6:11 NASB
We live in a world in which critics of Christianity consider the Gospel accounts of Jesus' life, death, resurrection and ascension completely absurd. They count us, His followers, to be fools. They must. They have no other choice. And we do not live by their opinions.
Rather, we pray and live in such a way so that God might use us to open their eyes to the reality of Christ's resurrection. He is Lord of all and is seeing history through to its appointed end. Nothing can change this.
One way that God opened my eyes to the truth of Christ years ago was by putting me in the company of a Christian who had moved past his fear-of-man issues and was living out the verse above. I remember that he even explained his faith to me, a skeptic, in terms of Romans 6 as if it were true in present history—in real space and time. It was unsettling.
He had mentioned reading Francis Schaeffer, whose book True Spirituality I am currently working through on "Crosswalk the Devotional." This week, in chapter three, Schaeffer dwells upon the Romans 6 message about the necessity of the Christian to believe that he has really been joined in union with Christ. Schaeffer points out from Romans 6 that this is the essential message of the Christian life.
From what I can tell, skeptics and critics who suspect that Christians are just trying to make them conform to a moral or political agenda really don't know what to do with the undiluted message of Christianity—that of being spiritually united with Christ. Quoting Schaeffer:
This is the basic consideration of the Christian life.
First, Christ died in history. Second, Christ rose in history.
Third, we died with Christ in history, when we accepted Him as Savior.
Fourth, we will be raised in history, when He comes again.
Fifth, we are to live by faith now as though we were now dead, as though we have already died.
Sixth, we are to live now by faith as though we have now already been raised from the dead.
What this means to the true believer is that the world's power to conform us to its way of thinking and living is broken. All things look different now.
Paraphrasing Schaeffer:
How can we conform to that which is so marred, so broken, so caught up in revolution against God? The praise of the world is worthless when one has stood in the presence of God. The wealth of the world is worthless when one has seen the treasure of heaven. What is earthly power after one has seen the reality of heaven and the power of God?
And this is not a matter of projecting our imaginations. We recognize that the Lord Jesus Christ indeed lives in the presence of the Father (Rom. 6:10), and this is where we are called to live, alive to God in communion with Him, in communication with Him—saying "thank you" in all the ebb and flow of life.
When I am dead both to good and bad [circumstances that happen to me], I have my face turned towards God. And this is the place in which, by faith at the present moment of history, I am to be.
When I am there, what am I? I am then the creature in the presence of my Creator. It is though I am already in the grave, and already before the face of God. When through faith I am dead to all, and am face to face with God, then I am ready by faith to come back into this present world as though I have already been raised from the dead. It is as though I anticipate that day when I will come back.
Our primary call, then, is to be alive to God moment by moment. Our "doing good" should not become a thing in itself and thus spoil the most basic call of being alive to the presence of God.
Christ was not raised mythically. He did not ascend into the realm of mere religious ideas. He was raised historically in space and time. He lives presently and sustains all things by the word of His power. The dominion of sin is broken. Because He lives, we can live free from conformity to the world and be alive in the presence of our Creator.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Are you joined in union with Christ? Is yours a Christless Christianity that is more focused on your own goals, fears and feelings than what is historically and presently true of Christ?
Further Study on the Validity of the Christian Worldview:
Dr. Greg Bahnsen's peerless lectures: "Basic Training for Defending the Faith" (YouTube)
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February 14, 2012
Celebrate Valentine's Day without Being Miserable
By Ryan Duncan, TheFish.com Editor
"I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil--this is the gift of God." – Ecclesiastes 3:12-13
I won't lie -- I was a little peeved when I discovered I'd be writing Crosswalk's Valentine's Day devotional. After all, I'm a single twenty-something in an office full of married co-workers, and for me Valentine's Day is less about the joy of love and more the glaring reminder of what I'm missing. You can probably relate if you're like me. Every wedding invitation, every perky TV rom-com, makes a small voice in your head ask, "What's wrong with me? It's not like I'm asking for some smoking hot individual to pull up at my door in a Mercedes; I just want to be happy."
I wish I had the answers to these questions. If I did, I wouldn't be single. What I can share with you however, is a lesson I learned from the book of Ecclesiastes.
"I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired men and women singers, and a harem as well -- the delights of the heart of man. I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me. I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun." – Ecclesiastes 2:8-11
I think one of the biggest challenges people struggle with (or at least one of the biggest ones I struggle with) is keeping "love" from becoming an idol. We keep telling ourselves that once we're in a relationship we'll be happy -- that it's only after we get married that life is truly fulfilling. Hate to tell you this, but that's not true. Just look at Solomon; he had everything a person could ever want.
Money? He had more than he knew what to do with. Success? He was King of Israel. Romance? Completely covered, and he wrote an entire book of love poetry! Yet despite all these things, when he wrote the book of Ecclesiastes, his message was, "I am unfulfilled." There is a God-shaped hole in all our hearts, and nothing in this world can fill that void.
So, what does that mean for us? Well, my advice if you're single is to keep your chin up and keep looking. You never know who God is going to send your way. More importantly though, don't let the joy God gives you be defined by your relationship status. God blesses us in a lot of different ways, but as long as we keep "love" on a pedestal, we will never be able to enjoy any of it. This Valentine's Day, whether you're married or single, take a moment to acknowledge and enjoy all that God has given you.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Have a happy Valentine's Day.
Further Reading
Ecclesiastes
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February 15, 2012
When You're Not Paying Attention
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt. They have been quick to turn away from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and have said, 'These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.' Ex. 32:7-8, NIV
Years ago I used to live in a different city than my immediate family. And so that meant more time flying the friendly skies so that I could see them.
I remember one time arriving on a flight at an airport and having a longer than normal layover before I would connect to my next flight. I glanced at the Arrivals & Departures monitors in the airport concourse, found my next flight and its gate information and then proceeded to make my way there and park myself at what I thought was the right gate for my flight.
An hour or so went by as I waited, and so naturally I was bored. I got up and answered nature's call, perused the newsstand and bought a magazine, and then picked up a smoothie at one of the food and beverage kiosks. Back in my seat, I soon noticed that it should probably be time for preliminary announcements about my flight. But nothing was to be heard on the PA system.
And then, you guessed it: I didn't budge. I was too comfortable in my prime location seat with a great view of the airport television monitor showing me the latest in headline news. Well, around the 30-minutes-to-departure mark, I knew something was wrong when I hadn't heard bupkis about boarding. So that's when I finally got concerned, loaded up my carry-on and finally walked over to the monitors to find out what I was missing.
Sure enough, my gate had changed. So, I hightailed it to the "new" gate which happened to be in a different concourse. Now I did make the flight, but the moral of the story is this: I almost missed my flight, because I wasn't paying attention and had turned elsewhere.
I remembered that scenario as I was reading about the Israelites and the golden calf this week in Exodus 32. Just like me, they were waiting—waiting on Moses to finish talking with God on Mt. Sinai and getting instructions from him that Moses would bring back to the people.
Even though they had just been delivered out of bondage in Egypt, they too got bored and stopped paying attention. Soon, they were focused on what would make them comfortable while they waited. They complained to Aaron (Moses' brother who was left in charge) and persuaded him to make a golden calf to worship. And you know the rest of the story of idolatry, debauchery and waywardness.
Now, had I missed that connection in the airport, then I just would have missed that connection. I'm sure I would have figured something out and would have hopped on a later flight and still made it to my final destination.
But when we stop paying attention and miss our connection with God—when the Israelites turned away and went elsewhere looking for someone or something else to worship and fill a void—then we are not attuned to the power of the Almighty. We are not living expectantly in light of the Lord's return. So we are disobedient, and we are missing out on his instructions for our lives.
Jesus will come back again. So check yourself and see if you are really paying attention in the meantime. Then turn your heart toward God, spend time in his Word and humble yourself to receive what he has planned for you.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Like I was in the airport, are you positioned where you shouldn't be in your life today? Consider what you need to change so that you will be focused on your heavenly Father and his instructions for you.
Further Reading:
Isa. 40:28-31, MSG
1 Chron. 16:11-12, NIV
"Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing"
Words: Robert Robinson (1758)
Music: Nettleton, by John Wyeth (1813)
O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be!
Let thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here's my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.
:angel:
The Real Thing
Anna Kuta, Crosswalk.com Editor
"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16).
As the granddaughter of an FBI agent, I heard various anecdotes throughout my childhood regarding the job and its practice. One thing that stuck with me was how FBI agents are taught to recognize counterfeit money. They don't spend time learning about all the possible variations that could be manifested in a counterfeit bill, as one might think; they simply studied the real thing.
When someone knows the distinguishing characteristics of real money, it suddenly isn't that hard to spot a fake. It's a principle that applies to other things as well -- recognizing the truth versus any lies. These days in our culture, lies seem to abound, especially when it comes to faith and religious philosophies. Sometimes, the message of Jesus seems to get lost among all the noise.
In 1 Timothy 4:1-2, Paul says, "Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron." It seems like Paul could be describing the year 2012, doesn't it? Everywhere you turn, someone has a new idea of Jesus or Christianity, all claiming to be true. With "deceiving spirits" and false doctrines everywhere, how can we know what to believe?
Paul answers the question in 2 Timothy 3:16: Turn to the Scripture. From Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21, all Scripture is "God-breathed," as the Greek word literally says, and useful for all purposes of the Christian life. This includes doctrine, teaching, correction, knowledge of Jesus, instruction in righteousness, being equipped for every good work. The Word of God is absolutely, 100 percent true – all of it – and it points to the absolute truth of God.
Just as a federal agent with a trained eye of what's real can recognize a counterfeit bill right away, so the Word of God can be used as a measuring stick against falsehoods. In order to spot the lies, it's crucial to know Truth. How do you know Truth? Look to the Scriptures. Nothing more. Nothing less.
Intersecting Faith & Life
Spend some time reading the Bible and learning about Jesus as He is revealed in His Word – so you will be able to recognize things that don't line up with truth.
Further Reading
Romans 15:4
2 Peter 1:20-2:9
:angel:
February 17, 2012
The Perverse Generation
Sarah Phillips, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
"O unbelieving and perverse generation,"Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you and put up with you?" Luke 9: 41
There is much written today about how the world has lost touch with God and morality. It's easy to view the past with rose-tinted glasses, to believe in "the good old days" or reminisce about a golden era. We do this in the Church all the time, often pointing to one practice that, if resurrected, would surely turn this generation around.
"If only the women still wore head coverings in church... "
"If only we sang ancient hymns... "
"If only young men and women got married earlier... "
Don't read me wrong here... these issues are important. But the stark reality is, every generation has fallen short of God's glory. Every generation has sinned. Does this sound familiar?
"The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers."
How often have I been tempted to mutter these words when encountering today's teenagers? But this quote is attributed to Socrates by Plato. Apparently teens weren't doing so well in the ancient world either. The fallen nature of man has followed us through the ages, plaguing the young and old alike. Our broken nature manifests itself in so many ways... from the darkest sins to our lack of basic manners and courtesy.
Jesus himself seemed to grow weary of the sins of his own day. I imagine the opening scripture was expressed with a mix of sadness and righteous anger. During Lent, which begins with Ash Wednesday on Feb. 22nd this year, our church acknowledges God's just anger at the end of every service with this chant: Parce, Domine, parce populo tuo;/ ne in aeternum irascaris nobis which translates to: "Spare your people Lord: /Be not angry Lord with your people forever."
But what is the rest of the story? Even as his sinful followers surrounded him, Jesus healed the spiritual and physical afflictions of a possessed boy. We see here that going back to the "good old days" doesn't have the power to save us. It's the person of Jesus Christ who saves. This is the miracle of Easter: The incredible mercy of a God who would be justified in staying angry forever after the golden era of Eden went terribly wrong. He hears our cries for redemption - weak though they may be - and saves us.
Is the world worse today than it was yesterday? Does it matter? God's patience and mercy for our "perverse and unbelieving generation" reveal the depths of his divine love. And those forgiven the most sins have the greatest number of reasons to rejoice.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Have you ever felt so deeply ashamed of your sins that you thought no one could be as bad as you? Take heart. Some of the greatest saints were the worst of sinners. All sins can be forgiven when we call out to the Holy Spirit and ask for mercy. Rejoice in the second chances that come with Easter.
Further Reading
Luke 7: 47
Romans 3: 23
:angel:
February 20, 2012
Spring Training for Christians
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
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.
2 Corinthians 5:16, The Message
You've probably heard that God loves baseball. After all, He began his holy book with the words, "In the big inning..." Everyone who loves baseball like the Lord does feels a tremendous rush this time of year with another set of words: "Pitchers and catchers report." For the uninitiated, this phrase signals the official start of spring training, which brings with it new hope, and knowledge that at least there's a thaw and green grass in some parts of our country.
In fact, the game I love, and the game of fantasy baseball off which it is based, are both so prevalent in my mind this week that as I sat down to write this I found my mind wandering. So, noticing that a good friend, fellow fantasy baseballer and pastor was active on his Instant Messenger, I began the following conversation:
Me: I'm sitting here trying to write this week's devotional, but I've got a screenful of stats in front of me, taunting me. Pastor Jay, is there any way I could combine the two? Does our league have any good devotional content?
Jay: Oh, I'm sure we do. How about how we peak spiritually at age 27, like most hitters do?
Me: Goodness, I hope that's not true. How about our Spiritual Slugging Percentage... are we whomping our fair quota of sinners and unbelievers regularly?
Jay: Uh, right... How about how On-Base Percentage equals theological correctness/sound doctrine, and Slugging Percentage equals evangelism, the impact you're making for the Lord?
Me: You're on to something.
There are truly spiritual parallels everywhere.
But as is always the case, snippets of insight and truth are only valuable when applicable. The above only served to remind me that it's time to take a break from my analysis of the statistics of men who play a game, and check in on my own statistics, go through my own spring training of sorts.
Today's verse gives us a starting place for where to look, what kind of statistics are important in the Kingdom as opposed to the diamond. Things like height, weight, vertical leap, 40-yard-dash times, race, creed, color, gender... none of those matter. Here's the checklist we'll be using to see who's gonna make the team this season:
Measurables
On-Base Percentage - Like my buddy said, in our checklist this involves good theology and doctrine. Baseballers like to hear chatter out there on the infield. Are you talking the talk?
Slugging Percentage - Now you have to put the above theology to good use, and walk the walk. How much 'oomph' can you contribute to the goals of the team?
Batting Average - The most you can do is just put the bat on the ball. So many other factors determine if you're gonna get a safe hit or not, meaning you'll probably fail to connect or reach safely at least 70 percent of the time... and that's if you're one of the best. The rest is up to God.
Errors - Can't be avoided, even by the very best of us. What's important is that we don't grow complacent with making them. Biblical ignorance is not an acceptable excuse. Neither is yelling at your teammate for making an error.
Strikeouts and Walks - Both are fine. They reveal effort. The way you know you're off-track is when these become Walkouts and Strikes. I don't need to be leaving, boycotting, quitting, or checking out in the middle of a slump or when the other team is full of punks.
Sacrifices - When the coach calls for you to bunt another person into a more prominent position, will you obediently lay one down? When you can bring in a run by hitting a fly ball for an out will you gladly do so?
Intangibles
Coachability - I can't think of a single reason or supporting scripture for a me-first attitude on the Kingdom Conquerors.
Discipline - To what do you say yes, to what do you say no? What do you fail to do? What do you never fail to do?
Leadership - Look behind you. Is anyone following?
Performance Enhancers - Yes, please. I'm simply not good enough to compete in this game without them. No, not steroids, but the Holy Spirit, and regular Bible study and prayer times.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Watch a sporting event with a younger person this week, and see how many parallels and applications you can make together to our spiritual journey.
Further Reading
Opening Day for America
Finish Strong in the 9th Inning of Life
The Magic of Opening Day
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The Christian Faith Is Not a Leap in the Dark
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"...we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal."
2 Corinthians 4:18 NASB
We can divide the universe into two categories of reality: the material and the non-material; or that which is seen and that which isnot seen. In talking about unseen reality, I'm obviously not talking about things that must be relegated to fantasy or pure imagination. Rather, I'm talking about unseen (yet real) fixed concepts which our world operates by constantly. Take, for example...
Moral absolutes (e.g. Child abuse is wrong.)
The uniformity of nature (e.g. We live on the assumption that planets and stars move in a predictable fashion. On this assumption we plan trips not only to grandma's house, but to the moon and beyond.)
Universal Laws of Thought* (e.g. The principle of contradiction: a maxim stated by Aristotle as: "contradictory propositions are not true simultaneously." [cf. Aristotle's Metaphysics, 1011b13-14]) Avicenna is said to have put it more colorfully, "Anyone who denies the law of non-contradiction should be beaten and burned until he admits that to be beaten is not the same as not to be beaten, and to be burned is not the same as not to be burned.
These are all things that are real, yet are unseen. Laws of thought and moral absolutes may not be able to be weighed, measured or stored in a cupboard, but we count on them and live by them every day just the same.
From what I've observed, both children and adults in Christian circles struggle at times with the things they are called to believe in. God seems like a distant idea. Doctrine seems far removed from day-to-day life. At times, you or someone you love may be tempted with the thought, "I wonder if God, salvation, heaven and hell is all just a made up fairy tale."
At that point you should take a step back and remember that everyone has a faith in their particular view of the world. Worldviews need to be evaluated by whether or not they account for the unseen realities mentioned above. Fortunately, biblical Christianity (not to be confused with tainted, politicized, or hypocritical forms of Christianity that bear no resemblance to the life and message of Jesus Christ) is a worldview that is well able to account for these unseen realities. The biblical God (note well, not just general theism) capably undergirds all unseen moral absolutes, natural constants and universals. Other competing worldviews are weighed in the balance and found wanting.
When we are called on to believe in the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 5:5), we should recognize that this is another unseen reality. The truths of Galatians 2:20 belong in the category of the unseen as well...
"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me." (Gal. 2:20)
Let's not gloss over the fact that we are called to believe in unseen things. But at the same time let's not jump to the wrong conclusion that Christ asks us to take an idiotic leap in the dark. We all believe in well-founded unseen things everyday.
This week in chapter four of Francis Schaeffer's True Spirituality (I'm reading through the works of Schaeffer and posting about it regularly here at Crosswalk the Devotional), he calls our attention to this biblical view of truth by underscoring that there are "two streams, two strands of space-time reality—one in the seen, and one in the unseen..."
"[God] is not asking us merely to act on some psychological motivation, but on what really is... there is a Holy Spirit who has been given to us to make service possible.
"The Christian dead, including my loved ones, are already with Christ now, and Christ really lives in the Christian. Christ lives in me.
"Here is true Christian mysticism—not based on content-less experience, but on historic, space-time reality—on propositional truth. Christian mysticism is communion with Christ. It is Christ bringing forth fruit through me, the Christian, with no loss of personality.
"He is the Christ who has died, whose work is finished, who is raised, who is ascended, who is glorified. It is this Christ. Not simply an idea. It is the Christ who was seen after the resurrection... by Stephen, by Paul, by John."
Let's walk on today, confidently believing in these unseen realities—Christ was not raised mythically; Jesus, the apostles and the Christian martyrs were not liars; and "the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who is given unto us" (Romans 5:5).
Intersecting Faith & Life: Are you at a loss for words when asked why you believe in unseen things? Learn how to converse with others in terms of their own beliefs in unseen things (like moral absolutes, etc.), and help them discover the worldview that is charged with the majesty and grandeur of God.
For Further Study:
What Is a Worldview? Dr. James Sire
Introduction to Worldviews (series of lectures) Dr. Greg Bahnsen
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Little Children
Ryan Duncan, TheFish.com editor
Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." – Matthew 19:14
When I was a little kid, I made an amazing discovery. I realized that if I found something I liked and asked the right person "Can I have this?" there was chance they would give it to me. This may not seem all that extraordinary to you, but trust me, to a child this was a goldmine. You see, I didn't just ask for candy at the grocery store or stuff on TV commercials, I asked for everything. I asked other kids if I could have their toys, I asked the neighbors if I could have their dog, I think I even asked one family if I could have their house. I'm afraid I embarrassed my parents to no end, and by the time my father sat me down and explained that asking someone for all their belongings was rude and most people had stopped inviting our family over for dinner.
Kids can be a real hassle, and when you think about it, you can't really blame the disciples for their actions in Mark 10. Take a look at the following passage,
People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them. - Mark 10:13-16
Here's the thing about children. Children are messy, children are selfish, children are ignorant, and children are incredibly self-destructive. Don't believe me? A monkey knows better than to stick a butter knife into an exposed wall socket, but let a child have its way and they will do it twice! Despite all this however, you really can't help but admire the oblivious, single-minded nature of a child.
If anything, Christians should try learning from their example. Too often we stop ourselves for encountering God because we are afraid we don't fit the "Christian" criteria. Well, I've got news for you; we will always be children in God's eyes: messy, crazy, self-destructive children. But as long as we make him the single focus of our hearts, He doesn't care. So take a lesson from these little ones, pursue God recklessly and don't pay attention to what others think, for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Are you pursuing God with the heart of a child? Take a moment to consider.
Further Reading
Matthew 19
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Oh Lord, It's Hard to Be Holy
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
"I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy." Leviticus 11:44, NIV
Is there anyone who loves keeping a kitchen floor clean? Not I!
In fact, that is my least favorite chore around my home, and it's the one I always save for last (and sometimes just forgo altogether . . . especially if I know that company isn't coming around anytime soon). It seems as though just when I've finished vacuuming and mopping the linoleum underfoot that already I will find a speck or a spot somewhere.
Ugh! But that's how life goes, does it not?
We live and move in our kitchens. We cook and we bake. We nuke and we toast. And some of us even indoor grill (and for the record, cleaning all the intricate cracks and crevices of my indoor grill is a very close and dislikeable runner-up to my kitchen floor).
But really, any type of action taken in our kitchens is going to yield some kind of mess that will be made. And more often than not, it will end up on the floor.
I've realized that no matter how often I sweep or spot-clean (in between the major moppings), that my kitchen floor is always, always going to be unclean. It just is. And I will always have to work hard to keep it as close to satisfactory and ready-for-inspection as possible.
I thought about the type of housecleaning that can be overwhelming like this as I was making my way through Leviticus this week. Now if you've not been to this book in the Old Testament in a while, then let me refresh your memory: it's about holiness. And there are all different types of rules and regulations and instructions for priests and the Israelite people on everything from offerings and sacrifices to daily living and loving one another.
Go ahead and read through a couple of chapters and maybe you will feel like I did. First, you might be discouraged. How could the Israelites and priests EVER keep all of these commandments and follow each and every step required for holiness in their lives?
And then, you might feel relieved. Thank God that he showed us in Leviticus that we desperately need a Savior and that he sent his son to atone for all of our sins. I can't achieve holiness in and of myself. Only through the provision of God's sinless son, Jesus Christ, am I holy, acceptable and pleasing to him.
But back to my kitchen floor . . .
I've realized that I could obsess over it and get out my dust pan and broom or spray here and there with all-purpose cleaner twice a day just to keep up appearances. But to what end? I will never be able to keep it perfectly and exceedingly spotless all of the time. It's just too hard. And that's okay. I forgive myself and my floor.
And likewise, in my pursuit of holiness—and a spotless life—because I have placed my trust in the Lord and am covered by the blood of the Lamb, I am forgiven, too. I am holy because HEis holy.
As it says in the praise chorus, "You Are My All in All" . . .
Taking my sin, my cross, my shame
Rising again I bless Your name
You are my all in all
Oh, Lord, it's hard to be holy! Thank you that our holiness is not up to us. Father, we need you and we depend on you with all of our heart, all of our soul and all of our mind. By your strength and because YOU are our all in all, we are able to live lives that are pleasing to you.
Intersecting Faith & Life: As you're doing a little cleaning this week, remember what Christ did on the cross for you and how you have been washed so that you will be "whiter than snow" (Ps. 51:7).
Further Reading:
John 1:29, NIV
2 Cor. 12:9, NIV
Col. 2:6-7, NIV
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Who Cares about Leviticus?
Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"You are to be holy to me, because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set your apart from the nations to be my own." – Leviticus 20:26
Like most evangelicals, I haven't devoted much time to parsing Leviticus. After all, we live under the new covenant ushered in by Christ's death and resurrection, and we're Gentiles to boot. Leviticus was written for a particular people at a particular time, and vast sections of the book have been demoted to historical curiosities at this point. The fledgling kingdom of Israel – really, a collection of tribes that had more in common with their pagan neighbors than today's Christian enclave – were on the other side of history's turning point. The Lord dictated incredibly detailed ceremonial law for this emerging nation that has since passed away, as we have a new and perfect high priest.
Still, the apostle Paul insists that "all Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching" (2 Timothy 3:15). Remember, this is Paul speaking, the same apostle who vilified the Judaizers for insisting the law must be upheld in its minutae to achieve salvation, and who wrote that "no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law." The resolution of the paradox might be a bit more apparent through the example of Park Street Church in Boston.
Pastor Daniel Harrell convinced 19 members of his congregation to join him in an experiment in "living Levitically," despite the drastic changes they had to make in their daily living. The group grew out their beards, kept kosher, cleaned their homes meticulously, observed the Sabbath, and even stopped wearing clothes made from blended materials. One of the few exceptions to the experiment was animal sacrifice, as the group intended not to break any U.S. laws while observing the ceremonial ones.
The group found it absolutely impossible to obey every tenet. But the Park Street Church says that wasn't the point. Seeing firsthand that they couldn't perfectly fulfill the law, they realized the need for grace in a whole new way. As Romans 5:20 explains it, "The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more."
Could it be that, in ignoring Leviticus as a whole, we forget how awesome grace is? True, not every ceremonial law (washing your feet? Wearing blended materials?) is also a moral law. But God still told the Israelites to keep it as his law. Reading about the church's example reminded me of a couple things:
First,God's people are supposed to be set apart. The Israelites were supposed to look different, act different, worship different, and spend their time in different ways than the nations around them. It was an integral part of their calling as God's people. The manifestations aren't quite the same, but Christians have the same calling today.
Second, we aren't set apart enough. As Park Street Church rediscovered, the law points out our insufficiencies. Even if the law were just a set of external rules, we still couldn't keep them perfectly. We just can't measure up to following the law or Christ's example.
Third, only in Christ can we find rest from the law and a new identity that really sets us apart. The writer of Hebrews notes that the law is "only a shadow of the good things that are coming." And yes, the law is a good thing – it makes us realize how much Christ had to atone for on our behalf. Not only that, God has adopted us as sons and daughters through Christ to really set us apart. And then he gives us the grace to live it. Sure, we'll still fall, and that will remind us to run to grace. But the power of the law is gone through Christ.
Intersecting Faith & Life: This week, take time to read Hebrews 10. Notice how beautifully Christ not only supersedes the law, but fulfills all of its demands. That ought to inspire the worship that God desires more than the Israelites' burnt offerings.
*This devotional originally ran March 8, 2011.
Further Reading:
Living Leviticus: Who Could Do It? Who Would Want To?
How to Use the Law – Lawfully to Bear Fruit for God
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February 27, 2012
Freedom from Self
Sarah Phillips, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
Restore to me the joy of thy salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. (Psalm 51: 12)
Do you have a hard time embracing the idea that God loves you? Do you struggle with a nagging sense of inadequacy or unworthiness?
As we kick off Lent, we encounter a lot of talk about sinfulness, reparations, confession, and penance. The Lenten focus is wonderful and necessary for all of us. We are sinners in a fallen world, and we can find ourselves forgetting our need for God and His grace readily.
It's easy to see how Lent can infuse humility into one who suffers from pride. But what about those of us who suffer from scrupulosity? A quick internet search of this term brings us to Wikipedia which defines scrupulosity as "obsessive concern with one's own sins and compulsive performance of religious devotion." Scrupulosity is basically an obsession with our own faults and failings. It often plagues perfectionists and can be paralyzing to the believer's life. The scrupulous believer holds on to his or her sins and even erroneously labels innocent acts as sinful, convinced God could not love them enough to forgive them.
When the tendency to hyper-focus on imperfections and sins takes over, we need to remember that Lent is the journey towards Easter. It is meant to help us grow in our relationship with God, not lead us into clinical depression.
Let's take the Lenten practice of fasting, for example. Why do Christians fast? Fasting can be found in both the Old Testament and the New, with Moses (Exodus 34:28; Deuteronomy 9:9,18 ), Elijah (1 Kings 19:8), and our Lord (Matthew 4:2) all participating in 40-day fasts. Biblically, fasting centers around genuine humility and a desire to be in right relationship with God. Fasting is a way of denying ourselves excesses so that we might be more attuned to the Lord's voice. This requires first and foremost a belief that one can be in right relationship with God; that He is accessible to the believer!
Fasting makes the most sense when we consider it in light of Genesis 1, which reveals that we all have inherent dignity as creatures created in the image and likeness of God. An excerpt of this chapter states:
Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them... God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. (Genesis 1: 26 - 27, 31)
As human beings with this dignity, we can exercise our gift of free will to embrace opportunities God gives us to experience His refining grace in our lives. In doing so, the small aches and pains that come with fasting should draw our attentionaway from our failings and towards the reality that God loves us so much that He would suffer profoundly for us on the Cross.
Intersecting Faith & Life: If you suffer from scrupulosity, give it up for Lent. Instead of repeating your sins to God over and over, spend the next several weeks studying the gospel in light of God's love for you.
:angel:
Feb. 28, 2012
Men & Christian Friendship: It Won't Just Happen on its Own
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need.
Proverbs 17:17, NLT
I own many books, but the ones I reference often I keep above my desk at work. One of these is a 1983 edition of David W. Smith's The Friendless American Male. It's a title that, sadly, has only grown more accurate in the last 28 years, its content more applicable. Men, especially us hard-working, married-with-children types, are lacking in close biblical friendships. The reasons are varied and several, and it's not my intent in the space of a daily devotional to present or solve them all. Suffice to say that most men I talk with vouch for the lack of friends in their life, even if they speak of different reasons for the condition.
It's something I worry about, something I marvel at when I consider some of the differences between myself and my own father. Back when my father was climbing the ladder in the Tucson Real Estate industry and had children aged 7 and 5 like I do now, his weekends were all his own. Tennis in the morning on both Saturday and Sunday. Soaking up sun at the pool or doing yardwork in the afternoons. Watching sports or even working in the evenings. A quarterly fishing trip. Several of these activities involved his friends and acquaintances. It's worth noting that he didn't know the Lord at this time in his life, but also important to note that, to the best of my recollection, we kids weren't starved for his attention or affection. It still seemed like we were close, and had plenty of time together. So, I use my father as an example of the model I was shown for what men were expected (allowed?) to do and be in the 1970s.
At some point things changed, and yes, in most ways, for the better. Men began leaving their work at work. Being conscious about setting aside time for family activities. Reserving weekends for playing with their kids and going to soccer games rather than hitting the tennis court or the golf links or the lake. Technology, instead of saving us time, only seemed to create more ways in which we could spend it working. Where my father routinely met his buddies for a beverage after work, it's all I can do to rush home, swallow some food, and not leave my wife and kids feeling neglected before I log on for another couple hours of work and then an exhausted collapse into bed. Meeting another dude for a beer or coffee? Seriously, I don't want to laugh, but when? Even if I had a hole in my schedule, what makes me think the person I might invite (even if I knew someone well enough to want to spend time with him) would have time and desire, too? I've been heavily involved in our Adult Bible Fellowship class at church for years now, and I can count on one hand the times I've done something outside of church with any of the men in that group.
So, something is definitely missing. Somewhere, we went too far. I remember being single and having the privilege to work with some very close friends in our college admissions office, both of whom were newly-married. Getting them to do anything outside work was just about impossible. One of them wouldn't even go see a movie with me - one that I was offering to pay for - on the night his wife was busy studying for her nursing final exams. The other wouldn't even ask his wife whether he could put off lawn mowing for one more day to attend a minor league baseball game with a mutual friend who was in town for one night. What was going on?
Sure, I was tempted to blame their wives for not letting their husbands out to play, but even if there was truth to that notion, it wasn't the issue. The issue was, and is, that men simply are not bonding much these days... that the Bible speaks about friendship and male leadership and iron sharpening iron... and we are either purposefully choosing or unwittingly failing to make bonding and sharpening a priority.
So how do we purposefully choose?
For me, the solution lies partly in my favorite time of every year, mid-March. That's when I and 13 of my friends from college and camp get together for a long weekend of fishing, good food, fantasy baseball drafting, and most importantly, fellowship. We call it "Draftmas" because it's very much like a holiday for us, and it centers around our fantasy baseball draft and league as a device to draw us all together, give us common footing. But to a man, most would tell you that the baseball is not the point. So what is?
Back to Smith's book; on page 52 he writes: "Close friendships don't just happen. They result from the application of principles recorded throughout the Word of God." He contrasts the kindness and affection that David and Jonathan shared with the "lack of sympathy" and "overt emotional harrassment and condemnation" Job experienced with his pals Zophar, Eliphaz, and Bildad. The difference, Smith says, can be found throughout the Bible in these six principles of male friendship:
1. God-Centered
2. Formation of a covenant
3. Faithfulness
4. Social involvement
5. Candor
6. Respect
Just as Amos 3:3 says, "Do two men walk together unless they have made an appointment?", so do we display an intentional commitment to this activity as central to who we are as men, to who we want to be the rest of the year for our families and each other. While having close friends who don't live near me (but whom I'm always in contact with) does, admittedly, sometimes hinder me making new friends locally, it also serves to remind me how making new friends is possible and necessary. And I can see Smith's principles at work in this treasured group: God is indeed at the center of each of our lives; we've formed an agreement to meet together and communicate together around something we all enjoy, and are faithful to that agreement, to God, and to each other. We all fill roles, and are active socially and economically with each other, lending a hand in often amazing ways when needs arise; we speak freely and candidly, and we respect the various issues everyone brings to the table.
This year more than any other year in the past, those issues are big ones. Joblessness. Crises of faith. Being overwhelmed. Economic hardship. Remarriage. Career decisions. Waiting on God. Loneliness. Recently-deceased parents. Autism. Health. I'm really wondering how different this gathering is going to be from past ones. With so many of us suffering so many trials of life right now, some might think this sure sounds like a downer of a man-cation. I don't think it will be. In fact, I can't wait to get out of town to really bounce ideas and prayers off my friends, really seek out ways we can help each other, while at the same time destroying them by catching more fish and outbidding them for Albert Pujols.
It's an amazing dynamic, one I could not live without. One of our group recently told me, "You know this is only going to get harder to keep up the older we get." I disagreed. I know that I and several others are only finding it easier. For one thing, our wives have finally seen the difference in their men when they spend this time with each other. Mine practically pushes me out the door even though the event is usually over her birthday weekend. It's not a perfect answer to what I'm missing and seeing so many other men miss in their lives, but it's a start, and even, I realize now, a model.
Intersecting Faith & Life: What common interest can you center a group of Christian men around? It should be an excuse, a starting point, a conversational diving board. While things like sports, fishing, golfing, and other stereotypical male things are good, bear in mind that no one man enjoys all of these activities or subjects, and often, it's a sore spot with them, one that might be the very thing that, deep down, has them feeling like not as much of a "man." Wives, you can help "wake up" your listless man by hooking him up with his friends (not YOUR friends' husbands on a grown-up play-date, mind you), letting him reconnect with those who share his memories and activities he used to enjoy. Several healthy couples I know set aside one weekend every year for each person to spend a same-sex getaway with close friends, while also not feeling threatened by the idea of an evening here, an afternoon there causing any damage to the relationship. If anything, it'll make your marriage healthier, and bring back some things to talk about and pray for.
Further Reading
1 Samuel 18:1-4; 19:1-10
The Making of a Friendship
Why Men Need Friends
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The How of the Christian Life
Alex Crain, Editor, Christianity.com
"...be it unto me according to Your word."
Luke 1:38
"How It's Made," the Science Channel's hit show, regularly makes the most of people's curiosity about how household items like gummie candy, aluminum cans, and flavored bacon actually go from raw materials to finished product. It's easy to become mesmerized when cameras are leading you behind the scenes into the inner workings of factories making a few of your favorite things. By the end of each segment, the mists of your own vague ideas about process and production have been utterly dispersed.
This week's reading in chapter four of Francis Schaeffer's True Spirituality is a bit like "How It's Made" in that he delves into the secret of how the Christian life is effectively lived. While many of us know this secret in theory, the daily mist of our own residual fallen nature makes it necessary to review the blazing truth so that we might see ourselves (and God) accurately and live out our faith practically.
Moving forward from last week's teaching in chapter four about the normality of believing in unseen things, Schaeffer issues the biblical call this week to engage in what he terms "active passivity" when living the life of faith.
Schaeffer points out that belief in the Holy Spirit is one thing. Now what do we do with that belief? Second Corinthians 13:14 says that "the communion of the Holy Spirit" is to be with all true believers. We are to rely fully and constantly on Christ's promise to send us the Holy Spirit. He is the agent of the power and Person of the glorified Christ.
"There is not enough strength in ourselves, but placed before us is the power and work of the glorified Christ through the agency of the Holy Spirit. Surely this is exactly what Christ meant when he said, 'I will not leave you as orphans.'"
(John 14:18)
"As we look at the book of Acts, we find in the early church not a group of strong men laboring together, but the work of the Holy Spirit bringing to them the power of the crucified and glorified Christ. It must be so for us also."
"As with Mary in the virgin birth when she gave herself with her body to God in response to His promise, so we are in the same situation in [a certain sense] that we have these great and thrilling promises we have been considering, and we are neither to think of ourselves as totally passive, as though we had no part in this; nor are we to think we can do it ourselves."
"If we are to bring forth this fruit through us by the agency of the Holy Spirit, there must be a constant act of faith, of thinking: 'Upon the basis of Your promises I am looking for You to fulfill them... bring forth Your fruit through me into this poor world.'"
"We do not have to beat ourselves or be dejected, [but simply say]"Be it unto me according to Thy Word." This is what I mean by active passivity. This is the how, and there is no other."
Finally, as if to say "this is really how it's done!" Schaeffer reemphasizes that this is not just theoretical access to the power of the crucified, risen, glorified Christ. This is access that we have in reality—in the here and now.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Are you depending on your own energy, cleverness, persistence, charisma and talents to present the Christian life as attractive to your lost friends and family members? By faith (Hebrews 11:6), gaze upon Christ—His atonement, perfections and promises. Respond with active passivity: "Be it unto me according to Thy Word."
For Further Study:
Romans 6-8
The Wind of the Holy Ghost Blowing upon the Dry Bones in the Valley of Vision, by Ebenezer Erskine
John Owen on the Spirit in the Life of Christ, Dr. Sinclair Ferguson
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Burning Your Ships
By Ryan Duncan, TheFish.com Editor
"In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple." – Luke 14:33
I may have mentioned this before, but I'm a bit of a history buff. Every now and then, when I've got some time to spare, I'll turn on the history channel and let myself get lost in the past. Recently, I started watching a documentary on the Age of Exploration, when the kingdoms of Europe were sending out ships to explore the Americas. To the Europeans, the New World was a place of limitless promise but also great danger. Faced with new cultures, strange animals, and deadly plagues, many explorations returned home in failure.
Then in February 1519, an explorer named Hernando Cortez was commissioned by the Spanish Crown to sail to the Yucatan and conquer it in the name of Spain. Cortez and his army set out at once, and when they reached the shores of the Yucatan, Cortez turned to his men and said,
"Burn the boats."
Cortez refused to let turning back be an option. For the sake of his mission, it would be all or nothing. To many of us this may sound a bit extreme, but as it turns out, Jesus had the same principle when he started his ministry.
"As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." He said to another man, "Follow me." But the man replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God." Still another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-bye to my family." Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.'" – Luke 9:57-62
Being a true Christian is something bold and dangerous. We live in a world that loves compromises, and teaches us that we are free to pick and choose what parts of religion we want to follow. Christ is different. When we become his followers, he tells us to take up our crosses and never look back. To follow him is all or nothing. So take some time today and renew your relationship with Christ, because God never claims a victory until he finally gets it all.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Are you holding onto something that is keeping you from God? Take some time to consider.
Further Reading
Matthew 8
:angel:
March 2, 2012
Friend of a Wounded Heart
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Jesus, He meets you where are
Oh, Jesus, He heals your secret scars
All the love you're longing for is Jesus
The friend of a wounded heart
"Friend of a Wounded Heart"
Lyrics & Music by Wayne Watson
A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to hear singer-songwriter Wayne Watson in concert.
Now I was a huge fan of Wayne back in the day and all things contemporary Christian music, and so it was great to see him and experience his talent all over again. Last time I listened to what he had to say, though, it was via cassette tape. So it's been a little while.
But as we all know, many times absence makes the heart grow fonder. And so hearing songs like "Home Free", "When God's People Pray", "Field of Souls" and "Somewhere in the World" were like spending an evening with old friends. And then, when Wayne performed "Friend of a Wounded Heart," I knew why the Lord had prompted me to attend this concert that evening and why this song still moves me so deeply.
Smile, make them think you're happy
Lie, and say that things are fine
And hide that empty longing that you feel
Don't ever show it, just keep your heart concealed
Can you relate to this song's opening stanza? Do you know what it's like to have a heart that aches but are doing everything in your power to conceal it from the rest of the world? I do. And I choke up every time I hear or sing these words. We think it's easier to just hide the hurt away. To tuck away our pain. To act like everything is okay. To not admit to being weak. To not having our acts together.
Why are the days so lonely?
I wonder where, where can a heart go free?
And who will dry the tears that no one sees?
There must be someone to share your silent dreams.
This second stanza echoes our cries, does it not? How it hurts to have a wounded heart! How painful it is to feel alone in your pain! To bear the secret scars. Ones that are fresh or ones that have been there quite a while. I have them, too. And at times, the pain is more than I can bear. And I feel all alone.
But this song reminds me that I'm not. And you're not. Even though we are all walking wounded, there is Someone who is there. Someone who knows my wounded heart. Someone who knows yours. He meets us where we are. He knows our secret scars.
Later, the song encourages that . . .
Joy, comes like the morning
Hope, deepens as you grow
And peace, beyond the reaches of your soul,
Comes blowing through you, for love has made you whole
Do you believe that today, my friend? God's love has made you whole. Praise him!
Praise the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness . . . Let everything that has breath praise the LORD (Psa. 150: 1-2, 6, NIV).
For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him (Psa. 103:11-13, NIV).
Praise him! Love him! Adore him! He is the friend of our wounded hearts.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Are you ready to bring your secret scars to the Father today? Are you tired of acting like everything's fine? Let it go. Give it to him. He's waiting for you with "arms open wide, love in his eyes."
Further Reading:
Isa. 53:4-5, NIV
Mark 6:56, MSG
1 Peter 2:24, NIV
"Jesus, What a Friend for Sinners"
Words: John Wilbur Chapman (1910)
Music: Rowland Pritchard (1830)
:angel:
March 5, 2012
Perfect Plans
Anna Kuta, Crosswalk.com News Editor
"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28).
When I graduated from college, I had no job – but no worries. Many of my business-major friends had known since the previous fall where they would be accepting a job, living and working, but that isn't the way the journalism industry works. I'd been advised by plenty of my journalism professors that the type of jobs I'd be looking for were the type that hired to fill positions immediately. So in the days after I moved back home and packed away my graduation robe and apartment furnishings, I confidently began applying to media-related jobs in the area, waiting for my dream job to come along any day.
Two weeks later, nothing. My best friend got hired and started work. I spent every day searching the Internet for job openings, attempting to network, and submitting applications left and right. Two months later, still nothing. It seemed like with each day that passed, someone else I knew accepted a job, but I just knew my moment was right around the corner.
But as July rolled into August, and still no prospects, I was starting to freak out big time. I began applying to every job I could find that was semi-related to anything that even sounded remotely interesting. I prayed for God to open a door where He wanted me, to bring along the right job at the right time, and to help me be patient and not stress out.
Then, suddenly, two opportunities arose. I was so sure this was the answer to my prayer. I held off on the first one to pursue the other, but when I went in for an informal interview, I was informed that the job actually didn't exist after all. I contacted the first job again, but that position had already been filled. Seriously? I asked God. All the grand plans I'd been making in my mind just crashed and burned.
A few days later I was moping around on the couch, and I decided to do another sweep of all the job search websites for the 400th time. Something caught my eye, a new job listing that wasn't there before. As I read the description, it was like someone had gotten inside my head and summarized everything I wanted in a job but had yet to actually verbalize. It sounded almost too good to be true. I applied, and before I knew it, I received a phone call to begin the interview process. And then, just a few weeks later, I screamed in excitement as I received a phone call with the job offer. You've probably figured by now I'm referring to my job here at Crosswalk, and you're right. It's been almost six months now, and I still refer to it to everybody as my "dream job."
Today, it could not be more obvious to me how God worked all the details together for me in my job search last summer, even when at times I wanted to despair. I ended up with the perfect job and I got to enjoy one last summer vacation. The timing of it all fell into perfect place with every other event happening in my life. I had great opportunities this summer to serve the Lord and grow in my faith, and most of all, I learned some of the most valuable lessons I've ever learned about trusting God and waiting for Him.
Romans 8:28 says that all things in the lives of those who love God and who have accepted Him will ultimately contribute to our good. It doesn't say everything in our lives will be good, but that everything will work together for an outcome in our lives that is pleasing to God. Notice Paul makes it very clear that it's something granted only to those who "love God and who are the called according to His purpose." We know from John 14:15 that we show our love for God by keeping his commandments – and being one of "the called" means making Him the Lord of every area of our lives when we accept His call of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
God absolutely cares about all the small details of our lives. Right now, you might be facing a situation that makes no sense. We live in a sinful world, and bad things happen. It may seem that your prayers are going unanswered. But God promises that he has a perfect plan for the lives of those who truly love and follow Him and who have received salvation through Jesus. You may not realize right this moment – or ever – why things happen just the way they do, but if you have accepted God's call of the gospel, you can trust that He is working everything in your life together for His ultimate purpose.
Intersecting Faith & Life
Looking back on your life, can you see times when God worked out all the details for good and situations that have shaped you and brought you closer to the Lord? What did He teach you through those times, and what is He teaching you through your current situation? Trust Him that He continues to do His perfect work in your life as you continue to follow Him.
Further Reading
Jeremiah 29:11
Proverbs 19:21
Proverbs 3:5-6
1 Corinthians 1:24
Philippians 3:14
:angel:
March 6, 2012
A Journey Through the Desert
by Sarah Phillips, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And he fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterward he was hungry. Matthew 4:1-2
Sometimes it's not what's in our lives troubling us most. It's what we must do without. It's the gaping hole that won't be filled.
Feeling a sense of lack, of deprivation, is often referred to as a "desert experience." Desert experiences can take on many forms – spiritual, relational, and physical. When we hit a period of dryness in a particular area of our lives, we instinctively think something must be wrong with us. "Perhaps if I pray more and become holier, I'll feel God's presence again." Or "If I acquire more financial skills, I'll finally be able to afford what I want." Or "If I become more loveable, I'll finally find someone to marry." So we strive, trying to fill in the gaps in hopes we can earn the blessing.
In our striving, we may be missing out on an opportunity to grow in our faith. Sometimes, a desert experience is necessary in order to bear greater fruit later on. Some of the greatest Saints embraced desert experiences as spiritually profitable.
Elisabeth Leseur, a French upper-class housewife in the early 20th century, spent much time in relational and spiritual deserts throughout her marriage to her husband, a professed atheist. In her diary, later published as The Secret Diary of Elisabeth Leseur, she recorded times of "complete resignation, but without joy or any inner consolation." Later, when reflecting on her faith, she writes, "And yet through all these trials and in spite of the lack of interior joy, there is in my soul some central place, which all these waves of sorrow cannot reach." Elisabeth's perseverance in seeking Christ in the desert later inspired the conversion of her husband.
In the Bible, periods of physical deprivation often preceded key moments in salvation history. Moses wrote the Ten Commandments during a 40-day fast (Exodus 34:28). And it was after a lengthy fast that Elijah heard God's still, small voice (1 Kings 19:8). We see in the passage above that Christ literally ventured into the desert for his own 40-day fast in preparation for what was to come – our salvation through His sacrificial death.
Now, I'm not advocating starving yourself or allowing clinical depression to go untreated. Yet, in the short time we're here on earth, periods of darkness or barrenness – whether voluntary or involuntary -- can be used by God for great purposes.
Lent is traditionally a 40-day period when believers purposely descend into the "desert" in order to contemplate Christ's suffering and to hear God's still, small voice more effectively. Although I don't love to suffer – in even small ways – God has used Lent to teach me that the desert has a beauty all its own. That's because God values the sacrifices of His children. Not that he takes pleasure in our pain, but He uses lack to refine us and draw us closer to Him so that later we may know joy on a deeper level, beyond what our five senses can currently discern.
Of course, we're not meant to live forever in the season of Lent. We know, with confidence, that after Christ's suffering and sacrifice, Easter morning came. Yet, Lent is a season set aside to remind believers today that we are still inhabitants of the "Shadowlands," as C.S. Lewis liked to call them. We are not in heaven, and we have work to do. Though we may experience beauty and joy in this life, nothing can fully satisfy us except God's plan awaiting us in the fullness of time.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Decide on one luxury you regularly enjoy and give it up until Easter. It can be a type of food, a behavior (like watching TV or a using critical words in your relationships), or money (donated to a cause instead of spent on yourself). In its place, increase time spent in quiet prayer. If you're currently having a "desert experience" in your life, be encouraged by knowing God is near.
Further Reading
Matthew 6: 1 - 6, 16 – 18
Joel 2: 12 – 18
10 Lenten Traditions to Enrich Your Family's Easter Celebration
Secrets to Fasting and Prayer
:angel:
God's Will: So Simple it's Hard
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
Rejoice always;
pray without ceasing;
in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
"God's will for my life"... how often have you pondered that notion? Studied it? Read untold books about it? Know people who torture themselves trying to locate it?
Well, here we have an obvious chunk of it, even compact and useful just as we like things to be, tucked away at the close of Paul's first letter to the church at Thessalonica. "This is God's will for you...," it says.
Well, yes, it says that, and it sure is pretty - almost poetic - but is it deep enough? Shouldn't there be more? Is it practical?
Okay. Then let's go Old Testament. Prophetic. Action-oriented. Micah 6:8 says, "He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"
It's still simple, still bunched in a group of three, still indicating that there's no big mystery way far out there which must be solved before we know how to act or decide, or how God wants us to act or decide.
So why do we seek for more?
I think it's because the ridiculously simple, paradoxically enough, is ridiculously hard, and we know it. G.K. Chesterton famously said, "The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult and left untried."
We could spend a lot of time discussing the ins-and-outs of how easy or hard God's will is, and where else in His Word we can find snippets of it. One woman from my Bible fellowship class is fond of asking during our lessons, "What does that look like?" Let's ponder on that for a minute here.
The situation is this: you've been sent on a missionary journey via a clear calling from God. The resources were there, the people willing. You are leading your group through a city when you encounter a psychic who keeps taunting you. After a while, through calling on the name of Jesus you cast out the evil spirit within her. Hooray! Score one for the Lord, and your group! But alas, there is no praise here, because those who had been making some cash off the now-set-free woman's powers aren't happy with you. They drag your group before local law enforcement, have you beaten, and thrown into prison. Hey now!
At this point, I am saying, "God, this is NOT your will. YOU made it very clear we were to come on this trip, and we even did a miracle for you! Now we're injured, in jail... I don't even know how I'm going to get home much less continue to be effective for you from here! I want a telephone, I want a lawyer, and I want you to reveal your ACTUAL will, right now, and suffer no more discomfort while doing what you sent us to do!"
And with that, my missionary journey would come to a close. But not the Apostle Paul's, not as we have it recorded in Acts 16:16-40, which is one of my all-time favorite passages. Paul, who knew God's will better than I, and practiced it, knew to "rejoice always." And so, bloodied and with his feet in stocks, he sings. Seriously, he sings hymns of praise. He also knew to "pray without ceasing," and so, in verse 25, that's exactly what you find - Paul and Silas praying... at midnight, even.
The missionaries on this journey got out of God's way by doing the simple things that God had willed for them to do, so that God was free to let fly with His own big, complex, miraculous will for everyone else. An earthquake shakes open the prison, snapping chains in the process. Prisoners, however, stay where they are. A jailer, about to kill himself, holds his sword, and moments later accepts Jesus into his heart. Then his family joins the flock, all because those he had persecuted chose to "love kindness."
At every step of the journey, Paul, Silas, and their companions chose to walk humbly, give thanks, and do what was just (speaking of which, once officially released, Paul did have some words of justice regarding their citizenship and treatment for the magistrates).
It's absolutely amazing to me the ways that God plans to accomplish His Will (big "W") on earth. His will in my life has already been decided. It is my job to walk humbly, get out of the way, always be in prayer, always rejoicing no matter what situation I'm in. But how often do we come back to the same situation, sitting in my car, simple traffic jam, me needing to be somewhere, telling God, "Did you not ordain that I should do such and such today? Or get this amount of work done so I can spend this amount of time with my family? Then this is on you unless you make such-and-such happen now!"
Sigh... how many miracles have I missed?
No, God's will for my life isn't difficult to know. It's just frustratingly hard to do if self is at the center. And that's the crux of the very question itself, "What is God's will for MY life?"
Perhaps when we get out of the way, we shall see better.
Intersecting Faith & Life: How long will it take to learn the lesson that even if I know I am doing God's will it doesn't mean everything will appear to go smoothly along the way? That there are purposes I either don't know or am unwilling to consider could be a part of inconvenience? If you're like me, start learning today by making note of every story in the Bible that suffers a delay, interruption, inconvenience or other problem before the payoff. (Hint: start with guys like Joseph, and Abraham...)
Further Reading
Acts 16
Micah 6:8
Stop Wrestling, Start Serving: The Non-Mystery of God's Will
:angel:
The Duty of Living in the Reality of the Supernatural
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"...without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him."
Hebrews 11:6 ESV
"Doctrine is important," writes Francis Schaeffer in chapter five of his book True Spirituality, "but it is not an end in itself. There is to be an experiential reality, moment by moment... in the power of the crucified and risen Christ, through the agency of the indwelling Holy Spirit, by faith."
Yes, yes, yes... we nod our heads, agreeing with such a fine statement of what ought to be the daily experience of one who follows Christ. But is that our experience? Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed that little by little, the reality of the supernatural is all too easily lost in our generation?
What seems to elude most Christians is a daily experience of living in the reality of the supernatural. We can polish and refine our doctrinal statements and discuss the finer points of what's going on in the world and how to fix our institutions and churches until the cows come home. But what often gets crowded out of the picture is the simple reality of God. When that happens, the world squeezes us into its way of thinking. To quote Schaeffer on this...
"Our generation is overwhelmingly naturalistic [i.e. meaning everything is the result of natural causes in a closed system]. If we are not careful, even though we say we are Biblical Christians and supernaturalists, the naturalism of our generation tends to come in upon us."
Schaeffer compares this creeping in of the world's naturalistic mindset to barnacles that grow on the bottom of ships, creating drag on vessels that were meant to efficiently cut through the water. So, as an antidote, he points us to classic Scriptures that teach the nearness of the supernatural all around us.
For example, Luke's passage on the post-resurrection appearance of Jesus to two disciples walking on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:31) says that their eyes were opened and they realized it was Jesus, then He ceased to be seen by them. Paraphrasing Schaeffer: "It wasn't that Christ was no longer there, but that they simply did not see Him any longer. John 20:19 and 26 gives the same emphasis."
Another classic text that Schaeffer takes us to is 2 Kings 6:16-17 where Elisha is surrounded by an enemy, and the young man standing with him is overcome with fear. "Elisha prayed and said, 'O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.' So the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha."
"The supernatural was not something far off; it was there. All the young man needed was to have his eyes opened to see it. As soon as we remove the supernaturalness of the universe, all we have left is Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, in which religion is viewed simply as a sociological tool... a mere psychological mechanism."
Schaeffer rightly notes that this is precisely where the battle rages today. The naturalists are determined to get rid of the supernatural, to argue against it, that it is not there. Therefore...
"...we have thrust upon us the high calling and the duty to live in light of the existence of the two parts of the universe, the seen and the unseen parts, in the realization that the "heavenlies" are not far off. They are about us here."
Losing the reality of the supernatural is no small, insignificant detail. It is not an optional feature of true spirituality. When it is absent from our experience, all we are left with is a dead sociological tool; a mere psychological mechanism for manipulating ourselves and other people. As the Apostle Paul said, "If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied." (1 Corinthians 15:19)
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Are there any barnacles of naturalism built up on the hull of your "ship" lately? Ask God for renewed eyes of faith as you dig deeper into these Scriptures...
For Further Study:
Luke 24
2 Kings 6:16-17
1 Corinthians 15
:angel:
God Has a Plan... Really
Ryan Duncan, TheFish.com Editor
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."- Jeremiah 29:11
I had a rough time after graduating college. The economy was in the tank, and I was having trouble finding work. I was living with my parents, missed all my friends, constantly bored, and I was probably the only person from my university that had graduated without a girlfriend, wife, or fiancée.
I can remember on one particularly bad day, my mother came up to me and said, "Ryan, God has a plan." I don't remember what I said to that, hopefully something polite, but what I do remember is that underneath I completely snapped. I hate it when people tell me God has a plan. I wanted to scream, "I don't care if God has a plan! What about my plans? What about my goals, my dreams? Does God care about them? Would God like to share this ingenious little plan of his, or is it just going to be a big surprise for later?"
Maybe you're like me. Maybe sometimes the future looks dark and hearing someone say, "God has a plan" is the equivalent to rubbing salt in an open wound. If you are, I've got some good news for you: the Bible is full of people like us.
David was promised to become the next king of Israel. But before that happened he found himself on the run from a half-crazy Saul who wanted to kill him.
Daniel and his friends became leaders and high officials, spreading God's word to Babylon. Of course, first they had to be kidnapped, renamed, and face death on multiple occasions.
Finally, Jesus' disciples believed they had finally found the one true Messiah, and then had to watch the Son of God be executed like a common criminal. Do you think there were ever moments when each of them wondered, "Does God really have a plan?"
The truth is, God really does have a plan. We never know what tomorrow may bring, and we never know how past events, even a painful ones, might be used by God to create a brighter future. Life is tough, but that does not mean God doesn't care. He knows what he's doing; he's got a plan.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Take some time to be alone and talk with God
Further Reading
Ephesians 1:4
:angel:
March 12, 2012
It's Good for Your Character
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. Romans 5:3-5, NIV
I grew up in a very special church back in the '70s and '80s. It was nondenominational, had tremendous traditional worship and congregational singing and was attended and led by many seminary professors and students.
Seeds that were sown in my life in those early years of my spiritual growth are now sprouting, and I'm drawing upon what I have learned as I make my way through adulthood.
From time to time, I flip through a bound collection of meditations on sayings that my pastor put together. He would regularly refer to these life principles from the pulpit, and today, whenever I hear them being said (or similar concepts) by others, I remember what he preached on them many years ago.
"It's good for your character," he would often say. And here's how he explained that further:
"God uses the routine, the difficult, even the painful to develop in us qualities of Christlike character that can be learned in no other way."
When we begin to see our lives from this perspective, that's when we've turned a corner. But in order to keep thinking in this way, we have to make daily readjustments, as we don't always want to see the routine, the difficult and even the painful in this way.
But it is the right way to look at any uncomfortable situation in our lives. The classic passage regarding trials in James 1:2-4 is wonderfully helpful and instructive to us pilgrims travelling life's road on our spiritual journeys:
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Now, let's break down this outlook:
Consider it pure joy.How do you do this when you're going through a divorce? Or in the aftermath of a departed loved one or the loss of a job? What will it take to see the joy despite the circumstances? Only God can give us this joy and change our perspective (Psa. 16:8-11).
Testing develops perseverance.In order to learn how to persevere, we have to go through some trying times. Think back on the trials in your life. What were the results? Did you make changes in your life? Did God help you get through them? Remember that as you continue to serve him (Psa. 25:4-10).
Perseverance must finish its work.We can't go from diapers to dungarees in the snap of our fingers. Living takes time. And there are "pains" that go with it. Sure, it hurts sometimes, but know that the uncomfortable seasons mean that you're growing (1 Peter 4:12-19).
Be mature and complete.When you were a child, you didn't have a bulging file folder of life experiences to draw from. Now that you're older, hopefully you can see how you have grown closer to the Lord and how he has changed you. Draw from past lessons as you choose to live and think differently today (1 Cor. 13:10-12).
Intersecting Faith & Life: Can you look back on "the routine, the difficult, even the painful" times of your life and see how God has developed your character? List some specific trials and the resulting changes that have been made in your character and then praise your merciful Savior.
Further Reading:
2 Cor. 4:7-12, MSG
Phil. 1:21, NIV
Heb. 10:32-39, MSG
"When We All Get to Heaven"
Words: Eliza E. Hewitt (1898)
Music: Emily D. Wilson
While we walk the pilgrim pathway,
Clouds will overspread the sky;
But when traveling days are over,
Not a shadow, not a sigh
When we all get to Heaven,
What a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus,
We'll sing and shout the victory!
:angel:
March 13, 2012
Renewal in the Desert
By Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"Therefore I am now going to allure her [Israel]; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her." - Hosea 2:14
The prophet Hosea certainly had one of the least enviable jobs ever. God commanded him to take a wife who both God and Hosea knew would be unfaithful, so Hosea married Gomer, a prostitute. They had several children together, but at length she went back to her old ways. She left Hosea, went back to her lovers, and ended up betrayed into the slave market.
Hosea then did the unthinkable. He bought her back.
"The LORD said to me, 'Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress...' So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and about a homer and a lethek of barley. Then I told her, "You are to live with me many days; you must not be a prostitute or be intimate with any man, and I will live with you." (Hosea 3:1-3)
In a very real sense, Hosea redeemed his wayward bride. Instead of leaving her to the natural consequences, he brought her back into the covenant of marriage.
From the very beginning, the Lord makes it clear to Hosea that the pain of betrayal, ingratitude, and inconstant nature of Gomer was nothing less than God himself experienced at the hands of his bride, the people of Israel. Idolatry far exceeded faithfulness to the covenant, and the nation became increasingly entangled with foreign kingdoms, against God's direct commandment. They were the wayward bride, and their fate would be no less than Gomer's. Hosea assured every Israelite that the natural consequences of their action - slavery and destitution - were coming.
And yet the Lord did not abandon them. Instead, when everything they had trusted was stripped away, he pursued them. God said,
"Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her ... I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion." (Hosea 2:14,19)
Once emptied of its treasures, its gods, and its affluence, Israel found that they were not an object of ultimate wrath, but of ultimate mercy. All this despite the broken covenants, promises, and ingratitude toward the God who had already saved them from slavery. The commentator Matthew Henry notes the incredible grace displayed here in the Old Testament:
"When it was said, She forgot me, one would think it should have followed, 'Therefore I will abandon her, I will forget her, I will never look after her more.' No, Therefore I will allure her. God's thoughts and ways of mercy are infinitely above ours; his reasons are all fetched from within himself, and not from any thing in us; nay, his goodness takes occasion from man's badness to appear so much the more illustrious... the design is plainly to magnify free grace to those on whom God will have mercy purely for mercy's sake."
Let's never forget that in God's hands, even the desert is a place of restoration.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Are you in the desert right now? Financially? Relationally? Spiritually? Take comfort in knowing that God strips away our luxuries to return our focus where it belongs.
She shall be as a traveller that not only knows not which way to go, of many that are before him, but that finds no way at all to go forward. ... The disappointments we meet with in our pursuits of satisfaction in the creature should, if nothing else will do it, drive us at length to the Creator, in whom alone it is to be had. - Hosea 2: 6-12
God will have us to know, not only that we have all our creature-comforts and enjoyments from him, but that he has still an incontestable right and title to them, that they are more his than ours, and therefore are to be used for him, and accounted for to him. He will therefore take their plenty away from them, because they have forfeited it by disowning his right, as a tenant by copy of court-roll, who holds at the will of his lord, forfeits his estate if he makes a feoffment of it as though he were a freeholder. He will recover it, will free or deliver it, that it may be no longer abused, as the creature is said to be delivered from the bondage of corruption under which it groans, Rom. 8:21.
:angel:
March 14, 2012
A Clear Conscience
by Sarah Phillips, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness.
Romans 6: 12-13
This time of year tends to inspire a certain level of introspection among people. The other night I attended a Bible and catechism study at a friend's apartment. To kick off our evening, my friend's husband read an "examination of conscience." After opening with prayer, Keith read what Jesus said was the greatest commandment: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" (Matthew 22: 37). He then proceeded to read a litany of ways we can potentially fail to love God. The list was achingly thorough.
I didn't feel terribly comfortable as I felt my perceived "goodness" melt away.
"Sin" is not a common term used in our culture today. It's much easier to speak of our shortcomings in the context of psychology or environmental influences or biological predispositions. But the truth is, as creatures of free will, sometimes we just decide to do the wrong thing. We act selfishly when we could have been selfless. We get angry when we should have shown mercy. We seek personal gain at the cost of another.
But the point of this exercise was not to shame us. We listened to Keith read the list with full knowledge that:
a) All present in the room are guilty of falling short.
c) As creatures with free will, we can make better choices tomorrow.
b) God's mercy and transforming grace is available to us every moment of every day to help us shed the "old self" and put on the new.
The most profound result of doing an examination of conscience had little to do with feeling guilty – instead, it renewed our appreciation for God's great love for us. Romans 5: 8 sums this up beautifully and for that reason it's quoted often: But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Christ, with full knowledge of our darkest moments, died out of love for you and me when most of us wouldn't sacrifice half as much for a virtuous friend.
But we can't stop with this realization – we can't presume on God's mercy, doing as we please thinking "Oh, I can just repent later...." This attitude would be a terrible sin in it of itself. With full knowledge of Christ's sacrificial love, how we live our lives now matters more than ever. So, what if we took this time before Easter to tackle sin more intentionally in our lives? What if we identified our sin, confessed it to the Lord, and committed to practical ways of replacing each sin with a virtue?
Of course, it would be daunting to try to achieve perfection – we simply can't "acquire" holiness purely with our own efforts. But I am seeing in my own life that a more purposeful approach to sin is an integral part of maturing as a follower of Christ. Not to mention, "coming clean" with God can feel incredibly freeing.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Honestly examine your life in light of God's Word. A good way to start an examination of conscience is by praying Psalm 139, verse 23-24: "Search me, O God..." Then, hold up your life to the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20: 2-17). Don't forget to consider what resides in your heart, not just what you've physically done (example: "Thou shalt not murder" -- consider if you've held lingering hatred for someone. Or "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's goods" – consider if you, out of envy, spread gossip about someone). Confess, perhaps even to your pastor or an accountability partner, the ways you've sinned against God, thank God for His forgiveness, and ask Him for the grace to change. Don't get discouraged if you have many areas that need change – we're all works in progress.
Further Reading
Ephesians 4: 21-32
James 5: 16
How Repentance Heals the Broken Heart
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March 15, 2012
Kill Me Now
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
If this is how you are going to treat me, put me to death right now -- if I have found favor in your eyes -- and do not let me face my own ruin."
Numbers 11:15
...while he himself went a day's journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die."I have had enough, Lord," he said. "Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors."
1 Kings 19:4
Now, O Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.
Jonah 4:3
What kind of a person feels like this? A schmo like me, at times, sure. Maybe you, or people you know. Surely not the heroes of the Old Testament.
Well, truth is, even God's greatest leaders and prophets got to the point in their respective stories where, even after witnessing indescribable miracles and blessings, their circumstances were so overwhelming, impossible and undesirable their attitude was, "Just kill me now, Lord!" Exhausted in body, soul, and spirit, they cried out that they had had enough. They could go no longer in their own power.
The first quote above is from Moses, who had a People Problem. The wandering Israelites were hungry, and as usual, it fell to Moses to solve the problem. He cried out to the Lord, "Was it I who conceived these people? Was it I who brought them forth?" He looked around and couldn't figure out how to satisfy everyone.
The second quote is from Elijah, who had a Pity Problem. This was a prophet who had just called down fire from heaven, destroyed the prophets of Baal, and witnessed the end of a long drought. But just a few verses later, one vow from one wicked queen has him in such despair that he fears he can't go on like this.
The third quote is from Jonah, who had a Pouting Problem. He'd finally obeyed to the point of going to Nineveh and preaching repentance, but when the Lord relented and stayed his hand rather than destroying the city, Jonah wasn't happy. He folded his hands and "became angry" that the destruction he forecast never arrived.
Consider who these men were and what they had seen, what the Lord had done through them. Moses parted the Red Sea and led a people out of slavery. Elijah stood strong for Israel during a time of tremendous pagan influence, prayed down fire and rain, and actually never died (so chalk up at least one unanswered prayer!). Jonah is one of the first stories we tell our children, about how God provided a great fish to swallow him for such a period as he could learn about obedience and repentance.
Not only that, but these guys all show up in the Gospels, in one way or another. Moses and Elijah are present at Jesus' transfiguration (Mark 9). In Matthew 12:38-41 (NIV), Jesus tells the Pharisees they won't get any sign from him other than the sign of Jonah, foreshadowing the three days He Himself would spend in the belly of the Earth.
But interestingly enough, Christ apparently never felt this way. He knew His destiny was to die, but even so prayed that such a cup might pass from Him. And let's not forget that He is our example, not Moses, not Elijah, and not Jonah, great as they were.
When we feel the way that these guys did, we need to realize that anyone wanting to die is under attack. And our enemy can bring that attack through people, pity, and pouting. It comes when our body is not healthy, our soul is not happy, and our spirit is not holy.
But conveniently enough, Paul shows us a prayer that covers all these bases. He writes in 1 Thessalonians 5, "Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass." (23-24).
You aren't alone when you feel like you can't go on, or like you would be better off dead than standing strong in the face of the overwhelming task God has given you, especially when you are weak in body, soul, and spirit, and the enemy is on the attack. And truly, it is comforting to know that some of the Bible's greatest faith warriors and miracle workers shared these feelings. But it doesn't mean they were right. Let us not indulge hopelessness, for it may always be found. Instead, let us remember that we serve a God of hope and of miracles and we follow the One who never copped to people, pity, or pouting, but willingly laid His life down.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Develop a plan that gives you exercise and rest in proper amounts for your body, soul, and spirit, so that you will be less prone to attack.
:angel:
March 16, 2012
Light in the Darkness
by Ryan Duncan, TheFish.com Editor
When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."
Have you ever been in complete darkness? I don't mean this figuratively, I mean physically. Have you ever walked in a place where there was absolutely no light? I have, and it's an experience I'll never forget. When I was in high school, my family went on a vacation to Mammoth Cave National Park.
Mammoth Cave, for those of you who don't know, is the longest known system of caves in the world and the park, which itself is no small place, covers only a small portion of it. My family arrived at the park early in the morning and quickly joined the group of people who had come for a guided tour of the cave. As we slowly descended underground, our guide pointed out interesting rock formations, different types of minerals, and the occasional historical tidbit about Mammoth Cave. It was all very interesting, but the biggest moment on the tour was when the guide led us into a large cavern and asked everyone to take a seat.
"In a moment we're going to turn off the lights," he explained cheerfully, "That way you can get an idea of what it was like for people to explore the cave in the early days." As soon as the lights went out, everything was pitch black. I held my hand to my face but couldn't see a thing. Over thirty people were on the tour, but had they not entered the cave with me, I might have thought I was alone. It was complete darkness. Then our guide struck a match, and that little flame illuminated the entire cavern.
"Amazing, isn't it?" our guide chuckled, "Bet you never thought a single match could light up a whole cave." He doesn't know the half of it. The Bible has a lot to say about light and darkness. To quote the book of John,
"This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God." – John 3:19-21
In many ways, our world is as dark as the caverns of Mammoth Cave. It can leave us lost, confused, and unsure of the things around us. But just as our world resemble the cave, so do Jesus words resemble the little match struck in the darkness. The light may be small, and we still may stumble in the darkness, but if we let it, that tiny light can illuminate even the darkest corners of our world. So take a moment and ask yourself, do you have the light of Christ in your life?
Intersecting Faith and Life
Pick a book in the Bible and start studying its chapters. Work to improve your knowledge of Christ.
Further Reading
Matthew 4:16
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Deconstructing David
by Ryan Duncan
Editor at TheFish.com
But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."
1 Samuel 16:7
I first time I read the story of King David, it was from a small, animated Bible my parents had bought me as a boy. As I flipped through the pages of that little book, I can remember looking on David as something of a superhero. I mean, think about, he defeated Goliath with nothing but a sling and five stones. After that, he became King of Israel, replacing Saul, who had done a pretty terrible job to begin with. He was called a man after God's own heart, and nothing could touch him.
After a while though, I began to see the life of David as more of a fairytale. I still believed it to be true, that wasn't the problem, but a part of me resented God for showing David so much favor. Why had his life been so perfect when the rest of us had to struggle? Why did God allow so many people to suffer pain, but always seem to step up for David? It wasn't until I was a teenager that I stumbled onto this psalm written by David, take a look.
"Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me. I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God. Those who hate me without reason outnumber the hairs of my head; many are my enemies without cause, those who seek to destroy me. I am forced to restore what I did not steal. You know my folly, O God; my guilt is not hidden from you." – Psalm 69:1-5
Now that I'm older I realize David's life wasn't perfect, in a lot of ways it was actually pretty lousy. He was hounded by Saul for years, he lost loved ones to sickness and war, and he even committed some pretty serious sins. Being a man after God's own heart didn't mean David would be shielded from harm, and being a Christian doesn't guarantee us prosperity. The thing that made David a great man, and the thing that makes our lives as Christians meaningful, was that he never turned away from God. We will all experience trials and tribulations in our lives, but by trusting God we can overcome them.
That is how we become people after God's own heart, and in the end, that's all God really wants.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Take a moment to look past your troubles and consider what can bring you closer to God.
Further Reading
Psalm 69
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Growing Pains
Laura MacCorkle
Senior Editor at Crosswalk.com
Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Philippians 1:6
Ouch, ouch . . . OUCH! I thought to myself while lying in bed one night. My legs REALLY do hurt!
I was nearing my teenage years, and my prepubescent body was in the middle of a growth spurt. Later on in life, my mom told me that she had known I was going to be tall even as a young child, because of the great distance between my hip bones and my knees—it was a pretty good stretch and still is!
Those of us who are taller (or "closer to heaven" as I sometimes jokingly say) have known these growing pains all too well in our formative years. I spent many nights like that with much cramping and twitching and discomfort as I tried to rest. Now it wasn't that excruciating to feel my legs growing longer, but it surely wasn't pleasant. Regardless, I needed to grow physically in order to become the woman that God had designed and purposed for me to be.
If they could talk, I'm sure many of the flowers around us this first day of spring might say the same thing in this refreshing season of the year. They're in the midst of a growth spurt as well. What was once hidden from the human eye is now bursting through sometimes rocky and root-filled ground and ready to realize its full potential. I'm sure it's not exactly an entirely pleasant growing process either, even though it eventually yields a glorious beauty that can be appreciated by all and undoubtedly points to the master Creator.
I dare say it's similar to the Christian walk, is it not? Usually the times of growth in our lives are painful and involve traveling through a dark valley. And then there's usually a turning to the Lord. It's just what we do as humans. When we hurt, when we are pressed upon, when we experience discomfort in our lives, we cry out and turn to our Creator.
Answer me when I call to you, O my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer (Psa. 4:1).
I've called out in this manner many, many times in my life. And although I wasn't immediately delivered from whatever difficult circumstances I was going through at the time, I knew that God was with me, working in me and walking right beside me as I made my way along the valleys.
Pastor Tony Evans of "The Alternative" radio broadcast ministry reminds us ...
"If you're in emotional turmoil, know by faith the Lord is with you. And know that means that his power is there and his grace is there. And what they will do is comfort you. . . . There is a valley that God calls us to walk through. . . . What I can promise you is that in the valley of the shadow . . . that you don't have to walk through alone . . . God will be with you and if you will cast your eyes on Jesus Christ, he will meet you where you are. So you keep walking. You don't throw in the towel . . . you don't walk this road alone."
When we go through valleys in life, we are changed because this is by God's design. And our victories point to the One who has brought us through. Praise God for the new life he gives us through Jesus Christ! And praise him that he doesn't give up on us as we continue growing in him!
For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations (Psa. 100:5).
Intersecting Faith & Life: As long as you have walked with God, how many times has he failed you? And how many times have you strayed away and failed him? Our Father patiently takes care of us as we grow in faith. Let's thank him for his loving-kindness today!
Further Reading:
Isa. 43:2
2 Cor. 5:17
Phil. 2:12
2 Peter 3:18
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Be Like the Bereans
by Anna Kuta
News and Culture Editor at Crosswalk.com
"Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so."
Acts 17:10-11
The first part of Acts 17 tells the story of Paul and Silas' missionary journey through the cities of Thessalonica and Berea. The chapter begins with Paul and Silas arriving in Thessalonica to preach and share the gospel in the synagogue of the Jews, as was Paul's typical approach: "Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, 'This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ'" (Acts 17:2-3). Paul and Silas' teachings converted many, but some Jews who weren't persuaded became angry and caused an uproar in the city, gathering a mob to attack the house of the Christian man named Jason who was hosting Paul and Silas. With the help of some believers, they escaped at nighttime to Berea.
Upon their arrival in Berea, Paul and Silas again went to the Jewish synagogue, but here they had a warmer reception. The Bereans proved much more eager to hear their message than the Jews in Thessalonica. As Acts 17:11 says, the Bereans "were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word in all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so." Acts 17:12 goes on to say that many Bereans then believed, including many prominent Greek men and women.
What a lesson we can all learn from the Bereans. When Paul and Silas preached, the Bereans didn't merely take them at their word – they searched through the Jewish scriptures to test and ascertain that what they were hearing lined up with God's word. Then, when they discovered that the doctrine of Christ affirmed the Jewish scriptures, they received the message gladly. Acts 17:11 also makes a point to mention that they searched the scriptures every day – not just on the Sabbath.
The importance of constantly searching the Scriptures cannot be overstated. All preaching of man should be weighed against the inerrant word of God, and it is imperative that we know what the Bible says in order to avoid being deceived by wrong doctrines. In a world where there are innumerable false religions and false takes on Christianity, the most important thing we can do is become like the Bereans. The doctrine of Christ not only stands up to the toughest scrutiny, it stands strong as the beacon of truth and the divine standard by which everything else should be measured.
Intersecting Faith & Life
We should all strive to follow the excellent example of the Bereans by searching the Scriptures constantly and by receiving the truth of God's word readily. Determine to examine all preaching and doctrine against the Word of God – making the Bible your ultimate gauge by which you test everything you read or hear.
Further Reading
Acts 17
2 Timothy 3:16
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True Love for the Poor
Sarah Phillips, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
John 13: 34
Lent is a time when believers not only meditate on Christ's suffering, but they reach out to those in need. In light of this practice, I want to share an experience my husband and I had this weekend with a special group of Christians who understand the command to love one another at the deepest level. My husband and I spent a recent Sunday afternoon at a home run by The Little Sisters of the Poor.
The Little Sisters of the Poor are a religious order dedicated to the care of the elderly. St. Jeanne Jugan founded the order in revolutionary-era France. Like so many other founders and foundresses of religious communities, she didn't set out to start an order. She simply saw a need in her community and answered God's call to meet that need through her own life.
St. Jeanne Jugan's work with the elderly began in her teens when she would beg on behalf of the elderly poor. As a young woman, she rejected a sailor's proposal, sensing God had consecrated life in mind for her even though she did not know all the details yet of how it would play out. After years of living a life of prayer and service, she realized God wanted her to serve the elderly in particular. As more and more aging and poor came to her doorstep, young women joined her in service and the order began.
Today, the Little Sisters have homes all over the world. My husband's grandmother now lives in one. This is what brought us to our local Little Sisters.
I am not an expert on caring for the elderly, but I've certainly visited nursing homes before. My most memorable experiences occurred during my own grandmother's stays in several local nursing homes. I know how dismal these places can feel.
Our visit to the Little Sisters was anything but dismal. Everything was so peaceful and well-kept. The nuns, in full habit, were eager to meet me and the rest of the extended family. My husband's grandmother, already settled in to her new place, used her new walker to give us a tour of the place. It was neat to see her walking faster than I'd ever seen her walk.
We saw the handicap accessible chapel where a service is offered every single day - and the sisters will even wheel your bed in if need be. As we stood outside the chapel, another resident zipped by in her walker. A nun smiled and mentioned how she is always visiting the chapel to pray for her many grandchildren. We saw the calendar filled with events and visitors. We saw the handrails, wheeled chairs, and even the salon - every detail of the place's design was focused on allowing life to be lived to the fullest.
Beyond the practical details that make life easier for the elderly, the attitude that each human being has inherent dignity and worth permeated the place. The nuns were attentive to everyone, young and old, no matter how healthy or sick. As mentioned above, the residents were bright-eyed and social. Nobody was a burden or a lost cause (or a cause at all, for that matter). A small sign at the front desk showed a smiling picture of one of their residents who had recently passed, expressing gratitude for her and asking for prayers.
The Little Sisters of the Poor are immersed in the realities and complexities of aging day in and day out. And they are just one of many unsung organizations that reach out to those in need, not just once during Lent, but every single day for as long as they are needed.
It's true that the Little Sisters' lives are not glamorous. They receive no earthly reward - not even a high-paying salary - and yet they are happy, beautiful women and interesting conversationalists. These women have created an environment of love and expert care that so many other facilities struggle to achieve, and it's precisely because of their love for Christ.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Is God calling you to increase your service to others? Pray about ways you can reach out to others in need this Lent.
:angel:
Overcoming the Past
by Stephen Sanders
Audio/Video Editor at Salem Web Network
I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back.
Philipians 3:12-14
Last night, I went to a college basketball game with my wife and kids. For the first time in a really long time, I was overwhelmed with a sense of not fitting in with those around me. As we sat and waited for the game to begin, my discomfort level steadily increased with every college kid that filled that arena. The clothing trends, the blaring hip-hop music and the comradery between the students took me back to a place in time that I tend to block out. As I drove home, I couldn't help but ponder all the pressures of my teenage years.
Now don't get me wrong, I love to reminisce about the good ole days just as much as the next guy. I think we all have at least a few fond memories that cause us to close our eyes and think about the things that we really miss. For example, if you are anything like me, there will never be a better era for music than when I was in high school.
Grunge bands like Smashing Pumpkins, Soundgarden and Stone Temple Pilots were still cranking out mainstream hits. Bands like Incubus and Rage Against the Machine were at the forefront of what would soon be called the Nu Metal movement. And I was still faithfully rockin' that same green flannel shirt from middle school. Yep, those were the days...
The good memories are something that I revisit quite frequently at this point in my life. After all, I am in my 30s now, and I am getting a gray hair or two in the old beard. I even noticed the other day that I'm starting to make strange grunting noises when I sit down or stand up, like I'm in pain or something. What's up with that?!?! I also have a teenager living in my house, which never fails to take me back to all that teenage drama. My point is: it's fun to think about the fun stuff, but usually not so fun to relive the not-so-fun stuff.
For me, the not-so-fun side of high school was being the loner. Now I'm not talking about that super cool James Dean or even that Arthur Fonzarelli kind of loner/rebel. See, I was always the guy in high school who didn't really fit in with anyone; at least, I never felt like I did anyway.
It's funny because I don't tend to be that way anymore. Since I became a Christian in 2002, I feel like I've slowly become more confident in who I am. I don't tend to be so concerned about how other people perceive me, but rather try to understand that everyone has been created differently; that all we have control over is ourselves and how we choose to interact with the other 7 billion people on planet earth.
So, last night as I drove home from the game, I asked God to help me learn from what I was feeling. Why was I so uncomfortable and so bitter towards these strangers? What was it about this event that made me so judgmental towards people who I knew absolutely nothing about? It's funny because I didn't get a direct answer from God. All I can tell you is that I had a peace about what I was feeling. The sin within myself that had stunned me just a few hours prior had now been covered by the promise of my Savior. It was no more a part of my life than that hideous green flannel shirt my wife threw out years ago.
Intersection of Faith and Life
The difficult things in life, past, present of future, all pale in comparison to the joy we have found in Jesus Christ. In Philipians 4:11-13, Paul said, "...I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me."
Today, my hope is that, no matter how good or bad our circumstance is, that we choose to focus on the strength that is available to us in Christ.
For Further Reading
Philipians 3 & 4
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Sand and Stone
by Ryan Duncan, Editor at TheFish.com
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you.
Psalm 89:14
There are a lot of things I like about living in Richmond, Virginia. The city is interesting, the people are nice, and there are plenty of things to see if you take the time to look around. Even the winters aren't that bad. Growing up in Chicago I'm used to mounds of snow, sheering wind, and escaping wolves while traversing the snowdrifts, so the mild Richmond weather has been pretty underwhelming. Still, when I stepped outside one March and was hit by a green wave of summer, I couldn't help scrapping all my earlier plans to spend the day outdoors.
I made my way to the James River and burned a few hours roaming the local jogging trails. At one point the trail passed by a low alcove near the water and, on a whim, I decided to climb down for a better look. Halfway down I realized I was in trouble. The hill was made of sand, and no matter how much I tried I couldn't get a solid footing. I ended up stumbling my way down the hill, certain my next step would end in a broken neck and it wasn't until I managed to jump on top of a large rock that I was finally able to steady myself.
As I stood there, dusting myself off, I couldn't help but remember Christ's words about spiritual foundations.
"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash." When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching. – Matthew 7:24-29
It's easy to say you don't need Christ when life is good and the weather is sunny. But when the storms of life happen, if you don't have God you won't have anything to cling to. There will be days when trials and tribulations beat down on you like wind and rain, but as long as you stand on Christ's promise there is hope of weathering the storm. So stand firm and stay strong, because eventually the skies will clear and you'll know Christ is with you.
Intersecting Faith and Life
What kind of foundation are you building your life on?
Further Reading
Isaiah 28
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Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.
"Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus"
Words & Music: Helen H. Lemmel (1922)
I've really been struggling with the whole "in and not of" concept recently. And if you need a refresher on that, let's take a quick look at some source material found in Romans 12:1-2:
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
For more inspiration, you could also look to John 15:18-19:
If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.
Perhaps this "in and not of" struggle I feel is due to age. Or perhaps it becomes more apparent to me the closer I am in my walk with the Lord. I have seasons (years, even) when I feel far away from the Father and find myself more focused on the things of earth (possessions, entertainment, fame, fortune, relationships . . . you name it!). In fact, last year was one of those seasons, but this year I have been experiencing a time when I am once again really hungering and thirsting for anything to do with God's Word.
As the lyrics in the hymn "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus" suggest, the things of this earth have "grown strangely dim" to me in the past few months as I've found myself fully engaged in my study of the Old Testament. I've just finished reading the book of Judges, and I couldn't help but compare myself to the Israelites and their very frustrating ongoing cycle: rebellion, consequences, repentance and then restoration.
Time and again the Israelites were warned about the Canaanites (among other bad influences) and directed to destroy anything to do with their false worship. But the Israelites were lax, they became lukewarm and the cancer of paganism spread and kept leading them to compromise, disobedience and spiritual death.
Each day as I read through Judges, I asked the Lord why he had included these stories in his Word and what I was supposed to learn from them. And each day as I applied what I was reading to my own life (and marveled at how relevant these stories still are), my eyes were opened to the cancer in my own life—and the many ways I am compromising, disobeying and dying instead of thriving in my spiritual growth.
If anything was the most sobering for me while reading, it was the last verse in the entire book: "In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit" (Judg. 21:25).
That's not just Old Testament times, is it? That's today, when everyone is worshipping anything and everything but God. And the result is rampant immorality, perversion, brutality, injustice and bold abandonment of the Truth found in God's Word.
But this verse also points to the hope of a wake-up call—revival was needed back then in Israel as sure as it is needed today in our world, starting with the body of Christ. Yes, even we believers in the twenty-first century have all turned our own ways, as there is so much fracturing and splintering going on within the Church.
But God is big enough to unify us and restore us if we will turn our eyes to him. Let's purpose today to do that. And may spiritual revival start with you and me.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Where or on what are your eyes turned today? Is it time to cut out what is a "cancer" in your life or is prohibiting you from growing closer to the Father? Think about how you spend your money, what you watch, who you hang out with or what you're passionate about today. Do they point you toward or away from your heavenly Father? If you're ready, God will show you just what to do.
Further Reading:
2 Chron. 7:14
James 4:10
1 John 2:15-17
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Be Yourself
Stephen Sanders, Salem Web Network Audio/Video Editor
Have you ever had someone tell you to, "Just be yourself and everything will work out"? It sounds so simple doesn't it? "Be Yourself." What does that even mean? After all, if we could simply "be ourselves," then wouldn't the world that surrounds us be a lot different?
I often wonder what friendships would be like if we could simply be who we are inside; to not feel so much pressure to be less or more of an individual than we think we are supposed to be. One thing I've begun to focus on in recent months is being the same person everywhere I am no matter who I'm around; but that's a lot easier said that done.
Don't get me wrong. I realize that none of us are exempt to sin. 1 John 1:8-10 says this: "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us."
Can you see how not dealing with sin appropriately keeps us from being ourselves? Behavior like this causes us to trick ourselves into thinking we are someone who we really aren't. When we ignore or hide sin, it breeds all kinds of issues, not only in us, but also in the body of Christ.
So how should sin be handled? How can you "be yourself?" Well, here are 3 things that will certainly get us going in the right direction: Confession, confrontation and forgiveness.
We all know that we are supposed to confess our sins to God, but what about confessing our sins to one another? Where does that fit into the picture? The answer lies within James 5:16, which instructs us to, "...confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working." Why isn't the confession of sins more of a focus in the church today? Shouldn't we be doing this every chance we get if it results in "healing and righteousness?"
Secondly, there is confrontation. Jesus says in Matthew 18:15-17 that, "If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church..." Notice that this scenario starts with someone taking the initiative to point out the sin. Also notice that this person risks not only putting his friend in an uncomfortable situation, but also being humiliated in front of others if he is wrong about his assessment. It's easy to see why the church struggles with this; it's not a simple solution.
Lastly, we have forgiveness. After discussing confrontation and confession, doesn't forgiveness make a lot more sense now? There is a very good reason why Jesus instructed us to forgive, "seventy times seven times " in Matthew 18:22. Jesus knew we were going to be surrounded by sinful people because we live in a sinful world. Rather than avoiding it, we need to be brave enough to be the one who chooses to forgive sin unconditionally and infinitely. Our reaction to sin determines the impact it is able to have on us. Who knows? Our reaction may even be so powerful that it may stop that sin in its tracks before it affects others too!
Intersecting Faith and Life:
I'm totally convinced that this is how we should be handling sin. And since sin is "at enmity with God" then shouldn't we be doing everything we can to remove it from the bride of Christ? Shouldn't this be a primary focus in our lives rather than striving for what we can gain in life? Jesus is waiting for a bride with no blemishes.
Today, just take about 15 minutes and ask God this simple question: "God, how is the sin in my life keeping me from being who you have created me to be?"
Further Reading
1 John 1
Matthew 18
James 5
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March 30, 2012
The Call to Martyrdom
by Sarah Phillips, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." Matthew 16: 24
St Maximilian Kolbe once wrote, "Beyond armies of occupation and the hecatombs of extermination camps, there are two irreconcilable enemies in the depth of every soul: good and evil, sin and love. And what use are the victories on the battlefield if we ourselves are defeated in our innermost personal selves?"
Maximilian Kolbe has long been one of my favorite Christian heroes. A wild-child-turned-convert, he was a Polish priest during the dark days of World War II. He dedicated his life to boldly proclaiming Christ, traveling as far as Japan in spite of knowing very little Japanese. Ultimately, he found himself at Auschwitz, ministering to fellow prisoners. He died after offering his life in place of another prisoner who had a wife and children. That prisoner – a "nobody" by the world's standards -- went on to be reunited with his many children after the war. Kolbe's life is one of many amazing examples of Christians imitating Christ to the point of quite literally following Him to the Cross.
This coming Sunday is Palm Sunday. This feast day marks the solemn beginning of Holy Week. For our Palm Sunday service, our two pastors and deacon wear red robes – red being the liturgical color of martyrdom. The color is all too appropriate.
Often, when we think of martyrdom we think of dramatic and bloody deaths like the early Christians endured in the Coliseum or the horrors Kolbe faced in that concentration camp. These "red martyrdoms," while inspirational, seem reserved for a select few in far away countries.
Yet, in reflecting on Christ's sufferings this year, I've been pondering our own call as Christians to "take up our crosses" and follow in Christ's footsteps. In many ways, martyrdom isn't reserved for a few Christians in far away countries. There is a second kind of martyrdom to which all Christians are called, sometimes referred to as "white martyrdom."
White martyrdom is the subtle, but profoundly important "death to self" believers must embrace on a daily basis. It is a call to surrender all to the Lord, to be willing to sacrifice personal pleasures or temporary desires for a greater good. "White martyrdom" is the housewife who shelves her master's degree to stay home with her little ones. It's the husband who does household chores after a long day of work to give his wife a much-needed time to herself. It's the college student who stays chaste in the face of temptation, only to be "rewarded" by the ridicule of his buddies. It's the colleague who puts in extra hours, but never gets extra credit. White martyrdom is the stuff that builds character, the stuff that strengthens "spiritual muscles" – and its rewards may or may not come in this lifetime. Yet God does not fail to treasure each and every thing we do for Him - no matter how hidden or small.
Kolbe's death illustrates an important connection between white and red martyrdom. He was known for personal integrity, for living a life that daily revealed love for his Savior in every little action – long before he was faced with time at Auschwitz. Believers like Kolbe understand that life cannot be compartmentalized. We cannot act saintly one hour, devilishly the next, and say at the end of the day, "Well, on average I am a pretty good person."
No doubt, a life of small, daily moments of "choosing Christ," of constant conversion and submission to the Lord, paved the way for Kolbe and countless other heroes of the faith to choose Christ when it mattered most.
Of course, a life of "white martyrdom" may not sound very appealing to you. I've always marveled at my friends who thought Christianity to be a crutch – I think my pre-Christian days were easier! But the longer I walk the Christian walk, the more I realize how true glory cannot be separated from some measure of suffering – how Easter cannot be divorced from Good Friday.
Further Reading:
Philipians 2: 6 – 11
15 Ways to Observe Holy Week with Your Family
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Easter: All That Matters vs. All I Live For
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
He has risen, just as He said.
Matthew 28:6, NIV
What would I ever do if someone I knew came back from the dead? Especially if he had said he would, and if he had spent a couple nights in a grave already?
Seriously, what would I do? What would you do? Wouldn't I blab to everyone I know - and most people I don't - about this miraculous event? Heck, I tell everyone when I'm feeling under the weather or when I saw a good movie.
Then factor in that the same guy was now telling us that because of what he had done, none of the rest of us would ever have to suffer death. What's more, simply by believing what we had seen, no matter our background, history, race, or education, we could restore our long-lost connection with the Almighty, and live forever.
Man... unfortunately, I'm having a hard time conceiving what I would do. Or, even if I can conceive it, I can't quite believe it, because honestly, I have seen this, I do believe this, and yet my daily reaction to it doesn't exactly line up with The Acts of the Apostles.
Has the news of a resurrected savior really become passe?
Why don't I want to read Acts?
What am I afraid of?
That I'll be rejected?
(He who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit (1 Thess. 4:8)).
That I won't be powerful enough?
(God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline (2 Tim. 1:7)).
That the good news isn't relevant enough?
Salvation and the message of the resurrection, the miracle of born again-ness, is a salve to all wounds.
This Easter I'll join choruses like "He's Alive" while pondering and praising the miracle, but when it comes time for the next day of my life to begin, a day and a life that means nothing if not lived for my Savior, it'll be all about me again and my troubles and making my way and who cut me off and what I have to get done and who I don't like and what can we complain about today.
Yuck.
I want this Easter to be real. Because I did see it happen (so to speak; the resulting spread of those who ran to the corners of the earth to tell the story with no regard for personal safety is traceable to this day), it is real, and I'm cheating life and people God loves if I'm not shouting those facts from every corner and rooftop I can find. Everything else is just window dressing; "Christian living" is often just how we pass all our extra time in this country where so many of our basic needs are so easily met, and where we can cordon ourselves off from each other. What matters in life?
That there is life, and...
how it came about that there might never be death, but...
there are still dead men walking.
Really, why else are we here if not to keep excitedly shouting the truth of the miracle as if we'd just experienced it with our own eyes yesterday?
Intersecting Faith & Life: For the longest time, I've felt a leading in my heart to launch out into a complete study of the book of Acts, something I've never fully done. For some reason, I continue to put it off. But in my quest this year to make Easter real, I'm beginning a study of what those who witnessed the resurrection couldn't keep themselves from going out and doing. Care to join me?
Further Reading
Acts 1
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He Defeated Death
by Sarah Phillips, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast." Now none of the disciples dared ask him, "Who are you?" They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead. (John 21: 12 - 14)
Recently, my husband and I attended a forum to discuss the increasingly controversial issues surrounding end of life decisions. The event was intended to approach the topic from a Christian worldview, drawing on the Christian teachings of the dignity of human life.
Most of us came expecting experts to delve into the ways we can ethically preserve a person's life in a culture all too quick to promote what Pope John Paul II coined "the culture of death." This aspect of end-of-life issues is a very important one, and it was discussed at length. But before we got to those topics, a local trauma surgeon gave the first talk. And her words sunk in deeply with the entire room.
She highlighted the reality that death is part of human life, and when it's a person's time, it's okay to die. She offered ways families can come to recognize - and find peace - when that time comes.
I can't lie - these words were hard to hear even though we all, deep down, know we are mere mortals. Nobody wants to die. Nobody wants to think about death. It is strangely easier to discuss heavy issues such as battling diseases or unethical procedures than to discuss the need to accept natural death.
Undoubtedly, part of our hesitancy to discuss the topic is fueled by our own sense of self-preservation and fear of loss. But I also think the topic is difficult because as Christians we celebrate life - and rightly so. We are people of hope, people who cherish the gift of life and the blessings that come with it. For centuries, Christians have been among the first to defend life and promote the dignity of even the tiniest, most fragile person.
But the trauma surgeon's talk about preparing for natural death does not run contrary to being people of hope. She spoke these words in light of our true hope: Jesus Christ. She highlighted that while we should not prematurely end our earthly lives - because, yes this life is a gift - there is eternal life with Jesus Christ awaiting those who believe. Our time here is a time of preparation for the fullness of life in Christ. She said (to paraphrase), "Natural death of a loved one or even our own is the time we are called to put into practice that faith we've developed year after year as church attendees, deepening our relationship with the Lord."
During this Easter week, we celebrate the resurrection of the risen Christ. Jesus Christ faced all the loneliness, pain, and fear that comes with death and conquered it. And as we read the Easter scriptures, we see that he did not disappear or abandon his disciples after the resurrection, but walked among them in his glorified state to offer further hope and instruction. So now, as we celebrate this profound moment in salvation history, we must ask ourselves: Do we truly believe He has conquered death and will never abandon us? As Christians, we can say yes with confidence.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Do you know someone who is ill or even grieving a loss? Find a way to be Christ's comforting presence for that person this week even if it's through a small gesture like a card.
Further Reading:
Acts 4: 1 - 12
John 21: 1 - 14
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The Gifts of Easter
Ryan Duncan, Editor at TheFish.com
"While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy." – Luke 24: 51-52
My Grandfather has always been a generous man. Every Easter when I was young, he would go out to the local candy store and return with bags upon bags of candy for me and my cousins. Of course, we couldn't just eat the candy then and there. To make things more enjoyable, the children would all go into the basement to play while he and my Grandmother hid the candy in nooks and corners of the house for us to find throughout the day. The big prize in the game was always an enormous, solid chocolate bunny hidden somewhere in the house, and my grandfather loved to walk about giving vague hints as to where it might be.
To be honest though, what I loved most about my early Easters was actually what came afterword. You see, my Grandfather always bought so much candy that we kids couldn't find it all. So when our family came to visit a few weeks later, you might find a caramel egg while rummaging through the bookshelf or stumble on a bar of chocolate while playing in the study. These unexpected blessings always reminded me how much my Grandfather loved his grandchildren, and how he always spoke of God loving us. Looking back on it now, I can't help but see a resemblance between those unforeseen gifts and Christ's work through the resurrection.
Look at the verse below,
"On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, 'Peace be with you!' After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Again Jesus said, 'Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.' And with that he breathed on them and said, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.'" – John 20:19-23
One of the most amazing, wonderful messages of the gospel is that it's not over. Just like my old Easter-egg hunt, which didn't end with the capture of the giant bunny, Christ's work didn't end at the resurrection. Instead, he gave us the Holy Spirit. The unexpected gift, that continues to remind us how much he loves us, and the sacrifice he made so that we could be together again. So this year, celebrate Easter with a grateful heart, and remember the love Christ has for you.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Take a moment to meditate of Jesus life, death, and resurrection.
Further Reading
John 20
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Stinky Feet
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
How deep the Father's love for us,
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure
"How Deep the Father's Love for Us"
Words & Music by Stuart Townend
Today is Thursday, the fifth day of Holy Week. And many Christians know it as Maundy Thursday.
The word maundy means "a new commandment" and is derived from the Latin word Mandatum in translating Jesus' commandment in John 13:34-35.
"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
Before he said that, Jesus had demonstrated his love that same evening during the Last Supper, as he humbled himself and washed his disciples' feet (John 13:4-5). This act perfectly illustrated his new command.
So he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
After reading this, I can only imagine what washing someone else's stinky feet must be like.
Think about where your feet have been—especially if you live in a back-to-nature, shoe-optional locale. This starts getting very up close and personal. And, depending on the individual and their hygiene habits or lack thereof, perhaps not too pleasant. Washing another's feet is not a glamorous act of service at all. But neither is anything related to the role of a servant, since it represents a position of humility and a mindset of putting others first.
In this day and age, I know there are certain churches that do have foot-washing services on Maundy Thursday to commemorate Christ's actions and his command. I have not participated in one like this, but I am sure it is a great object lesson to help all ages understand how to love one another.
Taking this a step further, The Bible Knowledge Commentary has this to say about foot-washing:
"Foot-washing was needed in Palestine. The streets were dusty and people wore sandals without socks or stockings. It was a mark of honor for a host to provide a servant to wash a guest's feet; it was a breach of hospitality not to provide for it. . . . [Jesus] had done a humble service for [the disciples]. Meeting others' needs self-sacrificially is what they ought to do too. . . . This passage emphasizes inner humility, not a physical rite. . . . Not to follow the example of Jesus is to exalt oneself above him and to live in pride. No servant is greater than his master (cf John 12:26)."
So when we humble ourselves and serve the Lord as he served us, it is he who lifts us up. When we love Christ, he changes our hearts and motivates us to love others. And if showing this love means washing some stinky feet or its modern-day equivalent, then every day should become like Maundy Thursday in our hearts.
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and keep my laws (Ezek. 36:26-27).
Intersecting Faith & Life: Who is God impressing upon your heart today? Is he calling you to show love to this person? Determine your course of action that will show a humble heart: make a phone call, send a note, lend a hand, speak a kind word or wash some feet. And then follow through as you love one another.
Further Reading:
Luke 10:27, MSG
John 15:13, NIV
"Oh How He Loves You and Me"
Words & Music by Kurt Kaiser
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A Springtime Mystery
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse."
Romans 1:20
When was the last time you wondered if spring would ever come? Not in the ironic sense - really wondered if winter might last forever, something like the 100 years of winter in Narnia. My guess is never. Most of America lives in the reality of four seasons, and we expect the Earth to naturally cycle from winter to spring to summer to fall. We expect trees to unfurl new leaves this time of year because they're supposed to.
But what if they didn't? What if the trees bloomed in winter when their new leaves would freeze, or what if their flowers matured into hornets' nests instead of apples? What if they didn't bloom at all?
In his autobiographical work, Orthodoxy, G. K. Chesterton remembers his journey from agnosticism to faith including such nonsensical questions. Before he became the great 20th century apologist, he was a man confined to the world of determinism, where the natural world was governed by impersonal laws or nothing. But observing spring outside his window, he was struck by the wonderful fact that for some reason, trees do indeed bloom into fruit.
"They talked as if the fact that trees bear fruit were just as necessary as the fact that two and one trees make three. But it is not... You cannot imagine two and one not making three. But you can easily imagine trees not growing fruit..."
"I had always vaguely felt facts to be miracles in the sense that they were wonderful: now I began to think them miracles in the stricter sense that they were willful. I mean that they were, or might be, repeated exercises of some will. In short, I had always believed that the world involved magic: now I thought that perhaps it involved a magician." (Orthodoxy)
I owe Chesterton a great debt, because he taught me to be amazed at everyday grace. After all, how often do we marvel that the sky is blue (or grey) instead of orange or electric pink? Yet again, familiarity breeds contempt, and we forget what incredible world this "magician" made and keeps in order. Like children who see the same magic trick one too many times, we stop wondering "how did he do that?" and are bored until we see something new.
I use the term "magician" loosely - God is no mere conjurer of tricks, and Jesus didn't feed the 5,000 just to wow the crowd. But I wonder that we lose our wonder of this world, even in its fallen state. As Paul writes in Romans, the evidence of God's incredible, "eternal power" and transcendent, "divine nature" is right in front of our eyes. How do forget a God so great that He makes trees bloom?
As Virginia turns to spring again, I can't help but look outside and be amazed. To paraphrase Chesterton, the fact that grass is really green - and so perfectly suited for spring time sports - truly is a miracle, a supernaturally guided fact. What an awesome God.
Intersecting Faith & Life: When was the last time you took a look outside? Consider that "the heavens declare the glory of God" (Psalm 8:1) and the Earth is the work of his hands. Are you properly inspired to worship their Creator?
Further Reading:
Psalm 8
Psalm 33:5
Genesis 8:22
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Both / And
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Him who is the Head, that is, Christ.
Ephesians 4:15
Consider the following sets of words:
Compassionate, communicative, kind, fair, long-suffering, patient, accepting, gentle, merciful, understanding.
Honest, holy, set-apart, stand-taking, consistent, dedicated, mature, righteous, unyielding, just.
Which set best describes you?
Sometimes it feels like we Christians divide ourselves into these two camps. Camp A rightly believes that "God is love," and as such they do a fairly good job of not alienating those they meet and know and care for. Of course, with every strength there's a weak side, and sometimes our well-meaning Camp-A brethren can become wishy-washy and overly accepting, even false.
CampB, on the other hand, rightly believes that "God is holy," and as such they do a fairly good job of reminding those they meet and know and care for that sin is sin, and God can not tolerate it. Of course, sometimes our well-meaning Camp-B brethren can end up sounding a lot like gongs and cymbals, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. People know we're here, but they wish we'd quiet down for a bit. Perhaps all the conflict between our own camps has torn at your heart and worn down your spirit, too.
Now consider... which set of words best describes Our Father? Think about it before answering. Honestly, isn't it both? We'll come back to that thought in a minute.
I have a close friend, a youth minister, who has served many years at his current church. Recently, he was summoned to a meeting with the personnel committee and several parents. The gist of their message was that he was teaching the students too much about discipline and truth and knowing what the Bible says and so on. The criticism apparently was that there wasn't enough about love and compassion in his messages.
Reading between the lines, it was clear that fear was at work: fear that these students weren't being prepared for college and a world that is more about tolerance and acceptance and where Christian students who literally believe the Bible are ostracized. After all, who hopes for their child to face unpopularity, embarrassment, and harsh criticism while they're already struggling to get ahead in the world? My friend would point out that he's not opposed to compassion and love, not in the least. But what kind of foundation do you want to build in the youth?
It's sad. Because at the end of the day... why can't we have both?
I'm not talking about vacillating. I'm not talking about compromise. I don't want to be lukewarm.
I am talking about balance; checks and balances. I do wish to be balanced. A position of balance is a position of strength. A balanced person stumbles less often. How much fun is a teeter-totter where all the weight is pushed to one side?
I am also talking about paradox. A paradox is a seeming contradiction that nonetheless contains truth. A paradox says an object or person or idea is both this and that. Jesus is the world's greatest paradox, being both fully God and fully man. With Christ as the example and the cornerstone, one learns to see that the whole Bible is full of paradox, including the fact that we can and should "Speak truth." "In love." Both/and. Just like Jesus.
He didn't excuse sins. But He did forgive them.
He was equal with God. But He didn't consider equality with God a thing to be grasped.
He was sinless. But He refused to cast the first stone at the accused.
He demanded His followers take up a cross and follow Him unreservedly unfettered. But He was sad for those who weren't ready to do so.
Truth. In. Love. Both. And.
Don't forget, Campers, you have the Holy Spirit, which gives you wisdom, which instructs you as to which set of characteristics is needed in a given circumstance. Pull up the tent poles. Become nomadic. You can put on the armor of God, but if your feet aren't balanced underneath you? Ask any beginner student of martial arts what the result will be.
But even if you find yourself gravitating more towards one campsite or the other, that's okay. The same chapter that talks of the need to speak the truth in love also mentions, just a couple verses earlier, that, "It was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up."
We're on the same team. And the goal is a "built-up body." One that won't stand unless balanced, unless level, unless unified. What's the result? Refer back to our verse today. When we "speak truth in love," we will "grow up." Bottom line, Campers, our body needs to mature.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Simply ask yourself the next time you proclaim the word: am I being loving? Are my motives pure? Likewise, the next time you get those good feelings about how fair and open-minded and communicative you're being with unbelievers and sinners, ask, "Lord, what truth do they need to know?" Love enough to tell the truth. Be truthful enough to not misrepresent how your Lord met people where they were. It can be scary to think about doing, but remember that "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and love, and discipline."
Further Reading
1 Corinthians 13
Discovering the Value of Your Personality
Education and Relation - or - Truth and Love
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High Infidelity
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"...you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God."
Romans 7:4 NASB
Usually, we think of "having faith" as simply "trusting, believing." And while that is true, it can be incomplete if we forget that, as Christians, we are also joined to Christ as our Bridegroom. In other words, there is a real relationship with Him—the living Christ—that is at stake. It is not just a matter of possessing correct content of what we believe about the person and work of Christ. And although we never have a legitimate cause to do so, we often break faith with and betray our faithful Bridegroom.
Francis Schaeffer talks about this in chapter seven of True Spirituality where we continue our journey with him this week. Citing the passage above, he notes that since we have been rescued from the tyranny of the devil and placed safely in the arms of the Lord Jesus Christ—we are now positioned to bring forth His fruit.
Schaeffer expands upon the simple, yet remarkably powerful word picture in Romans 7:1-4 to make the point plain:
"Imagine a married couple both of the one color of skin. Suddenly the wife brings forth a child clearly of another race [sic]. All the world would know that she has been unfaithful to her proper mate. So it is with us."
When we do not bring forth His fruit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (per Galatians 5:22)—but bring forth immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these (Gal. 5:19-21), it is because we have broken faith with Him and are in the state of infidelity of the highest order.
What generally causes us to distrust Christ and leads us to break faith with Him and run to the arms of another is the fact that we often think that we have a better way. We think that, somehow, God really doesn't have our best interests at heart. I know for me, personally, this happens mostly when I am "Law-minded" in a way that discounts or obscures the gospel. One writer, Milton Vincent, in his A Gospel Primer for Christians provides a helpful counter to this erroneous and sinful way of thinking (p. 18):
"...when I begin my train of thought with the gospel, I realize that if God loved me enough to sacrifice His Son's life for me, then He must be guided by that same love when He speaks His commandments to me. Viewing God's commands and prohibitions in this light, I can see them for what they really are: friendly signposts from a heavenly Father who is seeking to love me through each directive, so that I might experience His very fullness forever." (see Deut. 5:29)
Not only are they friendly signposts, they are friendly love letters from our faithful Bridegroom who has done nothing to warrant our distrust. By His life-giving Spirit, He is actively seeking to love us and bring forth His fruit in us today. What is the state of your union with Him?
Intersecting Faith & Life:
In light of today's devotional, contemplate afresh Schaeffer's summary of the life of faith: "The how of the Christian life is the power of the crucified and risen Lord, through the agency of the indwelling Holy Spirit, by faith moment by moment."
For Further Prayer & Study:
If repentance for spiritual infidelity is in order, reflect on Isaiah 30:15 "Thus the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, has said, 'In repentance and rest you will be saved, In quietness and trust is your strength.'" For further study, read Romans 6-8.
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Leadership as a Servant
Ryan Duncan
"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." – John 13:34-35
I remember during my first week of college, the older guys in our dorm announced they were going to organize an off-campus retreat as a way of welcoming in the new students. Our entire floor ended up going camping in a nearby park, and we spent the day hanging out, playing Ultimate Frisbee, and cooking hot dogs over a campfire. I should have been enjoying myself, but in truth, I was on edge. I had overheard some of the older guys talking about the evenings "initiation", a tradition they had for incoming freshmen. I didn't know what it was, but it sounded sinister.
I had heard about hazing, how older students would degrade the younger ones before they could become part of the cool crowd, and I was determined not to be part of it. I wanted to be accepted at my school, but not at the expense of my dignity. So when night came and the older guys began leading us toward a large pavilion, my adrenalin kicked in and I prepared to run or fight at the slightest hint of trouble. Imagine my surprise when one of the guys pulled out a Bible and began to read the following verse,
"When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place." Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. "You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you." – John 13:12-15
After he had finished reading, the older students came forward carrying towels and bowls of water. One by one, they removed our shoes and washed our feet, drying them with the towels when they had finished. Then putting their hands on our shoulders they began to pray over us, asking God to bless us and our time at the university. It's been many years since that evening, but the impression it left on me still remains. Jesus was far greater than the disciples could ever imagine, yet he chose to step down and show them what it meant to be a servant of God.
What's more, he commanded them to do the same, and that command has followed them through space and time to a rural college, where a group of older students demonstrated Christ's love and humility to a group of awkward, incoming freshmen. Jesus knew the strength that was in humility, and because Jesus loved us, so are we to love each other.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Are you displaying the Spirit of Christ in your leadership?
Further Reading
John 13
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Speak, for Your Servant Is Listening
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
"Anyone who is willing to hear should listen and understand!"
Matt. 11:15, NLT
I don't have a smartphone. There, I said it.
Now I'm nowhere near being a Luddite. But neither am I a new technology junkie. I'd classify myself as somewhere in between. So when my mobile phone carrier requires me to upgrade, then I will. Until that time, I still enjoy having face-to-face conversations, living further away from the tyranny of the urgent and being less accessible.
My personal preferences are probably why I've also enjoyed reading Almost Amish, a new book by Nancy Sleeth with an intriguing tagline that reads: "One woman's quest for a slower, simpler, more sustainable life."
Now Sleeth isn't trying to convince any of us to become Amish—nor to embrace everything this people group believes and does. She is merely sharing what she has learned and observed. The Amish exist in a world that is very intentional. They don't text, some don't drive and their lifestyle is basically calmer, slower and more focused.
At the same time, I've also been reading in 1 Samuel in my daily Bible readings. And I couldn't help but relate some of the Amish lifestyle principles to what I gleaned from young Samuel's experience when he heard from the Lord in the third chapter:
One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was. Then the LORD called Samuel. Samuel answered, "Here I am." And he ran to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." But Eli said, "I did not call; go back and lie down." So he went and lay down. Again the LORD called, "Samuel!" And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." "My son," Eli said, "I did not call; go back and lie down." Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD: The word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him. The LORD called Samuel a third time, and Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." Then Eli realized that the LORD was calling the boy. So Eli told Samuel, "Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, 'Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place. Then the LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" Then Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening."
Granted, you and I don't live in the temple in Old Testament times. But as believers in Christ, we are daily in God's presence, are we not?
I think it's interesting to note that Samuel was "lying down" or resting when he heard from the Lord. He was in a state where his surroundings were calm, peaceful and open to receiving divine guidance and direction. In our world today, are we living in life spaces where we can say the same? Or have our choices led to cluttering our lives with so many things, activities, people or "noise" that we have chosen for ourselves to "hear"? And as a result do we have trouble hearing from the Lord?
It's something to think about as we make even the seemingly smallest of choices in our lives each and every day. Not everything "new" or "improved" or "latest" or "greatest" is always ultimately for our good. Perhaps we need to slow down and consider simplifying our "worlds" in order to hear from the Lord, so that we may be ready to answer: "Speak, for your servant is listening."
Intersecting Faith & Life: Fill in the blank: If I had to go a week without __________, I would _________. Now trying going without whatever that is for a week, and see what happens.
Further Reading:
1 Kings 19:11-12, NIV
1 John 4:1, NLT
James 4:8, MSG
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The Power of Words
by Anna Kuta, News and Culture Editor at Crosswalk.com
"Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit" (Proverbs 18:21).
We've all heard the phrase "Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me." In my mind, that statement couldn't be further from the truth.
Words are powerful. We've all, no doubt, been wounded at some point by careless, unkind or mean statements. Their effect on our lives, even years later, is undeniable. No matter how much we deny it, it still makes us cringe to remember the taunts of the second-grade bully on the playground and makes us want to crawl under a rock to think of that rumor spreading through the high school hallways.
"Death and life are in the power of the tongue," Proverbs 18:21 says. The impact our words have on others cannot be overstated. One small comment or remark can make the difference between building a relationship up or tearing it down. We have the power to either encourage or destroy others with our speech.
The Bible speaks extensively about the power of words – especially positive ones – and warns about the dangers of careless ones. "A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger," says Proverbs 15:1. "Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones," Proverbs 16:24 adds. Ephesians 4:29 says, "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear." And Matthew 12:36-37 says: "But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."
One particular instance of the power of words in my life stands out in my mind – one that, without exaggerating, very likely changed my whole course at that time. It was early in the second semester of my sophomore year of college, and I was trudging up the stairs of the journalism building to turn in an assignment. Freshman year and the first half of sophomore year had been rough for a variety of reasons, and now I was struggling to juggle my classes, work and personal issues and keep my head afloat. I had to officially declare my major in just a few weeks, but I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. It was one of those weeks where I seemed to be failing on every assignment, and to top it off, I had just come from a disastrous meeting with an econ professor who made me feel stupid for not understanding an "easy" problem. Even in my journalism classes – my best subject – I couldn't seem to get into the swing of things. The harder I tried, the worse the results seemed to be. I was beginning to worry that majoring in journalism would be the most terrible idea of my life, and I was, in all honesty, becoming more and more tempted to give it all up completely and go take a semester off somewhere.
On my way out of the journalism building, I passed two of my professors talking in the hallway. I said hi to them and kept walking, but after I rounded the corner I stopped short as I heard one of them say to the other, "Anna is one of the most hard-working and good journalism students." I don't know if he meant for me to overhear his statement, and I don't remember hearing either of them say a single other thing, but his words made me freeze and stand there for a good 10 seconds. A good student – that's really what he thought? My work was paying off? I wasn't a total journalistic failure who would never succeed as a writer? It was like right then and there something went off in my mind. I hadn't even realized I needed the encouragement, but suddenly my whole outlook changed. If that's what my professor thought of me, then I was determined not to let him down. Many times throughout the rest of college when I doubted myself or just needed a pick-me-up, I thought back to his comment. He became one of my most trusted mentors, and before I graduated I was finally able to tell him how his words that day had probably been the turning point in my whole academic career. To this day, I still don't know what it was about that one simple statement – but I do know its impact went a thousand times beyond what my professor could have ever imagined.
A kind, positive or encouraging word at the right time can truly be life-changing. Your words hold the power to breathe an attitude of death or life into others – which will you choose?
Intersecting Faith & Life
Let us strive to remember the power of our words and their impact on those who hear them. Think twice before making a negative statement, and instead find a way to pass along an encouraging word today.
Further Reading
1 Peter 3:10
Colossians 3:8
Proverbs 15
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Traveling Mercies
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
You will not be afraid of the terror by night, Or of the arrow that flies by day.
Psalm 91:5
With summer travel season nearly upon us - well, for those who haven't been grounded by the economy, anyway - I've been reminiscing upon all the times the Lord has watched out for me on the road through all my journeys. Here are just a few examples:
When I helped my wife - before she was my wife - move from Columbia, South Carolina to Farmville, Virginia, we rented an auto transport to trail her car behind the U-Haul so that we could both ride together in the truck. I had helped load her car onto the transport before we left. We decided to get out of town and onto the interstate before we gassed up. We'd traveled up and down hills, across several railroad tracks, on the interstate, in stop-and-go traffic... and it was raining. You'll understand the reason I tell you all that momentarily.
When we pulled into the gas station, we realized we didn't have Valerie's key chain. It held the keys to her car, her new home, her old home, and several expensive keys to the University of South Carolina. Neither of us had any idea where they could be. I got out of the truck to think... and I spotted them, there on one of the two-inch thick beams of the auto transport. I yelled for Valerie, who came to look. I carefully touched the keys with my fingertips... and they dropped to the ground. Neither of us could believe our eyes, or that those keys had remained there of their own accord over the route we had driven. It had to be the Lord. If not, well, He got the praise and glory anyway.
Another time, when I was just a boy, my mother's station wagon had a flat tire on a remote stretch of road outside Tucson. My sister and I were in the car as my mother struggled to get the hubcap off. In those days, on that model, a special tool was required to be able to get to the lugnuts. We didn't have the tool. Just then, a guy rode up on a bike. He happened to have the tool. He handed it to my mother, who to this day swears he was an angel. I'm not sure I can argue with her.
At other times there have been individuals who showed up with just the right help during blowouts, or - believe it or not - airline personnel who actually made my trip better than it could have gone. The most memorable of these instances, truly, have come during times I prayed, read my Bible, and had decided in advance not to get bent out of shape about delays or other problems. One such cross-country trip resulted in an out-of-nowhere upgrade to first class from Philadelphia to Seattle, where I also ended up in position to calmly solve a dispute between passengers. Indeed, the Lord has been gracious to me in travel.
My wife's family has a tradition before every trip they take to read Psalm 91. It reminds them that He is their refuge as they go, wherever they go. And of course before every trip we take, my family prays for safety, and mercy... and the opportunity to minister, even if it is an inconvenience to our plans.
One way or another, this prayer is always answered. Still, it's hard to remind myself of goodness and opportunity in delay. Sometimes I still feel that the trip, the vacation, is my time... that whatever gets in the way shows that the Lord does not care, or did not "bless" our travels. That's when I remember Paul's travels. I am sure he didn't think shipwrecks and imprisonment were helps toward spreading the Word. But in the end, they were. Are our travels - no matter what purpose we think they hold - any different?
Jesus told a story about a traveler who had been robbed, beaten, and left for dead on the road. Those who passed him by had in mind only their own agendas and their desire not to be inconvenienced, even if they were priests by vocation. What would you do? Would you have the time, yearning, and empathy to interrupt your travels to do as the Samaritan did?
Understand that I am not discounting that the Lord must lay on your heart the decision to stop and help, especially in these troubled times. But do be open to it. So few times anymore do we make it outside our home or neighborhood. Those times we do should not merely be restful, but ministerial. Pray that God would give you opportunities to serve him - and yes, even to see His glory in watching over you! - as you go.
Intersecting Faith & Life: This summer especially, be on the lookout for fellow travelers who are stranded. Rising gas costs could cause more and more motorists to run out of fuel. Consider taking along a spare gas can and assisting stranded folks, who might be in need of the gospel message.
Further Reading
Luke 10: 25-37
Psalm 91
A Father's Summer Trip Road Rules
Tips to Keep Your Family Vacation Affordable and Fun
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Your Birthday: The Most and Least Important Day of Your Life
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." John 3:3
Just before our second son, Henry, was born earlier this year I remember standing with my wife in the nursery, looking around and just taking in everything. The wooden crib stood assembled and accessorized with matching mobile, blankets, padding and pillows. Diapers, booties and footy pajamas were tucked away in the bureau. The oak rocking chair sat sturdily in the corner nearest the window. In only a matter of days a tiny boy would fill that little room with life and great joy.
People love babies. There is an unexplainable excitement that surrounds the beginning of life. But as soon as the day of birth arrives, it becomes simultaneously the most important day and least important day of one's life. It is the most important because, without it, one wouldn't have life; but it is also least important because it is only the starting point and then it's past. After the moment of birth, the most important thing is, of course, living.
Obvious as it seems, I was reminded while reading Francis Schaeffer's book, True Spirituality, that many professing Christians seem to languish in denial of this fact regarding the moment of their own spiritual birth. Ask a friendly, "how is your relationship with the Lord?" and you may hear an answer emphasizing a past decision, a moment of crisis, or an experience—as if past events were all that mattered. Schaeffer wrote,
"In one way, the new birth is the most important thing in our spiritual lives, because we are not Christians until we have come this way. In another way, however, after one has become a Christian, it must be minimized, in that we should not always have our minds only on our new birth. The important thing after being born spiritually is to live." (ch. 1)
Yes, we are grateful for the past. We look forward expectantly to the bright future ahead with Christ in His manifest presence. But our present walk with Christ, right now, is the most important moment. Romans 14:17 says, "The kingdom of God is [present tense] ... righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit."
First John 1:7 reaffirms this emphasis on the present—true spirituality is concerned with walking [present tense] in the light "as He is [present tense] in the light, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, cleanses us [present tense] from all sin."
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Refocus today on your present walk with Christ. If your fellowship with the Lord is broken, let 1 John 1:8-9 illumine the path. It says, "If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Trust God's promise of forgiveness and cleansing in Christ, and begin to walk with Him again. The important thing after being born spiritually is to live spiritually.
Further Reading
Psalm 86:7-12
Continuous Revival, by Norman Grubb (Chapter 1: "The Walk")
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You Can Do This
By Ryan Duncan, TheFish.com
Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. – Luke 6:30
Every other day, just after finishing with work, I head to the gym and spend some time exercising. I like to work out. It's a great way to stay healthy and burn off stress at the same time.
My routine is pretty simple. I start by running on a treadmill, then I wander around the free-weight section for a variety of exercises. Finally, I try to finish off by swimming a few laps in the pool. When it's over I always feel tired and sore, but good that I completed such a full workout.
One day, I was invited to work out with a friend of mine. As we made our way around the weight room, my friend stopped at the bench press and placed two huge weights on the side of the bar. Immediately, I became nervous. I had done the bench press before, but never with that much weight. I wasn't sure I'd be able to lift it. Pride got the better of me though. Instead of saying something, I just braced myself and lifted the bar with all my strength.
To my surprise, it wasn't that heavy. Sure, it took more effort than usual, but I realized my continuous workouts had made me a lot stronger. I had underestimated my own strength.
I think Christians can sometime have the same problem when it comes to their faith. We keep telling ourselves we are not ready, that we need just a little more time to prepare ourselves. We underestimate our ability to be of service to God. Take a moment to read this excerpt from the book of Acts.
After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them. – Acts 18: 1-3
Acts continues to explain that while Paul ministered in Corinth, Aquila and Priscilla opened their home, helped with his teaching, and even followed him on some of his travels. Now read the verse again. Aquila and Pricilla weren't anything special, they were tent makers. If anyone had an excuse to think they weren't ready for ministry, it was them. Instead, they gave what they had while serving where they could and God did amazing things through them.
So, instead of wondering if you ready to serve, ask yourself what could you do to serve?
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Take a moment to review your strengths. How can these be used to serve God?
Further Reading
Proverbs 21:26
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I'm Ready for My Close-Up
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
"Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." Psalm 139:23-24, NIV
"I'm ready for my close-up."
How often have you heard people repeat this phrase from the 1950 American film noir, Sunset Boulevard? It's usually said in jest, but it refers to the storyline's aging silent-movie star, Norma Desmond, who says it as she is trying to make a comeback to the big screen.
No doubt she spent some time in front of a magnifying mirror so that she would look just right and perhaps cover up a wrinkle or two before the cameras came in too close. And if you're a woman, then you can certainly identify.
We of the female species want to look good, and we sometimes need a magnifying mirror to help us out a little. Either you've got to see up close to pluck your eyebrows or perhaps you need some sort of triple magnification to make sure you don't poke the mascara wand in your eye. And if you're a man, well, I don't know why you would need one. So that's between you and your mirror.
For us ladies, however, a magnifying mirror can be a blessing and a curse. It's blessing in that it helps you to see what you can't see normally with the naked eye. But the mirror is also somewhat of a curse in that you may not like what you see or you might see something you don't want to see—as in wrinkles, blemishes, or random hairs. When that happens, well you just hope to goodness that no one else has seen what it's taken a magnifying mirror to point out to you!
As believers, we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28) under a most divine magnifying mirror—whether we realize that or not. David refers to God's continual examination of our lives in Psalm 139:
O LORD, you have searched me and you know me ... Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? ... For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb ...All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be ... Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Who of us in our sinful states welcomes this kind of scrutiny? Who of us wants someone to get that close to us, to see every single thought and motive and the ugly pride and selfishness that we try to keep covered up in our lives?
Now, reread all of Psalm 139 and think about this type of close examination once more. How do you see it now?
This is really a love letter, my friend. David understood and got how much God truly loves us—no matter what. He is the one who created our "inmost being" and saw our "unformed body" when it was woven together. He is omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent. He knows us better than we know ourselves!
David welcomed his close-up with his heavenly Father, and he responded to God's unchanging, unconditional, unmerited love. So why do I fear letting God examine me? Why do you?
If we truly want to be obedient to our Master and our King, then we will always be ready for our close-ups and will want him to see into every area of our lives as we seek to live for him.
In grateful response, may we all aim to magnify the Lord today and let our lives reflect his glory.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
What are you afraid of letting God see in your life? Do you know that he already knows about whatever it is you're trying to keep from him? Be like David and praise the Lord for knowing you better than anyone else ("such knowledge is too wonderful for me") and ask him to "lead you in the way everlasting."
Further Reading:
Deuteronomy 31:6, NIV
Jeremiah 17:10, NIV
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The Truest Friend
By Anna Kuta
News and Culture Editor at Crosswalk.com
"A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother" (Proverbs 18:24).
Recently, one of my good friends did something that betrayed my trust. I'm not going to lie, her action and the fact that she knowingly chose to do it was pretty hurtful. I asked the Lord to help me show grace to her and be a good friend myself, and after a few weeks of a lot of prayers and struggles, I was able to reach a point of forgiving her. But because of the details of the whole situation, I don't know at this point if our friendship can ever be quite the same, and that's something that makes me really sad.
When it comes down to it, one of our strongest human desires is to have deep, lasting relationships with others. But we are sinful human beings, and even those closest to us will at some point do something that hurts us or lets us down.
There is one friend, though, who's the best friend we could ever have – a friend who gave His life so we could be saved from our sin.
I'll admit, the concept of Jesus as a friend used to seem pretty weird to me. But Jesus said to his disciples in John 15:14 that we are His friends if we do what He commands – and He will never leave or forsake His friends. Even if all your earthly friends desert you, Jesus will remain. He can be trusted 100 percent of the time, and He wants nothing more than for you to pursue an intimate relationship with Him. God created humans to enjoy fellowship with Him, and through Jesus we are able to do so.
Jesus is the perfect model of what friendship should be for all of us. Let us strive to follow His example, yet realize that while our friendships with others on this earth can add incredible joy to our lives, the only thing that can truly satisfy our hearts' relational desires and ultimately fulfill us is knowing Jesus and following Him.
Intersecting Faith & Life
Ask the Lord to help you realize that He is the greatest friend you could ever have. Ask Him for the desire to seek Him more. Pray that you can strive to follow Jesus' example of friendship in your relationships with others.
Further Reading
John 15:14-15
Proverbs 17:17
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Live Like You Were Dating
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
Let marriage be held in honor among all..."
Hebrews 13:4
I heard the Tim McGraw song Live Like You Were Dying in the most unusual of places the other day - my head as I slept. Normally that's a huge annoyance, a song looping through my brain while I toss and turn. This time, however, I think I was so relieved it wasn't something by The Wiggles or VeggieTales that I went along for the ride.
Only thing is, I began to dream along with the music. As weird as that sounds, the dream varied just a bit from the theme of the song, which is: in order to make sure we don't take life for granted, we should check off that list of things we've always wanted to do, and do not go gently into that good night, but rather sit on top of angry bulls. Or something like that. Basically, you should act like you don't have much time left, because really you don't.
But the montage that played upon my closed eyelids wasn't about me, important moments, my death, or things I want to accomplish. Instead, I was treated to a slide show of moments from my courtship with Valerie (1995-1998). What fun life was then! The things we did, the places we went, the way we treasured each other and every moment together...
I awoke in a very good mood, even if I was confused about the connection between the song and the dream. On my drive to work some of the words from the song slapped me upside the head:
"... and I loved deeper, and I spoke sweeter, and I gave forgiveness I'd been denying..."
Ah, I see... that sentence sounded a lot like the guy I was when I was putting the moves on the tall, big-eyed, opinionated babe who liked my jokes. It did not sound so much like the ten-year married version of myself, who has been going through the motions.
Still I wondered: how can I live like I did then, when I have none of the freedoms afforded me during those years? Unless I'm mistaken, the very word "dating" implies occasionally going on a date...
I interrupt this devotional because at this point Valerie calls me from her cell phone saying she can't get the car to start. The ignition won't turn because the steering wheel is also locked, and she can't jiggle the keys or wheel enough to get either to turn. She's embarrassed, and I can hear her banging and straining away on the dashboard components. She thinks she's gonna be stuck in someone's driveway all day. I suggest looking in the owner's manual to see if there are suggestions. There aren't. We decide she'll have to call a Toyota dealer or Triple-A because I'm too far away to help. 10 minutes later I check in on her because I read online that she might want to use the parking break from now on to prevent this from happening again. Turns out that wasn't the problem. It was that she was trying to start her Camry with the key to my Corolla...
And so it occurs to me - not only can I count on my wife to spice up our life with a good laugh once in a while, but maybe our dating engine simply has to be redefined. It still exists, but it's not going to be started with the same set of keys that got it running 10 years ago. That doesn't mean it's not a reliable vehicle for shuttling us to all of life's events in a manner befitting our faith. If I could find a way to regularly appear as outwardly joyful as I inwardly feel whenever I reflect on how blessed I am to have such a mate, I'd go a long way towards helping fulfill the purpose for this marriage, which Valerie and I long ago decided was to be better for the Lord than we are apart. That felt easier when we were dating. So with a cue from Tim McGraw, here are some ideas...
Loving Deeper
"Love does not seek its own..." (1 Corinthians 13:5)
In Colossians 3:18-19, and again in Ephesians 5:24-25, we are quite simply told by Paul how this marriage thing is going to work. Unfortunately, I've heard the first half of those verse pairings - the "women submit" part - quoted and exercised far more often than the equally important "husbands love" portion. Remember how much easier those commands seemed back then? This was the most wonderful person in the world. They communicated well, never sought their own way; it would be so easy to submit to or actively display love for them. Then time, comfort, bad habits, and the daily grind got a hold of you both. Satan tossed clutter everywhere. Threw in some doubt. Sprayed super-green paint on your neighbor's lawn and spouse. Marriage, it turned out, was complicated. I'll be the first to attest to that, although the Bible doesn't really think it's so complex if you go by the fact that it's not dripping with verses on how to navigate the maze. You leave, you cleave, then you love/submit. Those simple instructions don't seem to get us very far down the path. In fact, they seem to take us happily up to the vows and leave us there. Perhaps that's the point. Perhaps there is no "trick" to loving deeper, you just need to get in touch with what it is you fell in love with this person for in the first place, and act on it, since it's not a feeling anyway.
Speaking Sweeter
"If I could speak in any language in heaven or on earth but didn't love others, I would only be making meaningless noise like a loud gong or a clanging cymbal..." (1 Corinthians 13:1)
This is where I have a problem, being gruff by nature. I'm pleasant enough to co-workers and strangers. I've even earned the nickname "Small-Talk" from one of my buddies, but for some reason, those I love the most are sometimes blessed with a symphony of grunts, groans, and snippy comments. Not only is that gruff nature part of the "former self," but I recall that it did not dare rear its head during our dating days. That's not just because I was trying to sell this woman on my finer qualities, but because I truly felt the love and respect for her that I was dishing out. I therefore gave no place to impatient or intellectually-superior speech. In the words of James, there were, when I was dating Valerie, precious few times when the same fountain sent out both fresh and bitter water. But gradually, as I failed to guard my tongue, I lazily allowed that small amount of bitterness to befoul the whole cistern. I don't want to give the impression that I stalk the grounds of my house grumpy and cursing when I'm actually a pretty decent husband and father, but this is where I need the most improvement in my relationships, and I know it. Harkening back to the days when I wrote poetry, quoted scripture, wooed from afar, and encouraged about the future has helped me to remember the importance of bridling my tongue. James says horses and great ships are steered by very small bits and rudders. Likewise, the direction of my marriage may be steered by brushing up on the language I spoke when dating.
Giving Forgiveness
"Love does not take into account a wrong suffered..." (1 Corinthians 13:5)
Do you often hear people saying, "I'll forgive, but I won't forget"? It's an especially popular thing to say with the camera in one's face on a reality TV program. Thank goodness that's not how the Lord defines forgiveness. He instead wipes out our transgressions, turns crimson to snow white (Isaiah 1:18), and divides us from sin as far as East is from West (Psalm 103:12). Which way is your marriage M.O. regarding wrongs done to you? Do you refuse to go to bed angry, do you grant mercy every morning, or do you have a little file drawer in the back of your brain that lists All the Stupid & Hurtful Things He's/She's Done to Me? Once again, think back to your courtship, and ask yourself how many little foibles, faux paus, and thoughtless words you let slide with little more than a tiny reprimand just because you were so in love.
We all get caught in those lulls in marriage where the wind isn't blowing, the air gets stale, and nothing new happens. And it's admittedly a tad trite to think living out some song lyrics is going to lift the doldrums, but it's worth a try. After all, one thing all married folks have in common is fond memories of meeting and dating our spouse; otherwise, hopefully, we never would have bound our lives to theirs. Looking back is a good way to appreciate all those things that led to the commitment.
Intersecting Faith & Life: If you've been married a while, try living like you were dating, even if actual dates are few and far between, and see if remembering your first love doesn't translate to renewing your first love.
Further Reading
Communication in Marriage
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A Stubborn Intolerance for Joyless Christianity
Alex Crain, Editor, Christianity.com
"Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation."
Habakkuk 3:17-18
Should one's relationship with the infinite and personal living God be joyless? Francis Schaeffer didn't think so. Yet there he was, a joyless man. Technically, he was theologically sound, but there was no denying that he had become a completely joyless Christian man. If that had continued, no one would be speaking of Schaeffer or his writings, or his legacy today. Thankfully, he was stubbornly intolerant of joyless Christianity.
In True Spirituality, Schaeffer tells how the spiritual reality, which would become the hallmark of his life, came about only after a time of great personal crisis. It was 1952. Schaeffer had become a Christian from agnosticism years before. After that, he had been a pastor for ten years in the U.S. and was now a missionary in Switzerland living with his wife and young children. Over a period lasting several months, Francis worked through the disturbing gap that he saw between the large amount of Bible data he claimed to believe and the lack of genuine spiritual joy in his life.
One significant and challenging question that caused Francis to ponder long and hard is recounted by his wife, Edith, in her book, The Tapestry, p. 356 ff.)...
"I wonder what would happen to most of our churches and Christian work if we woke up tomorrow morning and everything concerning the reality and work of the Holy Spirit, and everything concerning prayer were removed from the Bible? I don't mean just ignored, but actually cut out—disappeared. I wonder how much difference it would make?"
Apparently during that period, it was making no difference in Schaeffer's life. His doubts had cut the nerve of faith. And over those months as he walked in the mountains, Francis re-thought the doctrines of the Bible, the reality of the Holy Spirit, and each of his reasons for being a Christian.
At last, he declared...
"Gradually the sun came out and the song came... I saw again that there were totally sufficient reasons to know that the infinite-personal God does exist and that Christianity is true.
"In going further, I saw something else which made a profound difference in my life. I searched through what the Bible said concerning reality as a Christian. Gradually, I saw that the problem was that with all the teaching I had received after I was a Christian, I had heard little about what the Bible says about the meaning of the finished work of Christ for our present lives.
"Interestingly enough, although I had written no poetry for many years, in that time of joy and song I found poetry beginning to flow again—poetry of certainty, an affirmation of life, thanksgiving, and praise. Admittedly, as poetry it is very poor, but it expressed a song in my heart which was wonderful to me."
(from True Spirituality, p. 196 in The Complete Works of Francis Schaeffer, vol. 3 © 1982 Crossway Books, Wheaton, Illinois).
That time of crisis—and more importantly, his rediscovery of the meaning of the finished work of Christ for his present life—settled the crucial issue of spiritual reality for Schaeffer. Francis saw and believed that the finished work of Christ really is the source of the Christian's life. Rather than pursue the trappings of Christian leadership while personally being a joyless Christian, he determined to wait for a greater reality of knowing God. With such a solid spiritual basis for his own life, he went on to become a great source of help for countless others.
Intersecting Faith and Life:
Are you stubbornly intolerant of joyless Christianity in your own life?
What would happen if you woke up tomorrow morning and everything concerning the reality and work of the Holy Spirit, and everything concerning prayer were removed from the Bible? Not just ignored, but actually cut out... How much difference it would make in the way that you live?
How can you grow to become a greater source of spiritual help for others?
Further Reading:
John 6:68
Ephesians 4:17-24
Ephesians 5:18-21
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Bread and Stones
by Ryan Duncan, Editor at TheFish.com
"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." – John 16:33
I have always had trouble with the following verses in Matthew 7,
"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!"- Matthew 7:7-11
I first heard this verse when I was a little kid, and like most children, I tried to take full advantage of it. I prayed for toys, for snow days in winter, or that I'd get to watch an extra hour of TV that day. As you might expect, these prayers didn't always get positive results. As I got older, my prayers became a little more mature, only they still didn't always get answered. These weren't selfish prayers either.
I would pray that my friend's dad would find a job, or that sick members of our congregation would be healed. So why did my prayers go unanswered? Some groups would say that if you just have enough faith God will make your life perfect, and nothing bad will ever happen to you again. Well, if you look at the lives of the apostles, you'll see that philosophy doesn't hold water. They were Jesus first disciples, and they spent their lives in prison, beaten by mobs, or facing execution under the Roman Empire.
So what does this mean for us? I think it means we live in a world full of Sin, and bad things are going to happen. It means that sometimes when God answers our prayers, what is needed turns out to be much different than what we wanted. Maybe you prayed that someone would find a job, but instead God asks you to be a friend in a tough time. Maybe you asked for an opportunity to serve abroad, but instead God tells you to serve the people next door. Sometimes we pray for healing, but what God gives us is a shoulder to cry on.
Life will always be hard. At times, we will be tempted to believe that God either doesn't exist or doesn't care. But though our ability to understand God's purposes is limited, we can take comfort in the knowledge that his love is limitless. God never abandon us, he is there for us in our times of joy and to help us in our times of pain, if we only let him.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Are there unanswered prayers weighing on your heart? Take a moment to reflect on Christ and know that he loves you.
Further Reading
Psalm 23
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If You Can't Take the Heat . . .
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, "Weren't there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?" They replied, "Certainly, O king." He said, "Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods."
Daniel 3:24-25, NIV
In the past few years, I feel like I've really come into my own as an at-home cook. In fact, I've proved to myself that I can take the heat and stay in the kitchen!
But, as those of us culinary rangers know, getting your sauté on doesn't come without a price: a little pain.
Recently, I remember the timer going off and needing to take something out of a hot oven when it was finished baking. So I got my two handy-dandy potholders and proceeded to pull out the top rack from the oven. But no sooner did I touch the rack than did searing pain shoot through my finger. For the love!!!
I looked down and saw that a small hole had worn through the potholder—exactly in the spot where my finger was gripping onto the hot rack. For days afterward I had a throbbing sensation. My finger was hot, and it blistered. I didn't forget that experience, and every time I've reached for the oven rack since then, I always always double-check my potholder.
I guess life is a lot like these kitchen adventures as well. Some days everything just comes together: a little of this, a dash of that and voila! Everything has turned out just tasty and great. More please!
Then there are the days when you feel the heat and get burned. You have the best of intentions and feel like you're trusting God and obeying his instructions for holy living. But then you try this or reach for that, and BAM. You find yourself in the fire. It's hot. It hurts. And you're pretty sure you don't see Shadrach, Meshach or Abednego walking around with you, let alone the comforting presence of the Most High God in your midst.
I went through a particular painful trial like this recently, and I instinctively looked around and wondered where God was in all of it. Why was he letting this happen? Didn't he know? Didn't he care? Couldn't he see how hard it was and how deeply wounded I now was as a result?
A few days later, thankfully, God gave me some much-needed perspective. From his Word (1 Peter 4:12-13, NIV), and also amazingly from someone I was interviewing for an article who wasn't even talking about anything spiritual whatsoever, he spoke to me:
I am here. I see your pain. I know what you're going through. When you are weak, I am strong. I will make something good out of all of this. You will learn and grow from this experience as you are being refined and becoming more and more like me.
I wept when I realized what God was saying to me. He wasn't far away at all. I was the one who had shriveled up into a little ball and blocked out his Truth from my ears with my tears. And when I looked up, the Father was there with arms open wide, ready to lift my head, comfort my heart and give me peace.
While I still have an emotional scar from the heat of that trial, I also have the healing joy that results in growing closer to the Lord. And I'm pretty sure no baked goods' comforting aroma will ever be able to compare.
Intersecting Faith & Life: When your life "heats up," what do you do? Where do you turn? How do you cope? Think about the fiery trials you've experienced lately. How did you respond? Now, ask God to help you see him there—and how he is working in you—in their midst.
Further Reading:
Isa. 53:5
2 Cor. 4:8
James 1:2
"Beautiful"
Words & Music: MercyMe
You're beautiful; You're beautiful
You were made for so much more than all of this
You're beautiful, you're beautiful
You are treasured, you are sacred, you are his
:angel:
Potholes
Anna Kuta, Crosswalk.com Editor
"As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you." Joshua 1:5b
I was driving home late the other night, rolling down the winding, two-lane country road I've been down so many thousands of times I could probably drive it in my sleep. I had the radio turned up and one hand on the wheel, and then — CLUNK! Before I knew what was happening, my front right tire thudded through a gigantic pothole that came out of nowhere. The whole car jolted and I just knew a noise like that had to have done some damage.
"Oh, please don't let me have a flat tire," I said out loud. Cringing, I pulled over at the next road and worked up the courage to get out and look ... and to my surprise, my tire was still intact. I stared at it for a few minutes, waiting until I was sufficiently assured that it wasn't going to deflate in front of my eyes, and then I breathed a sigh of relief and continued my drive, albeit a good bit slower and more cautious this time.
Isn't life just like that? You're going along smoothly, and all of a sudden something turns your world upside down. A loved one gets a cancer diagnosis. You lose your job. Your best friend moves halfway across the country. Someone dies too young. You're making your way down the road just fine and then you crash into a pothole that almost derails you. We all know the feeling all too well.
I was having one of those weeks where every single thing seemed to be going wrong, and then I heard a sermon illustration that stuck with me. It was the story of a gravel lane leading to a farm and a huge pothole that appeared after a rainstorm. Before anyone had a chance to fill it in, though, a bird laid her eggs in the pothole. She hatched her chicks there and stayed with them until they left the nest. All the locals warned their families and friends to avoid the pothole, and everyone drove slowly by to see for themselves the little birds thriving in a place that no one would expect.
How often do we look at the potholes in our lives and curse them? Yet, from a rocky, ugly place, little birds sang and took flight.
God did not promise that our Christian walk would be easy, but he did promise he would never leave us. His presence, His love and His peace are the only things that can fill in the holes in our lives. He smoothes out the roughest of roads with His strength and comfort. And above all, He grants us grace sufficient to make it through whatever may come. The Lord will never leave our side.
If not for the pothole on that gravel farm lane, the travelers would never have been able to witness a small miracle taking place there. If not for the pothole on my drive home the other night, I probably wouldn't have slowed down and I might have had an even worse encounter around the next bend – with a herd of deer in the middle of the road.
In the midst of a week where I thought my world might crash down, I cried out to God to help me through, and it was only when I had nothing left to rely on but Him that I felt His presence more clearly than I had in a long time – and it was exactly what my heart had been yearning for. "Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you," as James 4:8 says. Only God can fill our potholes, and he fills them with Himself. May we never miss the little blessings hidden along a bumpy road.
Intersecting Faith and Life
When you hit a pothole, pray for God to give you strength and remind you of His presence. Seek a closer relationship with Him and remember that He is your refuge and strength.
Further Reading
Deuteronomy 31:5-6
Psalm 46:1
Psalm 55:22
Psalm 73:23-24
Isaiah 43:2
:angel:
The Dip Swimmer
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely? But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."
James 4:4-6
August is often monsoon time in Tucson, Arizona. The rains can come quickly, bringing flooding to dry ground not primed to soak them up. He always looked forward to that time of year, to the brief respites from the scorching zephyrs. But not this year. This year was his "nowhere year," the one between high school and college, the one where he lost sense of self, God, and purpose. Most of his friends had gone to school or summer projects. He himself would finally do so in just a few weeks. There was excitement in that knowledge, but also much apprehension. All he had known was Tucson. All he had was there. His best friend and his girlfriend and his family -- he'd be leaving them behind.
The leaving was becoming even more difficult because there were rifts growing. His girlfriend had requested a break because, among other things, he had begun to put on weight. Things weren't good between them. In fact, things weren't good anywhere. This was supposed to be one of the best times of his life, but all he felt was lost, left out, and lethargic. The weather wasn't helping. Neither was the fact that his Triumph TR6 convertible, the one he had received from his dad, the original owner, had finally died. He'd gone from driving that prime machine to a hand-me-up, dented Volkswagen Dasher from, insult of insults, his younger sister. His parents had opted to provide her a more reliable vehicle, a shinier, newer, cuter Honda Civic. It took him a long time, sad to say, to get over that.
On this night, he was also house-sitting for a friend of his mother's. It was a depressing apartment, containing two very depressing dogs. One was very old and mostly blind, and would spend each night spookily wandering from room to room. He would wake up and see it stalking the halls as if in trance. Freaky. The other one was a three-legged little mutt who was so scared of him that the very reason he was housesitting became obsolete! Every gentle attempt to let the dog out created so much fear in the animal that it would do its business in the process of running out the door, meaning he not only had clean-up duty, but still had to convince the frightened critter to come back inside!
So basically, he was bummed. Bummed and lonely. And the last thing on his mind was the Lord, even though he'd known Him for 10 years. He knew he had to get out of there and gain some perspective. Maybe Jay was around. His house wasn't too far away from Dog Central. He decided to try his luck in the monsoon.
As soon as he got to the Dasher, he should have known it was a bad idea. He'd left his windows down. He sat down anyway, right in the puddle of rain and dog hair and his sister's ancient cigarette ashes. At least the car started. He pulled it out onto Alvernon Road, and headed south toward Grant.
Grant Road, when he got there, no longer looked like a street. It was a rivulet. I don't know why, but he pulled out into it. For a while, the old wheezy car made its way slowly through the water. But eventually, it could go no more. He'd killed it. He stepped out into knee-deep water and looked to the heavens. A couple guys who were standing uphill in a shopping center watching the action helped him push the Dasher out of the street and up into the lot. Suddenly he heard shouts of joy and glee. He turned his head in time to see two kids in an inflatable raft cruise down a side street and out onto Grant, laughing all the way. Nice. Did anyone else want to mock him?
Well, what next? He had no cash, no coins. No cell phones in 1989. No ATM nearby.
There was only one thing to do: walk the rest of the way to Jay's house. Why not? He couldn't suffer much more, could he? It was a good 25 blocks. He'd gone about 24 of those in the rain when it was finally starting to let up. But through the parting drops he saw that he made yet another error in judgment. Rather than staying on the main road, where there was a bridge that crossed over a wash, he had taken a side street that dipped right down into it. It was going to mean another half hour if he backtracked, so he made his umpteenth stupid decision of the night. He tied his shoes around his neck, waded into the dip... and swam to the other side (kids, don't try this at home. He got lucky the current wasn't strong).
Emerging, he imagined himself as the creature from the black lagoon. Only several more houses to go. He knocked on the door. Jay's mother answered. She looked confused, then concerned, then sprang into action. "Oh my goodness! Get in here!" She got him towels and something hot to drink, and let him know Jay wasn't home yet. He was out on a date. She was going to bed, but he was welcome, as always, to wait up for Jay.
He sat in a dark corner of the living room, wondering how in the world he had sunk to this. He heard a key in the lock. He saw his best buddy enter, saw him notice a blob sitting in the corner, saw him realize he'd seen no car outside. When Jay recognized his pal, he paused, looked more closely, then... burst into laughter.
What happened next was an all-night conversation that would change both their lives. The gist of it was, "We've been giving lip service to our God and our church for a long time now. We've been part of this great youth group, but at heart we both know we love the popularity more than the fellowship. We've talked about the guys in our group who we know are authentic, who really study, really live the Word. Maybe it is time for us to be that, too? Maybe it's time to stop sinning and start taking Christianity seriously?"
Yes. We decided it was. In the morning the mercy was palpable and freeing. We went to the bookstore and bought a study guide on James. We drove up to Mount Lemmon, just outside the city, praising the Lord on the way and praying once we got there. With James's help, we decided to begin with practicality. We put away childish things. We took our eyes off ourselves, and we recognized that God had been active in answering prayers we'd prayed over a year ago (flippantly though they were spoken) that God would get our attention, develop in us humilty and patience, and a genuine idea of what following Jesus was about.
Relatively speaking, we didn't suffer much, though our achings were deep and real for the time. God put us on our knees, gently but firmly, and turned us around, which is the essence of humility, repentance, and restoration. The Dasher was definitely dead... but we were alive.
Only a couple years later, God gave me a gift, an incredible, forever reminder of that night and what I learned and how it would carry me through the future. It came in the form of a song by Rich Mullins. To this day, I believe that Rich must have been there, must have seen what transpired. For he wrote:
I see the morning moving over the hills
I can see the shadows on the western side
And all those illusions that I had
They just vanish in Your light.
Though the chill in the night still hangs in the air
I can feel the warmth of morning on my face
Though the storm had tossed me
'Til I thought I'd nearly lost my way
And now the night is fading and the storm is past
And everything that could be shaken was shaken
And all that remains is all I ever really had
What I'd have settled for
You've blown so far away
What You brought me to
I thought I could not reach.
And I came so close to giving up
But You never did give up on me.
I see the morning moving over the hills
I feel the rush of life here where the darkness broke
And I am in You and You're in me
Here where the winds of Heaven blow.
And now the night is fading
And the storm is through
And everything You sent to shake me
From my dreams they come to wake me
In the love I find in You
And now the morning comes
And everything that really matters
Become the wings You send to gather me
To my home
To my home
I'm going home...
Intersecting Faith & Life: 1. If a storm were to shake your life, and "everything that could be shaken was shaken, and all that remained was all you ever really had," what would it be that remained? 2. What would you have settled for that God has blown so far away? What has He brought you to that you thought you could not reach? 3. What does it mean to go back "to my home," even if you're actually about to start a journey? 4. When was the last time you shared your testimony? Make an effort to write it down or share it today.
Further Reading
Closer to You Than to Me, David Jeremiah
The Finger of God, Os Hillman
Lamentations 3:22-23
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That Small Voice
by Ryan Duncan, Editor at TheFish.com
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." – Matthew 11:28
Sometimes I just get very, very tired. I have been a Christian all my life, starting from an early age when my parents taught me about Jesus and his sacrifice on the cross. As I've grown older however, my confidence and faith have been tested in ways I never expected. I've seen Christian friends get bored with their faith, and eventually discard it. I struggled with questions that have no real answers, and I've watched as the Church moved from a place of respect in our society, to a place of mockery and disdain.
In moments like these I feel like I'm fighting a losing battle for a cause no one cares about, so I can certainly empathize with Elijah in 1 Kings 19. At this point, Elijah has just conquered the prophets of Baal, and is slowly leading his people back to the Lord. Then a message from Jezebel sends him fleeing into the desert, and he eventually turns to God and says, "That's it. I'm done. I give up."
Take a look at what happens next,
"The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by." Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" He replied, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too." The LORD said to him, "Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet." – 1 Kings 19:11-16
At first, I really didn't get this passage. Elijah came before God looking for comfort, strength, and encouragement, but instead God just gave him more orders, not exactly the response he was looking for. After reading the passage a second time though, I began to understand. You see, Elijah wasn't ready to give up, he had given up. After everything that had happened, he had decided it was a lost cause and that there was nothing left to do but die.
But God showed him it wasn't over. God showed Elijah He was still there, he had a plan, and he would never be beaten. The world is a tough place, and there are times when every Christian wonders if staying true to God is really worth it. So in those moments remember the story of Elijah, and hold on to the still, small voice of Christ in your heart which says, "It's not over. I'm not done yet. There is a reason to keep going."
Intersecting Faith and Life
Are you feeling overwhelmed by life? Take some time alone with God and let him know your fears.
Further Reading
Matthew 7:7-12
:angel:
How's Your Heart?
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. ~ Psalm 139:23-24, NIV
It's easy to be fooled into thinking that your heart is in pretty good condition. And so perhaps you've had thoughts like this:
I'm a good person.
I attend church twice a week.
I go to a weekly Bible study.
I keep up with my daily devotionals.
I volunteer in my community.
I tithe to my church.
I'm kind to my family.
I pray for my friends.
Sound familiar? We can focus on the peripheral so much so that we forget to dig a little deeper and see what's reallygoing on inside our hearts. Well, I've discovered a sure-fire method that will quickly expose the condition of the heart. That's right. Here it is: it's driving. Yes. D-R-I-V-I- N-G.
When you're driving, it seems like the real you comes to the fore. I know that I would never want someone to record the thoughts that go through my mind or the words that exit my mouth when I'm operating a moving vehicle. They're not R-rated, but I sure wouldn't want them inscribed on my tombstone.
These thoughts happen fairly regularly. Like recently, as I made my way through a sketchy part of town. I encountered folks driving way below the speed limit. Other folks cut me off while trying to get in front of other slow drivers in other lanes. And another driver took up two lanes while trying to make a left-hand turn.
In these incidents, what I thought really shocked me. Afterward, I immediately wondered, Did I really think that? My heart is so ugly. Oh, dear God. Please help me!
I'm not telling you what I was thinking, because I am ashamed. But I will tell you this: it enlightened me. My thoughts exposed the dark corners of my heart. I saw how horribly corroded and nasty it was—like what you experience when you pull up the stopper from your kitchen garbage disposal. Foul!
I saw the judgment. I saw the pride. I saw the lack of love and forgiveness. It's gunk that needs to be cleaned out—really bleached out—on a consistent basis. But bleach smells, it's strong and it stings. Who really welcomes that? Yet even though ridding sin from our lives is hard to do, it's absolutely essential if we are to stay spiritually healthy and heart smart.
While I'm disappointed in my condition, I'm strangely thankful that driving is doing such a good job of testing me and showing what's going on in my heart. And until I'm old and decrepit and can't maneuver a moving vehicle anymore, I know that my next heart check is just one keyed ignition, one gear change and one gas pedal away.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
If not driving, are there other situations or activities in your life that "put the squeeze" on you and really show what's going on in your heart? Maybe it's an individual who just knows how to push your buttons. Or perhaps the ugliness comes out when you're dealing with customer service personnel. Whatever it is that exposes the ugliness, ask the Lord to examine what is there and to change you from the inside out.
Further Reading:
Rom. 6:12-14, NIV
2 Cor. 5:17, NIV
:angel:
Strangers in a Strange Land
Anna Kuta, Crosswalk.com Editor
"If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you" (John 15:18-19).
This fall, I took a road trip with some friends to watch our college football team, the Richmond Spiders, take on in-state rival James Madison University. Our team was 3 and 1 at that point in the season, and our only loss had come from a nailbiter the week before, so we were pretty confident as we set out that morning. It was a gorgeous day for football and we'd managed to get some of the very last tickets before the game sold out, so we were quite proud of ourselves and excited for what seemed like it would be an extremely successful trip.
However, it wasn't long before things started going downhill. We took a wrong turn and ended up circling the entire town of Harrisonburg twice. An hour and a half later, we finally got to the stadium gates just as the game started, but as we started climbing the bleachers to our seats, we began to realize we were the only ones in sight wearing Richmond red and blue. Turns out our tickets we were so proud of were not in the Richmond fan section, as we thought, but the reject seats on the complete opposite corner of the field. We felt like the enemy as we took our seats smack in the middle of a sea of yellow and purple, but that wasn't going to deter us from still cheering on a victory.
When Richmond made a touchdown right away for the game's first points, things seemed to be looking great (besides the dirty looks we got). Unfortunately, that was as good as it got. We didn't score again for the rest of the game. JMU piled on touchdown, touchdown, field goal, touchdown ... and with each point my friends and I sat a little more dejectedly in our seats. Someone threw yellow streamers and paper airplanes at us, and then it started pouring rain. It finally ended and we left the stadium soaking wet and miserable. But the ordeal wasn't quite over yet. We started walking back to our car, got heckled, decided against walking in the rain among hecklers, got on a shuttle, and proceeded to get heckled for the next half hour we were stuck in traffic. When we finally got back to the car, all we could do was grumble a little bit and shake our heads.
We can laugh about that disaster of a day now, but it certainly wasn't very funny at the time. Maybe you've had a similar experience at a sporting event, or you can identify with the same feeling of being unwelcome in a different situation. Have you ever faced similar hostility for your faith? Even though you and I might never experience anything close to the extreme suffering that many believers around the world face, we all have times when we feel out of place or downright vilified because of our faith.
As Christians, we are "strangers and aliens" in a world of unbelievers, as Peter says in 1 Peter 2:11. The older I get, the more keenly aware I am that I don't think like them, that I don't have the same desires, motivations and passions. The more I grow in my faith, the more different I feel from many people I come in contact with, and the more open I am about my faith, the more that difference becomes tangible. We are called to be set apart, yet we are in the world for a reason: to share Jesus. It's often not received with open arms, but it's what we are commanded to do as followers of Christ.
Like Jesus says in John 15:18, it's not always going to be easy. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own, He says. But when we accept Christ and enter into a relationship with Him, He chooses us out of the world. Like my friends and I felt when we were surrounded by fans of an opposing team, so we as Christians will never feel "at home" in this world. Yes, we'll face opposition, but Jesus Himself said it's a badge of the Christian faith and a sign that we belong to Him. In answering His call to reject worldly conformity, we can truly make an impact by being an example for Jesus.
Intersecting Faith & Life
It's not easy living a life of Jesus' high calling, and the way we're treated by the world can be plain discouraging at times. Pray for God to help you desire to be more like Him and to give you strength to stand up against opposition.
Further Reading
1 Peter 2:11-12
Romans 12:2
John 17
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Only One Way to Achieve Patience
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride.
Ecclesiastes 7:8, NIV
Our senior pastor came into the room for a pre-arranged talk with all of us high school senior guys. He wanted to share something with us as we moved off into the next phases of our lives.
Out of all the applications and biblical wisdom at his disposal, what one topic was on his heart? What advice did he wish to impart above all?
He began by asking us to envision where we'd be in five, 10, 20 years. I'm just now coming up on that 20th year; I'm amazed at how differently some things have turned out, and how similar to my goals other things are. But that's not the point.
Our pastor next told us that the one thing we ought to pursue more than any other was... not holiness, not righteousness, not prayer... but patience. "Boys, raise your hand if you want to be a man of patience."
Okay, sure. Sounds good. Patience, yeah, that could be helpful to me. Hand up.
"Great. I'll tell you what, boys, can I pray with you now? But be aware, only agree with me in this prayer if you mean it, if you really want patience. Because do you know what it takes to develop patience? Problems. Only problems - and the way you react to them and trust God through them - can develop patience. Do you understand? So that's what I'm going to ask God for right now, that He'll bring you all problems. Are you ready?"
Sure. Why not?
Oh boy. Looking back, the last 20-plus years haven't been hell on earth by any stretch, but they've sure been full of their share of problems. As of this writing, I've got one that's forcing me to wait... and wait... and wait for an answer. I feel shamed when I go through a study about Abraham and how long he waited and waited for God to fulfill a direct promise, because I can't imagine waiting any longer than I already have. The only reason I continue to do so is because of the patience and wisdom I've built up having passed through earlier problems and trials, the outcomes of which inform me to keep waiting.
What's the moral here? Be careful what you pray for? Hmmm... maybe... but I think I prefer the lesson in today's verse, that patience (trusting God's way and waiting on His promise) is better than pride (my idea of the best way). To me, it's really eye-opening to think of those two concepts - patience and pride - as the opposites of each other. But that's exactly how this verse sets them up. It suggests patience is akin to humility, and pride the brother of instant gratification. And I guess that makes sense. But why is patience better? Especially in this day and age when so much is there for the taking? When the respected thing to do is reach out and go for it? What had my pastor so convinced that doing the opposite was the most important lesson to send young men out into the world?
Honestly I haven't completely figured that out yet. Appropriately, it's something I'm willing to be patient to gain the wisdom of. But I suspect it has something to do with that pesky old verse from James:
Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing (James 1:2-4).
Only problems can bring patience; only trials can test faith and make it real. Only endurance can lead to completion.
And when I am complete, I will lack nothing. At which time I apparently will have superceded even patience, as what would there be to wait for if I lack nothing?
It sounds almost mystical, almost unachievable, at least until the end of my life or when I meet God. Until then, I simply pray that the experience of each problem and the eventual result will steel me into calm, patient submission to God's perfect timing.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Are you willing to pray a problem into your life? Why or why not?
Further Reading
Afraid God Will Give You Patience?
Pursue Patience
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Are You Reciting the Gospel by Yourself?
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"...with Him... Moses and Elijah, who, appearing in glory, were speaking
of His departure which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem."
Luke 9:30-31 NASB
It's good to see that the idea of 'preaching the gospel to yourself everyday' is becoming more popular. At least that's how it seems to me. Things that point to the gospel are popping up in all kinds of places and ways, not only in big and new movements but in short videos, articles and Twitter messages ("Gospel Tweets"). A caution in the way we think about the gospel was brought to my attention recently in chapter two of True Spirituality. If you're not following along in our weekly journey through this important and helpful work by Francis Schaeffer, I invite you to join us.
In chapter two, Schaeffer mentions our Scripture passage today (above) where we see Moses and Elijah speaking with Jesus at the Mount of Transfiguration about His impending departure—His death.
It's subtle, but notice that they're not just making a passing mention of the fact. Rather, they were actively and continuously speaking about it. They were dwelling on the gospel; at least the substitutionary atonement part of it. And with the Object of their redemption (Christ) standing right there, no doubt there must have been more than just theological accuracy in their conversation. Probably more like amazement and deep gratitude. As they thought of all that Christ was about to endure for their sin, I'm sure they had correct thoughts about the gospel. But Christ's own presence energized their orthodox theology.
At times, there can a detached, tearless way that we think about the gospel. When I have well-articulated and familiar facts about Christ's life/death/resurrection/ascension, and they are just empty echoes down the icy corridors of my thoughts, the diagnosis is simple: I have broken fellowship with Christ. It's evidence of unconfessed sin.
Schaeffer reminds us that when we rehearse the gospel, we must do so in the presence of the Living Christ; in humble worship of Him. He is not a distant figment of man's imagination. He is the God Who is there. Just as Moses and Elijah were "with Him"... in His presence, so we too must continuously rehearse the gospel while recognizing that we are in the presence of the God Who is there. The Christian life flows from the constant spring of dwelling on the gospel with the Redeemer Himself.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Remember this paraphrase of John Piper: the gospel is like blood, it's supposed to course through your veins not be carried in a bucket.
John Owen, (a 1600s Puritan) often prayed, "Lord, may I commune with You in the doctrines I espouse." Make this your prayer and experience today.
Further Reading
John 15
The Gospel in Six Minutes (John Piper, video)
"While all that borrows life from Thee is ever in Thy care;
And everywhere that man can be, Thou, God art present there."
From the hymn, "I Sing the Mighty Power of God" by Isaac Watts
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A White Bread Faith
By Ryan Duncan, TheFish.com Editor
This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.- 1 John 3:10
When I was still in high school my mother became a vegetarian. Now, I have nothing but respect for vegetarians, but as a guy who likes his steaks extra-rare, this created a few problems in our household. Suddenly our family was exploring what people called "organic" dishes. Tofu, quiche, we dined on whole-grain pastas sprinkled with nuts, strange cheeses, and enough broccoli to kill an entire fourth grade class. It wasn't all that bad actually; my mother was very gracious and still cooked meat for the carnivores in the house, but I suspect a soy based meat substitute found its way into our meals on more than one occasion.
The worst part though, was the bread. My family went from using your typical sleeve of wheat bread to buying those thick, iron cast loaves so brown they were almost black. I can remember sitting in the cafeteria during lunch, watching my classmates as they flagrantly devoured their delicious, white-bread PB&J's, while I chewed the same bite of sandwich over and over for almost an hour because chunks of grain were still floating around in it. Back then, I would have given anything for a sandwich made from white, Wonder Bread.
The thing is though, ask any nutritionist and they'll tell you white bread barely counts as grain at all. It tastes good, but that's because it's been almost entirely drained of nutrients. All the beneficial vitamins and minerals have been lost, and in the end we are left with a food that really isn't as healthy as we'd like to think it is.
How many of us Christians are looking for a "White Bread" relationship with God? We show up at Church on Sunday and pray before each meal, then tell ourselves that should be enough to help us grow in our faith. It's a sweet deal with all of the benefits and none of the drawbacks. Don't fool yourself; God wants to be so much more in our lives than our Sunday morning service. He is looking to make us lights of the world, to bring peace where there is strife, hope where there is despair, and grace where there is hate. You won't be very prepared for that if you just stick to the Sunday Sermons. Don't deny yourself a good, healthy, relationship with God. Read the Bible, get involved, and above all, be sure to make him a part of your daily life.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Find ways to get involved with you home church. Volunteer for events, or try mentoring some of the younger students. Parents, are your children involved in a youth group? Encourage them to give it a try.
Further Reading
Revelation 3:15-17
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Going Off the Rails
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
For God is not a God whose ways are without order, but a God of peace; as in all the churches of the saints.
1 Corinthians 14:33, BBE
"Off the rails." I don't know how many times I've voiced this phrasing in recent weeks, let alone this year. But apparently it's my new favorite saying.
Whether I've been referring to the media fire storm surrounding the explosive Trayvon Martin case with defendant George Zimmerman, who seems to have already been considered guilty until proven innocent by the court of public opinion . . .
Or the ongoing U.S. Secret Service scandal in which eleven S.S. members had to be sent home for heaving drinking and consorting with prostitutes during President Barack Obama's spring trip to South America . . .
Or even in the church and an incident occurring earlier this year where a gimmick-prone prominent pastor/televangelist stayed in a bed with his wife on his church's rooftop in order to "encourage" Christian couples to have "healthy sex lives" . . .
Whether I've been referring to any of these things, I have become well acquainted with assessing a troublesome situation, thinking that "right" has now changed places with "wrong" and seeing that someone or something has gone way"off the rails."
Granted, our world has been "off the rails" since Adam and Eve went their own way in the Garden of Eden a long time ago. But these days, it seems to be happening more and more and it is sobering to see the world around us so quickly imploding.
As believers, we know that when we abandon the order of Scripture, we embrace the chaos of life. And nothing good ever comes from that. Just think back to times in your life when you were walking in a manner that could not be backed by Scripture.
Now that's really every day for all of us—especially if we're in touch with our depravity and our desperate need for a Savior.
But I am also reminded of a specific time period in my life that most vividly displays when I have been "off the rails." And no good came out of that . . . at least at the time it didn't. But years later, the Lord used what I thought were poor life choices as building blocks to bring me back closer to him. I learned that my chaos lead to confusion and destruction, while pursuing order leads to life and growth.
Perhaps the latter is why so much time is devoted to the "order" of the temple that Solomon built in Jerusalem. I've wondered about that as I've been studying in 2 Chronicles recently. Why did God include so much detail for us to read? What is he trying to show us by communicating the requirements for measurements, building materials, layout and personnel? And why did it take so long to complete?
But stepping back . . . isn't this what is required of all Christ followers who are temples of the living God? Who must build our lives according to the instructions we see laid out for us in God's Word? And shouldn't we take on a project like "building a temple" with as much dedication and focus and enthusiasm and order as Solomon did in the Old Testament?
Even though the world is going "off the rails," that doesn't mean that you or I have to follow suit. A life lived in faithfulness and obedience to Scripture, a life with steps ordered by God through the power of Holy Spirit, a life built on the promises of God's Word will not be sidetracked and will glorify God.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Many of the furnishings and the walls in Solomon's temple were overlaid with gold. What in your life shimmers like this precious metal so that others can see God's work reflected in you?
Further Reading:
Matt. 5:16, NIV
1 Cor. 3:16-17, NIV
Phil. 1:6, NIV
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Run for Your Life
Anna Kuta, Crosswalk.com Editor
"Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart" (2 Timothy 2:22).
Have you ever been at the beach in the summer and gotten in the ocean only to look up after a while and suddenly realize you've drifted way down from where you got in? It can be pretty scary sometimes, as you frantically try to find your way back to your spot amid crowds of people, umbrellas and towels that all seem to look the same. You thought you were just floating in the water, and it seemed like it, but the whole time the waves and the current were slowly carrying you down the shore.
You might have heard the saying that if you are not going forward in your Christian walk, you are going backwards – that if you are not actively progressing and growing, you are losing ground. It's similar to the way it works with the ocean. You might think you're staying in the same place, but you're losing ground without even realizing it.
Just as you have to continually keep swimming to keep the ocean from dragging you away from your place on the beach, growing in your faith and becoming more Christ-like is an active process, not a passive one. In 2 Timothy 2:22, Paul uses words with a connotation of intent and urgency to describe what we as Christians should do: flee youthful lusts, pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace. The word "flee" implies running as fast as you can away from something like you're afraid for your life, and that's exactly what Paul is saying we should do when confronted with "youthful lusts," or things that are not glorifying to God. Similarly, the word "pursue" implies following or chasing close behind something with the goal of catching it, like you're hot on its trail. This is the way God wants us to approach our relationship with Him – constantly striving to get to know Him more through His word, to follow His commands, to grow closer to Him, and to ultimately become more like Him.
The more we pursue godly desires and our relationship with Jesus, the faster we can flee those things that are not honoring to God. It is a one-or-the-other choice. I can't live a life that is glorifying to God if I'm continually dragged down by things that are detrimental to my spiritual growth. It's something that ultimately comes down to every little choice we make. With God's strength, though, we can deny wrong desires, and with His help, we can choose to do the right thing. Whatever you do, don't stand still – run for your life away from things that don't honor God and run equally fast toward Him.
Intersecting Faith & Life
Strive to learn more about Jesus through His word and grow closer to Him this year. Commit to pursuing your relationship with Him each day, and commit to asking Him to help you flee things in your life that are not glorifying to Him.
Further Reading
Jeremiah 29:13
Matthew 6:33
1 Timothy 6:11-12
Philippians 4:13
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Armor 'n Enemies
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel.
Ephesians 6:13-19
Six pieces of armor. Five primarily defensive, one primarily offensive. And yet...
Have you ever used the chest-bumper of righteousness on someone? How about the head-butter of salvation? The bludgeoner of faith? The shin-kicker of readiness or the gut-puncher of holiness?
Even the sword of the spirit has its proper purpose - to fight our enemies. Which are?
Other Christians? Unbelievers? Mean people?
While we humans can be so hard on each other, no. One verse earlier, Paul tells us what we're fighting:
our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil (v. 12).
Quite convicting, really. Not only do I clearly go into many days without getting completely dressed, even when I do I'm mis-using my equipment, fighting in the dark, swinging blindly, or wounding with friendly fire.
I don't know about you, but for me, the elemental Bible verses I first learned as a youth (like today's verse) are the ones I need to continually reconsider, because they're the ones I tend to just believe without acting upon.
When times come - like these days we're in now - where there is fierce political thought and lines being drawn and opinions spouted as truth, including the opinion that there is no truth - it's just so easy to get drawn in before we remember to put on our armor or be trained in using it. When that happens, we tend to view our enemies as each other, and forget or deny that the war is still spiritual. And therefore more serious, more wearying, not less.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Get dressed this morning, and tomorrow morning. Once equipped, try emphasizing the defensive uses of most of the armor. Stand up for someone. Protect the reputation of another. Shelter someone in loving truth. Run quickly to someone in need. I pray you'll begin to survive your days much less scathed.
Further Reading
Romans 8:38
Fight or Flight? Weighing Your Instincts Against God's Word
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Batman and Big Brother
Alex Crain, Managing Editor at Christianity.com
"And Jesus said to them, "Yes. Have you never read, 'Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise'?" (Matthew 21:16 NKJV)
One of the blessings of being around children is the life lessons that they often teach us. Sometimes the lessons are about deep, spiritual truths. Like the lesson my two-year-old son, Henry, recently taught me about worship.
While at the playground area of a fast-food restaurant, Henry found himself surrounded by other kids his age whom he had never met. Suddenly, my wife heard him bragging to his little audience about his two heroes: Batman and big brother.
"Batman get bad guys," Henry said to one. Then very proudly to another, "My brudder hit bad guys ty-kon-do."
Now, his big brother never uses Tae Kwon Do... except in practice. But I suppose that, in Henry's imagination, those nine-year-old practice opponents must be bad guys. Whatever his motivation for saying these things, Henry couldn't help expressing praise for things that he thinks are great. It struck me that that's a big part of what worship is.
Yes, we'll need to continue teaching Henry about the goodness and greatness of God, just like we need continued teaching and reminding ourselves. But I don't think that the concept of worship is something that he, or anyone else, needs to be taught. What we need to do is un-learn some wrong-headed ideas about worship that we have picked up over the years.
C.S. Lewis points out one such wrong-headed idea when he admits that he used to mistakenly view the Bible's demands for praising God as no different than a conceited woman seeking compliments. Every time he heard the Psalms saying "praise the Lord," "praise God," or "praise Him," God sounded pathetically vain to him. In his book, Reflections on the Psalms(p. 93 ff.), Lewis explains how his perspective changed:
"...the most obvious fact about praise—whether of God or anything—strangely escaped me. I thought of it in terms of compliment, approval, or the giving of honor. I had never noticed that all enjoyment spontaneously overflows into praise unless shyness or the fear of boring others is deliberately brought in to check it."
"The world rings with praise—readers [praising] their favorite poet, walkers praising the countryside, players praising their favorite game... Just as men praise whatever they value, so they spontaneously urge us to join them in praising it: 'Isn't she lovely? Wasn't it glorious? Don't you think that magnificent?' The Psalmists, in telling everyone to praise God, are doing what all men do when they speak of what they care about."
"My difficulty about the praise of God depended on my absurdly denying to us what we delight to do, what indeed we can't help doing, about everything else we value. I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses, but completes the enjoyment."
Intersecting Faith and Life:
If it's true that worship springs naturally from within a person and is expressed by praising that which he or she enjoys most, then what or whom do you find yourself praising?
Further Reading
Check out this helpful study on "worship" at BibleStudyTools.com.
Also, see Reflections on the Psalms, by C.S. Lewis.
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Walking Your Faith
Ryan Duncan, Editor at TheFish.com
He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. "– Matthew 17:20
Recently CNN posted an article about a young man's spiritual pilgrimage. When Andrew Domini learned that a friend had recently been diagnosed with stage IV cancer, the 19-year-old college student had traveled 70 miles to pray at the shine of Catholic Saint, Theodore Guerin. Domini could have easily driven the 70 mile distance, but he wanted his journey to be a sacrifice, so he chose to walk instead. The journey took him two days. He arrived with feet blistered and bloody, but as he prayed over the remains of the Catholic Saint, Domini said he finally felt at peace.
Now here's the interesting part, Andrew Domini isn't Catholic, and when asked he admitted to mixed feelings about the Church. Reading this story, I couldn't help but be struck by the boy's similarity to the Roman centurion from Luke 7,
"When Jesus had finished saying all this in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. There a centurion's servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, "This man deserves to have you do this, because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue." So Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: "Lord, don't trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, "I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel."- Luke 7:1-9
I have to admit, I felt pretty ashamed after reading that article. Here was a boy willing to make sacrifices in order to pray to a God he barley understood, while my prayer life consists of a few garbled words before falling asleep at night. Andrew Domini spent two days walking 70 miles to reach a place of worship, while I struggle to make the five minute drive to Church every Sunday. It is so easy to become complacent in our faith, to make it such a part of our daily ritual that we end up forgetting God. But God wants more from us than our hollow actions and lifeless obedience; he wants to be the center of our lives.
Being a true Christian means living with a passion for God, and a willingness to go the extra mile. It means living with vision, and not settling for the bear minimum your faith requires. It's seeking to know an unfathomable God, and realizing that He will always have something new He wants to teach you.
Intersecting Faith and Life
When was the last time you sacrificed something for God?
Further Reading
Romans 3:28
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Be on Your Guard
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position. 2 Peter 3:17, NIV
Who of us doesn't remember a film, television show, book or play with some swordsman in chainmail declaring, "On guard!" before engaging in a duel with someone else?
In that type of adversarial situation, the warning is said to alert the other party that "I'm armed, so prepare to defend yourself." And in light of the current belief battles going on today within evangelical Christianity, that meaning has been front and center in my head and heart—especially after reading through today's verse in 2 Peter.
I did a little further study and found what I read in the New Testament portion of The Bible Knowledge Commentary to be quite helpful in understanding this passage:
If readers were not careful, they could be carried away by the error of lawless men ... The verb "carried away" emphasizes a group or corporate movement. False teachers are not satisfied with ambushing one or two, now and then, here and there; they want to sweep large groups of people away from the correct doctrine of Christ. Those who keep company with such people are in danger of being led astray.
I don't need or want to name prominent names or cite recent book titles or the like within the Christian bubble, as I'm sure that one or many have already come to your mind by this point in today's devotional. Sadly, false teaching is everywhere these days and only seems to be gaining momentum as we head further into the twenty-first century.
It's alarming, for sure, to hear those who are in pastoral, shepherding or leadership positions mishandle God's Word or imply that there is suddenly a new "change" in the meaning of scriptural doctrines that trained theologians and Bible scholars have agreed upon for centuries prior.
But Truth is supposedly relative in the world where we now live, isn't it? What's true for you may not be true for me and so forth. Right? So how do we arm ourselves and follow Peter's instruction to "be on your guard" as believers?
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18).
First, there's grace. Unmerited favor from God. How do we grow in that? By reminding ourselves continually of what God did for each and every one of us. If we don't understand grace, then we will never know who God is, what he stands for and what a right relationship with him looks like. "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom. 5:8). When we get that, in turn, our lives will be lived from a place of humility and in testimony of what God has done through us.
And then there's knowledge. We will only grow spiritually and know God as much as we can in this life if we know the Word. And that doesn't begin and end only with what someone says the Bible says (which isn't bad in and of itself). But it means reading the Bible for yourselfon a continuing basis, so that it will take root in your heart and inform your thinking and your actions. There is no better way to mature in the Lord and know Truth (and be corrected in your thinking, if it's "stinking") than to spend time getting to know God through the Word.
No one else can have your spiritual relationship for you. And anyone who leads you away from Truth is leading you away from a secure position. So be on your guard. And get in there, dig deep and know His unchanging truth.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Are you ready to confront false teaching and see through the devil's schemes to trick and deceive—even in Christian circles? Always consider the source and always measure what you hear or read against God's Word.
Further Reading:
Matthew 7:15-20, NIV
Ephesians 6:10-18, NIV
2 Timothy 3:16-17, NIV
1 John 4:1-6, NIV
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All Your Days
Anna Kuta, News and Culture Editor at Crosswalk.com
"Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be" (Psalm 139:16).
Last month, my family was saddened to hear the news of a friend who suffered an untimely and tragic death. A believer in Christ, he had struggled with dementia for years.
At the funeral, the pastor read this verse from the Psalms:
"Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be" (Psalm 139:16).
What a comforting and peaceful reminder that is – that there is nothing we can do to lengthen or shorten our days. How especially powerful those words are for anyone who has lost a loved one "too young."
Before you were born, God already knew the number of days you would live on this earth. How incredible is that thought? Though circumstances and their timing don't always make sense, we can trust that God, in his eternal wisdom, has written in His book a grand master plan. As He reminds us in Isaiah 55:8-9: "'For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,' says the LORD. 'For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts."
No death is a surprise to God, nor is any death out of the control of His will. Though none of us know in advance how long we will live, we do know that the Lord is with us from the moment of conception until our last breath – and then for all eternity for those who have put their trust in Him as Savior.
Let us never doubt the significance and impact of any life – no matter how short – for God has ordained all of our days for His purpose.
Intersecting Faith & Life
Take a minute to consider the words of Psalm 139:16 – a testament to the holy power and omniscience of God. Though life and death is a mystery to us, it isn't to God. Let us all strive to serve and live for Him today and every day, so whether we meet the Lord tomorrow or in 50 years, we will be ready when our time comes.
Further Reading
Psalm 139
Ecclesiastes 11:5
Psalm 119:73
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Ambition
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands. 1 Thessalonians 4:11, NAS
Quaint, right?
Be honest; read today's verse and then try telling your children that such is all they should aspire to; that, essentially, unheralded, nose-down, mouth-shut, blue collar work should be their ambition. Aim high? Sounds more like settling for anonymity.
What could Paul be getting at? Sure there are times we all grow tired of the rat race and perhaps dream about a scenario where we forsake the city and a high-pressure job for a more pastoral setting, crafting furniture and knick-knacks, living in harmony with nature and all that. Is that what this verse is suggesting?
Let's look deeper.
The Greek word philotim means to labor, endeavor, strive, study to become. It is used in three places in the New Testament. The first is quoted above, regarding ambition, which we've already noted sounds not much like what we typically imagine when we think of things about which to aspire.
Another place the word appears is Romans 15:20, where Paul writes, "And thus I aspired to preach the gospel..."
And in 2 Corinthians 5:9 we read, "We have as our ambition... to be pleasing to Him."
Now let's contrast these goals with the first definition under "ambition" on Dictionary.com:
1. an earnest desire for some type of achievement or distinction, as power, honor, fame, or wealth, and the willingness to strive for its attainment.
I thought so. The more I study, the more I philotim to know God, the more I understand how different the Word and the world really are. Perhaps folks who live in other parts of the globe are less shocked to learn such lessons. For me, born, raised, working, and raising children in these United States, the lesson is always one of dichotomy, paradox, and sadly wondering if I'm handicapped beyond repair from truly following.
One of my bosses is fond of saying that in business, it's crucial to determine early on whether a person you are dealing with is a "make me rich" or a "make me famous" person. Everyone, the story goes, is either one or the other at heart. And truly, according to the world's definition of ambition, that makes sense. We all have something we want that drives us.
Lately I've been wondering a lot at where this has gotten me. Everything I have done, accomplished, purposed, learned, studied (i.e. "philotim-ed") in life has led to... what, exactly? What goal? When I pray that the Lord would make my life useful and provide for me and let me know His will and keep me safe it's all so... what? So I can watch my TV programs every night without acid in my stomach and with an easy feeling in my chest? As opposed to having to really live by faith?
Today I read this quote by the English poet Samuel Johnson: "To be happy at home is the ultimate result of all ambition." Instantly my face fell. I knew that feeling all too well. All my aspirations only lead to the place of comfort, happiness, the path of least resistance. What's wrong with that? It quickly becomes a place that feels too far from God, too self-centered, too out of the loop, too air conditioned... too far removed to be making a real difference.
So then, what is the ambition of the Christ-follower? Let's recap from the verses we've looked at today:
Lead a quiet life
Attend to your own business
Work with your hands
Preach the gospel
Be pleasing to Him
In other words, don't stress yourself with fame, or getting and spending, always climbing, making more more more. Don't bother with being a busy-body or a gossip. Be creative; let God work through you. Tell others about Him. And live by faith.
It's so simple, almost too simple. Ambition isn't something far out there, some unabashed worldly success beyond our dreams, though that's where God may take us. It all goes back to the very reason God made man in the first place - to have someone to know Him.
And there's just not anything quaint about that.
Intersecting Faith & Life: The bulleted points above might sound too easy, too simple. And they can be. But when was the last time you made any or all of these your ambition? Pick one and practice it today, perhaps preaching the gospel to someone, perhaps seeking God's pleasure more than your own in any decisions you make.
Further Reading
Romans 15:20
2 Corinthians 5:9
What Motivates You?
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What Hath Worldview to Do with Memorial Day?
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"...let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness..."
Genesis 1:26 NASB
Begun as a ritual after the American Civil War to honor fallen soldiers, Memorial Day seems to have broadened in recent years. Many people view it as a day to remember deceased friends and loved ones, regardless of military service. The propriety of this phenomenon is not so much the focus of this devotional. What is of interest, however, is the fact that there even exists a universal human urge to honor the dead. Thinking worldview-ishly—what perspective besides the Christian's is able to provide a consistent and satisfying explanation for this?
Take atheistic evolution, for example. 1How do invisible realities like love, honor, and dignity evolve by random processes in a purely material universe? These are enduring aspects of human personality. Each is non-material, but each is very real. Deep down, we all know that they exist. Yet atheistic evolution, which says that these things can be nothing more than the product of chemical reactions in our brains, renders them meaningless. (Somehow, that little factoid gets swept under the rug in biology class though, doesn't it?)
At a fundamental level, we know that these ideals aren't just the product of chemical reactions in our brains. Oh, someone might protest that they are just chemical reactions. But if you could follow that person home and observe him for a while among his friends and loved ones, you'd see a different story played out.
The image of God is something which humans cannot contain or fully eradicate. Sooner or later it pokes out and finds expression. In an unguarded moment, the God-denier looks into the eyes of his beloved, or cradles a child or grandchild in his arms and knows deeply that the love he's experiencing is not a mere product of bio-chemistry. In The God Who Is There, author Francis Schaeffer said it this way:
"Though your system may say love does not exist, your own experience shows that it does." (chap. 2, conclusion)
We humans have an insuppressible knowledge that love is real and that there is something eternal and significant about us. We may not be able to put our finger on it or explain it precisely, but the Bible says that the living God has made mankind in His image. At the very least what that means is that we are distinct from animals. The ability to reflect on ourselves and write an essay about it (or read one), sets us apart from every other species. This is a function of the image of God at work.
God specially created us as rational and moral creatures possessing complex, intangible elements of personality. We are self-conscious; we reflect on memories of ourselves and others; we experience love—on and on. These are distinctly human qualities. We are unique in our "mannishness" as Schaeffer called it. Elsewhere, he wrote concerning this, saying:
God thinks and we think. The world of thoughts is that which distinguishes me as a man.
...the battle for people is centrally in the world of thought.
(True Spirituality, chap. 9: conclusion)
Granted, people don't always live in full awareness of these deep truths. But a so-called "non-religious" holiday like Memorial Day can help shock the awareness back, if we pause to consider it.
As Christians, we are right to observe Memorial Day. Honoring the dead is something completely consistent with our worldview. We might also observe Memorial Day by looking for opportunities to graciously challenge others to think about where their worldview leads them, and why they do what they do.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
When a non-Christian friend, neighbor, or family member brings up the subject of Memorial Day, ask them why they think humans honor their dead. Seize the occasion to start a conversation that points others to their Creator whose image they bear.
Further Reading:
Colossians 3 (esp. 3:10)
The Myth of Neutrality (a worldview & apologetics study by Greg Bahnsen)
How to Know Truth and Evaluate Competing Worldviews, by Chris Daniel
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1The deficiencies of other worldviews are demonstrable re: honoring the dead. However, for the sake of brevity, the discussion is being limited here to atheistic evolution.
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Pharisees on Facebook
by Ryan Duncan, Editor at TheFish.com
A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. – John 13:34-35
I have a friend who loves starting debates. Every once in a while he'll post an article or question on his Facebook page, then send out a request asking people to share their thoughts. These questions can cover every topic from politics to pop-culture, and typically generate good discussion. There was one post however, where things got pretty grim. It all started when my friend posted an article about a group of Christians who went to a Gay Pride parade holding signs that read "We're sorry for how the Church has treated you." Personally, I was pretty touched at the article, but as you might expect on such a hot button issue, not everyone felt the same way.
It didn't take long before the whole discussion exploded into a big honking argument and I remember leaving the thread in disgust, both by what I others had written and how I had responded. The most unnerving part however, happened three days later when I picked up my Bible and read a passage where the Pharisees interrogated a man Jesus had just healed.
Then they asked him, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?" He answered, "I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?" Then they hurled insults at him and said, "You are this fellow's disciple! We are disciples of Moses! We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don't even know where he comes from." The man answered, "Now that is remarkable! You don't know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will. Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing." To this they replied, "You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!" And they threw him out. – John 9:26-34
We like to think we are different from the Pharisees, but the truth is we're not. The Pharisees were the religious elite of the day, but they were so full of pride at their own self-righteousness, they could not even see the work of Christ when it was literally standing right in front of them. Instead, they argued and hurled insults at their enemy, a man who had done them no harm at all. I hate to say it, but that sounds a lot like me sometimes.
As Christians, we must remember that everything we say and everything we do reflects the presence of God in our lives. If we respond to others with cruelty, should we be surprised when their perception of Jesus is twisted? But if we respond in love, than perhaps they'll begin to understand how Christ sees them. So ask yourself, how does the world see Christ when they look at you?
Intersecting Faith and Life
Are you loving others the way Christ has loved you? Consider your actions.
Further Reading
John 9
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We Can Always Rebuild
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
So the king asked me, "Why does your face look sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart." I was very much afraid, but I said to the king, "May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?" The king said to me, "What is it you want?" Then I prayed to the God of heaven, and I answered the king, "If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my fathers are buried so that I can rebuild it."
Nehemiah 2:2-5, NIV
"Sadness of heart." That's how King Artaxerxes described what he saw when his cupbearer Nehemiah approached him with a cup of wine and a countenance that was not full of cheer.
In Nehemiah's response in the second chapter of this Old Testament book, we hear that his heart is indeed weighed down due to the destruction of the walls of Jerusalem. In fact, prior to his interaction with the king Nehemiah had petitioned the Lord after he heard about the Jewish remnant who were in "great trouble and disgrace" in the aftermath of Jerusalem's fall. He tells us in Nehemiah 1:4:
When I heard these things, I sat down and wept.
Then Nehemiah presented his request to God:
"Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, 'If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.'"
Nehemiah then asked the Lord to grant him favor when he went before King Artaxerxes to make this request:
"If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my fathers are buried, so that I can rebuild it."
We know in the verses following that Nehemiah was granted his request, and he went on to oversee the rebuilding of the wall around Jerusalem in just 52 days.
Today, the wall surrounding the Church is no different. It has also been broken down, and "its gates have been burned with fire." We are the members who are "unfaithful" and have been scattered "among the nations." We have each turned our own way and gone far, far astray.
So astray, in fact, that the impact of the Church is lessening. The saltiness of believers has lost its flavor. It's virtually undetectable in our society. And the classification of "Christian" has pretty much been watered down to "I'm a good person." Period.
But all is not lost. There is a remnant of believers. And God's Kingdom is not and will not be destroyed, despite its ruined and rubbled walls that are mirrored in our hearts.
Perhaps, as a believer in Christ, your heart is burdened today by what you see around you. Maybe, like Nehemiah, you have "sadness of heart" and want to see God's people come together and faithfully serve him once again as citizens of a Holy City instead of worshipping empty gods of a dying world.
"You see the trouble we are in," Nehemiah said to the officials when he first inspected the walls. "Jerusalem lies in ruins . . . come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace."
Will you help rebuild? Will you join with today's Nehemiahs—the dedicated leaders God has raised up to rally and bring people together—and do the work that needs to be done to help restore unity and distinction and holiness that is called for in the body of Christ?
Prayerfully consider your response today. And may we all be moved to say, "Let us start rebuilding," as we yield to God and his working through us to restore his Kingdom in our hearts and in our land.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Before the rebuilding process, Nehemiah carefully and quietly inspected Jerusalem's walls. What represents weakness or "ruins" in your heart, making you vulnerable to sin? Ask the Master Builder to do a thorough inspection and fortify you for his glory!
Further Reading:
2 Chron. 7:14, NIV
Neh. 1:5-11, NIV
Psa. 122, NIV
Hand Me Another Brick by Charles R. Swindoll
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Defying Gravity
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand." – 1 Chronicles 29:14
While I was in elementary school, family friends made the decision to leave the States for Kiev, Ukraine. This family of seven, including children my age, had to downgrade from a four bedroom suburban home to an 800 square foot flat. That meant getting rid of a house full of clothes, toys, yard tools, furniture, dishes – a whole host of personal preferences and "needs." Each family member had the luxury of one big trunk as they moved halfway around the world.
For this family, however, the joy of sharing the Gospel in a former USSR satellite nation outweighed all their possessions. My dad asked his friend how he was handling the sudden "loss." His answer was telling.
"Actually," the new missionary responded, "this is the most freeing thing I've ever done."
This family found a special freedom far before I began to sniff it out. For me, this reorientation is coming slowly, helped along recently by a little book called The Treasure Principle. In it, Randy Alcorn uses a science metaphor to explain why our friends felt unshackled rather than empty. He writes:
It's a matter of basic physics. The greater the mass, the greater the hold that mass exerts. The more things we own—the greater their total mass the more they grip us, setting us in orbit around them. Finally, like a black hole, they suck us in.
Consider our materialism that way – the more stuff, the more mass. The more mass, the greater its gravitational pull. And the harder it is to escape.
Compare this to David's exhilaration in 1 Chronicles. He is humbled not by how much God has blessed him with – but by how much God has allowed him to give away. The king of Israel, a center of the ancient world, found his joy not in the palaces and the women at his disposal, but in the act of returning to God was rightfully God's. How many of us can say the same?
We live in a physical, material world. But we have the chance to defy its hold on us with every cent, toy, and "need" that comes our way. Are you ready?
Intersecting Faith & Life: I want to relearn the joy of giving in a more tangible way than ever before. As Alcorn puts it, "We give because He first gave to us" the most valuable gift of all. What ministries, families, or other kingdom cause is on your heart?
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Trust at High Speeds
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6
I had been on a WaveRunner before. "No problem," I said to myself as I climbed on behind my husband last weekend. I looked down at the brackish water that was more chilly than refreshing and told myself firmly, "Remember, you like going on adventures with him." Sure enough, David looked back and grinned at me when we got away from the dock. He told me to hold on. Then he gunned it.
Jumping on a WaveRunner seems easy when I'm the one driving, because then I get to decide just how sharply I want to bank to catch that big wake. Or I can keep shooting out towards the Chesapeake Bay and avoid the wake altogether if I want. I can slow down if I scare myself, and I only "catch some air" if I'm good and ready - which, in reality, is almost never. Riding behind someone else, however, even when I trust him more than anyone, demands a leap of faith. The only thing I have to hang onto is his life jacket, and this guy in front of me gets to make the decisions while I peer over his shoulder. It's hard to anticipate or even see what is coming next, and leaning the wrong way when we bank could throw me into the cold water at 50 miles per hour.
Out on the open water, with the wind stinging my eyes and convincing me that I'm about to fly off my seat, I'm pushed out of my comfort zone and into something more exhilarating than I'd wander into by myself. And the whole experience stems from letting someone else sit in the driver's seat with not even a seatbelt for me. David knew I didn't want to capsize, and he directed the little WaveRunner accordingly. But he wouldn't let me be completely comfortable, because then we might as well take the paddleboat out and save gas. He made sure we got the full experience of saltwater, fun, and incredible views.
If I can trust my husband who loves me, how much more should I trust my Heavenly Father, who knows my fears, needs, and weaknesses far better. God desires to take us on an adventure that lets us experience Him and His creation more fully and joyfully than we can imagine. Focusing on our fear of some abstract unknown keeps us from being open to the adventure unfolding before our eyes every day. We tend to forget God's amazing promise, that "the LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you" (Deut. 1:8). Fear and worry indicate that we don't really believe that promise, and that we think we'd do a better job steering. Instead, when we make a conscious decision to trust the Lord - even when life is way too busy and fast for our liking - we find the peace to take a deep breath, smell the salty air, and enjoy where He is taking us.
Intersecting Faith & Life: If you're comfortable with life now, are you open to changes in God's plan for you? If life is crazy now, do you try too hard to make sure everything is under control, instead of resting in God's promises? Roll down your car window for a minute today and feel the wind rushing by. Remember that the Lord of the universe, the One who controls the wind and the seas, calls us cast all our cares on Him (I Peter 5:7).
Further Reading
Proverbs 19:21
Philippians 4:6-7
The War over Worry
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The Christian Faith Is Not a Leap in the Dark
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"...we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal."
2 Corinthians 4:18 NASB
We can divide the universe into two categories of reality: the material and the non-material; or that which is seen and that which isnot seen. In talking about unseen reality, I'm obviously not talking about things that must be relegated to fantasy or pure imagination. Rather, I'm talking about unseen (yet real) fixed concepts which our world operates by constantly. Take, for example...
Moral absolutes (e.g. Child abuse is wrong.)
The uniformity of nature (e.g. We live on the assumption that planets and stars move in a predictable fashion. On this assumption we plan trips not only to grandma's house, but to the moon and beyond.)
Universal Laws of Thought* (e.g. The principle of contradiction: a maxim stated by Aristotle as: "contradictory propositions are not true simultaneously." [cf. Aristotle's Metaphysics, 1011b13-14]) Avicenna is said to have put it more colorfully, "Anyone who denies the law of non-contradiction should be beaten and burned until he admits that to be beaten is not the same as not to be beaten, and to be burned is not the same as not to be burned.
These are all things that are real, yet are unseen. Laws of thought and moral absolutes may not be able to be weighed, measured or stored in a cupboard, but we count on them and live by them every day just the same.
From what I've observed, both children and adults in Christian circles struggle at times with the things they are called to believe in. God seems like a distant idea. Doctrine seems far removed from day-to-day life. At times, you or someone you love may be tempted with the thought, "I wonder if God, salvation, heaven and hell is all just a made up fairy tale."
At that point you should take a step back and remember that everyone has a faith in their particular view of the world. Worldviews need to be evaluated by whether or not they account for the unseen realities mentioned above. Fortunately, biblical Christianity (not to be confused with tainted, politicized, or hypocritical forms of Christianity that bear no resemblance to the life and message of Jesus Christ) is a worldview that is well able to account for these unseen realities. The biblical God (note well, not just general theism) capably undergirds all unseen moral absolutes, natural constants and universals. Other competing worldviews are weighed in the balance and found wanting.
When we are called on to believe in the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 5:5), we should recognize that this is another unseen reality. The truths of Galatians 2:20 belong in the category of the unseen as well...
"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me." (Gal. 2:20)
Let's not gloss over the fact that we are called to believe in unseen things. But at the same time let's not jump to the wrong conclusion that Christ asks us to take an idiotic leap in the dark. We all believe in well-founded unseen things everyday.
This week in chapter four of Francis Schaeffer's True Spirituality (I'm reading through the works of Schaeffer and posting about it regularly here at Crosswalk the Devotional), he calls our attention to this biblical view of truth by underscoring that there are "two streams, two strands of space-time reality—one in the seen, and one in the unseen..."
"[God] is not asking us merely to act on some psychological motivation, but on what really is... there is a Holy Spirit who has been given to us to make service possible.
"The Christian dead, including my loved ones, are already with Christ now, and Christ really lives in the Christian. Christ lives in me.
"Here is true Christian mysticism—not based on content-less experience, but on historic, space-time reality—on propositional truth. Christian mysticism is communion with Christ. It is Christ bringing forth fruit through me, the Christian, with no loss of personality.
"He is the Christ who has died, whose work is finished, who is raised, who is ascended, who is glorified. It is this Christ. Not simply an idea. It is the Christ who was seen after the resurrection... by Stephen, by Paul, by John."
Let's walk on today, confidently believing in these unseen realities—Christ was not raised mythically; Jesus, the apostles and the Christian martyrs were not liars; and "the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who is given unto us" (Romans 5:5).
Intersecting Faith & Life: Are you at a loss for words when asked why you believe in unseen things? Learn how to converse with others in terms of their own beliefs in unseen things (like moral absolutes, etc.), and help them discover the worldview that is charged with the majesty and grandeur of God.
For Further Study:
What Is a Worldview? Dr. James Sire
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A Spiritual Workout
Ryan Duncan, Editor at TheFish.com
"So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter."- 2 Thessalonians 2:15
In some of my previous devotions I've written about my habit of working out during the week, and during my time at the gym I've learned a few important lessons. First, never go running after eating Mexican take- out unless you want to experiences some excruciating gastro-intestinal distress. Second, always know what a machine does before you try using it or you may end up looking like a complete idiot. Finally, and most importantly, all exercise takes commitment and perseverance. You see, we live in a world that is obsessed with immediate results.
Don't believe me? Look at the TV commercials that promise rock hard abs in thirty days, or the diet plans that promise to slim our waistline after a week of light work. We are all looking for an easy way out, but if you really want to become strong and healthy, it takes many days of hard work. The same is true for spiritual workouts, just read 1 Thessalonians 5,
And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else. Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not put out the Spirit's fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil. May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it. Brothers, pray for us. Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss. I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. – 1 Thessalonians 5:14-28
I don't know about you but I'm exhausted just reading that passage. Unfortunately, that doesn't stop it from being true. Save for the grace of God, there are no magical fixes in life. If you want to get physically healthy it means running, dieting, and doing a whole lot of heavy lifting. If you want to become stronger in Christ, you can't just rely on going to Church each Sunday.
Growing closer to God means forgiving your enemies, encouraging others, and praying continuously day after day. It's some serious work, and there will be moments when you may get discouraged, but over time when you look back at the things it has allowed God to do in your life, you will know that it was all worth it.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Think of one way you can improve your walk with Christ and put it into action.
Further Reading
Matthew 20:28
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What's Happening Behind the Scenes
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
"For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?"
Esther 4:14, NIV
About a month ago I saw a performance of Into the Woods. This Stephen Sondheim musical won a number of Tony Awards several decades back, but I had never seen it in person.
As I watched the performance and the familiar fairy tales (including Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel) all converging in one brand new tale, I could hear the small orchestra accompanying from backstage. I knew they were there and could detect their presence by the notes being played, but I never saw any of the musicians on the other side of the curtain.
I'm sure there was a lot of other activity going on behind the scenes as well, but it wasn't visible to me. I was concentrating on the actors and the staging and the story being told through song. Yet in order for the show to go on as I was seeing it, I know there had to have been a lot going on backstage.
All of that activity was being managed by a friend of mine who was the show's director. I greeted him afterward and told him how much I enjoyed the performance. He is extremely talented and experienced in musical theater, and I could tell everything was in very capable hands.
Another story that was in THE most capable hands of all time is that of Esther. God was always working as this story unfolded in the Old Testament, though maybe he's not as visible here. The Almighty's every move is not spelled out nor are there scenes where we see him directly speaking to the different characters or them seeking him through prayer. But what we do witness is God's sovereignty behind the scenes in the lives of Esther, Mordecai, Haman and King Xerxes.
In a nutshell, once Esther was chosen to be the successor to Queen Vashti, she moved into the palace with King Xerxes (but she kept her Jewish heritage a secret). Soon, though, her cousin Mordecai learned of a plot by a high-ranking official named Haman to kill the Jews (since Haman was incensed that Mordecai would not bow down in honor to him).
Mordecai then sent word to Esther in the palace and pleaded with her to help stop this conspiracy. Meanwhile, Haman decided to build some gallows by his house on which he would hang Mordecai. And then meanwhile to that meanwhile, when King Xerxes had a sleepless night he summoned for the official book of the record of his reign for a little late-night reading. And he just "happened" to learn that in prior days Mordecai had exposed two enemies which in turn helped save the king's life.
What transpired next was just too amazing! The king ordered Haman to honor Mordecai for his past efforts to save the king (which meant that Haman had to robe Mordecai and lead him through the streets on horseback for everyone to see). And then in a series of banquets Esther prepared for both the king and Haman, she finally exposed Haman and his plans to kill the Jews. And as a result, King Xerxes ordered that Haman be hanged on the very gallows this hateful man had built for Mordecai.
And after all of that, the Jews were saved.
Wow! Once you can see all that was really going on "behind the scenes" and how God was moving, aren't you amazed? If we believe our God is sovereign, then surely we must believe he is always working on our collective behalf. While his ways cannot always be seen, those undetectable works are no less important than his mighty acts and displays of power and glory that we do see.
And in the end, it doesn't even matter. God wants us to trust him regardless of what we see, because he is always there . . . behind the scenes.
Intersecting Faith & Life: God doesn't always dramatically "part the Red Sea" every day in our lives, so to speak. In what smaller, quieter ways have you seen God's hand move in your life in recent days?
Further Reading:
Psa. 46:10-11, NIV
Isa. 55:8, NIV
1 Peter 5:6, NIV
:angel:
Bearing With One Another
by Sarah Phillips, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Colossians 3: 13-14
Sometimes I think the biggest stumbling block to living the Christian life exists in our interactions with other Christians. Those who profess faith in Christ are very capable of hurting each other – perhaps even unusually "gifted" at it.
Yes, fellowship within the Church can be wonderfully fulfilling, offering true glimpses of the unity we will experience in heaven. But (as life frequently reminds us) we're not in heaven yet, so our relationships with one another often fall short of the "Beatific Vision."
So what do we do when we're faced with failure in our relationships, especially when our fellow Christians fail to meet our expectations? Much has been said about the necessity of forgiving trespassers. Scripture makes it clear we are to imitate Christ and show mercy to those who have wronged us, and counselors have written extensively on the personal freedom one finds in forgiving even the most terrible sins. But I think sometimes it's not the huge transgressions that challenge us most. Sometimes it's the smaller infractions that wear on our souls.
Perhaps you've observed imperfections in another that open personal wounds, rub you the wrong way or just plain annoy you. Perhaps there is someone in your life that consistently brings out your ugly side or whose presence simply symbolizes something you desire but have not achieved. This kind of pain is often absorbed interiorly. There's no public stand to take, no 12-step program designed to walk you through.
Over time, we may find that we begin to keep count of this person's failings. We may catch ourselves gossiping about them or avoiding them in our daily lives. Each infraction is like a small stone that eventually builds a wall around the heart, a wall that stands not only between you and that person but also between you and Christ.
One of my favorite Christian heroes, St. Therese of Lisieux, faced such a situation in her community of cloistered Carmelite nuns. Behind the walls of her tranquil convent, relational strife simmered. Some nuns had maddeningly annoying habits that interfered with prayerful contemplation whereas others displayed a variety of mundane vices like laziness or sloppiness. St. Therese had a personal dislike for a particular nun who often acted unhappy and critical. She sought ways to avoid this person in her daily tasks – until she realized she was failing to love one of God's children. Therese had personally experienced Christ's love, with full knowledge of her invisible imperfections, so how could she justify failing to love this nun just because her faults were visible?
As her heart changed, so did her actions. Therese chose to smile at this young woman every time she passed her. She displayed unusual grace in their interactions, always ready to help with a task or share a kind word.
The change in Therese's demeanor did not go unnoticed. This nun made note to others that it seemed Therese had an unusual affection for her, and she began to return Therese's smiles.
I realize I would do well to imitate Therese more often. I struggle with the small acts of charity, the little things that only God notices. Yet, the decision to love in even the most seemingly insignificant ways transforms hearts. And while Therese's actions may not have brought on world peace, they brought Christ's peace to her world.
Intersecting Faith & Life: While it's good to speak out against wrong, some situations call for a silent gesture of love and grace. This week, perform a small act of kindness towards a person you find challenging to love. Remember that Christ knows all of our faults, yet His love never wavers.
Further Reading
Matthew 18: 15
The Command to Forgive
:angel:
It's Not About Who's Right Or Who's Wrong"
By Stephen Sanders, Audio/Video Editor for Salem Web Network
It's not about who's right or who's wrong. It is about glorifying God no matter who's doing what.
In my role here at Salem Web Network, I have the privilege of being able to see the best (and worse) the Body of Christ has to offer. Unfortunately, it is probably more bad than good in a lot of cases. But I guess it makes sense when you think about what Jesus said: "the road to life is a narrow road and few will follow."
This variety in the Body of Christ has been an ongoing struggle for me since the work environment I'd been in for the 5 years prior was very sheltered. I was working at a church, so I only saw that perspective on the Christian walk. But now I'm exposed to what seems to be millions of different outlooks on what it means to be a Christian.
A recent google search revealed to me that there are approximately 38,000 denominations of the Christian faith. I suppose you could probably lump a lot of those together into a few hundred general categories if you wanted to, or even protestant/catholic if you really, really wanted to. But the point is...even if it was 380 instead of 38,000...that is A LOT. But back to the perspectives...
With these 10's of thousands of denominations come even more views on what is right and what is wrong. What is "Christian" behavior and what isn't and so forth and so on. It is (and has been for me) a very easy thing to get caught up in if one isn't careful. In a recent devotional I wrote titled, "Don't Let Foolishness Get the Best of You" I shared how easy it has become for Christians to share their voice more boldly online. It's been over 2 months since I published that article and I'm still processing this whole ordeal; trying to find my place in all of this chaos.
Yesterday I think I finally came to a conclusion: No one is totally right. (Brilliant, I know) No matter how confident we may sound when we claim that, "__________ is what the Bible says about _________," none of us are right. How could we be? We still live in a sin-cursed world, we all still make mistakes, all still fall short of perfection that only God possesses.
Some of us sound really smart with our proclamations and it can be very easy for someone like myself to become mesmerized with a specific stance on certain matters. But what happens is that these perspectives, once taken to a certain level, become idols of our worship. And that goes for disagreeing with the perspectives just as much as showing allegiance. Let me give you an example.
Pastor _______ writes a book on ______ perspective on ________. Some agree with his refreshing insight while others accuse him of blasphemy. 1000's of people chime in and before you know it, it has become a bigger topic amongst Christian circles than the Gospel itself. Isn't that more evil than good? Isn't that behavior exalting the flesh and not the Spirit?
It becomes even more disturbing when it becomes more personal.
A first time visitor walks into a church sanctuary or youth group that is more about the issues than it is the Gospel message. They develop a perspective of what Jesus is like from these encounters. After all, that's why people come to church. To hear about Jesus, right? Will they leave confused not knowing what they've just witnessed? Perhaps worse, will they become fascinated and faithfully follow a "man of god" who isn't Gospel-centered in his preaching.
Galatians 5:16-26 says, "...walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. Now the works of the flesh are evident: ...enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger,rivalries, dissensions, divisions...and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love...peace, patience, kindness...gentleness, self-control. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another."
So, realizing the harm I've witnessed first hand on such matters, I've come to the conclusion that humility is key. As a Christian, I must never make certain things "sins" that the Bible doesn't claim to be sin. I must never make certain spiritual gifts bigger than they actually are. I must never become so involved in perspectives that I lose sight of how the Bible tells me to conduct myself. I must never make definitive statements about anything other than Jesus being God and the only way to eternal life. Because when I do that, it becomes more about me and less about Him.
Intersecting Faith and Life
I've been forcing myself to not become a part of such matters, not because I'm so fantastic, but because I think about how this causes others to perceive our faith. What must it look like to people who don't believe in Jesus when we act like this? Is this something you'd want to be a part of? Analyze your walk with me today and ask God if there are stances you are taking that overshadow Him.
:angel:
Trials of Prosperity
Alex Crain-Managing Editor at Christianity.com
"...for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. 12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me."
Philippians 4:11b-13
A friend of mine who lives in another part of the country (let's call him Joe) works as a recruiter. He specializes in finding jobs for lawyers, consultants, and accountants. When Joe places someone in a job, the hiring firm pays him a percentage based on the annual salary. A few years ago, when housing prices began taking a nose dive and the job market dried up, my friend nearly lost everything.
Every week, Joe and I would talk on the phone and pray together. We asked God to provide for our families and help us not get consumed with worry. God faithfully met our needs and the answers to prayer for Joe's finances came in small quantities, until just recently when the floodgates opened.
Last year, Joe made a couple of moderate placements while he tapped away at something he called his "needle in a haystack." A law firm in Asia was seeking a senior partner whose starting annual salary would be around $3 million. The bonus for Joe would be the biggest in his career if he could land it. Well, Joe's candidate eventually got the job. When Joe called me to share the news, we rejoiced and praised God together.
Then, because this less-than-joyful bit of news was fresh on my mind at the time, I shared with Joe (anonymously) about an acquaintance who was no longer living for God. He had inherited a good amount of money around the same time Joe's income had dried up to a trickle. The inheritance money fueled secret vices that eventually led him to the point of abandoning his wife and six young children for another woman. My wife and I stayed in this family's home just a few years ago. We still can't believe it.
Joe and I still pray on the phone and ask God to bless his business and keep him close to God as he tastes financial success. In light of the tragic break up of this other family, we've become more aware what a blessing it is to just have daily bread. The temptation to forget God in times of abundance is strong. When God allows trials of prosperity in our lives, we need to depend on Him even more.
Intersecting Faith and Life:
Though it might sound cliché, Satan will destroy us if he can. As Luther's hymn says: 'His craft and power are great, and armed with cruel hate.' No matter our circumstances, God wants us to trust Him, not piles of money.
Further Reading:
8 Things Contentment Opposes, by Tim Challies
Philippians 4
:angel:
June 6, 2012
The Wedding Day
By Ryan Duncan, Editor for TheFish.com
As a young man marries a maiden, so will your sons marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you. - Isaiah 62:5
Last weekend one of my best friends got married. The wedding took place outside at their old college, the place where the two had first met. A few of the groom's friends and I helped raise a white tent on one of the school's grassy fields while the bridesmaids rushed back and forth setting tables, adjusting flowers, and making everything look just right. The ceremony was beautiful. The bride and groom received their parents' blessing, exchanged vows, and kissed with loud applause from the audience.
For me though, the best part came during the reception when the bride and groom had their first dance. As I sat there watching my friend and his wife dance to "You're Beautiful" by Phil Wickham, it struck me why Jesus often used weddings to describe the Kingdom of God. You see, in that moment the only thing that mattered to the two of them was each other. It didn't matter that the road to marriage had been crazy, stressful and hard. It didn't matter that the weather wasn't perfect or that they had to wait a few days for their honeymoon. The only thing that mattered to my friend was holding the woman he loved in his arms and knowing that she loved him in return.
Life really is like a wedding banquet. The time leading up to the ceremony will be chocked full of mistakes and uncertainty, and there will be moments when we're unsure if we can live up to Christ's expectations. But if we continue to believe in Christ, then on the day when we stand before him, we will realize that none of those mistakes matter anymore. All that will matter is that he loves us, and we love him in return.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Married couples, take a moment to appreciate your spouse and reflect on Christ's blessing in your life.
Further Reading
Jeremiah 33:11
:angel:
A Mouth That Got Washed Out
Laura MacCorkle, Senior Editor
Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips.
Psalm 141:3, NIV
Have you ever had your mouth washed out? I have. Not recently, thankfully. But when I was still a child.
It happened while my mother and I were talking at the dinner table. In fact, my whole family was on hand as we were finishing up our evening meal. I remember disagreeing with something she had said or maybe just not liking whatever instruction she had given to me. And before I knew it, out came the dreaded words.
I knew that I shouldn't say them.
They were forbidden in my household.
I knew that they were disrespectful.
They were so very far from honoring my mother.
And yet, I wasn't deterred.
So out they came ...
"Shut up!" Gulp. Before I knew it, my mother took me by the collar and marched me down the hallway to the bathroom. On went the faucet. Whether it was hot or cold water, I can't remember.
Next, the bar of soap was quickly lathered into a frenzy. And then the unthinkable: my mother washed out my mouth. Suds and all. For what seemed like HOURS.
I know that I gagged, and I'm sure I played it up for dramatic effect as I cried with giant tears and struggled against the cleansing agents (my mom and the soap). But you know what? It worked. Never again did I say "shut up" to my mother. I had learned that lesson. And my mouth was a little less full of bacteria to boot!
At this point in my life, I'd like to share with you that this act of getting my mouth washed out has translated into all of my speech patterns and conversations going forward. But alas, as someone who is afflicted with chronic foot-in-mouth disease and having a mind that thinks and reacts quickly combined with a tongue that is happy to join forces and play along, I routinely find myself feeling sorrowful for things that I have just said.
While the tongue may be one of the smallest parts of the human anatomy, could it not be one of the most dangerous? In all of our cases, a thousand times yes! (James 3:6).
Like David, in Psalm 141, I know that there is one side of me that really does want to please the Lord with my speech and make sure that it is right and pure. But then there's that other side that really wants to appear witty and funny and, yes, truthful. But what may seem witty and funny and "truthful" to me can very quickly become that which kills a relationship, crushes a spirit, pollutes a mind, spreads hurtful information or divides a family or a group of friends.
"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths," says Ephesians 4:29. "But only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."
So today, I'm going to do a virtual cleansing of my mouth. And then I'll take a thorough mental inventory and do some soul-searching to see what other unkind or sinful words I'm being convicted of saying.
Will You join with me? Let's ask the Lord to help us be wiser and more edifying in our conversations (Proverbs 15:4). Let's think before we speak (Proverbs 13:3). Let's say less and listen more (Proverbs 21:23). And then let's see what happens in our interactions with others (Proverbs 16:24) and in our walk with the Lord (Psalm 51:15).
Intersecting Faith & Life: Write or print out Ephesians 4:29 and affix it to your bathroom mirror, your rearview mirror in your car, somewhere on your desk or at your kitchen sink, or wherever you will see it the best. I've already done so, and I hope that we will both be able to hide these words in our hearts over the coming week and think about them as we speak.
Further Reading:
Psalm 19:14, NIV
Psalm 37:30, NIV
Proverbs 16:21, NIV
:angel:
June 8, 2012
Fiery Faith
by Sarah Phillips, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
And suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Acts 2: 2-4
This week we celebrate Pentecost, one of the oldest feast days on the Christian calendar. It traditionally falls on the 50th day of Easter, marking the close of the season - and talk about ending things with a bang.
The spectacular scene described here has understandably captured the fascination of countless artists through the ages. While traveling in Spain, I was blessed to encounter one such painting by El Greco which quickly became a favorite of mine.
The vibrant piece, stretching from floor to ceiling, portrays the Apostles and Jesus' mother Mary with rapturous facial expressions illuminated by the brilliant flames of God's Spirit hovering above their heads. The fiery tongues seem to be the only source of light in the room – anything outside the reach of the Holy Spirit's glow quickly fades from dazzling color into shadowy darkness.
And yet for all the glory of that moment, the moments leading up to the descent of the Holy Spirit were, according to Scripture, filled with fear and uncertainty. The disciples had witnessed a roller coaster of events from the devastation of Jesus' crucifixion to the stunning miracles in the days following Jesus' resurrection to the promise that somehow, Jesus would be with them until the end of the age even after his ascension into heaven. They had experienced doubt, despair, awe, and amazement. Their lives had been turned upside down, and they could only wonder what might happen next.
After a pregnant pause, God came through for this faithful bunch, and the Church was officially born. Pentecost marks the day the apostles received the gifts of the Holy Spirit, allowing them to spread the gospel and baptize all nations.
Pentecost reminds me that even those who witnessed the miracles of Christ firsthand had to face and overcome uncertainty and fear. The disciples weren't perfect, and they weren't always clued into the details of God's bigger plan. Just like the early disciples, we are often called to simply take one day at a time and trust God with whatever the future may bring.
Pentecost also reminds me that while God often works in seemingly ordinary ways, sometimes He bursts through the veil that separates heaven and earth and wows us beyond our wildest hopes and dreams. He doesn't wait for us to be perfect or holy to bless us with His presence, but instead fills our frail selves with His glory and empowers us to do great things.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Do you remember times in your faith when you were truly "on fire" for God? When His presence was tangible and your heart was willing to go wherever He led you? Reflect on those times, and ask God to renew your fire for Him.
Further Reading
1 Corinthians 12: 4-7
John 20: 19-23
:angel:
Living in a Dream World
By Stephen Sanders, Audio/Video Editor for Salem Web Network
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. Psalm 23: 1
A life with no challenges would be awesome, wouldn't it? Always making the right decision, never running out of money, your kids always doing what they are supposed to do, never biting off more than you can chew... circumstances just magically falling into place so that we can effortlessly waltz through life in a state of constant enjoyment. Man, that sure would be nice...
Let's just close our eyes for a few seconds and imagine what that would be like...
I'm 32, and I have 3 daughters. One of them just turned 13. The other is 7. The youngest is 2. They are all very, very different. I cannot begin to tell you how overwhelming this can be sometimes.
The baby is absolutely the cutest little thing ever. However, she has turned out to be the "stubborn child." She writes on everything no matter how many times we tell her to stop. She refuses to use the potty. She will do a halfway-pee in her diaper, hold it and wait for you to change it, then pee in the fresh one immediately. It's not like we don't discipline her because we do!
But she's cute, and she's little and can only really get into so much trouble, so she doesn't stress me out too much...
The middle child is fairly drama free these days. She recently got 1st and 2nd semester honor roll and citizenship awards at school with pretty much zero supervision. But a couple years ago she was the bane of her K4 teacher's existence. I got called to the office, seriously, almost every single day that school year for her bad behavior. The principal felt like our daughter might have psychological problems. The teacher broke down in tears in the middle of multiple conversations. We had no answers.
The very next year my daughter was the teacher's pet. But, at the time, we blamed ourselves for these issues because we were her parents. Now we don't feel like such failures.
My oldest is actually my stepdaughter, and this relationship comes with its obvious trials. She's also a very attractive 13-year old; this poses even more issues. And if that wasn't enough already, there are the unexpected things that happen. They are like dreams you hoped would never happen but did. Then they rear their ugly heads and taunt you like a nightmare you swear you've had before...
...they cause you to wake earlier than you want to type a devotional at 4am...
I remember living in a dream world when I was her age. I knew everything. Everyone else was wrong and stupid. I know that will change. What I don't know is what scares me. Will she get involved in the wrong crowd at school? Will she make one bad decision and end up pregnant before she graduates? Will she grow up and want to live a life that is pleasing to God or pleasing to her? These are new questions that have started popping into my head recently.
I try so hard. I desire more than anything for her to grow up and have a perfect life; a life where she always makes the right decisions. A life where she never runs out of money. A life where... yeah...
I begin to realize that my expectations for her life are unrealistic. She is going to make bad decisions. I just need to be here to listen, to guide and to comfort her. Let her fail. In those things, listen to her worries and hurts and remind her why we need Jesus in the first place.
He isn't our God for our benefit... even though our relationship with Him does benefit us. He isn't our God because He will make us rich and healthy and free from the pain and difficulties of this world we live in. But He is here with us through these trials.
Intersecting Faith and Life
I recently started studying the Book of Psalms; a part of the Bible I've always neglected to see the true value in. I suppose God must have inspired them for times when His people were having times like I'm having right now. It's only by God's grace that I am as content as I am these days. I honestly don't stress too much about the things that are going on in my life. Even when I do begin to stress, God brings others to my attention, like homeless people, and I realize things could be so much worse. Or maybe the material things I deem so important actually cause me more stress... who knows.
All I know is that God continues to teach me how to be more like Him. My kids will be OK. My family will grow and become everything they are supposed to be. I just have to have faith in God and know that He has a plan that is so much greater than I could ever predict -- that this crazy world I live in isn't going to change. I will probably have a few more sleepless nights because of it; some nightmares may actually come true, but He is with me to provide peace and restoration and comfort.
For Further Study
Psalm 1
"In The House of God, Forever" by Jon Foreman
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The How of the Christian Life
Alex Crain, Editor, Christianity.com
"...be it unto me according to Your word."
Luke 1:38
"How It's Made," the Science Channel's hit show, regularly makes the most of people's curiosity about how household items like gummie candy, aluminum cans, and flavored bacon actually go from raw materials to finished product. It's easy to become mesmerized when cameras are leading you behind the scenes into the inner workings of factories making a few of your favorite things. By the end of each segment, the mists of your own vague ideas about process and production have been utterly dispersed.
This week's reading in chapter four of Francis Schaeffer's True Spirituality is a bit like "How It's Made" in that he delves into the secret of how the Christian life is effectively lived. While many of us know this secret in theory, the daily mist of our own residual fallen nature makes it necessary to review the blazing truth so that we might see ourselves (and God) accurately and live out our faith practically.
Moving forward from last week's teaching in chapter four about the normality of believing in unseen things, Schaeffer issues the biblical call this week to engage in what he terms "active passivity" when living the life of faith.
Schaeffer points out that belief in the Holy Spirit is one thing. Now what do we do with that belief? Second Corinthians 13:14 says that "the communion of the Holy Spirit" is to be with all true believers. We are to rely fully and constantly on Christ's promise to send us the Holy Spirit. He is the agent of the power and Person of the glorified Christ.
"There is not enough strength in ourselves, but placed before us is the power and work of the glorified Christ through the agency of the Holy Spirit. Surely this is exactly what Christ meant when he said, 'I will not leave you as orphans.'"
(John 14:18)
"As we look at the book of Acts, we find in the early church not a group of strong men laboring together, but the work of the Holy Spirit bringing to them the power of the crucified and glorified Christ. It must be so for us also."
"As with Mary in the virgin birth when she gave herself with her body to God in response to His promise, so we are in the same situation in [a certain sense] that we have these great and thrilling promises we have been considering, and we are neither to think of ourselves as totally passive, as though we had no part in this; nor are we to think we can do it ourselves."
"If we are to bring forth this fruit through us by the agency of the Holy Spirit, there must be a constant act of faith, of thinking: 'Upon the basis of Your promises I am looking for You to fulfill them... bring forth Your fruit through me into this poor world.'"
"We do not have to beat ourselves or be dejected, [but simply say]"Be it unto me according to Thy Word." This is what I mean by active passivity. This is the how, and there is no other."
Finally, as if to say "this is really how it's done!" Schaeffer reemphasizes that this is not just theoretical access to the power of the crucified, risen, glorified Christ. This is access that we have in reality—in the here and now.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Are you depending on your own energy, cleverness, persistence, charisma and talents to present the Christian life as attractive to your lost friends and family members? By faith (Hebrews 11:6), gaze upon Christ—His atonement, perfections and promises. Respond with active passivity: "Be it unto me according to Thy Word."
For Further Study:
Romans 6-8
The Wind of the Holy Ghost Blowing upon the Dry Bones in the Valley of Vision, by Ebenezer Erskine
John Owen on the Spirit in the Life of Christ, Dr. Sinclair Ferguson
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The Duty of Living in the Reality of the Supernatural
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"...without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him."
Hebrews 11:6 ESV
"Doctrine is important," writes Francis Schaeffer in chapter five of his book True Spirituality, "but it is not an end in itself. There is to be an experiential reality, moment by moment... in the power of the crucified and risen Christ, through the agency of the indwelling Holy Spirit, by faith."
Yes, yes, yes... we nod our heads, agreeing with such a fine statement of what ought to be the daily experience of one who follows Christ. But is that our experience? Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed that little by little, the reality of the supernatural is all too easily lost in our generation?
What seems to elude most Christians is a daily experience of living in the reality of the supernatural. We can polish and refine our doctrinal statements and discuss the finer points of what's going on in the world and how to fix our institutions and churches until the cows come home. But what often gets crowded out of the picture is the simple reality of God. When that happens, the world squeezes us into its way of thinking. To quote Schaeffer on this...
"Our generation is overwhelmingly naturalistic [i.e. meaning everything is the result of natural causes in a closed system]. If we are not careful, even though we say we are Biblical Christians and supernaturalists, the naturalism of our generation tends to come in upon us."
Schaeffer compares this creeping in of the world's naturalistic mindset to barnacles that grow on the bottom of ships, creating drag on vessels that were meant to efficiently cut through the water. So, as an antidote, he points us to classic Scriptures that teach the nearness of the supernatural all around us.
For example, Luke's passage on the post-resurrection appearance of Jesus to two disciples walking on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:31) says that their eyes were opened and they realized it was Jesus, then He ceased to be seen by them. Paraphrasing Schaeffer: "It wasn't that Christ was no longer there, but that they simply did not see Him any longer. John 20:19 and 26 gives the same emphasis."
Another classic text that Schaeffer takes us to is 2 Kings 6:16-17 where Elisha is surrounded by an enemy, and the young man standing with him is overcome with fear. "Elisha prayed and said, 'O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.' So the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha."
"The supernatural was not something far off; it was there. All the young man needed was to have his eyes opened to see it. As soon as we remove the supernaturalness of the universe, all we have left is Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, in which religion is viewed simply as a sociological tool... a mere psychological mechanism."
Schaeffer rightly notes that this is precisely where the battle rages today. The naturalists are determined to get rid of the supernatural, to argue against it, that it is not there. Therefore...
"...we have thrust upon us the high calling and the duty to live in light of the existence of the two parts of the universe, the seen and the unseen parts, in the realization that the "heavenlies" are not far off. They are about us here."
Losing the reality of the supernatural is no small, insignificant detail. It is not an optional feature of true spirituality. When it is absent from our experience, all we are left with is a dead sociological tool; a mere psychological mechanism for manipulating ourselves and other people. As the Apostle Paul said, "If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied." (1 Corinthians 15:19)
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Are there any barnacles of naturalism built up on the hull of your "ship" lately? Ask God for renewed eyes of faith as you dig deeper into these Scriptures...
For Further Study:
Luke 24
2 Kings 6:16-17
1 Corinthians 15
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Gone Fishing
by Ryan Duncan
"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." – Mark 1:17
When I was younger, my father used to take me fishing up north at a place called Basswood Lake. I wasn't a huge fan of these fishing trips at first. On some visits the sky would pour down freezing rain, and I'd be forced to sit shivering in our boat, my numb hands glued to my fishing pole. Other times it was sweltering hot, and I'd bake under the merciless sun as a giant cloud of black gnats swarmed around my head. And I haven't even mentioned the fishing in general.
I never had the patience to sit quietly in a boat hour after hour, jigging a line and hoping some fish found my bait appealing. Occasionally I did get a bite from a bass or northern pike, but more often than not the fish broke my line during the struggle.
I'm making these trips sound like a complete nightmare, but gradually I began to enjoy them. I got better at fishing and started reeling in more fish than I lost. I developed some patience, and began enjoying the moment instead of buzzing with agitation. And as my skin got a little tougher, the irregular weather didn't bother me as much.
Not long after one of these trips, I overheard my father talking with his friend, Doug Dunham. As I listened, the conversation shifted from fishing to Christ's call to service, and a new understanding of Matthew 4 dawned on me:
As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed him. Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. – Matthew 4:18-22
I don't think it's a coincidence that Jesus promised to make his disciples "Fishers of Men." Sharing the gospel and fishing have a lot in common. Both require patience, the willingness to invest your time into a single purpose. Both take endurance, the ability to weather the bad days. Both involve strength, so you can fight for your goal when necessary.
But most of all, you can neither fish nor witness without grace. Because when you finally do land The Big One, you need to understand it's not yours to keep or glory in, and humbly set it free.
I'm very grateful for all those fishing trips with my father; they taught me a lot about life.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Are you prepared to be a fisher of men? Review your strengths and consider how you're being called to use them for the glory of God.
Further Reading
Matthew 5
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A Time of Confession
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.-1 John 1:9, NIV
One of the things I have come to appreciate more and more in a liturgical church service each week is the time of confession.
In this week's time of "Public Confession of Sin," we recited the following:
O living God, I bless You that I see the worst of my heart as well as the best of it, that I can sorrow for those sins that carry me from You, that it is Your deep and dear mercy to show me my sin so that I may return, pray and live. My sin is to look on my faults and be discouraged, or look on my good and be puffed up. I fall short of Your glory every day by spending hours unprofitably, by thinking that the things I do are good, when they are not done to Your end, nor spring from the rules of Your Word. My sin is to fear what never will be; I forget to submit to Your will, and fail to be quiet there. Help me to see that although I am in the wilderness it is not all briars and barrenness. I have bread from heaven, stream from the rock, light by day, fire by night, Your dwelling place and Your mercy seat.
The last two lines of this confession brought a lump to my throat and really caught my attention when reciting it along with others in the congregation.
... although I am in the wilderness it is not all briars and barrenness.
It's not? Yes! Praise God, it's not. Take a look around your wilderness right now. And I'll stop and take a look around mine, too. What do you see?
I have bread from heaven, stream from the rock, light by day, fire by night, Your dwelling place and Your mercy seat.
After a week of feeling like I was trapped in the briars and the barrenness of my life, I had a lightbulb moment when reading through the Truth of what I do have—no matter my circumstances or what the world may be telling me. And I was convicted all over again of a poor attitude and a life not being lived in right response to our God. I silently acknowledged what was being revealed to me: my sinfulness.
Confession will do that for you. It shines the light on what is really going on in our hearts and what is Truth in our lives. And hopefully, if we are in step with the Holy Spirit, we will have already been convicted of what we are bringing to God when we come to a time of confession.
I know that in the past week, there were several times where I felt the pangs of conviction in my own heart. I had either said something, thought something or done something that I knew was not pleasing to the Lord. And instantly, every time, I was reminded of that in my spirit.
While it's good that I was convicted and knew that something was not right in my heart, I needed to take the next step and confess my sins to the Lord so that I could be reconciled and grow deeper in my relationship with him.
It is hard to experience the stench of our hearts. But when you and I confess our sins, we are cleansed and we are restored. Let's aim to do that today, so that we may be forgiven, so that we may be a fragrant offering, so that we may enjoy fellowship and a right relationship with our Father in heaven.
Intersecting Faith & Life: To quote a Scottish proverb: "Open confession is good for the soul." When is the last time you confessed your sins to the Lord?
Further Reading:
Psalm 51, NIV
Psalm 103, NIV
"Hosanna"
Words & Lyrics: Brooke Fraser
Performed by: Christy Nockels, Life Light Up (2009)
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The Faith for Big Prayers
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
"Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven" -- Daniel 10:12
One Sunday morning shortly after my husband proposed, I remember singing at church on a fairly unremarkable Sunday. I don't recall the sermon or anything else that day, but I do remember one of the praise songs - "Blessed Be the Name of the Lord." The song personalizes Israel's trials in the wilderness and the abundant streams of the promise land for the believer's life today, directing her to sing praise no matter the circumstances:
You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
'Lord, blessed be Your name!'
Sitting in church that day, I momentarily stopped singing. After dating this guy for almost four years, I finally had a ring on my finger. I finally had a token that what I longed for so hopefully was coming. The slightest hint that the world could be otherwise - and I could still praise God - baffled me at that moment. My selfish heart did not have the faith to pray that prayer, not at that moment.
Recently, I encountered another prayer that I couldn't quite pray:
"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 7b-9, The Message)
Few of us have trouble asking God to keep us out of poverty. But asking God to keep us from being too comfortable? I'm too American to pray that without hesitation. By contrast, consider the boldness of these people:
Hannah, the formerly barren woman who gave birth to the prophet Samuel - "And she made a vow, saying, "O LORD Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant's misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head." (1 Samuel 1:11)
The psalmist who wanted nothing hidden from God - "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts." (Psalm 139:23)
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego before being thrown into the fiery furnace - "If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." (Daniel 3:17-18)
Jesus Christ, who would later use this verse in the Garden of Gethsemane - "Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:10)
Do we have the kind of faith that can pray hard verses like these and mean them? It's easy to pray for blessings, wisdom, health, and the "joy of the Lord." Those prayers make our lives better, we think, and don't require a sacrifice or change of plans. When we come across difficult verses, however, we so easily shy away. Why?
Sometimes my response is too much like Ahaz's, who was offered a sign from the Lord as evidence of Isaiah's prophecy. Instead, Ahaz proudly said, "I will not ask; I will not put the Lord to the test." He deluded himself. He passed off his lack of faith for his unwillingness to "test" God. Instead of praising his decision, Isaiah announced that he - and God - were about out of patience.
Contrast this to the apostle James, who urged the church to ask with abandon so that they could see God at work. But he gave them this warning: "But when you ask him, be sure that you really expect him to answer, for a doubtful mind is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind" (James 1:6).
Intersecting Faith & Life: Are you avoiding a difficult prayer? What's your reason? Disbelief that God will really answer? Refusal to acknowledge God's imminence? Fear that God will upset your apple cart? Ask yourself what's holding you back. Let's pray for humility and understanding, and the rest will
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Beach Lessons
Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor
Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven – for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little." – Luke 7:47, ESV
How do you explain to a child that's never been to the ocean what waves are like? You might fill a bathtub with water and splash it back and forth. That could teach action of waves – but what about the look? You might take the child to a nearby river with a few rapids, and show them how the foam collects at the bottom of a fall "like on top of a wave." You might show them a 4x6 inch photograph. You might try to show them what waves sound like with a conch shell. But what about their vast dimensions along the shore? What about their unending nature? What about the undercurrent of a wave going back to sea?
No substitute can convey the scale and true nature of waves continually breaking on the shore. No analogies or to-scale models prepare children for their first trip to the beach. They can't grasp the greatness until they've seen it for themselves.
Have you seen the greatness of God's forgiveness yet?
No measure of teaching, preaching, and analogizing can make us really grasp what God's forgiveness means. Even after we reach adulthood, we're still creatures of experience. It takes a firsthand experience – recognition of how vast our sins really are – before we can appreciate how vast God's mercy is to cover them.
Jesus gave Simon the Pharisee the example of two men who owed another money – one owed him five hundred days' wages, one owing him fifty. The moneylender forgives both debts, but, as Simon empathizes, the one forgiven the larger sum has a greater reason to love the one who cancelled his debt. But all Simon heard were the Jesus's words. He failed to realize what a vast stretch of sand he stood on, and what a great tide it would take to overtake all of those grains of sand. As a result, it's the woman Jesus recognizes for her great love of her Savior.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Is it possible that we can extend love and forgiveness if we don't understand how much Christ has shown us? Take your own "beach trip" and survey the vastness of God's incredible forgiveness that covers incredible sin.
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My Conversation with a Hedge
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
He who neglects discipline despises himself, But he who listens to reproof acquires understanding.
The fear of the LORD is the instruction for wisdom, And before honor comes humility.
Proverbs 15:32-33
Every summer, my wife and kids leave me for two-to-three weeks to visit all of her relatives in Texas while I stay home and work. For the first day or two that they're gone, I enjoy my freedom from some of my responsibilities. After that, though, I tend to go a little crazy. I find myself wandering around the house, or doing "improvement" projects I have no business tackling. Making up song lyrics. Or having conversations with inanimate objects.
A couple years ago, in the middle of their trip, I was trimming the bushes beneath our front windows. The three on the right side of the stoop grow more uniformly than the three on the left. On the left, the one closest to the stairs is healthiest, while the other two, thanks to heavier afternoon shade, don't do as well. Oh, it's hard to tell, because I keep them pruned so that they "grow together" in the middle and stay squared off on the tops and corners. But obviously, the two weaker bushes suffer the pruning less frequently, because I let them grow out to fill in the gaps.
As I was working, their healthier sibling, I imagined, began to speak to me. Or to whine is more like it...
Hey! What gives?
Nothing, my good man. Just time for your monthly trimming.
But why? I'm not doing anything wrong. Just sitting here minding my own business. Doing good, doing what I'm supposed to do. And here you come...
Well, just sit still, please. Trust me, I have a purpose here.
Really? Well forgive me for asking, but why doesn't that purpose seem to apply to my lazy, stunted brethren here? All this time and barely a scratch. Maybe a nip, a cut. Nothing lost, no pain.
You're not happy with how you look? Where you're situated?
I'm fine. But that's just it. I don't deserve this cutting and trimming.
You think you planted yourself in this primo spot?
Never really thought about it. I just want to know why you're taking so much away from me and nothing from them.
I told you I have a purpose. You can't see what I can see. In fact, you can't see much at all. You're completely rooted in place. But I've seen all around you and through you, and have since you were planted.
But it hurts. I don't like losing things.
Never having them in the first place, and never really growing, that's not much good either. I have to give extra care and attention to those others. I can only hope it brings them up to the same level of maturity as you...
Hmmph.
I finished trimming up the hedges, and went my way, unsure I had gotten through. But when I stood back, I beheld something beautiful. I could only hope those under my care understood, had not despised their discipline, and opted to forsake impractical, joyless comparison.
Intersecting Faith & Life: The next time you feel like others aren't being as challenged as you are, or like the Lord is picking on you unfairly, consider that you can't see all the perspectives or purposes of the Lord, not in your life and especially not in the lives of others. The Lord loves you enough to discipline you, and he knows you're healthy and with enough green growth to handle His pruning.
Further Reading
John 15
Pruning Your Vineyard
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God's Good Grace
by Ryan Duncan, Editor at The Fish.com
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast. - Ephesians 2:8-9
I was driving back to my apartment when I came to a stop sign on the side of the road. Now, I knew this area didn't get much traffic, and I was in a big hurry to be home. So instead of coming to a complete stop, I made a quick glance to make sure there were no cars coming... and coasted through to the next street. That's when I looked in my rearview mirror and saw there was a car behind me, specifically a white car with spinning lights and the word "police" stamped across it. In that moment I knew I had to be the dumbest driver in the history of automobiles. Sure enough, the lights went on and I got pulled over.
After the officer had taken my license and registration, I sat in my car feeling like an idiot. All I'd needed to do was stop for a full second and I wouldn't be in this mess. I attempted to calculate the cost of the ticket, and which part of my budget I'd have to slash in order to pay it. I suspected it would be the grocery section, and that I'd be eating a lot of ramen noodles in the following week. Instead, the officer walked back to my car, handed me my license, and said, "I'll just give you a warning this time. Drive safely." I was floored.
When I think about the relief that came over me in that moment, I begin to truly understand how much grace God has shown me in my life. Running a stop sign has been the least of my sins. It's very humbling to look through the darker moments of your life and realize God has forgiven you if you've asked him to. Christians can get so lost in the concept of grace that we forget what it's like to really experience it, to feel the weight of guilt and shame – and sometimes even consequence – suddenly lifted from our shoulders. With Grace, you immediately get a clean slate, every mistake from the past is gone, and once you've experienced that you begin to understand the power that lies in verses like John 1:17:
"For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ."
Intersecting Faith and Life
This day, extend the same grace toward others that God extended to you.
Further Reading
Ephesians 1:7-8
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People Who Need People
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. -Philippians 2:5-11, NIV
Strange but true, the words of the 1964 Barbara Streisand hit, "People" was wafting through my mind this past week.
Now I'm not a huge lover of Babs, but I do appreciate the way she infuses her songs with such emotion. You can't listen without feeling what she's singing—she's that good in connecting with others through song.
As I was thinking about the "people who need people" message, my mind was drawn to Scripture and how the Gospel is really about people in fellowship with their Creator and others. People need God, and we also need ... people!
No greater example of a person who needed people—and was someone other people desperately needed—is Jesus. As I flipped through the pages of Matthew to refresh myseIf on how Jesus purposefully sought to connect with people, I was reminded of how our Savior's ministry was always focused on doing the will of the Father while reaching others ...
Jesus went in search of people. The Son of Man came to earth to connect with people. And, as in the case of Peter's sick mother or the ruler whose daughter died, he went into their homes and then healed them. It all started with the calling of the first disciples in Matthew 4. He went to where they were, identified them and one-by-one invited them to follow him.
Jesus always shared Truth.Jesus didn't mess around. The time he spent with others was meaningful. His words were substantive and reached into people's lives to comfort and convict. Like the crowds in Matthew 7, people were always riveted and some (maybe not the Pharisees) wanted more. Everyone who took his words to heart was changed.
Jesus knew his audience. If you know Jesus, then you know he spoke in parables when teaching crowds. As with the stories of the mustard seed or the workers in the vineyard, Jesus knew the crowds needed something a little simpler at first which would effectively illustrate Truth. Since we're all at different stages in our spiritual growth, it's important to meet people where they are on their faith journeys as well, as we share from the Word.
Jesus made himself available.I'm sure Jesus got tired of being around people, just like we do from time to time. Ministry can be very draining. But the bulk of Jesus' ministry shows that he was often surrounded by others as he went from town to town. This was his calling. And this is our example to follow as God equips us—and empowers us by the Holy Spirit—to do his will.
Jesus established a support system.Jesus didn't have 1,000 disciples; he only had 12. And likewise we need a close network of people who we can regularly be in touch with for prayer and support. Jesus also saved his most intimate, revealing conversations for the disciples. And then he invited them to join his personal ministry as he delegated responsibility in reaching others. The feeding of the five thousand in Matthew 14 is a great example of this; Jesus gave bread to the disciples, and they were then called to give it to others.
Jesus had alone time but was still available. Sometimes we can go overboard in being available to others. We need some quiet time to recharge and be with the Father. Jesus was no different. He may have gone away for a solitary moment from time to time, but his whereabouts were still known (by the disciples, as well as sometimes the crowds) in case he was needed.
Jesus reached out even in his darkest hour. While in agony and hanging on the cross, Jesus was between two thieves. Matthew 27 notes this, but Luke shares even further how Jesus (Luke 23:43) forgave one of these men who asked him to "remember me when you come into your kingdom." "I tell you the truth," Jesus responded. "Today you will be with me in paradise." What a wonderful example of our Savior, understanding and experiencing the pain of separation from God, yet still reaching out,comforting, and bringing people to the Father!
Yes, Jesus is a tough act for any of us to follow. But following his example doesn't mean we have to be perfect as Jesus was. It just means we have to try ... being people who need people.
Intersecting Faith & Life: John 1:14 says that "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." How are others seeing this "glory of the One and Only" in you today as you dwell among them?
Further Reading:
Mark 12:30-31, NIV
Phil. 2:3-4, NIV
1 Peter 4:10, NIV
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'I Thank God for You'
by Anna Kuta, News and Culture Editor at Crosswalk.com
"I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:3-6).
We all know people who are a blessing to us. Whether it's a family member, your lifelong best friend, a coworker, the sweet lady who sits in the pew behind you every Sunday, or an old friend you can always pick right back up with no matter how many months it's been, each of us has people in our lives that we are so thankful for.
We get so caught up in day-to-day busyness sometimes that we forget to thank God for all the things He has blessed us with. Instead of focusing on the goodness the Lord has shown us, we complain about the minor thing that goes wrong. Instead of being grateful for the multitude of people who encourage us and make us smile, we get so hung up on the one person who did us wrong that it sours our whole outlook. I'll be the first to admit I'm guilty of this all too often – especially when it comes to taking for granted all the wonderful people who have impacted my life.
Here at the beginning of his letter to the church at Philippi, Paul presents a great example for us to follow when it comes to the people in our lives who are special to us. "I thank my God upon every remembrance of you," Paul begins. He goes on to tell the recipients of his letter how he prays for them, and then gives an encouraging word about God's work in them. How often do we take the time to tell people how much they mean to us – especially fellow Christians with whom we share, as Paul says, "fellowship in the gospel"? I know I don't do that nearly as often as I should. As Paul models here, we should let the people we thank God for know that we do. And what better way to do that than by telling them today?
Intersecting Faith & Life
Right now, thank God for several people you know who are a blessing to you. Ask the Lord to bless them and encourage them – and then take a minute to let them know personally.
Further Reading
Romans 1:8
Psalm 13:6
Hebrews 13:15
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'I Thank God for You'
by Anna Kuta, News and Culture Editor at Crosswalk.com
"I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:3-6).
We all know people who are a blessing to us. Whether it's a family member, your lifelong best friend, a coworker, the sweet lady who sits in the pew behind you every Sunday, or an old friend you can always pick right back up with no matter how many months it's been, each of us has people in our lives that we are so thankful for.
We get so caught up in day-to-day busyness sometimes that we forget to thank God for all the things He has blessed us with. Instead of focusing on the goodness the Lord has shown us, we complain about the minor thing that goes wrong. Instead of being grateful for the multitude of people who encourage us and make us smile, we get so hung up on the one person who did us wrong that it sours our whole outlook. I'll be the first to admit I'm guilty of this all too often – especially when it comes to taking for granted all the wonderful people who have impacted my life.
Here at the beginning of his letter to the church at Philippi, Paul presents a great example for us to follow when it comes to the people in our lives who are special to us. "I thank my God upon every remembrance of you," Paul begins. He goes on to tell the recipients of his letter how he prays for them, and then gives an encouraging word about God's work in them. How often do we take the time to tell people how much they mean to us – especially fellow Christians with whom we share, as Paul says, "fellowship in the gospel"? I know I don't do that nearly as often as I should. As Paul models here, we should let the people we thank God for know that we do. And what better way to do that than by telling them today?
Intersecting Faith & Life
Right now, thank God for several people you know who are a blessing to you. Ask the Lord to bless them and encourage them – and then take a minute to let them know personally.
Further Reading
Romans 1:8
Psalm 13:6
Hebrews 13:15
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Seeking God for the Right Reasons
For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. Philippians 1: 21
I ran across an article years ago that really touched me. In her piece "A Change of Plans," Lindsy Pike details the excruciating decision to call off her wedding to a man she loved dearly. Reflecting on the mix of pain and peace that comes with any situation where we must give up something precious, Pike rewinds a few centuries to Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son, Isaac:
"God promised to give Abraham a son and finally, after years of waiting, God came through, with Isaac. Why in the world would God ask Abraham to give up that gift? In my opinion, it is for the same reason He asked me to call off my wedding. God wants us to love Him more than we love His promises. The minute we get those out of order, He readjusts us."
While we don't fully know the mind of God in Abraham's situation, Pike's simple thought sheds light on a struggle I think all of us encounter at some time in our lives – the struggle to love God above everything else, even His blessings. God wants us to love Him because of who He is, not what He can give us. Yet, how often do we confuse our love of God's promises with love of Him? How often do we see Him as the divine blessing machine, ready to dole out happiness on our terms? The popularity of "prosperity theology" reveals how easy it is for believers to twist love of God into the pursuit of earthly happiness.
To be honest, it's not just greed that gets in the way of loving God. It's also a limited understanding of who God is. I used to wonder how some Christians could sit for over an hour praying. Is God really that interesting? I'd wonder. This type of thinking reveals a fundamental flaw in how I perceived God, and I think that flaw is what keeps many from coming to Christ in the first place. It's easy to see Him as limited like we are limited. It's easy to forget that God is truly our all in all. As C.S. Lewis once said, "God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing."
Still, had I not gone through a similar situation, I might not have believed Pike's sincerity when she says: "I am thankful for His grace that saved me from ruining my life by pursuing my dream."
In a "reach for the stars, be anything you can be" culture, the idea that pursuing any dream could ruin my life seems foreign. The more I think about it, though, the more I see that living outside God's will – even if it is for a "good reason" – is a recipe for failure.
Yet, when we give up our dreams for something greater - for Someone greater than ourselves - we begin to see we can trust God no matter what. We find solace in the incredible peace that comes with knowing that even if life here includes sorrow or dreams unfulfilled, there is a God that transcends not only all that's missing in this life, but also all the good this life has to offer.
Intersecting Faith & Life: This week, do something for God without expecting any reward or blessing in return.
Further Reading
John 16: 33
Author Debunks Prosperity Gospel Myth
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Freedom Fried
Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
So now, come back to your God! Act on the principles of love and justice, and always live in confident dependence on your God. ~ Hosea 12:6, NLT
The 'Fourth of July' devotional.
It fell to me this year.
And whoa if I didn't have a firecracker of a time coming up with what to write.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not riding on the trendy bandwagon of American self-loathing. I love my country. I dig personal and religious freedom. Without a free press I'd be out of a job, and without free speech I'd be locked up somewhere. But not here!
So why the long face on red-white-and-blue, take-a-day-off, fire-up-the-grill day?
Because Christianity has so little yet too much to do with the American Dream. To wit: "After centuries of shacking up with 'the American dream,' churches have perfected a dicey codependence between consumer-driven therapeutic individualism and religious pragmatism. These theological proxies gnaw, termite-like, at our identity as the Body of Christ, eroding our ability to recognize that Jesus' life of self-giving love directly challenges the American gospel of self-fulfillment and self-actualization" (Kenda Creasy Dean, Almost Christian).
Because I get sad when I consider the evolution 'Freedom' has undertaken just in my lifetime – from "allowed to act responsibly" to "if it feels good do it" to "absolutely anything goes and don't even try to suggest otherwise to us, or we might just take away your freedom."
Because "Independence Day" is a disconnect for me, devotionally speaking, from things I know to be true: that independence has never served me well where family or friends or work colleagues or the Church or the Lord are concerned.
And so, left without the trite and tried-but-true for today's devotional, I settled on the short, bittersweet, and eternal...
Neither politics nor religion nor any mixing of the two will save me.
Some things are really messed up. Most things are really not mess-up-able. A few things that are require only repentance to restore.
It's never wrong or out-of-style to be thankful, to express gratitude.
You can pledge your allegiance to the flag every day and admit your own and your country's independence, but "when you bow down before the Lord and admit your dependence on him, he will lift you up and give you honor" (James 4:10, NLT).
Have a safe and blessed holiday, everyone.
:angel:
Life Is Beautiful and Brief
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. -Psalm 90:12, NIV
Beneath my fun-loving exterior is a very analytical person. I love my life, I love spontaneity and I also happen to love trying to figure things out!
But like all good things taken to the extreme, my analyzing can turn obsessive and my focus fixed on that which cannot be explained anyway. It's like the quote I ran across recently from prolific author Philip Yancey: "Faith is believing in advance what will only make sense in reverse."
How true is that! Even so, I am always trying to make sense of a given situation going forward. Always.
But in light of today's verse, how sad is that that I am consumed with trying to know what I think I need to know when I think I need to know it. Surely I'm missing out on opportunities to serve the Lord and the rest that is only found in him.
In a recent siutation when I was trying to "make sense" of what was going on, I also listened to a great sermon from Pastor Ray Pritchard of Keep Believing Ministries. And the best take-away nugget was this: "When you need to know, you'll know."
How simple! And yet how hard.
Here I am trying to find wisdom in what I can see and what I can figure out, when my life could be freed up by this reminder that God is sovereign and has all things under his control—no matter the circumstance.
Whatever I am trying to figure out today may not matter tomorrow. So why am I not looking to God first and seeking his direction in what matters most in this very moment?
"Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom," the psalmist requests of God. And how do we gain a heart of wisdom?
By knowing the mind of Christ. By acknowledging our frailty and our humanity. And by remembering that God is God and we are not.
Earlier in Psalm 90 we read this:
You turn men back to dust ... For a thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night.
And toward the end of the passage, it says:
May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us—yes, establish the work of our hands.
The psalmist reminds us that God determines our life span, and he has his own timing and plans for each of our lives. Will we serve him and seek to fear and obey him before we once again turn to dust? Or will we fix our minds on ourselves, on our current circumstances and on trying to live our lives without regard to God's perfect purposes?
At the end of the day, even if our lives never make sense (even in reverse!), we are called to bend the knee and praise the one who has "brought forth the earth and the world."
Because of God's "unfailing love," life indeed is beautiful. And though it may be brief and sometimes confusing, because of his son our eternity is secure ... causing us to "sing for joy and be glad all our days."
Intersecting Faith & Life: Knowing that your life is beautiful and brief, have you made yourself available to God for him to work in and through you as you walk by faith? List one reason that causes you to "be glad" today, because of the new life the Father has prepared in advance for you (Eph. 2:1-10).
Further Reading:
Psa. 103:13-18, NIV
Psa. 119:133, NIV
"Take My Life and Let It Be"
Words & Music: Frances R. Havergal, 1874
Take my life, and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise.
:angel:
Just Keep Swimming!"
"Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." – Hebrews 12:1
On Saturday night, I let myself go limp in front of the TV. The blur of activity, newness, and ridiculously hot weather the week before had exhausted me, so a complete mind/body check-out seemed in order. I don't have cable and I didn't bother to turn on instant streaming, so my viewing selection was pretty limited. I soon found myself watching "Finding Nemo."
Remember the part where the all-important scuba mask slips down, down, down into the dark gorge? Marlin panics and goes after it, only to swim frantically back out of the darkness. Then the crazy blue fish with a short term memory problem frolics her way into that same blackness with nary a care. A moment later Dorrie comes back to encourage Marlin. "Hey, Mr. Grumpy Gills," she says, "When life gets you down, you know whatcha gotta do?" "No, I don't want to know watcha gotta do." "Just keep swimming! Just keep swimming! Just keep swimming!"
Not that I'm taking lessons from a digitized blue fish, but Dorrie's attitude reminded me what perseverance should look like. It's not that sitting on the couch and taking a break was evil in itself, but my can't-go-any-farther attitude was. That attitude indicated that I was slogging away in my own strength and had run out of energy without looking to the Lord for supernatural help. At points like that, even though I know the answer, "I don't want to know watcha gotta do" to keep pursuing what God has called me to do. Wallowing in my exhaustion seems so much easier.
Sunday evening, someone reminded me that, "when life gets you down" and you're exhausted, God's faithfulness has the chance to shine through. The end of my rope is the beginning of grace made evident in my life, providing the strength to "keep swimming" even though I'm exhausted. And He gets the praise, because I know that strength is no longer something in me. His mercies are "new every morning" (Lam. 3:23) and enough to keep me moving in the direction that He encourages me to go. My responsibilities are just one more way to bring me to my knees and let the Lord refresh me with His grace. After that, I can keep going in His mercy, and even sing while I'm at it. His faithfulness never ends.
Intersection of Faith & Life: The Bible is full of reminders of God's faithfulness to believers, and the stories all end with God being glorified for their reliance on Him. In the end, it's when we are weak that He makes us strong (2 Cor. 12:10).
Further Reading:
Philippians 1:4-6
1 Corinthians 9:24
How to Pray on the Go
:angel:
When Life Gets Hairy
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
In him all things hold together.
Colossians 1:17
"It's just hair; it'll grow back. She'll still look cute."
My encouragement was falling on deaf ears. It was all my wife could do to hold it together. We had just picked up our 4-year-old goldilocked girl at a friends' house, and my wife was met at the door by a teary-eyed mother whose own daughter had just practiced for pre-K cosmetology school.
Me? I was just glad everyone still had their eyes and ears, and that Lauren had not been the one doing any cutting (though letting someone do that to you is an issue in its own right). My son - he didn't understand what the big hairy deal was at all. His sister was still his sister, and we were still going out to dinner for his excellent report card... weren't we?
Everyone had their own point of view and their own set of facts. Nobody else's views or words were doing much swaying. All that was going to fix this was a detour to the one who can right all wrongs, by which I mean, of course, Desiree, the woman who was familiar with my daughter's hair from having trimmed it on several occasions.
She worked a miracle I didn't believe was possible. The women rejoiced! "Why is Mommy hugging the woman?" asked my son. "Come, son," I said. "Come with me. Let me explain to you what hair means to a woman."
My daughter does look cute again. A special spritzing scrunching product helps you not be able to see the jagged cuts. A pleasant side effect is that her blue eyes look bigger and really pop now. Already, my wife feels silly for having reacted like she did (though I do have to point out she was gracious and forgiving to the mom of the little girl who did the dastardly deed). We have heard from untold numbers of folks who have experienced something similar. We have even begun to look back on this - as I suggested right after it happened - as a funny story.
But at the time? Nothing was going to be right; nobody was going to convince anybody else of anything, no words were going to be meaningful until everyone and everything came together in The Great Fixer.
It's no different with real-life events, real points of view, real pains, real cuts, real well-meaning people. Until we slow down and see the miracle, it's all just noise and chaos.
He makes all things new.
He makes all things hold together.
He makes you look back and shake your head at yourself and maybe even laugh.
He is the judge, doctor, professor, artist, miracle worker. And his office is always open. After he does his thing, you can count on hugging and rejoicing and chances for bonding. Multitudes will be able to relate.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Don't panic. Don't argue. Just go see him. Bring your friends and family, too. See what he can and will do.
Further Reading
All Things
Why I Believe in God
The Trend of 'Believing without Belonging'
:angel:
Friends with Benefits
by Stephen Sanders, Salem A/V Editor
"Everything is permissible"--but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"--but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others. -1 Corinthians 10:23-24 (NIV)
Anyone who has been a Christian for an amount of time has probably experienced an unfriendly encounter with another believer. It's just inevitable. People have bad days, become influenced by the wrong things and make the wrong decision sometimes. Christians, in our culture specifically, also have a tendency to be very judgmental...and that is probably a bigger problem than most of us realize.
In recent months, I've seen really strong arguments online about a variety of issues. Here are a few:
-Can someone watch Harry Potter movies and still be a Christian?
-Can someone drink an alcoholic beverage from time to time and still be a Christian?
-Is it God's will for all Christians to be rich?
-Should Christians take medicine for illness or trust God for healing?
-Why did God create people that He knew would go to hell?
As you read some of these, you probably immediately formed an opinion based on what you have found to be "true" in the Bible or in your Christian walk. Maybe you have spent countless hours stewing over and standing for one of the sides to these arguments because you feel so strongly about them. You could be one of the few people who don't get caught up in such arguments and, for that, I salute you. But, regardless of who you are, there is a very important lesson to learn from all of this.
God has made it perfectly clear in the Bible that it is His will for Christians to be a light to this world. He has called us to be a people who draw the lost to Him, who share the Good News with those around us in order for them to be reconciled to Him. Those who are not Christians should look at us and see a group of people who love one another. This we know.
However, there are some things that we do not know for sure. We have not been given the ability to look into the hearts of other Christians and know what motivates them. It is absolutely impossible for any of us to walk in the same shoes as those around us come to the same conclusions about the issues of life. But isn't it funny how sometimes we still try?
Is Harry Potter something that Satan could use to pull a believer closer to him? Perhaps, but I think that he would be far more likely to use something or somebody far more unlikely to do it...like another believer. Could a Christian become addicted to alcohol and do damage to himself and others around him? Yes, but could a Christian also practice moderation and shame the devil? Definitely. Did God create people that He knew would go to hell? If so, does that really change the way we have been called to behave and minister to those around us? Absolutely not.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Everyone has their own perspective on what is beneficial or what should be permissible. This week, step outside of your regular circle of Christian friends and create some bonds with some Christians that you may not see eye to eye with on all the issues. You might be surprised at just how much God will use that to grow you. You might just find that you receive something far more valuable than the satisfaction you get when you've proven your point: a friend.
Further Reading:
1 John 3:11-24
James 4:1-12
:angel:
Dentists and Coca-Cola
by Ryan Duncan, TheFish.com Editor
"If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it." – Genesis 4:7
I really like drinking Coca-Cola. The habit started when I went overseas my junior year of college. None of us could drink the water because we might get parasites, so I ended up drinking Coke with most of my meals. I thought I'd kick the habit once I got back to the United States, but if anything it only made my addiction worse. I suddenly became aware of how easy it was to find a nice, cold Coke.
They were so cheap and so accessible that I barely needed an excuse to buy one. Sure, I knew drinking too much was bad for me, but I figured as long as I exercised and brushed my teeth there wasn't any harm in having one a day. Then I had my dentist appointment. I think most people would agree that going to the dentist would not be the highlight of their week. Well, imagine going to the dentist and being told you have three cavities that will require fillings. Sure, on the upside I did get to chat with a cute receptionist, but when the dentist began jabbing around in my mouth trying to find a good place to inject the Novocain, it dawned on me that maybe I should start watching how much I drank.
All joking aside, I think sin works in the same fashion. Each day we are tempted, and it's remarkably easy to find an excuse to justify our behavior. We tell ourselves it's not that bad, that as long as we read our Bible and go to church we'll be balancing the scales, but that's not how it works. Sin will slowly corrode your character until one day you'll find yourself with a serious problem. Because of the cross, we have received the grace of Jesus and are now free from sin, but the battle is not over.
Every day we will be tempted, and every day Jesus will call us to turn from sin and live a life according to his word. There cannot be any compromises with sin; it will only devour us.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Take a moment to consider where you are being tempted.
Further Reading
John 8:34
:angel:
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
James 1:2-4, NIV
At the risk of sounding old, what I usually complain about these days is either how poor quality of sleep I got the night before or the state of the weather. Either or.
See? I'm officially old.
But today, a few weeks into the summer season, I feel like I have every right to complain about the heat. Because it is hot in my neck of the woods. Triple-digit hot, in fact. And we still have about ten weeks of summer left to go. Oy vey.
I had to laugh as I was lamenting the heat, because a song from my youth popped into my head. At the risk of sounding old again, I'll just go right on ahead and share. If you grew up in the church in the '70s (and this was back when youth musicals were popular the first time around ... so take that, Glee), then you might remember the youth choir musical, It's Cool in the Furnace.
The music was catchy, and the message was the story of Daniel, King Nebuchadnezzar and three fireproof amigos: Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. In fact, it's hard not to snap my fingers while remembering some of the lyrics ...
It isn't hot in the furnace, man
It isn't hot in the furnace, man
It isn't hot in the furnace
Man, this furnace is cool, cool, cool, cool
Yes, it's cool ... ahhhh ... in the furnace, man ...
I just loved the words from this jazzy title song with a hook that got stuck in your head for days (and, in my case, years). But what did they really mean? How could the fiery furnace in which King Nebuchadnezzar threw Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego not have been hot?
"Look!" King Nebuchadnezzar said when peering into the furnace after binding and throwing the three of them in," I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods" (Daniel 3:25).
Well, was it God or not? Who was with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the midst of the fire? Bible commentators believe it was the pre-incarnate Christ. And even though King Nebuchadnezzar did not know the son of God, he did recognize that this was someone supernatural.
That was some pretty powerful divine protection to say the least. Yes, it was extra crispy in that furnace (heated "seven times hotter than usual," thank you very much to the king). But Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego's faith didn't waiver, and they were delivered.
Well, as I've been dealing with my own heat issues thanks to the weather this week, I have been doing what I can to protect myself. During the day, I keep the blinds closed and the drapes drawn. This helps to keep the heat out and the cool inside. It's not perfect, but I am more insulated and it's bearable.
Perhaps that's a good analogy for you and me today, as we walk through fiery trials and land in life's hot spots where we feel bound and about to get burned. What's wonderful for us to remember when it feels "hot" like this, is that when we're walking with the Lord we are protected and surrounded by the "peace that passes all understanding."
And when we're in the Word—and are living according to the guidelines and words of caution given to us there—we see that it isn't so hot in "the furnace" after all in our lives. Because when you know the Lord, the power of his life-saving blood certainly makes it "cool."
Intersecting Faith & Life: It may "feel" hot in the furnace of your life, but how do you "know" that it is cool? Isaiah 43:2 says: "When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned." Meditate on this scripture and be reminded from God's Word of who is walking with you and protecting you today.
Further Reading:
Job 23:10-11
Psa. 30:1-3
Psa. 34:17-19
:angel:
I Have Confidence!
"But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed,
but of those who believe and are saved."
Hebrews 10:38
One of my favorite moments in "The Sound of Music" comes when Maria's perky "I Have Confidence" song suddenly ends at the sight of the Von Trapp mansion. She gulps and just manages to squeak, "Oh, help."
This last week presented me with some similar moments, as my husband David and I got off the proverbial bus and discovered this road led to a rather different place than we'd expected. We knew we were following God's leading, thanks to the peace He'd given us so far. But seeing that great big house - a rather different opportunity than we had expected - made us gulp and wonder if we were in over our heads. For a day, we were stuck. Unsure about walking through that gate, we thought about continuing along the road and looking for a not-so-huge opportunity to trust God.
As we surveyed our options, we pondered what it means to take a "step of faith." We've never heard of someone taking a step backward in faith, we realized. We were confident that the Lord would direct us to the right place, and apparently this gate we need to walk through. The final push came from Hebrews 10:35, as the author writes, "So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded." Confidence? "Oh, help."
God must chuckle when we go bug-eyed at His plans. I'm like Maria as she stands before that gate, wondering how she'll manage when this place so little resembles what she anticipated. Thankfully, the confidence to take the step of faith lies not "in me," but in knowing that God has led me to my destination. The Lord answers my cries of "oh, help!" with ultimate peace and a taste of what He has planned just beyond the bend.
The apostle Paul knew how to strip away the fears and insecurities and see the essentials. Paul visited some incredible places, and had some incredible adventures on his missionary journey. I'm sure that very little could surprise him by the end of his lifetime. Yet he wrote to the Corinthian church that even in his vast experience, nothing kept him going forward except God's calling (2 Cor. 3:5). The confidence to carry out his mission came from knowing who sent him and who directed his steps. He had seen God work, and knew that the Lord would provide everything necessary, including the confidence to walk forward.
Intersecting Faith & Life: In Jeremiah 29:11, God says simply, "I know the plans I have for you... plans to give you hope, and a future." That means God's plans for us don't include dead ends, but more opportunities. When we believe this, practical changes happen. We don't "shrink back," but step out in faith. How does this look in your job situation? In your family? In your leisure time?
Further Reading:
Hebrews 4:16
Wild Goose Chase
:angel:
I Have Confidence!
by Katherine Britton
"But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed,
but of those who believe and are saved."
Hebrews 10:38
One of my favorite moments in "The Sound of Music" comes when Maria's perky "I Have Confidence" song suddenly ends at the sight of the Von Trapp mansion. She gulps and just manages to squeak, "Oh, help."
This last week presented me with some similar moments, as my husband David and I got off the proverbial bus and discovered this road led to a rather different place than we'd expected. We knew we were following God's leading, thanks to the peace He'd given us so far. But seeing that great big house - a rather different opportunity than we had expected - made us gulp and wonder if we were in over our heads. For a day, we were stuck. Unsure about walking through that gate, we thought about continuing along the road and looking for a not-so-huge opportunity to trust God.
As we surveyed our options, we pondered what it means to take a "step of faith." We've never heard of someone taking a step backward in faith, we realized. We were confident that the Lord would direct us to the right place, and apparently this gate we need to walk through. The final push came from Hebrews 10:35, as the author writes, "So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded." Confidence? "Oh, help."
God must chuckle when we go bug-eyed at His plans. I'm like Maria as she stands before that gate, wondering how she'll manage when this place so little resembles what she anticipated. Thankfully, the confidence to take the step of faith lies not "in me," but in knowing that God has led me to my destination. The Lord answers my cries of "oh, help!" with ultimate peace and a taste of what He has planned just beyond the bend.
The apostle Paul knew how to strip away the fears and insecurities and see the essentials. Paul visited some incredible places, and had some incredible adventures on his missionary journey. I'm sure that very little could surprise him by the end of his lifetime. Yet he wrote to the Corinthian church that even in his vast experience, nothing kept him going forward except God's calling (2 Cor. 3:5). The confidence to carry out his mission came from knowing who sent him and who directed his steps. He had seen God work, and knew that the Lord would provide everything necessary, including the confidence to walk forward.
Intersecting Faith & Life: In Jeremiah 29:11, God says simply, "I know the plans I have for you... plans to give you hope, and a future." That means God's plans for us don't include dead ends, but more opportunities. When we believe this, practical changes happen. We don't "shrink back," but step out in faith. How does this look in your job situation? In your family? In your leisure time?
Further Reading:
Hebrews 4:16
Wild Goose Chase
:angel:
What Is True Spirituality?
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate."
Genesis 3:6 NASB
It seems clear to me that the root of all human sin is unbelief. Doubt. I've heard people argue that the most basic sin is pride, and well, I suppose that's somewhere lurking on the other side of the coin. But if we start at the beginning of the Bible, the Genesis 3 account shows that Eve first doubted God. That was her sin. After her unbelief came the outward act of disobedience.
Francis Schaeffer, commenting on this, said: "By her doubting she called God a liar. Eve doubted... mankind in revolt doubts God" (chapter seven, True Spirituality).
On the contrary, the person who is at peace with God does not doubt Him. Rather, he/she trusts God. Schaeffer says this is the simplest way to describe true spirituality: it is believing God.
But it is more than just believing God at one isolated point in life. It is believing God and having ongoing belief in Him. There must be moment-by-moment personal communion with Him.
God created us to be relational, not mechanical. Healthy relationships depend on good communication. But communication is an always-in-flux, moment-by-moment kind of thing. That is why all our mechanical efforts at the Christian life fail. It's not about reading a set number of chapters of the Bible each day. It's not about praying for so long.
No. What is needed first, and what inspires trust is, throughout the day, seeing before us the most basic teachings of the Bible:
God exists and He is personal.
God is holy and sin will be judged, but Christ's atonement removes the guilt of sinners.
We are saved from condemnation by the finished work of Christ, and we are brought into a proper relationship with God in a personal way.
We are joined to Christ spiritually.
We can enjoy communication with the Creator on the basis of what Christ has done. (1 John 1:5-9)
These truths don't change, regardless of how I feel at any given moment.
The rediscovery of believing God and these truths moment-by-moment is what lifted Francis Schaeffer out of a long, dark season and re-energized his life.
In our lives, what generally causes us to distrust Christ and run elsewhere is that we often think that we have a better way. We think that, somehow, God really doesn't have our best interests at heart. Like Eve, we think that God is withholding something good from us.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
The rediscovery of believing God and these truths moment-by-moment is what lifted Francis Schaeffer out of a long, dark season and re-energized his life. If you've come to see that God doesn't deserve our suspicion, seek His aid to maintain this moment-by-moment walk of faith with Him.
For Further Study:
Isaiah 30:15 "Thus the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, has said, 'In repentance and rest you will be saved, In quietness and trust is your strength.'"
For further study, read Romans 6-8 and 1 John 1:5-9
:angel:
What's Your Nineveh?
Laura MacCorkle
Those who worship false gods turn their backs on all God's mercies. But I will offer sacrifices to you with songs of praise, and I will fulfill all my vows. For my salvation comes from the LORD alone. Jonah 2:8-9, NLT
Have you ever run away from something that God wanted you to do? If so, then you've got a lot in common with Jonah. You know the story . . .
Guy in a tunic hears from God.
Guy doesn't like what God wants him to do.
Guy runs in the other direction. Literally.
Guy gets on a boat.
Guy get tossed overboard during a storm.
Guy gets swallowed by a big fish.
Guy repents.
Guy goes and does what God tells him (a second time) to do.
Guy gets angry when God is compassionate to others (who guy doesn't think are deserving).
Guy gets rebuked, and God has the last word.
Jonah was running from Nineveh—a city with an idolatrous people so wicked that they would cut off the feet and hands of their captives just to intimidate others. Yikes!
So it's probably safe to say that all of us might have felt like Jonah did when thinking about ministering to the Ninehvites: scared for himself and disbelieving that these people could ever be saved. Why even try, right?
But God wanted Jonah to preach and to reach out to others, because God has reached out to all of us. We are all undeserving of his love and his unmerited favor, but mercifully God forgives. Jonah didn't want to see this, and so he ran.
Perhaps you are running as well. You're trying to get as far away from your Nineveh—the thing that truly scares you, the thing that you know God is leading you toward, the thing you don't really want to do.
I have run away from so many things in my life. But one of these days, maybe I will have grown enough in my faith that I will immediately say "Yes, Lord" when he gives me instruction.
Until that point in my maturity, there's a current Nineveh that has been occupying a lot of my thoughts lately. It's my fall group Bible study. Now, that's not so scary in and of itself. But you know what is? What we'll be studying come September: the book of Revelation.
I confess that I've thought about dropping out a few times already, as I've had too much time to anticipate and be afraid. To me, this is the most intimidating book of Scripture. I have a fear that I'll never understand the symbolism, that I'll look dumb trying to answer the questions in front of my group and that I'll spend the entire eight months of study in a fog of frustration.
But I think I'm missing the most important point. What seems impossible to me is exactly what God wants me to do. So that I will learn. And grow. And draw closer to him as I work on understanding his Word.
Jonah is one of the shortest books of the Bible, so I invite you to read through it today when you have a half hour to spare. See if you don't see yourself in Jonah's thoughts and fears, in his actions and in his initial response to God's call in his life.
And then ask yourself, "What is my Nineveh?" and pray. Ask the Lord to help you work through your fear, your anger, your rebellion.
Instead of running this time, and from our own Ninevehs, may God help us all to run toward what he has purposed for our good.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Stop running in the wrong direction! Repent and start moving obediently toward whatever God is calling you to do today. Despite our proclivity toward unfaithfulness, he is always faithful.
Further Reading:
2 Samuel 22:1-4, NIV
2 Corinthians 10:5, NIV
Philippians 1:6, NIV
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Good Fish, Bad Fish
Ryan Duncan. Editor at TheFish.com
"His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire." – Matthew 3:12
One of my favorite summer vacations was the year my father, sisters, and I flew down to Key Largo, Florida. It was a pretty action packed weekend for the four of us. We went scuba diving in the mornings, kayaked in the afternoons, drove to the everglades when we wanted a change of scenery, and went swimming at the beach with other families. Finally, our last activity for the trip was to take a charter boat out to the open ocean and go fishing, which was much harder than it sounds. Ocean fish tend to be a lot stronger than fish in lakes or rivers, and most of them broke my line before I could reel them in.
Finally, after struggling for minutes with what I assumed was a miniature blue whale, I managed to pull in your average Red Snapper. A few people congratulated me on my catch, and the captain mentioned that if I was hungry Red Snapper made for a good meal. Then moments later it was my Father's turn to get a bite. My dad struggled briefly with the line before reeling in a very large, very angry looking eel. For a minute everyone on the boat just stood there watching the eel as it hissed and shook itself wildly on hook. You could tell we were all thinking the same thought, "There is no way I'm touching that thing!"
Finally, the captain stepped forward, cut the line, and the eel fell back into the water much to everyone's relief. I bring this up because Jesus told a similar fishing story in the Parable of the Net.
"Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous." – Matthew 13:47-50
It may be odd comparing humans to fish, but the parable still stands. A fisherman has no use for a hissing eel, and God really has no place for humans who refuse to acknowledge him or ignore his word. The difference is that God never stops casting out his net. He wants to be a part of our lives, which is why he sent Jesus in the first place. So let yourself be caught by Christ, he is the only fisherman that sets his captives free.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Set aside some time this week to be alone with God.
Further Reading
Matthew 13:1-23
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Wisdom for All Ages
Sarah Phillips
A wise man's heart guides his mouth, and his lips promote instruction. ~ Proverbs 16: 23 NIV
How can we live the Christian life well? Is it dependant on nebulous feelings of doing good? Thankfully, there's more guidance than that. Cultivating the cardinal virtues is one concrete way to live a solid Christian witness. The four cardinal virtues are: wisdom, justice, courage, and temperance.
Let's examine what one virtue looke like in the life of someone committed to Christ.
If someone asked me to draw a picture of wisdom when I was a child, I would have drawn an old, wrinkly, robed man meditating in a tent. I imagined wisdom as something that belonged to those focused on the "higher things," people isolated from the day-to-day grind of life. But this is a faulty understanding of wisdom. True wisdom contains both clarity of insight and the ability to apply that insight to real life situations
In my recent reading of the book The 33 Doctors of the Church, I came across an ancient Christian who exemplified both aspects of wisdom. While his name is not well-known, God worked through St. Ephrem to greatly influence the early Church.
Ephrem was an eastern Christian, born in Syria during the 4th century. His native language was Syro-Chaldaic -- the same language Jesus, His family, and His apostles spoke in everyday life. Born of Christian parents, Ephrem developed a thirst for God's Word early in life. He soaked in the Scriptures line by line, delving into the nuances that came more easily to him than you and me today.
Ephrem's deep study of Scripture inspired him to employ his gift for language by writing countless poems, hymns, and homilies for God's glory. Unlike most writers, he never seemed to be at a loss for words. Bishop Gregory of Nyssa, a contemporary of Ephrem's, joked that if you needed a cure for writer's block, you should just ask Ephrem for an idea he already "prayed away."
In some ways the studious, poetic Ephrem resembled that old, robed man in the tent because he lived as an unmarried hermit. But Ephrem hardly isolated himself. He often wrote to instruct the confused and played an active role in shepharding youth.
One of his more famous uses of his poetic talent came in response to a heresy spreading among the local community in the form of a collection of popular hymns. He witnessed young people embracing the songs' messages and falling away from godly living. In response, Ephrem borrowed the melody and wrote new lyrics. Ephrem's version of the hymns, superior in artistry and taught with fatherly love, ultimately became so popular the old hymns were all but forgotten.
Ephrem's love for God's Word also inspired him beyond his writing and music. He often pitched in to help the local community during times of need, and he was loved even by bishops abroad. Ephrem was a sensitive, kind man known for joyfully weeping with those who rejoiced and sorrowfully weeping with those who mourned. He died from exhaustion in his 60's after assisting his suffering community during a famine.
Ephrem's legacy continues to resonate with the modern world. He lived in a time and place not unlike our own, surrounded by war, sadness, confusion, and even rebellious youth. He could have thrown his hands up and said, "What difference can a poet make?" Yet he did not shun the surrounding culture but wisely employed his gifts to engage those around him. In fact, Ephrem's gift for hymnody was so great, many churches around the world continue to sing his hymns today.
Intersecting Faith & Life: St. Ephrem cultivated wisdom by immersing himself in God's Word. This week, read a chapter of the Bible you've never read before and study up on its meaning.
Further Reading
Proverbs 16: 21
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"Whatever": Simultaneously the Worst and Best Word We Have
by Shawn McEvoy, Managing Editor, Crosswalk.com
Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute... dwell on these things (Phil. 4:8).
On the one hand, it's always good to get scientific affirmation for something you believe or suspect.
On the other, it's never fun when you've been planning to write about that same belief or suspicion for over a year and someone goes out and steals your thunder.
But that's okay - this Fox News report about a survey by Marist College on the most annoying words in American conversation just gives me the excuse to get around to it now.
The article states,
47 percent of Americans surveyed in a Marist College poll released Wednesday [found "Whatever" to be the most annoying word we use].
"Whatever" easily beat out "you know," which especially grated a quarter of respondents. The other annoying contenders were "anyway" (at 7 percent), "it is what it is" (11 percent) and "at the end of the day" (2 percent).
"Whatever" — pronounced "WHAT'-ehv-errr" when exasperated — is an expression with staying power. Immortalized in song by Nirvana ("oh well, whatever, nevermind") in 1991, popularized by the Valley girls in "Clueless" later that decade, it is still commonly used, often by younger people.
It can be an all-purpose argument-ender or a signal of apathy. And it can really be annoying. The poll found "whatever" to be consistently disliked by Americans regardless of their race, gender, age, income or where they live.
Exactly! I've felt that way for years. When someone uses "whatever" on me in a conversation or email, it's a kick to the groin of non-importance. Beyond annoying, it's rude and dismissive. It's also ignorant, especially when delivered at the end of what was supposed to be a friendly debate or argument, because it illustrates that the person had no better retort and is now summarily ending the conversation with a parting shot connoting that nothing you just said mattered anyway. "Whatever!"
In a country sorely lacking in civility, manners, and conversation skills... and ripe with apathy and self-importance, "Whatever" is the motto du jour.
Then again... what a powerful word it can be for our walk with Christ.
It's kind of like when you are reading a play, or preparing to act in one. You have the script before you. There are minimal clues for how any word in the text should be read. What inflection, what level of voice, what tone shall I use? What does the context and the setting and the personality of the character tell me in regards to how this word or line is going to sound? Ultimately, you and the Director decide.
And I've decided that "Whatever" can be, if we so choose, the defining word of the Christian life. Because while few other words carry the same potential for dismissive rudeness, no other word holds the same potential for all-out surrender and steadfast faith.
I find you guilty in your sins.
Whatever you say, Lord, I repent and accept the sacrifice of your Son who atoned for them.
This situation you're in is going to hurt.
Whatever. I know my faith will be made strong through trials, and that I can do all things through your strength.
You don't know what the future holds; only I do.
Whatever it is, you deserve glory and honor and praise. Bring it on!
I want you to [go to Africa / give to this homeless person / quit this job / plant this church / preach my Word]
Whatever!
I know you think this is unfair compared to that person's situation, but do not let comparison steal my joy from you.
Whatever, God. Whatever.
The Apostle Paul was the master of "whatever." To wit:
Phil. 4:11: I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.
1 Cor. 10:31: Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
Gal. 6:7: Whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.
Eph. 6:8: Whatever good thing each one does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether slave or free.
Phil. 4:8: Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.
Whatever!
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Imperfect Communities of Peace
Alex Crain, Editor of Christianity.com
"He gives more grace. Therefore it says, 'God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.'" (James 4:6)
Looking around at the seemingly fractured state of Christianity in the world today with all of its various camps and divisions, it's tempting to idealize the early church as a perfect time of peace and harmony. Instead of multiple churches in a city, there was just one. Instead of separate denominations, seminaries, and theological societies there was just a small, despised group of disciples who clung to Christ and turned the world upside down with the message of grace and salvation.
Then the book of James disrupts that rose-colored view of history with a more complete picture of the early churches. The Epistle of James was the first book of the New Testament written slightly more than a decade or so after Jesus ascended. Even a casual reading of this short letter shows that the author spilled a lot of ink addressing the ongoing problem of sinful human conflict among Christians. Why? Because Christians can, and do, still sin. And sin tends to bring about devastating effects.
But the Holy Spirit, through James's letter, instructed these believers how to become communities of peace in Christ's power. The seven implicit commands in James 4:1-12 are for us as well by extension. All seven commands hang together. Not one of them is optional.
1. Realize the true source of sinful conflict (vv. 1-2a). It's not your circumstances. It's not your brother or sister. It's your own heart.
1 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 2 You desire and do not have;
2. Fear the serious effects of sinful conflict (vv. 2-4). In other words, don't take sin lightly.
2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.4You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
In life, we recognize that having a healthy fear of danger is the mark of maturity, not weakness.
3. Humbly seek God's grace to overcome sin (vv. 6, 10). We Christians need to continually view ourselves as needy recipients of God's grace, not dispensers of self-made virtue.
6 He gives more grace. Therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." 10 Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.
4. Pursue God and you will not pursue sin. (vv. 7-8) Such an obvious, self-evident truth needs little explanation.
7 Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.
5. Keep your hearts tender to sin (v. 8-9)
8 Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom.
To this originally Jewish audience who were the first recipients of James' letter, it would be common knowledge that the Hebrew word for heart in verse 8 means conscience. Rather than talking about the blood-pumping organ in our chest, James refers to the inner person, the soul, the conscience.
Moses recorded that Pharaoh "hardened his heart" (Exod. 8:15), which meant that Pharaoh had seared his conscience from heeding God's will.
When Scripture speaks of a tender heart as in 2 Chr. 34:27, it's talking about a sensitive conscience.
Proverbs 4:23 says, "Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life."
We may mentally know the source of sin and possess a genuine fear for the effects of sin, but without an alert and tender heart to the presence of sin, we fall into sin.
6. Don't judge each other in sinful ways (v. 11)
11 Do not speak against one another, brethren. He who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge of it.
We wrongly think that we can hide our sins by highlighting the sins of others. We sinfully judge through subtle forms of gossip and slander, both of which grieve the Spirit and divide the family of God. It's important to have discernment. And that means Christians can, and should, use sound judgment about whose professions of faith are credible. Jesus Himself said that we evaluate not by a person's words but by what fruit is shown in his or her life (Matthew 7:16, 20). But rather than judge in sinful ways, we follow Christ's way of restoration spelled out in Scriptures like Matthew 18 and Galatians 6:1.
7. Trust God to work in each other's lives (v. 12)
12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy; but who are you who judge your neighbor?
I recall hearing biblical counselor, David Powlison, once say that a wonderful trait about true Christians is that they love the light; and when given the truth, they'll embrace it.
While that may not always take place as immediately as we would like, if the other person is truly a believer, he has the Holy Spirit dwelling within him and will ultimately be drawn to the truth. James 4:12 reminds us that God is, indeed, able to save. The great promise of Philippians 1:6 comes to mind, "I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ."
When living out these commands by God's grace, Christian individuals can become churches that are communities of peace. Imperfect, yes. Nothing will be perfect until Christ returns and His glorious kingdomcomes. But until then, Christ doesn't call his sheep to be passive about the dangers of unchecked sinful conflict.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Our struggle with flesh is over only in heaven, but we are called to embrace the struggle and fight the flesh, not surrender to it.
Further Reading
Not What You Wanted?
What Is the Kingdom of Christ?
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What's On Your Mind?
Ryan Duncan. Editor at TheFish.com
"He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm." – Proverbs 13:20
Back when I was still attending school, one of my closest friends was a boy I'll call Jason. I was a pretty shy, quiet kid at the time, so I was very grateful to have a friend like Jason, who was loud and very social, to hang around with. Then one day, Jason began hanging out with another boy from our class named Al. Al was the type of person who loved to tell crude jokes, swore freely when he talked, and openly boasted about watching pornography. I could barely stand to be around him, but Jason got along great with him, and since he was my friend, I put up with it.
Over time though, I began to notice subtle changes in Jason. He developed a foul mouth, and started making suggestive comments whenever girls were around. In short, he started becoming a lot like Al. Thankfully, Jason and Al eventually went their separate ways and my friend returned to normal, but I've never forgotten how easily he was changed. In the book of Philippians, Paul writes,
"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me--put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you." – Philippians 4:8-9
Paul wasn't trying to be quirky when he wrote this section of his letter. On the contrary, I believe he was giving the Philippians some very serious advice. You see, whatever rules our hearts and minds will eventually change who we are. When we put Christ at the center of our thoughts, we gradually become the type of person he made us to be. But when we let the immorality of our culture, or our own selfishness take control, we become the type of person the world has shaped us to be.
God made us to be glorious reflections of Himself. Are your heart and mind reflecting Him?
Intersecting Faith and Life
Have your thoughts been focused on things unworthy of Christ? Take some time to consider your mindset.
Further Reading
Proverbs 12:26
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Love is On the Move
Debbie Wright, Assistant Editor of Family Content at Crosswalk.com
"Then the righteous will answer Him, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'" -Matthew 25:37-40
"On the corner of 5th Street / a homeless man needs to eat / down on the edge of town..."
-Leeland, "Love is On the Move"
Actually it was 14th Street. 14th and Cary.
I was driving slowly across the cobblestone of downtown Richmond, one block away from pulling into my parking garage before work. However, I noticed a new addition to my morning drive: a middle-aged man with sandy hair sitting on the corner, facing me. He was holding a cardboard sign which read "STUCK LIKE CHUCK." I had never seen him there before. On my way to work this morning I had already passed a beat-up looking group of teenage boys hitch-hiking on the side of 95 south, so by now my maternal instincts were driving me crazy.
I specifically made sure that I made my way to the office via the man with the sign. Before I walked past him I stopped and asked, "Sir?" He looked up at me. His skin was very weathered and tan, but his eyes were electric blue. Almost shocking. "Do you need some food?" I asked.
He sort of looked down, as though thinking, Well, I can't pay my bills with food... But he looked back up at me and hesitantly conceded, "It sure would help." I gave him part of my lunch I had packed for the day, said "God bless you, sir," and tried not to cry.
It's so hard to translate Christ's mandate to love the poor into modern, daily city life. What if I give someone money and they just go buy drugs or cigarettes? What if I help a hitchhiker and they put a gun to my head? How could my pitiful Tupperware container full of fruit possibly help a genuinely struggling man? But Christ made no bones about it: we at least have to try. Not just the important, desperate, convenient people. God's empathy extends to "even the least of them" – He feels both their pain and their gratitude.
"If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,' and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?" –James 2:15
"Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?" –James 2:5
Intersecting Faith and Life
How can you be a powerful, physical force for God's love? In your life, who are the poor, "the least," that Christ would have you notice?
Further Reading/Listening
Love is On the Move – Leeland (Essential Records, 2009)
Matthew 25
James 2
Permission to Feed the Poor?
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The Lamp to Light the Way
by Anna Kuta, News and Culture Editor at Crosswalk.com
"Your word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path" (Psalm 119:105).
A few weeks ago, some bad thunderstorms in the area left my house without electricity for almost 24 hours. These kinds of power outages usually happen once or twice a year, so we're always prepared with plenty of flashlights and batteries. From trying to remember not to flip on light switches out of habit to strategizing which windows to open to get the optimal breeze going, it really makes you appreciate the electricity we usually take for granted. If you've ever stumbled through the darkness in the middle of the night trying to locate a flashlight, you understand what I'm saying.
Psalm 119:105 likens the Word of God to a "lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." Like a flashlight is crucial for finding your way through a room full of obstacles in the middle of the night during a power outage, the Bible is the all-sufficient guide given to us by God for navigating our lives in a dark world. In and of itself, it contains everything we need to know in order to have faith in God, repent, receive salvation, and live a life pleasing to Him. It teaches us right and wrong, shows us the difference between true and false doctrines, and reveals the character and nature of God. "All Scripture," as 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, "is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work."
Just as a flashlight helps us find our way through the dark, the Word of God is our resource to direct us in all ways in our Christian lives. Not only does it guide our steps in the right path, but it shows us how to avoid the wrong way, and we should never set out without it.
Intersecting Faith & Life
Psalm 119:11 says, "Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You." The importance of reading and knowing God's Word cannot be overstated. Make it a point today and every day to spend at least a few minutes reading Scripture. Learn it. Memorize it. Use it to guide your way. It is one of the most important things you can do.
Further Reading
Hebrews 4:12
2 Timothy 2:15
1 Timothy 4:12-13
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Setting a Christian Example
Sarah Piper
Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe. 1 Timothy 4: 12
Has there ever been a time in your life when you felt like you had nothing to offer or that your contributions didn't matter? Ever had to prove yourself to others in order to gain their respect? Think back to your childhood—maybe you experienced this in a classroom or on a sports team. It's easy to be intimidated or overshadowed by those who are older, smarter, more talented or more experienced than we are. In 1 Timothy 4:12, Paul is writing to Timothy, a young believer. He encourages him not to give anyone an excuse to write him off as immature or undeserving of their attention, but instead to confidently set an excellent example of the Christian life.
Of course, Paul's message here doesn't apply only to Timothy, but to us as well. Even if we sometimes feel useless, God has a plan to use us for His glory in every situation. He enables us to live in a way that exalts Him and to bless others with our example.
In this verse, Paul names five specific areas in our lives that should be representative of a changed heart, the first of which is speech. This is probably one of the most difficult aspects of our character to keep in check; as James 3:6 says, "the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness." Although there's no denying that it's challenging, it's vital that we learn to control what we say since it often has a huge effect on others. Thoughtful and loving words can establish relationships, but just a few angry or careless words can destroy years of friendship.
Next, Paul emphasizes our conduct. In his letter to the Philippians, he encourages them to "conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ." As believers, we have a responsibility to represent Christ to the world through our actions. If we wear the label of "Christian," we must be willing to live our lives to that standard.
Perhaps the most essential aspect, love must also be characteristic of our lives. As Jesus says in John 13:35, "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." More than anything else, our love distinguishes us from unbelievers. Christians are called to exhibit a kind of love that others would see as crazy, the same kind that Jesus showed us: unconditional, undeserved, and often unrequited—the type of love that makes people do a double take.
Next, Paul addresses our faith. As believers, "we walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7). We trust that the Bible is true, that Jesus was who He said He was, and that God has the ability to keep the promises He has made to us. This faith should give us courage to live boldly for Christ because we know God will love, protect, and provide for us no matter what.
Finally, we are called to be an example of purity. In the Beatitudes in Matthew 5: 8, Jesus says, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." Because of our fallen nature, we can't reach perfection in this life, but nevertheless, we are to strive to keep God's commands as a demonstration of our love for Him and gratefulness for the saving work He's done in our lives. As we grow in our walk with Him, He promises to purify us and make us more like Himself.
The characteristics outlined in this verse aren't easy to perfect by any stretch of the imagination. That doesn't give us a free pass not to work towards that goal, though. Paul challenges us to reach for a higher standard, not only to set an example for other believers, but also to make unbelievers wonder what we have that is so special that it changes everything about our lives.
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Forgive the Neighborhood Bullies?
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors."
Matthew 6:12
My family is blessed to live on a cul-de-sac where our seven-year-old boy freely rides his bike and plays for hours without having to contend with busy traffic. The contention he faces most often is unfortunately the unkind words and actions of the other boys around the block.
Knowing that our little guy isn't perfect, my wife asked our son after one recent occurrence if he had done anything to provoke the attack. "No, mom" he replied as he held the little spot on the side of his head where a hardened dirt clod missile had made impact just a few moments earlier. "He's just mean. I'm never playing with him again." She commended him for walking away from the fray instead of taking matters into his own hands—an impulse which generally tends to make matters worse.
While we have tried to help our son (and ourselves) understand that we live in a sinful world in which things like this happen, we still struggle to respond in a way that demonstrates the grace of the Lord to neighbors He has called us to reach. One habit that seems to bring about the right change in our hearts is to talk to the Lord about it as a family during nightly prayers. We often close our time reciting "the Lord's prayer," which gently reminds us of our own sins as we say the line: "...and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors."
Thomas Watson, the great Cambridge scholar and Puritan preacher from the 1600s, wrote commenting on that phrase (in Matthew 6:12) "We are not bound to trust an enemy; but we are bound to forgive him." (Body of Divinity, p. 734). Going further (p. 734), he asks: "When do we forgive others?"
Answer: "When we strive against all thoughts of revenge; when we will not do our enemies mischief, but wish well to them, grieve at their calamities, pray for them, seek reconciliation with them, and show ourselves ready on all occasions to relieve them--this is gospel forgiving."
Watson, being the biblical scholar that he was, did not derive his answer from thin air. Each part of it comes straight from Scripture:
1. Resist thoughts of revenge: Romans 12:19, "Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,' says the Lord."
2. Don't seek to do them mischief: 1 Thessalonians 5:15, "See that no one repays another with evil for evil..."
3. Wish well to them: Luke 6:28, "Bless those who curse you."
4. Grieve at their calamities: Proverbs 24:17, "Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles."
5. Pray for them: Matthew 5:44, "But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you."
6. Seek reconciliation with them: Romans 12:18, "If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men."
7. Be always willing to come to their relief: Exodus 23:4, "If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey wandering away, you shall surely return it to him."
Today, there was peace in the neighborhood. All the boys were getting along again climbing up the tree fort and playing on the rope swing in our backyard. This side of heaven, our battle with unforgiveness may continue to wage; but Watson's biblical counsel and God's grace form the right strategy of gospel forgiving.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
In what situations are you tempted to harbor unforgiveness?
How does God look upon unforgiveness? (read Matthew 6:15).
Is there a situation in your life today in which you can apply "gospel forgiving?"
Further Reading
Psalm 73
Thomas Watson, A Body of Divinity
Thomas Watson, The Lord's Prayer
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Unqualified
Ryan Duncan, TheFish.com Editor
"It is the LORD your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him."- Deuteronomy 13:4
Sometimes I feel like, as a Christian, I'm no good. I have no memory for Bible verses, I don't have any gifts in leadership or preaching, and I've done some pretty stupid, not to mention embarrassing, things while trying to serve Christ in the past. In moments like these, I try to remember Gladys Alyward.
Gladys Alyward was a London born woman who became a missionary to China in the 1930's. Another missionary named Mrs. Lawson had invited Alyward to China, where the two women would run an inn and tell Bible stories to the passing travelers. Lawson and Alyward were the only foreigners in the city, at a time when Europeans were looked on with great distrust by the Chinese, and not long after her arrival, Mrs. Lawson suffered a severe fall and died a few days later.
Only a few weeks after Lawson's death, Alyward was approached by the city's Mandarin. The government had decided to put an end to the ancient practice of foot-binding, and this meant the government needed a foot-inspector, a woman (someone who could invade the women's quarters without scandal) who would patrol the district and enforce the decree. Though Alyward was now running the inn by herself, she chose to accept the position and used it to minister to countless individuals.
A year after that, Alyward was once again summoned by the Mandarin. A riot had broken out at a local prison, and Alyward was told to calm it. The prison guards had heard of her strange religion and wanted to put it to the test, so Alyward had no choice but to walk into the rampaging prison. To everyone's surprise, when Alyward called for the rioting prisoners to stop, they did. She told them to select a spokesman for the prisoners whom she could speak with, which again, they did without argument. It turned out the prisoners were confined to close quarters all day, with nothing to do and nothing to eat but food sent to them by family members. Though prison reform was unheard of at the time, Alyward managed to gather equipment the men could use to grind grain, earning them money for food.
As the years passed, the people of the city gave Alyward the name Ai-weh-deh, meaning "Virtuous One". Her inn expanded to become an orphanage where she cared for over 100 children, and when the Japanese threatened to invade in WWII, it was she who led the children over the mountains to safety. Alyward continued to preach the message of Christ all her life until she died in 1970.
Funny thing about Gladys Alyward: when she first applied to be a missionary, she was turned down. The organization she'd applied for considered her "unqualified" to minister in a foreign country.
God loves unqualified Christians. Look at Peter - a day laborer and a coward. Look at Matthew, who was a tax collector and an outcast. Look at Mary, who the scripture say Jesus cast twelve demons from. Don't underestimate what Christ can do with your life. Give God one willing Christian, and he can change the face of the world.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Do you feel like an unqualified Christian? Don't feel down; pray to God and seek a place where you can serve him.
Further Reading
Romans 12:11
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Better than a Gold Medal
by Kelly Givens, Editor at Salem Web Network
"Do you not know that in a race, all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore, I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize." --1 Corinthians 9:23-27.
Although I'm not typically a sports enthusiast, every four years I become one as I tune into the Olympics. If you've ever watched the Olympics, you've probably found yourself in awe of the skill and determination these athletes have. Their discipline and commitment to their sport is undeniable and often inspiring. So it's no surprise that Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians, uses the analogy of an athlete to help his readers understand the determination and commitment the Christian life takes.
First, Paul notes that the runners in the games go into strict training. Similarly, as Christians we must be "trained" in our faith. We do this through spiritual disciplines, time with other believers in worship and accountability, as well as time alone in prayer and meditation. As the author of Hebrews says, we must 'throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and run with perseverance the race marked out for us." The Christian life takes discipline and diligence.
After explaining how we are similar to Olympians, Paul draws a sharp distinction when it comes to our ultimate goal. In the Olympics, the athlete is often competing in one game; he has one shot at running the race and one chance to get the gold. Christians, however, are running a life-long race. Every day we must be determined and focused in order to overcome the obstacles to our faith.
As far as the "prize" we run for: 1 Peter reminds us that our faith is of "greater worth than gold." Our ultimate prize is not a medal to wear around our necks; it's eternal life. So we should run with all our strength and power, knowing we will persevere through God's grace, all the while looking forward to the day when we receive our prize- one that is way better than a gold medal.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Are you giving your life as God's child everything you've got, or are you lacking the dedication and discipline it takes to "run the race marked out for us?" The good news is that God can supply all the strength you need. So take some time this week and reflect on areas of your faith that could use some Olympic-sized training, then ask God to come into that part of your life and work on your behalf. God is the giver of good gifts- He will strengthen and equip you for this life-long race of faith!
Further Reading:
Hebrews 12:1-3
1 Timothy 6:12
1 Peter 1:3-7
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A Vote For Romney is a Vote for Satan
Stephen Sanders, A/V Editor at Salem Web Network
OK, so I confess. I used this devotional title as bait to get you to click on it. I don't really think Mitt Romney is the devil. Now, Obama...well...that's a different story.
I'm just kidding again. I love our president. He seems like a nice guy.
However, I recently discovered that some Christians are convinced that, because he is a Mormon, a vote for Mitt is a vote against Jesus.
www.votingforsatan.com
So, can I ask you guys a question? Actually, that was a question...let me ask you another one. Why do we do this to ourselves?
You know, as Christians...why do we feel like we need to tear down certain political nominees as the world does? Is it because we are convinced that God doesn't have control over the situation? Are we really so naive that we believe that Jesus and Mitt Romney are enemies?
I mean, I understand that most Christians think Obama doesn't really seem to know what he believes. He says one thing now. He said something totally different in the past it seems. All politicians seem to say whatever they need to, whenever they need to, in order to get the most votes. I get that. We can't trust them any more than we can trust ourselves when we tell little white lies to get what we want...
I haven't studied this thoroughly, but the Bible seems to indicate that God is in control of our government. That He created all things, both seen and unseen, and has a birds eye view of everything that is happening in our world. That no matter how much CNN we watch or how involved we get in the government, God will still know a ridiculously larger amount more about what's going on than we will.
And when we feel the need to take a stand against certain politicians, there are instructions on how that should be handled. Take 1 Timothy 2: 1-3 for example:
"The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. This is the way our Savior God wants us to live."
We are actually encouraged to pray for these people. Why? So that "we may live peaceful and quiet lives" (that's the opposite of militant and loud lives...in case you were wondering). And when we pray for them, God considers that to be a good thing and our behavior pleases Him.
Now, does that mean we aren't supposed to take stances against certain issues? I don't think that's what's being said here. I mean, the same Apostle Paul that urged the church to pray for the authorities also spent a great deal of time warning churches of authorities who were teaching false doctrines. So there is a lot to be considered here...so much more than I could possibly wrap my head around at 4 o'clock in the morning.
Intersection of Faith and Life
Is there anyone in your life that you are so against that it would make it impossible for you to pray for them right now? Would you even consider praying for them before you take action against them? Let's take a few minutes and think about that one. I can think of a few just off the top of my head. And even if I have to force myself to speak positive things into their life, I'm going to do that this morning and I'm asking you to do the same for those who have offended you.
Why? Well...
In Matthew 5:43-48, Jesus told his disciples,
"You're familiar with the old written law, 'Love your friend,' and its unwritten companion, 'Hate your enemy.' I'm challenging that. I'm telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best – the sun to warm and the rain to nourish – to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that. "In a word, what I'm saying is, Grow up. You're kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you."
For Further Reading
Matthew 18:21-35
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From Middle of Life to Center of Truth
Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
Do not withhold your mercy from me, O LORD; may your love and your truth always protect me.
Psalm 40:11, NIV
I turned 40 a couple months ago. Woo-hoo.
You'll pardon my "enthusiasm," I'm sure. What nobody tells you about turning 40 is that you ask yourself a lot of questions, sort of a checklist of making sure you have certain things right before proceeding to the most meaningful half of the game. It's like you're in the locker room at halftime of life - bandaging injuries, reflecting on the strategies of the first half - both failed and successful - and considering your options as you re-emerge to the field.
One upside of this odd time (one of my most awkward since adolescence; think of me as a teenager plus a modicum of wisdom, confidence, and gainful employment. I even found a couple of zits this week for goodness sakes) is empathy. I wouldn't call what I'm going through a "mid-life crisis"... but I now understand why some people have them. I wouldn't say that agnosticism is any kind of answer to the meaning of life... but I now understand why people gravitate to it, conscientiously or not. I wouldn't say this life is the point or that this world is our home... but I get why people begin to make the most of the time they have left as they see the clock running down.
The downside, however, is that I find myself prone to thinking I'm smarter than I am, to thinking so much depends upon me, to buying into answers that are all at once beyond biblical teaching in both complexity and sanity. My like-it's-on-hormones brain has me wondering about...
Dinosaurs, definitions of marriage, death, love, whom I've loved, whether I've loved, addictions, exercise, accountability, honesty, privacy, sexuality, inerrancy, accuracy, cosmology, biology, psychology, mighta-beens, coulda-beens, shoulda-beens, woulda-beens, fairness, facts, food, euthanasia, hip dysplasia, adoptions from Asia, character, selfishness, and yes... even shiny new sportscars.
Good gracious.
Take any one of those categories - plus many more - and I've been bogged down thinking about it. Some of my thoughts challenge my own beliefs, beliefs I've long held as established, settled. Some of my thoughts wake me up to new possibilities, or things I haven't done yet that I may still be called to. But in the end all these ideas remain merely...
My. Thoughts.
Biblically, those just aren't very trustworthy words. So what do I do now?
The same thing I've always done - come back to first principles. Study the old verses from childhood. Memorize scripture. And be really, really honest with friends and acquaintances. That authenticity, though, is a new ingredient, one that is making this halftime speech much more meaningful, bearable, and shared.
But at its root is just the same formula from which I deconstruct everything: something happened in Jerusalem and the surrounding areas over 2,000 years ago that sent plain old uneducated men to the corners of the earth convinced that everything - life, meaning, all time and all space - was on the line, and there was a Truth worth dying for. They did this because they knew a man who was also God, whom death could not hold, and who offered an amazing gift to anyone who would faithfully open it. And there's this book about those men, and the One in whom they believed, and no matter how many questions you seem to have about this book or how it was put together or who wrote it or whether its teachings are fair or right, one thing is for sure - it spoke in advance of the One who came, and in Him it becomes a whole lot clearer.
And the same God who caused all that to happen wanted the rest of the story told in certain ways. He told us some things were good for us, some bad. He told us some things were right in His eyes, some wrong. He told us He created this place we live in a period of days. No matter how confusing any of that may seem (and make no mistake - child-like faith is one of my favorite things, but growing in wisdom is a stretch to that faith, and stretching is almost always a good thing to do with aging muscles), it holds that there was a Truth. And the God that foretold, sent, and raised this Truth is the one telling the story in a way that might make you scratch your head, puzzle out how things piece together, but before you know it, you have been thinking, praying to, and meditating upon Him and how He did it, how it all might paradoxically mesh.
Simplicity out of complexity. Youthfulness out of age. Truth out of confusion. Beauty out of chaos.
So far, I have to tell you, the 40s just rock.
Intersecting Faith and Life: No matter how old you are, make a list of what's behind you and what you think or hope lies ahead. Admit the concepts with which you struggle, and the bedrock that does not move, and find the place they meet for you. And move forward from there.
Further Reading:
John 18:37-38
What is Truth?
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Man Up
By Ryan Duncan
Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. – 1 Corinthians 16:12
My senior year of college, I applied to be part of a short term mission trip to Russia where my classmates and I interacted with children at the local orphanage. During my time there, I saw and experienced Christ in ways I never expected, and though I hated to leave, I couldn't wait to get back home to tell everyone about it. That trip literally changed my life, so I was furious when I discovered that out of next year's two-hundred applicants, only twenty of them were guys.
One of my growing concerns for the Church today is the decline of leadership among male Christians. Trust me, I'm no exception. I'd much rather hang out with a group of guys then try to manage some complicated project or get involved in something that will cost me time and effort. Still, it's gotten to the point where God is trying to put us in the game but many of us are choosing to stay benched. It's a familiar story, one the Bible tells in the book of Judges.
"Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time. She held court under the Palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites came to her to have their disputes decided. She sent for Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, "The LORD, the God of Israel, commands you: 'Go, take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead the way to Mount Tabor. I will lure Sisera, the commander of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his troops to the Kishon River and give him into your hands.' " Barak said to her, "If you go with me, I will go; but if you don't go with me, I won't go." "Very well," Deborah said, "I will go with you. But because of the way you are going about this, the honor will not be yours, for the LORD will hand Sisera over to a woman." So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh," – Judges 4: 4-10
I can sympathize with Barak. Sisera had been cruelly oppressing the Israelites for twenty years, and he commanded 900 iron chariots which where the equivalent to army tanks in the ancient world. Barak had good reason to feel uneasy about this battle. At the same time though, Barak was commanded by God, through a judge no less, to rescue his people and his overall response is, "Meh, I don't know."
God needs men of faith to stand up and act. You don't have to fight 900 iron chariots, but maybe it's time we started looking around for things we could do. Consider starting a small group for younger guys, participate in a mission trip or attend your Church's prayer brunch! You don't have to do everything, just do something. God has given us opportunities to impact the world for good; let's not miss out just so we can sleep in and watch reruns.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Guys, look around and find ways to actively live out your faith. Ladies, encourage reluctant guys to get involved at Church.
Further Reading
Micah 6:8
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Time for Radical Action
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell."
Matthew 5:30
The arm amputation scene in the movie "127 Hours" vividly portrays the tough-as-nails experience of rock climber, Aron Ralston, during a 2003 expedition that almost claimed his life. As I watched the scene not long ago, I was reminded of a spiritual truth that makes most Christians wince, including me.
Aron, an experienced 27-year-old outdoorsman had taken along just enough food and water for the day. He hiked all by himself in a remote canyon area that used to be the hideout for wild-west outlaws Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. At one point in the middle of the afternoon of that near perfect day, he was about seventy feet above the canyon floor—climbing in a narrow crevice that was just a few feet wide. Without warning, a boulder above him shifted and came hurtling toward him. Within seconds, Aron's right arm was pinned against the wall. His hand was crushed. What had been one of his greatest assets as an expert climber was now his greatest liability.
For the next five days, he tried various ways to free his arm. Chipping away at the boulder with a pocket knife only made a small dent. Rigging up a pulley system to somehow shift the boulder drained precious time and strength to no avail. Finally, a moment of clarity came. Aron would break his forearm, cut through the muscle with the dirty pocket knife, detach his arm, and use rope for a tourniquet. Following this plan, Aron would lose his arm, but save his life.
In his book, Between a Rock and a Hard Place (© 2004 Simon & Schuster), Aron explains that "some sort of autopilot" took over him as he went about the gruesome task of amputation. When he finished, Aron lowered himself down the rock wall, leaving a trail of blood. He then trudged slowly in the direction of his truck parked miles away. Fortunately, he happened across two hikers on the way who phoned in a rescue helicopter. Amputating his right arm was a radical act, but it saved his life and, soon, he was reunited with his loved ones.
Christians are called to deal with sin in a similar way. The Bible doesn't offer a laid-back, live-and-let-live approach. Sin is our deadly enemy. We have two choices: kill or be killed. As Puritan writer, John Owen famously put it in his classic book The Mortification of Sin, "Be killing sin, or it will be killing you."
Jesus spoke about the time for radical action in Matthew 5:30: "If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell." While Jesus was not literally talking about physical amputation, He was saying that sin's deadly effects call for extreme measures. It may cause temporary pain or loss, but we must kill sin in our lives. In fact, our eternal destiny hinges on how we deal with sin. Yes, really. Think about Christ's words again. Why else would Jesus talk about hell in the same breath that He talks dealing with sin? If He didn't mean that our eternal destiny hangs in the balance, then the passage makes no sense. Clearly, the way that one deals with sin (or not) shows what the heart prefers. If Aron Ralston had just given up and stayed there on the canyon wall, he would have most certainly died. But he was willing to kill his hand so that his life could be saved.
This is not to say that in our relationship with God we somehow "save ourselves" by our own righteousness. No. But neither should we think about salvation as a one-time decision. Christ doesn't call us to a mere decision of "inviting Him to be our Savior," He calls us to a life of trusting Him and walking with Him. The way we deal with sin simply shows what we value. Do we prefer the world or Christ? Colossians 3:5 says, "Put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry."
The world may tell us to laugh about sin, to lighten up about it, to tolerate it, and just let it be... that it's not idolatry; it's not an issue of worship.
God says the opposite is true.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Usually, sin doesn't appear to us as an ugly, painful boulder that crushes us against a rock wall. What are the pleasures of sin that tend to pin you down? What is it that keeps you from treasuring God above all things? Ask God for grace and strength to amputate sin—today and every day.
Further Reading
Romans 8:10-18
What Is Christianity?
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Want Vs. Need
by Laura MacCorkle
So in the course of time Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, "Because I asked the LORD for him." 1 Samuel 1:20, NIV
Did you get what you wanted for Christmas? Or did you get what you needed?
What we want and what we need don't often go hand in hand. There are things that I have wanted for a long time now that apparently the Lord has not seen to be necessities in my life just yet. I know he knows what is best for me, but it is still hard to wait. And it is difficult not to look longingly at what others have received and wonder why I cannot be the recipient of such things as well.
This kind of struggle is not new to any of us. And Hannah, who we read about in the first chapter of 1 Samuel, is a great example of how to live when what you want is not yet something God says you need.
For years Hannah had wanted to become a mother. To bear a child. To give her husband, Elkanah, a son—just like his other wife, Peninnah. Being barren was considered a disgrace for a woman in those times, so Hannah most likely felt ashamed and alone and perhaps like a societal outcast. Instead of turning away, though, Hannah took her sorrow and her request for what she wanted to the Lord.
We don't know for sure how long she waited (perhaps years)—and we don't know the exact purposes of God's timing in her life—but we can still learn a great deal from Hannah's example.
She was persistent and continually sought the Lord.She did not give up and stop asking the Lord for what she wanted. Like clockwork, Hannah kept bringing her request to God, year after year (v. 7). No doubt her want continued to drive her to the Father and most likely deepened her relationship with him.
She was blessed with a lifeline.I am quick to forget that the beauty in the midst of Hannah's pain is that Elkanah loved her very dearly. I am sure this buoyed Hannah when she may have wondered if God would ever answer her prayer for a child. God was gracious in giving her a loving husband (v. 5, 8).
She did not give in to ridicule or naysayers.Even when Peninnah (who was fruitful and had children) taunted her because she was barren, Hannah did not add insult to injury (v. 7). She did not retaliate when ridiculed for her condition or her faith.
She shared her "want" and was encouraged by others.When the high priest Eli observed Hannah praying in the temple and inquired as to her condition, she shared with him what she was asking of the Lord. Eli encouraged her and asked God to answer her request (vv. 12-17).
She gave back to God what he had given to her.When God blessed Hannah with a child, she did not cling tightly to him. She kept her promise, let her son go and dedicated him to the Lord (v. 11, vv.21-28). That is model faith!
Like Hannah, are you waiting on the Lord to give you something you want in your life today? A new job? Reconciliation in your marriage? Blessing in your finances? A cure from illness? To find your soul mate? Victory over an addiction? A baby?
Each of us has something we want in our lives. But is up to God to decide if this is something we really need. May we continue to come to him with joy and thankfulness, as we acknowledge that he knows what is best for our lives.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Do you know that God has already given you what you need for this very day? Ask him to help you accept his plans and timing for your life—even when you don't understand.
Further Reading:
James 1:17, NIV
Matthew 7:11, NIV
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Will They Know Us By Our Love?
Debbie Wright, Assistant Editor of Family Content at Crosswalk.com
"By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:35).
Love
not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does
not
the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things (1 Corinthians 13:4-7).
These two passages are arguably the most famous Bible verses about love. Love is a concept promoted
by Christians, Jews, Buddhists and Muslims. It is a thing acknowledged by atheists and agnostics.
Something every man, woman, and child strives to obtain every day. Love is something we all know
about and all desire. But so often it seems to be the most difficult thing for us to practice.
As Christians, we have no excuse for not knowing what love is. 1st Corinthians chapter 13 tells us in no
uncertain terms. And Christ tells us in John 13 that the world will know that we belong to Jesus if we
practice this love. But how often do we truly think of those two scriptures as one command? How often
do we piece together the "how?" and the "what?" of love in our own lives?
The ramifications of doing so present a clearly defined, but difficult life. If we combine 1 st Corinthians 13
and John 13, what would our lives look like? How would people come to recognize Christians?
Well, they would know us by our patience. They would know that we are Christians by our
contentment, modesty, and humility. They would recognize us, for we would not be rude. We would
seek the best for others, be difficult to make angry, and refuse to keep count of how many times we've
been hurt. They would know us because evil makes us sad, and truth makes us happy. They would
know us because we protect the defenseless and we do not live in suspicion of others.
They would know us by our hope. They would know us by our perseverance.
That is what love looks like. Those should be the marks of Christ's disciples.
Oftentimes when the world hears "Christian" – they do not think of this love. They think Patriotic. They
think of rules. They think of stingy, bad-tippers, who blindly vote Republican and will judge you if you
drink beer or use four-letter words. And that might not be fair. That might not be you. But it's still your
responsibility to change what the world thinks of Christians. It's still your responsibility to demonstrate
that radical love Paul described to the Corinthians.
Because then, one by one, people might start to know Jesus a little better. Because then, one by one, we
could really reach the world with this radical, biblical, Christ-like love.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Find one relationship or duty in your life that lacks love. And change it.
Further reading
1 John 1:5-10
Romans 13:8-14
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Words, Words, Words!
In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."
John 3:3
American English uses hundreds of idioms, both helpful and just plain ridiculous. It's entirely possible slink through a whole day without expressing a single original phrase, if we try hard enough. It's not rocket science, I mean. You can blow your top, or go overboard, or feel like you're an emotional rollercoaster, or wind up between a rock and a hard place, or hit the wall. Maybe it's a cloud nine day, and you're walking on air. And no, I'm not pulling your leg. There's a method to my madness.
You can probably think of a dozen more idioms that I omitted. Nowadays, we use overuse all those phrases and stick them into our conversation as a substitute for original thought. But once upon a time, all those things we call clichés resonated with meaning. Consider just a few:
That's a load of hogwash – This wholesome little phrase comes straight from the farm, where "hogwash" designates a concrete mess of garbage and refuse that's only fit for the pigs. The good-for-nothing stuff certainly isn't a compliment; in fact, it's downright nasty.
Catch-22 – We use it now for any situation with a lose-lose outcome, but the original phrase actually comes from a 1961 novel by the same name. The plot highlights the result of bureaucratic regulations that take their validity from each other but can't stand alone. The bewildering, circular logic keeps characters from any good outcomes, thanks to the nonsense to which they're subject.
"The lady doth protest too much, methinks." – Shakespeare would probably roll over in his grave if he could hear us butcher this one so royally. The phrase actually comes from the lips of Queen Gertrude, who rather hastily marries her husband's brother after her husband dies. Gertrude was actually sneering at the faithful promises – the protestations – of the queen in a play, who promised eternal love and faith to only one man. And so, her inconstant character announces itself to Hamlet and the audience.
Your John Hancock – As president of the Continental Congress, Hancock's name appeared before all others on the first copy of the Declaration of Independence. By that action, Hancock marked himself among the primary traitors if the War for Independence failed. He risked his life, his fortune, and indeed, his sacred honor. Is that what you think of every time you sign a credit receipt?
We all use language, and it's a hop, skip, and a jump from a meaningful metaphor for a dull catchphrase. After that, real meaning gets lost in the hubbub of "words, words, words," as Hamlet would say.
I mention these cultural amusements for a simple purpose.
Do you remember how totally radically it is to be "born again"?
Christians – myself included – so easily wear down the language of grace into simple catchphrases. When Jesus told
Nicodemus that he "must be born again," he was conveying a radical idea, and Nicodemus knew that much. "How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!" (John 3:4) Jesus goes on to explain the obvious changes that come from being born again of the Spirit, so that a person changes completely. "Born again" meant so much more than a hidden identity. As my pastor pointed out Sunday, you might as well ask, "Is that baby new?" as ask, "Are you born again?" The answer should be obvious to all. Is it?
Intersecting Faith & Life: The slip from authentic faith to rote "Christianese" is sometimes nothing more than a wandering mind, and sometimes as much as complete forgery. As you pray and read the Bible this week, take time to meditate on what simple phrases like "mercy," "born again," "repent," genuinely mean. Find names or attributes of God that you don't usually use and meditate on them. As Jesus said to his disciples (ironically, right before he gave them the Lord's Prayer, which far too many of us utter by rote), "And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words." (Matthew 6:7) The fight against complacent muttering finds success when it's joined by a genuinely appreciative heart, so let's skip the babbling and get down to praising God for the radical way He has saved us!
Further Reading:
Luke 18:9-14
Zephaniah 3:14-18
Top 10 Irritating Phrases
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Yard Sale Christianity
By Stephen Sanders
A/V Editor for Salem Web Network
As many of you know, summer is prime time yard sale time and you can't drive anywhere in the south on a Saturday without passing at least a few. This past Saturday, we stopped at one not far from our house.
In the past when I've been with my wife to these things, I seldom find anything that I get REALLY excited about. I usually just look for old books because that's the only thing I can find for a buck that I might actually use. But this past Saturday, as I dug through a box of old CDs, I found something that I couldn't pass up.
When I look back at my childhood and think about music, two names come to mind: Michael Jackson and the Beastie Boys. The very 1st album that my mom ever bought me was "Thriller." The first album that I ever bought with my own money was "Licensed to Ill" at a Kmart in Mason, Ohio with my cousin Mark. I can still vividly remember driving home that weekend with my parents in our '78 Chrysler New Yorker bumping "Fight For Your Right To Party." We had the cassette adapter for the 8-track player that was in there. I guess this was probably about 1986-87. This tape stayed in my silver boom box until it broke a couple years later.
During my middle school years, I developed a second wind of musical enlightenment. This was when hip-hop was at its peak in the early 90's. I'd picked up this interest from my good friend Chad, who bought me an NWA tape in 1992. This was, of course, followed by Dr. Dre's "The Chronic" in 1993...then "Enter the 36 Chambers" by Wu-Tang Clan later that year...
The Beastie Boys released "Check Your Head" in 1993 also. They were still just as relevant then as they had been in the 80's even though the style had changed a bit. They'd evolved from a party rap trio to a 3-piece jam band in what seemed like no time...but it had been 7 years. I loved this CD.
My love for hip-hop slowly but surely vanished as grunge slowly gained my affection and carried me through my high school years. The Nu Metal genre developed as I entered my college years; a movement that was pretty much over almost as soon as it started. I picked up a bass guitar my freshman year at SECC and my love for hip-hop officially died. But my love for the Beastie's never did...
In 2002, on a couch at a friend's house, I discovered "Paul's Boutique" by the Beastie Boys. This album was released in 1989; many consider this to be their finest work. This album soon became my "favorite album to listen to while I played video games with Eddie." And even still, the Beastie's were just as relevant in 2002 as they were in 1986... and 1989... and 1993...
Now, flash-forward to 2011... I look into a box of CDs at a yard sale and find "Check Your Head" and "Paul's Boutique" in perfect condition... for $5. SOLD! As I walked away, all I could think about were the good times I'd had with my cousin Mark, Chad, Eddie; some of the best times of my life. I couldn't wait to listen to them when I got home.
I got home, went upstairs, turned on my computer to do my homework and hit play...and immediately realized how much Christ has changed me as an individual. It's not so much the music itself, because it is still just as creative and impressive as it ever was. It's the message behind the music that causes a separation. It's just not the same anymore.
Jesus and Paul talked a lot about this sort of thing in the Bible. You know, the difference between who we were before accepting Christ into our hearts versus the new man who has surrendered his life to Jesus. I don't think I've ever seen this played out in my life in such a real way until this episode. There is simply nothing I can gain from this music at this point in my life without turning my back on Christ.
Now let me make a bit of a clarification before I go any further. I'm not talking about legalism here. I'm not saying that, "Christians cannot listen to secular music because it is sinful." If that had been the case, I never would have bought these CDs to begin with. Now, the Stephen from 5 years ago with his sheltered, legalistic, judgmental Christian mindset would have been outraged at the idea of a believer being excited about a secular CD or movie or anything else that wasn't "Christian." I'd been taught that everything was a black or white issue. If it wasn't "Christian" then it was sin.
But in recent years, with a change of logic and a new church environment, I've realized that my old mindset was a very self-serving mindset to have. In reality, not everything in the real world is a black or white issue. Not all "Christian music" is godly and not all "secular music" is sinful. When I used to believe this way, I would make my walk with God a lot easier, while making it more difficult for everyone else I came in contact with.
What I'm talking about is true relationship with Christ where He deals with me personally while I only focus on how God views me, not those around me.
Believe me when I say that I really wanted to enjoy these CDs when I got home. But there was something inside of me that no longer desired or could allow me to digest them. I fully believe that this is what Christ does to our lives. He draws us close to Him by his Spirit and these desires just naturally fall off. They happen in His timing, not our timing and not in the timing that other believers feel they should happen in our lives.
It's experiences like these that let me know that I am certainly not who I used to be. Fleshly desires that I used to have simply do not exist anymore. I don't have to beat down my flesh and force myself to exhibit Christian behavior anymore. Christ's desires just naturally become mine. True freedom in Christ started when I stopped trying to achieve the unachievable: being a perfect Christian.
Intersecting Faith and Life
We all have our individual walks with God that we have to experience. So many of us try so hard to make things automatically sinful for the sake of comfort. We attempt to force our religion on others around us, instead of simply sharing the Gospel. But that's not what we, as Christians, are called to do. We are simply called to love God and love others. Love doesn't cause me to push myself on anyone. It subtracts from me and adds to the world around me.
For Further Study
1 Corinthians 10:13-33
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Plans Interrupted
by Laura MacCorkle
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9, NIV
Have you ever had your plans interrupted?
This can either make you cranky or make you grateful. In my case, it's usually both. Cranky at first. And then eventually grateful after days, weeks, months or even years later when I finally see that God's plans were so much better than mine.
Just last weekend, my plans were interrupted. I had been planning a day-cation for a while and was going to take my mom to visit my hometown's "friendly" rival city that's just a short drive away. We'd never before explored its downtown area and had heard great things about it. And so we thought it would be a fun place to visit on a Saturday.
But the plans had to be scrapped as a result of a minor family emergency. In this case, I was grateful that I could alter my course and help out. And I know it was the right thing to do to set aside these prior plans.
Other times in my life, I haven't been so quick to be grateful when God has interrupted my plans. At the time, my plans seemed right and logical. But they were plans that, had they gone through, would have just been awful. In hindsight, I see how the Lord has saved me from myself time and time again and how he truly knows what is best for my life.
Before he was one of the greatest apostles in the Bible, Paul also had his plans interrupted. Now his plans would arguably have had more disastrous consequences than some of mine, but he believed he was doing the right thing and was set on seeing them through. That is, until God interrupted.
In Acts 9, Paul was still known as Saul. He was an enemy of believers (known as "the Way") and was focused on persecuting anyone who called himself a Christian. He had heard that many had fled to Damascus, so he secured letters of arrest from the high priest and headed off in pursuit of them.
But on the road, God intervened and interrupted Saul's plans. The conversion was radical and news-making. Saul was blind for three days, and then his sight was restored through Anaias, who God told that Saul was his "chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel (Acts 9:15)."
When the scales fell from Saul's eyes, he was filled with the Holy Spirit. Later, he became known as the apostle Paul and was perhaps the greatest of all Christian missionaries. He also wrote 13 of the 27 books of the New Testament!
Can you imagine what type of effect his conversion must have had on the believers he had been seeking to persecute? Or how about the Gentiles to whom he ministered for years afterward? And then who knows how many countless readers of God's Word have been blessed by Paul's testimony and his inspired writings?
These are God's amazing plans at work, my friend. And thankfully, he interrupts ours.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
How did you respond the last time God interrupted your plans? Have you thanked him for saving you from your plans? We will never know this side of heaven all that God has done and is doing in our lives. Let's thank him for his perfect plans for us today.
Further Reading:
Proverbs 3:5-6, NIV
Proverbs 19:21, NIV
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Freedom from the Bonds of Sin
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"...if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live." Romans 8:13
While reading this week in chapter eight of Francis Schaeffer's True Spirituality where he is speaking about freedom from the bonds of sin, I was reminded of the story of an experienced, 27 year-old rock climber named Aron Ralston. One beautiful spring morning in 2003, he jumped into his truck with just enough food and water for the day. He took off by himself and drove a hundred and fifty miles south of Salt Lake City to his favorite spot—a remote canyon area that used to be the hideout for wild-west outlaws Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
By afternoon, he was suspended seventy-five feet high off the canyon floor—climbing in a crevice that was just a few feet wide. It was a perfect day. But then without warning, a boulder suddenly broke loose from the rock wall above him, hurtled down and trapped Ralston's right arm against the wall, completely crushing his hand. At that instant, Aron's hand—one of his greatest assets—had now become his greatest liability.
Five whole days passed as he tried various ways to free himself—all to no avail. His efforts to chip away at the boulder with a pocket knife only made a small dent. Rigging up a pulley system to move the boulder proved fruitless.
Finally, a moment of decisive clarity came. The thoughts came fast and furious: he could break his forearm, cut through the muscle with his dirty pocket knife, detach his arm, and use a piece of rope as a tourniquet.
Aron explains that he was driven by "some sort of autopilot" as he went about the gruesome task of amputating his own right arm just below the elbow. After he was finished, Aron lowered himself down and began trudging slowly in the direction of his truck. Later, he stumbled across two hikers who used a mobile phone to call in a rescue helicopter. Amputating his right arm was a radical act, but it was one that saved his life and reunited him with his family.
God calls us to deal with sin in our life in a way that is surprisingly similar. The Bible doesn't offer a laid-back, live-and-let-live approach at all. It's so radical, that we don't really like hearing about it or talking about it. Recall what Jesus said in Matthew 5:30, "If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell." While Jesus was not literally talking about physical amputation, He was saying that sin's deadly effects call for extreme measures. Even though it hurts, we must rid sin from our lives. In fact, our eternal destiny hinges on how we deal with sin.
Really? Well, why else would Jesus talk about hell in the same breath that He talks about how we are to deal with sin if He didn't mean to teach that our eternal destiny hangs in the balance? Clearly, it's a matter of preferring one destiny over the other. Outward behavior indicates what the heart primarily loves. If Aron Ralston had stayed there on the canyon wall with his hand pinned down by the boulder, he would have died. But because he was willing to kill his hand, his life was saved.
The same goes with us as we deal with sin. It really comes down to what we value most. Colossians 3:5 says, "Put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry." The world may tell us to laugh about sin, to lighten up about it, to tolerate it, and just let it be... that it's not idolatry; it's not an issue of worship. God says the opposite is true.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
What is robbing you of the blessings of peace with God?
What is keeping you from treasuring the Lord Jesus Christ above all other things?
Pray for grace to heed God's radical call to amputate sin from your life in His strength.
Further Reading
Romans 8:10-18
"Is Christianity just a bunch of rules for how to live?" (by John Piper, DesiringGod.org)
Between a Rock and a Hard Place (by Aron Ralston, © 2004 Simon & Schuster)
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Playing With Fire
By Ryan Duncan. TheFish.com Editor
Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins. – James 4:17
Last week I decided to take a few days off work and fly into Green Bay so I could spend the week with my family. I was really looking forward to my vacation, not only because it would be a chance to relax, but also because I'd get to see my oldest sister and newborn niece for the first time in almost two years.
So Tuesday evening I left work in a good mood, checked my bags into the airport, and made my way through the customary TSA groping to the terminal where I was promptly told that my flight had been canceled. With no other planes headed to Green Bay that night, I had no choice but to go home and try again another day. The next morning I got up at 4 am and returned to the airport where the airlines announced that the same thing had happened again. Clerks informed everyone that they would do their best to find us all new flights, and that all passengers would be given compensation when we pried it from their cold, dead hands.
At this point my mood was as black and foul as boiling tar, and I waited sullenly until one of the attendants asked me where I was headed. No sooner had the words "Green Bay" left my mouth when (and I am not making this up) a fireman came running through the side doors and announced that an airplane had caught fire outside the gate, and everyone needed to move to the end of the terminal. Overall, it wasn't one of my best traveling experiences.
The thing is, during all of this I could feel the Holy Spirit nudging me. I think God knew I was angry, and was encouraging me to pray, to read my Bible, even to do simple things like write or walk around the terminal and cool off. Each time I felt the nudging though, I stamped it out. I didn't want to be patient, I wanted to be angry. I wanted to groan and complain and go ballistic in the middle of the airport. I was completely justified in doing so, and I didn't care that my anger wouldn't fix anything, or that the clerks already had four people yelling at them. I chose to wallow in my rage instead of pushing it away.
How often do we allow ourselves to play with sin? How often do we tell ourselves that we're justified in our behavior because life isn't fair, or the situation is against us? One of the toughest challenges we Christians face today is remembering to reflect Christ, even when things get bad. Take it from me, don't ignore the Holy Spirit. Sure, you're still going to get angry, and but how you handle that anger will determine how Christ works in your life, and more importantly, how others will see Christ in you.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Are you unable to let something go? Take a moment to talk with God and let him take it from you.
Further Reading
Proverbs 19:11
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A Hedge of Clichés
by Katherine Britton
"And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words." - Matthew 6:7
A Bible study friend recently encouraged me to rewrite the famous passage on Proverbs 31 woman in my own words, with application to my own life. I took her up on the challenge, thinking the task wouldn't be too hard for someone who writes for a career.
Crafting a modern application took an hour—much longer than I figured. Getting away from verbatim repetition to explore specific application required much more of my time and energy than I would typically spend journaling on a passage. Stepping back from the verse-by-verse analysis, though, I thought I saw the Proverb 31 woman's characteristics a bit more clearly. Rewriting the passage didn't destroy the original language for me—on the contrary. The "words, words, words" seemed fresh and clear from my new vantage point.
Unfortunately, reading and "hiding Scripture in our hearts" quickly slips into rote recitation for me. It's like Tim Hawkin's hedge of protection comedy sketch; the words have power, but we start spouting them off without much thought. Pretty soon, I'm sitting in church and halfway through a hymn before I realize that I'm singing. My heart gets left behind too when my mind is disengaged. Pretty soon, I'm praying a "hedge of protection" for somebody, partially because the phrase sounds good without making me think too carefully about their specific needs.
The Pharisee Jesus described in Luke 18:9-13 had mastered the art of hiding insincerity behind the right phrases. He knew the turn of phrase that would convey holy devotion, regardless of the filth in his heart. "Words, words, words" became meaningless, as Hamlet saw them in the dead books - they became a socially acceptable key to avoid the real attitudes.
Contrast this to the tax collector. He understood that social niceties wouldn't veil his sins before God, and he didn't continue with a recitation the way the Pharisee did. His simple prayer was, "God, have mercy on me, a sinner." That was it. He knew the impact of his simple phrase far better than the Pharisee did. He didn't need to "babble" to impress God or those around him; he simply spoke his heart, knowing that ability to pray is itself a mercy.
The beautiful language of Scripture is best adorned with sincerity of heart, not how many words we can string together in holy sentences. After all, consider how simple the Lord's Prayer is written - and how difficult and miraculous it is to proclaim "Your will be done."
Intersecting Faith and Life: There's not a "holy attitude" that we put on at "holy times" - we are called to be holy all the time, in our joking with friends as well as our prayers. We need to speak simply, truly, and to God's glory all the time. This week, practice this by eliminating Christian catch phrases from your prayers, instead journaling your prayers to bring a fresh application.
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The Quest for Perfection
by Sarah Phillips
You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matthew 5: 48
The Scripture above is one most of us would read with some perplexity. As Christians we know we're sinners in need of a Savior. Every Sunday at church we thank God for His divine intervention through Christ's death on the cross.
Yet the very One sent to die for us seems to be asking us here to be that which we know we can't: perfect. Not just really, really good. But perfect in the way God is perfect.
Now if you're a perfectionist like me, you may already have your pen out to list all your weaknesses so you can strategize the best plan to eradicate them from your life.
This isn't a bad exercise, but I've often become easily frustrated and tired when I set out to perfect myself. That's precisely the problem with this approach - it's all about me, myself, and I. An old friend of mine, in his quest to eliminate his selfish attitude, would often exclaim with much exasperation: "I keep trying to get rid of my selfishness but in the process of trying to improve myself, I end up focusing on my self all the time!"
It's hard to stifle a smile at his candor. It seems God has something better in mind for us than a glorified self-help program.
Perhaps the verse above is easier to understand when cast in a different light. Peter doesn't use the word "perfect" but instead calls believers to "holiness":
" ... but as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct: since it is written 'you shall be holy, for I am holy.'" (1 Peter 1: 15 - 16)
Holiness transcends what someone does (or doesn't do) and ties directly into who God is. As believers, we aren't necessarily called to be "perfect" by the world's standards, but instead to reflect God's nature to others. His goodness, truth, strength, and love.
The only way we can accurately reflect God to others is to strive daily to know God. To be in His presence. To meditate on His Word. Unlike the futile self-help approach, the more we focus on God, the less self-focused we become. And the more available we make ourselves to His transforming grace in our lives.
"Above all the grace and the gifts that Christ gives to his beloved is that of overcoming self." ~ St. Francis of Assisi
Intersecting Faith & Life: Do something this week that requires you to "forget" yourself and your struggles. Serving those in need is usually a good way to do this.
Further Reading
2 Samuel 22: 31
Matthew 19: 21
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No Worries
By Ryan Duncan, TheFish.com Editor
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7
A few nights ago, I was driving back home when I reached a stoplight just in front of my apartment. It was late, I was the only car on the road and to be honest, I wasn't paying much attention. I automatically made a left turn into the nearby parking lot and suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw a flash. I felt my stomach twist into a knot. Had I just turned on a red light? Had that flash been a traffic camera? Was I going to get fined?
In retrospect, it wasn't that big of a deal, but I was still worrying about it the next day when I went off to work. Would I be receiving a ticket in the mail? How much would I have to pay? With a poor driving history and not much money in my bank account, all I could think about was the humiliation of having to pay a fine and watching my insurance rates go up.
It's amazing how we let fear and insecurity rule our lives. If something as small as a possible traffic ticket can ruin our whole day, how will we be able cope when real tragedy strikes? Surprisingly, many Christians can't let go of their worries, or worse, don't seem to know how. Philippians 4:6 reads "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Despite this, I think we sometimes hesitate to bring our problems before God. It may be because A.) We don't want to sound like we're whining to God, or B.) We know that praying to Christ does not guarantee things will turn out the way we want them to.
But there is more to praying about problems than simply asking God for a solution. God wants us to rely on him fully, even in the worst circumstances. When we give our cares to Him, we are reminded that He loves us, and that He is in control. I'm pretty sure that soon I'll have to pay for running a red light, but by bringing my worry before God I was able to accept it and move on. Don't let life's worries get you down. As my Dad used to say, "The most common phrase in the Bible is 'Fear not.'"
Intersecting Faith and Life
Is their anything you're worried about? Take some time to simply pray about it to God.
Further Reading
Matthew 6:25-34
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I Want Answers Now!
by Laura MacCorkle
In his heart, a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps. Proverbs 16:9, NIV
Living in the Information Age, we're so used to getting what we want as soon as we want it.
We're becoming more and more accustomed to not having to wait for anything, as instant gratification is the norm in many areas of our lives.
A gourmet, meat-and-three meal ready in less than three minutes from the microwave. Check.
Instant text messages sent directly to our handheld communication devices. Check.
Mobile phone reception and extensive coverage wherever we may travel. Check.
Wireless Internet access so we can log on whenever and wherever we want. Check.
A new group of "friends" in an online social network who we don't have to spend face-time with in order to call friends. Check.
Can you relate? God forbid that we should ever have to wait on something, because that's when the real whining and the complaining kick in. I should know.
I've been struggling with an ongoing life situation that has got me journaling and praying and reading and discussing up a storm. I don't understand what God is doing, and I want answers and a flowchart of how this will all be worked out. Right now.
I want to plan my course and make something happen—move the situation along, if I can, and get the results that I think should be had and on my time schedule.
Not long after I have a mental outburst such as this, I am immediately convicted. And I know that this is not the right way to respond. How must God interpret this type of thinking? Does he lovingly shake his head and murmur, "Oh, sweet child. Someday she'll learn." Or perhaps I disappoint him because I cannot trust in him without struggling with my desire to first know all the steps he's planning for me to get from Point A to Point Z.
While flipping through my Bible this week, I found that the words of Psalm 145: 3-7 have helped me to see this struggle in a different light:
Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
His greatness no one can fathom.
One generation will commend your works to another;
They will tell of your mighty acts.
They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty,
and I will meditate on your wonderful works,
and I will proclaim your great deeds.
They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.
After reading this passage, I was reminded that it doesn't matter that I understand what is going on in the world. It doesn't matter that I can't control what is or isn't happening. What matters is that I know and profess that God is great, and that he is good. Period.
Why even struggle with trying to understand the ways of a sovereign God? He alone is worthy of our praise and adoration. Why not just immediately respond with celebration for who he is? Why not just surrender and rest in him? For his answers for our lives are never late and always arrive at just the right time.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Are you wrestling with God, as Jacob did at Peniel (Gen. 32)? It is God—not you—who holds your destiny in his hands. Ask him to help you take one day at a time as you trust in him and his plan and timetable for your life.
Further Reading:
Isaiah 55:8-9, NIV
Romans 8:28, NIV
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That Boy Dating Your Daughter is More Than a Nuisance
by Shawn McEvoy, Managing Editor at Crosswalk.com
Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts...
Psalm 95:6-8
My little girl will turn five in a week, and believe it or not... I'm looking forward to the day she starts bringing boys home.
Oh, believe me, there's no rush. I'm happy to remain Numero Uno in little Lauren's eyes as long as possible. All I'm really saying here is that I believe in her, in how she's being raised, in how she's taking after her mother. Whoever she brings home - I'm confident saying - is not going to be a person without redeeming qualities (and if you don't mind me bragging, she's already made three little boys from preschool so giddy their parents joked with us about an arranged marriage).
So what has me so primed for this experience that I don't sound like the typical dad at the door with a sneer and a shotgun? What else? The experience of having been valued and trusted myself.
Twenty-three years ago I didn't know it, but I became part of a family. The McGriffs were a very unique family. When I met their eldest daughter, Dick and Susan had just remarried each other after having divorced each other. I never knew all the details, only that this was their first example to me of it never being too late, of recognizing wrongs and repenting.
They took to me right away, but don't get the impression that they didn't lay down the law or have rules. It was the way they imposed them - agreeably, fairly, seriously - that made so much of a difference. It's not even that they didn't try to "change" me - to be perfectly honest they did try: suggesting Christian alternatives to my secular music, suggesting viewed-at-their-home Cary Grant movies to the ones I would have preferred taking their daughter to the theater to see, giving us five minutes after a date to say goodnight before the front lights would be flicked on and off signaling that, okay, that's enough now.
I dated Malia for four-and-a-half years, off and on. During that time I built memories, house-sat for their family, came to cherish younger sisters Michelle and Amy like they were my own. Oh, like most young couples our relationship wasn't perfect; we would fight and make things more difficult than they had to be, just as I continue to do. But from her folks there was always instruction, encouragement, solidity. Laughs and firm handshakes. Always trust regardless.
Thanks to Facebook, I've regained contact with these three sisters, observed how their family has grown, and chuckled at the way they continue to interact despite living all over the country (Malia in particular had the most amazing talent for taking tense situations and making them laughable, one I'm told she still has, one that is a story for another time). I sent them the following email:
Just wanna say... You three are still some of my favorite people I've ever met, especially for a trio of sisters. I love how life has worked out for all of you, and how large that family has grown, and how involved your folks are in visiting. You have fantastic men who seem to get you and treat you well.
You're all three beautiful examples of Christian motherhood and of being distinctly individual yet connected. It was transformative to grow up as a semi-adopted part of your clan, and it's a blessing to see your joy - and how you've dealt with the pains - today.
You gals rock!
And from each I received back a distinctive, meaningful, heartfelt response. And I traced it all to the commitments, re-commitments, and never-give-up attitudes their parents made so obvious without being annoying. And shoot, even if they were ever annoying, I love them the more for it now.
There are opportunities everywhere. And yes, there are dangers. And times are different, and believe me - I know guys and what is on their minds. But I was politely welcomed and discipled as more than the sum of my convertible sportscar + raging hormones, and in so many ways, that made as much difference as several lessons my own parents modeled for me.
Thanks again, McGriff family.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Are you nervous about your daughter starting to date? Why or why not? Have you taken an active role in helping her decide in advance what choices are better than others? Will you be able to understand or tolerate failings? Are you able to be firm while smiling and maintaining a sense of humor or gentility? Willing to be labeled as old-fashioned but resolute in knowing your ways are good ways? You never know who or what that boy is going to become, but you have a chance to help ensure it's something good.
Further Reading
Proverbs 22:6
1 Corinthians 2:5
Raise a Godly Daughter in an Ungodly World
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Good without God?
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"...even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened."
Romans 1:21
Many are professing quite loudly today that they can be "good without God." And I think that I have a fairly clear understanding of what these people are trying to say. They haven't killed anybody. They work hard. They build community, are compassionate, and give to charity. I suppose that from a perspective in which the God of the Bible is ignored for a few moments, you could easily agree that they are decent people.
The rub comes, though, when you probe more deeply than the superficial. At the heart of the issue is how we define what "good" actually means. Who defines that? And by what authority? The natural man who claims to be "good without God" is saying, in fact, that he wants to improvise what good means and define it on his own terms.
Now, granted, if Jesus Christ did not rise from the dead and all the claims Christianity are irrelevant, then non-believers are free to live however they choose with no consequences. And that is exactly what most want. But that is a point of view that doesn't exactly square with reality or history. At least one atheist, Joel Marks, who writes at the New York Times blog, Opinionator, seems to have a clear grasp of this truth. If there's no good God we're accountable to, then morality is just a fairy tale and the terms "right" and "wrong" have no meaning.
In the end, man's attempt to redefine good on his own terms has no effect on the definition of good that's been eternally fixed by God. Romans 1:18-32 powerfully speaks to this, saying that man's very desire to determine for himself what is good is something that God actually mocks, calling it "futile... foolish... and darkened."
Think of it, as harmless as it may seem on the surface, it's really a grave offense for a creature made by God to stroll around on the earth that God made and pretend to himself that there is no God. Such self-centered unbelief actually screams that Jesus, the Apostles and the thousands of martyrs and godly believers through the ages are nothing more than a pack of liars.
Romans 1:18-21 says that the good-without-God kind of people "suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them... For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks."
Saying these things isn't meant as a beat-down on unbelievers so that believers can somehow feel good about themselves. Rather, it's truth offered in kindness to help people see their condition. It comes down to a simple question: Can a person be truly good when they are calling a good God and good people liars? No, a good person trusts God. A good person doesn't reject the testimony of reliable witnesses. A good person honors God and gives thanks to Him (Rom. 1:21).
The necessity of giving thanks brings up another type of "good without God" person that exists out there. Romans 1 teaches that not only is the irreligious, outright God-denier in that category, but there is also a religious type of God-denier. Respected Christian thinker, Francis Schaeffer, explains it well in the first chapter of his classic book, True Spirituality.
He wrote that as seemingly small, insignificant and optional as a thankful heart might appear to be at first glance, thankfulness turns out to be the litmus test for whether or not one really believes in God. If you say that God is a personal God and He is your Father, but by your life you do not trust Him, honor Him and give Him thanks, you're really denying what you say you believe. You're trying to be good without God. The path to true goodness starts then with a prayer spoken of in Mark 9:24. Christ always answers it: "Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief."
Yes, life is hard. Yes, we live in a sin-cursed and fallen world. Things are not as they should be. Still—and this may be a hard truth to accept—faith coupled with thankfulness in all things is not optional. It's essential. Not giving thanks with a plastic smile, but having genuine thankfulness that shows real trust in God through the hard things.
Without faith, man is out of touch with reality. People can only be good with God in His proper place.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
How firmly do you believe that God alone defines good and evil?
What does your level of thankfulness show about the reality of your faith in God?
If you have an opportunity to talk with someone today who is trying to be good without God, relate to him in a positive way about his desire to be good, and direct him to this deeper line of thinking in Romans 1.
Further Reading
How to Know Truth and Evaluate Competing Worldviews by Chris Daniel
Why I Believe in God by Cornelius Van Til
Ephesians 4:17-5:21
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Finish the Race
by Ryan Duncan
Editor at TheFish.com
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. – 2 Timothy 4:7
The other day I was flipping through videos of old Olympic events when I came across one you might be familiar with. It followed the 1992 men's 400 meter track semi-final in Barcelona. The race started out like any other Olympic event. The runners took their mark, and at the sound of the starters pistol took off at lightning speed.
Halfway around the track though, a runner named Derek Redmond suddenly stumbled and fell. For several seconds he didn't move. Then to the audience horror, Redmond got up and began to limp his way around the track. Instantly coaches and medics ran onto the field and tried to get Redmond off his feet, but the runner only pushed them off and kept going. Suddenly a man broke through security and came running to Redmond's side, it was his father.
Taking his son by the hand, the older man held Redmond up as the two of them half walked; half stumbled their way across the finish line. Sometimes, there are things in this world that point more strongly to God than any Bible verse we can memorize, and I believe the story of Redmond and his father is one of them. Life is not a race we are going to win. At some point, whether because of this fallen world or our own sin nature, all of us will stumble and fall. Many people believe that these times of tragedy prove God either does not exist, or simply does not care what happens to us, but they are wrong.
True Christian grace is that in those moments of pain and defeat, God takes us by the hand, holds us up, and says, "Let's finish together."
Intersecting Faith and Life
Take ten minutes to pray, read scripture, or simply spend some time alone with our Heavenly Father.
Further Reading
Isaiah 40:31
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On the Lack of Lightning Bolts
by Katherine Britton
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6
I memorized these verses years and years ago, along with John 3:16 and other verses that good little children in Sunday School learn. In my five-year-old mind, I associated the proverb with a mental picture of a road stretching out for miles until it merged with the horizon. That was the "straight road" that I could so easily understand – clearly marked, unswerving, and, most importantly, unchanging. All I had to do was trust God and keep following that path. Little did I know, right?
At times the journey has felt more like an anecdote that Abraham Lincoln told of a man traveling through a thunderstorm. Through the mud and the sheets of rain, the poor traveler felt that he would lose his way entirely. The thunderclaps seemed right overhead, jolting his senses every few moments. Only the flashes of lightning helped him keep to the road. Finally, after a particularly loud crash, the man fell to his knees and cried, "O, Lord God, if it's all the same to you, I would like a little more light and little less noise!"
The major and minor uncertainties I've encountered – and will encounter in the future – often leave me with that sentiment. I think back to the promise of paths made straight and grumble that the signposts would be a lot easier to follow if they were in neon. We all ask, is this the career path you want me to take, God? Is this the man you want me to marry? Should I buy this house? Are we supposed to settle at this church? In what kind of school should we enroll the kids? God, I could really use a lightning bolt to clarify things!
It's easy to forget that the proverb reserves the promise until the last quarter of the verse, not the first. Review the wording of verse 6 with me. "In all your waysacknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."
I memorized this verse years ago, but I'm still learning it by heart. Task-oriented person that I am, it's easier to visualize myself making "progress" towards a goal than it is to stop and refocus on inner attitudes. It doesn't occur to me that part the plan is simply standing still, waiting, and listening. I demand lightning bolts to see God's working rather than taking responsibility for the part assigned to me. My part lies in the trusting, the repudiating of self, and a settled confidence that he will work all things for his purpose. Then... the path is straightened. We may not even realize it this side of heaven, but the promise is that he guides our feet when our eyes are on him.
I fully believe that the Lord guides us in specific ways – through the Word, through the counsel of godly mentors, through nudges of the Holy Spirit – and yet we get caught up in the road metaphor a little too much. We're so distracted looking for the path that we forget a lifestyle of worship. To an extent, it matters less what we're doing than how we're doing it. As Paul wrote, "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." (1 Corinthians 10:31)
The wonder of God's plan for us lies in this – in taking our eyes off the road at our feet and looking to him, God finds our way for us.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Step one: trust in the Lord with all your heart. Step tw do not lean on your own understanding. Step three: in all your ways acknowledge him. Result: whatever your path, he will direct your steps and make your path straight.
Further Reading:
Psalms 37:34
Philippians 1:4-6
Waiting on the Promises of God
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Patient Words (and Actions)
by Debbie Wright
Assistant Editor, Crosswalk.com
I have a small wooden square (modeled after a scrabble tile) inscribed with the mantra "Patient Words." But before I tell you about that, let me tell you a story about someone who probably doesn't have one.
One morning a few weeks back I was driving to work on the ever-bustling 95 South. At one particular point I found myself in the middle lane behind a big truck about the size of a fed-ex truck. The driver was going a little slow, as large trucks tend to. However, enter the sedan in the left lane, which was driving around the same speed . About five over the limit, but decidedly too slow for the bustling left lane during morning rush hour.
Enter second sedan in the left lane, who found himself stuck behind the slower car. I watched with disappointment (but interest, nonetheless) as this driver made the conscious decision to tailgate the slower car, and it was almost a little surreal. He zoomed up behind the slower car, getting so close that he had to apply his brakes two separate times.
I often forget to pay attention to things. "Noticing" is not a strong point of mine. I know tailgating is something that happens, especially in big cities full of impatient drivers. But this was the first time I'd ever noticed it happen. It was kind of appalling.
Meanwhile, back to the story. The big truck in the middle lane was watching too, and he eventually got the drift: people were unable to pass. So he decided to move over to another lane, allowing the tailgating car to pass into the middle lane and race ahead. Through his patience, observance, and understanding, this truck driver made allowances for both the aggression of the tailgater and the carelessness of the slow-moving car.
It was an odd exchange to watch. It made me think about a few things. Mostly about how impatient we are all of the time.
"But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness." –Psalm 86:15
It can be hard to assume the compassion and grace of God. They are intrinsic aspects of his nature. But sin has made our patience a much more difficult thing to master!
I was recently in a play with a small group made up of young adults. Most of us have been together for a long time; we've grown to learn patience with each other's quirks. It's not always easy, though, especially during the harrowing "Tech" experience, which happens the week before Friday night's opening performance.
During this particular Tech week I kept my small wooden tile with me which I had picked up at church. It has "Patient Words" written on it with sharpie. I made the tile for myself in an exercise during the sermon because I wanted patient words for my life. Little did I know how handy of a reminder it would be for me during Tech! I often found myself running to grab the tile out of my bag to clutch it in my more frustrated, weary moments. Sometimes we even passed it around, recognizing that we all desperately need reminders for patience and grace.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Are you more like that speeding, tailgating car? Or have you found a way to remind yourself to have patience? If you are prone to impatience with others, find a way today to make a reminder for yourself. Patience is not something which magically develops because we pray for it. It must be practiced.
For Further Reading
1 Corinthians 13
Galatians 5:22-23
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Do You Pray?
Kelly Givens, Editor at Salem Web Network
Editor's Note: The following is a devotional based on J.C. Ryle's A Call to Prayer (Banner of Truth, 2002).
"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." -Luke 11:9, NIV
Do you pray? In J.C. Ryle's small but important book, A Call to Prayer, he challenges readers with this simple question. Ryle asserts "there is no duty in religion so neglected as private prayer." I'm sure many of us would agree; of all the spiritual disciplines, prayer is often the hardest habit to form and one that is most quickly broken. However, we should strive to pray often, because prayer is an incredibly important element of our faith.
Here are a few reasons Ryle gives for why prayer is so important:
1. A habit of prayer is one of the surest marks of a true Christian. The greatest heroes and heroines of the Bible often shared a similar attribute- they were men and women of prayer. To take your frustrations, challenges, joys, hopes and dreams to God on a regular basis requires a great deal of faith- you are essentially relinquishing control and telling God, "I trust you will work on my behalf in this situation." Do you have this kind of faith? Do you pray?
2. A habit of prayer brings great encouragement to the one who prays. In the Bible, we see that prayer moved God to raise the dead, heal the sick, save souls, draw water from a rock and send bread from heaven. Prayer even made the sun stand still! The fact that prayer moves God to action should be a great encouragement to us. Are you encouraged by God's provision and power? Do you pray?
3. A habit of prayer creates holy men and women. The more we seek God out in prayer, the more our hearts are aligned with what God desires for us and we become holier men and women in the process. Are you growing closer to God? Do you pray?
4. If we do not pray, we run the risk of backsliding in our faith. Let's be clear- Ryle doesn't mean we should fear losing our salvation. However, without prayer we run the risk of becoming stagnate in our faith, if not falling back into sinful habits and temptations we had once overcome through prayer. When a relationship turns sour, often a main cause is poor communication. So too with us and God. Do you feel stagnate in your faith or distant from God? Do you pray?
5. A habit of prayer brings peace and contentment. We live in a sin-filled world. Sorrows and troubles abound. So how do we combat sadness, disappointments, fears, slanders, and hurt? When we cry out to our Father, he offers us peace that transcends our understanding. This is one of the richest blessings of our faith. Are you experiencing this blessing? Do you pray?
Intersecting Faith and Life: Ryle says, "In every journey there must be a first step." If you desire to become a more prayerful person, take time today and go somewhere quiet, shut the door and pray aloud that God would give you the grace and strength you need to develop a habit of prayer. Then be encouraged- God greatly desires you to be in regular prayer with him- if we ask, seek and knock, he will open the door for us to a richer prayer life.
Further Reading:
Hebrews 5: 7
Matthew 6: 5-6
Romans 8:26
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"3 Simple Steps to Surmounting the September Slump"
by Stephen Sanders. A/V Editor at Salem Web Network
You observe days and months and seasons and years.
Galatians 4:10 (NASV)
Yeah, so it's that time of year again...September. Or as I like to call it: the month where nothing happens.
Think about it. What happens in September?
OK...Labor Day and that's pretty much it. Some of us get a paid holiday for Labor Day, which is awesome.
Well, that and some retail stores use Labor Day as an excuse to have "the best sale ever."
But let's face it...that's the only 2 reasons why most of us even know that Labor Day exists. Other than that one meaningless holiday, September is easily the most uneventful month we have.
On the flip side, isn't it ironic that one of the greatest dance songs ever is called "September?" I mean nothing gets the party started like some Earth, Wind and Fire, am I right? They make September sound like so much fun! Magical even!
But they deceive us. September isn't magical. It's dull. And it's right in the middle of this insane monotony that I begin to feel restless...like I need to do more with my life.
We've just gotten back from vacation. Summer is ending. The kids have just started a brand new school year. So naturally, it's time to take things up a notch, right? Am I the only one?
"I should really read my Bible more."
" I should do _________ less frequently."
"Christmas will be here before you know it."
Usually, I have to admit, these feelings tend to overwhelm me a bit. But this year, I've decided to break the monotony of September by doing a few very basic things that, between you and me, I should be doing anyway:
1. Read a Proverb a Day: Yes, I know there are 31 Proverbs and only 30 days in September. We can blame September for that. Besides, most of the people who are reading or listening to this devotional are pretty familiar with most of Proverbs 31 anyway. The point is: it's an easy goal with a big payoff. Not only are the Proverbs applicable to our daily lives, they are quite challenging.
2. Start a Prayer List: It's hard to deny the importance of praying for others. For one thing, it takes the focus off our problems. Secondly, you will discover that there is no shortage in the amount of prayer requests you will receive once you let people know you are starting a prayer list. You'll find the key to this exercise is to, not only compile a prayer a list, but to also actually pray for people once you create it.
3. Random Acts of Kindness: I love this one for so many reasons. For one, it's almost always something totally spontaneous. It can be as simple as picking up that piece of trash that you walk by or as complex as taking 30 minutes out of your day to be there for that annoying someone that you'd normally make excuses to avoid. Like the Proverbs challenge, you could settle for a "one a day" quota, but I usually find that once I get started it becomes quite contagious.
Intersecting Faith and Life
There you go. Three simple things you can do to feel like you aren't being a slacker in September. All three take very little time and just a little stick-to-itiveness. And, most importantly, all three are sure to bring you closer to your beloved Creator.
For Further Study
The Book of Proverbs
Earth, Wind and Fire – "September"
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You're Right!
Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
"I've laid down a pattern for you. What I've done, you do.
I'm only pointing out the obvious...
If you understand what I'm telling you, act like it - and live a blessed life."
John 13:15-17, The Message
I was very close to my father. He was the best man in my wedding, and growing up, when a lot of my peers were spending their weekend nights partying, I was usually happier to spend an evening with my dad watching a movie over ice cream.
One of the reasons I loved spending time with him was because I knew the Lord in a personal way... and he didn't. Sure, he was raised a "cultural Catholic," and was even an altar boy, but he'd definitely fallen away from any semblance of faith, and we all knew that he'd never been saved.
For several years, Dad was pretty much my pet project. I was always sharing with him when I could, always witnessing, always loving on him. I was continually lifting up prayers to God for his salvation, always trusting and somehow knowing it would eventually come to pass. And it did, 17 years after it had for me, and four years before he died. It's one reason his death - even though he was only 57 - wasn't nearly as devastating as it might have been to me.
He passed away in August of 2001. I stayed with my mom for a few weeks to help out before flying home on the evening of September 10 - yep, the night before a whole lot more stuff changed for a whole lot of us. I was in graduate school at the time, though I ended up taking a semester off to deal with all that had happened. So that Fall was a very strange time for me.
But then, as is so often true, there was Christmas...
We were at my in-laws' house that year. Somewhere in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve I was awoken, not by reindeer on the roof, but by a rainbow in my mind. It came to me in a dream, out of the darkness, but as if I were awake. One minute there was an immense, black screen before my eyes. Then, just like in a cartoon, someone pushed a section of the blackness out of the way, revealing just a square inch of the most amazing colors. It was my dad.
He was young, tan, and radiant, and he was wearing a smile bigger than any he'd smiled on earth. He didn't linger long. He simply said, "Shawn! Shawn-o! You were right! You were right about all this! But you're not living like it!"
Intersecting Faith & Life: The rest of this story is mine, and for the most part, I'm blessed to say I'm "living like it" a lot more since then, a few bumps in the road excepted. Ask yourself: if it were confirmed to you that everything you believe from the Word of God, and everything you've preached was true, right, and absolute, what would you do? What would you no longer waste time doing? With whom would you share, and how would your purpose and daily life change? Because guess what... it is true! You're right!
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Further Reading
Live Today in Light of Heaven
Stinky Kitchen Rags
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"...All our righteousness-es are as filthy rags..."
Isaiah 64:6 KJV
"Gross. Who left this rag in the sink full of dirty dishes?" I asked.
No answer.
I picked up the soaked, dripping, smelly, slimy, green towel from the bottom of the kitchen sink—pinching it with thumb and forefinger on the driest corner possible.
"Well, whoever it was, please hang it up next time instead of leaving it in the sink. Thank you," I said as I dropped the rag into a plastic bag before taking it outside to dry.
Isaiah 64:6 didn't come to mind at the time, but what a great reminder of what our self-effort looks like to God. "All our righteousness-es are as filthy rags," says the King James Version. (Yes, apparently, there's a plural for "righteousness.")
An article I read recently made this connection for me. The writer, Ann Dunagan, said:
We may think our own self-efforts help us earn "brownie points" with God. But, to Him, our human works are as worthless as stinky rags.
If we try to earn favor with God — instead of trusting in Jesus — it's like collecting yucky rags. The more they pile up, the more they stink and mildew.
Of course, the rags being referred to in Isaiah 64 are technically more 'unclean' in a biblical sense if you know what I mean (see notes on v. 6 here and here) than smelly kitchen rags, but the picture is clear.
Colossians 3:4 says that Christ is the believer's life. Our moment-by-moment mindset is to be Christ—His perfect life, death, resurrection, ascension, intercession for us, and promised return to rule forever.
If I lose that moment-by-moment focus on Christ and fall into sin, it does me no good to try to return to God with self-effort—that's like offering Him stinky rags. Only the cleansing sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross can make us righteous before God.
Hebrews 12:10 says that God disciplines us... "for our good, so that we may share His holiness."
And 1 John 1:9 assures us that "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
"If we have sin in our lives, and we go on, and God does not put His hand in loving chastisement upon us, then we are not children of God," so wrote Francis Schaeffer in chapter eight of his book True Spirituality.
He went on to make the point that God disciplines us not only that we may share in His holiness, but that—as Hebrews 12:11 says—we may have the "peaceful fruit of righteousness." God wants us to experience relational peace with Him, not just be right with a rule book. As a perfect Father, He deeply loves His adopted children.
"This is what we ought to expect," says Schaeffer, "Given the biblical teaching that God really exists, that He is personal, and He has a holy character."
If this is what God is... and if I have become His child, should I not expect that when I have sinned, when I have done what is the opposite of His character, I must go back to Him as a Person, and say I am sorry?
He is not just a doctrine, or an abstraction; He is a Person who is there.
The first step of restoration after I have sinned, then, is in exactly the same line [as in becoming a Christian]. I must acknowledge that I cannot live the Christian life in my own strength or in my own goodness. I must raise the empty hands of faith for God's gift—only the finished work of Christ in space, time, and history, back there on Calvary's cross is enough. I must bring the specific sin under the blood of Jesus Christ, by faith.
Everything rests upon the reality of the fact that the blood of Christ has meaning in our present life, and restoration takes place as we, in faith, act upon that fact in specific cases of sin.
When my heart condemns me and cries, "You've done it again," I am to believe God again as to the value of the finished work of Jesus Christ for the present.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
If you want a restored relationship with God, you can have it as His child. But not until you humbly call specific sin sin.
Ask God for the grace to stop trying to return to Him with the rags of self-effort, to see and confess any sin in your life to Him, and then—as Schaeffer says—raise the empty hands of faith, counting on the availability of the blood of Christ for forgiveness and restoration in this present moment.
For Further Study:
Read Hebrews 12 and 1 John 1
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Pop Quiz
by Ryan Duncan, Editor at TheFish.com
For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. – Proverbs 2:6
Back when I was still in college I had a professor who loved to give pop quizzes. It drove the entire class crazy. Every day we would take our seats and wonder if, at any moment, our professor would suddenly tell us to put our books away and prepare for another quiz. Eventually, some students got fed up and decided to try and play the system. They reasoned that if the final exam made up a larger amount of their grade than the quizzes, they could coast through the smaller tests and still leave with a decent grade.
So at the end of class one day they raised their hands and asked the professor which was more important to their final grade, the pop quizzes or the final exam? Our professor seemed to consider their question for a moment, and then asked everyone to sit down.
"I know many of you don't like that I give a lot of pop quizzes," she said, "And as far as the University is concerned the final exam is more important. But consider this; there are no 'final exams' in the real world. When you leave this institution and join the rest of society, you will no longer be given the chance to apply your knowledge after a night of hard studying. Your employers, your co-workers, your teammates will depend on you to know the right answer the moment they ask you for it. The final exam may determine your overall grade, but these pop quizzes will likely determine your future."
Looking back on this, I can now see there was a great deal of wisdom in this statement. Not just for life in general, but also for any Christian who wants to grow in their faith. God needs us to be ready for the pop quizzes that accompany the Christian life. If someone asks us to explain our faith, or if we see injustice being done right in front of us, we won't have the chance to step back and take a moment to study. Instead, God needs us to be ready to respond correctly with grace and wisdom.
Because in the end, God isn't concerned on the final exam, he's more concerned on how you handle the pop quizzes.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Are you ready to be tested? Take a moment to reflect on scripture.
Further Reading
Proverbs 4:5
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Unfulfilled Desire
by Sarah Phillips
"I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4: 12 - 13
"For a long time I have not belonged to myself since I delivered myself totally to Jesus, and He is therefore free to do with me as He pleases." ~ St. Therese of Lisieux
Do you have unrealized desires? They have a way of burning up our insides, don't they? Perhaps you wish to be married, but year after year remain single. Or you wish for children, but remain childless. Or maybe you want to write books, but never make any headway.
Confusion and despair over unrealized desires feel the most intense when they seem natural and God-honoring. Doesn't the Lord want me to be married? Didn't He place in me this desire to be a pastor? Didn't God give me these gifts? So why do all the doors remain closed?
I've been noticing a theme lately in the stories of revered Christian heroes. Most of them had personal desires that were put on hold or even went completely unfulfilled - at least from the outside observer's perspective. Some of these desires seemed especially holy.
Take St. Martin of Tours for example. From an early age, this Christian convert's sole desire was to be a monk. But the laws in 4th century Rome required him be a soldier - an occupation that did not suite him well. Even after the military finally released Martin, his plan to dedicate his life to solitary prayer never played out as he hoped. Martin's unique spiritual wisdom drew crowds to him and ultimately, the beloved monk was ordained a Bishop against his wishes.
St. Therese of Lisieux is another example. This French beauty from the 19th century longed to be a Carmelite nun and a missionary. While Therese's first desire came true at the early age of 15, her second never did. At 22, tuberculosis limited her to her French convent.
Why does God allow some desires to go unfulfilled? There's no simple answer to that question, however, I think it's fair to say that when good desires lay dormant, God does important work through us that might not otherwise have been possible. Paul articulates this when he is torn between two holy desires: a desire for heaven and a desire to continue to build up the Church on earth. Through eyes of faith, he sees how God can work through both outcomes.
I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith Philippians 1: 23 - 25
The same peace we see in Paul can be found in the stories of countless Christians who set their personal preferences aside.
In her autobiography Story of a Soul, St. Therese reflected, "God cannot inspire unrealizable desires. I can, then, in spite of my littleness aspire to holiness." Therese recognized that her earthly desires really boiled down to a desire for God, and while her personal limitations frustrated her, they did not limit God's work in her life. Therese spent her remaining two years on earth "in the mission fields" by praying for and corresponding with missionary priests who drew much strength from her support.
St. Martin of Tours also accepted God's calling with peace in his heart. He made an excellent Bishop in spite of his introverted ways. The key to his contentment? His love for God enabled him to love needy souls more than his solitary lifestyle.
While it's hard to accept that our personal desires sometimes have to be put on hold, it's also incredibly freeing. I think if you had a chance to speak with Paul, Therese, or Martin they'd all agree that life is much more fulfilling when the Creator of the Universe is in control instead of our little selves. What desires can you hand over to Him today?
Intersecting Faith & Life: What dreams have been put on hold in your life? Think of ways God has worked for good in your waiting. Write down one (or more) blessings you may not have received had your original dreams come true.
Further Reading
James 4: 1
Psalm 37: 4
Realizing Your Dreams
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My Brother's Keeper
Debbie Wright, Editor at Christianity.com
"What should I write my next devo on? I probably should start it this afternoon," I typed into Google chat.
My fiancé wrote back quickly, "Not sure. I gotta go meet my family now." He then inserted an excited smiley-face emoticon.
Ah, I thought, smiling. Family.
My future in-laws live in Florida and are driving up for a visit this week. Ever since my fiancé moved up to Virginia to attend college, it has been difficult for him to be so far from them. They are a close, love-filled family. My own family is also very close. We love referring to each other by our family titles. When answering the phone from a sibling one is likely to hear "Brother!" or "Hello Sister." There are no "in laws" in my family. My brother's wife is simply "sister" – she calls my parents "Mother" and "Father." I thank God for blessing me with such a beautiful family.
Obviously not all families are close and loving. But nevertheless, Scripture has some pretty hard-hitting things to say about familial relationships. In fact, some of the harshest, most straight-forward words Paul wrote had to do with how we are supposed to treat our families. In his first letter to Timothy he said this:
"If anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever." 1st Timothy 5:8
That is convicting. That means a lot of things.
That means my family members are my responsibility. That means I cannot ask, like Cain asked, "Am I my brother's keeper?" It means when our grandparents and parents become elderly, we are responsible for making sure they are cared for. It might mean hassle, time, and money, but they are family. It means that no matter how wayward and rebellious my siblings might become, I must still love them, pray for them, and not speak slander about them. They might not deserve my love and devotion, but they are family. It means that, when I become a wife, caring for my husband and providing for him is never a responsibility I am allowed to shirk, no matter how tired I am or how grumpy he is. It means that, if I ever have children in my care, making sure their needs are met and their safety is my priority.
Because our God is a God of community and family. The Father, Son, and Spirit lived in community before the world was made. God filled the earth with animals that live in family units and care for one another. And after he created one man, he said "It is not good for the man to be alone," and created woman. He created family. Family is a reflection of God's love. Whether we are fortunate enough to have a thriving relationship with our biological family, or if our family is a rag-tag blend of church members, neighbors, and friends, we are still charged to care for them. If we neglect this duty, we have "denied the faith;" we have denied the importance of love and selflessness that Christ came to proclaim.
Intersecting Faith and Life
How can you love your family today? Maybe call up a family member you've not spoken to in a while and see if you can do anything for them.
Further Reading
Ephesians 2:19
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When Sin Bubbles Up
Kelly Givens, Editor at Salem Web Network
"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of Life has set me free from the law of sin and death."- Romans 8: 1-2
A few weeks ago, after realizing I had somehow missed reading this children's classic as a child, I found myself speeding through the entire Anne of Green Gables series. The books captivated me, and for good reason. Written in the early twentieth century by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery, the series chronicles the life of red-headed Anne Shirley, an orphan adopted by a brother and sister pair who really wanted a little boy to help on their farm. Eventually, they learn to love the little girl brought to them, as do all readers of Montgomery's classic. Anne is a true literary heroine. We identify with her weaknesses: her spiritedness, quick-temper and vanity, and we strive for her strengths: bravery, generosity, and a heart overflowing with love for life and people.
As I read through the books, I was struck with the number of times Montgomery used Anne's character to illustrate deep truths about the human condition. There were many examples, but one stood out in particular to me. After being picked up from the train station by Matthew, Anne begins describing her life in the orphanage. Realizing she was exaggerating just how badly things were, Anne apologizes, saying, "It's so easy to be wicked without knowing it, isn't it?"
Indeed, it is. Throughout the Green Gables series, Anne repeatedly found herself unexpected moments of "wickedness," forced to repent to neighbors, family and friends for some fiery retort, vain action or other impulsive sin. We can all relate to Anne- I know there are days I have to apologize over and over for the same sin- it just somehow keeps "bubbling up" in me.
The Apostle Paul dealt with this too. In his letter to the church in Rome, he wrote "For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing" (Romans 7:19). What causes us to do the very things we don't want to do? Why does our sin seem to bubble up in us—overflowing like a pot of boiling water? Paul understood: it is our indwelling, sinful nature fighting against our desire to do what is good. He goes on to say:
"For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?"
Thankfully, Paul's question is rhetorical; he knows the answer. "Thanks be to God- through Jesus Christ our Lord!" After acknowledging God to be our ultimate rescuer from sin, he writes some of the most encouraging verses of scripture found in the Bible, reminding us that through Christ's death on the cross we have all we need to fight the wickedness that bubbles up in us.
"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." Praise God! Our sinful nature is no match for the redemptive power of the cross. Yes, as Anne said, it is easy to be wicked- in fact, it's unavoidable. Thankfully, Christ has already taken the punishment for our wickedness, and even more- he has credited his righteousness to us, giving us all the means we need to conqueror the sin in our lives.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Are you like me and Anne, feeling the weight of your sin and maybe a little powerless to stop it? Then cling to the encouragement that Paul gives us in Romans- through Christ's sacrifice on the cross we are justified and are being sanctified from our sin.
Further Reading:
Romans 7-8
Galatians 5: 13-18
Timothy 1: 12-17
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Second Fiddle
By Stephen Sanders
Romans 12:9-10 (MSG) says, "Love from the center of who you are; don't fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle."
Shortly after I decided that I wanted to write a blog post on this passage of scripture, a funny thing happened. For the second time this week, I received a work email from one of my fellow employees titled, "free Hanover Tomatoes in the break room!"
Now, as a lover of all types of tomatoes, especially those of the Hanover variety, I got this email and quickly rushed down the steps to the break room where I found a couple more of my work mates. With a speedy "hey guys," I made a beeline for the table where people place all the free stuff.
As I opened the bag and reached inside, I discovered that there was just one delicious Hanover tomato left. I reluctantly picked it up and turned to toss the bag in the trash when one of my colleagues exclaimed, "Aww man! The last tomato?!?!"
"Here you go, man." I said. After all, I still had a delicious Hanover tomato in the fridge from earlier that week.
He said, "No. I can't. It's fine, man."
"No really," I said emphatically, "please take it."
"OK. If you say so," he said. As I walked towards the door to head back upstairs, he said, "Wait. Here you go, man. It has a couple holes in it anyway."
"Are you sure?" I replied as I reached out for the delicious Hanover tomato. "I'm positive", he said, "I mean, you may want to slice it up or put it on a sandwich or something like that."
"You guys are embarrassing me", said my other work mate jokingly.
When we "play second fiddle", or as the ESV says, "outdo one another in showing honor", the world around us takes notice. It's the defining mark of a Christian and ultimately what causes us to shine. Sure it might make things a little awkward or uncomfortable for everyone involved, but what's so wrong with that? I mean, isn't that kind of the point?
Just think about it; the Bible tells us emphatically that our walk with Jesus is one where we empty ourselves and then fill ourselves back up with Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul was always talking about how it was no longer he who lived but Christ and that he actually died daily to be a follower of Jesus. Even Jesus Himself states that His followers are those who deny themselves and even lose themselves for His sake.
Denying your wants is not an easy thing. It may, in fact, cause you a lot of stress. After all, what happens if you give and give until you have nothing left?
In Matthew 6:25-34 (MSG), Jesus provides a remedy to our anxiety on this matter:
"If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don't fuss about what's on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body.
Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds. Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion – do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them.
If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers – most of which are never even seen – don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works.
Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes."
Intersecting Faith & Life
Surrendering to Jesus is the only way to supplement all of the discomfort we experience when we go without so someone else can receive. Be on the lookout for opportunities to display sacrificial love today while relying on Him for comfort.
For Further Reading
Mark 12:28-31
Philippians 2:1-4
Ephesians 5:14
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What are You Drunk On?
Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
And they all continued in amazement and great perplexity, saying to one another, "What does this mean?" But others were mocking and saying, "They are full of sweet wine."
Acts 2:12-13
"These men are not drunk, as you suppose," Peter told the bewildered crowd at Pentecost. "This is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel." The Holy Spirit had been poured out, and I've always found it fascinating that its effects could be mistaken for the pouring out of, shall we say, less holier spirits.
To be sure, the Bible instructs Christ-followers to be "sober-minded" (1 Cor. 15:34, Titus 2:6). And there's honor and maturity in a steadfast, stoic reaction to life's trials. But then there's this fantastic scene in Acts that just fills me with tiny bubbles of delight. There's so much joy and power and overflowing involved with the Holy Spirit, that sometimes, well, we Christians just seem a little bit crazy. Flipped-out. Punch-drunk. Downright giddy.
And who wouldn't like to see more of that side of us these days?
Reflecting on this kind of Spirit-trusting, God-leaning fun reminds me of my three summers as a Christian youth camp counselor. The labor was hard but not in vain. The purpose was evident. The craziness was everywhere. "Go nutso-picasso," our Director would say, and show these kids that being a Christian isn't some droll, fun-killing existence, but something real, life-giving, sustaining, and joyous.
And indeed it was, and is. My closest friends and I had an odd high school experience, in that we had a hard time understanding why our peers found it so fun and/or necessary to involve alcohol - illegally, even - in their weekend plans. We were having more laughs and fun than we could imagine without any drugs. What were we filled with? Why didn't we need anything else?
Later, when I worked at camp, one of the things we would do is create a video of each week for the students to take home with them. One of the features on each week's video was a "blurb" from one of the counselors, an off-the-cuff, from-the-heart snippet of encouragement. I recently found the videotape of the week I was interviewed, and my response reminded me so much of what today's verse means to me, what real life under the guidance and excitement of the Holy Spirit is about. Here's what I said:
I think so many times in our youth groups back home we get tired of hearing the same things: don't drink, don't do drugs, don't have sex. And that's good advice to be sure, but why? So many kids here at camp and the ones I knew growing up weren't doing these things anyway; don't we have any more to offer them? Do we have any explanation for what is filling them, and what they can do with it? It just seems to me that those I've come across who are involved in these so-called "greater sins" are often engaging in them just to fill a void caused by, maybe, disobedience to parents, rebellion, lying, or a poor self-image. So what I like to do is show them that Jesus has given them everything they need to be content, secure, high on real life. And it takes a lot of energy to do that, but I find that the energy is there when I need it, and anyway, if it means leading a young person to the Lord or just reconciling someone to their parents, hey, that's worth it to me.
That's healing through a Holy infectiousness. Won't you take a sip and pass it on?
Intersecting Faith & Life: Are you in a prolonged stupor, or are you tipsy on the outpourings of the Holy Spirit in your life? What's holding this back? Is there a dam keeping the river from flowing forth out of you, keeping it fresh and alive? Take the first step to remove it by looking back to a time when you were first saved or relying entirely on God to do work in His Kingdom.
Further Reading
1 Corinthians 14:23
Acts 7:51
Expect the Holy Spirit to Work in Your Life
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Pushing the Red Button
John UpChurch, Editor at BibleStudyTools.com & Jesus.org
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. (Matthew 5:9, ESV)
Up till then, we'd crushed the competition. Granted, this wasn't a sporting event. In fact, the most physically taxing aspect involved pressing a red button. But we had other skills—scholars' bowl skills. We could answer questions, rack up points, and bury other teams with our wit and finely honed memorization. In fact, we'd rarely been challenged.
Then came the county tournament. I grew up in a sparsely populated county. As far as scholars' bowl competitions, this was it. Sure, we traveled outside the area and competed for exhibition prizes, but the county tourney meant validation at home. And we knew we could win.
In the two-bracket competition, each team in the county usually played every other team. That only worked because it amounted to playing around three games apiece (as I said, a small county). At the end, the last team standing in the winners' bracket played the last team standing in the losers' bracket.
Match one involved our team pressing those little red buttons into submission. We outscored the other guys by something close to a two-to-one margin. In other words, we cleaned house in our nerdy way.
And then came match two against Maury Middle School. We went in glowing; we came out stunned. Let's just say that they completely trounced us—wasn't even close. Afterwards, we rebounded to an easy win in the last match, but that only meant we had to play Maury again in the championship.
What happened? If you guessed the underdogs roared back to take the trophy, then I would love to confirm that. But, no. In front of our families and teachers, we got beaten even worse than before. In fact, I remember the match being out of reach soon after it started and all of us feeling powerless to do something.
We'd practiced, studied, and prepared ourselves. We'd won match after match prior to the tourney. But still, we couldn't overcome this one team—even when given two shots. Our superiority turned into inferiority in a single day.
Intersecting Faith & Life: If there's one thing I've learned about human effort and human ability, it's that there's always someone better. Someone can always write better, think more creatively, or hit the ball farther. Someone can always outscore, outplay, or outcompete. And, yet, we humans spend so much effort trying to overcome, overwhelm, or just plain win. We compete, and we fight to prove ourselves.
Jesus brushes all that aside in a single sentence: Blessed and happy and satisfied are those who seek peace with God and peace with others. This isn't a condemnation of competition, but it is a blunt reminder of the point of our lives. We're not here to see who's the best at sword swallowing or chicken juggling. God calls us children when we seek the good of other people above our own good.
If we win or if we lose (or if we get completely whipped twice by the same team), God's blessing on our life doesn't increase or decrease based on the score. Instead, He expects us to love Him and other people—even the ones who are better than us at something.
Further Reading
A Season of Need: Maintaining a Heart that God Blesses
When There's Strife, There's Self: In Pursuit of Radical Humility
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Bring Oil
Ryan Duncan, TheFish.com Editor
Then the angel said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!' " And he added, "These are the true words of God." - Revelation 19:9
For the second time this year, I had the privilege to be part of a friend's wedding. I was one of the groomsman, and I was honored. Being a groomsman is a tough gig though. While supposedly there was a list of duties I needed to perform, I soon realized my main job was making sure the groom didn't spontaneously implode from stress. This was crucial because if anything happened to the groom the bride would probably strangle everyone with her own wedding veil. Luckily, my fellow groomsmen and I managed to play our parts with no major errors.
My only slip up happened during the rehearsal dinner, when I excused myself to go look for a bathroom. I was probably gone for only a few minutes, but when I came back I found the groom's father was in the middle of the dinner toast. I didn't want to be rude, so I stood outside the room for about fifteen minutes waiting as everyone toasted the bride and groom. All in all, it wasn't that big of a deal, but as I stood out there and watched the celebration from behind the door, I remembered a parable Jesus had once told his disciples.
"At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. "At midnight the cry rang out: 'Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!' "Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.' " 'No,' they replied, 'there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.' "But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. "Later the others also came. 'Sir! Sir!' they said. 'Open the door for us!' "But he replied, 'I tell you the truth, I don't know you.' "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour." (Matthew 25:1-13)
Sometimes I think we underestimate the parable of the virgins. We were always told it represented Jesus return, and our duty to be ready, but I think there's more to it. We are, in a sense, the wedding party for Christ's marriage to the Church. Like the bridesmaids and groomsmen, it's our responsibility to help prepare the celebration by following Christ and working to serve him. It also means we'll have to endure a long night filled with uncertainty, and our faith, like the lamp oil, must constantly be replenished. It's going to be a lot of hard work, but when the groom arrives and the celebration begins, there's no doubt it will all have been worth it.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Takes some time to read Jesus' parables and reflect on their meanings.
Further Reading
Matthew 13:44
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Encourage One Another
by Anna Kuta, News & Culture Editor at Crosswalk.com
"Therefore comfort each other and edify one another..." (1 Thessalonians 5:11)
This week, our office set up an "appreciation station" – a big display box containing various notes and tokens of appreciation to give to a coworker to express thanks or encouragement. Some of the items to choose from include little button pins, stickers and magnets with various slogans like "You're awesome" or "Great job," plus space to write a short note. It's only been going on for a couple days, but I've already seen several coworkers stocking up on the items or delivering one to a cubicle on someone else's behalf.
Encouraging our fellow Christians is often something we overlook or forget to do in our everyday lives, but it is a theme that can be found throughout the Bible. As Hebrews 10:24-25 says, "And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching." Another example can be found in 1 Thessalonians 5:9-11: "For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing." Or, as the NIV translation says in verse 11, "Encourage one another and build each other up."
We all know what it's like to go through a difficult time or simply have a bad day, and I bet most of us would agree that nothing can lift your spirit quite like a word of encouragement from a friend, family member, coworker, or even a stranger. Whenever you have a chance, take a moment to build up or edify a brother or sister in Christ.
Intersecting Faith & Life
Who can you encourage today?
Further Reading
1 Thessalonians 5
Ephesians 4:29
Proverbs 12:25
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Saying "Yes" to God
by Debbie Wright, Editor at Crosswalk.com
It seems like every day one hears about all kinds of troubling behavior from people who ought to know better. A family friend leaves his wife and children for his secretary. A pastor resigns from his parish after his drug addiction is discovered. A CEO is caught with his hands on company money. We see it in the news. We hear about it from friends. It invades our households. Destructive, self-centered, sin. And so often the guilty party seems completely blind to his error, or unable to fathom how he ever made such a huge mistake.
As a recent member of what most would consider the "adult" world, I have often pondered how seemingly well-adjusted, often God-fearing members of society can justify such actions in their minds. In fact, in my more panicky moments, I have had a fear of suddenly lapsing into some dreaded sin myself – like these perfectly capable people I see all around me.
After all, does my righteousness exceed that of the Pharisees? How can I claim to have more wisdom than my parents or my pastor? Do I know more about the world than my professors? Could I possibly have a better understanding of morals and truth than my government leaders? If I watch them stumble into seemingly obvious moral blunders, how could I possibly escape the same fate?
After recently confiding this dread to a loved one, I was reminded that drastic sin or extreme lifestyle choices don't just appear out of nowhere. Adultery doesn't just happen. Divorce doesn't just happen. Heartless slander and libel don't just happen. Sin must begin as a small seed, creep in, take root, and grow. We can choose to feed it ...or starve it.
The hard part is that often our sin nature is just as appealing as the prompting of Holy Spirit. Far too often we know right away what the godly course of action would be. Humility. Purity. Hard work. Compassion. Faithfulness. But we still get tired, exasperated, lustful, and proud. So we start making decisions which violate our consciences. Tiny decisions that seem meaningless. But those tiny choices grow and grow. Eventually, our life becomes a messy sin explosion and we cry out, "Where did I lose control?"
The comforting part is that it's a process. I won't wake up one morning and all of a sudden think it's totally OK to steal someone's car or send nasty, gossipy emails about people I don't like. 1 John 1:7-9 says that,
"If we walk in the light, as [God] is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."
If I say "yes" to God when he shows me how I can remain faithful to him in my lifestyle, in the little things, that will strengthen me to say "no" to life-wrecking choices.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Don't live in fear of becoming something you hate. Just make conscious choices to be like Christ.
Further Reading
Proverbs 28:13
Luke 17:3-4
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Love Your Neighbor As Yourself
by Kelly Givens, Editor at Salem Web Network
"And one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, 'Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?' And He said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. The second is like it, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' " -Matthew 22: 35-39
I live in an apartment complex, and new tenants have recently moved into the rental directly below me. I haven't met them yet, but I do know one thing about them: they have an incredibly close relationship with their bass speakers. If you've ever had neighbors with a big sound system, you'll know why I'm frustrated. While other sound waves bounce off or are absorbed by the objects around them, bass sound travels right through. So while I can't hear the words of the song my neighbors are blasting, I can feel the floor vibrating to the irregular heart-beat like bumps of the bass. It's the kind of sound that even earplugs can't always drown out--which is especially annoying at 1 o'clock in the morning.
Situations like these tempt me to toss aside every sermon I've heard on patience, gentleness and self-control and start banging on the floor with a broom handle. But this is completely antithetical to what Christ demands. Jesus' message to "love your neighbor as yourself" is a verse that often gets thrown out there without a lot of thought. However, I'm starting to realize there are major implications of truly loving someone the way I love myself.
How do I love myself? Well, for starters, I'm always thinking about myself. I think about what I'm going to eat for breakfast, what I need to do at work, what I need to pick up from the store on the way home. I also love myself by making my needs top-priority. How I schedule my day revolves around the things I want or need to accomplish. Basically, my thoughts and my day are centered on me.
So when Jesus tells us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves, that's a tall order. He's saying we need to think about others as much as we think about ourselves. He means we should remember the needs of others like we remember our own. He means seeking the happiness, goodness, peace, security of others as much as we seek those things in our own lives.
How can we do this- especially to those who annoy us, hurt us, or perhaps even persecute us? When I think about loving my neighbors as sacrificially, as a priority number one, it seems impossible. I can't even say I do this fully for the people I love most. But then I remember the first part of Jesus' command- 'Love God with all your heart, soul and mind." There's my answer. When I focus all my love toward God, he takes my selfish heart and transforms it into a heart capable of loving others. I no longer need others to validate me, be kind or loving toward me in order to love them back. Christ's love is enough. He fills me up so I can pour out selfless love to others, even others with loud bass speakers.
This selfless love isn't something I'm good at- it's not even something I can say I regularly attempt. I'm more selfish than I realize. But God has been using my noisy neighbors to convict my selfish heart, to show me how much better I can be at putting the happiness and peace of others above my own. I know it's not going to be easy to start loving people as much as I love myself, but I know the first step: loving God above everything else.
Intersecting Faith and Life:
Are you loving others as you love yourself? Without loving God first and fully, this is impossible to do. If there is someone in your life you're struggling to love, ask God to help you persevere in loving them- and in loving Him better, too.
Further reading
Matthew 5: 43-48
Leviticus 19:18
Romans 13: 9-10
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Freedom from Sin in This Life and The Next
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments, and His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith."
1 John 5:3-4 NASB
We know that Christ secures heaven in the next life, yes. But we often forget that Christ is our basis for a growing freedom from sin in this life as well. It's easy to slip into self-effort and start thinking that it's up to us to somehow overcome our sin and selfishness.
First John 5:4 says that faith is the victory not self effort. As we have seen in previous study, the Christian faith is never just faith in faith. It is not just some leap in the dark. It is faith in the objective truth of Christ in space, time and history. Christians trust in a Person—the Lord Jesus Christ.
First John 5:4 says that faith is the key to victory, and the key to faith is Christ. Our ongoing focus must be Him—all that He is—not just what He did at the cross. Instead of compartmentalizing Christ to merely being our Savior, we must value all that He is—His perfect life, death, resurrection, ascension, current ministry of intercession, and His promised return. The Apostle Paul says in Colossians 3:4 that Christ is our life.
If we neglect the full scope of who Christ is and what He did and we only focus on a part of what He did at the cross, we will fall apart in our practical living.
Francis Schaeffer wrote of this fully orbed, Christ-saturated view of living the Christian life in chapter eight of True Spirituality:
"It is not we who overcome the world in our own strength. We do not have a power plant inside ourselves that can overcome the world. The overcoming is the work of the Lord Jesus Christ... if we raise the empty hands of faith moment by moment and accept the gift. This is the victory that overcomes the world—our faith."
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Ask God for grace to remember throughout the day today that victory over sin, doubt, and discouragement rests solely on the person and work of Christ.
For Further Study:
Consider memorizing Romans 8:32-34
32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?
33 Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies;
34 who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.
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Toys into Tools
Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. Luke 12:48
With the start of football season this month, I've heard the phrase, "to whom much is given, much is required" used a lot... and that's a good thing. A great thing. Athletes, profiled on sports shows, have been given chances to explain how they are using their celebrity and/or money to help mankind, or even spread the gospel.
One prominent athlete was interviewed about wanting to use what he's been given as a platform to further the Kingdom of God. His goals were reminiscent of the parable Jesus told about the difference between faithful and unfaithful servants, stewards of the kingdom. Faithful servants are to be about their master's will, not doing their own thing, not squandering what they've been given, but instead, realizing how much they've been given, and that there are punishments awaiting those who knowingly disobey (and even for those - albeit less severely - who unknowingly disobey. Seem harsh?).
Nonetheless, I enjoy verses like our main verse today, where a concept is repeated synonymously for effect. The Bible's wisdom literature is ripe with this structure, and Jesus makes use of it here. The phrase "Everyone who has been given much" is echoed by "the one who has been entrusted with much," and "much will be demanded" becomes synonymous with "much more will be asked." It drives the point home.
We often hear the first part of this verse quoted, and it works fine by itself: "To whom much is given, much is required." That concept even works well in the secular world, so much so that non-Christians quote it, perhaps without even knowing it's biblical in origin, and superhero movies use it as a thematic element.
But this week, after seeing and reading those profiles of Christian athletes, I read the verse in its entirety, and it opened up a new level of meaning for me.
Generally, when I think of things I've been "given," or "gifts," I tend to think of presents, possessions... toys, even. Things that are mine. Things I can hoard, break, forget about, get tired of, use for personal gain, waste, sell, or lose. Some things we are "given" include salvation, spiritual gifts, genetic gifts, talents, financial blessing, testimonies, family, forgiveness, love, and more.
Now, does your perspective shift at all if you think of those things not merely as "things given," but as "things you are entrusted with"?
For me, the ante gets upped. There's a new level of seriousness. The steward who has faith must, by definition, be faithful.
My toys, as I grow up, must become my tools - the things the Master has given that He expects will be used to build and further His Kingdom.
Intersecting Faith & Life: What gift have you been entrusted with that you are still just playing with? Or hiding? Or wasting? Knowing the Master's will, decide what you would say if He returned today to find you not busy at Kingdom work. Then decide one way you can use what you have been entrusted with to edify others this week. You may not have the platform of a Tim Tebow, but you've been given all the requirements necessary to do the job assigned to you.
Further Reading
James 2:14-18
1 Corinthians 4:2
Envisioning Your 'God-Sized' Calling
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Not What You Wanted?
Alex Crain, Editor at Christianity.com
"What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you?"
James 4:1
A holiday edition of the TV show "America's Funniest Home Videos" showed various children opening their presents on Christmas morning. Apparently, it's hard for many kids to see humor in getting an unwanted gift. Most of their reactions were, well... downright childish. .
When the ribbons and paper were torn off, one child pulled out a new pair of socks, threw her head back and erupted in an angry sob. A matching outfit given to another child produced a tantrum across the floor followed by stomping footsteps up the stairs. Other children glowered with frowns and snarls. One even screamed at the parent holding the video camera, then hurled the unwanted gift back in his face. Not exactly the funniest home videos.
In contrast to all the immaturity and ingratitude came a bright ray of hope at the end of the montage as a little brown-haired girl in pink pajamas ecstatically jumped up and down with glee. She held in her hands a tiny chestnut and spun around to the camera exclaiming, "A nut! A nut! I got a nut! I don't know what kind it is, but I got a nut!"
James 4:1-6 says that sinful responses erupt from hearts that are controlled by overwhelming desires. They don't have to be sinful desires necessarily. The degree to which "harmless" desires become sinful is shown by what happens when things don't turn out as you hoped or expected. Whether it is irritability, or an angry tantrum or a sulking frown; sinful responses show that something in the heart has replaced God.
Notice verse 1 where James asks the question (paraphrasing), "Why are you so upset? What's the real problem in your heart?" And then he answers with divine wisdom, "I'll tell you what the matter is: it's your pleasures—your desires—that are waging war within you. And the result is sinful fights and quarrels."
Certainly, there's nothing inherently sinful about simply having desires in life. God created us to have desires. There are many good things to desire in life: having adequate food, clothing and shelter, having a happy marriage, getting a promotion at work, buying a nice car. There is nothing wrong with these kinds of desires... nothing inherently wrong, that is.
The problems come when, in our hearts, those desires turn into something else. The word translated as "lust" in verse 2 is actually "desire" with the added element of "strong craving." Epithumeo is not a word that necessarily means "lust" in the sexual sense. The idea conveyed in the original text is "you are controlled by desire." In other words, some desire—perhaps, even for a good thing—has gotten so wrapped around your heart, that it has become more important than God to you.
Whenever this happens, the result is sinful behavior. And the sin of the heart that must be confessed first in cases like this is no less than the sin of idolatry. False worship occurs whenever worship of the true God is replaced with the god of "my way."
What a peaceful contrast is painted in verse 6. God gives grace to the humble. That is, those who humbly submit their desires to God and trust Him as the sovereign provider of needs are given grace. Grace here is the desire and ability to obey God and respond in a way that pleases Him. Such recipients of grace are able, then, to deal with whatever happens—whether the present under the tree is a pair of socks, a cool skateboard, the keys to a new car, or a tiny chestnut.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Does your situation today resemble what you expected or wanted in life? What is your response to this?
Think back to a recent outburst of anger, or incident in which you showed irritability. Trace it back to the unfulfilled desire that had control of your heart. What was it that you wanted?
Ask God to reveal any desires seeking to control your heart so that you can humbly submit them to Him and release them to His sovereign care. Repent of any lingering idolatry. Ask Him for grace to deal with whatever happens. Trust Him to provide for your needs.
Further Reading & Listening
Isaiah 40:12-31
Listen to an example of what humility sounds like here
(Indelible Grace Acoustic "By Thy Mercy")
Thomas Watson, The Lord's Prayer
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The Older Son
Ryan Duncan, TheFish.com
"But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal." – Matthew 6:20
Most Christians have heard the story of the Prodigal Son. For those of us who grew up in the Church, the story probably conjures up memories of Sunday school, when the teacher would reenact the parable on one of those crazy felt boards. The Prodigal Son really is a perfect description of God's relationship with us, his children. I don't know about you, but I've done more than enough stupid stuff in my life to qualify as a prodigal. Lately though, I've found myself relating more and more to the older son in the story, the one most people tend to forget about.
"Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing.So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on.'Your brother has come,' he replied, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.' "The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!' " 'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' " – Luke 15: 25-32
It's almost unsettling how easily we Christians can become the Older Son. Maybe you're having a bad month, or maybe it seems like someone else is getting all the rewards you desire. In those moments it's so tempting to turn on God and yell, "I've followed all the rules. I've done everything right! Would it kill you to throw me a bone once in a while?" But God isn't Santa Claus; he doesn't keep a list of whose good and bad then parcel things out accordingly.
For all his mistakes, the younger brother understood that anything he got from his Father would be out of grace, and for all his good work, the older brother let his anger blind him to the many blessings he already had. A friend of mine once told me, "Being a Christian doesn't mean you have to dance happily in bad situations" and it's true. Being a Christian means that we are saved by Christ through grace, and good times or bad, his blessings are still there even if we don't see them.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Take a moment to count your blessings.
Further Reading
Luke 15: 1-7
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What Are You Hiding?
Laura MacCorkle
I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Psalm 119:11, NIV
My parents enrolled me in a Scripture memory program at a very young age. I was only three years old.
I remember the very first memory book I had that was specifically for preschoolers. Each letter of the alphabet coincided with a verse:
A: "All we like sheep have gone astray."
B: "Be ye kind one to another . . ."
C: "Cast all your cares upon him for he careth for you."
D: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."
And so on . . .
My mother worked the most with me in helping me to memorize the allotted verses, and then I would recite them to a "hearer" at my church each week. A "hearer" was a neutral-party person, and in my case it was a fellow church member who happened to be the mother of one of my good friends. She was very kind and when necessary gently corrected me or prodded me along as I would recite my memory verses to her.
As I got older, in grade school, junior high and onward, I began to resent having to memorize Bible verses. It was just another "chore" in my weekly doings, another task to cross off the list. I also memorized Scripture at church: in Sunday School classes, in Pioneer Girls club, in "big church" and later on in the high school youth group and in other Bible studies.
They were just words to me during those years. I knew it was good that I was memorizing from the Word, but it just didn't mean a whole lot to me then. Seeds were being planted, but nothing was growing in my heart. Everything lay dormant.
Until . . .
Many, many years later, something began to happen. After living life my way, after numerous mistakes and poor life choices, I finally gave up and gave in to God.
"Lord, I know you can redeem the years I have wasted. Please invade my heart. Take over. Make something good out of the mess I've made."
And he did. Slowly but surely I began searching the Scriptures (hungrily and with desperation this time) to help me apply Truth to my life. And the verses I had memorized came back to me! The treasure that had been stored years ago had not been snatched away. It was still there, hidden in my heart. And it was growing! Perhaps I couldn't recall all of the references, but I knew the words. And I still do to this day.
Friends, the Bible is powerful. It is so worth your time. And it is our lifeline here on earth. If you want to see real and radical change in your life, if you're looking for hope in a hopeless world, if you desire to know who God is and if you want to share this Good News with someone else, then get in the Word and start hiding it in your heart.
I promise you this: as you draw closer to God in this way, he will draw close to you. And you will never be the same.
Remember Isaiah 55:10-11:
As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
It is never too late to start hiding God's Word in your heart. Begin with one verse a week. Write it on a sticky note and place it on the bathroom mirror in your house or the rearview mirror in your car. Speak it out loud, consider its meaning and ask the Lord to help you apply it to your life.
Further Reading:
Ephesians 6:17, NIV
1 Thessalonians 2:13, NIV
Hebrews 4:12, NIV
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Is Your Soul Healthy?
by Sarah Phillips
His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness... For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1: 3 – 8)
When I first became a believer, I was like the woman with the alabaster jar (Matt 26: 7). I loved much because I had been forgiven much. But as the years slipped by something happened in my life that happens to many believers: my gratefulness towards God's mercy transformed into frustration at my lingering sinful nature. I understood why I failed so greatly before knowing Christ, but it was difficult to accept my failings when I felt I should know better.
It's easy to beat yourself up, even run from God, when you fall. Out of frustration and shame, I have begged God to rid me of my sinful tendencies. Of course, God didn't instantly heal me with a lightning bolt, but answered me with a different kind of grace. The answer to my prayer came in the form of a Sunday school lesson on "holy habits," more traditionally known as virtues.
Practicing virtue is a lot like lifting weights – it's exercise that builds health in your soul. There are many virtues, but as we learned in class that day, the foundation of all virtues can be found in the four natural virtues or cardinal virtues. These were first articulated by Plato but hardly belong to Plato. They are part of what theologians call "natural law" – God's design for humanity woven into our beings since the beginning of creation. When a person cultivates these virtues in his or her life, they are cooperating with the Creator's design for the human soul.
It's important to note here that pursuing a virtuous life is not the same as trying to earn salvation. Our salvation is a gift that flows from God's grace. But in our Christian journey, it's important to do our part to improve our character so that we can grow in character and more accurately reflect Christ's goodness to the world. Now let's take a closer look at each cardinal virtue:
1. Wisdom: For wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her. (Prov. 8: 11). You've probably known people with book smarts who lack common sense. Or perhaps you know someone with street smarts who lacks knowledge. A person who has cultivated the virtue of wisdom can not only discern truth but has the ability to implement their insights appropriately in any given situation. According to scripture, characteristics of wise people include those who prepare properly for hard times (Prov. 21: 20), those who humbly heed instruction and correction (Prov. 9: 8-9), those who hold their tongues from saying foolish things (Prov. 10: 19), and those who fear the Lord (Prov. 14: 16, 1: 7). Because wisdom allows us to discern right from wrong, this virtue sets us up to practice all other virtues.
2. Justice: Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed (Isaiah 1: 17). Most of us have some sense of justice from a very early age when we yell, "It's not fair!" A just or righteous person gives to others what is deserved, keeps his word, and acts fairly even when no one is looking. According to scripture, a just person favors the innocent over the wicked (Prov. 18: 5), never accepts bribes (Prov. 17: 23), aids the poor, fatherless, and widows (Prov. 29:7, Is 1: 17), and experiences joy (Prov. 21: 15).
3. Courage: In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence (Prov 14: 26). While most of us associate courage with lack of fear, courage has more to do with fear put in proper perspective. A courageous person chooses right even when a decision is frightening or comes with personal cost. Among many traits, the courageous person exalts Christ (Phil 1: 20), holds on to God's promises (Acts. 27: 25), and gives an effective witness for Christ (Acts 4: 13). A person can not exercise any virtue for long without courage because sin often appears easier or more attractive than virtue.
4. Temperance: Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control (Prov. 25: 28). Temperance is an old-fashioned word for moderation. A temperate person exercises self-control, building a wall against unhealthy, sinful extremes. Among many qualities, scripture tells us that a temperate person does not gossip (1 Tim 3: 11), does not vent anger (Prov 29: 11) is respectable and able to take on leadership roles (1 Tim 3: 2), and is sexually pure (1 Thes 4: 2 -5).
So, are any of these virtues lacking in your life? I can see some areas where I am still weak. Thankfully, with God's grace and a few good decisions, we can grow in our effectiveness and productiveness for Christ.
Identify which cardinal virtue you struggle most with. Ask God for the grace to grow and make one positive change in your behavior this week that will help you develop this "holy habit."
Further Reading:
Matthew 25: 23
Ref: Kreeft, Peter. "Justice, Wisdom, Courage, and Moderation: The Four Cardinal Virtues". (c) 1986 Ignatius Press.
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Daniel's Prayer: Longing for Rescue
Kelly Givens, Editor at Salem Web Network
"We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act! For your sake, O my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name." - Daniel 9:17-19
If you're ever trying to find something to study in the Word, one neat thing you might try is reading the great prayers of the Bible. Think Abraham's prayer for Sodom and Gomorrah, Hannah's anguished prayer for a child, Jonah's prayer in the belly of the great fish, and of course, The Lord's Prayer, which Jesus himself taught his disciples. I've found these teach us more than just how to pray. Through these prayers we learn what it means to be people of faith. We also see God's character revealed to us and learn why prayer is important to God.
Chapter nine in the book of Daniel contains one of these great prayers: Daniel's prayer to God on behalf of the Israelites. In the first few verses, Daniel tells us that after reading the writings of the prophet Jeremiah he understood that the exile-- which he had been apart of for most of his life-- was nearing an end. We might expect Daniel to celebrate, but instead he says, "I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting and in sackcloth and ashes" (v. 3).
What in the world is going on here? If Daniel truly believed God's promise to end the exile, why is he praying as if he didn't? When I thought through this, I realized Daniel didn't doubt God would deliver on his promise. Rather, he understood that prayer is an expression of faith in the promises of God. It also helps us align our hearts to God's will and purpose in the world. Daniel was essentially saying, "God, this is awesome news. I want this so badly. Don't let our sinfulness keep you from acting on this great plan. Don't delay, rescue us soon!"
We too have been promised an end to our own exile of sorts- Jesus promises to return and bring his Kingdom with him when he comes. He promises the end of our captivity to sin and to bring us into ever-lasting life in the New Jerusalem, in his presence forever!
This is an incredible promise. But are we praying for it the way Daniel was praying for Israel's return from exile? We pray "Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done," but do we really mean it? I know I often don't. I'm usually content in this broken world, in captivity. I'm comfortable here; I'm used to it. I don't often long for the Jesus to come back.
But God desires us to be like Daniel, to remember our sinfulness, confess and to pray that Jesus would indeed come back soon. God's promises are intended to encourage us to pray, not to make us shrug our shoulders and say, 'Oh well, it'll happen one day, regardless of if I pray or not."
We need to pray as Daniel did, not because God needs our prayers to accomplish his purposes, but because we need to submit ourselves to his plans. We need to long for what he longs for, and for Christians today, the number one thing on our prayer list, our number one longing, should be the return of Jesus.
Intersecting Faith and Life:
God has promised us that he is coming back to claim this world as his own and to rescue all those who have placed their faith in him. Are you living in light of this promise? If not, meditate on scripture that affirms Jesus' return, and pray your heart would desire this as much as God does.
Further Reading:
John 14: 1-4
Revelation 21: 1-5
Revelation 22: 7
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Are You There God?
Laura MacCorkle
How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? Psalm 13:1, NIV
Are you there, God? I am hurting. Please be near to me.
I remember the first time I cried out like this to God. Really cried out from a place of pain and agony. Of confusion and of understanding that was little to none.
Still really just a child, I was only 17 and had just learned of what was really going on in my family. It apparently had been broken and troubled for many years. But I did not know up until then, and had been shielded from the truth.
In one afternoon, though, everything I had believed in—the image of a strong family unit I thought I knew and could trust in—all came crashing down. Like a house of flimsy cards.
A couple of years later, my parents would divorce. And this time of trial in my life would continue through many more years of grief, withdrawal, and searching for something or someone to offer comfort and heal my pain.
I dare say I felt a lot like David did in Psalm 13:
How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Look on me and answer O LORD my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death; my enemy will say, "I have overcome him," and my foes will rejoice when I fall.
Now David was in a serious time of trial when he wrote this. He was facing an illness, and his condition was dire. His enemies would have liked nothing more than to see him defeated (even unto death).
I know this feeling, too. In a different manner—but in the same reality—I was also asking to be delivered from my circumstances. From the horrible pain of the dissolution of my family as I knew it.
Whether divorce has touched you in some way or not, all of us have been through some sort of trial that has shaken us to the very core. That has rattled our bones. That has turned our lives upside down. Whether it be a broken relationship, the death of a loved one, the dashing to pieces of a dream, childlessness, defeat in your career or prolonged singleness . . . we all know what it means to lose something or to have a void in our lives.
During times like these, I believe that the Enemy would like nothing more than for our faith to die and for us never again to bear fruit. But it is during our trials that we must continue seeking God. For it is while our faith is being tested that we are being molded into the image of Christ.
As believers, we are advised many times throughout Scripture to expect trials. Yes, we will know both suffering and rejoicing as we walk with the Lord. We are promised as such. And whether we are just coming out of a trial, are currently in the midst of one or are unknowingly getting ready to go through one, we must cling to the knowledge that trials produce a faith that results in praise.
Never forget: God is there. He is good. He is sovereign. And he is in control.
But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the LORD for he has been good to me (Psa. 13:5-6).
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Like the old hymn says, "there is a balm in Gilead to make the wounded whole" (Jer. 8:22). Only God can heal us and bring us through. Let us cling to the knowledge that despite our trials, God sacrificed his Son for us and is worthy of our praise.
Further Reading:
1 Peter 1:6-9, NIV
James 1:2-4, NIV
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How I Came to Enjoy Raisins
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. -- 1 John 2:10
Worst advertising slogan ever: "Two scoops of raisins in Kellogg's Raisin Bran." Blech. But apparently it worked on my mother, who bought the stuff like it was going out of style, while referring to delicious breakfast desserts such as Lucky Charms and Crunchberries as "cardboard." So unfair. So there I sat, choking down my raisin bran, or even oatmeal cookies with raisins in them, always suffering the same horrible fate: the bran or cookie part would be chewed and swallowed before the gooey chewy raisins, leaving me a mouthful of not-nearly-as-tasty goop.
I despised raisins. Thought about writing Kellogg's and telling them that backing off to one scoop would be plenty (nothing like getting to the bottom of the bowl and finding no flakes, only 10 little black things. Ew).
Flash-forward a quarter century. I'm having a similar issue to the raisin problem with people. Specifically, I'm loathe to admit, some Christian people. No, I haven't been eating them, but sometimes, I do find us hard to swallow. Part of the problem, ironically, is my job! Here at Crosswalk we often receive angry emails from fellow Christians who don't like the movie we reviewed, the way we said something, the ad we ran, or the author we allowed to appear on the site. Criticism's fine, even justified; I just have a hard time when it comes with a "You call yourself Christian?" or a "Have you even read the Bible?" punch to the gut. Sometimes it feels as if we Christians are concerned more with hammering home universal truth no matter how bluntly, or railing against _(fill in the blank)_ than genuinely loving people and meeting needs. Of course, the obvious irony here is that I then, looking in the mirror, find myself in short supply on genuine love myself. Which is not where Christ wants any of us to be. In fact, in Revelation 12:10, the title "Accuser of the Brethren" is given to our enemy Satan at his judgment. Yikes. Do I really want to claim that monicker for myself?
So what does this have to do with raisins? Well, recently I discovered I kinda like the shriveled little things! I pack 'em for snacks, and eat them with the kids. I like the nutritional value, the fiber, the chewiness. What's changed? My tastes? No. The raisins? No. Not the packaging, not the flavor, not even my effort (I'm not choking them down because they're good for me, I genuinely like them). I realized that what has changed is my perspective. It didn't happen overnight, but about the time "Craisins" (dried Cranberries) came on the scene, I began enjoying all sorts of dried fruits. And here's what I noticed: I like cranberries, ergo I like dried cranberries. I like apricots, therefore I like dried apricots. I love grapes, so obviously I... hate raisins? That didn't seem to make logical sense. Maybe it was time to give raisins another try. Maybe I shouldn't even think of them as raisins. Maybe I should just think of them as "dried grapes!"
That may sound extremely silly... but it worked! I felt like I had come into the light. The texture was suddenly different. The way I savored them changed... everything. And a fun new world of food possibilities has re-opened to me, simply thanks to a different way of looking at something.
1 John Chapter 2 is all about Light, who it comes from, what it helps us do, and what it shows about us when we walk in it. Light is a perspective-changer. It reveals the true nature of hidden or darkened things. It doesn't change them, but it can and does change how they appear, how they are perceived, and the details we notice. Our verse today says, "Whoever loves his brother lives in the light," and I think it also works backwards: "Whoever lives in the light loves his brother." It's not going to be easy for me to see fellow redeemed sinners - especially the angry ones - as Jesus does, but it's clearly possible, and commanded, and in the raisin example it wasn't about my efforts anyway - just turning on a light.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Who's got your goat? Have you ever tried seeing that individual, group, or faceless internet personage in a different light, from a different perspective, or even as God sees them? Have you considered how you might look different to others in a new light? Try filling these blanks in for yourself: "I like ____(x)_____, therefore I like even __________ _____(x)_____."
Further Reading
John 1: 4-11
Light and the Nature of God, by Regis Nicoll
How to Deal with Angry People, by Gary Chapman
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Seven Habits of Truly Effective Living
Alex Crain, Christianity.com
The phrase, "begin with the end in mind" will be familiar to anyone who has read the life management book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen R. Covey).1 But if you aren't familiar with the phrase or the book, the general idea of "begin with the end in mind" is fairly straightforward.
Simply stated, before beginning any project, you should always ask the question "How do I want this to turn out?" Otherwise, you may end up climbing a ladder, but not find success because your ladder is leaning on the wrong wall.
While the advice in Covey's book can help sharpen focus and cultivate good work habits, something that's missing from the book is the God-sized perspective on life that we see in Psalm 92.
Stephen Covey invites his readers to the pathway of success by beginning with their own desires. In other words, "Imagine life as you want it to be." Naturally, the ideal life for most people is one surrounded by beauty, expensive things, favorite people, etc. We want plenty of leisure time and the health to enjoy these things. But without God, such a life is depicted in Scripture as empty and deceptive. It is a dream that springs from a heart tainted by sin. Frustration and disappointment results when our primary source of motivation is the self.
If we are to be truly effective at living, we must humbly begin with God's end in mind.
Psalm 92 paints a picture of the ideal life as that of a righteous person who bears good fruit, even to old age. He is "full of sap and very green." In other words, he is filled with spiritual vitality at the end of life when the temptation to grumble and express radical selfishness is often the strongest.
The roots for a strong, 'sap-filled' soul are found in Psalm 92. Here, the seven habits of truly effective living are unfolded for us:
#1 Seeing thankfulness and praise to God as something desirable, not as a duty (v. 1). Far from complaining, his lips are filled with praise—declaring that there is no unrighteousness in God, his Rock (v. 15).
#2 Focusing on God's lovingkindness in the morning and His faithfulness at night
(v. 2). For the righteous man, each day begins and ends with God, implying that God is central in his thoughts throughout the entire day. Literally, lovingkindness refers to God's covenant loyal love, which features His promise of salvation. The righteous person is not self-righteous, or externally moralistic. Rather, he looks to God's promises and unchanging character as the basis for his right standing before his Creator-Judge. The Lord Jesus Christ is, of course, the fulfillment of these promises. So, the one having faith in Christ is counted righteous and delivered from a petty life of vain pursuits.
#3 Enjoying resounding music and singing for joy at God's great works (vv. 1, 3-4).
#4 Pondering the deep thoughts of God (v. 5)—not being characterized by a shallow, pragmatic view of God that sees Him merely as a means to get other things.
#5 Praising the transcendence of God—declaring that God is the "Most High" who is above all His creatures. The righteous one realizes that man is in no way equal to God. Thus, he can never legitimately view God with suspicion or call Him into judgment (v. 8).
#6 Resting securely in the fact that, in the end, God will have the final say on all matters. He will deal justice to the enemies of righteousness (vv. 9-11).
#7 Depending continuously upon God for strength—for "fresh oil" (v. 10), knowing that yesterday's supply never carries over to today.
Perhaps you know an older believer who embodies these seven habits. My own 'eighty-something' grandmother is one such saint. We affectionately call her "Meme." Not long ago, Meme lay in a hospital bed with a serious health situation. I called her on the phone expecting to cheer her up, but she was the one who brought cheer to me.
Instead of complaining about her pain, she spoke with delight about truths she had just read that morning in her well-worn Bible. She told me of the various hymns and spiritual songs had been going through her mind throughout the day. She took time to ask me about my family and how things were going in ministry at our local church.
Her prayer at the close of our conversation was full of gratitude and praise to the Lord. The tone of her voice showed a deep awareness of God's presence right there with her. While I listened, I thought: This is Psalm 92 in action—here is someone who, throughout her life by God's grace, has learned and is still practicing the seven habits of truly effective living.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
If these seven habits aren't part of your daily life, why not pause right now and ask God to make them so?
Further Reading:
Philippians 2:12-18
Numbers 14
Notes:
1. https://www.stephencovey.com/7habits/7habits.php
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Who Wants a Free Gift?
Ryan Duncan, Editor at TheFish.com/Crosswalk.com
Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. – Hebrews 4:16
"Who wants a free gift?" I don't know about you, but that's a statement that often gives me pause. The reason why is because almost every day I'm bombarded with offers to receive a "free gift" that isn't really free. You probably know what I'm talking about. Credit card companies offer me "free rewards" if I spend more that eighteen thousand dollars with one of their cards. Airlines say they'll give me "free miles" if I book a trip to China right now, and then there are those pesky infomercials that offer me "free" steak knives if I buy their grease cooker for only $19.99!
As a Christian living in a world where there's no such thing as a free lunch, it's sometimes hard to understand the meaning of grace, and even harder to teach it to others. So when my father was asked to teach a group of middle school students about grace, I admit I had no idea how he was going to pull it off. But my father is a pretty shrewd guy (you're welcome Dad), and as soon as he got the lesson he went out, bought a Hershey bar the size of a laptop computer and covered it in wrapping paper. On Sunday morning he walked to the front of the room, held up the present, a said "Who wants a free gift?" No one moved.
Finally, one brave kid got up and ran forward to take the present from my father's hand. It's that simple. Every day God calls to us, offering the free gift of his grace, and all we need to do is accept it. Grace doesn't require a down payment, it doesn't ask you to do something first, and it's never a bonus for something you've already accomplished. Grace is a gift, the only thing in this world that is truly free.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Do you want to receive a free gift? Take a moment during your day to reconnect with Christ.
Further Reading
Ephesians 2:8
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Theocratic Bilateral Dispensationalism
Ryan Duncan, TheFish.com
For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. – 1 Corinthians 3:11
The immortal bard, Dave Barry, once wrote "The problem with writing about religion is that you run the risk of offending sincerely religious people, and then they come after you with machetes." All humor aside, I can't help but agree with Mr. Barry, especially where Christians are concerned. You see, we Christians have a habit of tangling our faith in things other than Jesus Christ. As a kid, I can remember my initial confusion when words like "Baptist", "Catholic", or "Calvinist" where added alongside "Christian". This didn't bother me much, they still meant Christian after all, but it surprised me how these words sometimes caused tension between believers.
Soon, other words started finding their way into the term "Christian". Words like Republican, Democrat, Moderate, occasionally Communist, Egalitarian, Complementarian, Theocrat, or Dispensationalist. Aside from being really confusing and hard to spell, these words caused more than one disagreement among Christians. The first disciples saw their fair share of division too. In fact, Paul dedicated most of 1st Corinthians to calling for unity within the Church.
I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. My brothers, some from Chloe's household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, "I follow Paul"; another, "I follow Apollos"; another, "I follow Cephas "; still another, "I follow Christ." Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul? I am thankful that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, so no one can say that you were baptized into my name. (Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don't remember if I baptized anyone else.) For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel--not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. – 1 Corinthians 10 – 17
I can just imagine Paul madly shaking some ancient Christian and yelling "DON'T YOU GET IT! IT DOESN'T MATTER! CHRIST IS ALL THAT MATTERS!" and he's right. As Christians, it is important that we be on our guard against false teachings, but it is equally important that we do not let ourselves become divided. God never meant for his children to become separated, and when we allow issues like denominations or political leanings to cause strife between us, the message of the Cross becomes obscured.
We were meant to be one body, one family, unified, as brothers and sisters. In his infinite grace, Christ called us to be Christians.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Are you letting political or personal issue keep you from loving fellow Christians? Read 1 Corinthians and reflect on Paul's words.
Further Reading
Psalm 133
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Wisdom From Above
Debbie Wright, Assistant Editor at Crosswalk.com
Recently I participated in a small group discussion of Christ-like humility. Our discussion leader had pulled up several Scripture passages for us to reflect upon, and one of them has been racing around in my brain ever since:
But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy (James 3:17).
Christ prayed and always sought wisdom from above before speaking and acting. Thus, as Christians (Christ-followers) we should be constantly seeking this godly wisdom and applying it to our lives and relationships. But that verse is a big verse. What does it look like to have this wisdom from above?
1. It is first of all pure. Our motives for doing anything should reflect a desire to live like Christ and be in right relationship with God. If our earthly "wisdom" tells us to approach a situation with impure motives such as greed, selfishness, or pride – that is not wisdom from above.
2. It is peaceable. Sometimes we get preoccupied with the imagery of Spiritual Armor and treat everyone we meet like an enemy solider. We must remember that Ephesians 6 says this battle is "not against flesh and blood." Our Lord is a Prince of Peace, and we have a duty to act as citizens of peace.
3. It is gentle. A gentle answer turns away wrath. If we speak gently, others are more likely to accept and understand God's work and wisdom. But gentleness is not just about tone of voice. Remember the gentleness and patience with which Jesus dealt with children, sinners, and his apostles. Gentleness is a way of life.
4. It is reasonable. Another translation of this reads "willing to yield to others" – and both are absolutely crucial elements of wisdom. It may seem impossible to live a pure lifestyle while being reasonable and willing to yield, but the Bible says we must. We were given an astounding level of intellect and reason – let us use it! We mustn't buy in to the lie that "reason is the enemy of faith." It is necessary to yield to God daily with every decision we make. But it is also possible (and necessary, and wise) to yield to others. Whether it's a matter of selfless giving or resisting the urge to have angry, theological debates, we are called to yield.
5. It is full of mercy. That parent who abused their authority? That government leader who makes you cringe? That blogger who sounds heretical? Wisdom from above tells us to look on them with mercy. After all, has not God shown us the greatest mercy of all?
6. It is full of good fruits. I'm sure many of us can list the fruits of the Lord's Spirit. When we use godly wisdom to discern what we should do, we will consider the fruits of our choices. Do we strive to make choices that result in the fruits of the Spirit manifested in our lives?
7. It is unwavering. Perhaps it might be strange to think that wisdom from above can be both "willing to yield" and "unwavering." But don't think of them as opposites. Perhaps think of it like a marriage or a friendship. Each person in the relationship must listen to reason and be willing to yield to the other. But the relationship itself must be unwavering. We must be bold enough to live unwaveringly as followers of Christ and good stewards of the earth, no matter the opposition.
8. It is without hypocrisy. If something seems like wisdom to you but causes you to be double-minded or deceitful, it cannot be wisdom from above. What we believe must match what we say. What we say must match how we behave. Otherwise, we misrepresent Jesus and the lifestyle we claim to live.
Intersecting Faith and Life
The next time you're faced with a decision, take a moment to match up your actions with "wisdom from above."
Further Reading
Ephesians 6:10-18
Galations 5:22-23
Psalm 111:10
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The Failure of History
John UpChurch, Senior Editor of BibleStudyTools.com
For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. (Romans 5:6)
To their credit, my two little girls sat patiently as the Cherokee peace chief explained his slit ears, metal breastplate, and high-heeled shoes. On the table in front of him sat a rifle, swan feathers, a clay mug, and other shards of the past. This is exactly what I love to do on a Saturday morning.
You see, I love the way history feels because I'm something of a nostalgia junky. The narratives that draw together people, locations, and wars latch onto me. The connections that run through mountains, rivers, and small towns dig under my skin. The history of grace absorbs me.
I have to be careful, though. Otherwise, I'd spend too much time living back there and not paying attention to grace here and now.
There's something in history that we often overlook. Sure, learning about the past supposedly keeps people from repeating mistakes (though I've yet to see that be the case). And we need to see where we've come from, to understand the ebbs and cycles in the story of civilization. But it's more than that.
History—much more than just a learning tool—is the story of human failure. If that sounds morbid, it is. The big picture of our history is how humans have failed to love, failed to live up to God's standards. There are tiny currents that push back against the raging waters of failure (and those are some great stories to focus on), but the overall direction has been clear.
What we learn, if we care to glance back, is that humanity has no chance—that is, no chance apart from grace. Our history lays bare the need for a raw, relentless love. We've stumbled and scrambled, fought and exiled. And yet no amount of human effort has ever satisfied the searching, the wanderlust. We've pushed on, pressed on, killed on. And never reached our goal.
But always there is God. The history we have points to the sparks He created in the darkness, the fires He kindled in the tragedies. Always there is God, appearing where you least expect. Always there is God, breaking through.
I love history because God's there in the midst of our failures. He never lets go; He never disappears.
Intersecting Faith & Life
One reason I always challenge others to keep a journal or a blog is because it gives us all a place to record our own histories. It's a place where we can see the pursuing love of God as He picks us up from our failures and loves us anyway. It's a place to learn from past mistakes. Take a moment today to capture your own story and keep at it. You'll always be amazed at the grace that shimmers through.
Further Reading
Romans 5
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God is Not Judge Judy
Kelly Givens
"But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere." - James 3:17
Last month I found myself in a situation that needed a good dose of wisdom. I had to make a decision and felt unsure what course of action was best, so over those next few days I prayed for wisdom on what I should do. I also looked for verses in the Bible that talk about wisdom, and was surprised by what I found.
When I think of wisdom, usually the first thing that pops in my head is King Solomon and that poor baby. You probably know the story- God had given Solomon an incredible amount of wisdom, so much so that people from all over were coming to him with their questions and disputes. In this recorded case, two prostitutes came before the king, both claiming to be the mother of the same baby boy, both insisting that the other had stolen the infant after the death of the other's child. This was obviously before DNA testing, so what could be done? Well, Solomon had a sword brought to him and decided to settle things by cutting the baby in half! Now, that doesn't seem like a very compassionate king! It sounds more like something Judge Judy would do.
Judge Judy doesn't want to hear your sob story. Her Honor gets right to the facts, lays down her decision and moves on to the next case, end of story. I realized I was asking God to be the" Judge Judy" of my life- I would present my problem and "ask for wisdom," but what I really wanted was for God to give me a definite answer that didn't leave any lingering questions. Obviously, God is not Judge Judy, and this is not the kind of wisdom he gives. So how should we think of wisdom? Let's go back to Solomon- who really wasn't like Judge Judy at all.
While it may have seemed bizarre that Solomon was going to cut a baby in half, the king had wisely discerned that the true mother would care more about the safety of the child than her possession of him. And so it was- the mother cried out for the boy's life to be spared, and Solomon declared her the rightful parent. In doing this, he spared both the child and the women further pain. But this is more than Solomon just being cunning or smart. There's compassion to this decision too- an essential part of wisdom.
When Solomon asked God for wisdom, God didn't just fill his head with the right answer to every problem that would ever come up. No- he filled him with "wisdom" as James describes it- he filled him full of consideration, peacefulness, mercy, goodness, impartiality and sincerity. King Solomon wasn't wise because he knew the law book forwards and backwards, or because he was particularly clever or a good problem solver. He was wise because his decisions flowed from a heart and mind focused on values that are essential to the Kingdom of God. He didn't bother punishing the one woman for stealing a baby or stoning both women for being prostitutes (which the law would have demanded). His wisdom was compassionate, merciful, and just: it was true wisdom from above.
Intersecting Faith and Life: What problems in your life are you seeking wisdom in? Approach those problems in light of James 3:17 and trust that God will equip you with the wisdom you need for the challenges you face.
Further Reading:
Psalm 37:30
James 1:5
1 Corinthians 1: 19-29
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Trusting in God's Word
by Sarah Phillips, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
"Since many have undertaken to set down an orderly account of the events that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed on to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, I too decided, after investigating everything carefully from the very first, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus." Luke 1:1-3
Things are starting to rev up in the political realm again. One of the things I dislike most about politics is that when politicians speak, they often give us a spin on the truth. Most of us who care about particular issues end up immersed in hours of research trying to uncover the unbiased facts.
Thankfully, God and His Word do not operate on the same level as our political system.
I found some unexpected relief recently when I decided to do a little research on the life of St. Luke. The opening verses above are the first words recorded in Luke's gospel account. They are reasonable, straightforward words that show Luke approached his writing as a historian investigating and recording the facts.
A skeptic might respond, "Well of course an early disciple of Christ would say he is recording only facts. But how can we be sure?" Skeptics and believers alike might be interested in knowing that Luke's writings are so consistent and accurate, even secular, modern historians hold great respect for them.
So who was St. Luke? Well, historians generally agree that he is the author of the third gospel account and the Acts of the Apostles. His writings give us a glimpse into Christ's life and a vital record of the workings of the early Church. Biblical scholars aren't sure if Luke was Jewish or a gentile, but his gospel account certainly shows a special sensitivity to the gentiles, the poor, and sinners. Luke probably also had medical training -- scholars usually link the writer/historian with the Luke Paul refers to as, "the beloved physician." (Colossians 4: 14)
What else do we know about Luke? The Acts of the Apostles indicate he spent much of his adult life traveling with Paul, even sticking with Paul through his suffering and death (2 Timothy 4: 11). He also probably spent quite a bit of time with those who knew Jesus during His earthly ministry, including Mary, the mother of Jesus. After all, the Gospel of Luke is the "Christmas Gospel" – the only Gospel where we get the details of Gabriel's appearance to Mary and get unique glimpses of Jesus' boyhood. It's also the only gospel where we hear Mary, inspired by the Spirit, proclaim the famous Magnificat ("My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior..." Luke 1: 46 – 55).
But for all the facts Luke left us about Christ and His Church, he left very little information about himself. While we have details of the martyrdoms of many early followers, historians don't know how long Luke lived or how he died.
Of course, it's pretty safe to assume that Luke wasn't out to make a name for himself, but to make a name for God. And that's really where Luke's life and writings leave us – with yet another reminder that our confidence can rest securely with God and His Word. In a world that is always trying to sell us something, God gives us the wisdom we need to make the hard choices. In a world where words are often used to obscure the truth, God's Word cuts through the haze with profound, timeless truths. In a world where public figures cannot always be trusted, God works through His humble followers to restore our trust in Him.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Economies fluctuate and nations fall in and out of power. Put down the latest political commentary or turn off those negative news reports, and spend some extra time this week reading the eternal Word of God instead.
Further Reading
Matthew 22: 15 - 22
Faith, Not Fear: God and Wall Street
References: "St. Luke," "Luke the Evangelist"
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Shawn McEvoy
Managing Editor at Crosswalk.com
For the waves of death encompassed me, the torrents of destruction assailed me... (2 Sam. 22:5).
Your wrath lies heavily upon me, and you overwhelm me with all your waves (Ps. 88:7).
I have many times stood upon the shore of a peaceful Atlantic ocean gazing East to the sunrise, pondering the vastness and the depth of God. This was not one of those times.
Today, I wanted to catch some fish. It was my only two hours of alone time during the whole week of family vacation to Isle of Palms. I decided to bike down to the point I'd walked to earlier that morning. This was mistake number one. I popped the chain on that old bike about half-way down the beach, and ended up having to push it the rest of the way with one hand while holding my fishing pole (and trying not to hook myself) with the other.
When I finally got there the waves had risen to a height I'd not encountered in any of my last four seasons on Atlantic beaches. I could barely cast my lure over them, and if I did succeed, I'd soon get knocked over. So, alright. You know what? I've been wanting a showdown. "Let's see whatchya got," I said, to either myself, God, or the forces of nature. I took my pole back to shore and I waded out to war.
I adopted my best linebacker stance and stood up to the 6-foot waves as best I could. I tried body surfing and nearly swallowed a gallon or two of seawater. I tried jumping over, diving under, and shouldering through. And while I was doing all of it I was telling God or whoever would listen how hard a time I'd been having of it ("Sure," you're saying, "a week of luxury beach vacation with the family, you're really struggling." But it's true).
Why do I put on weight so easily? Why do you not seem to hear me anymore? Why am I not satisfied in my soul? Why do my simplest desires – like to ride a bike down a beach and catch a fish – result in such discouraging and powerful setbacks? Why is my faith bruised and how do I start to care for the people of God again? Huh?!
Nothing. Just wave after wave after pounding after pounding.
The good news is I was exhausting myself, getting this out of my system, and 'praying.' That I was again getting a sense of myself in this rough place called The World and how puny I am in relation to the created universe.
The bad news is I was becoming more dejected. When I finally gave up and told God I recognized his bigness and my smallness, I sat in the surf and tried to really connect, to really give it all to him, to really make this the milestone day from which everything was different for the rest of my life.
But it was just words. Nothing seemed to rise. I couldn't make my heart climb into my prayers. And I couldn't figure out how or when I had lost it, or what to do about it.
I paced to shore defeated and dejected. What progress had I made? At best today was a humbling, at worst a humiliation. My head drooped, and I looked down.
What I saw further discouraged me. For a length of several yards, the shallow foam washing back out was running at the same pace as my strides walking back in. The optical illusion was one of getting nowhere. Moving, but remaining in the same place.
That's when, finally, this: "You know you're making progress. You know, despite how it looks, that you're getting closer to shore with every step. Likewise, today was progress. Tomorrow will be a step. As will the next. My grace is a wave infinitely more powerful and cleansing than these, and My footprints don't wash away."
I sighed, but I smiled. "Step by step you lead me, and I will follow you all of my days..." Step-by-step is exactly how I got home that day, beaten, extremely chafed, shoeless, pushing a bike and carrying a pole. And, I'm happy to report, that's exactly how I'm getting back home in my spirit as well.
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The First Fruit of the Gospel
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"For whosoever shall be ashamed of Me and My words, of him shall the Son of Man
be ashamed, when He shall come in His own glory..."
Luke 9:26 NASB
Nothing—not good works, religious rituals, not anything can add merit to Christ's perfect work of atonement.
Still, virtue does flow from the work of Christ in our lives.
One virtue that is the necessary result of the gospel in our lives is the habit of dying daily. Francis Schaeffer, in his book True Spirituality, insightfully takes us to Luke 9:22-26 about this where Christ is telling His disciples the certain order of events that would soon occur to Him... that He would be rejected, slain, then raised.
Jesus immediately relates this order—rejected, slain, raised—to the Christian life as well.
In Luke 9:23-24, Jesus says, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it."
Schaeffer points out that,
"Jesus is talking here about our death by choice in the present life. He applies it to a specific situation to make it more concrete. "For whosoever shall be ashamed of Me and My words, of him shall the Son of Man be ashamed, when He shall come in His own glory..." (Luke 9:26)
"The Bible is not speaking of some romantic feeling, some idealization, some abstraction. Jesus carries this concept of facing the rejection, being slain, down to a very practical situation: facing an alien world. It is the saying "no" to self when our natural selves would desire acceptance by the alien world—a world in revolt against its Creator and our Lord.
"...this command of Christ is not limited to one situation; it is that which is to be the whole mentality and outlook of the Christian's life.
"As Christ's rejection and death are the first steps in the order of redemption, so our rejection and death are the first steps in the order of true and growing spirituality.
"As there could be no next step in the order of Christ's redemption until the step was taken, so in the Christian there can be no further step until these first two steps—rejected, slain—are faced; not in theory only, but at least in some partial practice."
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Is the gospel bearing fruit in your life in this way? Put another way, do you increasingly treasure Christ so that things and self receive less and less of your time, attention and resources?
Ask God for grace to live before the watching world in a way that others would see the blessings of a resurrected life in you.
Further Reading:
Philippians 1
The Expulsive Power of a New Affection
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Cold Soup
Ryan Duncan, Editor at TheFish.com
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. – Mark 12:30
A while back, some friends and I went out to lunch at a nearby restaurant. Now, I'm not much of an adventures eater, but that day I decided to try something new and ordered a soup called, "Vichyssoise". I now know that Vichyssoise is a thick soup made of puréed leeks, onions, potatoes, cream, and chicken stock. Also, it's traditionally served cold. Maybe I'm just not cultured enough to appreciate this unique delicacy, but in my opinion cold soup tastes horrible.
After one spoonful I was trying to find a creative way to spit it out without my friends noticing. The meal did make me think though, about what the Bible says about cold and lukewarm Christians.
I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth. - Revelation 3:15-16
It's funny how a bowl of soup can make you reflect on your life as a Christian. As I mulled over my actions in the past year, I realized how far away from God I had really moved. I had let my faith become a daily routine, like brushing my teeth or doing laundry, I had let my passion grow cold. God wants us to change the world, if only in our own small ways. Keep your heart and mind centered on Christ, don't let yourself grow cold.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Have you let your passion for Christ grow cold? Take some time to consider.
Further Reading
Habakkuk 3:19
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Is the Aim of Your Life to Please the Lord?
Anna Kuta, News & Culture Editor at ReligionToday.com
"Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him" (2 Corinthians 5:9).
My pastor mentioned today's verse in a sermon several weeks ago, and it has stuck with me since then, convicting me.
Basically, this verse is telling us that if our ambition is something other than being pleasing to the Lord, we need to reevaluate. Too often I find myself going through life with a totally different aim, whether it be to please others, to be perceived a certain way or to please myself. But this verse has me thinking, and it is something we all need to consider. How can I claim to put the Lord first in my life while continuing to do things I know are not pleasing to Him? Do I even claim to put Him first in my life? And if I continue in sin, what message does that send to unbelievers with whom I am trying to share the gospel message?
The Bible is our complete manual to following the Lord and living for Him. Though we are all sinful people, the process of the Christian life should be one of sanctification and becoming more Christlike – and we can find in the pages of God's word everything we need to grow in our faith and knowledge of the Lord. As Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 4:1: "Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort you in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God; for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus."
We can't live to please God unless we know who He is and what He commands – and we can't know that unless we read His word. As Romans 10:17 says, "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." As Christians, our aim should be constantly striving to better know the Lord, to follow Him – and to please Him.
What is your aim?
Intersecting Faith & Life
Are you living in a manner "well pleasing" to the Lord? If you do not read your Bible every day, commit to set aside a few minutes. Ask the Lord to open your eyes to His directions as you read His word. Pray that He will help you live a life pleasing to Him.
Further Reading
Colossians 1:10
Colossians 3:16
Hebrews 4:12
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What Will Your Legacy Be?"
Debbie Wright, Assistant Editor at Crosswalk.com
One of the most spiritually provocative songs I've ever heard is called War Sweater by the band Wakey!Wakey!.
"New York is dangerous, littered with thieves
We've no morals here, we just do as we please..."
...sings the narrator in the opening lines. He continues:
"But I don't want to go home where they all stare at me
'Cause I'm tattooed and fired up and drunk and obscene."
I'm sure many of us can picture a similar "wayward" family member or friend. But why exactly does this narrator feel so uncomfortable with this scrutiny? He explains in the following chorus:
"You wear your religion like a War Sweater
You ask for the truth, but you know you could do so much better
And you sat on your fences, and you've screamed "no retreat!"
...So what will your legacy be?"
Every time the singer repeats that phrase, "what will your legacy be?" I get knots in my stomach. Because I know my actions and my words will create whatever legacy I leave behind. Reputations are not created by beliefs – rather they come about by observed behavior. No one will remember me simply for getting all my doctrine right or wrong.
They will remember, though, if I wear my religion like a War Sweater. If I thrash my faith about like a flag and scream in the faces of unbelievers. Sadly, many Christians have created such legacies for themselves. Emperor Constantine created the legacy of Christianity's ties to the government. The Crusaders connected Christianity with war. Even today there are self-professing Christians who stand on street corners and picket funerals, wearing their religion like a War Sweater.
But my faith, my religion, informs me of something better. My religion tells me: "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." My religion does not allow me to sit on a pedestal and judge; it says to serve one another in love. My religion warns me that salvation cannot come through pride. My religion does not stand for violently demanding all people bow to my standards; rather, it tells me that, as far as it depends on me, I should live at peace with everyone.
So take a look at the words you speak, at the people you mock, at the bumper stickers adorning your car.
Are you wearing your religion like a War Sweater?
What will your legacy be?
Intersecting Faith and Life
When confronted with a hard situation today, see how you can leave a legacy of Christ's love.
Further reading
Matthew 5:9
John 16:33
2 Corinthians 13:11
:angel:
Turn with Me to Your Next Prayer
John UpChurch, Senior Editor at Jesus.org/BibleStudyTools.com
According to Hollywood, most funerals should include the pastor intoning the morbid notes of the twenty-third Psalm. All the black around the pastor makes it seem that much more depressing. Usually, there's rain.
But there are two things about this that strike me as odd. First, Psalm 23 isn't depressing. Yes, it mentions the "shadow of death," but it's chock full of hope and paths of righteousness ... and oil pouring over heads. You can't be depressed when oil's dripping down your nose ... at least in biblical terms.
Second, I don't really hear people pray from the Bible. Sure, they toss in a verse or two about being "more than conquerors" or "God working all things for our good." But I've never seen a pastor reach for Psalm 23 or any Psalm for that matter when praying in public.
Now, don't get me wrong. I've heard plenty of great prayers from pastors and other believers. Some of them have hit home hard. But it seems as if Evangelicals especially are averse to anything that isn't somehow unique when it comes to praying. It's as if we think that just praying from the Bible isn't quite spiritual enough. We have to say something original.
Honestly, that's too bad. Because the Bible is crammed with better prayers than I could ever come up with—ones that fit almost every situation. And, really, that makes sense. After all, God inspired Scripture. These are His prayers to us; they're gifts of His grace.
In the Psalms alone, there are prayers for depression, loss, fear, moments when you just gotta praise ... it's like an encyclopedia of prayers. Just dial up a Psalm, and you've got a template for expressing what may have seemed inexpressible a few moments earlier.
Now, I'm not saying we should reject all original prayer-making. I'm just saying that there's no reason to ignore the Bible as a source for some pretty great prayers. We don't always have to come up with something original when God gave us His own Word to pray from. These prayers are creative for you creative types; passionate for those who like passion; and orderly for those of you who like things with three main points.
Just make sure that you aren't praying the Psalms like those pastors in the movies. Put some heart behind it.
[Finish Psalm 23]
Intersecting Faith & Life
God's interest in our prayer is that we spend time giving Him everything we've got. It's easy to think that we have to have the right words—or that prayer is a test of our creativity. But it's really a test of our hearts.
There are no original words ... nothing new under the sun. Using the Bible as a prayer manual isn't a cop out; it's brilliant. Who better to teach us how to pray than God? Start there and see how well God's Word fits the problems you face. Then, if you still need to wax poetic, you can do that, too.
:angel:
Meant For More
Kelly Givens, Editor at Salem Web Network
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"
-2 Corinthians 5:17
The other day I watched a video on YouTube that totally pulled at my heart. It showed two dozen ducks being introduced to a pond for the first time; the ducks had been "pets" of a hoarder who had kept them in pens all their lives. After being rescued and brought to a pond, the frightened ducks kept their distance from the water, unwilling to go in. The rescue workers herded them into the pond, but the ducks immediately got out. Finally, the workers gently tossed them in one at a time. That seemed to do the trick- they began tentatively swimming, then diving under and splashing themselves in the cool water. Eventually they were all vigorously grooming themselves- probably feeling more refreshed, clean, more like ducks than they had ever felt before.
I wonder what thoughts the ducks might have had while they were in those pens. Did they ever wonder- "Why do I have these wings- what are they for? And why are my feet so awkward?" The joy they must have felt when their webbed feet first glided through water and their wings spread out with room and air to soar, when those unnamed desires- to swim, to fly- were first named and fulfilled. And then I think of how much they resisted getting in the water in the first place.
We are so similar to these ducks. We too have unnamed longings, unanswered questions about our lives here on earth. The world doesn't satisfy us, it lets us down, but we don't know where to look for more. We see this in the football champion who wakes up after the biggest game of his life and all he feels an empty, "What's next?" Or in the young executive who climbs the corporate ladder, believing the next job title will finally make him significant. We see it in the teen who does harder and harder drugs on a never ending quest to reach a high that will erase all the lows of her life. We all have an emptiness inside we want to fill, a purpose in life we want to find, questions we want someone to answer.
The Christian narrative gives us these answers. Christ fills us up, he gives us purpose- but we have to be willing to "get in the water"- believe in him- to experience these things. We yearn for more because we were created for more- for eternal life in the presence of our Lord and Savior. Through faith in Jesus, we're given purpose for today and in the days to come, and satisfying joy when we live for God's glory and not our own. Sadly, we resist believing this good news because we think the world can give us what we yearn for. To think this way is pointless, a "chasing after the wind." (Ecc. 1:14)
C.S. Lewis wrote about our longings for more so exquisitely. My favorite of his writings comes from the Chronicles of Narnia, in the Last Battle, when those who have faithfully fought for Aslan and Narnia are finally entering the "New Narnia," Lewis' version of the new heavens and new earth. The Unicorn summed it up beautifully: "I have come home at last! This is my real country! I belong here. This is the land I have been looking for all my life, though I never knew it till now. The reason why we loved the old Narnia is that is sometimes looked a little like this. Bree-hee-hee! Come further up, come further in!"
Intersecting Faith and Life: Do you wish for more out of life? Do you have unnamed desires that you can't seem to satisfy? Lewis wrote, "If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world." Stop standing on the edge, "get in the water" with Jesus and experience the all-satisfying joy and life he promises those who know and put their trust in him.
Further Reading:
Mere Christianity, by C.S. Lewis
Ecclesiastes 2:10-11
2 Corinthians 5: 1-5
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Our Love Should Be Ridiculous
by Stephen Sanders, Salem Web A/V Editor
Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Romans 12:10
Every once in a while, you meet a Christian who just flat out makes you feel good about life in general. It doesn't happen probably as much as it should, but nonetheless, it's always nice to see. Even though it may just be a brief encounter, you leave that conversation feeling important, hopeful and restored. Sometimes, it's even so powerful that it inspires you to become a better person.
I recently had an encounter with a certain pastor who just flat out blew me away with the way he carried himself. This was actually my 2nd time meeting him, and I just can't describe the attitude of this man. His love for God and love for people was simply contagious. Everyone in the room was just so peaceful and complimentary after he left. I found myself wanting to be more like that because, well, I'm not.
Showing "brotherly affection" towards others is not something that comes naturally for me. I tend to make a lot of excuses when it comes to being more outgoing and more loving. After all, it's much safer to just ignore people I don't know or have things in common with. That makes perfect sense, right? It's wiser to just let someone else share God's love with them; someone who can "minister to them more effectively than I."
God continues to deal with me about this on a daily basis. Not only is displaying love towards one another one of the chief commands of the Christian faith, but it's the core of who Jesus Christ was while he was on earth in the flesh. It's easy to assume that Jesus would have gotten along easier with the "church folks," but He actually spent all of His time with tax collectors, prostitutes and such; people who He had absolutely zero in common with.
The religious people of that day mocked Jesus for loving the way He did. Jesus' love was ridiculous.
I've been studying the heck out of the book of Romans lately. It's been great because I've begun to see this continuing contrast between the "church folks" and the "actual church" that Paul was ministering to in those days. The "church folks" were so proud of the list of regulations that defined who they were and set them apart from the society in which they lived. The "actual church" simply grabbed hold of the free gift of Christ and displayed it openly to that same society. The "church folks" disqualified others from becoming God's Chosen because of what they were unwilling to do. But the "actual church" made no assumptions about who could and could not be "saved."
The early church let the good news of the cross speak for itself... and they would scream this truth to everyone... everywhere... .even if it meant dying a gruesome death. Their love was ridiculous.
In today's culture, self-sacrificial love to the point of death sounds just as extreme as it did back then. So many of us make excuses as to why we don't need to love like that. Christians and church doctrines manage to create unwritten laws that shield us from having to actually love like the Spirit of Christ so desperately wants us to. We take specific scriptures and turn them into shield for our own protection. Take Romans 12:1-2 for example:
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Until recently, I'd only recognized this scripture as an instruction to "beware of society and it's influences." And it's true that the world does things way differently than the Holy Spirit does. But I've always overlooked the importance of "test and discern what is the will of God." You see, we cannot "test the will of God" if we are so far removed from society that we are out of touch. The same "enemy society" that we are to not become influenced by is also the same exact place where God has strategically placed us to seek His will for our lives and display the gifts and talents He has placed in us.
Sound impossible? It's really not... it just takes a ridiculous love for this lifestyle to be functional.
In actuality, it may appear to many as being very dysfunctional. But that's okay! This Christian walk was never meant to be something that caused us to take ourselves more seriously than we ought to anyway. To tell you the truth, Jesus said that the "actual church" would "confound the wise and shame the strong." So don't be afraid to be excessively full of life, hopeful, positive and patient when others try to make that difficult to do. Look for excuses to just randomly meet the needs of others... especially your enemies! That's love... that's the sort of thing that everyone, Christians and non-Christians, long for deep down inside. That's what the love of Christ is all about.
I'm challenging myself (and you) to reach out in some way to someone every single day... starting today. God has radically changed our lives. He has given us something that is more valuable than anything. It's time we share it, not from a soapbox or inside our church walls, but in the every day hustle and bustle of where we already exist...
...and be proactive because, chances are, if you don't then no one else will.
For further study, read Romans Chapter 12.
:angel:
Mini-Miracles
Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
So they all ate and were filled. Mark 6:42
The title of my devotional today strikes me as oxymoronic. Miracles, after all, are defined as acts of God, amazing and marvelous events, and "seals of a divine mission" (Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary). Generally speaking, there's nothing small about them.
What I'm talking about then, are instances of heavenly intervention in the lives of believers that impact what we would consider "minor" areas of our existence, the things that cause us to make statements like: "It showed me that God cares about even the small things in our lives," always as if that's a profoundly shocking proclamation. Nobody ever responds by saying, "Well, duh..."
I think that's because it never stops being a mind-blowing concept - the Creator of the universe, who hears the prayers and praises of billions simultaneously and loves each one the same, provided, perhaps, just the right amount of money for a struggling single mom to buy her child a pair of shoes. It's not the parting of the Red Sea to preserve for Himself a people, or the resurrection of His son to purchase the redemption of humanity. It's, for lack of a better term, a mini-miracle.
I remember one time in our Adult Bible Fellowship class my friend Karen stepped in to teach our continuing series in Mark's gospel. We were in Chapter Six, focusing primarily on the Feeding of the 5,000. As she began her lesson, Karen admitted that she'd never quite been able to visualize this scene, or understand exactly what the miracle was meant to show. I mean, there is the lesson of provision, but the human body can go without food for quite some time. Jesus Himself fasted in the wilderness for 40 days (Matthew 4:1-4). So it's not like life and death were hanging in the balance if the people who had followed Him to this "desolate place" went without dinner that night.
It could be, Karen suggested, Jesus just didn't want the people to go away - He had just suffered the death of His cousin John the Baptist, and recently endured the "amazing unbelief" (Mark 6:6) of those from His hometown of Nazareth. It could be Jesus took immense delight in this multitude foregoing their bodily needs to attend to His Word. It very well could be our Lord simply wanted to do something "just for them."
Maybe, Karen said, that's why she always tended to overlook this miracle a little bit. "You know how sometimes when God does something that you know was 'just for you,' and you tell someone else about it, and they're like, 'That's cool and all,' but it just doesn't carry the same meaning for them?"
I knew exactly what that was like, and I liked where she was going. I could see an even greater personalization in mini-miracles, in God drawing delight from blessing our socks off in ways that speak to our individual hearts. The idea also gave me greater permission to attribute to the Lord all sorts of transpirings that I had chalked up to my own efforts, happenstance, or even worse, had gone without noticing.
If, for instance, I told you about the time we thought we'd lost my wife's keys - including several costly ones - only to find them sitting precariously on a single steel beam of the trailer behind our moving van, maybe you'd respond the way my friend Scott did: "You got lucky, dude." Yeah, well, that's why Karen says sometimes these events are "just for us." I saw those keys, I knew the bumpy route we had traveled, I was astounded, I was humbled. I decided that giving credit to the Lord for things that bless you is never wrong, as suggested by James 1:17.
I just don't do it enough.
I wonder how many mini-miracles I've missed out on by being impatient, angry, or inattentive. Donald Miller, in Blue Like Jazz, has Moses tell those worshipping the golden calf: "Your problem is not that God is not fulfilling, your problem is that you are spoiled" (92). Romans 1:20 would seem to indicate that the Lord's hand is evident everywhere - "people can clearly see His invisible qualities." I like that verse very much, because I like to think of myself as on the lookout for God.
But that brings me to the other ways to miss miracles - by not accepting them or expecting them, by resenting them or wanting to earn them. I quote from Blue Like Jazz again, where Miller admits, "I love to give to charity, but I don't want to be charity. This is why I have so much trouble with grace" (84).
Intersecting Faith & Life: Can we get past the affront of accepting a free gift? If we can, we might see the Lord trying to say through the Feeding of the 5,000 and even today, "Here I Am, stay here, spend more time, no need to go away, please accept this, put yourself in My hands, keep your eyes open, I love you."
After all, says Matthew 7:11, "If you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him?" (Matthew 7:11). Mini-miracles are the treats God brings home to His kids, those who seek him with childlike faith, those who consider themselves "the little things in life." Well, duh...
Try bringing something small home to a loved one today to remind yourself of how much joy the Lord gets from giving.
:angel:
For Rainy Days
Ryan Duncan, TheFish.com
"And the ransomed of the LORD shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away."- Isaiah 35:10
Recently, my Small Group decided to take a weekend retreat down to the east coast. I've got to say, I was pretty excited. In the days leading up to the weekend I couldn't help but imagine hanging out at the beach, playing some football with the guys, and grilling copious amounts of meat for evening meals. When Friday finally rolled around, we loaded up our cars and made the two hour trip down to the coast where we had rented our cabin. Well, it rained. All weekend.
It wasn't the fun kind of rain either, the kind where if you get a few people brave enough you can run around outside like maniacs until you're soaked. No, this was the cold, unrelenting, kind of rain that makes you want to crawl back in bed and hibernate for a week. So I was a little surprised when Stephanie, one of the girls in our group, announced that she wanted to get baptized. She had planned on doing so at the beginning of the trip, and decided that she was going to follow through despite the weather.
She couldn't have picked a more miserable day. The sky was gray, the sea was white and foamy, and as we stepped onto the beach, I knew it would only be minutes until we were all close to freezing. I remember watching Stephanie and her friend wading into the sea and thinking that when I got baptized it would be somewhere tropical and sunny. But when Stephanie broke the surface, the joy on her face seemed uncontainable. You couldn't help smiling with her as she climbed out of the water.
Suddenly the sky didn't seem so gray, the rain wasn't so bad, even the wind, which was just as cold as ever, didn't bother me so much. It was one of those moments where you knew God was there. Life is full of bad moments and rainy days, and it's tempting to think God doesn't care when cloudy skies remain the same. But here's the thing about God, you never know him better than after he's taught you to laugh in the rain.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Take a moment to find Joy in the life God has given you.
Further Reading
Psalms 16:11
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Spiritual Health
by Ryan Duncan, Editor at TheFish.com
"Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. – John 14:27
Lately I've been reflecting on the story of Jesus and the paralytic. You've probably heard it before; it appears in Mark chapter 2, when four men break through a roof to bring their friend to Jesus.
And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room, not even near the door; and He was speaking the word to them. And they came, bringing to Him a paralytic, carried by four men. Being unable to get to Him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him; and when they had dug an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic was lying. And Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven." But some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, "Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming; who can forgive sins but God alone?" Immediately Jesus, aware in His spirit that they were reasoning that way within themselves, said to them, "Why are you reasoning about these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven '; or to say, 'Get up, and pick up your pallet and walk '? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins "-He said to the paralytic, "I say to you, get up, pick up your pallet and go home." And he got up and immediately picked up the pallet and went out in the sight of everyone, so that they were all amazed and were glorifying God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this." – Mark 2:2-12
What gets me when I read this story is that, after all these men did to get their friend to Jesus, the first thing he does is say, "Your sins are forgiven.". I must have read this story a hundred times, yet I always seem to forget that Jesus healed the man's soul before he healed his body. I don't know about you, but it bothers me how easy it is for us to focus so much on our physical needs that we overlook our spiritual ones. They don't necessarily have to be selfish needs either.
"Please let me be healthy, please let me find a job, please let my car not break down."These are things everyone prays for, but what happens when we grow so concerned about our lives that we forget to ask God for more faith, or wisdom, or opportunities to exercise His Grace? Walking with Christ means balancing the physical with the spiritual, because while our bodies were made for this world, our spirits were made for somewhere else.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Are your physical needs overshadowing your spiritual ones? Take time to pray and meditate on his word.
Further Reading
Hebrews 11
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How Are Your Thoughts?
by Anna Kuta, News & Culture Editor at ReligionToday.com
"Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are honest, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue, and if there is anything praiseworthy, meditate on these things" (Philippians 4:8).
We've all heard the phrase "Garbage in, garbage out" – it's a statement that originated in reference to computer input and output but is now often applied to other areas of life. I, for one, heard it countless times growing up when it came to healthy food versus junk food, and I'm sure you've heard it used to refer to something along similar lines.
And as I was reading today's verse a few days ago, I realized Paul is using the same principle here in reference to our minds. In instructing the Philippians about how to live godly lives, he includes this verse about what they should be thinking about and focusing on. Whatever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, good, virtuous, praiseworthy – this is what he tells them to meditate on. "The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you," he goes on in verse 9.
As Christians, our aim is to live a life pleasing and obedient to God. Our Christian lives should show a pattern of growth and sanctification – becoming more like Jesus and less like the sinful people we were before. But before our actions can line up with Jesus, our minds and hearts have to. Do we expect to live lives reflecting of Him if our minds are focused elsewhere, on sinful things? No, our minds should focus on godly things – things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, good, virtuous and praiseworthy. Godliness in, godliness out.
Obviously, there are many terrible things in the world that we cannot escape – and indeed we as Christians are called to be in the world but not of it – but that just means it's especially crucial to keep our minds focused on things that mirror and reflect God's nature and goodness. It actually goes further than just our thoughts – it means guarding our thoughts as well: being careful just what we willingly let in to our minds and hearts. As Proverbs 4:23 says, "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it."
No, I may not have any control over things I see and hear in the world on a daily basis, but I can choose what I decide to fill my mind with on my own time. The music I listen to, the books I read, the conversations I take part in, the movies and TV shows I choose to watch – are they things that will help my thoughts have the characteristics Paul talks about in today's verse? If not, I truly need to reevaluate what I am feeding my mind.
And, of course, when in doubt, we all should remember that there is no better true, honest, just, pure, lovely, good, virtuous and praiseworthy thing to meditate on than the word of God itself.
Intersecting Faith & Life
Where do your thoughts go when your mind wanders? How have your thoughts today lined up with Paul's description of what we should think about – things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, good, virtuous and praiseworthy? Pray that God will reveal areas in your life that are not producing godly thoughts, and pray that He will help you desire to focus on things that are pleasing to Him.
Further Reading
1 Peter 2:12
Romans 12:1-2
Proverbs 4:23
:angel:
Let Me Take Care of That For You
by Debbie Wright, Editor at Crosswalk.com
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28).
I recently had a bit of a three-ring-circus to deal with trying to pay a toll. Our lovely Richmond, VA is indeed a beautiful city, but we sure do have some tolls. In fact, depending on where you're going and from where you're coming, you may have to pay 3 or 4 tolls in one trip. That happened to me a few weeks ago. As I left the office (right in the middle of the city) and headed southside to visit a friend, I realized too late that I didn't have enough cash to pay the final toll. With a sigh, I asked for a receipt from the toll booth and went on my way.
I won't bore you with the details, but let's just say I talked to far too many people on the phone, hand-delivered my toll payment in some city office, and still got a "Toll Violation" notice in the mail. This resulted in mild deflation of my spirits. My family said, "Debbie, don't worry. Just call them and explain." I tried to, but was informed that not only was there no record of my payment, but that I would be forced to pay an extra $13 (on a 70 cent toll!) for a vague "Administration" fee.
Come on, I kept thinking. I'm just trying to live my life and pay my toll.
In one last valiant move to get some help, I walked back to the aforementioned office on my lunch break the next afternoon. As it so happened, a high ranking administrator happened to be there right when I was. As I explained the situation, he made a copy of my toll notice and immediately got someone on the phone.
"I can dismiss this for you," he said.
"What do I need to do?" I asked, skeptical. "Who do I need to call and follow up with?"
"Nope. Nothing," he said. "Here's my card. If you get another notice, just call me."
I left the office that day with a spring in my step and a burden off my shoulders. I was no longer going to be hounded by the toll agencies!
"See, we told you," my family said. "You shouldn't have worried."
Isn't our relationship with Christ a lot like that, sometimes? I feel like I have worried and fretted about so many things, only to realize in retrospect that God was trying to tell me, "Baby, let me take care of that for you."
Jesus told his disciples,
"Look at the birds of the air: they neither reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?" (Matthew 6:26)
Intersecting Faith and Life
When you're dealing with a frustration, no matter how small, remember that God is asking you to stop worrying and let him carry you.
Further Reading
Philippians 1:6
Matthew 5:1-12
:angel:
All Saints' Day
by Alex Crain, Editor of Christianity.com
"Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us." Hebrews 12:1, NAS
There's an old country-western song that says "Me and Jesus got our own thing going" (Tom T. Hall). And I have to admit, there's a part of me that likes that message. It's the sinful, self-absorbed part of me, but the words of that song have a dark appeal. Sometimes, I just don't want other people looking at my life. I don't want to be questioned. I want to be affirmed. But that kind of "Mind your own business. Me and Jesus got our own thing going" attitude isn't from God. He doesn't teach His children rugged individualism. He connects us to something bigger than our stand-alone, little lives. Every follower of Christ is a part of something grand and ancient. A yearly reminder of that fact is the holiday known as "All Saints Day."
Who is a saint? Well, you are, if you're a believer. The Bible says that—by God's grace, with all our blind spots, flaws, and all—God calls saints those who trust in Christ alone for salvation. Because Christ lived a perfectly obedient life and died on the cross for our sin, it's paid for and forgiven (Romans 5:1, 5:8, 8:1). We're also clothed in the righteousness of Jesus (2 Cor. 5:21). God then uses His saints with feet of clay to further His kingdom. This brings Him glory and makes His grace shine clearly.
All Saints Day dates back to about A.D. 610 when the Pantheon in Greece, turned into a Christian Church, was dedicated to all saints. The 1662 Book of Common Prayer says that the holiday stands for "the unity of Christians of all ages, countries, and races in Christ, and the perfection of that unity in heaven."
The Bible doesn't teach us to pray to the saints (Matt. 6:6), through the saints (1 Tim. 2:5) or for saints who have already gone to heaven. Instead, we remember the saints and to allow the memory of their faith spur us on to deeper worship and greater service to the Lord.
Hebrews 11 gives us examples of the great cloud of witnesses who are called so, not because they are watching us, but because they testify of God's grace to them. These saints of the past remind us:
"God is faithful."
"The Lord is good, trust always in Him."
"God's grace was sufficient for me and it will be for you too."
There's a hymn that's traditionally sung around this holiday called "For All the Saints." It encourages believers to look across 2000 years of Christian history and think of the millions now enjoying rest and salvation in the presence of God. It's also meant to provide encouragement to believers here and now to press on, looking forward to the glorious day...
"And when the strife is fierce, the warfare long,
Steals on the ear the distant triumph song,
And hearts are brave again, and arms are strong.
Alleluia, Alleluia!"
Intersecting Faith and Life
How do you tend to view your Christian life? An individual self-improvement project? Or is it a life of connection to the body of Christ?
Further Reading
Take a moment to reflect on the words of "For All the Saints." If you've never heard this great song of the faith, here are two recordings you might listen to as you reflect on the lyrics below:
Choir of York Minster, England (traditional arrangement)
Indelible Grace (contemporary arrangement, track 14)
"For All the Saints"
(Lyrics: William How; Music: Ralph Vaughan Williams)
For all the saints, who from their labors rest,
Who Thee by faith before the world confessed,
Thy Name, O Jesus, be forever blessed.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
Thou wast their Rock, their Fortress and their Might;
Thou, Lord, their Captain in the well fought fight;
Thou, in the darkness drear, their one true Light.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
For the Apostles' glorious company,
Who bearing forth the Cross o'er land and sea,
Shook all the mighty world, we sing to Thee:
Alleluia, Alleluia!
For the Evangelists, by whose blest word,
Like fourfold streams, the garden of the Lord,
Is fair and fruitful, be Thy Name adored.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
For Martyrs, who with rapture kindled eye,
Saw the bright crown descending from the sky,
And seeing, grasped it, Thee we glorify.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
O blest communion, fellowship divine!
We feebly struggle, they in glory shine;
All are one in Thee, for all are Thine.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
O may Thy soldiers, faithful, true and bold,
Fight as the saints who nobly fought of old,
And win with them the victor's crown of gold.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
And when the strife is fierce, the warfare long,
Steals on the ear the distant triumph song,
And hearts are brave, again, and arms are strong.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
The golden evening brightens in the west;
Soon, soon to faithful warriors comes their rest;
Sweet is the calm of paradise the blessed.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
But lo! there breaks a yet more glorious day;
The saints triumphant rise in bright array;
The King of glory passes on His way.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
From earth's wide bounds, from ocean's farthest coast,
Through gates of pearl streams in the countless host,
And singing to Father, Son and Holy Ghost:
Alleluia, Alleluia!
:angel:
The "Whys" of Life
by Kelly Givens, Editor at Salem Web Network
"He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." -Revelation 21:4
Towards the end of work some weeks ago, our office was informed that a few cars in our parking deck had been broken into. The vandalism and robberies had been contained to Level 2—the level I had parked my car. Thankfully, my car had been left untouched. The SUV directly across from me, however, hadn't fared so well- the shattered glass on the ground evidenced the vandals' quick and effective work. As I began my drive home I prayed God would give the owners of the busted up cars a measure of his peace, mercy and patience.
Nearing my exit, I noticed cars slowing down, and around the bend in the road I saw why. A cop was getting out of his car; he had been called for a minor fender bender and traffic was slowing to accommodate. I inched past, glancing at the guy in truck that had been hit. He had his head in his hand and was looking up at the sky in exasperation. You could tell he was thinking, "I can't believe this happened. Why me?! What did I do to deserve this?!" I thought back to the owners of the cars in the parking deck, knowing they would be asking those same questions when they discovered their vehicles had been broken into.
The "whys" of life point us to a story larger than our own. When we ask why bad things happen, we're acknowledging that the way life is right now is not how it ought to be. Why is that significant? It's significant because, in a world which wants us to believe we were created at random and have lived on through survival of the fittest or just good luck, our souls actually cry out against randomness and unjust advantage. We crave order, justice, and mercy, and we feel angry and sad when a seemingly arbitrary, awful thing in life happens. There's a disconnect between what we believe should happen and what really does happen. I find it interesting that my friends who believe in a random, chance creation still feel indignant when apparently random, chance events work against their lives. Their heads may believe one thing, but their hearts believe something else. As Christians, our heads and hearts are more aligned.
At the beginning of Creation, we're told "God saw all he had made, and it was very good" (Gen. 1:31). You were created to live in a perfect world, where the question of why bad things happen was never supposed to exist. But then man sinned and the world was corrupted (Gen. 3: 6-7). Adam and Eve immediately recognized sin for what it was, and in their guilt hid from God (Gen. 3:10). In the same way, we recognize evil as evil because it goes against the very nature of our intended existence. We cry out against suffering because we were never meant to suffer. We get overwhelming distraught over death because no one was ever supposed to die. As believers, we can take encouragement from this gut reaction to pain and suffering. It reminds us we were created for a world absent of these things, and we can look forward to the day when Jesus comes back and takes away our tears and frustrations. We will never utter "Why me?" again. Everything good that can be, will be. Everything evil will be undone. That is such good news; it fills me with joy and hope to think on it.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Are you experiencing seemingly random suffering and sorrow in your life? Cling to the comforting truth of your faith - all suffering is temporary, it is not random, and Jesus is coming soon to restore this world and everything in it - including you - to perfection.
Further Reading:
Isaiah 25: 6-9
Romans 8: 18-39
:angel:
Engraved in His Hand
by Fred Alberti, Salem Web Network Director of Social Media
"Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands..."
Isaiah 49:15-16
Sometimes we find ourselves in harsh circumstances. We feel isolated from the Lord and begin to ask ourselves, "Is He really there? Has He forgotten me?" Today's passage is a stark reminder that there is no way our Lord will forget us or forsake us.
Being the father of six children I have been blessed to witness the beautiful scene of a mother feeding her baby. I've seen both mother and child relax and share that bond that comes through breastfeeding. It is that beautiful analogy that is drawn in Isaiah. A mother does not forget the child she is nursing, she and the baby are in a deep bond that is difficult to be ignored. Likewise, our Father in heaven is in no way going to forget His love for us. But even if a mother were to forget, the Lord proclaims that even if a mother were to forget, He never will.
Dear child of God, you will never be forgotten!
In the midst of losing your house to foreclosure, you will not be forgotten.
When worrying how you are going to deal with the high gas prices, you will not be forgotten.
When struggling to budget the grocery bill, you will not be forgotten.
God will never forget you.
Why not?
This brings us to the second half of our passage.
"See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands..."
As we were reading this in church one Sunday my wife was quick to point out an interesting observation. She felt, and I agree, that this was a messianic prophecy.
Our names were written into the palms that would bear the nails that hung our Lord on the cross at Calvary.
Your name, my name, and that of every other believer in Christ Jesus has had our names engraved by the nails that bore our Lord to a cruel tree.
You will not be forgotten because He loves you so much that He was willing to die for you. 1 Cor. 6:20 says, "...you were bought at a price."
That price was paid on a cross between two thieves.
That price was endured until the last breath when Jesus said, "It is finished."
With that proclamation, let's turn to 2 Cor. 1:8-11 which says this:
"... We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers."
Friend, it is our hardships which cause us to turn and rely on God. Set your hope on Him and pray for those who are in distress.
He has engraved you on His hand and He will deliver.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Do a study of the different names of the Lord and write each name on the palm of your hand. As you go throughout the day take time to pray for those who are in distress. See someone in a grocery store with a stern look? Pray for that person. See another person standing at the pumps with a furrowed brow? Pray for that person. Pray for them as the recipients in Paul's letter prayed for him.
Further Reading
On the Bottom Looking Up
He Is Our Joy!
Never Unloved
:angel:
Living With Need
Ryan Duncan
"Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. – Matthew 6:34
It all began with an enormous doctor's bill. Over the past few months I had been trying to do a better job at budgeting my finances. This had never been one of my strong points, but slowly, surely, I felt like I was starting to make progress toward becoming a true, independent adult. Then the doctor's bill came. Aside from putting a huge dent in my finances, what made things even more frustrating was that I began to recall the appointment in question.
The doctor had been almost two hours late and had left me waiting in one of those small service rooms, convinced I'd die of old age before he arrived. After that, there had been the tetanus shot that left my arm feeling stiff and sore for the rest of the day. Now I was looking down at a small piece of paper that told me I was expected to pay a ridiculous sum of money for the inconvenience of both. I decided the first thing to do was pray and ask God to help me with my finances. Once I had finished, I began flipping through my Bible for some sense of assurance.
I finally landed on this verse in Philippians,
I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble. – Philippians 4:10-14
This was not the answer I had hoped for. No one likes being told to tighten their belt, and as I began cleaning up my apartment I couldn't help feeling a little annoyed at God. Midway through my work, I realized I had just enough food in my pantry, my rent was paid, and my car hadn't died on me yet. So maybe I'd have to eat leftovers for a few meals or spend an evening reading instead of going out, so maybe I was living with a little bit of "need;" I had a lot more than most did.
Sometimes it's easy to overlook the ways God has blessed our lives. We worry about what we don't have, instead of looking around and acknowledging what God has already provided. So when times of need start to make you worry, remember that God will always provide, though not always in the way you might expect.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Count your blessings. There's almost surely more of them than it may seem at first.
Further Reading
Philippians 4:4-7
:angel:
Ambition
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands.
1 Thessalonians 4:11
Quaint, right?
Be honest; read today's verse and then try telling your children that such is all they should aspire to; that, essentially, unheralded blue collar work should be their ambition. Aim high? Sounds more like settling for anonymity.
What could Paul be getting at? Sure there are times we all grow tired of the rat race and perhaps dream about a scenario where we forsake the city and a high-pressure job for a more pastoral setting, crafting furniture and knick-knacks, living in harmony. Is that what this verse is getting at?
Let's look deeper.
The Greek word philotim means to labor, endeavor, strive, study to become. It is used in three places in the New Testament. The first is quoted above, regarding ambition, which sounds not much like what we typically imagine when we think of things to be ambitious about.
Another place the word appears is Romans 15:20, where Paul writes, "And thus I aspired to preach the gospel..."
In 2 Corinthians 5:9 we read, "We have as our ambition... to be pleasing to Him."
Contrast these goals with the first defitinion under "ambition" on Dictionary.com:
1. an earnest desire for some type of achievement or distinction, as power, honor, fame, or wealth, and the willingness to strive for its attainment.
I thought so. The more I study, the more I philotim to know God, the more I understand how different the Word and the world really are. Perhaps folks who live in other parts of the globe are less shocked to learn such lessons. For me, born, raised, working, and raising children in these United States, the lesson is always one of dichotomy, paradox, and sadly wondering if I'm handicapped beyond repair from truly following.
One of my bosses is fond of saying that in business, it's crucial to determine early on whether a person you are dealing with is a "make me rich" or a "make me famous" person. Everyone, the story goes, is either one or the other at heart. And truly, according to the world's definition of ambition, that makes sense. We all have something we want that drives us.
Lately I've been wondering a lot at where this has gotten me. Everything I have done, accomplished, purposed, learned, studied (i.e. "philotim-ed") in life has led to... what, exactly? What goal? When I pray that the Lord would make my life useful and provide for me and let me know His will and keep me safe it's all so... what? So I can watch my TV programs every night without acid in my stomach and with an easy feeling in my chest? As opposed to having to really live by faith?
Today I read this quote by the English poet Samuel Johnson: "To be happy at home is the ultimate result of all ambition." Instantly my face fell. I knew that feeling all too well. All my aspirations only lead to the place of comfort, happiness, the path of least resistance. What's wrong with that? It quickly becomes a place that feels too far from God, too self-centered, too out of the loop, too far removed to be making a real difference.
So what then is the ambition of the Christ-follower?
Lead a quiet life
Attend to your own business
Work with your hands
Preach the gospel
Be pleasing to Him
In other words, don't stress yourself with fame, or getting and spending, always climbing, making more more more. Don't bother with being a busy-body or a gossip. Be creative; let God work through you. Tell others about Him. And live by faith.
It's so simple, almost too simple. Ambition isn't something far out there, some unabashed worldly success beyond our dreams, though that's where God may take us. It all goes back to the very reason God made man in the first place - to have someone to know Him.
And there's just not anything quaint about that.
Intersecting Faith & Life: The bulleted points above might sound too easy, too simple. And they can be. But when was the last time you made any or all of these your ambition? Pick one and practice it today, perhaps preaching the gospel to someone, perhaps seeking God's pleasure more than your own in any decisions you make.
Further Reading
What Motivates You?
Romans 15:20
2 Corinthians 5:9
:angel:
"Leaning on the Everlasting Arms"
by Debbie Wright, Assistant Editor, Crosswalk.com
Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about what happens to you (1 Peter 5:7).
Three days ago I voted my choice for president of the United States. Thankfully it was not a big ordeal; I stopped by my local elementary school after work and only had to wait in line for a few minutes. As I walked out of the building into the chilly air, I felt an enormous weight lifting off my shoulders. It would all be settled soon. The nasty TV commercials will cease, the Facebook debates will slowly wane, and everyone can just resume business as usual. My own home and family hadn't escaped the craziness of election season either. There had been many discussions and debates between my family members about policies, candidates, and the like. And I was ready for it all to end.
As I pulled into my driveway, I heard music and saw the front window glowing with light. Opening the door I saw my father inspiringly tickling the keys of our piano while my fiancé played along on guitar. They were singing the hymn "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms." Nothing could have been a better welcome home than the warmth of the house and the sweet melodies pouring forth from my two favorite gentlemen.
It made me think, "We're all going to be okay!" The lyrics to that old song perfectly encapsulate my post-election sentiments.
What a fellowship, what a joy divine,
Leaning on the everlasting arms;
What a blessedness, what a peace is mine,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.
Isn't it awesome to know that we have a Father reaching down his gracious arms to hold us? We have sweet fellowship with a Creator and Friend who longs to give us peace, if only we'll cast our cares on him and trust in him for provision.
Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms
Leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms.
Let us take some time and revel in the comfort of Christian fellowship and Scripture and prayer, knowing that the challenges of each new day could never overcome God's strength. After all...
What have I to dread, what have I to fear,
Leaning on the everlasting arms?
I have blessed peace with my Lord so near,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Are you hanging onto worry or bitterness in your life? Trying singing "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms." Really think about each word.
Further Reading
Psalm 146:3
John 15: 4-12
:angel:
Inoculated with Faith/Hope/Love
by Shawn McEvoy, Managing Editor, Crosswalk.com
So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love (1 Cor. 13:13).
On the Wednesday morning following the 2012 presidential election, I found myself musing peacefully about what's important in life. I was finding out, through realizing how little the outcome affected me, how little stock I'd had in the result personally. I was neither dancing in the streets nor cursing the fates. How was that? Apathy? Ignorance? Internal focus? Eternal security? Just a really easy morning sending the kids off to school?
Then it hit me. It was the theological virtues. I began to compose what became a Facebook status:
"...I do find Faith and Hope such interesting concepts. They're so powerful. They allow so many to get on with their lives. They inform our decisions and give us empathy for others. They point us towards purpose, toward wrongs to be righted and away from what would harm us. They seem to be in short supply sometimes, even among those who proclaim them while venting frustrations and fears they'd not utter to your face, but they shine brightest in tough times if you let them. And they're most famously tied to Love. They are still here this day, even if it doesn't sound like it, for they are the virtues that 'abide.'
"So I ask regardless of political persuasion: Do you have Faith to loan to the one today who has lost his, or placed it in something temporal and disappointing? Can you spare Hope for one who doesn't understand that Despair is the only place hope functions?
"These virtues are superior inoculations against whatever goes on around us, the very infusions that make possible a mission of bringing joy, mercy and laughter into the world every day, that elevate 'I can endure all things' above a mere platitude. They task one with a job that'll get you up in the morning, any morning. They bring to our eyes opportunity: chances for justice and charity, and the exercise of freedom. And, good news for me, Faith-Hope-Love is beautifying, for I can think of none who ever saw the application of these virtues - call it Grace - in action and said, 'Ugly.'"
It wasn't long before I was tasked with the charge I had just set before others. A forlorn friend messaged me.
"I honestly need prayer. I am sincerely requesting it. I do not feel love, I do not feel any desire to "get past it and heal and show love more now than ever." ...I am disheartened to the point of despair. ...I don't want to feel this way but I do. And it's been getting worse all day. Please pray for me. ...Considering your FB post earlier, I came to you with my request because I thought that at the least you'd understand."
After a moment of prayer I responded:
"I have already been praying for you ever since waking early and noting that you were 'heart sick.' It can start to feel like a lonely place but you are not alone. I won't try to talk you off the ledge politically because the timing's not right and there's no point in anyone else's opinion when what's killing you and eating at you so bad is how 'uninformed and wrong' all the opinions out there seem to you. I only hope you can get to the bottom of why it gets to you so bad.
"In microcosm, it reminds me of a HORRIBLE flight to Newark I shared with two of my co-workers back in April. I was convinced that nasty flight was going down. I even posted ugly things about it publicly. I was SO MAD that while I was holding on for dear life while the plane bounced (yes, bounced!) around the sky, none of the other passengers seemed to mind. At least not much. I wanted to scream, 'Come on, people! This isn't right! Why did they put us on this plane in these conditions, and why are you taking this jostling?'
"On the other hand, my friend [and Christianity.com editor] Alex really couldn't understand why I would fret at all. After all, what is the worst that can happen to the believer? Death has no victory, so it's not that. And fear? What is fear except that from which we've already been delivered (death, sin, destruction, loss)? And sovereignty - what does my angry fretting reveal about what I believe about the nature of God?
"Hey, I think it's quite possible, biblically speaking, and regardless of the results of this particular vote, that things will happen in this country that are 'undesirable.' But I also know that through them and despite them I will cherish every moment with my family, try not to hold too tightly to anything eaten by moth or rust, and look for opportunities to help, and to live out my faith, purpose, and morality individually.
"I have no doubt you will be out of this slump at some point. But it may take a while. I daresay you may even want to talk to a counselor about it (I say this as someone who's done it).
"In the meantime, the simplest (yes, I know that can mean 'most naive') thing is to consider experience a good teacher. Nothing yet political, economic or electorial has befallen you or this country that killed either of you. In your 40 years, you have amassed great blessings; do not forget them, or cling too tightly out of fear of losing small portions of them. If you could erase everything in your mind and wake up today to discover the life you have, would your sky be nearly so dark right now?
"Rejoice! Get out of town. Go for a drive in the country with the top down. Go ahead, tell God he'd better know what he's doing allowing for the kings and counselors of the earth which he has ordained. And then leave it alone for a while. Go the indirect route. Study/read/pray about something else. Help someone else, even by just sending a note or letter to someone you know.
"These are the things that help me when I'm down, when I start hating my own people.
"Speaking of which, I sent friend requests to both ______ and ______ today. I figure it's time I stopped damming what would flow from my own heart. So please let me encourage you not to start. Much love!"
Intersecting Faith and Life: These words helped my friend, a little. This letter gave me a chance to be the hope to one person I'd challenged others to be. This day of lost faith for some became an opportunity for so many others to talk about theirs. And you know what? Today is no different. The same needs and chances are there. Apply the theological virtues with Grace in a specific way (a mere note, gift, hand-on-shoulder can suffice) before you go to bed.
Further Reading
Philippians 1:21-25
Philippians 4:13
My Day at the Beach That Wasn't Any Such Thing
The Thrill of Hope
:angel:
Scripture to Comfort
by Meghan Kleppinger
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Matthew 5:4, NAS
If you have ever suffered a broken relationship and/or heart, the loss of a loved one, or any number of other devastations, than you know about "that" pain.
It's that pain that originates in the bottom of your stomach and initially feels like a big numb ball. Later it develops into a raw gnawing that can only be equated to burning stabs of fire. It makes it way up through the intestines and finally settles in the throat, choking out all attempted spoken words and creating such an excruciating sensation that tears are sure to follow.
Like any other person who has spent more than a few days on this planet, I know "that" pain well. It comes quickly and when it does, it's difficult to believe that it will ever go away. It brings about sorrow, grief, and as it eventually begins to fade away, it brings guilt.
This has been a tough year for my family. We've lost friends and recently, just a few short weeks ago, my grandfather. I know I'm not an anomaly and that people all over the world are suffering a similar pain, so as I began to pray about what I should write about for this week, I started thinking about what has really been helpful for me during these times.
Friends and family have been great, but most of all, scripture has been comforting me. My hope is that the scripture I share with you will be beneficial to you as you grieve or that you can use it to minister to others who are suffering.
"Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful." (John 14:27)
"And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us." (Romans 5:5)
"The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed n spirit." (Psalm 34:18)
"The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever." (1 John 2:17)
"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." (Psalm 147:3)
"And He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away." (Revelation 21:4)
And finally...
"For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words." (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)
Intersecting Faith & Life: Go to the Word of God for comfort. In the words of Matthew Henry, ""The Word of God gives us great help in attaining the peace we need. It is living, very lively and active in seizing the conscience of the sinner, in cutting him to the heart, and in comforting him and binding up the wounds of the soul. It is powerful. It convinces powerfully, converts powerfully, and comforts powerfully.""
Further Reading
Revelation 21:3-5
Why Does God Comfort Those Who Mourn?
Learning True Comfort
:angel:
Go Away, Lord!
John UpChurch, Senior Editor of BibleStudyTools.com
But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord." (Luke 5:8)
And I said: "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!" (Isaiah 6:5)
And [Adam] said, "I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself." (Genesis 3:10)
Here's the truth. There have been times in my life when I've wanted God to just go away. Now, don't act shocked. I'm no different than Peter ... or Isaiah before him ... or Adam and Eve before him. Like all of those God-dodgers, I've been exposed, naked before my Creator, and I don't like it.
The reason why is simple: being exposed means seeing my dirt. I look down and suddenly God's showing me what I really look like. There's narcissism splattered on my chest, little white lies running down my arms, and impurity gunking up my legs. I'm tangled and tattered, twisted and torn. And all of this because God's pure awesomeness shines right through the things I've put up to cover all that.
He's not fooled.
So, I do exactly what most of us do ... if we're honest with ourselves. Instead of asking Him to draw closer and peel off the layers of grime, I try to block out the light and withdraw. You see, that whole draw-close-to-me-and-I'll-draw-close-to-you thing works. Maybe it works too well. Because when it works, God does more than just hang out. He points out. He speaks out. He makes us miserable about the sin we hide or ignore.
It's no wonder Isaiah cried out in anguish when He saw God and God saw him. His filthy mouth couldn't be ignored anymore. And it's no wonder Peter asked Jesus to go away. His lifestyle could no longer be justified with deity in his boat. And Adam and Eve? Well, they had nothing left to hide behind. They knew they were caught.
I love that the Bible doesn't try to prettify these flawed people. God's Word lays it out there with all the grit and grime intact. I love that because it makes Scripture seem immediate, in my face. I can't pretend that my flaws are nothing to worry about when God makes sure I see theirs. In all their cowardly glory. Just like mine.
So, what's God's response to all this ... to my hiding, to my wanting Him to go away? Really, it boils down to this: "Get some courage, man; I've got work for you to do." Or, if you want to be technical, here's what Jesus said to the cowering Peter: "Don't be afraid; from now on you'll catch men."
I'm flawed; I'm fickle. Sometimes, I just want God to leave me alone to wallow in my filth. But He's not so easily put off. Just like with Peter, He stands me up and sends me on my way. My humanness doesn't keep Him from using me to share His good news—scars, bruises, and all. Even if sometimes I'd rather He not shine so much light on them.
Intersecting Faith and Life
It's always easier to tell the Lord to back off or to push Him away than to let His grace break us. And, make no mistake, that's really what we need. We need to see ourselves like He sees us, to be overwhelmed by the holiness of it all. It's then that we end up face down in the dirt in the sight of a perfect and perfecting God.
It's then that He begins the painful, lifelong process of getting us where we need to be.
Further Reading:
Luke 5
Malachi 3
:angel:
Living Water
by Kelly Givens, Editor
Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring welling up to eternal life." – John 4:13-14
If you've visited Washington D.C. in the past few years, you might have noticed a lot of construction going on at the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool. It was no sight worth seeing - all that was there was dry concrete and construction cones. But after nearly two years and $34 million worth of renovation, the pool was finally filled and ready to be enjoyed by tourists once again. Unfortunately, less than a month after reopening, the pool was no longer reflecting. Instead, it was full of algae. Visitors have described it as similar to "split pea soup." Disgusting! You would never know all the money and time that went into renovating it.
I can't help but see a similarity between the reflecting pool and our own hearts. We so often put on our "Sunday best," attended every church function, volunteer and do ministry in order to fix ourselves and mask our sin problems, but no matter what we do, eventually our algae-like sin comes back.
Algae can grow easily in the reflecting pool because it is shallow and small. Likewise, sin keeps growing when we draw from our own shallow and small resources to fix ourselves up. But the resources Jesus has to offer are better than ours - when we let him fix us, we are drawing from deep, pure water brimming with eternal life.
Jesus says that when we drink of the water he gives, that it becomes in us "a spring welling up to eternal life." What does that mean? I imagine it's like God going to the reflecting pool in D.C. and carving out a pool so deep, vast and pure that no algae could ever form. It's nothing man could ever make, but the solution is permanent and beautiful.
Without Christ, we're incapable of changing. We can buy all the self-help books, practice all the latest "live your best life" tricks and tips and do every good Christian thing there is to do, but if we are drawing on our own abilities instead of God's, we will never stop growing sin. Thankfully, Christ has offered us a solution that will be killing the sin in us. It's himself - the spring of eternal life.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Reflect on your past week - how often have you tried to cover up or fix your sin by putting on a smile and doing a lot of good deeds? Remember, it's not about what you do; it's about what Christ has done. We can never do enough renovations on our lives to fix our sin, and that's okay, because through Jesus our sins are pardoned and we're invited to drink his water of eternal life.
Further Reading: John 3:16, Romans 6:23, 1 Timothy 1:15-16
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Thanksgiving: For Richer or Poorer
by Shawn McEvoy, Managing Editor, Crosswalk.com
"Christians who are poor should be glad, for God has honored them." James 1:9
The rich eat ham,
The poor eat tuna.
Doesn't take as long to cook,
So we eat soona.
--Jay Henze
The words of that heretofore unknown poem were uttered by my lifelong best friend sometime around our senior year of high school. He conjured it out of thin air while I was spending the night at his house. It was the result of one of those "I'm so tired I'm laughing at anything" sessions you'd often experience with close friends around midnight.
It was also the result of Jay's enduring awareness of the socio-economic differences between himself and many of his friends, like me, from the affluent north side of town. So whenever I think of ham, tuna, or Jay, I often think of richness and poorness as well.
Recently, thanks to a fantastic tour around the Missionary Learning Center, I was thinking about missions and outreach. It struck me as interesting that whenever a mission of mercy or evangelism is commissioned, it tends to be to an area where there is a high concentration of poverty, whether it's to India, Mexico, or inner-city Philadelphia. Well, yes, as it should be.
After all, Christ commanded us, if we loved Him, to tend to His lambs (John 21:15-17). James 2:15-16 admonishes us not to ignore those in need of food or clothing. Paul and the Apostles started churches among those who were poor (Acts 9:36; 10:4). Poverty was crippling in the time of Christ and so it continues to be now. The very fact that Jay had a roof over his head and the fish he despised came in a can rather than him having to catch it made him one of the wealthiest persons on the planet. So the holidays are certainly a time to think about - nay, physically assist - those less fortunate than ourselves (2 Corinthians 9:9).
Then again, are we missing something?
Consider James 1:9 - "Christians who are poor should be glad, for God has honored them." There are lots of ways to be poor, and Jesus told us they brought about blessing in the long run (Matthew 5:3-12). Those poor in spirit will inherit the kingdom of heaven. Those mourning loved ones will be comforted. Those who make peace rather than seeking their own profit will be called sons of God, Who chose the poor of this world to be rich in faith (James 2:5). 2 Corinthians 6:10 states: "Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything."
And what about the rich?
That's the hard part, literally. Jesus said it's very difficult for the wealthy to enter the kingdom of heaven. Those who love their life too much find it hard to lose it. James reminds us it's the rich who "oppress us and drag us into court, blaspheming the fair name by which we've been called (James 2:6-7)." The word "miserable" has at its root the word "miser." The love of money isn't just the source of evil, but also of depression and dissatisfaction.
So... doesn't that mean that the rich have just as many spiritual needs, if not more, than the poor? Who will go to them? Who will train them in the joy of giving their money away and not living by comparison to others? What mission trips are planned?
I contend that untold legions of us are making such a trip this very month, back home to our families and friends, where a big ham might fill the center of the table, people will put on their fineries, and a lot of the talk will focus on the daily drudgeries of keeping our precious lives in working order to cover up the hole that's getting bigger in the soul.
We might spend a few minutes at the table saying how we're thankful we're not like others, or that we have our health, or that our family is with us - before we stuff ourselves, stare blankly at the Dallas Cowboys or Detroit Lions to avoid looking at each other, or fall asleep. Of course, you probably know someone for whom Thanksgiving is an unwelcome chore, a painful experience of dodging rejection, annoyance, questions of future or romance, and Uncle Jimbo.
Or, if you're truly rich, as I am for marrying into a godly family, there will be genuine thanks, true giving, heartfelt prayers, and corporate worship.
Whatever the case in your gathering, let me encourage you to take the love of Christ with you and accept the difficult challenge of bringing it to the wealthy this Thanksgiving. Jesus said a camel fitting through a needle's-eye was difficult, not impossible (thank goodness for most of us).
Intersecting Faith & Life: While you're together, try to figure out a way your clan can come together to do something for the impoverished among us. Without that outpouring, the warm comfort of wealth can grow stale and dry. Meanwhile, the next time you think on the cloud of poverty and those who suffer at its chill, remember that, at least in the biblical view, it carries a silver lining of comfort, inheritance, peace, and, I suppose, eating soona. And if those elements are present at your table, then you have a cornucopia indeed.
Further Reading
1 Timothy 6:6-11
Matthew 5
Make Your Life Rich without Money
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Abounding in Thanksgiving in a World of Grumbling
by Mike Pohlman
Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
Colossians 2:6-7
My family and I just completed our first full week in our new home in Richmond, Virginia after leaving Los Angeles to begin my new job as editor of Christianity.com. And if I'm honest I cannot say I've been "abounding in thanksgiving" over the last several days. No. In fact, "abounding in grumbling" may be the more accurate phrase to describe my disposition of late. I've grumbled about the weather, traffic, leaves, the movers and a myriad of other things petty and not-so-petty. None of this grumbling, however, has been constructive or justified. And, most importantly, it's been sinful.
To help combat this steady bombardment of grumbling I corralled our children the other night for a family time of thanksgiving. You've probably practiced this exercise many times as well: go from person-to-person and highlight things you're thankful for (it's tough to grumble when you pause to consider the many blessings in your life).
It took my nine-year-old Samuel some time to get warmed up, but eventually he offered a short list of things he's thankful for, including our new church. Anna was next. What would our seven-year-old daughter express gratitude for? Her new neighbor friends across the street and the Bible. Good stuff. Finally it was John's turn. He echoed his big brother on some things and agreed with Anna that the neighbors are great, and then with the zeal of most six-year-old boys who love sports, Johnny thanked God for his new basketball hoop out front (and proceeded to remind me of how he beat me in "21" over the weekend, 21 to 17). As Julia left to put our newborn down for the night, I shared with the kids several things I was thankful for. But it wasn't until the next day that I realized the inadequacy of my list.
While I voiced gratitude for God generally, I failed to highlight specific attributes of God that, when I consider them, cause me to "abound in thanksgiving." Driving to work the next morning I found myself asking, "What is it about God that I am most grateful for?"
The one attribute of God that flooded my heart and mind was His providence—the fact that He orchestrates everything in my life for His glory and my good. It's the promise of Romans 8:28: "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers."
In his helpful book, Respectable Sins: Confronting the Sins We Tolerate, Jerry Bridges applies Romans 8:28 to the sin of ingratitude. He counsels: "The meaning is that God causes all things to work together for good; for 'things'—that is, circumstances—do not work together for good themselves. Rather, God directs the outcome of those circumstances for our good." And what is the "good" God is working? Christlikeness. Indeed, all of our circumstances God uses as a means of our sanctification. I began to abound in thanksgiving as I visualized God as the great conductor over my circumstances, using them as an instrument for my growth in grace.
This Thanksgiving holiday I want me and my family to be "abounding in thanksgiving." And for this to happen I know being thankful for God in a merely general sense will not suffice. We need to meditate on some particular glories of our great God—not least of which is His sweet providence over our lives. For this I am most grateful.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Take a moment this Thanksgiving and ask yourself, "What specific attribute of God am I grateful for?" Perhaps you'll recall His love or mercy or grace or forgiveness or patience or wrath or providence. Challenge your mind to meditate on, and prayerfully consider, some particular glory of God as a means of abounding in thanksgiving
Further Reading
Respectable Sins: Confronting the Sins We Tolerate, Jerry Bridges
Knowing God, J.I. Packer
"But God," Katherine Britton
Psalm 63:3
Lamentations 3:22
Colossians 2:13-15
Ephesians 5:20
1 Thessalonians 5:18
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What Does God Love?
by Debbie Wright, Assistant Editor, Crosswalk.com
I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever. For great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths of the grave (Psalm 86:12-13).
There is a very famous passage in Proverbs detailing what God hates. Indeed, throughout the Bible God never shows reluctance to speak against behaviors he finds detestable. This should come as no surprise to us, being that he is holy and man has amassed a large amount of sinful tendencies since he first came into the world.
But what does God love? While avoiding the "bad" list – is there a "good" list toward which we can be working? Let's dissect Proverbs 6:16-19 to discern the things which God loves.
God hates "haughty eyes."
Therefore, God loves eyes which gaze with humility. Not a false or broken humility of despising oneself, but a genuine, Christ-like choice to serve others, not draw undue attention to oneself, and treat others with great honor and respect.
God hates "a lying tongue."
Therefore, God loves a tongue which speaks truth. Note that this does not say a brash tongue, or a loud tongue, or a tongue which speaks its opinion at any and every possible moment. Rather, he loves a tongue which, when it does speak, values honesty and artlessness.
God hates "hands that shed innocent blood."
Therefore, God loves hands which protect the innocent. Throughout Scripture, God's compassion for the defenseless and the innocent is clear. He commends his children (in both the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Covenant) to protect the defenseless (Psalm 82:3-4), welcome the alien (Matthew 25:35), care for the widow (James 1:27), defend the orphan (Deut. 24:17), and mourn with those who are mourning (Romans 12:15). We are to be peaceful citizens, not bloodthirsty citizens, and our hands should therefore strive to protect innocence.
God hates "a heart that devises wicked plans."
Therefore, God loves a heart which devises good and righteous plans. God loves our desires to serve, our desires to help, our desires to minister. When our hearts long to carry out God's plans for goodness, righteousness, and peace, it delights him.
God hates "feet that run rapidly to evil."
Therefore, God loves feet which run rapidly to goodness. Our feet carry enormous power. Where we choose to walk can truly define who we are as a person. Will we choose to walk away from a fruitless argument, or remain in an attempt to stubbornly prove a point? Will we choose to chase after those whom we have wronged, falling at their feet with love and humility? Will we let our feet wander to where the Spirit leads us, or will our feet guide us to our own selfish desires?
God hates "a false witness who utters lies."
Therefore, God loves a trustworthy witness who speaks the truth. When we are beacons of integrity, truth, and honor, God rejoices. In any situation, a witness is charged to faithfully report what happened to the best of his ability. The greatest witness we can be is a faithful witness of God's redeeming work in our lives. Will we stand boldly and speak the truth of God to the world? Are we living our lives as false witnesses, or trustworthy witnesses?
God hates "one who spreads strife among brothers."
Therefore, God loves one who spreads peace among his brothers. It is really only possible to spread peace or strife. Every word we speak contributes one of those two attitudes to our relationships. And God loves those who value peace over 1) proving a point, 2) being heard, or 3) manipulating situations. With one word at a time, God wants us to change our attitude and sow seeds of peace in our relationships.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Pick one thing that God loves and work to implement more of it into your daily life.
Further Reading
Leviticus 19:18
Micah 6:8
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A Thankful Tomorrow
Ryan Duncan, Editor, TheFish.com
"How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you, which you bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in you." – Psalm 31:19
I've always really enjoyed Thanksgiving. Sure, the family can be pretty crazy at times, and I usually end up on dish duty after the meal, but Thanksgiving has always been a time for me to stop and realize how blessed I am. Friends, family, a warm meal, there are many simple things in this life that are easy to take for granted, so it's good to have a day that reminds us to be thankful for all God has given us. The problem is that's usually how long it lasts, a day. After the food has been eaten and prayers have been said, many people wake up the next morning and jump head first into the madness of Black Friday.
I can only remember shopping twice on Black Friday, and I regretted it both times. It's complete chaos, with people running, screaming, and sometimes even fighting each other over things they want to buy. I've never had any crazy experiences myself, but my brother-in-law remembers a particularly strange incident that happened while he was in college. One year, while he and my sister were still dating, he drove up to visit her on the Friday after Thanksgiving. He had left his house at 3am with hopes of avoiding the holiday rush and was making good time on the freeway when suddenly, out of nowhere, a long line of traffic appeared in the distance.
At first he thought there had been an accident, but as he got closer he realized that the stalled traffic was due to cars making complete stops on the freeway so their passengers could get out, jump the guard rails, and climb a small hill to a nearby outlet mall. It's ironic, and a little sad, that a day which celebrates American greed happens after the holiday about being thankful. At times like these, it's important that as Christians realize we cannot live Christ-centered lives when we leapfrog between God and possessions.
"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money." (Matthew 6:24)
So don't throw out your thankfulness with the evening leftovers, but hold onto it as the Advent season begins. Remember the blessings Christ has given us and use them to prepare yourself for Christmas, when we celebrate the birth of Christ, the greatest gift of all.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Don't let the crazy shopping season distract you from what's really important.
Further Reading
1 Timothy 4:4
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When God Whispered
by Fred Alberti, Director of Social Media, Salem Web Network
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:16-17
My four year old son had to learn 2 Timothy 3:16 for AWANA. One of the leaders was concerned and stated that there was just no way the children could grasp the idea of Scripture being "God-breathed." So we decided to ask my son to explain what "God-breathed" meant.
You know I think we are sometimes too quick to underestimate a child's ability to understand the truths of the Bible. We are so quick to dismiss their abilities yet this is what Jesus had to say in Matthew 11:25, "At that time Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children."
Jesus knew what children could understand.
I recently was walking through a nature trail. The leaves rustled underfoot and the sun shone out over the lake next to the trail inviting me to stop and reflect on God's glory. I found a bench and while I sat there I heard the breeze whispering through the tops of the trees. Just a slight hushed sound and my thoughts. That's when I pondered on my son's words.
What did my son say?
He said, "Well, God-breathed means that..." and here he lowered his voice, "God whispered it."
Wow... God whispered His Word.
Peter said, "...you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:20-21).
Our Bible isn't just some compilation of stories. It is the very Word of God whispered into the hearts and minds of men who were selected to be his special vessels to communicate His good news.
How about you?
Have you, like Elijah, heard the "still small voice" of the Lord bringing you comfort, encouragement, and guidance?
If not, maybe you need to spend some time to just be still and maybe in His time you'll hear His whisper in your heart too.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Go for a walk in a park or through a quiet museum and find a quiet place where you can be still before the Lord.
Further Reading
1 Kings 19:9-18
Hebrews 4:11-13
Inward Stillness
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A Letter to Josh
John UpChurch, Senior Editor of BibleStudyTools.com
Dear Josh,
Giving advice always seems such a dangerous task, balanced between two equally foreboding chasms: impersonal aphorisms that do little to instruct on the one hand and, on the other, a fruitless attempt to reach into your future based upon my past. After all, you already have the best book of instruction on all matters, a book you've already read countless times. How could I really add to that?
But since I've learned quite a bit vicariously from stories other people have shared of their own mistakes, I hope I can do the same for you. In other words, I hope that I messed up so you don't have to. As always, lay down the prayer as you consider these thoughts. Seek God for true wisdom because He's got the monopoly on that. I'm just trying to pick up the scraps.
First, beware the gradual loss of your joy and wonder. Attacks on our faith rarely come as a frontal assault—more often they grow like ivy, slowly covering our defenses and blocking out the light. Day by day, the joy you've known slips away, and bitterness fills the cracks. Make it a habit to praise God for something new each day. It's much harder to lose your joy when you're looking for reasons to be joyful.
Second, lead by serving those who follow you. This became a cliché in the church because it's true. We lead others best when we serve them and do the things no one else wants to do. Jesus came as a missionary to our world and served the sick, dying, and hungry. He cleaned nasty feet, touched lepers, and made mud pies to heal a blind man. He didn't have to. He didn't need to. He wanted to. Joyfully serve and show others what loving people with reckless abandon means. (Did you notice I put that joy thing in here again?)
Third, don't be surprised by sin. Sin isn't a popular term. It's not politically correct, and many people prefer to act like sin is just a social program away from being irradiated. But sin will smack you in the face from time to time—both your own shameful failures and the failures of others. When that happens, you may be tempted to be discouraged. Don't be. God knows our sinful nature and loves us until we're clean. That's what really matters.
Fourth, remember your calling no matter what happens. You may already know or suspect God's call for you. Keep that calling in mind. After all, there's a reason Paul had to remind Timothy of his calling—it's easy to question when times are difficult. Go where God calls. Go scared if you have to (and you may), but go.
Fifth, God's not finished with us yet. Sometimes news stories about war and death may make you think that God's finished with humanity. Web articles may make you feel like you're the only one left who hasn't bowed to Baal. And TV shows and movies may make you wonder how things could get so bad. But God's not finished with us. And He's never surprised by anything.
And, finally, love. Above all else—and this may sound elementary—love like you have no time left to love. Love by giving your life away. Love by pouring time and energy into others. Love by sharing what you have. Love by putting God first.
Wherever God takes you, I know He will faithfully bless and provide for the dreams He's given you (and will yet give). You've only just begun to see how hard and rewarding it is to take up your cross daily.
But—and this is something you must remember—it's definitely worth it.
:angel:
The Time for Radical Action is Now
Alex Crain, Editor, Christianity.com
"...if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live."
Romans 8:13
Aron Ralston's grisly experience during a climbing expedition illustrates a spiritual truth that makes me wince. If you aren't familiar with the story, take a look at his book, Between a Rock and a Hard Place (© 2004 Simon & Schuster), which is a detailed tell-all of his ordeal that occurred in late April 2003.
The experienced 27 year-old outdoorsman jumped into his truck that spring morning, bringing just enough food and water for the day. He took off by himself, driving 150 miles south of Salt Lake City to his favorite spot—a remote canyon area that used to be the hideout for wild-west outlaws Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
By afternoon, he was suspended seventy-five feet high off the canyon floor—climbing in a crevice that was just a few feet wide. It was a near perfect day. But then without warning, a boulder suddenly broke loose from the rock wall above him, hurtled down and trapped Ralston's right arm against the wall, completely crushing his hand. At that instant, Aron's hand—one of his greatest assets—had now become his greatest liability.
Five whole days passed as he tried various ways to free himself—all to no avail. His efforts to chip away at the boulder with a pocket knife only made a small dent. Rigging up a pulley system to move the boulder proved fruitless.
Finally, a moment of decisive clarity came. The thoughts came fast and furious: he could break his forearm, cut through the muscle with his dirty pocket knife, detach his arm, and use a piece of rope as a tourniquet.
Aron explains that he was driven by "some sort of autopilot" as he went about the gruesome task of amputating his own right arm just below the elbow. After he was finished, Aron lowered himself down and began trudging slowly in the direction of his truck. Later, he stumbled across two hikers who used a mobile phone to call in a rescue helicopter. Amputating his right arm was a radical act, but it was one that saved his life and reunited him with his family.
God calls us to deal with sin in our life in a way that is surprisingly similar. The Bible doesn't offer a laid-back, live-and-let-live approach at all. It's so radical, that we don't really like hearing about it or talking about it. Recall what Jesus said in Matthew 5:30, "If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell." While Jesus was not literally talking about physical amputation, He was saying that sin's deadly effects call for extreme measures. Even though it hurts, we must rid sin from our lives. In fact, our eternal destiny hinges on how we deal with sin.
Really? Well, why else would Jesus talk about hell in the same breath that He talks about how we are to deal with sin if He didn't mean to teach that our eternal destiny hangs in the balance? Clearly, it's a matter of preferring one destiny over the other. Outward behavior indicates what the heart primarily loves. If Aron Ralston had stayed there on the canyon wall with his hand pinned down by the boulder, he would have died. But because he was willing to kill his hand, his life was saved.
The same goes with us as we deal with sin. It really comes down to what we value most. Colossians 3:5 says, "Put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry." The world may tell us to laugh about sin, to lighten up about it, to tolerate it, and just let it be... that it's not idolatry; it's not an issue of worship. God says the opposite is true.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
What has you pinned down?
What are you trying to hang on to that is robbing you of the blessings of abundant life or, perhaps, preventing you from being restored to a brother or sister in Christ?
What is keeping you from treasuring the Lord above all other things?
Read the first two links below as you have time, but most of all pray for grace to heed God's radical call to amputate sin from your life.
Further Reading
Romans 8:10-18
"Is Christianity just a bunch of rules for how to live?" (by John Piper, DesiringGod.org)
Between a Rock and a Hard Place (by Aron Ralston, © 2004 Simon & Schuster)
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Christmas Lights
by Ryan Duncan, Editor, TheFish.com
Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. – James 1:12
When I was still a child living in Illinois, my father drafted me into his yearly Christmas decorating. Every December, with the snow heavy on the ground, the two of us would bundle up and tramp outside to begin putting up the Christmas lights. I hated putting up Christmas lights. The process always took forever, robbing me of my well-deserved break from school. To make matters worse, my father had a fondness for those icicle-styled lights that were supposed to drip down from the rooftop in merry "winter-wonderland" fashion.
Except the high winds always blew the strands of light up into the gutters, so once again we would have to go outside and set them right. It got to the point where I would do anything to avoid putting up Christmas lights. I hid, I threw tantrums, I'd sulk, and eventually my father decided dealing with both me and lights was too much work and set me free. Looking back now, I regret how short-sighted I was. I was so upset at having to do a few hours' work that I never realized how beautiful our house looked when it was all lit up, or how fulfilling it was to know I had helped my father make it that way.
It's funny how our Christian walk can mirror the experience of setting up holiday decorations. At times it can be difficult, and we can resent what we believe we're being denied, but take a look at what Paul says in 1 Corinthians Chapter 9:
"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize." – 1 Corinthians 9:24-27
Life offers us plenty of easy roads, and when it comes to living out the Christian life, these paths can be especially tempting. The world will tell us to go with the flow of the current of culture, to follow the past of least resistance, but God calls us to do differently. Christians are meant to reflect Christ's glory on Earth, and this cannot be done without hard work, sacrifice, and grace. So whether you serve God through ministry, or simply through your everyday life, remember to live in a way deserving of the prize.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Consider whether you are running in such a way as to win the prize.
Further Reading
Matthew 6:19-21
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A Countercultural Christmas
by Sarah Phillips
"Brothers and sisters: You know the time; it is the hour now for you to awake from sleep. For our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed; the night is advanced, the day is at hand. Let us then throw off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us conduct ourselves properly as in the day, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in promiscuity and lust, not in rivalry and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh."
Romans 13:11-14
The first purple Advent candle is about to be lit. The once dark wreath will shine unevenly with one solitary light.
Advent is one of my favorite seasons in the Christian year. It's a special time where we reflect on the darkness and trials of this world in the light of our hope in Christ. We remember how, after centuries of waiting on the part of the faithful, God bridged the chasm between humanity and divinity through the humble birth of Jesus.
I've always loved Advent for its joyful anticipation of the Christ-child, but I also love it because it's a bit countercultural. Its sparse purple and pink decorations stand in stark contrast to the glitz the rest of our culture displays often weeks before Thanksgiving arrives. You see, Advent was not designed as a simple memorial of a past event, to bring us up to Christmas day and leave us there. Its purpose is to point the faithful towards a future event - Christ's second, glorious coming. This is why churches that celebrate this liturgical season read about the Lord's coming in both the Old and New Testament throughout the month of December.
The dramatic imagery found in these readings is far removed from the quaint Christmas decorations that currently surround us. They have a jolting effect as they remind us that our lives now should be lived in light of eternity, not in keeping with the current standards.
In this first Advent reading, Paul's words to the faithful carry a tone of urgency. He uses the image of awakening from a deep sleep. But notice he is not shaking his brothers and sisters out of their sleep at sunrise, but while "the night is advanced." In other words, it's not enough to simply wait for Christ to show up, but we must prepare beforehand. We need to seek God's grace now to help us eliminate sin from our lives
This is where the hard work of Advent comes in. This joyful season requires an examination of conscience. It's a time to reflect on the areas where we lack or on the recurrent sins in our lives, and to seek God's grace to help us to change.
Perhaps this seems like a real downer of an activity during the most wonderful time of the year. But let me share with you why, for me, it's never really been a downer. Have you ever failed to prepare for a big event (or had nightmares that you did?). Have you ever found yourself awake at night, panicking because you're envisioning yourself without a dress on your wedding day or lacking your PowerPoint slides for an important presentation? Needless to say, the joy and success of these events would seriously be compromised should these nightmares come true.
Surely, all good things in life require preparation. And God, in His mercy, has given us the gift of time to prepare for His arrival, which no doubt, will be the most important event we ever experience.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Take time this week to reflect on the joy of Jesus' first arrival and then, confident in His love for you, ask God to reveal to you the ways in which you need to prepare your heart to meet Him on Christmas Day.
Further Reading
Matthew 3:1-2
Psalm 139:23-24
Captive No More, by Greg Laurie
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I'll Be Home for Christmas
Alex Crain, Editor, Christianity.com
"For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come."
Hebrews 13:14
Recently, I got my parent's old Christmas records out of storage and began making mp3 files of them so that we could play them again around the Christmas holidays. Bing Crosby's classic rendition of "I'll Be Home for Christmas" came on. Its melancholy sound filled the air.
I pictured the war-weary allied troops hearing this song the year it was recorded in 1943, listening to it on their radios at night, spellbound by the sound; longing to be back at home with their loved ones.
I'll be home for Christmas, you can plan on me.
Please have snow and mistletoe, and presents on the tree.
Christmas Eve will find me, where the love light gleams.
I'll be home for Christmas... if only in my dreams.
Does any other version of the song capture the sense of sadness to the same degree that he did?
Believers in Christ are soldiers engaged in war (Ephesians 6:10-18). And deep within us there is a longing that nothing can suppress. We want to be home. It's great to know that we are on the winning side, but we often get weary of the fight.
Hebrews 13:14 encourages us to remember and find strength in the fact that "we seek the city that is to come." It's a losing battle to pursue lasting satisfaction in this life. The words "Here we have no lasting city" drive us to only source of contentment: the promise that Christ is always with me (Matthew 28:20) and that He's bringing me home to a place where love, joy, and satisfaction never end.
Intersecting Faith and Life
In the words of author, Randy Alcorn, "Things won't always take a better turn on an Earth that is under the curse. Sickness, loss, grief, and death will find us. Just as our reward will come in Heaven, laughter (itself one of our rewards) will come in Heaven."
Further Reading
The Christmas Bible Reading Plan
Heaven: Home of Laughter
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A Season of Hope
By Debbie Wright
"The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing" (Zephaniah 3:17).
The winter festivities continue to fly by. First came Halloween and harvest time, then Thanksgiving, and now the Advent season is upon us. For many, the season of Advent is spent in little else except preparing for Christmas. Gifts are bought, wrapped, and tucked away beneath the tree. Verses are read from the books of Luke and Isaiah as we recall the nativity story. People find it easier to remember to love their neighbors, give to the poor, and reflect on the meaning of Christmas.
I myself have been thinking a little bit about Advent... and about hope. You see, of the five Advent candles, the Prophecy Candle is lit first, which represents hope. We're all familiar with that oft-quoted verse...
"Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:14).
Prophecies like these gave the Israelites hope that God would not forget them. During some of their darkest days, prophets like Isaiah gave them words from the Lord as a reminer that God would not abandon them to sin and slavery forever. Immanuel means "God with us," and that is perhaps the most stirring theme of ancient prophecies.
Today may seem just as dark to us now. Wars are fought all over the world, bringing staggering civilian casualties as well as solider deaths. Children are abused and underfed. Homelessness is evident on every inner city street corner. Families are torn apart by greed, hatred, selfishness, and pride. But, just as the prophets gave hope to the ancient Israelites, we have a renewed hope through Christ.
"And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20).
There it is again: Immanuel. God with us. Because God is with us! He spoke it over and over throughout history, and Christ affirmed it. As we enter into this season of Advent, is that not the greatest hope we could wish for? Through our struggles, failures, faults, and fears – we have the blessed hope that Christ is not only with us, but will continue to be with us and will return again.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Into what areas of your life can you inject hope? Remember, no situation is too dire for God.
Further Reading
Jeremiah 29:11
2 Corinthians 4:16-18
Romans 12:12
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The Strains of Christmas
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com
But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. (Galatians 4:4-5)
Christmas at my house meant preparing for the worst. The worst didn't always come, but you couldn't be too careful.
You see, the thing about holidays is that people tend to be together, pushed into the same room by tradition and baked turkey. My family spent most of the year avoiding such things, as we hurried off to school or work, buried ourselves in music and books, and generally enjoyed the comfort of a closed door.
We could usually navigate the raging Scylla and Charybdis of Thanksgiving because it only meant a day together before we scattered again. But while we chewed stuffing, my father would chew on his disappointment over his life and his family. My older brothers would try not to notice. The tryptophan made us all too sleepy for much more—at least, that's what I like to think.
But then Christmas came lumbering into the UpChurch household with all its vacation days. We had too much time off, and too many unspoken issues. We were like a pot of boiling potatoes with the water sloshing out on the stove. There'd be some sizzling over a lack of job, a splash or two over how much something cost, and then boom... the lid blew off.
An hour and two new holes in the wall later, we surveyed the wreckage of the yuletide cheer. My brothers would fume back into the basement, my father would escape to his computer, and my mom would try to figure out what to do. Usually, the anger just sunk back into the pot for another year.
When I moved out of my house, it took years for Christmas to reclaim its festive atmosphere. Even when the war ended, the shellshock didn't. There were too many things unsaid, too many things not dealt with. The embers of home-fought battles wouldn't die down.
Then, Christ.
Describing salvation couldn't be better summed up than in those two words set apart in their own paragraph: then, Christ. There was no choir of angels singing (audibly to me, at least) or a special star shining light down on my apartment, but it was a moment that clearly separates time into two epochs. That separation is for both BC/AD and OJ/NJ—Old John and New John.
As this New John, though, I noticed something that might as well have been as miraculous as angels breaking out the tunes over my head. When Christmas came, the dread didn't. I'd plucked the Christ off Christmas, and the mass didn't seem so heavy. In fact, I even looked forward to it.
No, the tension didn't suddenly melt away. The tempers weren't all snuffed out. There were still moments that stretched tightly across our gatherings. But I now knew something just slightly flip-the-world-upside-down, mind-blowingly awesome: A baby, born poor and away from home, had taken the worst this world had to offer. A king wanted Him dead, and His country had no place for Him. But still He came... for me.
For you.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Christmas has no shortage of strains. It's a holiday that seems perfectly designed for stress—at least, in the way we Westerners celebrate. Family tension has a way of bubbling up with the egg nog, and old arguments never seem to die.
But my prayer is that you aren't afraid to face the day, and not just face it, but be filled with the mystery of it all. Here is a day to remember our God adding humanity to deity and giving up the sweet spot in heaven to plop Himself into our world. He came because He didn't hold our sin against us; He wanted to hold it for us.
And when you keep that perspective, family arguments and stress suddenly seem trivial amid the menagerie of hams and yams and red velvet cakes.
Further Reading:
Christmas Bible Reading Plan
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What's It To You?
Kelly Givens, Editor, Salem Web Network
Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who had been reclining at the table close to him... When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, "Lord, what about this man?" Jesus said to him, "If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!" John 21:20-22
Have you ever wondered why God allows some Christians to suffer so much, and others seem to glide through life effortlessly, painlessly? I know many Godly men and women who seem to suffer without end. Their pain is more than I have ever experienced; they've faced more trials in a year than I've faced in my entire life. Why is that? Am I loved by God more than these people? Are they glorifying God more through their suffering than I can in my blessings? The comparisons go in all directions.
Comparison was Peter's go-to when Jesus told him this: "Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go." (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God). Then he said to him, "Follow me!" (John 21: 18-19).
Jesus was foretelling that Peter, just like himself, would be led to his death, arms stretched out in his own crucifixion. Tradition points to Peter being crucified upside down during Nero's persecution, not wanting to be crucified in the same manner as his Lord.
I'm not sure if Peter knew then by what kind of death he would die, but no doubt he got the gist of what Jesus was saying. So it's no surprise that he quickly disregarded Christ's instruction to "follow me!" Instead, he looked around at the other disciples, spotted John, and exclaimed "Lord, what about this man?" I wonder if Peter was thinking, "If I have to die a horrible death, does that mean John will die a horrible death too? If not, why should I go through this trial and not him? Do you love him more than me?"
Our sinful nature is hard-wired to compare. When others seem to get ahead or are seemingly blessed more than us, we grow envious. When the tables are turned and we are the ones being blessed, we might fight the urge to brag or think more highly of ourselves that we ought. Both kinds of comparison are fatal to our faith, and Jesus knows it. So when Peter bluntly asked, "what about this man?" Jesus' response was clear. "What is that to you? You follow me!"
Peter died a horrible, agonizing death. Most historians agree that all of the other apostles met similar, violent ends to their lives. Except John. John died peacefully in his old age. Why? Because that was how each "was to glorify God." When God bestows on us blessings we should proclaim his glory joyfully and humbly. But when he allows us to suffer, we have the opportunity to proclaim him King through our hopefulness and faith. God's glory is what's important, not our circumstances.
"You follow me." Fixing ourselves on Jesus is the key to fruitful ministry, the key to humility, the key to joy regardless of our circumstances. It's the key to glorifying God - the true purpose of our lives and ministry.
Intersecting Faith & Life: How quick are you to compare your joys and sufferings to those around you? Comparing our circumstances to others' is fruitless. Jesus desires us to follow him, and have faith in the plan he has for our lives.
Further Reading:
1 Peter 1:6-7, Romans 8:37, Philippians 3:13-14
"The only glory which Jesus ever sought for himself or offered to his disciples was to be caught up in God's redemptive purpose." - George Caird
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When the Fog Settles In
by Sarah Phillips
For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope.
Romans 15:4
One of my favorite scenes in children's literature can be found in one of C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia, The Horse and His Boy.
It occurs well into the story, when the main character -- an orphaned boy named Shasta - has endured many battles and adventures with his talking horse companion by his side. Now he arrives at a part in the journey where he must travel alone in order to warn a neighboring kingdom of impending attack. As he travels in the wilderness, fog settles in.
As the fog thickens into opaque clouds, Shasta suddenly senses another presence walking beside him. Heavy breathing, large paws...a lion is within inches of him and his common horse. Paralyzed with terror, the boy rides on for quite some time, awaiting his tragic end. Finally, the wait becomes too agonizing, and he cries out to the presence, demanding to know who it is and why he's there. What follows is a beautiful conversation between Shasta and King Aslan - who has been anxious to speak with him for some time.
But it doesn't end there. As Shasta reaches Archenland, he is able to complete his mission, and the reader sighs in relief. But when he looks back at the path he traveled, he is stunned to see what the fog concealed - a narrow and treacherous mountain pass with deadly cliffs on one side. Only then does it become clear to Shasta and the reader that Aslan's presence and encouraging words quite literally saved Shasta's life.
I may be young, but I know this journey. I know what it's like to look down a winding path that seems to stretch endlessly into murkiness. I know what it's like to feel alone, afraid, and confused and you probably do too. You question if you'll have the endurance to see the trial through, to make it to your destination.
We obviously don't have a Narnian lion to converse with and walk beside us when life gets tough (wouldn't that be nice?). But God does walk with us and speak to us in the real world, even when the road feels lonely and frightening.
In this second Advent reading, we see God gave us His Word as a source of hope and encouragement. He has not left us alone here, blind and fumbling through the fog. He has words of wisdom He is anxious to share with you.
God also reveals his steadfast and encouraging nature through fellow believers. The second part of the verse above reads: "May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus" (v. 5). I can't count the times I have received invaluable support during a difficult stretch from another believer's wisdom or love
Intersecting Faith & Life: Even when we feel alone, we aren't. If you're struggling, make time to find God in His Word and in the fellowship of other believers. If you're joyful, what ways can you reach out to someone who is going through a trial this holiday season?
Further Reading
Exodus 34:6
Hebrews 10:36
What Does God Sound Like?
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Peace on Earth?
Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:7
Our Adult Bible Fellowship class recently finished a study of Rick Warren's The Purpose of Christmas. First, I'd like to tell you that I highly recommend this material, especially the DVD for families or groups who will have Christmas visitors. It's easy to watch and delightful to follow as Pastor Warren - as always - delivers the gospel in such a warm and welcoming manner.
During the program, as Warren is speaking of the angst and dis-ease in the world, here is one of the claims he makes in Part 3 of The Purpose of Christmas DVD:
"There will never be peace in the world until there is peace in nations.
There will never be peace in nations until there is peace in communities.
There will never be peace in communities until there is peace in families.
There will never be peace in families until there is peace in individuals.
And there will never be peace in individuals until we invite the Prince of Peace to reign in our hearts.
Jesus is the Prince of Peace."
I think he's right. One criticism unbelievers often have about Christ is that if he was supposed to bring peace, why do we have wars, why is there strife? The answer, as well as the question, is summed up in Warren's quote above.
But one question remains - how to achieve peace? The angel did say, after all, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men" (Luke 2:14). Yet the world is in conflict! What to do? Do we need Compromise? Tolerance? Conquest?
None of the above. We need Reconciliation, the catalyst of peace.
Warren's DVD cites 3 kinds of peace that begin with a person reconciling their sin with God, which can only be done through Christ:
1. Peace WITH God, which is Spiritual peace, and brings...
2. Peace OF God, which is Emotional peace, and fosters...
3. Peace WITH OTHERS, which is Relational peace.
Interesting how that works - from the inside out. It's something we all know about the peace Christ brought, but perhaps we don't always feel or apply.
That's why today's verse struck me in a new and interesting way today. Not only is God's peace mind-boggling ("beyond comprehension"), and calmly assuring (minds and hearts at rest), but it is also its own gate-keeper.
That's right. Paul writes here that such peace - once reconciliation is achieved - serves as the very GUARD against the agents and circumstances of unrest. That's a pretty amazing thing when the very bridge you hope to erect is self-sustaining and the very wall you seek to build is self-defending!
Intersecting Faith & Life: Follow Paul's charge to young Timothy, and "pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart" (2 Tim. 2:22). Start with reading the verses below. Merry Christmas! Peace on Earth, good will toward men!
Further Reading
Hebrews 12:14
1 Thessalonians 5:13
Psalm 34:14
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The Hour Has Come
by Debbie Wright, Assistant Editor, Crosswalk.com
"The hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed" (Romans 13:11).
Christmas Eve is a special, ritualistic time for many families, especially ones with young children. Children have an almost tangible energy and near-breathless excitement for the festivities of the next day. Parents have all the gifts wrapped and hidden in secret closets, simply awaiting nightfall to relocate to their resting place beneath the Christmas tree. Finally, after too many Christmas treats, laying out milk and cookies for Santa, a recitation of T'was The Night Before Christmas and perhaps a reading from the book of Luke, the kids are tucked in bed.
The work has been done. No more shopping, no more wrapping, no more commanding the children to stop poking around their parents' bedroom. Preparations have been made. And in the morning, what a glorious day Christmas day will be!
The second candle of advent is called the Bethlehem Candle, and it is known as the candle of preparation. We are still near the beginning of advent, with a few weeks to prepare our hearts for the Lord's coming. For indeed, not only do we commemorate his first coming on December 25th, but we also know that he will come again. Will we make preparations for our Messiah, just as we make preparations for Old St. Nick?
Will we spread peace and goodwill, as the angels did on the evening of Christ's birth? Will we offer even the lowliest parts of our lives up to God, as the farm animals made room for him amongst their beds and feeding troughs? Will we sacrifice unto him even our most precious treasures, as the Magi did after many months, perhaps even years, of travel? Will we "wake from sleep," as Paul exhorts, and prepare for salvation?
Much preparation is needed to make our lives reflect Christ, and we may feel small and unprepared for such a task. Take comfort, then, that Bethlehem was also considered too small for God's work. As we light the Bethlehem Candle, remember the ultimate significance of this tiny town of shepherds and stables:
"But you, Bethlehem...though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel"(Micah 5:2).
Intersecting Faith and Life
As advent moves on, and Christmas draws closer, prepare your heart to be a Bethlehem for Christ: a place for him dwell and accomplish his work through you.
Further Reading
Matthew 24:36
John 1:43-46
Isaiah 40
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Stop the Sun
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com
Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger (Ephesians 4:26)
When I got married, the friend my wife and I roped into making the wedding video for us added a few surprises to the tape before he gave it to us. During our rehearsal dinner (which didn't actually follow a rehearsal), he'd grabbed guests, whisked them outside, poked the camera in their faces, and asked them for their best tips on keeping a marriage strong.
The advice is decidedly mixed. It ranges from the serious ("Make time for your relationship") to the Scriptural ("Love is kind") to the funny ("Just let her win, John") to the ludicrous ("Beat him when you need to"). It's the stuff you'd expect from those who are on the spot with only moments to think up something that would be forever stamped on our video.
But one piece of advice has always stuck out to me, and even as I write this, I see it and wince. One of our friends told us that we should just "forget about that whole sun-not-going-down-on-your-anger thing. You will go to bed mad."
It's just really bad advice.
Now, admittedly, when Paul wrote Ephesians 4:26, he wasn't talking to married couples directly. He meant it for the believers at Ephesus in general. But he slips that passage in among his admonitions about how our lives should be different now that we follow Christ. He says those who don't know Christ live one way, but when they start to follow Him, their lives show it. Before, we let our anger seethe, but now, we fix the problem. Before, we didn't seek forgiveness and restitution, but now we do.
In marriage, the status quo is always safer. We get into routines, and we like how comfortable the ordinary feels. When something disrupts the normal flow, guys especially want to just move it out of the way and get back to flowing again. Meanwhile, our wives are still upset, and nothing has been dealt with.
You see, there's another part to that going-to-bed-angry thing that our well-wisher left out. When we do that, the Bible says we give the devil a foothold, a place to cling on. The anger burns deeper and deeper. One angry night becomes dozens. That's the place where relationships stop growing—and even die.
But there's no need for any angry sleeping, not when we've got something as crazy-good as the gospel. As Paul says, the good news is that we've chucked off our old selves and gotten brand-spanking-new selves. This new-self sets us apart in the world as children of light. In other words, when we don't do what people expect, we suddenly blaze into the darkness. When we don't let the sun go down on our anger, but forgive as we're forgiven, it's like setting off a flare. You're saying, "Look. This is God's love made manifest through us. Dig it."
Intersecting Faith and Life: Paul doesn't leave us a way out. Boiling anger has no room in our relationships, and it's this readiness to forgive and willingness to work out our problems that make us light up the world. No matter what conventional wisdom may be, don't let the sun go down before you work to put things right.
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Not What You Wanted?
by Alex Crain, Editor, Christianity.com
"What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you?"
James 4:1
A holiday edition of the TV show "America's Funniest Home Videos" showed various children opening their presents on Christmas morning. Apparently, it's hard for many kids to see humor in getting an unwanted gift. Most of their reactions were, well... downright childish.
When the ribbons and paper were torn off, one child pulled out a new pair of socks, threw her head back and erupted in an angry sob. A matching outfit given to another child produced a tantrum across the floor followed by stomping footsteps up the stairs. Other children glowered with frowns and snarls. One even screamed at the parent holding the video camera, then hurled the unwanted gift back in his face. Not exactly the funniest home videos.
In contrast to all the immaturity and ingratitude came a bright ray of hope at the end of the montage as a little brown-haired girl in pink pajamas ecstatically jumped up and down with glee. She held in her hands a tiny chestnut and spun around to the camera exclaiming, "A nut! A nut! I got a nut! I don't know what kind it is, but I got a nut!"
James 4:1-6 says that sinful responses erupt from hearts that are controlled by overwhelming desires. They don't have to be sinful desires necessarily. The degree to which "harmless" desires become sinful is shown by what happens when things don't turn out as you hoped or expected. Whether it is irritability, or an angry tantrum or a sulking frown; sinful responses show that something in the heart has replaced God.
Notice verse 1 where James asks the question (paraphrasing), "Why are you so upset? What's the real problem in your heart?" And then he answers with divine wisdom, "I'll tell you what the matter is: it's your pleasures—your desires—that are waging war within you. And the result is sinful fights and quarrels."
Certainly, there's nothing inherently sinful about simply having desires in life. God created us to have desires. There are many good things to desire in life: having adequate food, clothing and shelter, having a happy marriage, getting a promotion at work, buying a nice car. There is nothing wrong with these kinds of desires... nothing inherently wrong, that is.
The problems come when, in our hearts, those desires turn into something else. The word translated as "lust" in verse 2 is actually "desire" with the added element of "strong craving." Epithumeo is not a word that necessarily means "lust" in the sexual sense. The idea conveyed in the original text is "you are controlled by desire." In other words, some desire—perhaps, even for a good thing—has gotten so wrapped around your heart, that it has become more important than God to you.
Whenever this happens, the result is sinful behavior. And the sin of the heart that must be confessed first in cases like this is no less than the sin of idolatry. False worship occurs whenever worship of the true God is replaced with the god of "my way."
What a peaceful contrast is painted in verse 6. God gives grace to the humble. That is, those who humbly submit their desires to God and trust Him as the sovereign provider of needs are given grace. Grace here is the desire and ability to obey God and respond in a way that pleases Him. Such recipients of grace are able, then, to deal with whatever happens—whether the present under the tree is a pair of socks, a cool skateboard, the keys to a new car, or a tiny chestnut.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Does your situation today resemble what you expected or wanted in life? What is your response to this? Think back to a recent outburst of anger, or incident in which you showed irritability. Trace it back to the unfulfilled desire that had control of your heart. What was it that you wanted? Ask God to reveal any desires seeking to control your heart so that you can humbly submit them to Him and release them to His sovereign care. Repent of any lingering idolatry. Ask Him for grace to deal with whatever happens. Trust Him to provide for your needs.
Further Reading & Listening
Isaiah 40:12-31
Listen to an example of what humility sounds like here (Indelible Grace Acoustic "By Thy Mercy")
Thomas Watson, The Lord's Prayer
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Six Lessons from The Lord of the Rings
by Ryan Duncan, Editor, TheFish.com
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy (Matt. 5:7).
Not too long ago, I found myself talking with a friend over coffee. As we began to discuss the upcoming Hobbit movie, the two of us began to reflect on Tolkien's novels and how his Christian faith was revealed through his writing. Grabbing a pen and a spare napkin, I managed to jot down a few of the lessons we realized J.R.R. Tolkien passed on through his epic fantasy...
Have Courage
Who would you say is the "hero" of Tolkien's series? Is it Frodo? After all, he was the one who bore the Ring of Power to Mount Doom. Some might think the real hero is Gandalf. Without his wisdom and guidance, Middle-earth would surely have been overrun. What about Eowyn? She was the one who could defeat the Witch-King in battle. There are many characters you could choose, but they all have one thing in common: Courage. Tolkien lived during the years when Nazi Germany stood ready to overshadow the world, and no doubt he saw ordinary people called on to perform extraordinary acts of heroism. As Tolkien wrote, "Even the smallest person can change the course of the future." Even the meekest of Christians can show courage when afraid.
The World Needs More Hospitality
I feel like the gift of Hospitality is going out of fashion among Christians. It's true everyone needs a place where they can take a break from the world, but it has nearly reached the point where Christians are no longer bothering to open the door even to other Christians. Hospitality was not just a virtue but an essential part of Tolkien's Middle-earth. In The Hobbit, Bilbo hosts over a dozen rowdy dwarves who eat everything in his pantry. In The Lord of the Rings the elves are constantly opening their doors to travelers in need. Even the Ents, who are basically walking trees, find ways to accommodate guests when they pass through their forest. Hospitality is not an easy gift, and from the way he writes Tolkien obviously believed it wasn't supposed to be, but that does not mean it isn't an important gift.
Fellowship is More Valuable Than Gold
One of my favorite passages from The Hobbit is at the end of the story, where Bilbo Baggins meets with Thorin Oakenshield one last time before they finally part ways. Throughout their adventure Thorin had pursued his lost treasure with unwavering determination, and when it was finally returned, he refused to part with even a piece of it. His greed led to many bad decisions, and in the end he realized what the soulless mound of gold had really cost him. In that moment, he turns to Bilbo and says, "If more of us valued food and cheer and song above horded gold, it would be a merrier world." In today's world, where the economy and money seem to be on everyone's mind, it's important that we don't forget what's truly important: family dinners, jokes with friends, the people we love, and those who don't come with a price tag.
Mercy is Strength
There are many forces at work in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, but when asked what he believes keeps evil at bay, the wizard Gandalf answers mercy. "Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment. For even the very wise cannot see all ends." It is fascinating to think that the mercy Bilbo showed in Tolkien's first, thin story could have such a great impact in his three-part epic. What's more, the same is true for our own lives. Even if we can't see them, our actions have consequences, and the grace we show to others is always remembered.
Sometimes We Must be the Sacrifice
J.R.R. Tolkien lived through two World Wars; he knew better than most that no victory comes without a cost. This theme of sacrifice is ingrained in his novels and in the essence of his characters, none more so than Frodo Baggins. Frodo gave up his peaceful life at home in order to destroy the Ring, knowing the mission would likely claim his life. In the end, even though Frodo survived his journey he could not go back to his life in the Shire. He had given everything to protect the world, and now, he had no place in it. As Christians, sometimes we are called to surrender the things we love most in order to preserve what Christ has done. It may be our hard-won careers, our deepest dreams, perhaps even the desire for a family of our own. It is a cold and bitter truth, but like Frodo, Christ does not leave us alone and without hope.
There is Always Hope
There are some pretty heavy moments in Tolkien's writing. There are good people who suffer, while others give in to the darkness, but no matter how far a character falls there is still always hope and the opportunity of forgiveness. Even a character like Boromir, who betrays his companions, ends up finding redemption in the end. For Christians, the message of hope is a powerful one, and it is very comforting to find it within the pages of The Lord of the Rings. There is a quote in The Return of the King where Pippin asks Gandalf if there any hope for them, "There was never much hope," the wizard replies, "Only a fool's hope." And yet, that is all that's really needed. Despite all the adversity we might face in life, God's grace is still present, and no matter what we've done he can still use us to demonstrate His glory. One of Tolkien's greatest gifts to his readers was the message that hope exists, even when we're faced with overwhelming odds.
For Further Reading
J.R.R. Tolkien and the Discipline of Hope
Vessels of Mercy: God, Grace and Gollum
Tolkien's Middle-earth: A Christian World
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The Joyous Paradox of Advent
by Katherine Britton
"Come, Thou long-expected Jesus
Born to set Thy people free...
Dear Desire of every nation,
Joy of every longing heart"
"Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him." - Luke 12:35,36
Like so many Christian doctrines, the Advent season represents a bit of a paradox. I have to thank my colleague Sarah Phillips for expanding my understanding of the tradition, as the three purple candles and one pink candle were mostly a Christmas countdown to me. But Advent has a greater richness if we have eyes to see.
I found a parallel to the Advent paradox on a recent trip. A couple weeks ago, four of my college friends and I met for a rare weekend together, as we live hundreds of miles apart today. We made pizza, giggled, and spent hours "sharing and caring" like we used to in college, despite the fact that half of us are now married and one of us had a toddler in tow. We were delighted just to be with people who once shared so much with us. As I prepared to leave, I was certainly a bit nostalgic for "the good old days." And yet, I was also thinking about the family and friends awaiting me back in Richmond. I think we all felt a similar tension - not unpleasantly - as the goodbyes rolled around.
Advent represents a coming rather than a going away, but holds a similar tension. On the one hand, we look backwards to Christ's first coming in the manger. On the other, we look forward to the Second Coming and the fullness of our reunion with the Lord. And here we are, stuck between the two in the 21st century.
Advent encompasses so many human feelings - hopeful longing, wistful remembrance, renewed wonder, and more. We are twice waiting, first with the nation of Israel waiting for the Messiah, and then with Christians around the world waiting for the time when "God will wipe away every tear from their eyes" (Rev. 7:17). As such, this season is much more than a tradition. It's a season that every person can relate to, because we've all experienced longing. And only one thing can truly fulfill our longings.
That's part of the beauty of celebrating Christ's birth at this dark time of year. We just experienced the winter solstice yesterday; now the days begin to brighten, just as Christ comes to be "the light of men." Our longing for brighter days is literally at hand. The dark night of sin's reign ends as we repent, and joy comes to the world.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Dig a little deeper into the Advent traditions, such as the Advent wreath. We'll light the white Christ candle before you know it - are you ready?
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Where is Your Joy?
by Debbie Wright, Assistant Editor, Crosswalk.com
But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord." –Luke 2:10-11
The winter season can be bleak for many. Students are preoccupied with their work. Others become easily stressed with the pressure to plan (and cook for) family gatherings associated with the various winter holidays. Some of us even struggle with S.A.D (seasonal affective disorder), a medical condition where melancholy and sorrow creep up, due in part to the lack of sunshine.
There is something special, then, about the coming of spring. About seeing daffodils peek their yellow heads above the ground for the first time.
I imagine the Jews of Jesus' day longed for the spring of the Lord's favor. No word from the Lord had come for a long time. Jews were living under a powerful, pagan Roman government. While the people were not necessarily miserable or oppressed, their joy perhaps had worn a little thin. They no doubt pined for something better.
Imagine, next, the Shepherds who were visited by Angels on the night of Christ's birth. The hum-drum of their evening duties, perhaps even their sleep, was interrupted in a big way.
And the glory of the Lord shone around them.
And they were terrified.
But the terror was short lived, of course. What terror can stand against such amazing, incredible, joy?
A savior has been born to you.
"Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about" they exclaimed (Luke 2:15).
Is it any wonder that the third candle of Advent, the Joy candle, is called The Shepherd's Candle? Perhaps no other figure in the nativity story was blessed to receive such unblemished, unmitigated joy as the shepherds were. There they were, pegging away like every other day, when – for no reason other than God's favor – they were given the gift of joy. They were shown the Messiah, their looked-for Messiah, and had glimpsed into that eagerly-awaited spring of the Lord's favor.
This season, as Christmas edges ever closer, let us remember this joy. We too await another awakening: the Lord's second coming. We continue to fight through the pangs and groaning of a world which continually gives birth to sin. But, in this season, let us remember the Incarnation with as much joy as did those first witnesses.
"A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy." –John 16:21-22
Intersecting Faith and Life: Is your joy in Christ such that no one can take it away? If not, take some time to meditate on God's gift of an incarnated Christ to the world.
Further Reading:
Luke 2
Psalm 16
1 Peter 4:13
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The Real Santa Claus
by Sarah Phillips
I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.
Romans 1:16 NIV
His eyes-how they twinkled! His dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.
~ "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" by Clement Clarke Moore (1823)
My dad used to take my sisters and me down to Miller & Rhodes for a visit with the "Real Santa Claus." The trip made for some of my favorite childhood memories. This Santa wasn't some ordinary mall Santa. The "Real Santa" arrived via reindeer-pulled sleigh and -- you bet – slid down a chimney. His full, white beard was genuine, and his beautiful friend, the Snow Queen, glittered as she greeted each awe-struck child.
But the real clincher occurred when, after waiting for hours in a sea of overexcited children, Santa called my siblings and me by name to join him on his big, comfy lap.
Of course, come adulthood, I discovered the beloved "Real Santa" was actually a local man with a local legacy -- a kind-hearted, Christian grandfather who delighted in bringing joy to children like me. (And, if you're wondering, the friendly Snow Queen was wired so "Santa" could hear our names as we approached).
I suppose we all have to step off the Polar Express at some point and accept that Santa is just a mythological figure. Or is he? As it turns out, there really was a Santa Claus. He went by the less marketable title Bishop Nicholas of Myra. While he never wore a red suit, smoked a pipe, or slid down chimneys, his story actually has a lot to do with the true meaning of Christmas.
Stories of the Real St. Nick
Researching the life of St. Nicholas presents a challenge – he seems destined to be obscured by legend, even in the history books. But even if the facts are a bit murky, there are some things we know with relative certainty.
We first encounter Nicholas as a compassionate young man in 4th century Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). Both of his parents had passed away, leaving the grief-stricken youth a substantial inheritance. Nicholas decided the money would go to charity.
It wasn't long after this decision that he encountered a family in need. The father had lost his daughters' dowries, and in those days this meant the three women had no hope for marriage. As a last resort, the father decided to sell them into prostitution.
When Nicholas heard of the family's plight, and the father's horrific solution, he did something very much in the spirit of Santa Claus: He secretly visited their home by night, throwing a bag of gold coins through the family's window. He repeated his covert act of charity three times, resulting in the marriages of all three sisters. During his third visit, the father discovered his identity and expressed deep gratitude for his kindness.
St. Nicholas went on to assist many others, often anonymously. His generous and creative commitment to the needy gave rise to many unconfirmed legends and miracles over the centuries, but one fact is known for certain: his virtue resulted in his appointment as Bishop of Myra.
Defender of the Faith
Though less magical sounding, Nicholas' role as Bishop gives us even greater reason to associate this Saint with Christmas.
That's because Nicholas' life unfolded during a pivotal era of Christendom. After years of terrible persecution, the rise of Roman Emperor Constantine in 313 A.D. brought legal acceptance of Christianity. Legend has it that Bishop Nicholas was among the many Christians who endured imprisonment and torture for the faith until Constantine freed him.
But the joys of freedom were short-lived because the Church faced a threat from within: A heresy called Arianism was spreading confusion among the faithful.
Arianism, named after its promoter Arius, denied Christianity's central doctrine of the Trinity by claiming that while Jesus was the Son of God, the Son was not one (united in essence, nature, or substance) with the Father. In other words, Arius claimed Jesus Christ was not the eternal Word made flesh (John 1: 14), relegating Him to a lesser status -- a sort of "secondary god."
St. Nicholas was one of the defenders of the true Gospel, clarifying Jesus' identity against Arius' confusing teachings. Some stories even claim Bishop Nicholas boldly confronted Arius at the historic Council of Nicea (although there are no official records of Nicholas' presence at the Council.)
Thanks to the devotion of Christians like St. Nicholas, St. Athanasius, and St. Gregory of Nyssa, Arianism eventually died out. But had it prevailed, we could not celebrate the true miracle of Christmas: the Incarnation, the Word made Flesh, realized in the birth of Jesus Christ. And without fully understanding Christmas we ultimately would have lost the meaning of the Cross, too.
When Did St. Nick become "Santa Claus"?
When did St. Nick trade in the Bishop's miter for a fuzzy, red hat? Not for a long time. Bishop Nicholas' generosity and devotion endeared him to the masses. After his death, churches were named after him, and artists portrayed him in their works, spreading his popularity throughout the Mediterranean, Europe and Asia. Over time, St. Nick's legacy was associated with love of children and gift-giving, but the widespread lore kept much of the original Christian context for centuries.
"Santa Claus" is actually a very modern and very American version of the Saint. It wasn't until Dutch and German settlers brought their magical tales of Sankt Niklaus (German) and Sinterklaas (Dutch) to the New World that St. Nick began to look a little like Santa. From there, St. Nicholas still didn't take on his plump, elfin appearance or slide down chimney's until the early 1800's thanks to a satirical work called Knickerbocker's History of New York by Washington Irving.
In 1823, the red-suited image of an elf transported by flying reindeer finally solidified thanks to the poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas" (later renamed "'Twas the Night Before Christmas") penned by New Yorker, Clement Clark Moore. Popular culture and marketing by companies like Coca-Cola further ingrained the icon into American tradition.
While 4th century Christians would not recognize the modern Santa, it's hard to imagine a better candidate for the job than a man who helped preserve the real meaning of Christmas. Bishop Nicholas exemplified the Christian life by giving his all to Christ and to those in need. Hopefully, in the midst of all the glittery commercialism surrounding our modern holiday celebrations, we'll be able to prepare for Christmas '08 in a way that genuinely reflects the spirit of (the real) St. Nick.
Intersecting Faith & Life: : St. Nicholas' legacy demonstrates a balance often difficult to achieve: a life steeped in both truth and love. What ways can you show the love of Christ more effectively during the holidays? What ways can you stand up for the truth of the Gospel more effectively?
Further Reading
Is 40:1-5, 9-11
Ps 85:9-10-11-12, 13-14
2 Pt 3:8-14
Mk 1:1-8
The Real St. Nick - Dr. Warren Throckmorton
Ref
"St. Nicholas" http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=371
The St. Nicholas Center (http://www.stnicholascenter.org/Brix?pageID=35)
"Santa Claus" wikipedia.org (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Claus)
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The Humility of Being Human
by Katherine Britton
"Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness." - Philippians 2:5-7
I'm a Christmas carol snob, I guess, as I scorn most songs written in the past 30 years. I do have notable exceptions, however, when the lyrics go beyond the kitsch of "All I Want for Christmas Is You" and other such piffle. We have more than enough American Christmas songs, but there's always room for a thoughtful reflection in the canon of carols. So yes, I make an exception for the CCM favorite "Welcome to Our World." Here are some of the lyrics:
Hope that you don't mind our manger
How I wish we would have known
But long awaited Holy Stranger
Make yourself at home
Please make yourself at home
Fragile finger sent to heal us
Tender brow prepared for thorn
Tiny heart whose blood will save us
Unto us is born
Unto us is born
So wrap our injured flesh around You
Breathe our air and walk our sod
Rob our sin and make us holy
Perfect Son of God
Perfect Son of God
Welcome to our world
So many Christmas songs focus on the joy of the season, and rightfully so. It's a joyous time, both culturally and spiritually. But occasionally I need to view the holiday from a different perspective - that is, from the viewpoint of heaven. From God the Son's perspective, becoming human was - to put it mildly - a huge demotion. Christmas began with an act of submission and humility on the part of the Son. The Creator consented to become one of the creation, with all of our blood, sweat, and tears. From the heavenly perspective, the Incarnation arrived with sorrow, as part of the Godhead separated himself physically from the Father. Christmas signals an arrival into our world, but a departure, however brief, from a greater world.
Jesus's demonstrated humility is just one of the reasons the Incarnation should inspire such awe in us. Yes, the Incarnation dignified a downtrodden humanity. But the Incarnation also required sacrifice we can't begin to describe. All this before the ultimate shame of the cross.
The Puritan Thomas Watson meditated on Christ's humility with these words:
"He came not in the majesty of a king, attended with [a bodyguard], but he came poor; not like the heir of heaven, but like one of an inferior descent. The place he was born in was poor; not the royal city Jerusalem, but Bethlehem, a poor obscure place. He was born in an inn, and a manger was his cradle, the cobwebs his curtains, the beasts his companions; he descended of poor parents.... He was poor, that he might make us rich.... He lay in the manger that we might lie in paradise. He came down from heaven, that he might bring us to heaven."
Intersecting Faith & Life: As you consider the joy of this holiday season - whether you're anticipating the unwrapped smiles, lighting the Advent wreath, singing carols, making cookies, or whatever - take time to consider the counterpoint. Our joy is Christ's first sacrifice.
Further Reading:
The Grace and Greatness of True Humility
Hebrews 2:6-11
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Stop the Madness!
by Laura MacCorkle
... for the joy of the LORD is your strength.
Nehemiah 8:10, NIV
Ahhh, the first day of winter. And the Christmas season, too! Gift giving, parties and caroling. School programs, tree trimming and crackling fires. Shopping, scurrying and migraines and... stop the madness!
Guess it doesn't take much for the "Christmas joy" to turn into the "Christmas madness," does it? If that's how you're feeling today, then it might be time to stop and re-evaluate your priorities this month. Maybe this is the year when you rediscover the joy of the season.
So what is "the joy" anyway? In a word: salvation. God sent his son to earth to save mankind. Jesus was born so that we might be "born again" and have new life in Christ. "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us" (John 1:14). Now THAT is great joy!
The shepherds knew of this joy. In Luke 2, an angel of the Lord appeared to them while they were in the fields near Bethlehem and told them: "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people."
Meanwhile, back in the east, the Magi knew about the joy as well. These astronomers saw the star in the East and came to Bethlehem, looking for the "king of the Jews" (Matthew 2).
Now... fast forward to the 21st century and let's contrast our societal norms with Bible times. As a female, I immediately notice that the shepherds didn't bring anything with them to honor the newborn King. And no one got upset. (That's right... no hostess gift. Perhaps shepherdesses would have brought a simple casserole in a disposable pan.) No, these men simply received some good news, and then did what they were instructed to do: spread the word about Jesus.
A little later, the Magi came and brought what they had: gold, incense and myrrh. They bowed down, and they worshipped the King. While these were pretty expensive gifts, I don't think they broke the bank for these wealthy individuals. The Magi also didn't carry them around in Neiman Marcus shopping bags in a grand display of their worth. The point is that they gave their very best and from their hearts. And I'm sure these gifts were of great financial help to Joseph and Mary in the days that followed.
Though they represented different ends of the spectrum, both the shepherds and the Magi came to worship the King. That was their focus for the season and not meeting perceived expectations of how they should celebrate or give or measure up with the next bearded guy.
We would do well to focus on this same joy. Not on who has the best gift. Not on who serves the best holiday buffet. And not on who has the best decorated house on the block.
Why? Because the joy of the good news is that salvation has come. Emmanuel is with us. Our Savior is Jesus. And HE is the one who puts the joy in our hearts.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
What is the joy of your heart this holiday season? Perhaps rediscovering the joy of Christmas means stopping the madness and scaling back your to-do list. Ask the Lord to show you how he would have you spend your time and resources so that you may know his joy and share it with others.
Further Reading
1 Peter 1:8, NIV
A Reason to Smile
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Peace, Love, and Angels
by Debbie Wright, Assistant Editor, Crosswalk.com
The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: "I have loved you with an everlasting love" (Jeremiah 31:3).
Snow comes. Once twilight takes over, lights appear all over the city. People hum Christmas carols as they walk. The Salvation Army bell is heard clanging a block over. Christmas is coming; it's almost here. And it can be a swirling, hectic time. It can be easy to forget about the quiet importance of Advent Season, and the rich meanings in each Advent candle.
The fourth Advent candle is called the Candle of Love.
If we as Christians are so eager to keep "Christ" in "Christmas" and not surrender the holiday to commercialism, we had better remember to love during this season. Otherwise, what message do we send to the world? Lighting the Candle of Love during Advent season is a reminder of how great the Father's love is for us. The Incarnation embodied God's passionate pursuit of all humankind; it showed the depths to which our LORD was willing to go, in order to teach us, redeem us, draw us to himself.
The fourth Advent candle is called the Angel's candle.
The Angel who proclaimed the news of Christ's birth to the shepherds had a vital duty: to impart God's love and good news. For in a world swirling with legends of violent gods, bloody sacrifices, and warring nations, God's love is the best possible news. The birth of a Messiah was the best possible news.
Are we not to be God's emissaries, perhaps something like God's angels, today? Should we not exude joy and spread peace? Should we not glorify God in everything and serve him always?
The fourth Advent candle represents the peace of God.
In a world torn and ragged, Christ alone offers true peace. Let us soak in this peace as we remember the night he lay as an infant in a tumultuous world he would soon change forever. Let us soak in this peace as we partake of the Lord's Supper and remember that his body was broken out of love for us. Let us become this peace, in a world so full of violence, abuse, and ignorance. For we cannot change the world; but we can open up our own hearts to be transformed through Christ.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Even if you don't light the Advent candles each week in December, take a moment to reflect on each of their meanings.
Further Reading:
Luke 2:14
Matthew 5:43-48
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The Audacity of Christmas
by Mike Pohlman
So let no one boast in men. For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future--all are yours, and you are Christ's, and Christ is God's. –1 Corinthians 3:21-23
This Christmas millions of children (and adults) will find under their Christmas tree a Wii or Xbox 360 or Playstation 3. When the wrapping paper is ripped and the contents revealed shouts of joy will fill the room. (I'm planning on this as our kids open their Wii!) Each of these game consoles will bring countless hours of pleasure to the players. But as amazing as these machines are, they in no way compare to the audacity of God's gift given at Christmas.
Consider the staggering promise of the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 3:21. He says, "all things are yours" by virtue of being in Christ. And what does Paul include in "all things"? Things like the world, life, death, the present and the future. Breathtaking. How can this be?
Galatians 4:4-7 shows how the Christian comes to inherit "all things."
But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
Christmas marks the "fullness of time" when God, in his sovereign freedom, "sent forth his Son." The One who dispenses times and seasons determined that it was time to send forth the Son who had existed with the Father from eternity. Indeed, the second person of the Trinity "did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men" (Philippians 2:6-7). He was "born of a woman, born under the law." Here we have the wonder of the Incarnation: God of very God assuming a human nature.
Why would the Son of God take on flesh and dwell among sinful mankind? Why would divinity take on humanity and "become obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross" (Philippians 2:8)?
He did it to secure salvation. In other words, "to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons" (Galatians 4:5). Christ came into the world not only to free us from the tyranny of sin, death and the devil, but also to crown us with unimaginable glory.
It is true that at the Cross Christ "redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us" (Galatians 3:13). But we have not been saved only in this "negative" sense. We have been adopted into God's family and given all the rights and privileges of legitimate heirs. Paul captures this beautifully in 2 Corinthians 8:9, "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich." And the riches that are ours in Christ are far greater than anything merely monetary. These riches are in fact "all things" for "all are yours, and you are Christ's, and Christ is God's" (1 Corinthians 3:23). This is the audacity of Christmas and it is intended to redound "to the praise of glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved" (Ephesians 1:6).
Intersecting Faith & Life: This Christmas I want to think and live as one adopted. One way to do this is to let every gift given to a loved one serve as a pointer to the Gospel. And when we consider how excited we are for the new Wii or Xbox or Playstation with its temporal pleasures, let us remember the eternal weight of glory that awaits the heirs of the King.
Further Reading
Disturbing Christmas, C.J. Mahaney
A Redemption Worthy of Our Worship, Peter Beck
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Nothing Wasted
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com
When they had all had enough to eat, [Jesus] said to his disciples, "Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted." (John 6:12)
In your house somewhere, there's probably one of those things. Although it looks like any other scribbled-up notebook or faded picture or crinkle-edged envelope, you know better. You know better because there's a ton or two of memories tied around that thing. You avoid it for years because you don't have time (or courage) to drag all that weight back out. It's best left dusty and dormant. You tell yourself you've forgotten. You don't really believe that, but it's what you tell yourself.
Then, that thing finds you. Okay, so technically you found it while you were cleaning or trying to decide what to pitch out from your overstuffed closet. But whatever the case, it's there in your hand. You plop down in the floor and place it on your lap. Your fingers smooth down the edges. Maybe your gut tightens up a bit.
Once again—just like the last time you "found" it—the I-was-a-fool song zips into your head. It's a song that only has one verse, but that verse plays over and over. Usually, you turn the melody into a prayer that goes something like this:
God, what was I thinking? How could I not see? How could I have done that? Why didn't I say something?
Waste—eventually, it all comes down to that. While tracing pencil indentions with your fingers or taking in the smooth surface of the photo, you wonder how many years you wasted. What mighty things you might have done. At least, it seems like that now.
But there's another song that comes, too, and that one has many verses and many versions. One of the best sounds like this:
You were dead because you lost sight of Christ. But He never lost sight of you. Right when you needed it most, God made those nail-pierced wrists very real to you, and it crushed you to know what shame had been hammered to the cross—all our regret-filled yesterdays. (Colossians 2:13-14, author paraphrase)
And if you listen to that song (or dozens more like it), you won't fear that tattered thing in your hands, that memento too heavy to keep close by. Instead, you'll see how God never wastes anything. Not busted up plans, not years of prodigal living, and certainly not you. Instead, He picks them up—when He picks you up—and teaches you how to talk about His can't-believe-it's-possible grace.
So, talk.
Intersecting Faith and Life: If there was anyone who should have wanted to forget his past, it was Paul. This Christian-murdering, Jesus-denying man pretty much owned the record for most regretful decisions. But Paul never hides what he was. In fact, he keeps repeating it to believers, to governors, to kings. He never hides the years that we might think were wasted.
You see, Paul had it figured out. He'd done shameful things, but he'd received shameless grace. And all those years of not knowing Jesus became the foundation for his new life. He spoke from his weakness and God's ridiculous gift of salvation. Even for him.
And the same is true with your past. You may hate what happened or what you did. But it's not about where you've been or the wounds you inflicted on yourself; it's about showing God's love through your scars.
Further Reading:
Colossians 2
John 6
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Letter from Dad
by Shawn McEvoy, Managing Editor, Crosswalk.com
Abba! Father! All things are possible for you.
Mark 14:36
My son was having a problem at school. Not with his schoolwork, or even socially. It was a personal problem, and it was minor, but it was of some concern to his mother and me. And if he didn't solve it soon, it would become of greater concern to him as well.
We tried all sorts of encouragement (even forms of discouragement). We did everything we could within the bounds of letting him feel secure, making sure we knew he was excelling at the important first-grader-type stuff, making sure he didn't develop a complex. Still, nothing was working. Basically, he'd get so involved and engrossed in whatever he was doing that day or at that hour that he just couldn't remember to take care of other important items. A multi-tasker he is not yet. Nor must he be. Laser-like focus and concentration is a trait I know many parents wish their children displayed.
Anyway, as with many things, the solution came from him. One morning as we were praying and encouraging him about the issue before school, he suggested a note. He said it might really help him if I wrote him a note - a special, secret note in a code just for us - that he could keep in his chair-pocket at school, one he could take out every day and read and think of me and remember what he was supposed to do.
Immediately I got out some paper, wrote out a message of love and encouragement that also contained a hidden meaning for Jordan, and sent him on his way, not knowing what to expect.
More than three weeks later, he'd not had an instance of the problem. He credits the letter from dad, says he takes it out before every class. It makes him smile, it makes him feel loved, it reminds him who he is and what he needs to do.
We all have one of those, you know. A letter from Dad. Something to read at the start of every day that tells us we're loved, encourages us, challenges us, reminds us who we are and what we need to do. A note that has surprising power to heal our woes and solve our problems.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Have you read yours today?
Further Reading
Proverbs 3:3
Deuteronomy 6:6-7
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Walking the Floodwall
by Ryan Duncan, Editor, TheFish.com
"And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men." – Luke 2:52
I have a confession to make; last Sunday I skipped church. I actually had a very good excuse: I wanted to spend more time with God. I know that sounds pretty strange, and I'm certainly not saying Christians should start ditching on Sundays, but that morning as I was getting ready to leave I couldn't help feeling (much to my surprise) that the Holy Spirit didn't want me to go to Church that day.
So instead, I stayed home and started reading the Bible. I'd only planned on reading two chapters that morning, but I ended up reading eight. Occasionally I'd re-read passages to let the words sink in or underline verses that stood out to me. After I'd finished, I went outside and started walking. There's a floodwall near my apartment that acts as a kind of jogging trail, and as I made my way across it, I talked with God.
I just started praying, telling God about the things going on in my life. My worries, my hopes, what I was grateful for, I let it all pour out as I made my way to the end of the trail. To be honest, it was the closest I'd been to God in a long time. Looking back on it now, I can see God has a sense of humor. Not only did I spend three hours meditating with God, (an hour and a half longer than my usual Church service) but the first chapter I read that morning was Luke 2, which contains one of Jesus own experiences with our Heavenly Father.
"After the Feast was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you." "Why were you searching for me?" he asked. "Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?" But they did not understand what he was saying to them." – Luke 2: 43-50
Sometimes, Church can become a ritual. We go, we sing the songs, we sit through the sermon, and then forget everything once we've left. We allow our Sunday services to become our faith, and our time with God starts looking more like something out of a self-help seminar. But God doesn't just want our attendance on Sundays, he wants us. I think this story in Luke to shows us what our time with God should really be like.
For Jesus, his Father's house was a place of safety, a place where he could grow and mature, a place to listen and at the same time be heard. So the next time you go to Church, don't go out of habit, but apply the lessons to your life, and when you sing, sing for Christ.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Take a day and spend some personal time with God. Pray and meditate on his words.
Further Reading
Luke 2
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Faith Worth Remembering
by Katherine Britton
Jesus said to them, "Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her." - Matthew 26:10-13
The woman with the alabaster jar knew something that I don't fully grasp.
She knew she didn't belong with Jesus. She knew that he had every right to shun her, to see her life of sin, and turn away. Comparing Matthew's account with other gospels, she was probably Mary Magdalene, the fallen woman. Even by our cultural standards, her lifestyle barred her from polite company; in her day, her gender prevented her from coming too close to the honored guest. She had no right to enter that dinner, and she knew it. So why does this woman win such a place in Jesus' narrative?
I tried to unravel her story in one of my few stints as a short story author. Picture a woman entering a room full of men, all of whom notice her impertinence. Perhaps she second-guessed her intentions for a moment. But I bet that once her eyes settled on Jesus, she never looked away. Not this woman, Mary. I can't think of any other compelling reason for her to walk forward, break a jar that cost a year's salary, and pour it over the head and feet of Christ.
What did she know that today's Christians, me included, miss?
I think that answer lies in where she looked. She kept her eyes trained on Jesus, refusing to look at her own moral standing and flaws. It's not that she wasn't aware of them - that's the very reason she loved Jesus so much. But she didn't allow herself to dwell on the laws she had broken and the time she hadn't spent loving him. She was too caught up in his face to notice anything about herself.
When I approach God on Sunday mornings, I must admit that my heart drags its feet, coming with eyes downcast. What I consider most often are the ways I fail—how I didn't read my Bible enough or I wasn't patient or loving or whatever enough. And yet, my focus is still on... me.
The woman with the alabaster jar died to herself long before she entered that dining room. She had denied herself and decided to focus only on Jesus. Her self faded into the background as focused on delighting in her Lord. She was one of the first people to understand what it meant to take up the cross and follow Jesus. For that, Jesus promised that her story would be told "wherever this gospel is heard." That's faith worth remembering.
Intersecting Faith & Life: How hard is it to enjoy your best friend's company? Or do you focus on all the ways you could be a better friend but fail? When we're in the presence of people we love, the meeting becomes less about us and more about enjoying their company. How would our lives be transformed if we took that same approach to our faith? In 2013, I pray that we will remember the woman with the alabaster jar and follow her example. Let's train our eyes on the face of Jesus.
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Grace for Families in 2013
Sarah Phillips
For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.
Genesis 2: 24 NIV
Part of my job includes receiving letters from readers about family issues. Something that struck me this past year was how many Christian families suffer - truly suffer. Some struggle from financial woes, others from the behavior of rebellious teenagers, and some from painful relational problems within their marriages.
While I can't offer quick fixes in this small devotional entry, I want to reflect on some scriptures here that will hopefully offer you some encouragement if you are among those facing a difficult family situation.
"The man said, 'The woman you put here with me--she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it." Gen 3: 7 - 12.
First, if you're facing a broken situation or relationship, remember you're not alone. With the fall of man came the fall of family life. We can see this in Adam's dysfunctional words as he blames God and Eve for his own sinful decision to eat the forbidden fruit.
You may compare your family to others and feel like a failure - like everyone else has this family thing figured out. But truthfully, we are all sinners who marry sinners and give birth to sinners. While this truth doesn't excuse a person's hurtful, sinful behavior (God himself is grieved by such behavior), it helps ground me a little more in reality when I find myself playing the comparison game or building up unrealistic expectations of others.
"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord." Ephesians 5: 8
Second, we're not doomed to this sinful state forever. Becoming Christian doesn't necessarily make family life easier, but it does make healing possible. It is through the sanctifying grace of Jesus Christ that not only can we be transformed as individuals, but our relationships can also be transformed, successfully reflecting the Trinitarian love of God to each other and the world. This is God's desire for every Christian family, not just a privileged few. For as many disheartening letters as I receive from distraught spouses and parents, I receive encouraging letters and articles from those who have found true transformation and healing in Christ. If you are a believer, know that you have profound spiritual support to overcome your family trials.
"Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them." Ephesians 5: 8-11
Third, transformation requires humility, help and work on our part. This may seem like I am stating the obvious, but sometimes it's helpful to me when a loved one reminds me of basic truths. Just as we didn't instantly become perfect upon our acceptance of Christ, neither will our families. Each day we have choices - choices to choose Christ and accept his grace or to turn our backs. Occasionally we have breakthroughs - giant leaps forward in sanctity - but most of the Christian life consists of small, everyday decisions to seek God and live in his truth.
Sometimes we need help from fellow believers to live successfully as children of the light - even Christ, who needed no help, graciously received help from Simon in carrying his cross (Matt 27: 32). I encourage you to plug into a local support group or check out some of the resources at the end of this devotional if your family is hitting particularly dark days.
"My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done." Matt 26: 42
Fourth, God grieves with us. He doesn't rejoice in our pain or sit back and watch indifferently. Whatever trial you're facing, he is there, wanting the very best outcome even if sometimes we don't feel his presence or understand why things are going the direction they are going. When I find myself questioning God's loving presence, I reflect on Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane where he accepted the painful cup of sacrifice out of profound love for you and me.
"I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." John 10: 10
Fifth, while being Christian means embracing our crosses, it doesn't mean we'll never know joy or peace in our lives or families. There is hope. My prayer for you is that you will have renewed strength, happiness, and faith within your families in 2013.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Sometimes it's easy to get overwhelmed by our situations, and we forget to remember the positive. List at least one good trait in each family member and reflect on these positives during your quiet time.
Further Reading
The Power of Rewriting Your Story -- Dr. David Hawkins
Resources:
The Marriage Recovery Center
Retrouvaille
Love Path 911
Heartlight Ministries (for parents with struggling teens)
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"You Never Do Anything You Don't Want to Do"
by Shawn McEvoy, Managing Editor, Crosswalk.com
Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.
Galatians 6:5, The Message
If I try, I can remember my friends from 10th-grade Sunday School. In fact, I'm still tight with two of them. I remember our church, our youth group, and our youth minister. What I don't remember so well are the individual lessons we learned from the Bible each week. As I realize that, I give myself another kick for not having gotten into note-taking and journaling. I'd like to have those things to review now.
What I do recall from one particular class session, however, has always stuck with me. And it wasn't even a quote from the Bible. To show how much I've forgotten, I don't even remember the name of the teacher who said it! He was tall, well-accomplished in business, but still wanting to give of his time to young men. And one day he looked at us and said the following:
"Today's lesson is going to be very short. Look at me, because whatever you remember from today, remember this. Whatever you remember from your time in this youth group, remember this: You never do anything you don't want to do."
That was it. Obviously I still remember it. Why?
I also remember challenging the teacher on that day, most of us scoffing and saying things like, "Yeah, right... I can honestly tell you I do not want to do my homework tonight."
"Yes you do."
"No, I really don't."
"What will happen if you don't?"
"Well, I guess I'd be embarrassed when it was time to turn it in, I'd probably have to lie to my parents when they asked if I'd done it yet, and I wouldn't be prepared for the upcoming quiz."
"So I guess the reason you're going to do your homework is because for the motives you just stated, you DO want to do it."
Snap.
A dozen high school boys just got handed a logic lesson in responsibility, desire, and motivation. All around the room you could see eyes and minds opening to new possibilities.
This is what we'd been hearing about free will. But now contextualized and personalized.
This is what our parents and teachers had been getting at as they spoke to us about becoming responsible young men.
This would make me own all my actions and reactions. And oddly enough, that was something I could tangibly handle.
The applications were endless.
I'm still not even sure his statement was absolutely true, or biblical. But to be honest, it doesn't matter anymore, because it informed and continues to inform many things in my life that are true and biblical.
Do I want to lay in bed or do I want to get to work? Why or why not? Do I really "want" that sportscar, or can I put it out of my mind to burden me no more since it conflicts with several of my primary wants?
Why am I overweight? Well, my bad. Guess I wanted that, too, when you get down to the nub of it. Certainly didn't do the things I knew would prevent it.
One of the doors that opened to me was in realizing that once I got past "my will be done," I could begin to pray as Jesus did, "Your will be done."
Another was in being able to recognize motivation. Why am I going to conquer this lust or pursue this knowledge or accomplish this hard task for God's Kingdom? Because ultimately, what I want to do is to have my heart's desires be the same as God's. That's where he tells us delight is, and that's the only place where we know what we want is right.
Intersecting Faith & Life: What action or reaction in your own life have you been blaming on other people or circumstances? Write down all the ways you yourself can own up to it.
Further Reading
1 Thessalonians 5:12
Philippians 1:23
We Are Responsible for Others
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The Day My Mom Went Crazy
John UpChurch, Senior Editor of BibleStudyTools.com
I don't remember the day of the week—so, let's say Wednesday. I'd just returned from work and was making the walk from the parking lot to my apartment.
Before I could get to the door, the call came. My cell phone cracked and spluttered as my brother spoke on the other end. His words tumbled into the hundreds of miles between us. But I understood enough. My mother had stopped her meds again; she'd lied about it; and now she didn't know her youngest son existed. My family wanted me to talk to her to prove I was, in fact, real. The idea sickened me, but I didn't have time to object before the phone went to her. Really, it took that long for me to recover.
They didn't tell her who I was, just that someone wanted to talk to her. My mind whirled around a prayer—a very inadequate bottle rocket—as I waited through the rustling and murmurs and silence. Mostly, I just hoped she wouldn't take the phone.
She did.
If you've never been told you don't exist, it's not something I recommend. You hurt for the person who doesn't want to remember, and you hurt for the lost connection. But that's what happened when I said hello and told her who I was. She screamed into the phone that I had died as a baby, that I didn't really exist, that I was lying to her. The whole moment will never really fade away.
When I visited my mom later in the hospital, a shell sat across the table from me. Her eyes dulled under the fluorescence. There was no recognition, no love in the hazel. She only resembled the woman who'd once wept when I moved out.
Loving her then gave me the smallest glimpse of what it was like for God to love me—even when I ran away, even when I denied He existed. I couldn't see back then. My eyes couldn't recognize His goodness because I convinced myself that the lies of this world are more satisfying. I denied Him and raged against Him in turn. I hated that He loved me.
Slowly, over months, my mother began to remember. She got back the names and faces that had vanished from her mind. She saw us again.
And how slow my own journey has been. First, I came face to face with a very real Maker of the universe. Then, I fell down before His ridiculous love for me. Since then, I've been slowly regaining my sight, seeing the world through His eyes. I once blinded myself, but now I've been granted new eyes. I couldn't see until God's preceding grace tore away the haze, and, suddenly, I remembered what love is.
Intersecting Faith and Life: My mom's lapse opened the cosmic door just a crack—at least, I like to think so. The whole situation hit me with the truth of what John 3:16 really means. God longs for us to recognize His love. But we have selective amnesia; we forget the one who created us.
Even that doesn't stop Him, though. He pursues us in Christ Jesus, who went through the pain of being rejected to heal our forgetful hearts. Nothing could stop him from that.
Further Reading
John 3
Romans 3
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Resolutions and Redemption
by Anna Kuta, ReligionToday.com News & Culture Editor
"For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9).
It's that time of year again! I'm talking about New Year's resolutions, of course. It's still December as I'm writing, but I guarantee that by the time you read this, I'll already be asking myself what possessed me to come up with such grand, unattainable plans for 2013. (It seemed like a good idea at the time). Every year I tell myself it'll finally be the year I keep all my resolutions. I mean, come on – how hard can it possibly be to finally set aside an hour for exercise each day, to stop consuming so much chocolate and coffee, and to never sleep for less than eight hours again?
Why are New Year's resolutions so hard to keep? I don't know, but it's a lot like another area of life. Let me explain.
Before I became a Christian at the age of 17, I approached my life the same way I often approach New Year's resolutions. I would try so hard to do the right things but I always ended up falling flat. I convinced myself that as long as I was the "good girl," I'd be fine, so I tried really hard to live up to certain standards to please everyone, and hopefully God too. The problem, though, is that there's nothing anyone can do in his or her own power to "earn" God's favor.
As Ephesians 2:8 says, it's by God's grace that we are saved, not because of anything we could ever hope to attain or accomplish. God's gift of His son Jesus Christ to save us from our sins through His death and resurrection is just that – a gift. Doing all the good, noble things in the world will never earn salvation, and like verse 9 says, nobody could ever think of boasting about such an undeserved gift.
Of course, the desire to do the right things is one result of making Jesus the Lord of your life, but we all continue to mess up because, after all, we are just sinners saved by grace. I still lose sight of it all sometimes and get caught up in the cycle of trying to "out-good" myself and others. This new year, however, in light of any New Year's resolutions you may have made (or already broken), join me in remembering the assurance of one thing we never have to work to attain: God's grace.
Intersecting Faith & Life: It's hard to live up to New Year's resolutions, but it's impossible to earn God's favor through good works or noble aspirations. This year, realize and thank God anew for the gift of His grace and salvation through Jesus.
Further Reading
Titus 3:4-7
2 Timothy 1:8-10
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The Redemptive Value of New Year's Resolutions
by Mike Pohlman
But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. --Philippians 3:13-14
Thinking about New Years and what resolutions I want to make this year. I, for one, see God's grace in the close of one year and the dawn of another. This yearly cycle gives us the opportunity to take inventory of where we stand in relation to our Creator; are we seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matt. 6:33)? The New Year can be a time for "forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead," to recommit ourselves to "setting our minds on things above" (Colossians 3:1-4).
To help me in this endeavor I've enlisted Steven Lawson and his fine book on Jonathan Edwards: The Unwavering Resolve of Jonathan Edwards. Jonathan Edwards, of course, is probably best known for his sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God." But there is far more to appreciate about this eighteenth century pastor. Benjamin Warfield referred to Edwards as a "figure of real greatness in the intellectual life of colonial America." And Edwards scholar George Marsden considers him "the most acute American philosopher." But perhaps the Englishman Martyn Lloyd-Jones said it best: "I am tempted, perhaps foolish, to compare the Puritans to the Alps, Luther and Calvin to the Himalayas, and Jonathan Edwards to Mount Everest! He has always seemed to me the man most like the Apostle Paul."
Lawson's aim with his book is "to challenge a new generation of believers to pursue holiness in their daily lives" by focusing on Edwards' seventy "Resolutions" (Amazingly, Edwards wrote these resolutions in 1722 and 1723 when he was just eighteen and nineteen-years-old).
Lawson chose to focus on Edwards' "Resolutions" given how well they demonstrate the towering virtue of his life, namely, his piety. "In short, though Edwards was intellectually brilliant and theologically commanding, his true greatness lay in his indefatigable zeal for the glory of God."
Consider Resolution #1:
Resolved, that I will do whatsoever I think to be most to God's glory, and my own good, profit and pleasure, in the whole of my duration, without any consideration of the time, whether now, or never so many myriads of ages hence. Resolved to do whatever I think to be my duty, and the most for the good and advantage of mankind in general. Resolved to do this, whatever difficulties I meet with, how many and how great soever.
Edwards was resolved, regardless of the difficulty, to live for the glory of God, his own pleasure (in God) and the good of mankind generally. Profound and convicting.
Now, notice what this puritan - this relic of centuries ago - says in Resolution #2:
Resolved, to be continually endeavoring to find out some new invention and contrivance to promote the forementioned things.
We don't usually associate Jonathan Edwards with "innovation" or "cutting edge thinking." And yet, here he is resolved to continually dream up ways to advance the glory of God.
I want to do that this year. I want to be resolved to live for the glory of God, to find my pleasure in Him and the good of mankind generally. And I want to do this with a determined, vigorous and biblically-wise analysis of ways I can do it better.
Intersecting Faith & Life: What new ways can you think of to advance the glory of God, your pleasure in Him and the good of mankind? And don't just think innovation. Perhaps what is "old" should become new again.
Further Reading
The Unwavering Resolve of Jonathan Edwards (Steven Lawson)
Unfashionable: Making a Difference in the World by Being Different (Tullian Tchividjian)
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God and Treadmills
Ryan Duncan, Editor, TheFish.com
May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance.
2 Thessalonians 3:5
Ever since I moved to Richmond I've acquired a taste for working out. There's just something addicting about going to the gym after a long day at the office and pounding a treadmill until you feel the moisture on your forehead. If I don't get my usual workouts, I tend to go stir crazy. That's why I can't stand January. After every New Year's celebration, like clockwork, the gyms become crowded with people who have resolved to become healthier.
Because of the crowds, it becomes harder to get equipment, find parking spaces, or do any of my usual exercises. Now don't get me wrong, I'm glad people are trying to get healthier and I encourage anyone who wants to start working out to give it a try, but I still get frustrated because I know that within a month most of these people will be gone. Exercise requires a lot of commitment and perseverance, and while a lot of people have resolved to live better, when the hard part comes they give up. You could say the same thing applies to faith. I cannot tell you how many times God has revealed himself in my life through his grace, his power, or even his sense of humor. But despite all these moments, it's still so easy for me to doubt, to get angry with God and wonder if he has a plan, or if he's even there at all.
The book of James is useful in moments like this, and even offers some encouragement for when we're tempted to doubt.
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does." – James 1:2-8
Spiritual workouts are no different from our physical ones. If you want to run a marathon, you first have to run a mile, and if you want to become a tool for Christ, you have to trust him first. So don't be afraid of trials and challenges, but instead embrace them as opportunities to mature in your faith. It won't be easy, and odds are you'll probably have to endure some difficult and painful experiences, but in the end you'll look back and know you're stronger because of it.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Apply God to your daily life through the excercise of prayer and service.
Further Reading
Hebrews 12:1
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Are You Reciting the Gospel by Yourself?
by Alex Crain, Editor, Christianity.com
...with Him... Moses and Elijah, who, appearing in glory, were speaking of His departure which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.
Luke 9:30-31 NASB
It's good to see that the idea of 'preaching the gospel to yourself everyday' is becoming more popular. At least that's how it seems to me. Things that point to the gospel are popping up in all kinds of places and ways, not only in big and new movements but in short videos, articles and Twitter messages ("Gospel Tweets"). A caution in the way we think about the gospel was brought to my attention recently in chapter two of True Spirituality. If you're not following along in our weekly journey through this important and helpful work by Francis Schaeffer, I invite you to join us.
In chapter two, Schaeffer mentions our Scripture passage today (above) where we see Moses and Elijah speaking with Jesus at the Mount of Transfiguration about His impending departure—His death.
It's subtle, but notice that they're not just making a passing mention of the fact. Rather, they were actively and continuously speaking about it. They were dwelling on the gospel; at least the substitutionary atonement part of it. And with the Object of their redemption (Christ) standing right there, no doubt there must have been more than just theological accuracy in their conversation. Probably more like amazement and deep gratitude. As they thought of all that Christ was about to endure for their sin, I'm sure they had correct thoughts about the gospel. But Christ's own presence energized their orthodox theology.
At times, there can a detached, tearless way that we think about the gospel. When I have well-articulated and familiar facts about Christ's life/death/resurrection/ascension, and they are just empty echoes down the icy corridors of my thoughts, the diagnosis is simple: I have broken fellowship with Christ. It's evidence of unconfessed sin.
Schaeffer reminds us that when we rehearse the gospel, we must do so in the presence of the Living Christ; in humble worship of Him. He is not a distant figment of man's imagination. He is the God Who is there. Just as Moses and Elijah were "with Him"... in His presence, so we too must continuously rehearse the gospel while recognizing that we are in the presence of the God Who is there. The Christian life flows from the constant spring of dwelling on the gospel with the Redeemer Himself.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Remember this paraphrase of John Piper: the gospel is like blood, it's supposed to course through your veins not be carried in a bucket.
John Owen, (a 1600s Puritan) often prayed, "Lord, may I commune with You in the doctrines I espouse." Make this your prayer and experience today.
Further Reading
John 15
The Gospel in Six Minutes (John Piper, video)
"While all that borrows life from Thee is ever in Thy care;
And everywhere that man can be, Thou, God art present there."
From the hymn, "I Sing the Mighty Power of God" by Isaac Watts
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The Temporary Non-Path of Patience
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. James 5:7-8
We all know that patience isn't easy, or fun. What it is, though, is the path of the wise. Or, perhaps it's better to say the "non-path," since it usually involves a decision to do nothing for a while, to be still and know that you are not God, to reflect, or to strategize.
I recently gained new insight into the value of patience and the reason it's prized so highly in the Bible, from verses about "those who wait on the Lord" to "letting endurance have its perfect result."
In the first half of 2010 I raced through a blog of the TV show LOST. The series is replete with Christo-religious metaphors and parallels. One such area it studies in detail is patience. Early on, one of the characters tells another that "Patience, which you lack, is the quality of a leader." It almost flew right by me, like it did the first time. Patience? The quality of a leader? Does that sound right? Not really, not to today's ears. Don't we usually think of leaders as people who make immediate, command decisions, rush into action, tell others what to do, and make people feel safe (which is to say, how they think they need to feel)?
That's part of it; however, those are the very flaws about the concept that plagued most of the characters on LOST. They were so driven to do, fix, run, save, correct, fight, and prove that they often didn't take time to actually ponder the next step or, even better, wait for the next step to present itself. Their lack of wisdom in making rush decisions and actions was obvious to the audience, who kept wondering why they couldn't remember the miracles they'd already seen, why they couldn't reflect on what they'd already come through, the amazing ways they'd been granted second chances, the redemption they'd been given despite not deserving it, the way they kept longing for home while failing to realize they were building a new one (if they could have just slowed down and seen it).
As I watched it all unfold, I was reminded of the children of Israel. Granted, 40 years in a desert would be a long time to wait for anything, particularly a promised new home. So they grumbled. They longed for the old ways, even though those meant bondage and servitude. They failed to stop and understand that the miracles of manna and the Red Sea meant more were on the way - at the right time. They nagged their leadership, sought unproductive solutions, and just like the characters on LOST, were plagued by always feeling they had to do something, to take control.
The paradox is that control is indeed involved, but it's self-control instead of situational control. Relax. Quiet yourself. Let's remember where we came from and the amazing ways we passed through peril for a while. Let's reflect on the present - the fact we're here - and how amazing the Lord is. Let's ponder our future steps before rushing up them and tripping.
Patience - the "strengthening of the heart" James refers to - then is directly related to another fruit of the Spirit, self-control. Self-control thus leads to maturity, which is completeness, which is wisdom, which is leadership, which is purpose, which is ministry, which is being used of God, which is where we see miracles again. Full-circle we come, eventually, when we patiently wait on the Lord, who is never late and perpetually victorious.
Situational control may provide temporary satisfaction, but it also often makes a situation worse. Patience is a willing temporary dissatisfaction, but it puts your emotions under control and God in control. It might make a situation feel like it's not getting better, but the solution can only be miraculous with it as part of the equation. Patience prevents rash judgment, and judgmentalism. It secures a plan. It is a beautiful paradox of being a non-action and yet a conscious exercise of free will. It is the basis for the merciful ways the Lord deals with us. Patience provides the path in proper time, and promises that faith will be rewarded.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Practice patience this week by seeking not to pursue control in one particularly vexing portion of your life, and ponder whether it's indeed your problem to solve in the first place. Start by remembering the miracle of how God got your attention and delivered you, and his promise that the great work he began in you will not remain incomplete, no matter how long it takes. What miracle will be next? Wait and see. "You will know that I am the LORD; Those who hopefully wait for Me will not be put to shame (Isaiah 49:23)."
Further Reading
Galatians 5:22
Hebrews 6:12
1 Corinthians 4:5
Isaiah 40:31
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His Love Endures Forever
by Ryan Duncan, Editor, TheFish.com
Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever! -1 Chronicles 16:34
Last December I had the privilege to be part of a short-term mission's trip to Vladimir, Russia, where I worked alongside Russian Christians in the city's orphanage. The trip was incredibly challenging, but the opportunity did help me learn a lot about God and about myself. In particular, I remember the Sunday morning where our interpreters invited us to attend their Church. The building they met in was small, and as I took my seat with the rest of the team, I realized there couldn't be more than thirty people in the congregation.
I found that number rather depressing. My own Church here in the states wasn't what I'd call big, but it certainly had more than thirty people in it. A small voice in the dark part of my mind wondered if this was a sign of change in our world, that maybe Christianity was beginning to die out. I was still in this dismal frame of mind when the congregation stood for the first song, and it was at that point something extraordinary happened. The people of that small Church began to sing together, and I was amazed at the passion they displayed toward God as they worshiped.
Afterward, my interpreter took me aside and began to tell me about the history of the Church. Apparently this little Church had been in the community for ten years, and it wasn't shrinking, it was growing. My interpreter told me how it was through this Church that he had first come to know Christ. He was the only Christian in his family, and was doing his best to witness to them, but in the meantime he considered the people here just as close as any brother or sister. Nearly everyone in the Church was involved in some kind of outreach, some even worked with the orphanages full time.
All of this from a Church of thirty people. Sometimes I lose sight of who God really is, and what he can do with the smallest of offerings. God will never be threatened or hindered by our world. He will always be there for us no matter how far we stray or how hard mankind tries to remove him. Through the rise and fall of countless empires, all the advancements of science, through war and pain, the spirit of God has endured.
I guess the writer of Psalms knew what he was talking about when he wrote,
"Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of gods, for his steadfast love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his steadfast love endures forever; to him who alone does great wonders, for his steadfast love endures forever;" – Psalm136:1-4
Intersecting Faith and Life: Try to find ways to live your faith, consider getting involved in your Church outreach.
Further Reading
Psalm 100:5
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Be a Friend to Have a Friend
by Laura MacCorkle
A friend loves at all times. Proverbs 17:17, NIV
Christmas is just about three weeks past us, but the remnants remain on a bulletin board in my office.
There, I have thumb-tacked various holiday family pictures and newsletters that I received in the mail from all different friends and acquaintances. I decided that that's how I would "handle" these materials this year, instead of putting them in a pile to collect dust and go forgotten.
As I look at the bulletin board each day, my heart is warmed as I see the faces of friends who have played different roles in my life: comforter, truth-teller, listener, hugger, encourager, constructive criticizer, relationship decoder/investigator, and so forth.
I see so many ways of serving and giving from so many different types of friends. And I am blessed as I am reminded of what they have done for me. And then I am also convicted: What am I doing for my friends? How am I pouring into their lives as they are pouring into mine? How is God moving me to be part of their worlds? And am I responding to his instruction and guidance in my life?
Ralph Waldo Emerson famously said: "The only way to have a friend is to be one." And he was so right about that. Friendships don't just happen. They take time. They take effort. They take upkeep. And that means we all have to do something if we want to cultivate, grow and nurture relationships with others.
When I look at my bulletin board of friends, if I am truly willing to be a friend "who loves at all times," I know that that means I have to always be ready to shelve or alter my plans in order to help meet the varied needs of others.
It's something God has been working on me for a while now. Am I willing to lay down my plans and sacrifice my time and my desires for my friends? Or is it more important that I get done today what is on my list and what I think is right for me? Am I seeking the Lord for his direction? Am I paying attention to the Holy Spirit for conviction?
Let me warn you, though. Don't ask God to move in your life in this way unless you really mean it. Because when you do ask him to help you be a better friend and to help you reach out to others, he will give you plenty of opportunities that may or may not be what you had in mind.
You might be asked to...
Offer your professional skills to someone else in need for free.
Forgo your after-work errands or agenda to just sit, listen and offer a warm hug
Give up your Saturday to help someone move, paint a house or run a garage sale.
Better yet, you might be moved to...
Give financially to someone you don't even know.
Befriend the "different" or "difficult" person whom no one else likes.
Not take careless words or confusing situations personally and instead choose to "cover" these minor offenses with love.
That's what a true friend does: gets outside of themselves and gives. And gives. And gives! Are you up to it? I'm asking myself the same question. For friends both new and old, how can we be a true friend to someone else today?
Intersecting Faith & Life: No doubt, at some point in your life you've known what it's like to be on the receiving end of someone who has been a good friend to you. But what's it like to be your friend? Do you take more than you give? Are you ever around? Do you take time to listen and care about others' concerns and life matters? Take a friend inventory today and see what changes you might need to make in your outreach to those you call "friend."
Further Reading:
John 15:13
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
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Missing the Forest for the Trees
by Debbie Wright, Assistant Editor, Crosswalk.com
"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied:"'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments" (Matthew 22:36-40).
I just read an article about how being technically "overweight" might not actually, in and of itself, carry a higher mortality risk. It discussed how previously established governmental standards of healthy, "normal" weight might have sprung more from our society's visual obsession with thinness, than with any inherent physical dangers of weighing more than your neighbor.
As mind-blowing as this conclusion may seem, perhaps the real problem isn't a number on a scale. Perhaps it's when too much extra weight for a person's body brings on unnatural fatigue, immobility, illness, or discomfort. Perhaps the problem is eating too much, or too poorly, for our bodies to function correctly.
Perhaps we're missing the big picture of health and wellness and zooming in too close on the raw numbers of weight.
I would venture to say that we do that in our spiritual lives as well. Perhaps you've diagnosed a fellow believer as having a spiritual "illness" – let's say they don't attend church on Sunday morning. Knowing only this raw data can lead to a judgmental shake of the head, with a sigh of "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing!"
But, if you were to ask this person about their health and habits, perhaps you might be surprised. But I do meet together with other believers regularly, they may say, citing a weeknight Bible study or regularly occurring night of intentional fellowship. I travel weekends for my job, so traditional church is pretty impossible, they might say. There are many things they might say, many things that might remind us that a single suspicious tree might not be representative of the forest of someone's life.
Jesus said that everything we learned from the Law and from the Prophets could be summed up like this:
Love God.
Love other people.
This is the Forest. Everything else is merely a Tree within it.
If there is something in your life causing the Forest to suffer, only then can a problem be properly diagnosed (and, rest assured, if we ignore things like fellowship, worship or prayer for long enough those things will suffer). However, sometimes we get a little too focused on smaller things and forget about the bigger picture. We forget about the Forest, so preoccupied have we been on individual Trees.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Perhaps your individual Trees line up. But how is your Forest looking these days? A little too much like a Christmas tree farm? Rather than focusing on the good-Christian-checklist of your day, ask a trusted friend or mentor whether your life truly could be described as loving God and loving people unselfishly.
Further Reading
Luke 11:37-54
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Are You in the Belly of a Big Fish?
by Fred Alberti, Salem Web Network Director of Social Media
But the Lord provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights.
Jonah 1:17
Being a homeschool family we sometimes have some rather interesting experiments that we get to enjoy as a family. George is one such experiment. George is a goldfish whose bowl-mate sadly perished. My son's task was to teach the goldfish to come to the top of the bowl when he tapped on the glass. After several weeks of tapping and feeding and tapping and feeding the fish finally learned to come to the top of the bowl.
Big deal right? Right, that is until the fish started to do more. Anytime someone would walk by the bowl he would get all excited and start moving his mouth like he was yelling at whoever it was that was walking by the bowl. This became rather normal and we would just ignore him or comment that he was yelling at us in Spanish.
Then one day my kids were listening to an FFH song titled "Big Fish." It was then that George decided to really show off what he could do. When the song played George would begin to swim around like he was dancing in the water and would seemingly move his mouth to the words (move over Ashlee Simpson).
I particularly like the first verse of the song which goes like this:
Are you in the big fish
Are you sitting in the belly of a world gone mad
Have you turned your back in His wish
On His will for your life, have you made Him sad
Do you want to get out of the big fish
Listen to God and follow His plan
And you won't be part of the main dish
He'll spit you out on to dry land
I've sometimes felt like I was in the belly of a big fish. I had decided to do something my way instead of first seeking the Lord's guidance and leading.
You, whoever you are, God has a plan for your life. Maybe you feel like you are wasting your time at a dead-end job. Or perhaps you have no job but would desperately like one. Maybe you think you have the dream job but the Lord has been speaking to you in a still small voice to give it up for something else. Like Jonah, you may not particularly like the mission God has for you but He has the intention of making you ideally suited to carry that plan out.
Will you follow His plan or will your turn your back?
Maybe you've already chosen to turn your back and feel that there is no way out now. If that is the case I've got good news for you. The Bible has this to say about Jonah, "From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God" (Jonah 2:1). God is the God of second, third, and fourth chances.
Commit your way to the Lord today.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Buy a goldfish if you don't have one already. As you feed it remember that the Lord has a purpose and a plan for your life. Ask Him to reveal it to you daily.
Further Reading
Jonah Runs From God
Jonah and Me
Hebrews 13:20 - 21
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Praying to the Heater God
by Laura MacCorkle
We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true—even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. 1 John 5:20, NIV
A portable space heater comes in handy this time of year.
I've got one in my home office that I place right in front of my feet, while I'm paying bills or working on something at my desk. No sooner have I flipped the switch to "on," then my two cats suddenly "appear" and are sitting very close to it.
I don't know how their little noses don't get burned, but I guess they know their own heat tolerance better than I do. They will generally sit in front of the heater until I turn it off... meaning, they never tire from taking in the irresistible warmth that makes them feel so good.
They practically worship the heater. And so when they sit there, I say that they're "praying to the heater god." Because that's what it looks like: down on all fours (almost prostrate), eyes closed (for better concentration and devotion), and focus directed toward the source of their (temporary) satisfaction.
This scenario got me to thinking one day about what I worship:What are the "heater gods" in my life? What things am I so dangerously close to that can burn me? And what's interfering with my devotion to the one, true God?
Well, I didn't have to think too long or look too far. I glanced around my office and saw some catalogs for department stores lying around. Then, I looked a little further and saw my jam-packed calendar. Just beyond that, my treadmill. And then there was my little television positioned strategically so I can see it while working out.
So, in that one little space in my home, I've got the false gods of materialism, achievement, appearance and entertainment all grouped together. But hey, my several Bibles and a couple of commentaries and Bible study books are there on my bookshelf, too. So just the very fact that I have these should help to cancel out the false gods, right?
I'd like to think so. But truth is they don't. Since I don't know my own "heat tolerance" as it were, I need to constantly gauge my levels in light of God's Word. And that means I need to constantly be exposing myself to the true God by reading those Bibles, books and commentaries, spending time in study, being in fellowship with other believers, using my spiritual gifts and so forth.
I think the fourth verse from the great hymn, "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing," details my constant struggle the best:
O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here's my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.
We're all prone to wander and to leave the God we should love. It is a daily battle, and it is only by his grace—his irresistible grace—that our minds can stay on him. May he continue to work in our hearts and draw us unto himself.
Intersecting Faith & Life: What are the false gods in your life? Ask God to help you resist anything that challenges your devotion to him.
Further Reading:
1 Chron. 16:11-12
Psa. 51:10
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Worry-phobia
by Meghan Kleppinger
For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!"
Romans 8:15
The word "phobia" comes from the Greek word for fear, phobos. One of my college psychology professors explained a phobia as an irrational fear of something that can potentially be harmful. Arachnophobia, the fear of spiders, for example, is an abnormal fear of spiders. Spider bites can be deadly, but most spiders are harmless and if a person gets bit by one, the chances of it being a lethal bite are minimal.
Still, a person who suffers from this phobia, like me, can't be told to "not worry" when they see one of those eight-legged monsters. When I see a spider, the blood drains from my face, I can't move... actually, all I can do is scream until someone comes to rescue me. I'm not kidding. I, a grown adult, have been known to stand on top of a table and scream until my mother, yes, my mother, comes and gets rid of the disgusting arachnid.
I am very, very, very afraid of spiders... but truthfully, my phobia issues don't end there. Everyone has their "issue." My issue, my vice, my weakness, and my greatest struggle, can all be summed up in one word: "fear."
Out of curiosity, I recently decided to see if there was a phobia for a generalized fear of everything. There is. It's called panphobia (or pantaphobia), and is simply defined as a fear of everything.
As I researched panphobia, I learned that this is more than the every day worrywart sort of fear. It's a medical condition that is persistent, debilitating, and very difficult to treat. It's related to the paranoia typically found in Schizophrenics. After discovering this, I quickly decided that I don't have panphobia.
I realized that I'm not necessarily afraid of everything, I just worry about everything – and in case you're wondering, the definition for the Greek word for worry (merimnao) has more to do with an anxious concern than a debilitating fear.
I'm one of those people who worry even more if there isn't anything to worry about. I guess that would be called something like "Worry-phobia" – a fear of having nothing to worry about. Yes, I worry about those people I love, but I also worry about the starving parentless children on other side of the globe that I will never meet. I get worried when it rains one day too many or if too many days pass without a drop.
Okay, I'm exaggerating... a bit, but you get my point. The thing is God doesn't call worry panphobia or worry-phobia, He calls it sin.
For me it is about control, and when I don't feel like I have control, I worry. It is certainly something God is continually and persistently working on in my life. He has been teaching me to trust Him through some painful and scary circumstances lately.
I know I'm not alone in the journey toward freedom from worry, so I'm going to share some helpful scripture with you. The following verses declare that His truth is greater than any worse-case-scenario or real-life-circumstance we can encounter.
"Do not be afraid of them; the LORD your God himself will fight for you." (Deuteronomy 3:22)
"The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." (Deuteronomy 31:8)
"Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows." (Matthew 10:29-31)
"Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him." (Matthew 6:8b)
"Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" (Hebrews 13:6b)
"Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades." (Revelation 1: 17b, 18)
Isn't it great that God doesn't tell us to do something without equipping us to do it first! Through His Word, He encourages and prepares us to face the world, which is after all, can be pretty scary place... especially with all of those blasted spiders!
"Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom." (Luke 12:32)
Intersecting Faith & Life: Hudson Taylor, A British missionary to China in the late 1800s, gave this advice – "The branch of the vine does not worry, and toil, and rush here to seek for sunshine, and there to find rain. No; it rests in union and communion with the vine; and at the right time, and in the right way, is the right fruit found on it. Let us so abide in the Lord Jesus."
Further Reading
You Can Win Over Worry
A Worried Christian?
How to Stop Worrying and Start Living!
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Keeping the Best Things First
by Katherine Britton
And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best... Philippians 1:9-11
How often do we resign ourselves to the "tyranny of the urgent"? If you're me, it's a daily struggle not to use that little phrase as an excuse for losing sight of the big picture. It's so much easier to take care of what's immediately in front of me instead of what should be first in my life.
I'm a task-oriented Martha, so concerned with getting the job done that I forget to focus on Him first. I can tell myself that I'm doing my work "as unto the Lord" as much as I want, but I don't serve anyone when I get harried. You probably know the feeling; you tell yourself that you're cooking a wholesome dinner as a supreme act of service and love for your family - if they only appreciated how many other things you have to do besides stand over a stove! - when little Anne asks if you'll help her find a favorite CD. Something boils over, and it's not the pot on the stove. In taking care of dinner, you've forgotten to feed a godly attitude of patience and love.
That's me to a fault. James makes it clear that faith is constantly looking for ways to serve; like Martha, however, we can get so busy that we forget why we're doing it. I often catch myself thinking that if I'm not busy, I'm not "doing enough" for God. But then the act becomes its own end, instead of an outworking of love. Imagine Martha in the kitchen, fluttering around and looking for that special recipe to serve Jesus, while Mary just sat, soaking up His words. Martha's response to this was probably well-intentioned - that is, from a human point of view. She was serving and wanted others to serve with her! But Jesus called her bluff. "Only one thing is needed," Christ said, "and Mary has chosen what is better" (Luke 10:42). Better? Lord, you mean that sitting at your feet and being quiet is better than my idea of being busy serving you? That's right.
I think I got a double-portion of Martha's spirit. Too often, I think that sitting and listening to Jesus is the same thing as sitting and doing nothing. I think it's laziness. Satan whispers that my time could be better spent doing than learning, and then the tyranny of the urgent takes over. But even Olympic acts of service are as nothing if not done in love (1 Corinthians 13), and only time at the feet of Jesus can teach me that.
Love leads to action, as Paul writes to the Philippian church, not the other way around. I can't "discern what is best" in my work and words unless I keep the very best in front of my eyes, like Mary. My prayer this week is that I will focus on Jesus and see how to love. Then the priorities will fall in line. Then I see what is best, because I see Jesus.
Intersection of Faith & Life: We have to preach the Gospel to ourselves daily, as Jerry Bridges writes, so we never lose sight of what is first and last in importance. Reevaluate your commitments and make sure that you've set aside time to sit at the feet of Jesus before anything else.
Further Reading:
1 Corinthians 13
The Authority of Intimacy
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Owned by Identity, Bought by a Savior
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor of BibleStudyTools.com
You are not your own, for you were bought with a price (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
Arguments about "identity" should end at this verse. For non-Christians, it's meaningless noise. For Christians, it's everything. We own nothing from our hair follicles to our toenails. Every drop of cytoplasm, every hormone, every spark of our synapses was paid for in full. Christ didn't die for the "good" parts or the parts we let Him have; He wanted all of us.
That's why it makes no sense for us to justify what's natural or what makes us happy or what satisfies us. To do so breaks us into pieces, compartmentalizing where we will and will not surrender, what we will and will not hand over to Christ. But the choice isn't ours. The price paid was for the whole shebang.
The heart loves to mass-produce idols, and identity works just as well as anything else. Deep inside, the hammers of what's just and fair and right beat in time with our resistance to surrender. We know who we are, and we can't change.
But the possibility of change is completely beside the point. Even if no change comes before the perfect does (1 Corinthians 13:10), even if the desires never stop, we have no room to act on them or justify them. We have no ownership in ourselves. Not even a partial vacation stake.
It all belongs to Jesus.
Christ urged us to follow Him with the heavy weight of lumber slung across our shoulders (Mark 8:34). That image is one of ownership. Why else would we take up humiliation and hardship to struggle after a bloodied Lamb? It isn't an image of coercion, but of willingness. Just as the Messiah surrendered Himself to be crucified, we crucify ourselves to admit surrender.
The arguments about orientations or ingrained needs or natural behaviors focus on one thing: us. They point to who we are and what we want. Put succinctly, such discussions are nothing more than navel-gazing. We're peering down at what makes us tick and letting that determine our course.
And ultimately, none of it matters. That navel we're peering so deeply into belongs to Christ. He bought it.
We've got genes. They're Christ's. We've got a past. It's Christ's. We've got failures and foibles and more twisted thoughts than we know what to do with. And they're hammered to the cross. The ownership of a Savoir sidesteps any arguments about identity because our true identity starts and ends with who we are in Christ. It undercuts any passionate defense of "who I am" because who we are is His. Nothing should come between us—the purchased—and the One who took care of the bill.
We must not let the clanging of our idol-making heart drown out the call of Christ to follow how He leads.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Salvation is free, but following Jesus isn't. The cost isn't in wealth or doing enough good stuff. It's sacrifice—the willful surrender of even some of our most cherished beliefs about ourselves and what we need. When we come to Christ but refuse to surrender it all, we're like the rich man who couldn't bear the thought of empty pockets (Matthew 16:19-30). We're not all in.
However you identified yourself before you got blisters from hauling around your cross, that identity is now the old identity. You gave it up to the One who paid up. You're His. You're new.
For Further Reading
1 Corinthians 6
2 Corinthians 5
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Fits Any Niche
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.
Psalm 119:105
All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.
2 Timothy 3:16
As the editor responsible for all devotional content here at Crosswalk, one of the questions I'm asked most frequently by our beloved users goes something like this:
"Your devotional offerings are great, but could you please include one for cousins of divorcees with sleeping disorders who have befriended agnostic vegetarians? Because that would be really great."
Okay, that's an exaggeration (but only barely). And it's not like we dislike filling niches. We have devotionals for women, the workplace, weight loss and the list goes on. We're continually adding to the selection and have plans for a men's devotional, a children's devotional, a singles devotional, and more. To an extent, we're at the mercy of what's well-written, theologically sound, recognizable, and most of all, available.
But when I'm asked a question like, "My fiance and I are interested in a devotional for yet-to-be-married couples living in the mid-Atlantic from different church backgrounds who are both post-millenialists. What do you recommend for us?" my answer is always the same:
Just study the Word, man.
Whether you find it here or somewhere else, locate a ministry, author, preacher, or regular old Joe/JoAnn whom God has gifted with insight into his holy scriptures, and read their take regularly. Follow that up with your own deeper individual study. Take that into praying with a spouse, accountability partner, disciple, or mentor. Join a group Bible Study. And take notes during sermons.
It's not much more complicated than that. We sometimes make it so. We pigeonhole ourselves or our current life situation or level of belief, and so risk hindering the effective wholeness of the Word.
Besides, if there's one thing I've noticed through almost a biblical generation of life, it's that our specific situations are many times made more complex by our non-stop obsession with them, and are often made more simple by backing off and getting at them indirectly through solid study that may not at first seem related to what we are going through.
There's nothing wrong with wanting to hear which verses were blessings to folks who have gone through heartbreaks or challenges similar to what you are now experiencing. What I'm suggesting is that the Word of the Lord never returns void. And that there have been several topics I've tried to understand (and been disappointed in the lack of direct guidance the Bible appears to give on the subject), or several life situations I've wanted to study (and not known where to start or how to find others who have biblical wisdom to offer in the form of a devotional) that have been solved when I stepped away and just studied sound teaching with prayer.
One example is when, as a young man, I wanted to find everything the Bible said about the "big sins" our youth ministers were so concerned with keeping us from -- sex and drinking. I shortly exhausted all the verses that dealt directly with these topics. But it wasn't until I backed away from a focus on these issues and began more comprehensive studies of what God had to say about all things that the picture grew bigger and the reasons for abstinence, purity, sobriety, and not causing others to stumble became clear in the light of grace, righteousness, sacrifice, and ministry.
Another example is the time I was battling a crippling depression. I found few answers and little comfort in attacking the problem directly -- even if there didn't seem to be a lack of correlative verses or devos, which only would have reminded me double of the state I was in. What did help was reading other topics from the Bible, and books from established Christian authors and preachers about the Bible itself, about faith, about truth. Eventually the clouds lifted, and I was stronger for having gone through the darkness and for the overarching principles that brought me home.
Let me encourage you today not to wall yourself off from the full richness of the Word, but to seek out sound doctrine and study on general principles regularly that I promise will apply to your specifics, whether directly or indirectly, immediately or eventually.
Further Reading
A Plea to Use the Bible Every Day
How to Have a Meaningful Quiet Time
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Blessed are the Meek
by Sarah Phillips
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Mt 5: 5 (NIV)
I used to have a strong dislike for the word "meek." It brings me back a decade to a defining moment during my sophomore year of high school.
I was a shy teenager who had stepped outside of her comfort zone by enrolling in several theater classes, including a class on "behind the scenes" theater productions. This should have been the easiest of all the courses for my sensitive nature. But my instructor, while delegating roles for the Spring production of Peter Pan, proved me wrong when she voiced her choice of stage manager like this:
"I've chosen Melissa because I need someone with a strong personality - someone who isn't meek, like Sarah."
Of course, I only drove her point home when I didn't stick up for myself. I spent years after that scene developing assertiveness, determined to prove that Sarah was not meek. Like this teacher, I associated meekness with weakness and both were traits that needed to be eradicated if I was going to get anywhere in life.
At least that's what I thought until I found that dreaded word jumping off the pages of scripture at me in the Gospel of Matthew. There it was, one of the first things Jesus says in his famous Sermon on the Mount.
Our deacon offered some thoughts on this verse that helped put things in perspective for me. He shared that it's in the Sermon on the Mount where we see Jesus begin to expand on His true purpose - and to the disappointment of many, He was not going to be an earthly king bestowing power and prestige on His people, not just yet. Instead, God's plan for mankind included an interior transformation of souls for the sake of an eternal kingdom. To properly prepare us for this kingdom, God rejected earthly methods of acquiring power in favor of the healing that comes with merciful love.
It is God's mercy that changes our hearts from hearts of stone to hearts of flesh. It's Christ's humility, His lowliness, that beckons us into a relationship with Him. And ultimately, it was Christ's willingness to give up earthly glory that opened the door for us to share in His eternal glory.
Now, as much as I would like earthly power, He asks us to "learn from him." As our souls find rest in God, He can continue His redemptive work through us as we display these same "weaker" virtues to the world.
This isn't to say God lacks power or that Christians should throw out virtues like courage. I think sometimes cultivating traits like meekness and humility are trickier than learning boldness because we can easily tip the scales too far and become passive. It's a difficult balance, but a necessary one if we want to reflect Christ to a hurting world.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Is there a situation in your life right now that would benefit from a little meekness, humility, or gentleness on your part? Ask God to show you how to have a meek and humble heart like His - one that offers healing and restoration while maintaining your God-given dignity.
Further Reading:
Psalm 37: 11
Ephesians 4: 2
James 4: 10
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White Walls
by Meghan Kleppinger
Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, "Build houses and live {in them;} and plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and become the fathers of sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there and do not decrease. Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare."
Jeremiah 29:4-7
If we were playing the word association game and someone said, "Military life," I would answer "white walls."
Thanks to our travel agency, otherwise known as the U.S. Army, I moved with my family 13 times before I graduated from college. Many of our abodes were Army quarters (houses on army installations for military families). The walls were always white. I determined early on that when I moved out on my own there wouldn't be a single white wall in my home.
From the time I graduated college until now, I've continued to be in transition which has meant more white walls in my apartments. Well, I just bought my first house and, of course, I'm not thinking about the practical purchases that need to be made (like a washer and a dryer for example), I'm considering color! I'm thinking about the things that need to be done to help me feel settled and at home.
Eventually, I could move to a different town, or I could marry (this one gets my parents' vote), or a number of other things could happen that would require me to move out of this house. Will my probable future keep my belongings in their boxes or the paint in its can? Of course not! If there is one thing I learned as a military kid, it's to make home wherever I am for as long as I am there.
This world is not our permanent home and God tells us our days are like a breath (Psalm 144:4), but He has also given each of us the opportunity to unpack our boxes and make an impact while we are here.
Like the exiles in Babylon, God has put each of us where we are at this time for a reason. While we anticipate a "better country" (Hebrews 11:16), we are to live, enjoy the blessings God continues to give, and exhibit a life that tells others of His magnificent love.
Intersecting Faith & Life: In the words of missionary Jim Elliot, "Wherever you are, be all there." In other words, get a brush and paint some walls!
Further Reading
Called to Contentment: Living Happily, Here and Now
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Is Suffering Inevitable?
by Shawn McEvoy, Managing Editor, Crosswalk.com
For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong.
1 Peter 3:17, NAS
Suffering. It's not standard daily devotional fare, because let's face it, usually we want to begin or end our day being uplifted, or even better, lifting up God, rather than focusing on our pains and problems.
But there's the rub... we all have pains and problems. Christian and non-Christian. Lifelong disciple and baby believer. Red and yellow, black and white. Everyone, from the moment he or she was born, has struggled, tried, failed, hurt, sinned, misunderstood, and reacted. Humanity shares a true brotherhood over suffering, one that we might understand a lot better if suffering weren't also so relative. By which I mean, one person's issues may sound simple, easy-to-solve, even petty to another. "That's nothing compared to what I've had to endure!"
But the fact is, your sorrows and difficulties are real to you. It's one reason why I'm no fan of when people say a certain place or time in their lives isn't "the real world," as if the spot they are currently tucked away at is immune from any degree of difficulty.
Suffering is very real, and there's certainly no reason any Christian would expect life to be otherwise. We purport to follow a "Suffering Savior." His stripes have healed us, and wow do we seem to feel them sometimes, which is as it should be, as we deserved them instead of Him. If we agree that no person but one - no matter where they lived or how easy or hard they had it - has escaped sin's corruption, then how much more must we agree that truly NO person has escaped suffering?
Look at what Peter suggests in today's verse: you can suffer for doing good, or you can suffer for doing bad. By extension, some of the problems in your life may be a result of your own rebellion, while other hurts may naturally result from walking so closely with Christ that you ache at the injustice and hardship around you, with the world despising and persecuting you.
In the classic allegory Hinds' Feet on High Places, Much-Afraid journeys with companions named Sorrow and Suffering, and these two assist her in her climb up the Injury Precipice, which is a part of her transformation into "Grace and Glory."
The same is true for you. Your sufferings have informed you, educated you, helped you along in your journey. You may despise them, but they are yours. And they will be with you whether you are doing right, or not. Of course, the nature of them will be quite different.
There may be one way, though, to avoid suffering. There's a third option, left out here by Peter, but not left out by John in the Revelation. It's the lukewarm response to life, the do-nothing approach. This is the approach that cocoons itself off from life and all of its pain. And make no mistake, "Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something," says that famous theologian the Man in Black in The Princess Bride.
You may not feel anything from inside a cocoon; in fact, it may be an abundance of pain and suffering that forced you in there. But remember, no creature that cocoons itself is intended to stay locked up forever. The point is to be rested, healed, matured, transformed. To become more beautiful, useful. Even the emerging process itself carries a degree of struggle, but one that, if the insect did not go through itself, would leave it too weak to fly.
So be lifted up in your suffering today.
It is a companion.
It is designed to transform you.
It gives you a share in the inheritance of Christ and the brotherhood of humanity.
And it gives you empathy, which gives you every excuse for ministry.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Make it your goal to partake, as much as possible, only of the brand of suffering that comes from doing what is right according to God's Word.
Further Reading
God's Undeserved Gift to the World: Christian Sufferers
Trusting God in the Darkness
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Understanding the Old Testament
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
The Almighty--we cannot find him; he is great in power; justice and abundant righteousness he will not violate. – Job 37:23
Like many Christians, when the New Year started I resolved to spend more time reading my Bible. I had already spent most of the previous year combing through the New Testament, so I decided to start at the very beginning and make my way through the Old Testament. Maybe it's a sign of how little I've read my Bible lately, but I had forgotten how brutal the Old Testament could be. In particular, I spent a lot of time going over the Old Testament laws and the punishments for breaking them. It baffled me that the smallest infraction on the most obscure law could often lead to exile, or even death.
If you're like me, you probably found yourself questioning these pages of the Old Testament. After all, how could a loving God condemn someone so harshly for eating pork or working on the Sabbath? This is a question I still struggle with, but a verse in Deuteronomy helped me toward understanding it more.
"Do not say in your heart, after the LORD your God has thrust them out before you, 'It is because of my righteousness that the LORD has brought me in to possess this land,' whereas it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD is driving them out before you. Not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart are you going in to possess their land, but because of the wickedness of these nations the LORD your God is driving them out from before you, and that he may confirm the word that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. "Know, therefore, that the LORD your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stubborn people." –Deuteronomy 9:4-6
I think our problem is that humanity likes to look at the Bible (and history) through rose-colored lenses. We forget that back then there was no electricity, no internet, no police, no hospitals, and the ruling governments weren't all that interested in things like free speech or trial by jury. The Old Testament law was a harsh and rigid guideline because the Israelites lived in a harsh and brutal world. God knew that telling the early Israelites to "turn the other cheek" would eventually lead to their destruction, so he took measures to protect them until the world was ready to receive the Gospel of Grace through his Son. The Old Testament will always be difficult to understand, but that does not make God's love for us any less true.
Intersecting Faith and Life: If there is something in scripture you do not understand, ask a pastor or bring it to your small group.
Further Reading
Job 38
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My Mother's Example
by Fred Alberti, Salem Web Network Director of Social Media
Listen, my son, to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching.
Proverbs 1:8
I'll never forget waking in the morning to get ready for school and finding my mother outside on the deck reading her Bible and praying. That scene has been burned into my mind so strongly that I now find myself also abiding with the Lord surrounded by His creation in the great outdoors.
Did my mother tell me that I must do this? No. Rather, she taught me this through example.
One thing I have learned through my career is that an online community tends to be the reflection of those who lead it. I think the same can be true for parenting. Our children are a reflection of us.
Do we habitually break the law by speeding? We can expect to see our children show the same respect to the law.
Do we habitually overeat? (By the way, this is called gluttony and is a sin). If so, we can expect to see our children also become plump when they adopt our own lifestyle.
Do we reject the notion of loving others? Yes, here too, our children will exhibit that same lack of compassion.
Do we contribute to the disintegration of the family by breaking our marriage vows? Yes, if we do not take seriously, "until death do us part" then we can expect our children to likewise adopt the false teaching that marriage vows are expendable and only good for as long as we are pleased with the relationship.
While children are charged with not forsaking their parents' teachings we have the higher responsibility. We are to train and raise a generation of people who are being ingrained with the concept that loving the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, body, and soul is of utmost importance.
How are we doing that today?
What teaching and instruction are our children learning through observing our Christian walk?
Intersecting Faith & Life: Work on consistently setting time aside to be with the Lord in a quiet setting. This can be outside under a tree or even a place in the house with a door that can lock (I've known many a mom that is forced to use the bathroom for such an endeavor). The important thing is that you make it a priority to be with the Lord and seek His guidance in your life.
Further Reading
My Mother Taught Me...
There's More to Mother's Day Than Flowers
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Anything and Everything
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Romans 8:32
My children, at ages five and three, knew my weakness.
They recognized that it's not ice cream, baseball, or their mom's chili... or even a hug or puppy-dog eyes from them.
See, none of the above make me cry (although the chili almost did once). Yes, my children have seen their father cry. It's not something I wanted, or intended. I'm a man, after all. I go to work, show my strength. I coach, help, show, point, and guide. I communicate, discipline, and lead. I pray. I do not cry.
...Except when I read Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree, that is.
And like I said, my children, who are older now, have known this from early on. And oh, have they twisted that knife. We must own a couple hundred children's books, but if it's a night where Daddy is doing the bedtime reading rather than Mommy, what have they invariangly picked through the years? The Giving Tree of course!
I've been reading this book, first published in 1964, since I myself was a child, and no matter how many times I do, I am unable to de-sensitize. I mean, when I watch the movie Field of Dreams and Ray has a catch with his ghost-dad, that gets me. But if I see the scene over and over within a certain time frame? Nah. No sweat, no tears. But this blasted children's book... well... what's going on here?
First of all, you're probably wondering that very thing if you aren't familiar with the story. A tree and a boy are the best of friends during an idyllic childhood for the young man where he eats apples from the tree, climbs her trunk, swings from her branches, and rests in her shade. Then things change, as things do, and we see the boy approach the tree at all the various stages of his life, caught up - understandably, even - more in wanting and needing than in just being. Every time he has a "need," the tree obliges... and is happy for having done so. She doesn't have much, but gives all she has until eventually, she is nothing but a stump. At the end of all things, however, it turns out a stump is just what the old man needs - a quiet place to sit down and rest and reflect. "And the tree was happy. The end."
And I am undone... again.
Is it because I am reading the story to my children, and I know our stories will be very much like that of the tree and the boy, where they are my delight but eventually I must simply become provider as they go out into the world? Yes and no.
Is it because our family copy of the book - the one I read to the kids - carries an inscription from my wife on our first Christmas as husband and wife that says, "With God's help, may I love you like this"? Yes and no.
Is it because as my father lay dying I told him of the story (he wasn't familiar with it), and how he had been that tree for me? That's definitely part of it. My mother, I remember, commented that she didn't recall it being a "Christian" book. I didn't really have an answer to that, only to what I saw in it. Which is...
Complete love to the point of emptying. Unquestioning sacrifice, even for someone who isn't appreciating or understanding what they've been given. A desire only to have communion. An entering into final rest. In other words, a perfect example of the immensity of what Jesus did for me, desired from me, provides for me, and will carry me to.
That is why I always cry.
So every time I finish the story, eyes full of tears, my kids look at me as if to say, "Are you okay?" My youngest used to ask, "Why you cry, Dad?" And every time I've explained, I think she has understood just the tiniest bit more. These are tears of being overwhelmed by the enormity of the Giver and the immensity of a gift to a person consumed with self-interest who has forgotten innocence. This past summer, my prayers were answered as these children opened their hearts to receive that gift. Now I pray that they won't miss the other lesson from the book: all our Giver really wants in return is our time, for us to come to Him as we did as children.
Intersecting Faith & Life: But can any of us actually hope to become more like the tree in the story? Parents know what it means to give every last ounce of everything they are to the betterment of their children. We have reason for doing so. Do you know anyone who empties themselves this way for those they don't have a familial reason to love? What steps can you take to emulate their Christ-like, unconditional love?
Further Reading
Giving is What Living is All About
2 Corinthians 8:3-12
:angel:
Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Romans 12:15
"Just installed our kitchen countertops! They're GOREGEOUS."
I rolled my eyes as I glanced at the pictures someone - no older than me, a 25-year-old - had just posted online. Picture after picture of their sparkly new kitchen, inside their custom built (custom built, I tell you!) house. I looked up from screen and into my own tiny apartment kitchen with its plain, generic countertops. Nothing custom-built in my place. I tried not to think about it, but it was too late - jealousy had flooded my heart. It's scary how natural it flowed in. All I wanted in that moment was to be OUT of my apartment and into some glamorous space of my own. Can you relate?
I love it when the Bible is black and white. There's no confusion surrounding Romans 12:15 - we're called to rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Pretty simple... except when it isn't. I bet most of us wouldn't have to think too hard to remember a time we failed pretty miserably at rejoicing over someone's joy, or weeping as another wept. Why do we have this challenge?
When we fail to rejoice with those who rejoice, there could be several reasons why, but here are some I thought of off the top of my head: insecurity, jealousy or envy, discontent, bitterness.
What about when we fail to weep with those who weep? Here are some reasons (excuses, really) that come to mind: lacking compassion, both generally in life or toward a certain individual; perhaps not taking the time to listen or really put yourself in the person's position; too busy to notice the suffering of others, distancing yourself emotionally from pain.
I've thought of some scenarios that may indicate we're failing at Romans 12:15:
Instead of rejoicing at someone's news, we immediately begin to compare how our circumstances measure up.
We're quick to say "Oh yes, that happened to me once, too" instead of silently listening and acknowledging the hurt of others.
We try to come to the rescue in every situation, rather than acknowledging that some suffering isn't solvable or explainable (think Job and his friends).
We brush off the pain of others because we think they are "taking things too hard."
We're quick to say, "Well at least you've never experienced this" (insert whatever horrible thing we've experienced).
We think they cheated their way to the blessings, just got lucky or don't deserve the good thing they received (their parents are totally paying for that custom-built house!).
So what's at the root of all of this? What's the "sin beneath the sin," so to speak?
I think central to our failure to rejoice and weep with others is a preoccupation with self. We can't step outside of ourselves long enough to truly step into both the blessings and sufferings of those around us. It's taken me a while, but I've tried to make a habit of acknowledging the joys and sufferings of others without immediately inserting myself into the situation. This isn't a natural inclination for me. Satan is the master of deception and loves to make us fall for one of the oldest tricks in the book: that everything is about us.
Ultimately, the key to mastering Romans 12:15 isn't just thinking about ourselves less. We've got to think about God more. People are most successful at eliminating bad behaviors or habits from their lives when they replace them with a good habit or behavior. So, I not only have to stop focusing on myself, but I have to replace all that time I spend thinking of myself with thinking of God. This is life transforming; this is the key to killing pride - not simply humbling yourself, but exalting God - who is the only thing worthy of our exaltation.
When I'm thinking about God, and not about myself, he reminds me of some powerful truths:
I've come from dust and I'll return to dust. Genesis 3:19 reminds me that no matter how much I get ahead in life, eventually I'm going to die. And nothing on this earth is worth coveting when I acknowledge that I can't take it with me.
I am beautifully and wonderfully made. Psalm 139 reminds me that God made me perfectly, intentionally, knowingly- so I need to stop comparing the body I have to others. He made me just right.
A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones. Proverbs 14:30 reminds me that envy is a crippling sin; I could literally waste my life away being envious of others. Contentment, on the other hand, brings life.
Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2 reminds me that our part of our calling as Christians is to care for those burdened and help carry the burdens of others. I don't get to "pass" on this part of my faith if it doesn't come naturally to me or if I feel inconvenienced or uncomfortable by it. I don't get to ignore the sufferings of others; I'm called to step into it.
After meditating on God's promises and blessings, I am able to recall all the wonderful things about our apartment (hello, cheap rent!) and the many, many ways God has blessed and provided for me. Proverbs 30:8 says, "Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread." As Christians, contentment in our own circumstances is the surest way to reflect the all satisfying power of Christ to those who may need to be reminded of where their joys and sufferings begin and end.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Do you struggle to rejoice with those rejoicing or weep with those weeping? Check yourself - what's stopping you? Pray that God would help uncover the "sin beneath the sin" - the ways you're focusing on yourself instead of focusing on Him.
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Love... and Other Mysteries
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor of BibleStudyTools.com
My goal is that they will be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have full confidence because they have complete understanding of God's secret plan [mystery], which is Christ himself. (Colossians 2:2 NLT)
There are two things you need to know about how I met my wife. These two inevitably surprise or shock; so, we'll just get them out of the way first. We met on eHarmony (back when it was still a Christian site), and from the first date to the date of the wedding was four months. Yes, four—and that was actually longer than we wanted.
Okay, so maybe there are three surprises here. You see, I knew I wanted to marry her before we had even seen each other. No pictures. No hints. Nothing. The beauty of eHarmony back then was that you didn't have to show your face to the other person. You filled out a personality profile, and then found yourself knee-deep in a pool of potential matches. Well, that was supposed to be how it worked, and that's what happened for my wife-to-be.
But I only had one match. Her.
You could call it providence. You could call it "finding the one." Or you could call it a decided lack of women on the site. Whatever the case, we asked each other a few questions, and then started emailing. Emailing led to phone calls. Phone calls led to a first date. And a first date led to a second date on the same day.
But I was gone well before that point. Tucked away in our phone conversations about high school nicknames (I'd tell you hers, but she'll read this) and our faith stumbles and triumphs, I came to know that I'd need to hear those stories—well—for as long our brains could dredge them up. Hers were mine. Mine were hers. All we needed was a place to drive away from with our car covered in toilet paper and chocolate letters. (Wedding tip: never give miniature chocolate candies to your wedding guests.)
When the apostle Paul talked about marriage being a mystery in Ephesians 5, I'm pretty sure he had mine in mind. Of course, by mystery, he didn't mean Sherlockian intuition wringing meaning from a peanut shell (or whatnot); he meant God opening our eyes to something. Where once the darkness smothered understanding, God turned the flood lights on. And it was ten times as awesome for being revealed at just the right time.
And that's why I'm thankful for the type of courtship I had. Not because I kissed dating goodbye, but because I went in blind. I had understanding of this feisty woman who lived an hour away, but I'd never seen her red hair or green eyes. I knew her spunk, but not her spark. That all changed when she climbed out of her car at the Brick Oven Grill. The mystery came flooding into non-mystery territory. And my jaw dropped. She truly blew away what I thought I knew.
Mysteries should do that: make our minds explode, knock things into place, jack our wonder up to a new level. God hinted at them and then brought full understanding suddenly and perfectly and with a kick-up-your-heels-in-a-hoedown kind of way. And it was worth the wait.
Intersecting Faith & Life: We live on the other side of the Cross. From our perspective, it's a done deal. We know what happened. We know what went down to bring Jesus from heaven to earth, from the hill to the grave. That's an old story. Because of that, we often take mysteries for granted. But Jesus was a mystery. The Cross was a mystery. The gospel was a mystery. Not because there's no foreshadowing or hints or suggestions that Jesus would be coming, but because no one could really imagine something so crazy-good. And when it did come, people got just a wee bit excited. We should still be.
For Further Reading
Colossians 2
Ephesians 3
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The Month of Love
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
Husbands, go all out in your love for your wives, exactly as Christ did for the church - a love marked by giving, not getting.
Ephesians 5:25, The Message
For once in my marriage, I really did something right.
My wife's name is Valerie - Val for short - so she's always held Valentine's Day in even higher esteem than most women. Not only that, but her birthday is March 15, so she's always believed (with a smile, of course) that February 14 though March 15 equals "The Month of Love" equals "it's all about her" for one-twelfth of the year.
One year, I decided to agree. Each morning for 31 days when she woke up, there was a small hand-made red envelope (amazing what useful skills one can learn watching children's programming) stuck on some wall of our house. Written in sparkly marker (chicks dig the sparklies) on the outside of the envelope was one of her top character qualities. Inside the envelope was a Bible memory verse related to that quality. Embedded in the memory verse was a clue to where a small hidden gift could be found in or around our home.
I just thought this could be a nice little way to tell her I love her. Boy was I short-sighted. I could have bought her the Taj Mahal and she wouldn't have appreciated it more, been more thoroughly impressed. "He went to Jared"? No way. He went to PBS and Hobby Lobby. But already Val is considering how to pass this story down to our grandchildren. She says I will never top myself. And she was saying these things before she even knew about the surprise at the end, where all the envelopes could be arranged so that the first letter of each character quality would spell out the grand prize: that she had her choice of a new wardrobe, upgraded wedding ring, or vacation, any of which would be shopped for together, 'cause she's big on that. Even so, she never took me up on the grand prize. I can't say I wasn't a little bit disappointed, but she was definitely exercising the wisdom of foresight. And anyway, to her, the biggest gift had already been received.
Valerie thinks this took me ages to dream up and hours to prepare, but it took me about 10 minutes per day, plus a weekly trip to the store to stock up on a few minor gifts. But the outcome net me - if not crowns in Heaven - at least major returns in this life. Anytime a group of gals gathers together and asks each other, "What the best gift you've ever received," that ends up being a fun day. Several times during the Month of Love itself I was told to take an evening to myself and go see a movie. And I learned something I thought I already knew - diamonds aren't a girl's best friend. Her husband is, if he even shows a rhinestone's-worth of interest in her.
Not every wife speaks the same "Love Language." I know some who truly would have preferred a simple one-time big purchase, while others would be thrilled to see him wash dishes and dust shelves. But this I can be fairly sure in saying about wives: what all of them really want is a husband that makes an effort to understand them and speak their language, whatever it is, without being told. Yeah, I know, and all one has to do to make millions in the majors is hit a curveball. But unlike the major leagues, in marriage, most of the time, simply making the effort is appreciated.
Intersecting Faith & Life: If you haven't already, read The Five Love Languages with your spouse. Once you learn what says, "I love you" to him or her, come up with a special way of saying so.
Further Reading
Hebrews 13:4
Languages of Love
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While You're Waiting
by Laura MacCorkle
But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
Isaiah 40:31, RSV
Do you get tired of waiting? I sure do.
Sadly, impatience just happens to be one of my specialities. And it shines the brightest whenever I am stuck on the phone, waiting on customer service. This has happened to me more often than not in recent years, as I've moved around quite a bit and have had to establish Internet access in each new dwelling.
As I'm sure you know, before you can actually speak to a real, live human being, you must go through a seemingly endless round of automated filtering. Answer this question, push this button, speak the last four digits, wait for the next instruction. Lather, rinse and repeat.
This can last for 10, 15, even 20 minutes or more sometimes. I know. I've done it. And it's during these times of waiting that I've become easily frustrated. Correction: I choose to become frustrated, and I choose to have a bad attitude.
I think Chuck Swindoll explains it nicely in his famous quote: "I am convinced that life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent how I react to it."
Well, not long ago I was waiting (again!) to speak with someone about why my DSL was not working. But this time, I decided that I could be doing something while I waited. I didn't need to focus on the fact that I was having to wait and how uncomfortable that was making me and how it didn't fit in with my timeline or my plans for my day.
First, I punched the "Speakerphone" button on my phone and set it down. My hands were now free! Then, I decided I could work on a writing project on my computer or organize paperwork in my office. I could also go through the last several days' worth of mail or I could go over my schedule for the rest of the week. And I could even use my cell phone and return some calls, while my landline was tied up!
You see, in the blink of an attitude adjustment, I was feeling much differently about my situation. Instead of fussing and fuming, I was able to be productive and get some work accomplished that would otherwise have not gotten done.
This example teaches me that no matter the situation that makes me wait - as trivial as waiting in line at the grocery store to as serious as waiting for a mate - God is looking to see how I will respond. Am I getting out of the way, so that He may work in my life? Am I resting in His timing? Am I truly waiting on Him?
If we let go, God will lift us up. In our weakness, it is His strength that will help us adjust and refocus as we wait on Him.
Intersecting Faith & Life: When was the last time you had to wait? How did you respond? Did you grumble or did you take the opportunity to rest in God's timing for you? While you're waiting, ask how you can best serve Him.
Further Reading
Lamentations 3:25, RSV
Why Waiting Is Really Trusting
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Overcoming Disappointment
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort. – 2 Corinthians 1:7
We've all been there. It's that letter from the college you wanted to attend, saying they are not able to admit you at this time. It's that person on the stage surrounded by people, announcing that first prize goes to the other contestant. It's watching all the time and effort you put into something crumble away in a matter of seconds. Sometimes disappointment can be more devastating than tragedy, because it requires you to have invested in the outcome first.
The Bible tells us that we should rejoice in our sufferings, but I'd be lying if I said that what I did every time I was disappointed. Most of the time I just want to crawl off and be alone, or I end up angry and resentful. Sometimes I even find myself arguing with God over what just happened. So, what are Christians supposed to respond when faced with disappointment? Personally, I think there's only one thing we can do: hope.
The early disciples faced their own share of letdowns. Paul in particular had his share of troubles in life, but look what he writes in Romans chapter 5,
Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. – Romans 5:2-6
Sometimes disappointment can't be overcome, only endured. In moments like that it's important to remember that we have hope on our side. Hope in Christ's love, hope for better days to come, the hope to maybe even try again. So when the storms of life come your way don't let yourself be troubled, instead pick yourself up and remember with God there will always be hope.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Whatever you may be going through remember to hope in the Lord.
Further Reading
Romans 15:13
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Freedom from Addiction
by Sarah Phillips
I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Romans 12: 1-2
Have you ever met someone you thought was beyond God's reach? Someone whose life has sunk to such depths all seems hopeless? Most of us can think of people we've encountered like that. It may even be someone we love.
When we start to lose hope for another's soul, it's good to remind ourselves that some of the greatest Christian Saints were some of the most broken people. This week, in my search for Christian heroes, I encountered the story of one such person that did not resemble the perfect stained-glass images I grew up with. His name was Matthew Talbot, and here's a glimpse into his life.
The second of 13 children, Matthew was born in Dublin, Ireland on May 2, 1856. His family was poor and heavy drinking was the norm among his father and brothers. So from the start, Matthew was predisposed to alcoholism -- and sure enough, his drinking began at age 12.
As Matthew entered his teen years, odd jobs led way to a career working with bricklayers. While the local community considered him excellent at his trade, his drinking became central to his life. By the time his twenties arrived, it was common for Matthew to spend all his earned wages obtaining alcohol. When that wasn't enough, he began selling his possessions and eventually resorted to credit. Finally, after racking up too much debt, he sunk to an all-time low: stealing.
Not only was Matthew a heavy drinker-turned-thief, but he had a terrible temper and a vulgar tongue. Gripped by his disease and his poor choices, Matthew's life was going nowhere. His mother, Elizabeth, pleaded with him to change his ways. Finally, Matthew's life sunk so low he had no earthly place to turn.
So, in 1884, Matthew's mother received an answer to her prayers. The 28-year-old went to the only place left to go: Church. There, he confessed his sins and took a pledge to avoid drinking for 3 months. He seemed an unlikely candidate to keep the pledge. Yet Matthew had experienced an interior conversion in that church.
Three months passed, and he was still sober. Inspired by his progress, he pledged to avoid drinking for life and also gave up tobacco.
While Matthew's first several years of sobriety consisted of intense, interior battles, he lived the rest of his life with unwavering devotion to God. The once angry, vulgar Irishman became kind to those he encountered, and he paid back all his debts. He lived simply, prayed daily, and served those in need, eventually taking monastic vows.
Mathew Talbot died at age 69 while walking to church. He had been sober for 41 years.
Matthew's story is a testament to God's transforming power as well as our participation in that transformation. A tearful mother pleaded, a broken young man made a decision to change, and God poured out His graces. It's also worth noting that Matthew, with the help of his pastor, employed many of the same steps later incorporated into the Alcoholic's Anonymous 12-Step program. While he wasn't healed overnight, Matthew Talbot eventually experienced new life, giving hope to those battling addictions and the people who love them.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Devote your quiet time this week to praying for the "impossible cases," especially those in the throws of addiction.
Further Reading:
Matthew 14:34-36
Myths and Facts about Alcohol Consumption
(Details of Matthew Talbot's life obtained from "The Venerable Matthew Talbot" http://www.savior.org/saints/talbot.htm and the Venerable Matt Talbot Resource Center: http://venerablematttalbotresourcecenter.blogspot.com/)
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Tsunami of Emotion and Understanding
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
"Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!"
Job 2:9
This week, I came across a story that is all at once heartbreaking and hope-giving, tragic and uplifting, devastating and determined.
This excellent article by the International Mission Board's Shawn Hendricks chronicles what has happened to and through one Christian family on India's east coast since the tsunamis of late 2004. I encourage you to check it out. If you do, it will effectively function as your devotional for today much better than what I am about to write in response to it.
In a real-world account of events straight from the Book of Job, Paramesvaran and Choodamani lost all three of their children the day after Christmas that year. My heart breaks for families who lose one child, much less three. Imagine having lost one of them who was in your arms but who you were just not strong enough to hold on to against the crushing force of so much water.
Imagine being mocked by your friends and family for your faith while you are suffering such tragedy and burying your own offspring.
Imagine being so full of grief you discuss a suicide pact.
But then... eventually... the clouds lift, first for one spouse who is gifted by a word from the Lord about the blessing that her husband survived when so many others did not. Then, later, the husband feels the tugging of the Lord letting him know that his children are safe with Jesus, they're okay, they're full of praise and life.
The real, personable, meaningful faith in God pulls the couple up, and back together. They are blessed with two new children. But beyond that...
...the fact they are alive and together allows them to become adoptive parents to TWENTY orphaned children. Each of them has come to a saving relationship with Jesus, several helping their new father preach the gospel throughout the area.
The example of the family, assisted by donations of Christians around the world, has "brought the Good News into areas that were once unreceptive to Christianity."
The ends of things are truly never known until later. Purpose is often invisible until it isn't. Damaging floods can become cleansing baptisms through the passage of time and reflections from fresh perspectives.
Job refused to curse God and die. He instead decided ultimately to acknowledge that nothing he ever had was his, and that the only thing worth living for was the knowledge that God is awesome, powerful, and beyond our comprehension. And yet, loves us beyond measure.
His story is not just a fable or morality tale. It can seem that way to our modern ears, which are unaccustomed to the reality of THAT much tragedy. But that much tragedy occurs all too frequently around our globe, and when it does, it should not shock me to the extent it did when I read this story. I feel like I should nod knowingly about the cost and fragility of life on this big blue ball, and how despite all the shaking and quaking there can still be a steady security when I give up any notions that I am god, that I am in control, that my job is to do anything with my time here but praise and share, worship and help, live and move and be every minute that he allows.
Intersecting Faith & Life: May God continue to bless the ministry of Paramesvaran and Choodamani, and increase the strength in them that was built from climbing out of their tragic valley. May I not complain today about events that matter not. May I continue to see God's hand in everything as long as I have eyes to take it all in. And should I or my loved ones suffer anywhere close to this much, may we never forget this example of coming out the other side reborn, making ministry from the madness.
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Wasting the Word
Ryan Duncan
But the word of the Lord remains forever. And this word is the good news that was preached to you.
1 Peter 1:25
Not long ago, a friend sent me a funny message over Facebook that went something like this,
Question: If someone from the 1950's suddenly appeared before you, what would be the most difficult thing to explain to them about life today?
Answer: I possess a device, in my pocket, which is capable of accessing the eternity of information known to man. I use it to look at pictures of cats and get into arguments with strangers.
I can remember laughing after I read this. It really was true; I mostly used the internet to watch reruns of TV shows or recommend new music to friends, pretty trivial tasks for a device that contains all the world's knowledge. After I signed off however, I was struck by a sudden thought, "Am I wasting God's word the same way I waste the internet?" It was a sobering question. I picked my Bible up off the coffee table and for a few moments just stared at it.
Here in my hands was a book that recounted the days when the Immortal, Eternal God of all that was and will ever be walked the earth as a man and spoke to humans. How was I using this gift again? Last I could remember it was to find a prayer that would keep me from going bald. To tell the truth, I think all Christians (me included) have a serious problem with wasting the Gospel. Just look at how we've used it in the past:
To argue why one political party is better than another,
To tell divorcees, and homosexuals, and people from checkered backgrounds that they're not good enough for God,
To justify why we don't help the broken and the needy.
The Bible is a precious gift and a valuable resource; it should never be used lightly or frivolously. So the next time you sit down for a quiet time or look up a favorite verse, remember that what you see is more than words on a page. You possess, in your hand, a testament to God's love for humanity and his desire to be a part of our lives. Make sure you don't waste it.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Do not waste the Word of God. When you read the Bible, seek to apply it.
Further Reading
Matthew 13:33
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Give a Little Grace
by Debbie Wright, Assistant Editor, Crosswalk.com
Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters (Romans 14:1).
Winter weather is pretty bipolar in the great Commonwealth of Virginia. One day it can be warm and sunny, and the next day you curse your bad luck for not wearing earmuffs and gloves when you walk out the door. However, when bad weather is forecast, local reactions are solidly predictable, specifically when it comes to "preparation" and driving in abnormal road conditions.
"Snow? SNOW? IT'S GOING TO SNOW?!"
People around here freak out and buy a lot of bread and milk when storms are predicted. If your significant other suggests, "hey, we're out of ____, can you stop by Wal-Mart?" on the evening a snowstorm is predicted to hit: forget about it; society is on crazy pills. Additionally, nobody around here can drive in the snow either. Obviously greater caution is called for with icy and slippery road conditions, but people see white stuff and generally throw out every rule they ever learned about How to Be a Good Driver.
Such reactions generate a lot of scorn from imported northerners. After all, children in Michigan attend school daily in the wintery months in upwards of a foot of snow. Why do Richmond kids get classes cancelled at the forecast of snow? There is definitely impatience and indignation – and no doubt it is well-deserved!
After doing a fair amount of grumbling during our recent snows, I thought, Hmm, this seems familiar... spiritually...
Isn't it easy to find ourselves being "northerners" when we find ourselves around those at different points in their spiritual walks? We find it easy to look down upon, mock, or judge people who have difficulty living with restraint, modesty, chastity, gentleness, or a host of other spiritual virtues. We roll our eyes at people unfamiliar with the Bible, who can't rattle off verses by memory as quickly as their ABCs.
Essentially, we are impatient with those who have less (or different) theological, spiritual, or biblical exposure and knowledge. But how is that fair? In reality, many people are ill-prepared simply because of their upbringing. Many come to Christ as adults, out of nonbelieving families. Many people don't have much time (or the inclination!) to devote to in-depth biblical or theological study. Many people grew up in a church where only the most basic of Gospel truths were touched on, and become paralyzed when more complex life situations rear their ugly heads.
Should all Christians have an intense drive to make themselves as knowledgeable and as spiritually "prepared" as possible? Well, yes. But we live in a busy, imperfect world full of busy, imperfect people. Everyone's experience is different; everyone is part of a unique story.
So when the "snowstorms" of life come, don't mock the "southerners" in your midst who freak out. Instead, be there for them. Extend grace, love, and friendship. Not everyone can be prepared for what seems like No Big Deal to you. Everyone's hard place deserves validation in a Kingdom of God marked by compassion, equality, forgiveness, and love.
Intersecting Faith and Life: The next time you hear someone complain about someone else (say, a crazy driver) – let it remind you that everyone's story is unique, and every situation has a context.
Further Reading
Romans 14
1 Corinthians 12:25-26
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Celebrate Valentine's Day without Being Miserable
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
"I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil--this is the gift of God." – Ecclesiastes 3:12-13
I won't lie -- I was a little peeved when I discovered I'd be writing Crosswalk's Valentine's Day devotional. After all, I'm a single twenty-something in an office full of married co-workers, and for me Valentine's Day is less about the joy of love and more the glaring reminder of what I'm missing. You can probably relate if you're like me. Every wedding invitation, every perky TV rom-com, makes a small voice in your head ask, "What's wrong with me? It's not like I'm asking for some smoking hot individual to pull up at my door in a Mercedes; I just want to be happy."
I wish I had the answers to these questions. If I did, I wouldn't be single. What I can share with you however, is a lesson I learned from the book of Ecclesiastes.
"I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired men and women singers, and a harem as well -- the delights of the heart of man. I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me. I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun." – Ecclesiastes 2:8-11
I think one of the biggest challenges people struggle with (or at least one of the biggest ones I struggle with) is keeping "love" from becoming an idol. We keep telling ourselves that once we're in a relationship we'll be happy -- that it's only after we get married that life is truly fulfilling. Hate to tell you this, but that's not true. Just look at Solomon; he had everything a person could ever want.
Money? He had more than he knew what to do with. Success? He was King of Israel. Romance? Completely covered, and he wrote an entire book of love poetry! Yet despite all these things, when he wrote the book of Ecclesiastes, his message was, "I am unfulfilled." There is a God-shaped hole in all our hearts, and nothing in this world can fill that void.
So, what does that mean for us? Well, my advice if you're single is to keep your chin up and keep looking. You never know who God is going to send your way. More importantly though, don't let the joy God gives you be defined by your relationship status. God blesses us in a lot of different ways, but as long as we keep "love" on a pedestal, we will never be able to enjoy any of it. This Valentine's Day, whether you're married or single, take a moment to acknowledge and enjoy all that God has given you.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Have a happy Valentine's Day!
Further Reading
Ecclesiastes
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The Real Thing
Anna Kuta, ReligionToday.com Editor
"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16).
As the granddaughter of an FBI agent, I heard various anecdotes throughout my childhood regarding the job and its practice. One thing that stuck with me was how FBI agents are taught to recognize counterfeit money. They don't spend time learning about all the possible variations that could be manifested in a counterfeit bill, as one might think; they simply studied the real thing.
When someone knows the distinguishing characteristics of real money, it suddenly isn't that hard to spot a fake. It's a principle that applies to other things as well -- recognizing the truth versus any lies. These days in our culture, lies seem to abound, especially when it comes to faith and religious philosophies. Sometimes, the message of Jesus seems to get lost among all the noise.
In 1 Timothy 4:1-2, Paul says, "Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron." It seems like Paul could be describing the year 2012, doesn't it? Everywhere you turn, someone has a new idea of Jesus or Christianity, all claiming to be true. With "deceiving spirits" and false doctrines everywhere, how can we know what to believe?
Paul answers the question in 2 Timothy 3:16: Turn to the Scripture. From Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21, all Scripture is "God-breathed," as the Greek word literally says, and useful for all purposes of the Christian life. This includes doctrine, teaching, correction, knowledge of Jesus, instruction in righteousness, being equipped for every good work. The Word of God is absolutely, 100 percent true – all of it – and it points to the absolute truth of God.
Just as a federal agent with a trained eye of what's real can recognize a counterfeit bill right away, so the Word of God can be used as a measuring stick against falsehoods. In order to spot the lies, it's crucial to know Truth. How do you know Truth? Look to the Scriptures. Nothing more. Nothing less.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Spend some time reading the Bible and learning about Jesus as He is revealed in His Word – so you will be able to recognize things that don't line up with truth.
Further Reading
Romans 15:4
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2 Peter 1:20-2:9
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The Perverse Generation
by Sarah Phillips
"O unbelieving and perverse generation,"Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you and put up with you?" Luke 9: 41
There is much written today about how the world has lost touch with God and morality. It's easy to view the past with rose-tinted glasses, to believe in "the good old days" or reminisce about a golden era. We do this in the Church all the time, often pointing to one practice that, if resurrected, would surely turn this generation around.
"If only the women still wore head coverings in church... "
"If only we sang ancient hymns... "
"If only young men and women got married earlier... "
Don't read me wrong here... these issues are important. But the stark reality is, every generation has fallen short of God's glory. Every generation has sinned. Does this sound familiar?
"The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers."
How often have I been tempted to mutter these words when encountering today's teenagers? But this quote is attributed to Socrates by Plato. Apparently teens weren't doing so well in the ancient world either. The fallen nature of man has followed us through the ages, plaguing the young and old alike. Our broken nature manifests itself in so many ways... from the darkest sins to our lack of basic manners and courtesy.
Jesus himself seemed to grow weary of the sins of his own day. I imagine the opening scripture was expressed with a mix of sadness and righteous anger. During Lent, which begins with Ash Wednesday on Feb. 22nd this year, our church acknowledges God's just anger at the end of every service with this chant: Parce, Domine, parce populo tuo;/ ne in aeternum irascaris nobis which translates to: "Spare your people Lord: /Be not angry Lord with your people forever."
But what is the rest of the story? Even as his sinful followers surrounded him, Jesus healed the spiritual and physical afflictions of a possessed boy. We see here that going back to the "good old days" doesn't have the power to save us. It's the person of Jesus Christ who saves. This is the miracle of Easter: The incredible mercy of a God who would be justified in staying angry forever after the golden era of Eden went terribly wrong. He hears our cries for redemption - weak though they may be - and saves us.
Is the world worse today than it was yesterday? Does it matter? God's patience and mercy for our "perverse and unbelieving generation" reveal the depths of his divine love. And those forgiven the most sins have the greatest number of reasons to rejoice.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Have you ever felt so deeply ashamed of your sins that you thought no one could be as bad as you? Take heart. Some of the greatest saints were the worst of sinners. All sins can be forgiven when we call out to the Holy Spirit and ask for mercy. Rejoice in the second chances that come with Easter.
Further Reading
Luke 7: 47
Romans 3: 23
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Spring Training for Christians
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
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.
2 Corinthians 5:16, The Message
You've probably heard that God loves baseball. After all, He began his holy book with the words, "In the big inning..." Everyone who loves baseball like the Lord does feels a tremendous rush this time of year with another set of words: "Pitchers and catchers report." For the uninitiated, this phrase signals the official start of spring training, which brings with it new hope, and knowledge that at least there's a thaw and green grass in some parts of our country.
In fact, the game I love, and the game of fantasy baseball off which it is based, are both so prevalent in my mind this week that as I sat down to write this I found my mind wandering. So, noticing that a good friend, fellow fantasy baseballer and pastor was active on his Instant Messenger, I began the following conversation:
Me: I'm sitting here trying to write this week's devotional, but I've got a screenful of stats in front of me, taunting me. Pastor Jay, is there any way I could combine the two? Does our league have any good devotional content?
Jay: Oh, I'm sure we do. How about how we peak spiritually at age 27, like most hitters do?
Me: Goodness, I hope that's not true. How about our Spiritual Slugging Percentage... are we whomping our fair quota of sinners and unbelievers regularly?
Jay: Uh, right... How about how On-Base Percentage equals theological correctness/sound doctrine, and Slugging Percentage equals evangelism, the impact you're making for the Lord?
Me: You're on to something.
There are truly spiritual parallels everywhere.
But as is always the case, snippets of insight and truth are only valuable when applicable. The above only served to remind me that it's time to take a break from my analysis of the statistics of men who play a game, and check in on my own statistics, go through my own spring training of sorts.
Today's verse gives us a starting place for where to look, what kind of statistics are important in the Kingdom as opposed to the diamond. Things like height, weight, vertical leap, 40-yard-dash times, race, creed, color, gender... none of those matter. Here's the checklist we'll be using to see who's gonna make the team this season:
Measurables
On-Base Percentage - Like my buddy said, in our checklist this involves good theology and doctrine. Baseballers like to hear chatter out there on the infield. Are you talking the talk?
Slugging Percentage - Now you have to put the above theology to good use, and walk the walk. How much 'oomph' can you contribute to the goals of the team?
Batting Average - The most you can do is just put the bat on the ball. So many other factors determine if you're gonna get a safe hit or not, meaning you'll probably fail to connect or reach safely at least 70 percent of the time... and that's if you're one of the best. The rest is up to God.
Errors - Can't be avoided, even by the very best of us. What's important is that we don't grow complacent with making them. Biblical ignorance is not an acceptable excuse. Neither is yelling at your teammate for making an error.
Strikeouts and Walks - Both are fine. They reveal effort. The way you know you're off-track is when these become Walkouts and Strikes. I don't need to be leaving, boycotting, quitting, or checking out in the middle of a slump or when the other team is full of punks.
Sacrifices - When the coach calls for you to bunt another person into a more prominent position, will you obediently lay one down? When you can bring in a run by hitting a fly ball for an out will you gladly do so?
Intangibles
Coachability - I can't think of a single reason or supporting scripture for a me-first attitude on the Kingdom Conquerors.
Discipline - To what do you say yes, to what do you say no? What do you fail to do? What do you never fail to do?
Leadership - Look behind you. Is anyone following?
Performance Enhancers - Yes, please. I'm simply not good enough to compete in this game without them. No, not steroids, but the Holy Spirit, and regular Bible study and prayer times.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Watch a sporting event with a younger person this week, and see how many parallels and applications you can make together to our spiritual journey.
Further Reading
Opening Day for America
Finish Strong in the 9th Inning of Life
The Magic of Opening Day
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Should I Fight or Be Still?
by Debbie Wright, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently. Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes! (Psalm 119:4-5)
Do you often find yourself confused, unsure of how to best live according to God's will? This is a struggle for me. Should I speak or stay silent? Will this action offend or edify? Is this a time for action or inaction? Should I fight? Or should I stay still?
Though every situation is different and every person unique, the Bible paints both stillness and action as pleasing to the LORD, depending on the variables at hand.
One example is when the Israelites were fleeing from Pharaoh and the Egyptians. The LORD had fought for them in Egypt by displaying horrors and miracles through Aaron and Moses. Finally their oppressors relented and the Israelites were free – but not for long. Pharaoh changed his mind, and Exodus tells the account of their suspenseful chase after the newly freed slaves. "What have you done to us?" the people cried to Moses (Exodus 14:11). They knew there was nothing they could do to protect themselves from the mighty King of Egypt.
But then God made his will known through Moses. No, the Israelites would not be able to defeat Pharaoh.
But the LORD did not ask them to.
"The LORD will fight for you," Moses proclaimed. "You need only to be still."
But there are other times, are there not? Times when we have the choice to stretch out our hands to either right or wrong, and there is no in-between. Paul writes to Timothy,
"But you, man of God...pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith" (1 Timothy 6:11-12).
Sometimes we must fight. And make no mistake; this is not a direct call to fist-fights or military service. It is a direct command to use the Armor of God. We must fight to keep righteousness in our own lives, refusing choices which lead to sin and death. We must fight for love, which means making really hard choices and overcoming our natural selfish inclinations. We must fight for endurance, keeping promises, covenants, and our integrity in a way worthy of Christ Jesus.
Sometimes God calls us to fight, and sometimes he tells us to be still. How can we decipher it?
Sometimes it will be hard. But from these passages, I would risk saying that God knows when we are facing a foe that's too big for us. Sometimes we ache and long to fight, but we know the battle is beyond us, out of our hands. It is those times we must remember that God is a God of the weak, the poor, and the broken. The LORD will fight for you. You need only to be still.
Other times we can and must fight. When we are faced with injustice, and we have some measure of control, we must fight for the small ones. When we are faced with personal crises, we must fight for our children, parents, marriages, relationships, churches – not against them. We must use every weapon in our spiritual arsenals to build the Kingdom of God and protect it from the ever-watchful forces of darkness. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance. Fight the good fight.
Intersecting Faith and Life: What are you struggling with now in your life, or your walk with the LORD? Spend some time in prayer to see whether God wants you to fight, or lay down your weapons and give the battle to him.
Futher Reading:
Ephesians 6:10-20
Exodus 14
Hebrews 12:3-17
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Who Cares about Leviticus?
byKatherine Britton
"You are to be holy to me, because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set your apart from the nations to be my own." – Leviticus 20:26
Like most evangelicals, I haven't devoted much time to parsing Leviticus. After all, we live under the new covenant ushered in by Christ's death and resurrection, and we're Gentiles to boot. Leviticus was written for a particular people at a particular time, and vast sections of the book have been demoted to historical curiosities at this point. The fledgling kingdom of Israel – really, a collection of tribes that had more in common with their pagan neighbors than today's Christian enclave – were on the other side of history's turning point. For this emerging nation the Lord dictated incredibly detailed ceremonial law that has since passed away, as we have a new and perfect high priest.
Still, the apostle Paul insists that "all Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching" (2 Timothy 3:15). Remember, this is Paul speaking, the same apostle who vilified the Judaizers for insisting the law must be upheld in its minutae to achieve salvation, and who wrote that "no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law." The resolution of the paradox might be a bit more apparent through the example of Park Street Church in Boston.
Pastor Daniel Harrell convinced 19 members of his congregation to join him in an experiment in "living Levitically," despite the drastic changes they had to make in their daily living. The group grew out their beards, kept kosher, cleaned their homes meticulously, observed the Sabbath, and even stopped wearing clothes made from blended materials. One of the few exceptions to the experiment was animal sacrifice, as the group intended not to break any U.S. laws while observing the ceremonial ones.
The group found it absolutely impossible to obey every tenet. But the Park Street Church says that wasn't the point. Seeing firsthand that they couldn't perfectly fulfill the law, they realized the need for grace in a whole new way. As Romans 5:20 explains it, "The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more."
Could it be that, in ignoring Leviticus as a whole, we forget how awesome grace is? True, not every ceremonial law (washing your feet? Wearing blended materials?) is also a moral law. But God still told the Israelites to keep it as his law. Reading about the church's example reminded me of a couple things:
First, God's people are supposed to be set apart. The Israelites were supposed to look different, act different, worship different, and spend their time in different ways than the nations around them. It was an integral part of their calling as God's people. The manifestations aren't quite the same, but Christians have the same calling today.
Second, we aren't set apart enough. As Park Street Church rediscovered, the law points out our insufficiencies. Even if the law were just a set of external rules, we still couldn't keep them perfectly. We just can't measure up to following the law or Christ's example.
Third, only in Christ can we find rest from the law and a new identity that really sets us apart. The writer of Hebrews notes that the law is "only a shadow of the good things that are coming." And yes, the law is a good thing – it makes us realize how much Christ had to atone for on our behalf. Not only that, God has adopted us as sons and daughters through Christ to really set us apart. And then he gives us the grace to live it. Sure, we'll still fall, and that will remind us to run to grace. But the power of the law is gone through Christ.
Intersecting Faith & Life: This week, take time to read Hebrews 10 Notice how beautifully Christ not only supersedes the law, but fulfills all of its demands. That ought to inspire the worship that God desires more than the Israelites' burnt offerings.
Further Reading:
Living Leviticus: Who Could Do It? Who Would Want To?
How to Use the Law – Lawfully to Bear Fruit for God
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Little Children
Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." – Matthew 19:14
When I was a little kid, I made an amazing discovery. I realized that if I found something I liked and asked the right person "Can I have this?" there was chance they would give it to me. This may not seem all that extraordinary to you, but trust me, to a child this was a goldmine. You see, I didn't just ask for candy at the grocery store or stuff on TV commercials, I asked for everything. I asked other kids if I could have their toys, I asked the neighbors if I could have their dog, I think I even asked one family if I could have their house. I'm afraid I embarrassed my parents to no end, and by the time my father sat me down and explained that asking someone for all their belongings was rude, most people had stopped inviting our family over for dinner.
Kids can be a real hassle, and when you think about it, you can't really blame the disciples for their actions in Mark 10. Take a look at the following passage,
People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them. - Mark 10:13-16
Here's the thing about children. Children are messy, children are selfish, children are ignorant, and children are incredibly self-destructive. Don't believe me? A monkey knows better than to stick a butter knife into an exposed wall socket, but let a child have its way and they will do it twice! Despite all this however, you really can't help but admire the oblivious, single-minded nature of a child.
If anything, Christians should try learning from their example. Too often we stop ourselves for encountering God because we are afraid we don't fit the "Christian" criteria. Well, I've got news for you; we will always be children in God's eyes: messy, crazy, self-destructive children. But as long as we make him the single focus of our hearts, He doesn't care. So take a lesson from these little ones, pursue God recklessly and don't pay attention to what others think, for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Are you pursuing God with the heart of a child? Take a moment to consider.
Further Reading
Matthew 19
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The Wisdom of Gamaliel
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
In the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.
Acts 5:38-39
I mentioned a few weeks ago that I intended to read through the Book of Acts. And I've been doing it. The best part is my son decided we could make that our bedtime reading each night. Talk about fun!
The other night we happened across the passage at the end of chapter five where the Pharisees are getting really tired of these disciples going around teaching and healing and collecting followers. People are bringing their sick into the streets in hopes that Peter's shadow might just fall upon them. Can't have that going on, now.
So it comes about that our heroes are summoned in, and about to face some serious flogging. At this point, a very respected Pharisee on the Sanhedrin request that the disciples be sent out so he may address his brethren. His name is Gamaliel, and he proceeds to caution the Jews about how they deal with the Christian "threat." He cites two other recent examples of men who rose up, said some pleasant things, and led some people away, only to have their movements dwindle and die. Why did that happen? Obviously, reasons Gamaliel, they were human, and their quests were not of God.
He goes on to say that these followers of Jesus will go the same way... or maybe they won't. And if they don't, then anything the Sanhedrin would devise against them would fail anyway, because it would mean the movement was from God.
What an amazing way to look back on over 2,000 years of history since then. And sure enough, when I re-read this passage the other night, I remembered how our Western Civilization professor in college basically made the same statement Gamaliel did when he was explaining the historical spread of Christianity and the rise of the Church. He cited movement after movement that were "of men," and of which we no longer speak to this day. But Christianity? It remains alive, precious, self-sustaining, and powerful.
A few things that stand out about this story:
What's to worry about? We sure do still fret about things these days. No, I wouldn't dare suggest that everything we get up in arms about is actually a movement from above. Highly doubtful. But ultimately, the lesson is still the same - He's the one in control. His will be done.
As much as Gamaliel is the hero of this brief passage, it's still with the Christians, not the Council, where we can most relate. Why is this important? The Christians, our early brethren, were the ones who couldn't stop telling the good news, not the ones who were looking for things to rail against.
Our "religion" is one that is not of men. It is not a fad. It does not change. It has lasted. It will last until Christ returns.
Even with Gameliel's words ringing true, they didn't prevent the disciples from persecution. They were brought back into the room, and flogged. So their circumstances didn't really change much.
Even after a flogging, the disciples went their way grateful to have suffered as Christ suffered, and for His sake.
Even after being warned not to spread the gospel anymore, the disciples couldn't and wouldn't stop.
And don't forget...
Even a Pharisee can have a brilliant insight once in a while, thank goodness.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Think about other things that have happened in the world just since you have been born: fads, movements, cults, and so on. Then consider everything Christianity has outlasted, and will outlast. You and I serve a God who is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. What difference does that make in your life today?
Further Reading
The Secret to a Life of Impact
Acts 5:12-42
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Perfect Plans
by Anna Kuta, ReligionToday.com Editor
"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28).
When I graduated from college, I had no job – but no worries. Many of my business-major friends had known since the previous fall where they would be accepting a job, living and working, but that isn't the way the journalism industry works. I'd been advised by plenty of my journalism professors that the type of jobs I'd be looking for were the type that hired to fill positions immediately. So in the days after I moved back home and packed away my graduation robe and apartment furnishings, I confidently began applying to media-related jobs in the area, waiting for my dream job to come along any day.
Two weeks later, nothing. My best friend got hired and started work. I spent every day searching the Internet for job openings, attempting to network, and submitting applications left and right. Two months later, still nothing. It seemed like with each day that passed, someone else I knew accepted a job, but I just knew my moment was right around the corner.
But as July rolled into August, and still no prospects, I was starting to freak out big time. I began applying to every job I could find that was semi-related to anything that even sounded remotely interesting. I prayed for God to open a door where He wanted me, to bring along the right job at the right time, and to help me be patient and not stress out.
Then, suddenly, two opportunities arose. I was so sure this was the answer to my prayer. I held off on the first one to pursue the other, but when I went in for an informal interview, I was informed that the job actually didn't exist after all. I contacted the first job again, but that position had already been filled. Seriously? I asked God. All the grand plans I'd been making in my mind just crashed and burned.
A few days later I was moping around on the couch, and I decided to do another sweep of all the job search websites for the 400th time. Something caught my eye, a new job listing that wasn't there before. As I read the description, it was like someone had gotten inside my head and summarized everything I wanted in a job but had yet to actually verbalize. It sounded almost too good to be true. I applied, and before I knew it, I received a phone call to begin the interview process. And then, just a few weeks later, I screamed in excitement as I received a phone call with the job offer. You've probably figured by now I'm referring to my job here at Crosswalk, and you're right. It's been almost six months now, and I still refer to it to everybody as my "dream job."
Today, it could not be more obvious to me how God worked all the details together for me in my job search last summer, even when at times I wanted to despair. I ended up with the perfect job and I got to enjoy one last summer vacation. The timing of it all fell into perfect place with every other event happening in my life. I had great opportunities this summer to serve the Lord and grow in my faith, and most of all, I learned some of the most valuable lessons I've ever learned about trusting God and waiting for Him.
Romans 8:28 says that all things in the lives of those who love God and who have accepted Him will ultimately contribute to our good. It doesn't say everything in our lives will be good, but that everything will work together for an outcome in our lives that is pleasing to God. Notice Paul makes it very clear that it's something granted only to those who "love God and who are the called according to His purpose." We know from John 14:15 that we show our love for God by keeping his commandments – and being one of "the called" means making Him the Lord of every area of our lives when we accept His call of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
God absolutely cares about all the small details of our lives. Right now, you might be facing a situation that makes no sense. We live in a sinful world, and bad things happen. It may seem that your prayers are going unanswered. But God promises that he has a perfect plan for the lives of those who truly love and follow Him and who have received salvation through Jesus. You may not realize right this moment – or ever – why things happen just the way they do, but if you have accepted God's call of the gospel, you can trust that He is working everything in your life together for His ultimate purpose.
Intersecting Faith & Life
Looking back on your life, can you see times when God worked out all the details for good and situations that have shaped you and brought you closer to the Lord? What did He teach you through those times, and what is He teaching you through your current situation? Trust Him that He continues to do His perfect work in your life as you continue to follow Him.
Further Reading
Jeremiah 29:11
Proverbs 19:21
Proverbs 3:5-6
1 Corinthians 1:24
Philippians 3:14
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God's Will: So Simple it's Hard
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
Rejoice always;
pray without ceasing;
in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
"God's will for my life"... how often have you pondered that notion? Studied it? Read untold books about it? Know people who torture themselves trying to locate it?
Well, here we have an obvious chunk of it, even compact and useful just as we like things to be, tucked away at the close of Paul's first letter to the church at Thessalonica. "This is God's will for you...," it says.
Well, yes, it says that, and it sure is pretty - almost poetic - but is it deep enough? Shouldn't there be more? Is it practical?
Okay. Then let's go Old Testament. Prophetic. Action-oriented. Micah 6:8 says, "He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"
It's still simple, still bunched in a group of three, still indicating that there's no big mystery way far out there which must be solved before we know how to act or decide, or how God wants us to act or decide.
So why do we seek for more?
I think it's because the ridiculously simple, paradoxically enough, is ridiculously hard, and we know it. G.K. Chesterton famously said, "The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult and left untried."
We could spend a lot of time discussing the ins-and-outs of how easy or hard God's will is, and where else in His Word we can find snippets of it. One woman from my Bible fellowship class is fond of asking during our lessons, "What does that look like?" Let's ponder on that for a minute here.
The situation is this: you've been sent on a missionary journey via a clear calling from God. The resources were there, the people willing. You are leading your group through a city when you encounter a psychic who keeps taunting you. After a while, through calling on the name of Jesus you cast out the evil spirit within her. Hooray! Score one for the Lord, and your group! But alas, there is no praise here, because those who had been making some cash off the now-set-free woman's powers aren't happy with you. They drag your group before local law enforcement, have you beaten, and thrown into prison. Hey now!
At this point, I am saying, "God, this is NOT your will. YOU made it very clear we were to come on this trip, and we even did a miracle for you! Now we're injured, in jail... I don't even know how I'm going to get home much less continue to be effective for you from here! I want a telephone, I want a lawyer, and I want you to reveal your ACTUAL will, right now, and suffer no more discomfort while doing what you sent us to do!"
And with that, my missionary journey would come to a close. But not the Apostle Paul's, not as we have it recorded in Acts 16:16-40, which is one of my all-time favorite passages. Paul, who knew God's will better than I, and practiced it, knew to "rejoice always." And so, bloodied and with his feet in stocks, he sings. Seriously, he sings hymns of praise. He also knew to "pray without ceasing," and so, in verse 25, that's exactly what you find - Paul and Silas praying... at midnight, even.
The missionaries on this journey got out of God's way by doing the simple things that God had willed for them to do, so that God was free to let fly with His own big, complex, miraculous will for everyone else. An earthquake shakes open the prison, snapping chains in the process. Prisoners, however, stay where they are. A jailer, about to kill himself, holds his sword, and moments later accepts Jesus into his heart. Then his family joins the flock, all because those he had persecuted chose to "love kindness."
At every step of the journey, Paul, Silas, and their companions chose to walk humbly, give thanks, and do what was just (speaking of which, once officially released, Paul did have some words of justice regarding their citizenship and treatment for the magistrates).
It's absolutely amazing to me the ways that God plans to accomplish His Will (big "W") on earth. His will in my life has already been decided. It is my job to walk humbly, get out of the way, always be in prayer, always rejoicing no matter what situation I'm in. But how often do we come back to the same situation, sitting in my car, simple traffic jam, me needing to be somewhere, telling God, "Did you not ordain that I should do such and such today? Or get this amount of work done so I can spend this amount of time with my family? Then this is on you unless you make such-and-such happen now!"
Sigh... how many miracles have I missed?
No, God's will for my life isn't difficult to know. It's just frustratingly hard to do if self is at the center. And that's the crux of the very question itself, "What is God's will for MY life?"
Perhaps when we get out of the way, we shall see better.
Intersecting Faith & Life: How long will it take to learn the lesson that even if I know I am doing God's will it doesn't mean everything will appear to go smoothly along the way? That there are purposes I either don't know or am unwilling to consider could be a part of inconvenience? If you're like me, start learning today by making note of every story in the Bible that suffers a delay, interruption, inconvenience or other problem before God's promised payoff. (Hint: start with guys like Joseph, and Abraham...)
Further Reading
Acts 16
Micah 6:8
Stop Wrestling, Start Serving: The Non-Mystery of God's Will
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Freedom from Self
by Sarah Phillips
Restore to me the joy of thy salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. (Psalm 51: 12)
Do you have a hard time embracing the idea that God loves you? Do you struggle with a nagging sense of inadequacy or unworthiness?
During Lent, we encounter a lot of talk about sinfulness, reparations, confession, and penance. The Lenten focus is wonderful and necessary for all of us. We are sinners in a fallen world, and we can find ourselves forgetting our need for God and His grace readily.
It's easy to see how Lent can infuse humility into one who suffers from pride. But what about those of us who suffer from scrupulosity? A quick internet search of this term brings us to Wikipedia which defines scrupulosity as "obsessive concern with one's own sins and compulsive performance of religious devotion." Scrupulosity is basically an obsession with our own faults and failings. It often plagues perfectionists and can be paralyzing to the believer's life. The scrupulous believer holds on to his or her sins and even erroneously labels innocent acts as sinful, convinced God could not love them enough to forgive them.
When the tendency to hyper-focus on imperfections and sins takes over, we need to remember that Lent is the journey towards Easter. It is meant to help us grow in our relationship with God, not lead us into clinical depression.
Let's take the Lenten practice of fasting, for example. Why do Christians fast? Fasting can be found in both the Old Testament and the New, with Moses (Exodus 34:28; Deuteronomy 9:9,18 ), Elijah (1 Kings 19:8), and our Lord (Matthew 4:2) all participating in 40-day fasts. Biblically, fasting centers around genuine humility and a desire to be in right relationship with God. Fasting is a way of denying ourselves excesses so that we might be more attuned to the Lord's voice. This requires first and foremost a belief that one can be in right relationship with God; that He is accessible to the believer!
Fasting makes the most sense when we consider it in light of Genesis 1, which reveals that we all have inherent dignity as creatures created in the image and likeness of God. An excerpt of this chapter states:
Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them... God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. (Genesis 1: 26 - 27, 31)
As human beings with this dignity, we can exercise our gift of free will to embrace opportunities God gives us to experience His refining grace in our lives. In doing so, the small aches and pains that come with fasting should draw our attentionaway from our failings and towards the reality that God loves us so much that He would suffer profoundly for us on the Cross.
Intersecting Faith & Life: If you suffer from scrupulosity, give it up. Instead of repeating your sins to God over and over, spend the next several weeks studying the gospel in light of God's love for you.
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Jesus Wept
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. – Matthew 4:1-2
I once heard a story of a woman who lost her only daughter in a tragic accident. After the funeral she fell into deep despair, and many of her friends began to worry about her safety. In desperation, one of them asked their local priest if he would go to her house and speak with her, but the moment the woman saw him she flew into a rage.
"Get out!" She screamed, "I already know what you're going to say. You're going to tell me that everything happens for a reason, that this is God's will, and I don't want to hear that." The priest did not move. Eventually the woman began to calm down and started to sob. It was at that the priest spoke, quietly and gently.
"Listen," he told her, "I don't know why your daughter died, and I do not know why God allowed it to happen, but I do know that God understands what it is to lose a child, and that he is standing next to you, and that he cannot stop your suffering but that he loves you and he loves your daughter, and if you let him into your heart you will see her again."
What really struck me the first time I heard this story was that God really did understand the pain of losing someone. I realized that for a long time I'd had a false view of Jesus. I'd always pictured him as this tall, soft-spoken man who was completely serene no matter what the world threw at him. I didn't understand that when God became a man he embraced all human sensation, even the ones that hurt.
Jesus got hungry, just like us (Mark 11:12). He got frustrated, just like us (Mark 11:14). He got sad (John 11:35), and angry (John 2:16-17), and scared (Luke 22:44). Jesus probably laughed with his friends, and grew stern with the Pharisees. The Bible says that Jesus lived a sinless life, but that doesn't mean he wasn't human.
Some of you may be having a fairly nice day while reading this and some of you may be having a pretty miserable one. Regardless of what is happening to you, know that God understands how you feel, and that he will always love you.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Follow Christ through his years of ministry. Take note of the times when Christ displays his emotions.
Further Reading
Matthew 4:1-11
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Starved for Faith and Vision
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor of BibleStudyTools.com
"Son of man, what is this proverb you have in the land of Israel: 'The days go by and every vision comes to nothing'? Say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am going to put an end to this proverb, and they will no longer quote it in Israel.' Say to them, 'The days are near when every vision will be fulfilled." Ezekiel 12:22-23
For me, Dave was that boss. The guy could make every triumph into misery, every completed project into a diatribe for what didn't go right. Not chewing you out was his way of complimenting a job well done. And, no, I'm not joking. The guy would fire someone I worked with and then come to me the next day to say, "I fired your little friend."
And yet, for some reason I never understood, Dave liked me from the beginning. He would never have said that, of course, never admitted to not hating someone. But he did. Even as a lackey intern, he put me in charge of projects way above my pay grade. Even as the newbie, he'd let me in on the big stuff we'd be working on in a few months. My position was only supposed to last 30 days, but Dave kept me there for months by making excuses to his bosses about why I should stay.
To be honest, I hated the work. Here I was an English major who was supposed to be editing and writing and changing the world through prose. But I was afraid of trying for that world-changing job. Instead, I got pushed into IT project management for hospitals, which is really just a nice way of saying that I moved computers and loaded software. Over and over.
But it's funny what happens between a boss and a peon when you're wearing scrubs and snatching computers from the ICU. For Dave, those moments brought clarity. In a place where alarms signal dying, he'd tell me about his one-time plans to be an architect and the reasons why it couldn't happen. His rage would disappear with the code blues and rushing nurses. He dreamed for just a moment.
And then we'd be pushing our carts of equipment to a new wing of the hospital, and the sarcasm flooded in to cover the regret. He'd snap back to the snappiness as if the ICU never happened.
Maybe that's why Dave liked me. He knew I didn't want to be in those sterile halls either. He knew this detour felt more like a dead end. I was his earlier self.
When I finally quit, Dave didn't say goodbye. In fact, he avoided me for much of my two-week notice period. His only words about me were to berate the rest of the team with how the "only competent worker" was leaving.
With him, that meant he approved.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Dave was that boss—a curmudgeon God used to show me how important vision is, how necessary risk can be to following where God leads. He'd stayed in the safety of a career he despised because excuses were easier than fear and faith.
Part of what it means for Christians to let our lights shine is for us to live by faith. We know God can build bridges over chasms—even if we have no idea how. (Sometimes it's as if He purposefully waits until we're right on the edge.)
Vision and faith refresh and refill and renew. Those who have lost both need you to show them how to get them back once again.
For Further Reading
Ezekiel 37
Hebrews 11
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Burning Your Ships
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
"In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple." – Luke 14:33
Every now and then, when I've got some time to spare, I'll turn on the History Channel and let myself get lost in the past. Recently, I started watching a documentary on the Age of Exploration, when the kingdoms of Europe were sending out ships to explore the Americas. To the Europeans, the New World was a place of limitless promise but also great danger. Faced with new cultures, strange animals, and deadly plagues, many explorations returned home in failure.
Then in February 1519, an explorer named Hernando Cortezwas commissioned by the Spanish Crown to sail to the Yucatan and conquer it in the name of Spain. Cortez and his army set out at once, and when they reached the shores of the Yucatan, Cortez turned to his men and said,
"Burn the boats."
Cortez refused to let turning back be an option. For the sake of his mission, it would be all or nothing. To many of us this may sound a bit extreme, but as it turns out, Jesus had the same principle when he started his ministry.
"As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." He said to another man, "Follow me." But the man replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God." Still another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-bye to my family." Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.'" – Luke 9:57-62
Being a true Christian is something bold and dangerous. We live in a world that loves compromises, and teaches us that we are free to pick and choose what parts of religion we want to follow. Christ is different. When we become his followers, he tells us to take up our crosses and never look back. To follow him is all or nothing. So take some time today and renew your relationship with Christ, because God never claims a victory until he finally gets it all.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Are you holding onto something that is keeping you from God? Take some time to consider.
Further Reading
Matthew 8
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Rejoicing in All Seasons
by Debbie Holloway, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
"The hope of the righteous brings joy" (Proverbs 10:28).
I'm currently in the process of moving – but only a few miles away. During the intense first weekend of driving back and forth constantly from the old house to the new apartment, I was always amused when I passed by one curious little house. We began moving in on Valentine's Day weekend, and this little brick house by the roadside was decked in red and white lights and glowing hearts dotting their lawn. During the daylight it was easy to miss the house, but come nightfall it stood out like a beacon of Valentine's Day glory.
A few days after Valentine's Day passed, however, the hue emanating from the house transformed from red to chipper Irish green as the occupants geared up for St. Patrick's day – complete with shamrocks instead of hearts. My initial reaction to this was something like, Wow. These folks really love their holidays.
As I would drive past the house over the following days and weeks, it got me thinking something else, though. Very few of us embrace change so exuberantly and these (I imagine) quaint little homeowners. Very few of us throw ourselves wholeheartedly into the season of right now. It's tempting for many of us to leave the Christmas lights up past New Years, simply because it's hard to let go of the nostalgia of that warm, fuzzy time. Many of us are picky about what we celebrate. Not these folks, though! They seem delighted just to be able to revel in the fact that we have holidays.
That's an attitude I could probably learn from. I think of Jesus turning water to wine, of all the celebrations, holidays and jubilees that God instituted for the Jews, and I think – God loves an excuse to have joy and celebration! If I can smile, rejoice, and bring attention to a thing of beauty and excitement, I think I should. Just like the people who use every holiday as an excuse to dress up their little house and share a little light with the neighbors.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Do you roll your eyes at the exuberance of others? Or do you take every opportunity to rejoice in the beauty of the world around us? Take a moment to celebrate something small.
Further Reading
Leviticus 25:8-22
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Kill Me Now
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
If this is how you are going to treat me, put me to death right now -- if I have found favor in your eyes -- and do not let me face my own ruin."
Numbers 11:15
...while he himself went a day's journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die."I have had enough, Lord," he said. "Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors."
1 Kings 19:4
Now, O Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.
Jonah 4:3
What kind of a person feels like this? A schmo like me, at times, sure. Maybe you, or people you know. Surely not the heroes of the Old Testament.
Well, truth is, even God's greatest leaders and prophets got to the point in their respective stories where, even after witnessing indescribable miracles and blessings, their circumstances were so overwhelming, impossible and undesirable their attitude was, "Just kill me now, Lord!" Exhausted in body, soul, and spirit, they cried out that they had had enough. They could go no longer in their own power.
The first quote above is from Moses, who had a People Problem. The wandering Israelites were hungry, and as usual, it fell to Moses to solve the problem. He cried out to the Lord, "Was it I who conceived these people? Was it I who brought them forth?" He looked around and couldn't figure out how to satisfy everyone.
The second quote is from Elijah, who had a Pity Problem. This was a prophet who had just called down fire from heaven, destroyed the prophets of Baal, and witnessed the end of a long drought. But just a few verses later, one vow from one wicked queen has him in such despair that he fears he can't go on like this.
The third quote is from Jonah, who had a Pouting Problem. He'd finally obeyed to the point of going to Nineveh and preaching repentance, but when the Lord relented and stayed his hand rather than destroying the city, Jonah wasn't happy. He folded his hands and "became angry" that the destruction he forecast never arrived.
Consider who these men were and what they had seen, what the Lord had done through them. Moses parted the Red Sea and led a people out of slavery. Elijah stood strong for Israel during a time of tremendous pagan influence, prayed down fire and rain, and actually never died (so chalk up at least one unanswered prayer!). Jonah is one of the first stories we tell our children, about how God provided a great fish to swallow him for such a period as he could learn about obedience and repentance.
Not only that, but these guys all show up in the Gospels, in one way or another. Moses and Elijah are present at Jesus' transfiguration (Mark 9). In Matthew 12:38-41 (NIV), Jesus tells the Pharisees they won't get any sign from him other than the sign of Jonah, foreshadowing the three days He Himself would spend in the belly of the Earth.
But interestingly enough, Christ apparently never felt this way. He knew His destiny was to die, but even so prayed that such a cup might pass from Him. And let's not forget that He is our example, not Moses, not Elijah, and not Jonah, great as they were.
When we feel the way that these guys did, we need to realize that anyone wanting to die is under attack. And our enemy can bring that attack through people, pity, and pouting. It comes when our body is not healthy, our soul is not happy, and our spirit is not holy.
But conveniently enough, Paul shows us a prayer that covers all these bases. He writes in 1 Thessalonians 5, "Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass." (23-24).
You aren't alone when you feel like you can't go on, or like you would be better off dead than standing strong in the face of the overwhelming task God has given you, especially when you are weak in body, soul, and spirit, and the enemy is on the attack. And truly, it is comforting to know that some of the Bible's greatest faith warriors and miracle workers shared these feelings. But it doesn't mean they were right. Let us not indulge hopelessness, for it may always be found. Instead, let us remember that we serve a God of hope and of miracles and we follow the One who never copped to people, pity, or pouting, but willingly laid His life down.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Develop a plan that gives you exercise and rest in proper amounts for your body, soul, and spirit, so that you will be less prone to attack.
:angel:
A Journey Through the Desert
by Sarah Phillips
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And he fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterward he was hungry. Matthew 4:1-2
Sometimes it's not what's in our lives troubling us most. It's what we must do without. It's the gaping hole that won't be filled.
Feeling a sense of lack, of deprivation, is often referred to as a "desert experience." Desert experiences can take on many forms – spiritual, relational, and physical. When we hit a period of dryness in a particular area of our lives, we instinctively think something must be wrong with us. "Perhaps if I pray more and become holier, I'll feel God's presence again." Or "If I acquire more financial skills, I'll finally be able to afford what I want." Or "If I become more loveable, I'll finally find someone to marry." So we strive, trying to fill in the gaps in hopes we can earn the blessing.
In our striving, we may be missing out on an opportunity to grow in our faith. Sometimes, a desert experience is necessary in order to bear greater fruit later on. Some of the greatest Saints embraced desert experiences as spiritually profitable.
Elisabeth Leseur, a French upper-class housewife in the early 20th century, spent much time in relational and spiritual deserts throughout her marriage to her husband, a professed atheist. In her diary, later published as The Secret Diary of Elisabeth Leseur, she recorded times of "complete resignation, but without joy or any inner consolation." Later, when reflecting on her faith, she writes, "And yet through all these trials and in spite of the lack of interior joy, there is in my soul some central place, which all these waves of sorrow cannot reach." Elisabeth's perseverance in seeking Christ in the desert later inspired the conversion of her husband.
In the Bible, periods of physical deprivation often preceded key moments in salvation history. Moses wrote the Ten Commandments during a 40-day fast (Exodus 34:28). And it was after a lengthy fast that Elijah heard God's still, small voice (1 Kings 19:8). We see in the passage above that Christ literally ventured into the desert for his own 40-day fast in preparation for what was to come – our salvation through His sacrificial death.
Now, I'm not advocating starving yourself or allowing clinical depression to go untreated. Yet, in the short time we're here on earth, periods of darkness or barrenness – whether voluntary or involuntary -- can be used by God for great purposes.
Right now we're in the middle of Lent, which is traditionally a 40-day period when believers purposely descend into the "desert" in order to contemplate Christ's suffering and to hear God's still, small voice more effectively. Although I don't love to suffer – in even small ways – God has used Lent to teach me that the desert has a beauty all its own. That's because God values the sacrifices of His children. Not that he takes pleasure in our pain, but He uses lack to refine us and draw us closer to Him so that later we may know joy on a deeper level, beyond what our five senses can currently discern.
Of course, we're not meant to live forever in a season of Lent. We know, with confidence, that after Christ's suffering and sacrifice, Easter morning came. Yet, Lent is a season set aside to remind believers today that we are still inhabitants of the "Shadowlands," as C.S. Lewis liked to call them. We are not in heaven, and we have work to do. Though we may experience beauty and joy in this life, nothing can fully satisfy us except God's plan awaiting us in the fullness of time.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Decide on one luxury you regularly enjoy and give it up until Easter. It can be a type of food, a behavior (like watching TV or using critical words in your relationships), or money (donated to a cause instead of spent on yourself). In its place, increase time spent in quiet prayer. If you're currently having a "desert experience" in your life, be encouraged by knowing God is near.
Further Reading
Matthew 6: 1 - 6, 16 – 18
Joel 2: 12 – 18
10 Lenten Traditions to Enrich Your Family's Easter Celebration
Secrets to Fasting and Prayer
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It's Good for Your Character
by Laura MacCorkle
Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. Romans 5:3-5, NIV
I grew up in a very special church back in the '70s and '80s. It was nondenominational, had tremendous traditional worship and congregational singing and was attended and led by many seminary professors and students.
Seeds that were sown in my life in those early years of my spiritual growth are now sprouting, and I'm drawing upon what I have learned as I make my way through adulthood.
From time to time, I flip through a bound collection of meditations on sayings that my pastor put together. He would regularly refer to these life principles from the pulpit, and today, whenever I hear them being said (or similar concepts) by others, I remember what he preached on them many years ago.
"It's good for your character," he would often say. And here's how he explained that further:
"God uses the routine, the difficult, even the painful to develop in us qualities of Christlike character that can be learned in no other way."
When we begin to see our lives from this perspective, that's when we've turned a corner. But in order to keep thinking in this way, we have to make daily readjustments, as we don't always want to see the routine, the difficult and even the painful in this way.
But it is the right way to look at any uncomfortable situation in our lives. The classic passage regarding trials in James 1:2-4 is wonderfully helpful and instructive to us pilgrims travelling life's road on our spiritual journeys:
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Now, let's break down this outlook:
Consider it pure joy. How do you do this when you're going through a divorce? Or in the aftermath of a departed loved one or the loss of a job? What will it take to see the joy despite the circumstances? Only God can give us this joy and change our perspective (Psa. 16:8-11).
Testing develops perseverance. In order to learn how to persevere, we have to go through some trying times. Think back on the trials in your life. What were the results? Did you make changes in your life? Did God help you get through them? Remember that as you continue to serve him (Psa. 25:4-10).
Perseverance must finish its work. We can't go from diapers to dungarees in the snap of our fingers. Living takes time. And there are "pains" that go with it. Sure, it hurts sometimes, but know that the uncomfortable seasons mean that you're growing (1 Peter 4:12-19).
Be mature and complete. When you were a child, you didn't have a bulging file folder of life experiences to draw from. Now that you're older, hopefully you can see how you have grown closer to the Lord and how he has changed you. Draw from past lessons as you choose to live and think differently today (1 Cor. 13:10-12).
Intersecting Faith & Life: Can you look back on "the routine, the difficult, even the painful" times of your life and see how God has developed your character? List some specific trials and the resulting changes that have been made in your character and then praise your merciful Savior.
Further Reading:
2 Cor. 4:7-12, MSG
Phil. 1:21, NIV
Heb. 10:32-39, MSG
"When We All Get to Heaven"
Words: Eliza E. Hewitt (1898)
Music: Emily D. Wilson
While we walk the pilgrim pathway,
Clouds will overspread the sky;
But when traveling days are over,
Not a shadow, not a sigh
When we all get to Heaven,
What a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus,
We'll sing and shout the victory!
:angel:
My Two Voices
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor of BibleStudyTools.com
"The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" Jeremiah 17:9
I never read the Bible alone. Instead, there's a squeaky voice tucked away in my head that likes to tag along. For the most part, it hums along in time with the steady cadence of Scripture, just waiting. But when something challenging pops up, something that pushes against the way I'm living, the tiny warble begins.
Brace yourselves because I'm taking you inside here.
Me: You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires
The Warbler: You don't need to worry about that. It says "old self." You're all brand-spanking new in here. Just ignore that.
Me: to be made new in the attitude of your minds
The Warbler: See. That's totally you—new times two. Nothing left in here but soapy clean suds.
Me: and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
The Warbler: Being like God? Yeah, right! That's impossible. Not what that verse means. You can only do what you can do. Don't worry about it. Next!
Me: Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body.
The Warbler: Oh, man! You're a truthfulness beast of awesome.
Me: Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
The Warbler: That doesn't mean you have to be nice all the time. Do you really want people stomping all over you? You've gotta push back and give them some smack when they need it.
Me: Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.
The Warbler: All? Pshaw! After the way you acted yesterday, that's obviously a ridiculous goal.
Me: Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
The Warbler: Eh, just focus on the Christ forgiving you part. It's all about you, right?
Okay, okay, that's probably a bit of an exaggeration. But from the conversations I've had, I don't think I'm the only one who has such a voice that "helps" interpret Scripture. We all come to the Bible with certain ingrained expectations about ourselves, the world, and God. But God's Word tends to sandpaper over them... a lot.
Not surprisingly, we push back. We justify trouble spots in our own lives and shift the tough passages to "worry about later" or "not about me" lists. I know I'm good at that.
Intersecting Faith & Life: You'll never turn off the voice of justification that warbles along as you read the Bible. We're sin-kissed creatures with hearts that like to dance the shuffle. But you can drown out that subtle whisper with prayers of confession. If nothing else, that little voice is good for telling you exactly where you need the help.
Here's a prayer that works for me: Father, your compassion makes my resistance seem so ridiculous. Give me the guts to accept the chastisement of your Word. Knock through my love-of-self and give me love-of-You instead. Weaken me so that I can be stronger in Christ. Amen.
For Further Reading:
Ephesians 4
James 1
:angel:
Born Blind
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
"Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life." – John 9:3
One of my favorite Bible stories appears in John 9, where Jesus heals a man born blind. Take a moment to read the following:
As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world." Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes. "Go," he told him, "wash in the Pool of Siloam"(this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing. – John 9:1-8
Every time I read this, I can't help but wonder what went through the mind of the blind man when he heard Jesus. All his life people have been telling him he's cursed, that his blindness is punishment for some sin his family committed. Then, in a single moment, Christ turns his world around. Not only does he absolve him of guilt in front of the disciples, he announces that God is going to display his glory through a blind man's life. Many people read this story and think it's all about how Jesus healed his sight, but I believe it's more about how Christ restored his soul.
Too often we Christians are like the Pharisees of old. We look at people, find something in their life that isn't quite perfect, and make a note of how much they "need God." What we're really saying is, "Look at how messed up this person is, you know it's because they've turned away from God." Just like the disciples did. If you ever find yourself tempted to think that, beware. While the story of John 9 ends with one man receiving sight, it also ends with some who are still blind.
"Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" "Who is he, sir?" the man asked. "Tell me so that I may believe in him." Jesus said, "You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you." Then the man said, "Lord, I believe," and he worshiped him. Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind." – John 9: 35-39
Intersecting Faith and Life: "The gospel declares that no matter how dutiful or prayerful we are, we can't save ourselves. What Jesus did was sufficient." ~Brennan Manning
Further Reading
John 13:34 - 35
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Men & Christian Friendship: It Won't Just Happen on its Own
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need.
Proverbs 17:17, NLT
I own many books, but the ones I reference often I keep above my desk at work. One of these is a 1983 edition of David W. Smith's The Friendless American Male. It's a title that, sadly, has only grown more accurate in the last three decades, its content more applicable. Men, especially us hard-working, married-with-children types, are lacking in close biblical friendships. The reasons are varied and several, and it's not my intent in the space of a daily devotional to present or solve them all. Suffice to say that most men I talk with vouch for the lack of quality friendships in their life, even if they speak of different reasons for the condition.
It's something I worry about, something I marvel at when I consider some of the differences between myself and my own father. For example, back when my father was climbing the ladder in the Tucson Real Estate industry and had children the ages mine are now, his weekends were all his own. Tennis in the morning on both Saturday and Sunday. Soaking up sun at the pool or doing yardwork in the afternoons. Watching sports or even working in the evenings. A quarterly fishing trip. Several of these activities involved his friends and acquaintances. It must be pointed out that he didn't know or serve the Lord at this time in his life, but it's also important to note that, to the best of my recollection, we kids weren't starved for his attention or affection. It still seemed like we were close, and had plenty of time together. So, I merely use my father as the model I was shown for what men were expected (allowed?) to do and be socially in the 1970s.
At some point things changed, and yes, in most ways, for the better. Men began leaving their work at work. Being conscious about setting aside time for family activities. Reserving weekends for playing with their kids and going to soccer games rather than hitting the tennis court or the golf links or the lake. But technology, instead of saving us time, only seemed to create more ways in which we could spend it working. Where my father routinely met his buddies for a beverage after work, it's all I can do to rush home, swallow some food, and not leave my wife and kids feeling neglected before I log on for another couple hours of work and then an exhausted collapse into bed. Meeting another dude for a beer or coffee? Seriously, I don't want to laugh, but when? Even if I had a hole in my schedule, what makes me think the person I might invite (even if I knew someone well enough to want to spend time with him) would have time and desire, too? I was heavily involved in our Adult Bible Fellowship at our former church for years, and I can count on one hand the times I did something outside of church with any of the men in that group.
So, something is definitely missing. Somewhere, we went too far. I remember being single and having the privilege to work with two very close friends in our college admissions office, both of whom were newly married. Yet getting them to do anything social outside work was just about impossible. One of them wouldn't even go see a movie with me - one that I was offering to pay for - on the night his wife was busy studying for her nursing final exams. The other wouldn't even ask his wife whether he could put off lawn mowing for one more day to attend a minor league baseball game with a mutual friend who was in town for just one night. What was going on?
Sure, I was tempted to blame their wives for not letting their husbands out to play, but even if there was truth to that notion, it wasn't the issue. The issue was, and is, that men simply are not bonding much these days... that the Bible speaks about friendship and male leadership and iron sharpening iron... and we are either purposefully choosing or unwittingly failing to make bonding and sharpening a priority.
So what do we do?
The only answer I have is: something. For me, that something arrives every March. That's when I and 13 of my friends from college and camp get together for a long weekend of fishing, good food, fantasy baseball drafting, NCAA tournament watching, and most importantly, fellowship. We call it "Draftmas" because it's very much like a holiday for us, and it centers around our fantasy baseball draft and league as a device to draw us all together, give us common footing. But to a man, most would tell you that the baseball is not the point. So what is?
Let's refer back to The Friendless American Male: on page 52 Smith writes, "Close friendships don't just happen. They result from the application of principles recorded throughout the Word of God." He contrasts the kindness and affection that David and Jonathan shared with the "lack of sympathy" and "overt emotional harrassment and condemnation" Job experienced with his pals Zophar, Eliphaz, and Bildad. The difference, Smith says, can be found throughout the Bible in these six principles of male friendship:
1. God-Centered
2. Formation of a covenant
3. Faithfulness
4. Social involvement
5. Candor
6. Respect
Just as Amos 3:3 says, "Do two men walk together unless they have made an appointment?", so do we display an intentional commitment to this activity as central to who we are as men, to who we want to be the rest of the year for our families and each other. While having close friends who don't live near me (but whom I'm always in contact with) does, admittedly, sometimes hinder me making new friends locally, it also serves to remind me how making new friends is possible and necessary. And I can see Smith's principles at work in this treasured group: God is indeed at the center of each of our lives; we've formed an agreement to meet together and communicate together around something we all enjoy, and are faithful to that agreement, to God, and to each other. We all fill roles, and are active socially and economically with each other, lending a hand in often amazing ways when needs arise; we speak freely and candidly, and we respect the various issues everyone brings to the table.
Sometimes those issues are big ones: Joblessness. Crises of faith. Being overwhelmed. Economic hardship. Remarriage. Career decisions. Waiting on God. Loneliness. Recently-deceased parents. Autism. Health. I'm already wondering how different this gathering is going to be from past ones. But even when trials are shared, this is never a downer of a man-cation. In fact, I can't wait to get out of town to really bounce ideas and prayers off my friends, really seek out ways we can help each other, while at the same time catching more fish and outbidding them for Albert Pujols.
About five years ago, one of our group told me, "You know this is only going to get harder to keep up the older we get." I disagreed. Several of us are only finding it easier. For one thing, our wives have come to see the difference in their men when they spend this time with each other. Mine practically pushes me out the door even though the event is often close to her birthday weekend. It's not a perfect answer to what I'm missing and seeing so many other men miss in their lives, but it's a start, and even, I realize now, a model.
Intersecting Faith & Life: What common interest can you center a group of Christian men around? It should be an excuse, a starting point, a conversational diving board. While things like sports, fishing, golfing, and other stereotypical male things are good, bear in mind that no one man enjoys all of these activities or subjects, and often, it's a sore spot with him, one that might be the very thing that, deep down, has him feeling like not as much of a "man."
Wives, you can help "wake up" your listless man by hooking him up with his friends (not your friends' husbands on a grown-up play-date, mind you), letting him reconnect with those who share his memories and the activities he used to enjoy. Several healthy couples I know set aside one weekend every year for each person to spend a same-sex getaway with close friends, while also not feeling threatened by the idea of an evening here, an afternoon there causing any damage to the relationship. If anything, it'll make your marriage healthier, and bring your back together with things to talk about and pray for.
Further Reading
1 Samuel 18:1-4; 19:1-10
The Making of a Friendship
Why Men Need Friends
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Renewal in the Desert
By Katherine Britton
"Therefore I am now going to allure her [Israel]; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her." - Hosea 2:14
The prophet Hosea certainly had one of the least enviable jobs ever. God commanded him to take a wife who both God and Hosea knew would be unfaithful, so Hosea married Gomer, a prostitute. They had several children together, but at length she went back to her old ways. She left Hosea, went back to her lovers, and ended up betrayed into the slave market.
Hosea then did the unthinkable. He bought her back.
"The LORD said to me, 'Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress...' So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and about a homer and a lethek of barley. Then I told her, "You are to live with me many days; you must not be a prostitute or be intimate with any man, and I will live with you." (Hosea 3:1-3)
In a very real sense, Hosea redeemed his wayward bride. Instead of leaving her to the natural consequences, he brought her back into the covenant of marriage.
From the very beginning, the Lord makes it clear to Hosea that the pain of betrayal, ingratitude, and inconstant nature of Gomer was nothing less than God himself experienced at the hands of his bride, the people of Israel. Idolatry far exceeded faithfulness to the covenant, and the nation became increasingly entangled with foreign kingdoms, against God's direct commandment. They were the wayward bride, and their fate would be no less than Gomer's. Hosea assured every Israelite that the natural consequences of their action - slavery and destitution - were coming.
And yet the Lord did not abandon them. Instead, when everything they had trusted was stripped away, he pursued them. God said,
"Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her ... I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion." (Hosea 2:14,19)
Once emptied of its treasures, its gods, and its affluence, Israel found that they were not an object of ultimate wrath, but of ultimate mercy. All this despite the broken covenants, promises, and ingratitude toward the God who had already saved them from slavery. The commentator Matthew Henry notes the incredible grace displayed here in the Old Testament:
"When it was said, She forgot me, one would think it should have followed, 'Therefore I will abandon her, I will forget her, I will never look after her more.' No, Therefore I will allure her. God's thoughts and ways of mercy are infinitely above ours; his reasons are all fetched from within himself, and not from any thing in us; nay, his goodness takes occasion from man's badness to appear so much the more illustrious... the design is plainly to magnify free grace to those on whom God will have mercy purely for mercy's sake."
Let's never forget that in God's hands, even the desert is a place of restoration.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Are you in the desert right now? Financially? Relationally? Spiritually? Take comfort in knowing that God strips away our luxuries to return our focus where it belongs.
She shall be as a traveller that not only knows not which way to go, of many that are before him, but that finds no way at all to go forward. ... The disappointments we meet with in our pursuits of satisfaction in the creature should, if nothing else will do it, drive us at length to the Creator, in whom alone it is to be had. - Hosea 2: 6-12
God will have us to know, not only that we have all our creature-comforts and enjoyments from him, but that he has still an incontestable right and title to them, that they are more his than ours, and therefore are to be used for him, and accounted for to him. He will therefore take their plenty away from them, because they have forfeited it by disowning his right, as a tenant by copy of court-roll, who holds at the will of his lord, forfeits his estate if he makes a feoffment of it as though he were a freeholder. He will recover it, will free or deliver it, that it may be no longer abused, as the creature is said to be delivered from the bondage of corruption under which it groans, Rom. 8:21.
:angel:
Cold Showers
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com
But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" (Luke 10:40)
Every morning for as long as he could, my grandfather slid out of bed before the sun rose and took a cold shower. Now, granted, he lived in the warm climes of southern Alabama, and the waves of heat there appear more like tsunamis of heat. But let me tell you, cold showers in the early morning of southern Alabama feel pretty much the same as cold showers anywhere else. They're cold.
Every evening, my grandfather came back to a house without air conditioning. He did prop a fan in the window, but that seemed more like a concession to his wimpy family than anything he needed. In a house he'd built himself that had little insulation and a tin roof, the fan pretty much blew hot air around.
But he just made it work. These inconveniences weren't a challenge; they were opportunities. No water heater? Take cold showers. Three channels on TV? Talk when nothing's on. No clothes dryer? Hang them up on a line. No phone? Go to your daughter's house and use hers (though I can't remember him ever doing so). Something breaks? Don't buy a new one; fix it.
When I pull myself away from my iPhone, I'm sometimes struck with how different my life is. There's never a drop of cold water anywhere near my shower. My first instinct is to buy what I need, never to make it. In the evenings, I have to force my mind to stay present on my family instead of drifting away to what "important" social media updates I'm missing.
But it's not really the technology differences that hit the hardest. You see, there was a depth to my grandfather that I've found much harder to emulate. I'm often too distracted to get there. He just moved and breathed faith; it naturally flowed from his character. Yet I struggle to stay afloat in an ocean of distractions.
Perhaps those cold showers really would do me some good.
Intersecting Faith and Life: My grandfather, much to the chagrin of his grandsons, loved to play twangy gospel music every weekend. Our peaceful morning slumber would melt away with steel guitars and nasally notes. But this wasn't something he did to annoy us. He just knew what was most important.
This isn't a call to jettison technology (honestly, I can be just as distracted by books and worries as I can by Netflix). Instead, what I think most about my grandfather is his resolve to remember what mattered most. He never cared about what he lacked because he knew what he had. He loved God and learned from His Word. And that satisfied him.
Too often, the busyness of my life keeps me from remembering what he taught.
For Further Reading:
Luke 10:38-42
Psalm 27
:angel:
Trapped in the Darkness
by Fred Alberti, Salem Web Network Director of Social Media
"...to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me."
Acts 26:18
As I was walking through my nature trail this week I, as I normally do, asked the Lord what I should write this week. As I passed through the chapel area of the trail the sun flashed through the leaves and caught my attention. Light. I had entered the darkness of the woods but that light caught my attention. I "filed" it away and continued my travels through the trail.
Later, I was reading through various news stories of earthquake survivors in China when one particular story jumped out at me and brought back to my mind my earlier encounter with the rising sun. The story was of a middle-aged man named Mr. Shen whose quick thinking to take cover in a doorway saved him from the fate experienced by many of his co-workers.
When interviewed, Mr. Shen recalled shouting to a co-worker to join him in the doorway when the room suddenly collapsed. The next thing he remembered was the sudden darkness that enveloped him.
What struck me in his interview was his statement, "Oh, the darkness, oh, the darkness all over. I didn't know when it was going to end."
There are people that we walk past every day that, without knowing it, are spiritually in the same condition as Mr. Shen; trapped in darkness under the weight of sin.
For Mr. Shen, the darkness crumpled under the hands of the rescuers. After 146 hours his encounter with complete and utter darkness came to an end. That darkness, however, will always leave a mark on his being.
Will you forget the darkness that seeks to crush the hope of those around you?
Intersecting Faith & Life: Find a place of complete and utter darkness and spend at least 15 minutes praying for people you know who have not accepted God's free gift of salvation.
Further Reading
Ephesians 5:8
John 12:46
1 Peter 2:9
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Be Like the Bereans
by Anna Kuta, ReligionToday.com Editor
"Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so."
Acts 17:10-11
The first part of Acts 17 tells the story of Paul and Silas' missionary journey through the cities of Thessalonica and Berea. The chapter begins with Paul and Silas arriving in Thessalonica to preach and share the gospel in the synagogue of the Jews, as was Paul's typical approach: "Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, 'This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ'" (Acts 17:2-3). Paul and Silas' teachings converted many, but some Jews who weren't persuaded became angry and caused an uproar in the city, gathering a mob to attack the house of the Christian man named Jason who was hosting Paul and Silas. With the help of some believers, they escaped at nighttime to Berea.
Upon their arrival in Berea, Paul and Silas again went to the Jewish synagogue, but here they had a warmer reception. The Bereans proved much more eager to hear their message than the Jews in Thessalonica. As Acts 17:11 says, the Bereans "were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word in all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so." Acts 17:12 goes on to say that many Bereans then believed, including many prominent Greek men and women.
What a lesson we can all learn from the Bereans. When Paul and Silas preached, the Bereans didn't merely take them at their word – they searched through the Jewish scriptures to test and ascertain that what they were hearing lined up with God's word. Then, when they discovered that the doctrine of Christ affirmed the Jewish scriptures, they received the message gladly. Acts 17:11 also makes a point to mention that they searched the scriptures every day – not just on the Sabbath.
The importance of constantly searching the Scriptures cannot be overstated. All preaching of man should be weighed against the inerrant word of God, and it is imperative that we know what the Bible says in order to avoid being deceived by wrong doctrines. In a world where there are innumerable false religions and false takes on Christianity, the most important thing we can do is become like the Bereans. The doctrine of Christ not only stands up to the toughest scrutiny, it stands strong as the beacon of truth and the divine standard by which everything else should be measured.
Intersecting Faith & Life: We should all strive to follow the excellent example of the Bereans by searching the Scriptures constantly and by receiving the truth of God's word readily. Determine to examine all preaching and doctrine against the Word of God – making the Bible your ultimate gauge by which you test everything you read or hear.
Further Reading
Acts 17
2 Timothy 3:16
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Give Thanks Today
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. – 1 Chronicles 16:8
I have a system for writing devotionals. First I start with a funny or emotional story about some event in my past. Next, I'll usually drop in a Bible reference that loosely coincides with my experience. Finally, I'll finish off with how I learned more about God as a result. Simple, effective, and clean.
I'd like to try something a little different with today's devotional. Instead of telling a story, I'd simply like to give thanks. I don't thank God enough for the things He has given me; usually I'm too busy asking for more. So today, as awkward as it might be, I'd like to publicly thank Him for all He has done, starting with my family. Thank you, God, for my family.
Thank you for my job.
Thank you for providing for me in more ways than one.
Thank you that I have food in my pantry.
Thank you that I have clean water to drink.
Thank you for giving me a place to sleep at night.
Thank you that I have clothes to wear.
Thank you that I have friends who care about me.
Thank you that I have a Church where I can freely worship.
Thank you that I have a copy of your Word available to read.
Thank you that I am healthy.
Thank you for the ability to see, hear, taste, touch, and smell.
Thank you for the sun, the moon, and the stars.
Thank you for the birds in the air.
Thank you for the fish in the sea.
Thank you for the animals all across the globe.
Thank you for your Grace, which I do not deserve.
Thank you for sending your Son, who died for my sins.
I could go on, there is so much more I'd like to list. Instead, I'd like to pass this spirit of gratitude on to you. Today, remember to give thanks for the ways God has blessed you, and think about all the things He has done. Big and small, meaningful or bizarre, write them out or say them aloud. I think the list will grow longer than you would believe.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Write out your blessings on a sheet of paper. See for yourself what God has done in your life.
Further Reading
Psalm 45
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The Gifts of Easter
Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
"While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy." – Luke 24: 51-52
My Grandfather has always been a generous man. Every Easter when I was young, he would go out to the local candy store and return with bags upon bags of candy for me and my cousins. Of course, we couldn't just eat the candy then and there. To make things more enjoyable, the children would all go into the basement to play while he and my Grandmother hid the candy in nooks and corners of the house for us to find throughout the day. The big prize in the game was always an enormous, solid chocolate bunny hidden somewhere in the house, and my grandfather loved to walk about giving vague hints as to where it might be.
To be honest though, what I loved most about my early Easters was actually what came afterward. You see, my Grandfather always bought so much candy that we kids couldn't find it all. So when our family came to visit a few weeks later, you might find a caramel egg while rummaging through the bookshelf or stumble on a bar of chocolate while playing in the study. These unexpected blessings always reminded me how much my Grandfather loved his grandchildren, and how he always spoke of God loving us. Looking back on it now, I can't help but see a resemblance between those unforeseen gifts and Christ's work through the resurrection.
Look at the verse below,
"On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, 'Peace be with you!' After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Again Jesus said, 'Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.' And with that he breathed on them and said, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.'" – John 20:19-23
One of the most amazing, wonderful messages of the gospel is that it's not over. Just like my old Easter-egg hunt, which didn't end with the capture of the giant bunny, Christ's work didn't end at the resurrection. Instead, he gave us the Holy Spirit. The unexpected gift, that continues to remind us how much he loves us, and the sacrifice he made so that we could be together again. So this year, celebrate Easter with a grateful heart, and remember the love Christ has for you.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Take a moment to meditate of Jesus life, death, and resurrection.
Further Reading
John 20
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Easter: All That Matters vs. All I Live For
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
He has risen, just as He said.
Matthew 28:6, NIV
What would I ever do if someone I knew came back from the dead? Especially if he had said he would, and if he had spent a couple nights in a grave already?
Seriously, what would I do? What would you do? Wouldn't I blab to everyone I know - and most people I don't - about this miraculous event? Heck, I tell everyone when I'm feeling under the weather or when I saw a good movie.
Then factor in that the same guy was now telling us that because of what he had done, none of the rest of us would ever have to suffer death. What's more, simply by believing what we had seen, no matter our background, history, race, or education, we could restore our long-lost connection with the Almighty, and live forever.
Man... unfortunately, I'm having a hard time conceiving what I would do. Or, even if I can conceive it, I can't quite believe it, because honestly, I have seen this, I do believe this, and yet my daily reaction to it doesn't exactly line up with The Acts of the Apostles.
Has the news of a resurrected savior really become passe?
Why don't I want to read Acts?
What am I afraid of?
That I'll be rejected?
(He who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit (1 Thess. 4:8)).
That I won't be powerful enough?
(God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline (2 Tim. 1:7)).
That the good news isn't relevant enough?
Salvation and the message of the resurrection, the miracle of born again-ness, is a salve to all wounds.
This Easter I'll join choruses like "He's Alive" while pondering and praising the miracle, but when it comes time for the next day of my life to begin, a day and a life that means nothing if not lived for my Savior, it'll be all about me again and my troubles and making my way and who cut me off and what I have to get done and who I don't like and what can we complain about today.
Yuck.
I want this Easter to be real. Because I did see it happen (so to speak; the resulting spread of those who ran to the corners of the earth to tell the story with no regard for personal safety is traceable to this day), it is real, and I'm cheating life and people God loves if I'm not shouting those facts from every corner and rooftop I can find. Everything else is just window dressing; "Christian living" is often just how we pass all our extra time in this country where so many of our basic needs are so easily met, and where we can cordon ourselves off from each other. What matters in life?
That there is life, and...
how it came about that there might never be death, but...
there are still dead men walking.
Really, why else are we here if not to keep excitedly shouting the truth of the miracle as if we'd just experienced it with our own eyes yesterday?
Intersecting Faith & Life: For the longest time, I've felt a leading in my heart to launch out into a complete study of the book of Acts, something I've never fully done. For some reason, I continue to put it off. But in my quest this year to make Easter real, I'm beginning a study of what those who witnessed the resurrection couldn't keep themselves from going out and doing. Care to join me?
Further Reading
Acts 1
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He Defeated Death
by Sarah Phillips
Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast." Now none of the disciples dared ask him, "Who are you?" They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead. (John 21: 12 - 14)
Recently, my husband and I attended a forum to discuss the increasingly controversial issues surrounding end of life decisions. The event was intended to approach the topic from a Christian worldview, drawing on the Christian teachings of the dignity of human life.
Most of us came expecting experts to delve into the ways we can ethically preserve a person's life in a culture all too quick to promote what Pope John Paul II coined "the culture of death." This aspect of end-of-life issues is a very important one, and it was discussed at length. But before we got to those topics, a local trauma surgeon gave the first talk. And her words sunk in deeply with the entire room.
She highlighted the reality that death is part of human life, and when it's a person's time, it's okay to die. She offered ways families can come to recognize - and find peace - when that time comes.
I can't lie - these words were hard to hear even though we all, deep down, know we are mere mortals. Nobody wants to die. Nobody wants to think about death. It is strangely easier to discuss heavy issues such as battling diseases or unethical procedures than to discuss the need to accept natural death.
Undoubtedly, part of our hesitancy to discuss the topic is fueled by our own sense of self-preservation and fear of loss. But I also think the topic is difficult because as Christians we celebrate life - and rightly so. We are people of hope, people who cherish the gift of life and the blessings that come with it. For centuries, Christians have been among the first to defend life and promote the dignity of even the tiniest, most fragile person.
But the trauma surgeon's talk about preparing for natural death does not run contrary to being people of hope. She spoke these words in light of our true hope: Jesus Christ. She highlighted that while we should not prematurely end our earthly lives - because, yes this life is a gift - there is eternal life with Jesus Christ awaiting those who believe. Our time here is a time of preparation for the fullness of life in Christ. She said (to paraphrase), "Natural death of a loved one or even our own is the time we are called to put into practice that faith we've developed year after year as church attendees, deepening our relationship with the Lord."
During this Easter week, we celebrate the resurrection of the risen Christ. Jesus Christ faced all the loneliness, pain, and fear that comes with death and conquered it. And as we read the Easter scriptures, we see that he did not disappear or abandon his disciples after the resurrection, but walked among them in his glorified state to offer further hope and instruction. So now, as we celebrate this profound moment in salvation history, we must ask ourselves: Do we truly believe He has conquered death and will never abandon us? As Christians, we can say yes with confidence.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Do you know someone who is ill or even grieving a loss? Find a way to be Christ's comforting presence for that person this week even if it's through a small gesture like a card.
Further Reading:
Acts 4: 1 - 12
John 21: 1 - 14
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Is Doubting a Sin?
by Debbie Holloway, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
And [Jesus] said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? (Luke 24:38)
There's no doubt about it: faith is a gift. To be more specific, faith is a gift... and not all of us are born with this gift. Many of us have been through trials and struggles that make blind faith and unwavering belief difficult, almost impossible. Have you ever been lied to by a trusted friend? Let down by a parent? Abused by someone who was meant to care for you? Chances are, the answer is yes. Chances are, doubting God is sometimes (or often) something with which you struggle.
Many of us grow up hearing the refrain from James, "the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind" (1:6). Many of us are told over and over again that there is no room for doubt or skepticism in the Kingdom of God. But is that truly the message portrayed in Scripture? Should we really feel the sting of shame over asking questions and expressing hesitation?
Jesus' response to doubt was often, why? He proposed neither a condemnation nor an accolade, but a dialogue. Jesus cared about the hearts, motives, and fears of those who questioned him, who struggled with unbelief. Practically everyone to whom Jesus ministered expressed genuine doubt or asked provoking questions. But Jesus healed them anyway. Jesus answered their questions (John 3:1-21). Jesus told them things about themselves, causing them to look at life in a new way (John 4:7-45). When extraordinary faith was shown (Luke 7:1-10) Jesus was astounded and overjoyed. But he certainly did not condemn all others of lesser faith. He knew that it takes time for people to overcome cultures of fear and questions.
God has big plans for us, plans to bless us richly through belief and faith. This is evidenced by what Jesus told Thomas:
"Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed" (John 20:29).
Christ doesn't deny Thomas' belief or turn him out on the street in penalty for his doubt. Rather, he stresses again the blessings that will be available to all men through the power of faith and belief. God has such rich things in store for us – but we cannot see them all yet. Jesus wanted to drill that into his followers since he knew he would not be with them physically for much longer.
Take heart and remember, doubting can be a step toward faith – it is not the opposite of faith. And remember also,
"Keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life. And have mercy on some, who are doubting" (Jude 1:21-22).
Intersecting Faith and Life: Are you struggling with doubts? Is a fellow brother or sister dealing with hard questions? Remember, God calls for mercy for the doubters, not judgment.
Further reading
Psalm 31
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Both / And
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Him who is the Head, that is, Christ.
Ephesians 4:15
Consider the following sets of words:
Compassionate, communicative, kind, fair, long-suffering, patient, accepting, gentle, merciful, understanding.
Honest, holy, set-apart, stand-taking, consistent, dedicated, mature, righteous, unyielding, just.
Which set best describes you?
Sometimes it feels like we Christians divide ourselves into these two camps. Camp A rightly believes that "God is love," and as such they do a fairly good job of not alienating those they meet and know and care for. Of course, with every strength there's a weak side, and sometimes our well-meaning Camp-A brethren can become wishy-washy and overly accepting, even false.
Camp B, on the other hand, rightly believes that "God is holy," and as such they do a fairly good job of reminding those they meet and know and care for that sin is sin, and God can not tolerate it. Of course, sometimes our well-meaning Camp-B brethren can end up sounding a lot like gongs and cymbals, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. People know we're here, but they wish we'd quiet down for a bit. Perhaps all the conflict between our own camps has torn at your heart and worn down your spirit, too.
Now consider... which set of words best describes Our Father? Think about it before answering. We'll come back to that thought in a minute.
I have a close friend, a youth minister, who has served many years at his current church. Recently, he was summoned to a meeting with the personnel committee and several parents. The gist of their message was that he was teaching the students too much about discipline and truth and knowing what the Bible says and so on. The criticism apparently was that there wasn't enough about love and compassion in his messages.
Reading between the lines, it was clear that fear was at work: fear that these students weren't being prepared for college and a world that is more about tolerance and acceptance and where Christian students who literally believe the Bible are ostracized. After all, who hopes for their child to face unpopularity, embarrassment, and harsh criticism while they're already struggling to get ahead in the world? My friend would point out that he's not opposed to compassion and love, not in the least. But what kind of foundation do you want to build in the youth?
It's sad. Because at the end of the day... why can't we have both?
I'm not talking about vacillating. I'm not talking about compromise. I don't want to be lukewarm.
I am talking about balance; checks and balances. I do wish to be balanced. A position of balance is a position of strength. A balanced person stumbles less often. How much fun is a teeter-totter where all the weight is pushed to one side?
I am also talking about paradox. A paradox is a seeming contradiction that nonetheless contains truth. A paradox says an object or person or idea is both this and that. Jesus is the world's greatest paradox, being both fully God and fully man. With Christ as the example and the cornerstone, one learns to see that the whole Bible is full of paradox, including the fact that we can and should "Speak truth." "In love." Both/and. Just like Jesus.
He didn't excuse sins. But He did forgive them.
He was equal with God. But He didn't consider equality with God a thing to be grasped.
He was sinless. But He refused to cast the first stone at the accused.
He demanded His followers take up a cross and follow Him unreservedly unfettered. But He was sad for those who weren't ready to do so.
Truth. In. Love. Both. And.
Don't forget, Campers, you have the Holy Spirit, which gives you wisdom, which instructs you as to which set of characteristics is needed in a given circumstance. Pull up the tent poles. Become nomadic. You can put on the armor of God, but if your feet aren't balanced beneath you? Ask any beginner student of martial arts what the result will be.
But even if you find yourself gravitating more towards one campsite or the other, that's okay. The same chapter that talks of the need to speak the truth in love also mentions, just a couple verses earlier, that, "It was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up."
We're on the same team. And the goal is a "built-up body." One that won't stand unless balanced, unless level, unless unified. What's the result? Refer back to our verse today. When we "speak truth in love," we will "grow up." Bottom line, Campers, our body needs to mature.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Simply ask yourself the next time you proclaim the Word: am I being loving? Are my motives pure? Likewise, the next time you get those warm feelings about how fair and open-minded and communicative you're being with unbelievers and sinners, ask, "Lord, what truth do they need to know?" Love enough to tell the truth. Be truthful enough to not misrepresent how your Lord meets broken people where they are. It can be scary to think about doing, but remember that "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and love, and discipline."
Further Reading
1 Corinthians 13
Discovering the Value of Your Personality
Education and Relation - or - Truth and Love
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A Springtime Mystery
by Katherine Britton
"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse."
Romans 1:20
When was the last time you wondered if spring would ever come? Not in the ironic sense - really wondered if winter might last forever, something like the 100 years of winter in Narnia. My guess is never. Most of America lives in the reality of four seasons, and we expect the Earth to naturally cycle from winter to spring to summer to fall. We expect trees to unfurl new leaves this time of year because they're supposed to.
But what if they didn't? What if the trees bloomed in winter when their new leaves would freeze, or what if their flowers matured into hornets' nests instead of apples? What if they didn't bloom at all?
In his autobiographical work, Orthodoxy, G. K. Chesterton remembers his journey from agnosticism to faith including such nonsensical questions. Before he became the great 20th century apologist, he was a man confined to the world of determinism, where the natural world was governed by impersonal laws or nothing. But observing spring outside his window, he was struck by the wonderful fact that for some reason, trees do indeed bloom into fruit.
"They talked as if the fact that trees bear fruit were just as necessary as the fact that two and one trees make three. But it is not... You cannot imagine two and one not making three. But you can easily imagine trees not growing fruit..."
"I had always vaguely felt facts to be miracles in the sense that they were wonderful: now I began to think them miracles in the stricter sense that they were willful. I mean that they were, or might be, repeated exercises of some will. In short, I had always believed that the world involved magic: now I thought that perhaps it involved a magician." (Orthodoxy)
I owe Chesterton a great debt, because he taught me to be amazed at everyday grace. After all, how often do we marvel that the sky is blue (or grey) instead of orange or electric pink? Yet again, familiarity breeds contempt, and we forget what incredible world this "magician" made and keeps in order. Like children who see the same magic trick one too many times, we stop wondering "how did he do that?" and are bored until we see something new.
I use the term "magician" loosely - God is no mere conjurer of tricks, and Jesus didn't feed the 5,000 just to wow the crowd. But I wonder that we lose our wonder of this world, even in its fallen state. As Paul writes in Romans, the evidence of God's incredible, "eternal power" and transcendent, "divine nature" is right in front of our eyes. How do we forget a God so great that He makes trees bloom?
As Virginia turns to spring again, I can't help but look outside and be amazed. To paraphrase Chesterton, the fact that grass is really green - and so perfectly suited for springtime sports - truly is a miracle, a supernaturally guided fact. What an awesome God.
Intersecting Faith & Life: When was the last time you took a look outside? Consider that "the heavens declare the glory of God" (Psalm 8:1) and the Earth is the work of his hands. Are you properly inspired to worship their Creator?
Further Reading:
Psalm 8
Psalm 33:5
Genesis 8:22
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Show Me The Money
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. - Malachi 3:10
Like many younger Christians, I have never been very good at tithing. Sure, I try to be generous, but I am never very consistent in my giving. Once in a while I'll write a check for a good cause, support the occasional mission trip, but when it comes to the genuine, 10-percent of my labors tithes; I usually just give whatever happens to be in my wallet. There are a lot of excuses for my miserly behavior, but in all honesty, I think the real reason I didn't tithe was because I just didn't believe it was that important. Then I learned about Todd Stiefel.
Todd Stiefel is one of the major forces behind the modern atheist movement. His organization, the Stiefel Freethought Foundation, is behind the majority of atheist campaigns like flashy billboards, high-profile rallies, and other news-making efforts. According to CNN, Stiefel has poured over 3.5 million dollars of his own fortune into these projects. When asked why he would give so much to help fund these endeavors, Stiefel responded,
"I wanted to try to help the world. I wanted to give back and this seemed like the most productive way to help humanity."
I can remember feeling very cold when I read that. Here was a man who did not believe in God. Here was a man who believed, fervently, that best way to help humanity was through the erosion of my faith. Worst of all, here was a man better at freely giving to what he believed in than I had ever been in all my years as a Christian. God had commanded me to give cheerfully, and my generosity was being upstaged by an atheist.
All dramatics aside, I think it's important for us Christians to understand that tithing is a vital part of our faith. It teaches us not to put our faith in financial gain, it helps the Church support its leaders, and I think the act of giving helps us remain humble before God. He did not instruct tithing to rob us of our wealth; he commanded it so that the Church could provide for one another in times of need. Remember the words of Proverbs 11:24,
"One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want."
Intersecting Faith and Life: Take a moment to review your spending habits. Are you giving the Lord what is already his?
Further Reading
Acts 20:35
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Being Quick to Listen in a World of Talk
by Mike Pohlman
Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness that God requires." –James 1:19-20
We live in a world of talk. Talk, talk, talk. Speak, speak, speak. Ours is the age of talk radio (news talk, sports talk, money talk, self-help talk, car talk, I-just-want-to-talk talk), podcasts and cell phones. Everyone, it seems, wants to be heard.
Speaking of cell phones, the other day I was in line at one of my local Starbucks and the gentleman in front of me was ordering a caramel macchiato while talking to a buddy on his iPhone. The barista was more than gracious as the customer stopped and started his order apparently not able to put his other conversation on hold. (I like what one coffee house in Bellingham, Washington has done by posting a sign that says, "We'll serve you once you hang up the phone.")
But it's not just at Starbucks. After arriving home recently from a business trip, I left Los Angeles International Airport in one of those shuttle vans. I shared it with seven other passengers that were making the 40 mile trip north. While most of us were quiet, preferring to read or look out the window at the sea of cars that had us moving at a crawl, there were two college-age men who had to talk. They made call after call on their cell phones to chat with friends about all the amazing things that must have happened during their several days away. I got to hear about the party later that night, the car that broke down, the lonely girlfriend and the overbearing parents. Let's just say they were conversations I didn't need to be a part of.
We have become a culture full of talking heads regardless of where we find ourselves. And the chatter is deafening.
Into this noise come the words of James: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak. This exhortation is almost unintelligible to a culture intent on talking. We have it backwards: we are quick to speak, slow to hear.
But God would be the primary voice heard in the universe. He is the One who has much to say. He speaks, in the Bible, of the riches of His mercy in Christ. He broadcasts His forgiveness and love. He heralds the wonder of redemption. He calls us to repent and beckons us to draw near.
Am I listening?
Do you remember the story of Martha and Mary in Luke 10:38-42? Luke offers us a helpful contrast in speaking and listening. Martha was frantically trying to make dinner preparations for Jesus and the disciples. I envision her running around the house uttering things under her breath like, "I can't believe Jesus is here on such short notice—not to mention all his disciples—and I have to pull this dinner together." And, "Why doesn't Mary get in here and help me?" Unlike Martha, Mary "sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching" (10:39).
Not surprisingly, Martha gets a bit frustrated at Mary's lack of effort with the event. So Martha does what we probably all would do under similar circumstances—she starts talking: "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me" (10:40). We are not left to wonder which course of action Jesus commends. We see it in his gentle rebuke: "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her."
Mary was quick to listen and slow to speak. She knew when to be quiet. In a culture full of chatter I want to learn the discipline of silence so I can hear what the Lord wants to teach me. He's speaking; am I listening?
Intersecting Faith & Life: What radical measures can you take to help you listen not only to God but to other people? What things in your life are blocking out the voice of God?
Further Reading
Psalm 46:10
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Deconstructing David
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."
1 Samuel 16:7
The first time I read the story of King David, it was from a small, animated Bible my parents had bought me as a boy. As I flipped through the pages of that little book, I can remember looking on David as something of a superhero. Think about it: he defeated Goliath with nothing but a sling and five stones. After that, he became King of Israel, replacing Saul, who had done a pretty terrible job to begin with. He was referred to as a man after God's own heart, and nothing could touch him.
After a while, I began to see the life of David as more of a fairytale. I still believed it to be true, but a part of me resented God for showing David so much favor. Why had his life been so perfect when the rest of us had to struggle? Why did God allow so many people to suffer pain, but always seem to step up for David? It wasn't until I was a teenager that I stumbled onto this psalm written by David:
"Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me. I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God. Those who hate me without reason outnumber the hairs of my head; many are my enemies without cause, those who seek to destroy me. I am forced to restore what I did not steal. You know my folly, O God; my guilt is not hidden from you." – Psalm 69:1-5
Now that I'm older I realize David's life wasn't perfect; in a lot of ways it was actually pretty lousy. He was hounded by Saul for years, he lost loved ones to sickness and war, and he even committed some pretty serious sins. Being a man after God's own heart didn't mean David would be shielded from harm, and being a Christian doesn't guarantee us prosperity. The thing that made David a great man, and the thing that makes our lives as Christians meaningful, was that he never turned away from God. We will all experience trials and tribulations in our lives, but by trusting God we can overcome them.
That is how we become people after God's own heart, and in the end, that's all God really wants.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Take a moment to look past your troubles and consider what can bring you closer to God.
Further Reading
Psalm 69
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Being Approachable
by Debbie Holloway, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
"Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross!" (Philippians 2:5-8)
It is nigh impossible to be wholly truthful and also be universally liked. It is very difficult to believe strange things and be popular. It is unlikely than one who lives as a servant will draw fame and admiration from people in high places.
Thankfully, Jesus calls us neither to be universally liked, popular, famous, or admirable in the eyes of wealthy men.
But hold it – we can't just stop there. Beware, lest we swagger with pride in the knowledge that being disliked, unpopular, and obscure will place us in high standing with our Lord. God has a distinct mission for us: to reach the world with the Gospel (that is, John 3:16). He has also set a distinct example for us to follow as we live and try to proclaim that gospel through our words and actions. All too often, however, we fall short of his example and become entirely unapproachable to the exact people we should be loving and reaching with God's truth and love.
Was Jesus unapproachable? Did his firm stances on God's truth leave others afraid to challenge him, ask questions, or be imperfect in his presence? Let's look to Scripture.
1. People were also bringing babies to Jesus to have him touch them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. But Jesus called the children to him and said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these" (Luke 18:15-16).
Not only does this infer that children were at ease in the presence of Christ, but that parents were comfortable handing their infants to this man to hold and bless! If you are a parent, you understand the implications of these verses. If not, then know: it's a big deal to give someone your kid. Jesus lived in such a way that not only did children trust him, but parents trusted him with their children.
2. While Jesus was having dinner at Levi's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the "sinners" and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: "Why does he eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?" On hearing this, Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners" (Mark 2:15-17)
In this passage Jesus attracts both the wicked and the righteous – neither group seems afraid to approach him. But while the Pharisees consistently attack Jesus with purposes of trapping or confounding him, the sinners and tax collectors love to walk with him, eat with him, drink with him, listen to his words. His sermons don't scare them away; his words aren't laced with shame and guilt-trips. Rather, he speaks of how to please God, how to love one another, and he fascinates them by turning old notions of righteousness upside down – all in a way that makes people want to listen to him and follow him. He patiently administers to sinners as a doctor gently aids a sick man.
3. Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth (Matthew 19:21-22).
It's true, people did leave Jesus. People rejected him and turned away from what he had to say. But notice in this passage of the rich young ruler, Jesus did not reject him. Jesus did not turn him away – rather the man "sadly" left Jesus because his heart did not truly seek perfection by God's standards.
Are you regarded with suspicion in the eyes of others? Do sinners keep their distance, knowing you are not a safe place for them to live imperfectly? Do you turn people away because of their reluctance to follow Kingdom standards? If so, you may need to revisit the Jesus of the Gospels.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Think of one area in your life that needs a good dose of humility and servitude, and interject some Jesus into it!
Further Reading
Matthew
Mark
Luke
John
Can I Love Sinners Too, Lord? Yes, Permission Granted
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Christianized Karma
by Katherine Britton
"...but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you..."– 1 Peter 3:15
Christians give really good hugs during trials and tragedy. As my own family has experienced recently, the body of Christ has long arms to embrace those in need, easing the burdens of bad times. The church at work offers silent – and strong – evidence of grace when we pick each other up off the ground.
Now, imagine for a moment that your community didn't provide any support during a trial. Imagine that instead of offering encouraging words and providing meals or other support after a tragedy, the whole community pulled away. Imagine if they acted like you were a disease they didn't want to catch while you shouldered the burden alone. And not only that -- they believed that your problems were your own fault, pure and simple.
That's karma at work. And it's a lonely road.
A missionary couple recently visited our church before heading to London, where they planned settle in an immigrant community that's mostly Hindu. The wife expressed her desire to see people set free from the bonds of karma. That caught my interest. I'd slipped into viewing karma through an Americanized lens, as a pseudo-Christian philosophy of reaping what you sow (Galatians 6:7). Faithfulness and selfishness often have their rewards in this life, after all, and good deeds are often repaid with a smile and expression of gratitude if nothing else. Karma may not be the full picture, but it seemed like an innocuous truism to me.
The missionary went on to describe the ugly side of karma, in which the community pulls away from its members who are suffering. Lose a job? It's a karmic effect – you must have cheated your employer or at least talked badly about him. Did you – heaven forbid – lose a child? Somehow, that's your fault too, as the universe balances out some evil you've done. If such horrible things are somehow your fault, it would also make sense for people to pull away. That's the bond of karma.
Christians rely on the promise that "all things work for the good of those who love God" (Romans 8:28). We fight to believe that, while "no discipline seems pleasant at the time... later on it produces a harvest of righteousness" (Hebrews 12:11). Like Job, we may never know the reason for our earthly suffering. But we know that, because of grace, suffering is not a quid-pro-quo retaliation for our sins. Even our suffering has been redeemed by God's grace through Christ's supreme act of love.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Unlike the Hindu system of karma and its effects, we know even our pain is used by a loving God. Because of that, we have real hope for tomorrow – because our future doesn't depend on us! No matter what trials we experience, we can rest in the knowledge that even when we are not good, God is. That's mercy, and that gives hope. Are you ready to give an answer for that hope?
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High Infidelity
by Alex Crain, Editor, Christianity.com
"...you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God."
Romans 7:4 NASB
Usually, we think of "having faith" as simply "trusting, believing." And while that is true, it can be incomplete if we forget that, as Christians, we are also joined to Christ as our Bridegroom. In other words, there is a real relationship with Him—the living Christ—that is at stake. It is not just a matter of possessing correct content of what we believe about the person and work of Christ. And although we never have a legitimate cause to do so, we often break faith with and betray our faithful Bridegroom.
Francis Schaeffer talks about this in chapter seven of True Spirituality where we continue our journey with him this week. Citing the passage above, he notes that since we have been rescued from the tyranny of the devil and placed safely in the arms of the Lord Jesus Christ—we are now positioned to bring forth His fruit.
Schaeffer expands upon the simple, yet remarkably powerful word picture in Romans 7:1-4 to make the point plain:
"Imagine a married couple both of the one color of skin. Suddenly the wife brings forth a child clearly of another race [sic]. All the world would know that she has been unfaithful to her proper mate. So it is with us."
When we do not bring forth His fruit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (per Galatians 5:22)—but bring forth immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these (Gal. 5:19-21), it is because we have broken faith with Him and are in the state of infidelity of the highest order.
What generally causes us to distrust Christ and leads us to break faith with Him and run to the arms of another is the fact that we often think that we have a better way. We think that, somehow, God really doesn't have our best interests at heart. I know for me, personally, this happens mostly when I am "Law-minded" in a way that discounts or obscures the gospel. One writer, Milton Vincent, in his A Gospel Primer for Christians provides a helpful counter to this erroneous and sinful way of thinking (p. 18):
"...when I begin my train of thought with the gospel, I realize that if God loved me enough to sacrifice His Son's life for me, then He must be guided by that same love when He speaks His commandments to me. Viewing God's commands and prohibitions in this light, I can see them for what they really are: friendly signposts from a heavenly Father who is seeking to love me through each directive, so that I might experience His very fullness forever." (see Deut. 5:29)
Not only are they friendly signposts, they are friendly love letters from our faithful Bridegroom who has done nothing to warrant our distrust. By His life-giving Spirit, He is actively seeking to love us and bring forth His fruit in us today. What is the state of your union with Him?
Intersecting Faith & Life: In light of today's devotional, contemplate afresh Schaeffer's summary of the life of faith: "The how of the Christian life is the power of the crucified and risen Lord, through the agency of the indwelling Holy Spirit, by faith moment by moment."
For Further Prayer & Study:
If repentance for spiritual infidelity is in order, reflect on Isaiah 30:15 "Thus the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, has said, 'In repentance and rest you will be saved, In quietness and trust is your strength.'" For further study, read Romans 6-8.
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Enough Already
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com
"The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 'Return home and tell how much God has done for you.' So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him." Luke 8:38-39
I knew I'd feel inadequate, but once they slapped the Journeyman mic on me and the congregation sauntered in, the word inadequate became inadequate. Over my head, crazy, off my rocker—those shot through my mind a time or two.
Yes, I had notes. Yes, I'd practiced. Yes, I'd taken public speaking courses. But none of those really prepares you to face a congregation on Sunday morning. Nothing gets you ready to reach into Scripture and yank out the good stuff. You're dealing with potent material here, the kind of thing you don't want to get wrong. And out there are the faces of those who may never come back through the door of a church again.
No pressure.
And that's how my first sermon started. Actually, I don't remember much of it. It just kind of started and then ended. If there weren't a recording, I don't think I'd even know what I said. But, alas, said recording does exist (no chance of being linked here), and the final verdict is... let's just say mixed. At least no one left, and given the size of the church, I would have noticed.
In many ways, I felt like that formerly demon-possessed man whom Jesus told to go tell it on the mountain. Jesus didn't give him much in the way of lessons or practice. He just sent the man home to talk about God healing him. And as far as we know, the man went and did just that. Since it made it into the gospel accounts, I'm chalking that up as a success. All the man needed to know was that Jesus healed him, and—boom—he started sharing the good news.
Too many times, I've been shut down by the notion that I need to know more before I can say more. I can't tell this person about Christ because I haven't finished my study on Galatians. I can't share how God changed me because I only spent 15 minutes in prayer this morning. I can't start a small group in my house because I'm not the perfect husband or dad.
It's hard for me to say, "Enough already." I know enough already to preach a sermon, even if I'll keep learning and growing for years. I know enough already to share that God wrenched me out of depression, even if I don't know how to answer every question about the Bible. I know enough already to share my home, even if I'm still working on keeping my smartphone off during family time.
After all, I know enough to know that Christ is the one who does the saving, not my faulty words.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Here's the secret. None of us will ever be adequate for sharing our faith, for discipling others, or for preaching God's Word. We just aren't. You could study your entire life and not be. So, shake that monkey off your spine and say, "Enough already!" You have enough to start.
You'll make mistakes; you'll blow it; you'll say dumb things. But it doesn't depend on you. You know enough because you know Christ. Keep growing and share from where you are.
For Further Reading
Luke 8:26-39
Colossians 2
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The Power of Words
by Anna Kuta, Editor, ReligionToday.com
"Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit" (Proverbs 18:21).
We've all heard the phrase "Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me." In my mind, that statement couldn't be further from the truth.
Words are powerful. We've all, no doubt, been wounded at some point by careless, unkind or mean statements. Their effect on our lives, even years later, is undeniable. No matter how much we deny it, it still makes us cringe to remember the taunts of the second-grade bully on the playground and makes us want to crawl under a rock to think of that rumor spreading through the high school hallways.
"Death and life are in the power of the tongue," Proverbs 18:21 says. The impact our words have on others cannot be overstated. One small comment or remark can make the difference between building a relationship up or tearing it down. We have the power to either encourage or destroy others with our speech.
The Bible speaks extensively about the power of words – especially positive ones – and warns about the dangers of careless ones. "A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger," says Proverbs 15:1. "Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones," Proverbs 16:24 adds. Ephesians 4:29 says, "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear." And Matthew 12:36-37 says: "But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."
One particular instance of the power of words in my life stands out in my mind – one that, without exaggerating, very likely changed my whole course at that time. It was early in the second semester of my sophomore year of college, and I was trudging up the stairs of the journalism building to turn in an assignment. Freshman year and the first half of sophomore year had been rough for a variety of reasons, and now I was struggling to juggle my classes, work and personal issues and keep my head afloat. I had to officially declare my major in just a few weeks, but I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. It was one of those weeks where I seemed to be failing on every assignment, and to top it off, I had just come from a disastrous meeting with an econ professor who made me feel stupid for not understanding an "easy" problem. Even in my journalism classes – my best subject – I couldn't seem to get into the swing of things. The harder I tried, the worse the results seemed to be. I was beginning to worry that majoring in journalism would be the most terrible idea of my life, and I was, in all honesty, becoming more and more tempted to give it all up completely and go take a semester off somewhere.
On my way out of the journalism building, I passed two of my professors talking in the hallway. I said hi to them and kept walking, but after I rounded the corner I stopped short as I heard one of them say to the other, "Anna is one of the most hard-working and good journalism students." I don't know if he meant for me to overhear his statement, and I don't remember hearing either of them say a single other thing, but his words made me freeze and stand there for a good 10 seconds. A good student – that's really what he thought? My work was paying off? I wasn't a total journalistic failure who would never succeed as a writer? It was like right then and there something went off in my mind. I hadn't even realized I needed the encouragement, but suddenly my whole outlook changed. If that's what my professor thought of me, then I was determined not to let him down. Many times throughout the rest of college when I doubted myself or just needed a pick-me-up, I thought back to his comment. He became one of my most trusted mentors, and before I graduated I was finally able to tell him how his words that day had probably been the turning point in my whole academic career. To this day, I still don't know what it was about that one simple statement – but I do know its impact went a thousand times beyond what my professor could have ever imagined.
A kind, positive or encouraging word at the right time can truly be life-changing. Your words hold the power to breathe an attitude of death or life into others – which will you choose?
Intersecting Faith & Life: Let us strive to remember the power of our words and their impact on those who hear them. Think twice before making a negative statement, and instead find a way to pass along an encouraging word today.
Further Reading
1 Peter 3:10
Colossians 3:8
Proverbs 15
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I'm a Hypocrite
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com
"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full." Matthew 6:5
The college-me would call the current-me a hypocrite. That's what I did back then. Anyone claiming to be a Christian automatically earned that prestigious title. I could judge, after all, because I sat in my lofty seat in the college library and weighed such grave matters in my head and in my poetry. My pencil could strike down any Christ-follower with a witty rhyme. I knew they were all fake.
So, I had a lot to learn about love. But I was right about the hypocrisy thing. The current me is, in fact, a hypocrite.
Jesus warned us not to be like the hypocrites, those who put on a show but don't let the show touch their hearts. And when I'm honest, that's exactly what I do sometimes. My worship becomes a series of movements, a tentative toe-tap into the spiritual waters. All the while, my mind has drifted off to my bank account, my schedule, and my Instagram feed.
That type of worship isn't worship. It's a show put on for my own gratification, one that makes me feel better about doing the "Christian thing." In those moments, I'm exactly what my college self accused me of.
Hypocrite.
Thankfully, Jesus warned me about all this ahead of time. When my body and mind get out of sync, when my devotion becomes a demonstration, His warnings inevitably hit me in the chin. Matthew 6 cues up on my audio Bible, His admonitions pop up on someone's blog, or I just catch myself in the act. That's when I see just how much I'm simply going through the motions.
Unlike my college self, who judged to feel superior, God unmasks hypocrisy because He wants me to get real. His gentle (and not-so-gentle) nudges snap me out of my one-man show.
Intersecting Faith and Life: When Jesus warned His followers about hypocrisy, He knew they'd need the reminder. He knew we would need the reminder two thousand years later. Why? Because humans like to put on a good show and we don't always live what we believe. Our hearts skip off like sheep while our bodies do those "Christian duties."
Thankfully, God's in the shepherding business. He knows how to shear that acting junk right off.
For Further Reading
Matthew 6
Isaiah 29
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You Can Do This
By Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. – Luke 6:30
Every other day, just after finishing with work, I head to the gym and spend some time exercising. I like to work out. It's a great way to stay healthy and burn off stress at the same time.
My routine is pretty simple. I start by running on a treadmill, then I wander around the free-weight section for a variety of exercises. Finally, I try to finish off by swimming a few laps in the pool. When it's over I always feel tired and sore, but good that I completed such a full workout.
One day, I was invited to work out with a friend of mine. As we made our way around the weight room, my friend stopped at the bench press and placed two huge weights on the side of the bar. Immediately, I became nervous. I had done the bench press before, but never with that much weight. I wasn't sure I'd be able to lift it. Pride got the better of me though. Instead of saying something, I just braced myself and lifted the bar with all my strength.
To my surprise, it wasn't that heavy. Sure, it took more effort than usual, but I realized my continuous workouts had made me a lot stronger. I had underestimated my own strength.
I think Christians can sometime have the same problem when it comes to their faith. We keep telling ourselves we are not ready, that we need just a little more time to prepare ourselves. We underestimate our ability to be of service to God. Take a moment to read this excerpt from the book of Acts.
After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them. – Acts 18: 1-3
Acts continues to explain that while Paul ministered in Corinth, Aquila and Priscilla opened their home, helped with his teaching, and even followed him on some of his travels. Now read the verse again. Aquila and Pricilla weren't anything special, they were tent makers. If anyone had an excuse to think they weren't ready for ministry, it was them. Instead, they gave what they had while serving where they could and God did amazing things through them.
So, instead of wondering if you ready to serve, ask yourself what could you do to serve?
Intersecting Faith & Life: Make a list of your strengths. How can these be used to serve God?
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A Stubborn Intolerance for Joyless Christianity
Alex Crain, Editor, Christianity.com
"Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation."
Habakkuk 3:17-18
Should one's relationship with the infinite and personal living God be joyless? Francis Schaeffer didn't think so. Yet there he was, a joyless man. Technically, he was theologically sound, but there was no denying that he had become a completely joyless Christian man. If that had continued, no one would be speaking of Schaeffer or his writings, or his legacy today. Thankfully, he was stubbornly intolerant of joyless Christianity.
In True Spirituality, Schaeffer tells how the spiritual reality, which would become the hallmark of his life, came about only after a time of great personal crisis. It was 1952. Schaeffer had become a Christian from agnosticism years before. After that, he had been a pastor for ten years in the U.S. and was now a missionary in Switzerland living with his wife and young children. Over a period lasting several months, Francis worked through the disturbing gap that he saw between the large amount of Bible data he claimed to believe and the lack of genuine spiritual joy in his life.
One significant and challenging question that caused Francis to ponder long and hard is recounted by his wife, Edith, in her book, The Tapestry, p. 356 ff.)...
"I wonder what would happen to most of our churches and Christian work if we woke up tomorrow morning and everything concerning the reality and work of the Holy Spirit, and everything concerning prayer were removed from the Bible? I don't mean just ignored, but actually cut out—disappeared. I wonder how much difference it would make?"
Apparently during that period, it was making no difference in Schaeffer's life. His doubts had cut the nerve of faith. And over those months as he walked in the mountains, Francis re-thought the doctrines of the Bible, the reality of the Holy Spirit, and each of his reasons for being a Christian.
At last, he declared...
"Gradually the sun came out and the song came... I saw again that there were totally sufficient reasons to know that the infinite-personal God does exist and that Christianity is true.
"In going further, I saw something else which made a profound difference in my life. I searched through what the Bible said concerning reality as a Christian. Gradually, I saw that the problem was that with all the teaching I had received after I was a Christian, I had heard little about what the Bible says about the meaning of the finished work of Christ for our present lives.
"Interestingly enough, although I had written no poetry for many years, in that time of joy and song I found poetry beginning to flow again—poetry of certainty, an affirmation of life, thanksgiving, and praise. Admittedly, as poetry it is very poor, but it expressed a song in my heart which was wonderful to me."
(from True Spirituality, p. 196 in The Complete Works of Francis Schaeffer, vol. 3 © 1982 Crossway Books, Wheaton, Illinois).
That time of crisis—and more importantly, his rediscovery of the meaning of the finished work of Christ for his present life—settled the crucial issue of spiritual reality for Schaeffer. Francis saw and believed that the finished work of Christ really is the source of the Christian's life. Rather than pursue the trappings of Christian leadership while personally being a joyless Christian, he determined to wait for a greater reality of knowing God. With such a solid spiritual basis for his own life, he went on to become a great source of help for countless others.
Intersecting Faith and Life:
Are you stubbornly intolerant of joyless Christianity in your own life?
What would happen if you woke up tomorrow morning and everything concerning the reality and work of the Holy Spirit, and everything concerning prayer were removed from the Bible? Not just ignored, but actually cut out... How much difference it would make in the way that you live?
How can you grow to become a greater source of spiritual help for others?
Further Reading:
John 6:68
Ephesians 4:17-24
Ephesians 5:18-21
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Joy, Joy, Joy
by Ryan Duncan, Entertainment Editor, Crosswalk.com
But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. – Psalm 5:11
I am a pessimist, just ask anybody I know. For me, the cup will always be half empty and whatever's in the cup will probably be backwash. So you can imagine the concept of joy has always been rather hard for me. The Bible, particularly the book of Psalms, is constantly telling Christians to have joy. Reading about joy is easy; putting it into practice is a lot harder.
How are we supposed to have joy when our cars break down, when bills pile up, when bad days just get progressively worse? For me, it's almost insulting for someone to tell me things like, "count your blessings" or, "things could have been worse" when I'm in the middle of cleaning up a crisis. I've often wondered if this makes me a bad Christian. Over time, I did realize my attitude could certainly use some work, but I also learned that our idea of joy has become somewhat skewed.
Take a look at these verses from the book of John,
I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. John 16:20-22
A pastor of mine once told me being joyful is not necessarily the same thing as being happy. We live in a fallen world, and odds are, we are going to have tough times over the years. So when the bad times come it doesn't mean we have to dance around and be happy about it, you just have to remember that these moments won't last forever. The bad things in our life cannot become what define us, instead, we have to trust God and remember the grace he has shown us. He will help us endure and won't abandon us to sorrow or despair. So take a moment, whatever your situation, to be joyful. No matter how bad things get, God is with us.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Take moment to pray and search your Bible for scripture that applies to your life.
Further Reading
Psalm 132
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Prayer at the Pump?
by Katherine Britton
"And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Pray like this: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name..." (Matthew 6:7-9)
We know God cares about something as small as a sparrow, because he says so. But does he care about the price of gasoline?
My husband couldn't help stirring the pot during a recent youth group discussion, and pulled out a news story on a subject. Down in Dublin, Georgia, one pastor is leading his congregation in literal prayers at pump once a month, where they ask the Lord to drop the price by at least $1.50. And they pray for prayer at the pump to spread across the state.
The pastor of Beacon of Light Christian Center, Marshall Mabry, says, "I don't understand how anybody can say God doesn't have anything to do with gas sprices. God has everything to with the country.... Prayer is always my foundation, and I can always go back to God in prayer."
Do you agree? The kids in our youth group found themselves first agreeing, then questioning, then agreeing, and so on for the whole discussion. The idea of praying at the pump generates some fundamental questions, such as: Why do we pray? What good is prayer? If God knows what we need, why ask? What should we pray about?
I'm certainly not going to try answering all those questions in the span of one devotional, but I will point back to the ultimate model for our prayers: Christ's example in the Lord's Prayer. Let's consider just a couple things embedded in that prayer:
God wants us to pray. That's why Jesus bothered to provide us with a model for how we should go about it. We're told to pray even though God already knows what we need. That means he is not bothered by our prayers, but wants our attention and our trust.
Only one line in the prayer is about stuff. As a man, Jesus required the same necessities we do, but "give us our daily bread" is all he says about food, shelter, and clothing. He asks for just enough to sustain him day to day, and then moves on. Why? Because he knew that God always finds a way to provide, even if it's in unexpected ways.
We're praying to "Our Father." We don't pray to a sovereign deity who deigns to give us good weather if we offer the right words and rituals. Instead, Christ's directive indicates that we pray to a Father who loves and cares for us – and desires a relationship with us. That relationship status automatically directs our prayers beyond our wants and needs.
Intersecting Faith & Life: You've probably heard the acronym "ACTS" used as a prayer guide – Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication. Notice how the bit in which we ask for our needs comes at the very end, after we've spent time admiring who God is in light of who we are and what he's done for us. It's a lot harder to stay focused on those truths than we realize. This week, try using ACTS as a reminder. And most importantly, get praying!
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Altar-Call Christians?
by Debbie Holloway, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching" (John 14:23-24).
I've watched a lot of altar-calls in my day. The church in which I grew up routinely had altar-calls at the end of Sunday morning services. "If you've never asked Jesus into your heart, and you want to now, raise your hand. Come to the front. Pray this prayer..." Granted, not every church and every denomination does the whole altar-call thing. But it's a pretty recognizable event in the land of "Christianese."
And it's not baseless. After all, Paul wrote to the Romans:
"if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9).
And,
"For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, 'Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame'" (Romans 10-11).
But I wonder sometimes if we grasp those verses a little too tightly, and forget about the kind of life that Jesus was calling us to live. Are we living like Christians – like those "belonging to Christ" or "members of Christ's household" – or are we simply living like people who prayed the Sinner's Prayer that one time?
Take a look at a few of these verses:
"You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person" (Matthew 5:38-39).
"If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me" (Luke 9:23).
"Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on" (Matthew 6:25).
"Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God" (John 3:20-21).
Jesus said those things. Jesus said to follow him. To give, make peace, feed the poor, and endlessly love.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Ask yourself... Are you walking in the footsteps of Jesus? Are you walking in the light? Or are you just someone who said the Sinner's Prayer one time, long ago?
Further Reading
John 14
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Altar-Call Christians?
by Debbie Holloway, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching" (John 14:23-24).
I've watched a lot of altar-calls in my day. The church in which I grew up routinely had altar-calls at the end of Sunday morning services. "If you've never asked Jesus into your heart, and you want to now, raise your hand. Come to the front. Pray this prayer..." Granted, not every church and every denomination does the whole altar-call thing. But it's a pretty recognizable event in the land of "Christianese."
And it's not baseless. After all, Paul wrote to the Romans:
"if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9).
And,
"For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, 'Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame'" (Romans 10-11).
But I wonder sometimes if we grasp those verses a little too tightly, and forget about the kind of life that Jesus was calling us to live. Are we living like Christians – like those "belonging to Christ" or "members of Christ's household" – or are we simply living like people who prayed the Sinner's Prayer that one time?
Take a look at a few of these verses:
"You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person" (Matthew 5:38-39).
"If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me" (Luke 9:23).
"Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on" (Matthew 6:25).
"Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God" (John 3:20-21).
Jesus said those things. Jesus said to follow him. To give, make peace, feed the poor, and endlessly love.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Ask yourself... Are you walking in the footsteps of Jesus? Are you walking in the light? Or are you just someone who said the Sinner's Prayer one time, long ago?
Further Reading
John 14
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When You're in Your Darkest Hour
by Laura MacCorkle
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith...
1 Peter 5:8-9a, NIV
I had trouble sleeping last night. Perhaps you can relate.
As we get older, we have more responsibilities in our lives which can lead to more thoughts in our minds which can lead to more anxiety which can lead to restless bodies which can lead to sleepless nights. Whew.
Well, my mind was chock full of these "thoughts" last night. Thoughts about situations and potential situations. Thoughts about family members. Thoughts about friends. Thoughts about friends who could be more than friends. Thoughts about upcoming events. Thoughts about inadequacies.
After some tossing and turning and watching the clock hit "the darkest hour," I eventually sat up and turned on the light on my bedside table. God, why am I having these anxious thoughts? Should I be praying for these people and these situations? Or did I just eat too closely to my bedtime again? How do you want me to respond? Are you speaking to me or is it the Häagen-Dazs?
After I extricated myself from a bed-sheet cocoon, I reached underneath my stack of books and pulled out my journal. Now, I'm not a disciplined journaler, so I just write down my thoughts whenever the Spirit leads me (which in my case is really code for "whenever I remember to"). But last night, I really did feel led to write out my concerns and my cries as I sought the Lord.
Now that my supplications and confessions are recorded, I can look back on these late-night scribblings and understand more clearly my own thought processes and distortions of reality. I can see what is vying for attention with my God and causing me to rely on my own understanding and not his.
You might be struggling with this right now, too. Your life is focused on something. On one thing. A job. A relationship. A tragedy. A dream. A child. An illness. A financial matter. Whatever. You are trying to make something happen. You are trying to prevent something from happening. And all of your energy is directed toward this "thing." You feel hopeless and have taken your eyes off of the Lord.
My friend, that's the perfect recipe for a darkest hour-whether during a sleepless night or a restless day. It's an opportunity for the Enemy to get in and fill your mind with doubt. He is the Father of Lies and loves to torment us and mess with our minds in any way that he can.
But, thankfully, we know these things to be true: "... Weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning" (Psalm 30:5); "Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man" (Psalm 112:4); "Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:22-23).
Let us cling to Truth. Let us cry out to the Father. For he will shine his light in the darkest hour.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Whether on your bedside table, in your car's glove box or on the desk in your office, keep a pocket-sized Bible, a small devotional book or Scripture cards at the ready. This will be a visual reminder to you to keep your eyes (and your thoughts) on Truth whenever you are in your darkest hour.
Further Reading
How to Have a Steadfast Hope in a Shaky World
Overcome Insecurity
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The King's Table
by Ryan Duncan, Entertainment Editor, Crosswalk.com
In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. – John 14:2
One of my favorite Bible stories is the meeting between David and Mephibosheth. The story begins a few years after David has finally become King of Israel. Before this, his life had been an endless string of running, fighting, and hiding, as he was mercilessly pursed by Saul, who wanted nothing more than David's head on a spike. Now Saul was dead, and David would have been perfectly justified in dishing up some well-deserved payback on the royal family. Instead, he does something completely different.
David reaches out to Saul's last living grandson, a poor cripple named Mephibosheth. Despite being Saul's grandson, Mephibosheth's life hadn't been that great. His legs had been broken as a baby, both his parents were dead, and he was living alone in exile. When he heard David was coming, Mephiboseth probably assumed that was it for him. Just imagine his surprise at what followed,
"Don't be afraid," David said to him, "for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table." Mephibosheth bowed down and said, "What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?" Then the king summoned Ziba, Saul's servant, and said to him, "I have given your master's grandson everything that belonged to Saul and his family. You and your sons and your servants are to farm the land for him and bring in the crops, so that your master's grandson may be provided for. And Mephibosheth, grandson of your master, will always eat at my table." (Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.) Then Ziba said to the king, "Your servant will do whatever my lord the king commands his servant to do." So Mephibosheth ate at David's table like one of the king's sons. Mephibosheth had a young son named Mica, and all the members of Ziba's household were servants of Mephibosheth. And Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he always ate at the king's table, and he was crippled in both feet. – 2 Samuel 9:7-13
The Bible says that David was a man after God's own heart, and I think here we can see why. The story of David's compassion to Mephibosheth is in some ways a foreshadowing to God's compassion for all of us. We are all the broken children of Adam and Eve, people who turned their backs on God. Yet instead of abandoning us, God has made a place for us at his table. He has brought us out of exile and taken us home.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Whatever trials you may be facing, always remember that you have a place at God's table.
Further Reading
Luke 6:37-38
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Only One Way to Achieve Patience
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride.
Ecclesiastes 7:8, NIV
Our senior pastor came into the room for a pre-arranged talk with all of us high school senior guys. He wanted to share something with us as we moved off into the next phases of our lives.
Out of all the applications and biblical wisdom at his disposal, what one topic was on his heart? What advice did he wish to impart above all?
He began by asking us to envision where we'd be in five, 10, 25 years. I'm just now coming up on that 25th year; I'm amazed at how differently some things have turned out, and how similar to my goals other things are. But that's not the point.
Our pastor next told us that the one thing we ought to pursue more than any other was... not holiness, not righteousness, not prayer... but patience. "Boys, raise your hand if you want to be a man of patience."
Okay, sure. Sounds good. Patience, yeah, that could be helpful to me. Hand up.
"Great. I'll tell you what, boys, can I pray with you now? But be aware, only agree with me in this prayer if you mean it, if you really want patience. Because do you know what it takes to develop patience? Problems. Only problems - and the way you react to them and trust God through them - can develop patience. Do you understand? So that's what I'm going to ask God for right now, that He'll bring you all problems. Are you ready?"
Sure. Why not?
Oh boy. Looking back, the last quarter century hasn't been hell on earth by any stretch, but its sure been full of its share of problems. As of this writing, I've got one that's forcing me to wait... and wait... and wait for an answer. I feel shamed when I go through a study about Abraham and how long he waited and waited for God to fulfill a direct promise, because I can't imagine waiting any longer than I already have. The only reason I continue to do so is because of the patience and wisdom I've built up having passed through earlier problems and trials, the outcomes of which inform me to keep waiting.
What's the moral here? Be careful what you pray for? Hmmm... maybe... but I think I prefer the lesson in today's verse, that patience (trusting God's way and waiting on His promise) is better than pride (my idea of the best way). To me, it's really eye-opening to think of those two concepts - patience and pride - as the opposites of each other. But that's exactly how this verse sets them up. It suggests patience is akin to humility, and pride the brother of instant gratification. And I guess that makes sense. But why is patience better? Especially in this day and age when so much is there for the taking? When the respected thing to do is reach out and go for it? What had my pastor so convinced that doing the opposite was the most important lesson to send young men out into the world?
Honestly I haven't completely figured that out yet. Appropriately, it's something I'm willing to be patient to gain the wisdom of. But I suspect it has something to do with that pesky old verse from James:
Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing (James 1:2-4).
Only problems can bring patience; only trials can test faith and make it real. Only endurance can lead to completion.
And when I am complete, I will lack nothing. At which time I apparently will have superceded even patience, as what would there be to wait for if I lack nothing?
It sounds almost mystical, almost unachievable, at least until the end of my life or when I meet God. Until then, I simply pray that the experience of each problem and the eventual result will steel me into calm, patient submission to God's perfect timing.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Are you willing to pray a problem into your life? Why or why not?
Further Reading
Afraid God Will Give You Patience?
The Temporary Non-Path of Patience
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Potholes
Anna Kuta, ReligionToday.com Editor
"As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you." Joshua 1:5b
I was driving home late the other night, rolling down the winding, two-lane country road I've been down so many thousands of times I could probably drive it in my sleep. I had the radio turned up and one hand on the wheel, and then — CLUNK! Before I knew what was happening, my front right tire thudded through a gigantic pothole that came out of nowhere. The whole car jolted and I just knew a noise like that had to have done some damage.
"Oh, please don't let me have a flat tire," I said out loud. Cringing, I pulled over at the next road and worked up the courage to get out and look ... and to my surprise, my tire was still intact. I stared at it for a few minutes, waiting until I was sufficiently assured that it wasn't going to deflate in front of my eyes, and then I breathed a sigh of relief and continued my drive, albeit a good bit slower and more cautious this time.
Isn't life just like that? You're going along smoothly, and all of a sudden something turns your world upside down. A loved one gets a cancer diagnosis. You lose your job. Your best friend moves halfway across the country. Someone dies too young. You're making your way down the road just fine and then you crash into a pothole that almost derails you. We all know the feeling all too well.
I was having one of those weeks where every single thing seemed to be going wrong, and then I heard a sermon illustration that stuck with me. It was the story of a gravel lane leading to a farm and a huge pothole that appeared after a rainstorm. Before anyone had a chance to fill it in, though, a bird laid her eggs in the pothole. She hatched her chicks there and stayed with them until they left the nest. All the locals warned their families and friends to avoid the pothole, and everyone drove slowly by to see for themselves the little birds thriving in a place that no one would expect.
How often do we look at the potholes in our lives and curse them? Yet, from a rocky, ugly place, little birds sang and took flight.
God did not promise that our Christian walk would be easy, but he did promise he would never leave us. His presence, His love and His peace are the only things that can fill in the holes in our lives. He smoothes out the roughest of roads with His strength and comfort. And above all, He grants us grace sufficient to make it through whatever may come. The Lord will never leave our side.
If not for the pothole on that gravel farm lane, the travelers would never have been able to witness a small miracle taking place there. If not for the pothole on my drive home the other night, I probably wouldn't have slowed down and I might have had an even worse encounter around the next bend – with a herd of deer in the middle of the road.
In the midst of a week where I thought my world might crash down, I cried out to God to help me through, and it was only when I had nothing left to rely on but Him that I felt His presence more clearly than I had in a long time – and it was exactly what my heart had been yearning for. "Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you," as James 4:8 says. Only God can fill our potholes, and he fills them with Himself. May we never miss the little blessings hidden along a bumpy road.
Intersecting Faith and Life
When you hit a pothole, pray for God to give you strength and remind you of His presence. Seek a closer relationship with Him and remember that He is your refuge and strength.
Further Reading
Deuteronomy 31:5-6
Psalm 46:1
Psalm 55:22
Psalm 73:23-24
Isaiah 43:2
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The Day I Rolled Down the Window
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com
"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love." 1 John 4:18
The guy had no teeth on top. Sadly, I noticed that first. His cigarette dangled between gum and lip.
While my wife jogged into Walgreens, this guy passed up dozens of other open spaces to squeeze his red coupe between our Prius and a truck that stuck slightly over the white line. He glanced over at us for only a moment before his window stuttered down and a mud-and-oil stained mitt poked out of the window to wave at my daughters in the backseat.
I confess. I didn't exactly feel neighborly.
And then the guy began speaking and pointing to our car. I couldn't hear a word through the glass, but that didn't stop him from mumbling around his cigarette, which was probably 80% ash. Smiling from the silliness of it, I zipped the passenger-side window down and wondered what would compel him to speak to a complete stranger in a parking lot.
Gas mileage. Seriously.
This random guy in the parking lot of Walgreens wanted to compare gas mileage. At least, that's what opened the door for conversation. From there, I learned what he did (shoeing horses), found out how his work had hurt his back (bulging disk), saw a picture of his prized new jackdaw (I had no clue either), and realized how much you can love a guy with no upper teeth.
He was real. He had no pretensions, no conceit, no desire to be anything more than he was. You got the raw, muddy man. And, sadly, I would never have spoken to the guy on my own if he hadn't put his huge hand and ashy cigarette out the window. Sadly, I didn't want to get messy.
But, really, love is all about the uncomfortable mess—just as God revealed in my life. To Him, I once looked much worse than toothless, much dirtier than mud-covered. But Jesus didn't care. He saw something through all that muck He loved. And am I ever glad He did.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Love means getting close to people who are nothing like us. God may put people there for us to reach out to that don't fit our ideal image of people we want to be around. They could reek of smoke, have few teeth, or even champion political views we don't like. It's enough to make us squirm.
But there's one key here that we cannot forget: He loves them. Jesus touched the diseased, dirty, and destitute. He wasn't afraid of engaging with the unpopular and scandalous. Instead, He specifically sought out those that no one else would. His grace knew no social barrier.
We can't let being uncomfortable prevent us from sharing that love.
For Further Reading
1 John 4
James 2
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Strangers in a Strange Land
Anna Kuta, ReligionToday.com Editor
"If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you" (John 15:18-19).
Last fall, I took a road trip with some friends to watch our college football team, the Richmond Spiders, take on in-state rival James Madison University. Our team was 3 and 1 at that point in the season, and our only loss had come from a nailbiter the week before, so we were pretty confident as we set out that morning. It was a gorgeous day for football and we'd managed to get some of the very last tickets before the game sold out, so we were quite proud of ourselves and excited for what seemed like it would be an extremely successful trip.
However, it wasn't long before things started going downhill. We took a wrong turn and ended up circling the entire town of Harrisonburg twice. An hour and a half later, we finally got to the stadium gates just as the game started, but as we started climbing the bleachers to our seats, we began to realize we were the only ones in sight wearing Richmond red and blue. Turns out our tickets we were so proud of were not in the Richmond fan section, as we thought, but the reject seats on the complete opposite corner of the field. We felt like the enemy as we took our seats smack in the middle of a sea of yellow and purple, but that wasn't going to deter us from still cheering on a victory.
When Richmond made a touchdown right away for the game's first points, things seemed to be looking great (besides the dirty looks we got). Unfortunately, that was as good as it got. We didn't score again for the rest of the game. JMU piled on touchdown, touchdown, field goal, touchdown ... and with each point my friends and I sat a little more dejectedly in our seats. Someone threw yellow streamers and paper airplanes at us, and then it started pouring rain. It finally ended and we left the stadium soaking wet and miserable. But the ordeal wasn't quite over yet. We started walking back to our car, got heckled, decided against walking in the rain among hecklers, got on a shuttle, and proceeded to get heckled for the next half hour we were stuck in traffic. When we finally got back to the car, all we could do was grumble a little bit and shake our heads.
We can laugh about that disaster of a day now, but it certainly wasn't very funny at the time. Maybe you've had a similar experience at a sporting event, or you can identify with the same feeling of being unwelcome in a different situation. Have you ever faced similar hostility for your faith? Even though you and I might never experience anything close to the extreme suffering that many believers around the world face, we all have times when we feel out of place or downright vilified because of our faith.
As Christians, we are "strangers and aliens" in a world of unbelievers, as Peter says in 1 Peter 2:11. The older I get, the more keenly aware I am that I don't think like them, that I don't have the same desires, motivations and passions. The more I grow in my faith, the more different I feel from many people I come in contact with, and the more open I am about my faith, the more that difference becomes tangible. We are called to be set apart, yet we are in the world for a reason: to share Jesus. It's often not received with open arms, but it's what we are commanded to do as followers of Christ.
Like Jesus says in John 15:18, it's not always going to be easy. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own, He says. But when we accept Christ and enter into a relationship with Him, He chooses us out of the world. Like my friends and I felt when we were surrounded by fans of an opposing team, so we as Christians will never feel "at home" in this world. Yes, we'll face opposition, but Jesus Himself said it's a badge of the Christian faith and a sign that we belong to Him. In answering His call to reject worldly conformity, we can truly make an impact by being an example for Jesus.
Intersecting Faith & Life: It's not easy living a life of Jesus' high calling, and the way we're treated by the world can be plain discouraging at times. Pray for God to help you desire to be more like Him and to give you strength to stand up against opposition.
Further Reading
1 Peter 2:11-12
Romans 12:2
John 17
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A White Bread Faith
By Ryan Duncan, Croswalk.com Entertainment Editor
This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.- 1 John 3:10
When I was still in high school my mother became a vegetarian. Now, I have nothing but respect for vegetarians, but as a guy who likes his steaks extra-rare, this created a few problems in our household. Suddenly our family was exploring what people called "organic" dishes. Tofu, quiche, we dined on whole-grain pastas sprinkled with nuts, strange cheeses, and enough broccoli to kill an entire fourth grade class. It wasn't all that bad actually; my mother was very gracious and still cooked meat for the carnivores in the house, but I suspect a soy based meat substitute found its way into our meals on more than one occasion.
The worst part though, was the bread. My family went from using your typical sleeve of wheat bread to buying those thick, iron cast loaves so brown they were almost black. I can remember sitting in the cafeteria during lunch, watching my classmates as they flagrantly devoured their delicious, white-bread PB&J's, while I chewed the same bite of sandwich over and over for almost an hour because chunks of grain were still floating around in it. Back then, I would have given anything for a sandwich made from white, Wonder Bread.
The thing is though, ask any nutritionist and they'll tell you white bread barely counts as grain at all. It tastes good, but that's because it's been almost entirely drained of nutrients. All the beneficial vitamins and minerals have been lost, and in the end we are left with a food that really isn't as healthy as we'd like to think it is.
How many of us Christians are looking for a "White Bread" relationship with God? We show up at Church on Sunday and pray before each meal, then tell ourselves that should be enough to help us grow in our faith. It's a sweet deal with all of the benefits and none of the drawbacks. Don't fool yourself; God wants to be so much more in our lives than our Sunday morning service. He is looking to make us lights of the world, to bring peace where there is strife, hope where there is despair, and grace where there is hate. You won't be very prepared for that if you just stick to the Sunday Sermons. Don't deny yourself a good, healthy, relationship with God. Read the Bible, get involved, and above all, be sure to make him a part of your daily life.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Find ways to get involved with you home church. Volunteer for events, or try mentoring some of the younger students. Parents, are your children involved in a youth group? Encourage them to give it a try.
Further Reading
Revelation 3:15-17
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Labeled
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com
After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church—for we are members of his body. Ephesians 5:29-30
Early in their marriage, Kate* discovered her husband, Jim, had a pornography addiction. She confronted him about it; they prayed; and he promised to change. For several months, Jim seemed to be doing just that by throwing himself into his ministry position. Their marriage returned to normal.
But the façade soon collapsed. Kate began suspecting something when she discovered Jim had been to a questionable restaurant several times with some of the other members of the church staff. She searched his computer and found hundreds of porn sites in the browser history. She also came across personal items belonging to another woman in his car.
When confronted, Jim begged for forgiveness. Kate moved out but agreed to counseling—if Jim would be serious this time. But he wasn't. He was late when he did show up for the counseling sessions. Mostly, he just didn't come.
Kate filed for divorce—and picked up a label. Many members of the church where Jim worked couldn't believe he would do anything. So, they blamed the divorce on Kate. They knew she had her eye on someone else for months. They knew why she really wanted a divorce.
And that label went with Kate. Thanks to the power of the Internet, the certainty of Kate's actions spread to other friends and family members. Jim, for his part, did nothing to dissuade the rumors, and Kate refused to slander Jim to the church—even if he'd hurt her, even if it meant wearing the label.
Kate eventually moved back to her hometown, but even there, enough people knew her past to keep the stories and "certainties" churning. They knew who she was and what she'd done. Jim stepped down from the church staff, ostensibly because of the turmoil, but picked up his own label: poor, discarded husband.
Years later, Kate still wears her label. She remarried, but for many people, she's still the woman who ran out on her husband, who didn't fight hard enough, who really had ulterior motives for leaving him. Even after Jim left ministry and church altogether, the reason behind his apostasy fell at her feet. She'd been labeled, and that was enough.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Church can be a scary place because the process of living life together is messy. Husbands and wives cheat. Doubts bubble up. Irrational fears overcome. We're joined together at our most vulnerable point: trust.
We're all tempted to categorize events and people, especially when something goes wrong. Categorizing makes it all seem safer, so different from us. But the purpose of the church isn't just for when things are going well; it's for when things mess up. Once we categorize and label, we've made things seem tidier in our heads, but that tidiness rarely exists in real life.
For Kate, healing took years—all because those she trusted fit her neatly into the box where they wanted her to be. And for Jim, labeling meant he never dealt with his sin.
For Further Reading
John 8
*Names changed.
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Run for Your Life
Anna Kuta, ReligionToday.com Editor
"Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart" (2 Timothy 2:22).
Have you ever been at the beach in the summer and gotten in the ocean only to look up after a while and suddenly realize you've drifted way down from where you got in? It can be pretty scary sometimes, as you frantically try to find your way back to your spot amid crowds of people, umbrellas and towels that all seem to look the same. You thought you were just floating in the water, and it seemed like it, but the whole time the waves and the current were slowly carrying you down the shore.
You might have heard the saying that if you are not going forward in your Christian walk, you are going backwards – that if you are not actively progressing and growing, you are losing ground. It's similar to the way it works with the ocean. You might think you're staying in the same place, but you're losing ground without even realizing it.
Just as you have to continually keep swimming to keep the ocean from dragging you away from your place on the beach, growing in your faith and becoming more Christ-like is an active process, not a passive one. In 2 Timothy 2:22, Paul uses words with a connotation of intent and urgency to describe what we as Christians should do: flee youthful lusts, pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace. The word "flee" implies running as fast as you can away from something like you're afraid for your life, and that's exactly what Paul is saying we should do when confronted with "youthful lusts," or things that are not glorifying to God. Similarly, the word "pursue" implies following or chasing close behind something with the goal of catching it, like you're hot on its trail. This is the way God wants us to approach our relationship with Him – constantly striving to get to know Him more through His word, to follow His commands, to grow closer to Him, and to ultimately become more like Him.
The more we pursue godly desires and our relationship with Jesus, the faster we can flee those things that are not honoring to God. It is a one-or-the-other choice. I can't live a life that is glorifying to God if I'm continually dragged down by things that are detrimental to my spiritual growth. It's something that ultimately comes down to every little choice we make. With God's strength, though, we can deny wrong desires, and with His help, we can choose to do the right thing. Whatever you do, don't stand still – run for your life away from things that don't honor God and run equally fast toward Him.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Strive to learn more about Jesus through His word and grow closer to Him this year. Commit to pursuing your relationship with Him each day, and commit to asking Him to help you flee things in your life that are not glorifying to Him.
Further Reading
Jeremiah 29:13
Matthew 6:33
1 Timothy 6:11-12
Philippians 4:13
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Are You Reciting the Gospel by Yourself?
by Alex Crain, Editor, Christianity.com
"...with Him... Moses and Elijah, who, appearing in glory, were speaking
of His departure which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem."
Luke 9:30-31 NASB
It's good to see that the idea of 'preaching the gospel to yourself everyday' is becoming more popular. At least that's how it seems to me. Things that point to the gospel are popping up in all kinds of places and ways, not only in big and new movements but in short videos, articles and Twitter messages ("Gospel Tweets"). A caution in the way we think about the gospel was brought to my attention recently in chapter two of True Spirituality. If you're not following along in our weekly journey through this important and helpful work by Francis Schaeffer, I invite you to join us.
In chapter two, Schaeffer mentions our Scripture passage today (above) where we see Moses and Elijah speaking with Jesus at the Mount of Transfiguration about His impending departure—His death.
It's subtle, but notice that they're not just making a passing mention of the fact. Rather, they were actively andcontinuously speaking about it. They were dwelling on the gospel; at least the substitutionary atonement part of it. And with the Object of their redemption (Christ) standing right there, no doubt there must have been more than just theological accuracy in their conversation. Probably more like amazement and deep gratitude. As they thought of all that Christ was about to endure for their sin, I'm sure they had correct thoughts about the gospel. But Christ's own presence energized their orthodox theology.
At times, there can a detached, tearless way that we think about the gospel. When I have well-articulated and familiar facts about Christ's life/death/resurrection/ascension, and they are just empty echoes down the icy corridors of my thoughts, the diagnosis is simple: I have broken fellowship with Christ. It's evidence of unconfessed sin.
Schaeffer reminds us that when we rehearse the gospel, we must do so in the presence of the Living Christ; in humble worship of Him. He is not a distant figment of man's imagination. He is the God Who is there. Just as Moses and Elijah were "with Him"... in His presence, so we too must continuously rehearse the gospel while recognizing that we are in the presence of the God Who is there. The Christian life flows from the constant spring of dwelling on the gospel with the Redeemer Himself.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Remember this paraphrase of John Piper: the gospel is like blood, it's supposed to course through your veins not be carried in a bucket.
John Owen, (a 1600s Puritan) often prayed, "Lord, may I commune with You in the doctrines I espouse." Make this your prayer and experience today.
Further Reading
John 15
The Gospel in Six Minutes (John Piper, video)
"While all that borrows life from Thee is ever in Thy care;
And everywhere that man can be, Thou, God art present there."
From the hymn, "I Sing the Mighty Power of God" by Isaac Watts
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Seventy-Seven
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. – Romans 12: 17-18
In a perfect world, Christians would be people without any disagreements. Unfortunately this isn't a perfect world, it's a fallen one, and even the Church sees its share of conflict between members. Pastors argue, Churches split, and professed Christians hold grudges against their brothers and sisters. This last one is something I particularly struggle with. A few years ago I was in a really bad place; I was feeling hurt and angry because of something some other Christians had said to me.
When I finally confided this to one of my friends, I can remember saying,
"I just hate them so much."
It wasn't until later that I learned the disciple Peter had been in a similar situation. Look at what Jesus said to him,
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?" Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. – Matthew 18:21-22
But Jesus didn't stop there, he continued by telling the parable of the Servant and the Master. It begins with a kind man who dismisses his servant's enormous debt,
"But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. 'Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded. "His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.' "But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened. "Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. "This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart." – Matthew 18:28-35
As Christians, we are commanded to forgive those who wrong us. Not just because God wants us to love one another, but because he first loved us.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Is there anyone in your life you are struggling to forgive? Remember the parable of the King and his servant.
Further Reading
Luke 17:3
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Armor 'n Enemies
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel.
Ephesians 6:13-19
Six pieces of armor. Five primarily defensive, one primarily offensive. And yet...
Have you ever used the chest-bumper of righteousness on someone? How about the head-butter of salvation? The bludgeoner of faith? The shin-kicker of readiness or the gut-puncher of holiness?
Even the sword of the spirit has its proper purpose - to fight our enemies. Which are?
Other Christians? Unbelievers? Mean people?
While we humans can be so hard on each other, no. One verse earlier, Paul tells us what we're fighting:
our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil (v. 12).
Quite convicting, really. Not only do I clearly go into many days without getting completely dressed, even when I do I'm mis-using my equipment, fighting in the dark, swinging blindly, or wounding with friendly fire.
I don't know about you, but for me, the elemental Bible verses I first learned as a youth (like today's verse) are the ones I need to continually reconsider, because they're the ones I tend to just believe without acting upon.
When times come - like these days we're in now - where there is fierce political thought and lines being drawn and opinions spouted as truth, including the opinion that there is no truth - it's just so easy to get drawn in before we remember to put on our armor or be trained in using it. When that happens, we tend to view our enemies as each other, and forget or deny that the war is still spiritual. And therefore more serious, more wearying, not less.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Get dressed this morning, and tomorrow morning. Once equipped, try emphasizing the defensive uses of most of the armor. Stand up for someone. Protect the reputation of another. Shelter someone in loving truth. Run quickly to someone in need. I pray you'll begin to survive your days much less scathed.
Further Reading
Romans 8:38
Fight or Flight? Weighing Your Instincts Against God's Word
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Batman and Big Brother
Alex Crain, Editor, Christianity.com
"And Jesus said to them, "Yes. Have you never read, 'Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise'?" (Matthew 21:16 NKJV)
One of the blessings of being around children is the life lessons that they often teach us. Sometimes the lessons are about deep, spiritual truths. Like the lesson my two-year-old son, Henry, recently taught me about worship.
While at the playground area of a fast-food restaurant, Henry found himself surrounded by other kids his age whom he had never met. Suddenly, my wife heard him bragging to his little audience about his two heroes: Batman and big brother.
"Batman get bad guys," Henry said to one. Then very proudly to another, "My brudder hit bad guys ty-kon-do."
Now, his big brother never uses Tae Kwon Do... except in practice. But I suppose that, in Henry's imagination, those nine-year-old practice opponents must be bad guys. Whatever his motivation for saying these things, Henry couldn't help expressing praise for things that he thinks are great. It struck me that that's a big part of what worship is.
Yes, we'll need to continue teaching Henry about the goodness and greatness of God, just like we need continued teaching and reminding ourselves. But I don't think that the concept of worship is something that he, or anyone else, needs to be taught. What we need to do is un-learn some wrong-headed ideas about worship that we have picked up over the years.
C.S. Lewis points out one such wrong-headed idea when he admits that he used to mistakenly view the Bible's demands for praising God as no different than a conceited woman seeking compliments. Every time he heard the Psalms saying "praise the Lord," "praise God," or "praise Him," God sounded pathetically vain to him. In his book, Reflections on the Psalms(p. 93 ff.), Lewis explains how his perspective changed:
"...the most obvious fact about praise—whether of God or anything—strangely escaped me. I thought of it in terms of compliment, approval, or the giving of honor. I had never noticed that all enjoyment spontaneously overflows into praise unless shyness or the fear of boring others is deliberately brought in to check it."
"The world rings with praise—readers [praising] their favorite poet, walkers praising the countryside, players praising their favorite game... Just as men praise whatever they value, so they spontaneously urge us to join them in praising it: 'Isn't she lovely? Wasn't it glorious? Don't you think that magnificent?' The Psalmists, in telling everyone to praise God, are doing what all men do when they speak of what they care about."
"My difficulty about the praise of God depended on my absurdly denying to us what we delight to do, what indeed we can't help doing, about everything else we value. I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses, but completes the enjoyment."
Intersecting Faith and Life: If it's true that worship springs naturally from within a person and is expressed by praising that which he or she enjoys most, then what or whom do you find yourself praising?
Further Reading
Check out this helpful study on "worship" at BibleStudyTools.com.
Also, see Reflections on the Psalms, by C.S. Lewis
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What Has Fear to Do With Faith?
The LORD is my light and my salvation-- whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life-- of whom shall I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1).
Fear is something that creeps under the carpet and into our minds quietly, often unnoticed. When's the last time your church did a sermon series on the topic of Fear? Admittedly, Christians do talk about fear... sometimes. Kind of. We talk about certain types of fear, or certain things to fear. But often with one voice we denounce tendencies to fear certain things, while with more subtle whispers we encourage different kinds of fear.
From pulpits, books, and speakers we hear homilies on the fear of loneliness, singleness, disease, failure, and death. We circle up in small groups and admit to one another that we have a fear of commitment, or a fear or failing our children. "God is bigger than your fear!" we say to each other. "Trust him!"
But over here in Western Christianity, we have such a strange juxtaposition in the way our culture talks about fear. We say those encouraging things about having "freedom from fear" through Christ – but it's always in such a fluffy, abstract way. Do we understand why we have that freedom? Better yet, do we know what that freedom looks like?
And then on the opposite hand we actually foster fear of certain things. We cringe at government edicts, and spread the fear losing our freedoms. We encourage fear of said government, especially if the political persuasion of the house majority is different from our own. All throughout the ages children have grown up with a fear of bodies and a fear of sex, due to vague or hands-off instruction from parents mostly consisting of "DON"T DO IT!" We fear it when people have differing opinions. We fear persecution.
We fear messing up and getting our doctrine wrong. We fear sin. We even fear other people's sin.
Perhaps most tragically of all, I think we have a fear of giving too much grace. Or of giving grace but not giving enough truth.
It would appear we have a fear of looking weak and even a fear of our God looking weak. But does our Almighty God truly need us to defend his honor to the world? Jesus took on weakness in many ways. He came to shame the powerful by using the weak (1 Cor. 1:27) – and he started with himself. Jesus was serious about reminding people that choices have consequences (Matt. 23:12), but Jesus never picked up a sword and Jesus didn't fight back when he was beat upon (Luke 22:49-54). Jesus didn't invoke his God-given rights. Jesus died.
Shouldn't this biblical description speak loudly into how we fear? How we think about fear?
For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, ""Abba," Father" (Romans 8:15).
Intersecting Faith and Life: When you are tempted to let the evil of this world, the words of others, or the stirrings of your heart lead you into fear – remember that you have received the spirit of sonship through Christ! "What can mortal man do to me?" (Psalm 56:4)
Further Reading:
1 Peter 3:13-14
1 John 4:18
Mark 12:31
Isaiah 41:13
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Walking Your Faith
Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. "– Matthew 17:20
Recently CNN posted an article about a young man's spiritual pilgrimage. When Andrew Domini learned that a friend had recently been diagnosed with stage IV cancer, the 19-year-old college student had traveled 70 miles to pray at the shine of Catholic Saint, Theodore Guerin. Domini could have easily driven the 70 mile distance, but he wanted his journey to be a sacrifice, so he chose to walk instead. The journey took him two days. He arrived with feet blistered and bloody, but as he prayed over the remains of the Catholic Saint, Domini said he finally felt at peace.
Now here's the interesting part, Andrew Domini isn't Catholic, and when asked he admitted to mixed feelings about the Church. Reading this story, I couldn't help but be struck by the boy's similarity to the Roman centurion from Luke 7,
"When Jesus had finished saying all this in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. There a centurion's servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, "This man deserves to have you do this, because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue." So Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: "Lord, don't trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, "I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel."- Luke 7:1-9
I have to admit, I felt pretty ashamed after reading that article. Here was a boy willing to make sacrifices in order to pray to a God he barley understood, while my prayer life consists of a few garbled words before falling asleep at night. Andrew Domini spent two days walking 70 miles to reach a place of worship, while I struggle to make the five minute drive to Church every Sunday. It is so easy to become complacent in our faith, to make it such a part of our daily ritual that we end up forgetting God. But God wants more from us than our hollow actions and lifeless obedience; he wants to be the center of our lives.
Being a true Christian means living with a passion for God, and a willingness to go the extra mile. It means living with vision, and not settling for the bear minimum your faith requires. It's seeking to know an unfathomable God, and realizing that He will always have something new He wants to teach you.
Intersecting Faith and Life
When was the last time you sacrificed something for God?
Further Reading
Romans 3:28
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Be on Your Guard
by Laura MacCorkle
Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position. 2 Peter 3:17, NIV
Who of us doesn't remember a film, television show, book or play with some swordsman in chainmail declaring, "On guard!" before engaging in a duel with someone else?
In that type of adversarial situation, the warning is said to alert the other party that "I'm armed, so prepare to defend yourself." And in light of the current belief battles going on today within evangelical Christianity, that meaning has been front and center in my head and heart—especially after reading through today's verse in 2 Peter.
I did a little further study and found what I read in the New Testament portion of The Bible Knowledge Commentary to be quite helpful in understanding this passage:
If [Peter's] readers were not careful, they could be carried away by the error of lawless men ... The verb "carried away" emphasizes a group or corporate movement. False teachers are not satisfied with ambushing one or two, now and then, here and there; they want to sweep large groups of people away from the correct doctrine of Christ. Those who keep company with such people are in danger of being led astray.
I don't need or want to name prominent names or cite recent book titles or the like within the Christian bubble, as I'm sure that one or many have already come to your mind by this point in today's devotional. Sadly, false teaching is everywhere these days and only seems to be gaining momentum as we head further into the twenty-first century.
It's alarming, for sure, to hear those who are in pastoral, shepherding or leadership positions mishandle God's Word or imply that there is suddenly a new "change" in the meaning of scriptural doctrines that trained theologians and Bible scholars have agreed upon for centuries prior.
But Truth is supposedly relative in the world where we now live, isn't it? What's true for you may not be true for me and so forth. Right? So how do we arm ourselves and follow Peter's instruction to "be on your guard" as believers?
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18).
First, there's grace. Unmerited favor from God. How do we grow in that? By reminding ourselves continually of what God did for each and every one of us. If we don't understand grace, then we will never know who God is, what he stands for and what a right relationship with him looks like. "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom. 5:8). When we get that, in turn, our lives will be lived from a place of humility and in testimony of what God has done through us.
And then there's knowledge. We will only grow spiritually and know God as much as we can in this life if we know the Word. And that doesn't begin and end only with what someone says the Bible says (which isn't bad in and of itself). But it means reading the Bible for yoursel fon a continuing basis, so that it will take root in your heart and inform your thinking and your actions. There is no better way to mature in the Lord and know Truth (and be corrected in your thinking, if it's "stinking") than to spend time getting to know God through the Word.
No one else can have your spiritual relationship for you. And anyone who leads you away from Truth is leading you away from a secure position. So be on your guard. And get in there, dig deep and know His unchanging truth.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Are you ready to confront false teaching and see through the devil's schemes to trick and deceive—even in Christian circles? Always consider the source and always measure what you hear or read against God's Word.
Further Reading:
Matthew 7:15-20, NIV
Ephesians 6:10-18, NIV
2 Timothy 3:16-17, NIV
1 John 4:1-6, NIV
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Who Determines Your Identity?
by Kelly Givens, Editor, iBelieve.com
Last year, in between jobs, I worked as a temporary administrative assistant at a financial planning firm... during tax season. It was as challenging as you might imagine. I had no experience in taxes but suddenly found myself surrounded by tax forms, calculators and clients who expected me to have the answers to all of their tax issues. I might as well have been in a foreign country trying to communicate in a language I barely understood.
I started with grand ambitions: I told myself that I would learn all about taxes; I took an incredibly challenging online tax course, learned a ton about deductions and exemptions, and strove to be cheerful and helpful to my colleagues and our clients. Things were going great - I was exhausted but felt helpful, felt like my boss appreciated me and thought my coworkers were glad to have me around. Until the worst imaginable thing happened.
A customer claimed to have dropped off his taxes to be done, but his paperwork was nowhere to be found. All of the most important documents he owned and had trusted to us had somehow vanished. Worst of all, I had been the person handling the coming and going of most of the client's paperwork the day it went missing, so the blame fell on me.
I was nauseous with anxiety. I felt the cold condemnation of my coworkers as they repeatedly asked me what I had done with this man's documents. All I could say over and over was, "I don't know. I don't remember taking his paperwork. I am so sorry." I listened as they whispered accusations behind my back. I felt them watching me like a hawk, seeing if I would make any more careless mistakes. Worst of all, my boss was totally stressed out and I felt the weight of everything on me.
I went home that night and cried my eyes out. I prayed fervently that God would somehow miraculously make the documents appear. I prayed for the strength I needed to face work the next day. I truly felt as David did in Psalm 55 when he prayed,
Fear and trembling have beset me;
horror has overwhelmed me.
Oh, that I had wings of a dove!
I would flee far away and stay in the desert.
All I wanted was to run away and never face my coworkers again. And I couldn't even think about what the client would say when he found out that all of his tax information was gone.
My husband and I went to Bible study that night, and together our small group prayed over the situation, prayed that the missing documents would be recovered, and prayed for my peace. One person's prayer in particular stuck out to me:
Father, I pray that Kelly knows her identity is not in what she does or doesn't do, but in what you have done for her. I pray she knows that no amount of mistakes could make her any less your daughter.
Those words were a balm to my wounded spirit. I pictured Jesus holding me, reminding me of his great love for me and that even though I had messed up, my mistakes didn't define me, he did.
I am a daughter of the King. Being reminded that my identity rests not in my success but in Christ's sacrifice gave me the courage I needed to face another work day. I realized I had been finding my identity in what other people thought of me and in a job well done, instead of resting in the knowledge that no matter what, I am a beloved, redeemed child of God.
The next day at work, the missing files were found. The client had dropped them off in our overnight drop-off box, and the documents were wedged at the top of the chute. While having my name cleared was a relief, I look back and am more thankful for the lesson God taught me. When it comes to my identity, it's not what I do or don't do that defines me, it's what Christ has done for me.
"He ransoms me unharmed from the battle waged against me." -Psalm 55:18
Intersecting Faith and Life: Where do you find your identity, in the knowledge that you're a child of God, or in the things you do or don't do? Remember, the thing that separates Christianity from all other world religions is that it's not what we do that saves us, it's what Christ has done for us. You're a child of God! Celebrate this today instead of focusing on your successes and failures.
Further Reading:
Psalm 55
John 15
Romans 8:1
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Ambition
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands. 1 thessalonians 4:11, NAS
Quaint, right?
Be honest; read today's verse and then try telling your children that such is all they should aspire to; that, essentially, unheralded, nose-down, mouth-shut, blue collar work should be their ambition. Aim high? Sounds more like settling for anonymity.
What could Paul be getting at? Sure there are times we all grow tired of the rat race and perhaps dream about a scenario where we forsake the city and a high-pressure job for a more pastoral setting, crafting furniture and knick-knacks, living in harmony with nature and all that. Is that what this verse is suggesting?
Let's look deeper.
The Greek word philotim means to labor, endeavor, strive, study to become. It is used in three places in the New Testament. The first is quoted above, regarding ambition, which we've already noted sounds not much like what we typically imagine when we think of things about which to aspire.
Another place the word appears is romans 15:20, where Paul writes, "And thus I aspired to preach the gospel..."
And in 2 corinthians 5:9 we read, "We have as our ambition... to be pleasing to Him."
Now let's contrast these goals with the first definition under "ambition" on Dictionary.com:
1. an earnest desire for some type of achievement or distinction, as power, honor, fame, or wealth, and the willingness to strive for its attainment.
I thought so. The more I study, the more I philotim to know God, the more I understand how different the Word and the world really are. Perhaps folks who live in other parts of the globe are less shocked to learn such lessons. For me, born, raised, working, and raising children in these United States, the lesson is always one of dichotomy, paradox, and sadly wondering if I'm handicapped beyond repair from truly following.
One of my bosses is fond of saying that in business, it's crucial to determine early on whether a person you are dealing with is a "make me rich" or a "make me famous" person. Everyone, the story goes, is either one or the other at heart. And truly, according to the world's definition of ambition, that makes sense. We all have something we want that drives us.
Lately I've been wondering a lot at where this has gotten me. Everything I have done, accomplished, purposed, learned, studied (i.e. "philotim-ed") in life has led to... what, exactly? What goal? When I pray that the Lord would make my life useful and provide for me and let me know His will and keep me safe it's all so... what? So I can watch my TV programs every night without acid in my stomach and with an easy feeling in my chest? As opposed to having to really live by faith?
Today I read this quote by the English poet Samuel Johnson: "To be happy at home is the ultimate result of all ambition." Instantly my face fell. I knew that feeling all too well. All my aspirations only lead to the place of comfort, happiness, the path of least resistance. What's wrong with that? It quickly becomes a place that feels too far from God, too self-centered, too out of the loop, too air conditioned... too far removed to be making a real difference.
So then, what is the ambition of the Christ-follower? Let's recap from the verses we've looked at today:
Lead a quiet life
Attend to your own business
Work with your hands
Preach the gospel
Be pleasing to Him
In other words, don't stress yourself with fame, or getting and spending, always climbing, making more more more. Don't bother with being a busy-body or a gossip. Be creative; let God work through you. Tell others about Him. And live by faith.
It's so simple, almost too simple. Ambition isn't something far out there, some unabashed worldly success beyond our dreams, though that's where God may take us. It all goes back to the very reason God made man in the first place - to have someone to know Him.
And there's just not anything quaint about that.
Intersecting Faith & Life: The bulleted points above might sound too easy, too simple. And they can be. But when was the last time you made any or all of these your ambition? Pick one and practice it today, perhaps preaching the gospel to someone, perhaps seeking God's pleasure more than your own in any decisions you make.
Further Reading
Romans 15:20
2 Corinthians 5:9
what motivates you?
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What Hath Worldview to Do with Memorial Day?
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"...let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness..."
Genesis 1:26 NASB
Begun as a ritual after the American Civil War to honor fallen soldiers, Memorial Day seems to have broadened in recent years. Many people view it as a day to remember deceased friends and loved ones, regardless of military service. The propriety of this phenomenon is not so much the focus of this devotional. What is of interest, however, is the fact that there even exists a universal human urge to honor the dead. Thinking worldview-ishly—what perspective besides the Christian's is able to provide a consistent and satisfying explanation for this?
Take atheistic evolution, for example. 1How do invisible realities like love, honor, and dignity evolve by random processes in a purely material universe? These are enduring aspects of human personality. Each is non-material, but each is very real. Deep down, we all know that they exist. Yet atheistic evolution, which says that these things can be nothing more than the product of chemical reactions in our brains, renders them meaningless. (Somehow, that little factoid gets swept under the rug in biology class though, doesn't it?)
At a fundamental level, we know that these ideals aren't just the product of chemical reactions in our brains. Oh, someone might protest that they are just chemical reactions. But if you could follow that person home and observe him for a while among his friends and loved ones, you'd see a different story played out.
The image of God is something which humans cannot contain or fully eradicate. Sooner or later it pokes out and finds expression. In an unguarded moment, the God-denier looks into the eyes of his beloved, or cradles a child or grandchild in his arms and knows deeply that the love he's experiencing is not a mere product of bio-chemistry. In The God Who Is There, author Francis Schaeffer said it this way:
"Though your system may say love does not exist, your own experience shows that it does." (chap. 2, conclusion)
We humans have an insuppressible knowledge that love is real and that there is something eternal and significant about us. We may not be able to put our finger on it or explain it precisely, but the Bible says that the living God has made mankind in His image. At the very least what that means is that we are distinct from animals. The ability to reflect on ourselves and write an essay about it (or read one), sets us apart from every other species. This is a function of the image of God at work.
God specially created us as rational and moral creatures possessing complex, intangible elements of personality. We are self-conscious; we reflect on memories of ourselves and others; we experience love—on and on. These are distinctly human qualities. We are unique in our "mannishness" as Schaeffer called it. Elsewhere, he wrote concerning this, saying:
God thinks and we think. The world of thoughts is that which distinguishes me as a man.
[Therefore,]...the battle for people is centrally in the world of thought.
(True Spirituality, chap. 9: conclusion)
Granted, people don't always live in full awareness of these deep truths. But a so-called "non-religious" holiday like Memorial Day can help shock the awareness back, if we pause to consider it.
As Christians, we are right to observe Memorial Day. Honoring the dead is something completely consistent with our worldview. We might also observe Memorial Day by looking for opportunities to graciously challenge others to think about where their worldview leads them, and why they do what they do.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
When a non-Christian friend, neighbor, or family member brings up the subject of Memorial Day, ask them why they think humans honor their dead. Seize the occasion to start a conversation that points others to their Creator whose image they bear.
Further Reading:
Colossians 3 (esp. 3:10)
The Myth of Neutrality (a worldview & apologetics study by Greg Bahnsen)
How to Know Truth and Evaluate Competing Worldviews, by Chris Daniel
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1The deficiencies of other worldviews are demonstrable re: honoring the dead. However, for the sake of brevity, the discussion is being limited here to atheistic evolution.
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A Letter to America
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com
Even though you can't stand my exclusive cries for true freedom; even though you'd rather I show more toleration with my mouth shut; even though you hear my sermons as an assault upon the things you hold sacred; even though you'd haul me to court to make me fall in line; even though your movies typecast me as the blundering hypocritical monster; even though you'd dig in your nails to stop other people from hearing my prayers in the name of a man who died 2,000 years ago; even with all of that, I can't stop loving you.
Even though you've been charmed into believing that the sexual revolution was somehow liberating; even though you've given yourself at the altar of instant gratification; even though your body shows the scars of lovers torn from your arms; even though you feel the sting and hot anger over being cast aside and sing those radio songs with grit; even though you cry when no one can see how empty you feel in a roomful of friends; even though you've gone numb from rivers of meaningless promises; even with all that, I can't stop loving you.
Even though you parade through the streets with banners rejecting the ancient chains of a book you detest; even though you throw yourself into the endless revels of the night; even though you churn out words meant to destroy; even though you suck, inhale, inject, consume fire into your veins and visions in your head; even though you scream and rage against the light; even though you hate the very One who longs to make you see; even though you refuse peace inside; even though you discard Truth in your search for meaning; even with all that, I can't stop loving you.
Even though you defame the boundaries of what God joined together; even though you explore every dark corner of human connections; even though you raise equality as your golden calf; even though you brand those who disagree with spiteful epithets; even though you push the faithful from your midst; even from out there, I can't stop loving you.
Even though you call the life growing inside nothing more than tissue; even though you reject the divine spark created in your womb; even though you tear out limbs and snip spinal cords; even though you spit on those who fight to save your child; even though you suffer the labor pains of regret for the rest of your life; even then, I can't stop loving you.
Even though you hate me, I can't stop loving your sin-soiled skin. I can't stop loving your blinded eyes. I can't stop loving your idol-worshiping hands.
He died for you, and that makes you lovely.
For Further Reading:
Hosea
Romans 1-2
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Traveling Mercies
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
You will not be afraid of the terror by night, Or of the arrow that flies by day.
Psalm 91:5
With Memorial Day's arrival, summer travel season is upon us (well, for those who haven't been grounded by the economy, anyway), so I've been reminiscing upon all the times the Lord has watched out for me on the road through all my journeys. Here are just a few examples:
When I helped my wife - before she was my wife - move from Columbia, South Carolina to Farmville, Virginia, we rented an auto transport to trail her car behind the U-Haul so that we could both ride together in the truck. I had helped load her car onto the transport before we left. We decided to get out of town and onto the interstate before we gassed up. We'd traveled up and down hills, across several railroad tracks, on the interstate, in stop-and-go traffic... and it was raining. You'll understand the reason I tell you all that momentarily.
When we pulled into the gas station, we realized we didn't have Valerie's key chain. It held the keys to her car, her new home, her old home, and several expensive keys to the University of South Carolina. Neither of us had any idea where they could be. I got out of the truck to think... and I spotted them, there on one of the two-inch thick beams of the auto transport. I yelled for Valerie, who came to look. I carefully touched the keys with my fingertips... and they dropped to the ground. Neither of us could believe our eyes, or that those keys had remained there of their own accord over the route we had driven. It had to be the Lord. If not, well, He got the praise and glory anyway.
Another time, when I was just a boy, my mother's station wagon had a flat tire on a remote stretch of road outside Tucson. My sister and I were in the car as my mother struggled to get the hubcap off. In those days, on that model, a special tool was required to be able to get to the lugnuts. We didn't have the tool. Just then, a guy rode up on a bike. He happened to have the tool. He handed it to my mother, who to this day swears he was an angel. I'm not sure I can argue with her.
At other times there have been individuals who showed up with just the right help during blowouts, or - believe it or not - airline personnel who actually made my trip better than it could have gone. The most memorable of these instances, truly, have come during times I prayed, read my Bible, and had decided in advance not to get bent out of shape about delays or other problems. One such cross-country trip resulted in an out-of-nowhere upgrade to first class from Philadelphia to Seattle, where I also ended up in position to calmly solve a dispute between passengers. Indeed, the Lord has been gracious to me in travel.
My wife's family has a tradition before every trip they take to read Psalm 91. It reminds them that God is their refuge as they go, wherever they go. And of course before every trip we take, my family prays for safety, and mercy... and the opportunity to minister, even if it is an inconvenience to our plans.
One way or another, this prayer is always answered. Still, it's hard to remind myself of goodness and opportunity in delay. Sometimes I still feel that the trip, the vacation, is my time... that whatever gets in the way shows that the Lord does not care, or did not "bless" our travels. That's when I remember Paul's travels. I am certain the Apostle didn't think shipwrecks and imprisonment were helps toward spreading the Gospel. But in the end, they were. Are our travels - no matter what purpose we think they hold - any different?
Jesus told a story about a traveler who had been robbed, beaten, and left for dead on the road. Those who passed him by had in mind only their own agendas and their desire not to be inconvenienced, even if they were priests by vocation. What would you do? Would you have the time, yearning, and empathy to interrupt your travels to do as the Samaritan did?
Understand that I am not discounting that the Lord must lay on your heart the decision to stop and help, especially in these troubled and dangerous times. But do be open to it. So few times anymore do we venture outside our home or neighborhood. Those times we do should not merely be restful, but ministerial. Pray that God would give you opportunities to serve him - and yes, to see His glory in watching over you! - as you go.
Intersecting Faith & Life: This summer especially, be on the lookout for fellow travelers who are stranded. Rising gas costs could cause some motorists to run out of fuel. Consider taking along a spare gas container and can of fix-a-flat to assist stranded folks who might be in need of genuine help (and the gospel message).
Further Reading
Luke 10:25-37
Psalm 91
A Father's Summer Trip Road Rules
Tips to Keep Your Family Vacation Affordable and Fun
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Silence is Golden
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. – Psalm 37:7
Recently, while vacationing in Ireland, I managed to visit an old monastery in a place called Glendalough. According to legend, the monastery was originally founded by Saint Kevin, a 6th century priest renowned for his wisdom and piety. Kevin's fame as Holy had begun to interfere with his Christian walk, so he withdrew to Glendalough in order to pray and meditate in peace. The small monastery was built later by disciples who followed him, hoping the secluded valley would allow them to pray to God without distraction. Tucked away in a small valley, surrounded by mountains and a tiny lake, the silence in Glendalough was almost palpable.
It didn't strike me until later how unfamiliar that silence was. After all, we live in a world that is filled with distractions: iPads, iPods, TV, Internet, movies... there are so many things demanding our time and attention, often at the expense of our time with Christ. Saint Kevin knew the value of silence, just like Christ,
Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. – Luke 5:15-16
Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. On reaching the place, he said to them, "Pray that you will not fall into temptation." – Luke 22:39
After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. –Matthew 17:1
The world is filled with so much noise, so much distraction, how often do we really get the chance to listen to God? I don't know about you, but this is something I struggle with on a daily basis. Don't allow the toys of this world to distract you from your Heavenly Father. Instead, the next time you pray, turn off your cell phone and find a place far away from your computer. Pray to God in the silence and listen to his reply.
Intersecting Faith and Life: When was the last time you found a quiet place to be with God? Take an hour to unplug from the world and spend time with Christ.
Further Reading
Matthew 4
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Here Be Leaders
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com
You wouldn't know it from the outside, but this place is full of leaders. Sure, the boarded up windows and sloppy graffiti might be cause for concern. And the challenging glares of those crossing the street might make you want to drive faster. But make no mistake: church leaders, pastors, elders, and missionaries make their home here, amid the squalor, amid the sun-creased faces.
I drive this way every day, up a side road that leads out of the heart of Richmond, Virginia. With all the potholes and missing concrete, you can be sure it hasn't been paved in years. This path is no shortcut, but it takes almost twice as long to get onto the interstate through the rush-hour snarl. I'll take the potholes, thank you very much.
I don't know the history of this area, but my guess is that it's similar to most other places that get bypassed by the major highways. Interest moved with the roads and left a fading beauty in its wake—local restaurants filled in for chains, corner stores staggered in with bars over the windows, grays and browns spread from house to house. The only touch of modernity is a sleek courthouse and expanding police station on the corner.
In any case, this isn't the type of place where you want to have a flat tire. And that may be the very reason I had one... right there... right in the middle of the smoke-damaged houses and shattered windows. After pushing aside a broken bottle under my feet, I wrestled with the jack, which I'd never had to manhandle before. I confess that a bit of anxiety did reach my fingers and perhaps that's what made the process take so long.
No one stopped to help, and I was fine with that. I just wanted to be finished without having to explain how I'd opened a huge gash in my tire.
But I wasn't completely alone. A young man strutted up the sidewalk and stopped to watch for a moment. Then, he strutted closer.
I'd seen this movie; it never ended well. Instead of terror, though, a wave of calm smacked into me. Even when the guy said he'd just gotten out of jail and needed to call his ride, the expected panic didn't come. Peace... that dreadful peace wouldn't leave. So, I handed over my phone. And, yes, that's a dumb move, but listening to his call showed me more in a minute about the nature of this place than a hundred trips through this section of the city ever did.
The bravado masked uncertainty; the swagger plastered over need. And me giving him my phone to use was probably one of the few acts of charity this guy had ever experienced. "Good news" to him was me simply getting out of my car and seeing him as a person and not a potential road hazard on the way home.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Changing demographics—from quaint corner of the city to neglected side route—don't change the need. As long as people are there, the need for the gospel is there. I don't suggest you get a flat in a scary part of town, but I do think it's easy to focus only on the places where we're comfortable. We feel safer with what's familiar.
That's not what Jesus did, though. He went to the places least expected to find leaders. He dusted off the despised and neglected, and he gave them a new role as fishers of people. He made crooked IRS agents into evangelists. He made prostitutes into pillars of the church. He made swearing fishermen into saintly bishops.
Here be leaders... if we're only willing to look.
For Further Reading:
John 13
How Much Do You Have to Hate Someone to Not Proselytize?
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The Christian Faith Is Not a Leap in the Dark
by Alex Crain, Editor, Christianity.com
"...we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal."
2 Corinthians 2:18 NASB
We can divide the universe into two categories of reality: the material and the non-material; or that which is seen and that which isnot seen. In talking about unseen reality, I'm obviously not talking about things that must be relegated to fantasy or pure imagination. Rather, I'm talking about unseen (yet real) fixed concepts which our world operates by constantly. Take, for example...
Moral absolutes (e.g. Child abuse is wrong.)
The uniformity of nature (e.g. We live on the assumption that planets and stars move in a predictable fashion. On this assumption we plan trips not only to grandma's house, but to the moon and beyond.)
Universal Laws of Thought* (e.g. The principle of contradiction: a maxim stated by Aristotle as: "contradictory propositions are not true simultaneously." [cf. aristotle's metaphysics, 1011b13-14]) avicenna is said to have put it more colorfully, "Anyone who denies the law of non-contradiction should be beaten and burned until he admits that to be beaten is not the same as not to be beaten, and to be burned is not the same as not to be burned.
These are all things that are real, yet are unseen. Laws of thought and moral absolutes may not be able to be weighed, measured or stored in a cupboard, but we count on them and live by them every day just the same.
From what I've observed, both children and adults in Christian circles struggle at times with the things they are called to believe in. God seems like a distant idea. Doctrine seems far removed from day-to-day life. At times, you or someone you love may be tempted with the thought, "I wonder if God, salvation, heaven and hell is all just a made up fairy tale."
At that point you should take a step back and remember that everyone has a faith in their particular view of the world. Worldviews need to be evaluated by whether or not they account for the unseen realities mentioned above. Fortunately, biblical Christianity (not to be confused with tainted, politicized, or hypocritical forms of Christianity that bear no resemblance to the life and message of Jesus Christ) is a worldview that is well able to account for these unseen realities. The biblical God (note well, not just general theism) capably undergirds all unseen moral absolutes, natural constants and universals. Other competing worldviews are weighed in the balance and found wanting.
When we are called on to believe in the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 2:5), we should recognize that this is another unseen reality. The truths of Galatians 2:20 belong in the category of the unseen as well...
"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me." (Gal. 2:20)
Let's not gloss over the fact that we are called to believe in unseen things. But at the same time let's not jump to the wrong conclusion that Christ asks us to take an idiotic leap in the dark. We all believe in well-founded unseen things everyday.
This week in chapter four of Francis Schaeffer's True Spirituality (I'm reading through the works of Schaeffer and posting about it regularly here at crosswalk the devotional), he calls our attention to this biblical view of truth by underscoring that there are "two streams, two strands of space-time reality—one in the seen, and one in the unseen..."
"[God] is not asking us merely to act on some psychological motivation, but on what really is... there is a Holy Spirit who has been given to us to make service possible.
"The Christian dead, including my loved ones, are already with Christ now, and Christ really lives in the Christian. Christ lives in me.
"Here is true Christian mysticism—not based on content-less experience, but on historic, space-time reality—on propositional truth. Christian mysticism is communion with Christ. It is Christ bringing forth fruit through me, the Christian, with no loss of personality.
"He is the Christ who has died, whose work is finished, who is raised, who is ascended, who is glorified. It is this Christ. Not simply an idea. It is the Christ who was seen after the resurrection... by Stephen, by Paul, by John."
Let's walk on today, confidently believing in these unseen realities—Christ was not raised mythically; Jesus, the apostles and the Christian martyrs were not liars; and "the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who is given unto us" (Romans 5:5).
Intersecting Faith & Life: Are you at a loss for words when asked why you believe in unseen things? Learn how to converse with others in terms of their own beliefs in unseen things (like moral absolutes, etc.), and help them discover the worldview that is charged with the majesty and grandeur of God.
For Further Study:
what is a worldview? Dr. James Sire
introduction to worldviews (series of lectures) Dr. Greg Bahnsen
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How I Came to Enjoy Raisins
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. -- 1 John 2:10
Worst advertising slogan ever: "Two scoops of raisins in Kellogg's Raisin Bran." Blech. But apparently it worked on my mother, who bought the stuff like it was going out of style, while referring to delicious breakfast desserts such as Lucky Charms and Crunchberries as "cardboard." So unfair. So there I sat, choking down my raisin bran, or even oatmeal cookies with raisins in them, always suffering the same horrible fate: the bran or cookie part would be chewed and swallowed before the gooey chewy raisins, leaving me a mouthful of not-nearly-as-tasty goop.
I despised raisins. Thought about writing Kellogg's and telling them that backing off to one scoop would be plenty (nothing like getting to the bottom of the bowl and finding no flakes, only 10 little black things. Ew).
Flash-forward a quarter century. I'm having a similar issue to the raisin problem with people. Specifically, I'm loathe to admit, some Christian people. No, I haven't been eating them, but sometimes, I do find us hard to swallow. Part of the problem, ironically, is my job! Here at Crosswalk we often receive angry emails from fellow Christians who don't like the movie we reviewed, the way we said something, the ad we ran, or the author we allowed to appear on the site. Criticism's fine, even justified; I just have a hard time when it comes with a "You call yourself Christian?" or a "Have you even read the Bible?" punch to the gut. Sometimes it feels as if we Christians are concerned more with hammering home truth no matter how bluntly, or railing against _(fill in the blank)_ than genuinely loving people and meeting needs. Of course, the obvious irony here is that I then, looking in the mirror, find myself in short supply on genuine love myself. Which is not where Christ wants any of us to be. In fact, in Revelation 12:10, the title "Accuser of the Brethren" is given to our enemy Satan at his judgment. Do I really want to claim that monicker for myself?
So what does this have to do with raisins? Well, recently I discovered I kinda like the shriveled little things! I pack 'em for snacks, and eat them with the kids. I like the nutritional value, the fiber, the chewiness. What's changed? My tastes? No. The raisins? No. Not the packaging, not the flavor, not even my effort (I'm not choking them down because they're good for me, I genuinely like them). I realized that what has changed is my perspective. It didn't happen overnight, but about the time "Craisins" (dried Cranberries) came on the scene, I began enjoying all sorts of dried fruits. And here's what I noticed: I like cranberries, ergo I like dried cranberries. I like apricots, therefore I like dried apricots. I love grapes, so obviously I... hate raisins? That didn't seem to make logical sense. Maybe it was time to give raisins another try. Maybe I shouldn't even think of them as raisins. Maybe I should just think of them as "dried grapes!"
That may sound extremely silly... but it worked! I felt like I had come into the light. The texture was suddenly different. The way I savored them changed... everything. And a fun new world of food possibilities has re-opened to me, simply thanks to a different way of looking at something.
1 John chapter 2 talks about Light, who it comes from, what it helps us do, and what it shows about us when we walk in it. Light is a perspective-changer. It reveals the true nature of hidden or darkened things. It doesn't change them, but it can and does change how they appear, how they are perceived, and the details we notice. Our verse today says, "Whoever loves his brother lives in the light," and I think it also works backwards: "Whoever lives in the light loves his brother." It's not going to be easy for me to see fellow redeemed sinners - especially the angry ones - as Jesus does, but it's clearly possible, and commanded, and in the raisin example it wasn't about my efforts anyway - just turning on a light.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Who's got your goat? Have you ever tried seeing that individual, group, or faceless internet personage in a different light, from a different perspective, or even as God sees them? Have you considered how you might look different to others in a new light? Try filling these blanks in for yourself: "I like ____(x)_____, therefore I like even __________ _____(x)_____."
Further Reading
John 1: 4-11
Light and the Nature of God, by Regis Nicoll
How to Deal with Angry People, by Gary Chapman
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It's Not About Who's Right Or Who's Wrong
by Stephen Sanders, Audio/Video Editor for Salem Web Network
It's not about who's right or who's wrong. It is about glorifying God no matter who's doing what.
In my role here at Salem Web Network, I have the privilege of being able to see the best (and worse) the Body of Christ has to offer. Unfortunately, it is probably more bad than good in a lot of cases. But I guess it makes sense when you think about what Jesus said: Matthew 7:12
This variety in the Body of Christ has been an ongoing struggle for me since the work environment I'd been in for the 5 years prior was very sheltered. I was working at a church, so I only saw that perspective on the Christian walk. But now I'm exposed to what seems to be millions of different outlooks on what it means to be a Christian.
A recent google search revealed to me that there are approximately 38,000 denominations of the Christian faith. I suppose you could probably lump a lot of those together into a few hundred general categories if you wanted to, or even protestant/catholic if you really, really wanted to. But the point is...even if it was 380 instead of 38,000...that is A LOT. But back to the perspectives...
With these 10's of thousands of denominations come even more views on what is right and what is wrong. What is "Christian" behavior and what isn't and so forth and so on. It is (and has been for me) a very easy thing to get caught up in if one isn't careful. In a recent devotional I wrote titled, "don't let foolishness get the best of you" I shared how easy it has become for Christians to share their voice more boldly online. It's been over 2 months since I published that article and I'm still processing this whole ordeal; trying to find my place in all of this chaos.
Yesterday I think I finally came to a conclusion: No one is totally right. (Brilliant, I know) No matter how confident we may sound when we claim that, "__________ is what the Bible says about _________," none of us are right. How could we be? We still live in a sin-cursed world, we all still make mistakes, all still fall short of perfection that only God possesses.
Some of us sound really smart with our proclamations and it can be very easy for someone like myself to become mesmerized with a specific stance on certain matters. But what happens is that these perspectives, once taken to a certain level, become idols of our worship. And that goes for disagreeing with the perspectives just as much as showing allegiance. Let me give you an example.
Pastor _______ writes a book on ______ perspective on ________. Some agree with his refreshing insight while others accuse him of blasphemy. 1000's of people chime in and before you know it, it has become a bigger topic amongst Christian circles than the Gospel itself. Isn't that more evil than good? Isn't that behavior exalting the flesh and not the Spirit?
It becomes even more disturbing when it becomes more personal.
A first time visitor walks into a church sanctuary or youth group that is more about the issues than it is the Gospel message. They develop a perspective of what Jesus is like from these encounters. After all, that's why people come to church. To hear about Jesus, right? Will they leave confused not knowing what they've just witnessed? Perhaps worse, will they become fascinated and faithfully follow a "man of god" who isn't Gospel-centered in his preaching.
Galatians 5:16-26 says, "...walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. Now the works of the flesh are evident: ...enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger,rivalries, dissensions, divisions...and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love...peace, patience, kindness...gentleness, self-control. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another."
So, realizing the harm I've witnessed first hand on such matters, I've come to the conclusion that humility is key. As a Christian, I must never make certain things "sins" that the Bible doesn't claim to be sin. I must never make certain spiritual gifts bigger than they actually are. I must never become so involved in perspectives that I lose sight of how the Bible tells me to conduct myself. I must never make definitive statements about anything other than Jesus being God and the only way to eternal life. Because when I do that, it becomes more about me and less about Him.
Intersecting Faith and Life: I've been forcing myself to not become a part of such matters, not because I'm so fantastic, but because I think about how this causes others to perceive our faith. What must it look like to people who don't believe in Jesus when we act like this? Is this something you'd want to be a part of? Analyze your walk with me today and ask God if there are stances you are taking that overshadow Him.
:angel:
Of Fish and Faith
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com
"So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life - your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life - and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him." Romans 12:1 (MSG)
My stint manning the meat counter at the Fresh Market lasted half a day. I needed a job; they needed someone to wrap up fish. Seemed like a good match.
It wasn't.
By way of an interview, the manager glanced at my résumé and then scowled at me. I could weigh meat and smile. That got me in the apron and behind the salmon. Still, it was a job, and I was hyped. For about an hour.
My training consisted of a fellow worker—a kid a few years younger than me at the time—pointing out the scales and the paper and telling me when breaks were. Needless to say, I floundered with the flounder, my chuck looked chucked, and my meat wrapping wasn't so meaty.
By lunch, I'd completely lost my appetite thanks to the ground beef, snarling manager, and disgusted looks from customers. I didn't let the door hit me on the way out.
Sometimes, I live my faith like that as well, minus the fish smell, of course. I get pumped at the start—on Sunday—and even during the week by diving into the action-movie known as Mark's gospel or Luke's adventure stories. I'm ready to kung-fu chop the world with some gospel awesomeness.
But when the meat hits the scales, when my everyday life comes crowding in, my gospel skills suddenly get messy. Not literally. I simply fail to speak when someone talks about a general faith in something; I don't bother to help everyone who really needs help; I don't show love because I'm too caught up in my own not-enough-sleep-Monday blah.
I just don't live what I believe all the time. It's hard, so I too often let it go.
Intersecting Faith and Life: It's easy to think of people in the Bible as "heroes" with a life filled with derring-do, but that's only somewhat true. They had flashes of awesome, when God showed up and broke armies, smashed walls, and shoved back the waves. But we mainly just see the highlights in Scripture, the big moments when monumental things happened. It's God's story, after all. And He does big stuff.
But those "heroes" also had moments of normal—lots of them. Moments when they wondered why they were stuck herding sheep, moments when they wondered if God cared about their same-ol'-same-ol' routine, moments when they wondered if God even heard their prayers, moments when they just wanted something to happen.
You see, normal moments—those times when we're not charged up and ready to march around our office building like Jericho—are the very moments that our faith is being shaped. When we're excited about a sermon, that's great, and fire seems to be flattening all resistance. But when we're faced with monotony, that's when our faith life really comes out, our true nature. We have to live our faith in those moments most of all because those are the times when it's hardest to shine.
For Further Reading
Romans 12
The Power of Position: Rising Above the Frustrations of Life
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Shine
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
"Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." – Matthew 5:16
It was a year after I had graduated college and I had just moved into my first apartment. The whole process of leaving home had been surreal for me. For the first time in my life I was on my own, making my own meals, working my own job, the sense of independence was almost overwhelming. On top of it all, I was no longer living under the umbrella of the Church. Ever since I was a child there had always been some kind of Christian influence in my life, now it was all left up to me.
I suppose I could say this is when I started having wild parties and committing unspeakable sins, but the truth is I'm not that interesting. In fact, nothing about my life really changed except for one small detail: I stopped telling people I was a Christian. I didn't seem like that big of a deal, and a small part of me had always chaffed at being the "good Christian boy," so I kept my faith quiet as I went out into my new life. I didn't realize what a stupid mistake I'd made until much later, with a little help from the following verse,
"Now no one after lighting a lamp covers it over with a container, or puts it under a bed; but he puts it on a lampstand, so that those who come in may see the light. 'For nothing is hidden that will not become evident, nor anything secret that will not be known and come to light. So take care how you listen; for whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has shall be taken away from him.' And His mother and brothers came to Him, and they were unable to get to Him because of the crowd. And it was reported to Him, 'Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wishing to see You.' But He answered and said to them, 'My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it." – Luke 8:16-21
I understand how life is getting more and more difficult for young Christians. We are demonized in the media, called "outdated" by society, and often caught in the crossfire of politics. In this environment it is so tempting to just shut our beliefs behind a door and keep it all to ourselves, but that is not what God has commanded us to do. Like it says in Luke 8, our faith was not meant to be kept secret, but to be held high proudly so that the world may see it. We have a family in Christ, one we should never deny.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Do not be ashamed of the gospel of Christ. For it is by his sacrifice that we are saved.
Further Reading
John 14:4
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A Mouth That Got Washed Out
by Laura MacCorkle
Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips.
Psalm 141:3, NIV
Have you ever had your mouth washed out? I have. Not recently, thankfully. But when I was still a child.
It happened while my mother and I were talking at the dinner table. In fact, my whole family was on hand as we were finishing up our evening meal. I remember disagreeing with something she had said or maybe just not liking whatever instruction she had given to me. And before I knew it, out came the dreaded words.
I knew that I shouldn't say them.
They were forbidden in my household.
I knew that they were disrespectful.
They were so very far from honoring my mother.
And yet, I wasn't deterred.
So out they came ...
"Shut up!" Gulp. Before I knew it, my mother took me by the collar and marched me down the hallway to the bathroom. On went the faucet. Whether it was hot or cold water, I can't remember.
Next, the bar of soap was quickly lathered into a frenzy. And then the unthinkable: my mother washed out my mouth. Suds and all. For what seemed like HOURS.
I know that I gagged, and I'm sure I played it up for dramatic effect as I cried with giant tears and struggled against the cleansing agents (my mom and the soap). But you know what? It worked. Never again did I say "shut up" to my mother. I had learned that lesson. And my mouth was a little less full of bacteria to boot!
At this point in my life, I'd like to share with you that this act of getting my mouth washed out has translated into all of my speech patterns and conversations going forward. But alas, as someone who is afflicted with chronic foot-in-mouth disease and having a mind that thinks and reacts quickly combined with a tongue that is happy to join forces and play along, I routinely find myself feeling sorrowful for things that I have just said.
While the tongue may be one of the smallest parts of the human anatomy, could it not be one of the most dangerous? In all of our cases, a thousand times yes! (James 3:6).
Like David, in Psalm 141, I know that there is one side of me that really does want to please the Lord with my speech and make sure that it is right and pure. But then there's that other side that really wants to appear witty and funny and, yes, truthful. But what may seem witty and funny and "truthful" to me can very quickly become that which kills a relationship, crushes a spirit, pollutes a mind, spreads hurtful information or divides a family or a group of friends.
"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths," says Ephesians 4:29. "But only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."
So today, I'm going to do a virtual cleansing of my mouth. And then I'll take a thorough mental inventory and do some soul-searching to see what other unkind or sinful words I'm being convicted of saying.
Will join with me? Let's ask the Lord to help us be wiser and more edifying in our conversations (Proverbs 15:4). Let's think before we speak (Proverbs 13:3). Let's say less and listen more (Proverbs 21:23). And then let's see what happens in our interactions with others (Proverbs 16:24) and in our walk with the Lord (Psalm 51:15).
Intersecting Faith & Life: Write or print out Ephesians 4:29 and affix it to your bathroom mirror, your rearview mirror in your car, somewhere on your desk or at your kitchen sink, or wherever you will see it the best. I've already done so, and I hope that we will both be able to hide these words in our hearts over the coming week and think about them as we speak.
Further Reading:
Psalm 19:14, NIV
Psalm 37:30, NIV
Proverbs 16:21, NIV
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What, Jesus?
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased." – Matthew 3:16-17
It was Sunday morning, and I was making my way to my seat at church, when I happened to glance at the program. The title of the day's sermon was short and to the point, "Jesus". What happened next embarrassed me more than I can say. I looked at the title again and said to myself,
"Jesus? Why are we talking about that?"
C.S. Lewis once cautioned readers about how easy it is to start using Christianity as a convenience. The center of our faith can easily slip from Jesus sacrifice to preserving marriage, social justice, tithing, or a hundred other things Satan can use to distract us from God. The truth is that everything written down in the Bible, everything we believe as Christians, can be summed up in John 14.
"If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him." Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us." Jesus said to him, "Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, 'Show us the Father '? "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. "Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves." Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. – John 14:7-13
Jesus wasn't just a great teacher, He wasn't some vague Jewish mystic, He was God. Through His life and death, we are finally reconciled with our Creator. Nothing else, no politics or policy, is more important than that. As long as we remember that, we will remember Jesus.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Have you allowed something minor to take your attention away from Christ? Take a moment to examine where the priorities of your faith lay.
Further Reading
John 14
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Living in a Dream World
by Stephen Sanders, Audio/Video Editor for Salem Web Network
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. Psalms 23:1
A life with no challenges would be awesome, wouldn't it? Always making the right decision, never running out of money, your kids always doing what they are supposed to do, never biting off more than you can chew... circumstances just magically falling into place so that we can effortlessly waltz through life in a state of constant enjoyment. Man, that sure would be nice...
Let's just close our eyes for a few seconds and imagine what that would be like...
I'm 32, and I have 3 daughters. One of them just turned 13. The other is 7. The youngest is 2. They are all very, very different. I cannot begin to tell you how overwhelming this can be sometimes.
The baby is absolutely the cutest little thing ever. However, she has turned out to be the "stubborn child." She writes on everything no matter how many times we tell her to stop. She refuses to use the potty. She will do a halfway-pee in her diaper, hold it and wait for you to change it, then pee in the fresh one immediately. It's not like we don't discipline her because we do!
But she's cute, and she's little and can only really get into so much trouble, so she doesn't stress me out too much...
The middle child is fairly drama free these days. She recently got 1st and 2nd semester honor roll and citizenship awards at school with pretty much zero supervision. But a couple years ago she was the bane of her K4 teacher's existence. I got called to the office, seriously, almost every single day that school year for her bad behavior. The principal felt like our daughter might have psychological problems. The teacher broke down in tears in the middle of multiple conversations. We had no answers.
The very next year my daughter was the teacher's pet. But, at the time, we blamed ourselves for these issues because we were her parents. Now we don't feel like such failures.
My oldest is actually my stepdaughter, and this relationship comes with obvious trials. She's also a very attractive 13-year old; this poses even more issues. And if that wasn't enough already, there are the unexpected things that happen. They are like dreams you hoped would never happen but did. Then they rear their ugly heads and taunt you like a nightmare you swear you've had before...
...they cause you to wake earlier than you want to type a devotional at 4am...
I remember living in a dream world when I was her age. I knew everything. Everyone else was wrong and stupid. I know that will change. What I don't know is what scares me. Will she get involved in the wrong crowd at school? Will she make one bad decision and end up pregnant before she graduates? Will she grow up and want to live a life that is pleasing to God or pleasing to her? These are new questions that have started popping into my head recently.
I try so hard. I desire more than anything for her to grow up and have a perfect life; a life where she always makes the right decisions. A life where she never runs out of money. A life where... yeah...
I begin to realize that my expectations for her life are unrealistic. She is going to make bad decisions. I just need to be here to listen, to guide and to comfort her. Let her fail. In those things, listen to her worries and hurts and remind her why we need Jesus in the first place.
He isn't our God for our benefit... even though our relationship with Him does benefit us. He isn't our God because He will make us rich and healthy and free from the pain and difficulties of this world we live in. But He is here with us through these trials.
Intersecting Faith and Life: I recently started studying the Book of Psalms; a part of the Bible I've always neglected to see the true value in. I suppose God must have inspired them for times when His people were having times like I'm having right now. It's only by God's grace that I am as content as I am these days. I honestly don't stress too much about the things that are going on in my life. Even when I do begin to stress, God brings others to my attention, like homeless people, and I realize things could be so much worse. Or maybe the material things I deem so important actually cause me more stress... who knows.
All I know is that God continues to teach me how to be more like Him. My kids will be OK. My family will grow and become everything they are supposed to be. I just have to have faith in God and know that He has a plan that is so much greater than I could ever predict -- that this crazy world I live in isn't going to change. I will probably have a few more sleepless nights because of it; some nightmares may actually come true, but He is with me to provide peace and restoration and comfort.
For Further Study
Psalms 1:1
"in the house of god, forever" by jon foreman
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The How of the Christian Life
Alex Crain, Editor, Christianity.com
"...be it unto me according to Your word."
Luke 1:38
"How It's Made," the Science Channel's hit show, regularly makes the most of people's curiosity about how household items like gummie candy, aluminum cans, and flavored bacon actually go from raw materials to finished product. It's easy to become mesmerized when cameras are leading you behind the scenes into the inner workings of factories making a few of your favorite things. By the end of each segment, the mists of your own vague ideas about process and production have been utterly dispersed.
This week's reading in chapter four of Francis Schaeffer's True Spirituality is a bit like "How It's Made" in that he delves into the secret of how the Christian life is effectively lived. While many of us know this secret in theory, the daily mist of our own residual fallen nature makes it necessary to review the blazing truth so that we might see ourselves (and God) accurately and live out our faith practically.
Moving forward from last week's teaching in chapter four about the normality of believing in unseen things, Schaeffer issues the biblical call this week to engage in what he terms "active passivity" when living the life of faith.
Schaeffer points out that belief in the Holy Spirit is one thing. Now what do we do with that belief? 2 Corinthians 2:14 says that "the communion of the Holy Spirit" is to be with all true believers. We are to rely fully and constantly on Christ's promise to send us the Holy Spirit. He is the agent of the power and Person of the glorified Christ.
"There is not enough strength in ourselves, but placed before us is the power and work of the glorified Christ through the agency of the Holy Spirit. Surely this is exactly what Christ meant when he said, 'I will not leave you as orphans.'"
(John 14:18)
"As we look at the book of Acts, we find in the early church not a group of strong men laboring together, but the work of the Holy Spirit bringing to them the power of the crucified and glorified Christ. It must be so for us also."
"As with Mary in the virgin birth when she gave herself with her body to God in response to His promise, so we are in the same situation in [a certain sense] that we have these great and thrilling promises we have been considering, and we are neither to think of ourselves as totally passive, as though we had no part in this; nor are we to think we can do it ourselves."
"If we are to bring forth this fruit through us by the agency of the Holy Spirit, there must be a constant act of faith, of thinking: 'Upon the basis of Your promises I am looking for You to fulfill them... bring forth Your fruit through me into this poor world.'"
"We do not have to beat ourselves or be dejected, [but simply say]"Be it unto me according to Thy Word." This is what I mean by active passivity. This is the how, and there is no other."
Finally, as if to say "this is really how it's done!" Schaeffer reemphasizes that this is not just theoretical access to the power of the crucified, risen, glorified Christ. This is access that we have in reality—in the here and now.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Are you depending on your own energy, cleverness, persistence, charisma and talents to present the Christian life as attractive to your lost friends and family members? By faith (Hebrews 11:6), gaze upon Christ—His atonement, perfections and promises. Respond with active passivity: "Be it unto me according to Thy Word."
For Further Study:
Romans 6:1
the wind of the holy ghost blowing upon the dry bones in the valley of vision, by Ebenezer Erskine
john owen on the spirit in the life of christ, Dr. Sinclair Ferguson
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Bravery
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You. In God, whose word I praise, In God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me? – Psalms 56:3-4
Lately, I've been thinking a lot about what it means to be brave. The Bible certainly doesn't lack for courageous leaders like Moses or fearless warriors like David, but what about those people who showed simple bravery? Esther never led anyone into battle, and as a woman in the ancient world her ability to lead was limited, but when you take the time to study her life you realize how much inner strength she must have had. As a young woman she was taken from her home and thrust into an unfamiliar environment. Later, she was forced to intercede in a murder plot at the risk of her life and the life of her cousin.
Her greatest challenge, however, was when the King's advisor Haman sought to massacre the Jewish people. Their only hope of survival lay with Esther's ability to confront the King, an action that could easily get her killed. After all, this was a man who had deposed his old wife on a whim, what would he do to a woman who openly challenged his authority? Reading the verses in chapter 4, I can only imagin how shaken Esther must have been.
Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, "Go, assemble all the Jews who are found in Susa, and fast for me; do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maidens also will fast in the same way. And thus I will go in to the king, which is not according to the law; and if I perish, I perish." – Esther 4:15-16
We all know how the story ends, the King receives Esther and the Jews are saved from death, but the story of Esther's courage has remained relevant after all these years. I believe God calls Christians to simple acts of bravery every day of our lives. Whether it's standing up for someone else, or having the courage to speak out for what we believe, these simple acts have the power to change the world. Don't be afraid, and don't be downcast, for God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but one of courage.
Intersecting Faith and Life: "Courage is not simply one of the virtues but the form of every virtue at the testing point, which means at the point of highest reality." – C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters
Further Reading
2 Timothy 1:7
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Father's Day: Gone Fishing
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
Hear, my son, your father's instruction (Prov. 1:8).
The first time my father took me fishing I was twelve years old. I suppose this statement could sound misleading, since before that we had certainly played at fishing together. Normally he would take me to a small stream or pond filled with minnows and the occasional catfish, then smile as I reeled one in with my toy fishing pole. This was different; this time he took me north to the boundary waters of Minnesota, to a place called Basswood Lake. The moment I set eyes on that vast track of wilderness, a small part of me knew I was about to grow up.
Basswood itself looked endless, a maze of islands covered in far-reaching green forests. Even by motorboat it took us over an hour to reach our campsite, and once we settled in I became aware of a deep, resounding silence. For several days all we did was fish on that deep blue lake. We made shore lunch out of whatever we caught that day and at night ate s'mores while watching for shooting stars. I hated every minute of it.
What can I say? I was a doughy, twelve-year-old boy who wanted a warm bed and his Super Nintendo. I had never particularly liked fishing anyway, and sitting in a boat for hours was pure agony for me. With my attitude, I'm a little surprised my dad didn't chuck me overboard and be done with it. Instead, he bore it all patiently, and taught me things he'd learned about fishing, cooking, camping, and God.
It's not easy teaching a boy how to become a man, but somehow my dad found a way. It may take gentle coaxing, it may involve some kicking and screaming, but in the end, I believe teaching a son how to grow is both the greatest blessing and challenge God can give a father. My dad taught me so much during those times at Basswood, and looking back on it now I realize how much of it I took for granted. In these ways, and so many more, my dad helped me understand my Heavenly Father.
With Father's Day almost upon us, I wanted to take a moment to write down all things for which I was grateful to my own dad, but God isn't one to pass up a teaching opportunity. The more I reflected on how great a father my dad has been to me, the more I began to understand how great a God our Heavenly Father is to us. Because even when we take him for granted, even when we make terrible mistakes, God's love never changes, just like my dad's love and patience didn't change for the grumpy kid in the boat. He will always be there, firm but with arms open to say, "I love you. I will always love you. Learn from this."
Intersecting Faith & Life: May this Father's Day bring you many blessings and remind you of the many you already possess.
For Further Reading
Fathers Leave Lasting Impressions
Crosswalk.com's Humorous Tribute to Dads
What Does It Mean to be a Christian Father?
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My Conversation with a Hedge
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
He who neglects discipline despises himself, But he who listens to reproof acquires understanding.
The fear of the LORD is the instruction for wisdom, And before honor comes humility.
Proverbs 15:32
Some years during summer, my wife and kids leave me for two-to-three weeks to visit all of her relatives in Texas while I stay home and work. For the first day or two that they're gone, I enjoy my freedom from some of my responsibilities. After that, though, I tend to go a little crazy. I find myself wandering around the house, or doing "improvement" projects I have no business tackling. Making up song lyrics. Or having conversations with inanimate objects.
A couple years ago, in the middle of their trip, I was trimming the bushes beneath our front windows. The three on the right side of the stoop grow more uniformly than the three on the left. On the left, the one closest to the stairs is healthiest, while the other two, thanks to heavier afternoon shade, don't do as well. Oh, it's hard to tell, because I keep them pruned so that they "grow together" in the middle and stay squared off on the tops and corners. But obviously, the two weaker bushes suffer the pruning less frequently, because I let them grow out to fill in the gaps.
As I was working, their healthier sibling, I imagined, began to speak to me. Or to whine is more like it...
Hey! What gives?
Nothing, my good man. Just time for your monthly trimming.
But why? I'm not doing anything wrong. Just sitting here minding my own business. Doing good, doing what I'm supposed to do. And here you come...
Well, just sit still, please. Trust me, I have a purpose here.
Really? Well forgive me for asking, but why doesn't that purpose seem to apply to my lazy, stunted brethren here? All this time and barely a scratch. Maybe a nip, a cut. Nothing lost, no pain.
You're not happy with how you look? Where you're situated?
I'm fine. But that's just it. I don't deserve this cutting and trimming.
You think you planted yourself in this primo spot?
Never really thought about it. I just want to know why you're taking so much away from me and nothing from them.
I told you I have a purpose. You can't see what I can see. In fact, you can't see much at all. You're completely rooted in place. But I've seen all around you and through you, and have since you were planted.
But it hurts. I don't like losing things.
Never having them in the first place, and never really growing, that's not much good either. I have to give extra care and attention to those others. I can only hope it brings them up to the same level of maturity as you...
Hmmph.
I finished trimming up the hedges, and went my way, unsure I had gotten through. But when I stood back, I beheld something beautiful. I could only hope those under my care understood, had not despised their discipline, and opted to forsake impractical, joyless comparison.
Intersecting Faith & Life: The next time you feel like others aren't being as challenged as you are, or like the Lord is picking on you unfairly, consider that you can't see all the perspectives or purposes of the Lord, not in your life and especially not in the lives of others. The Lord loves you enough to discipline you, and he knows you're healthy and with enough green growth to handle His pruning.
Further Reading
John 15:1
Pruning Your Vineyard
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Stuck with Paul
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com
"How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?" Romans 10:14
You can't escape Paul forever. At some point, every Christian must set aside self-righteousness and drink Paul's writing, which can be akin to slurping down pickle juice. The sharp bitterness sends shivers through the whole body—and yet hydrates from the inside out (which is really what pickle juice does).
The bitterness, however, isn't from what Paul says exactly; it's from our reaction. Each word hurts because it's true. Sometimes he hits our recklessness, and sometimes he hits our legalism, helping us to clean the glass so that we can see clearly.
Far worse, in my mind, is Paul's refusal to let us gloat or raise ourselves up. There's no place for that, no room for a trophy case. Being isolated by my own sense of holiness would be easier; I'd love to slip away into my happy world of playing Christian.
Paul doesn't even let me close the door.
"Look 'out there,'" he says. "You see those people? That's you—each one is just like you. They need the gospel. They need grace. You know all about it. You've met the same Jesus I did. They're not coming in here, bub. So, get out there and do something."
It's an uncomfortable feeling, trying to understand how to be like Christ, how to shine through pitch. I want to pursue Him with all I am, but He keeps going out where the tax collectors and sinners are—people like me. The only difference is that I realized how much I needed Him; they haven't yet. And perhaps the very reason they haven't is because I'm not out there telling them.
Or as Paul might put it (at least, in my head), "They ain't gonna hear if you don't speak up. And they ain't gonna fall on their knees if you're too chicken."
Jesus went to the synagogue—and then took the synagogue to the people who needed it most. He did most of His miracles out in the thoroughfares, tombs, fields, and corners of the world. His loudest messages echoed from hills and street corners. In fact, I didn't meet Him in a church—or a Bible study or a church event. I met Him where Matthew did: in the middle of my sin.
Some sinners come running to steeples. Some sinners come running to Jesus in the streets.
Intersecting Faith and Life: We all need Paul to smack us around on occasion. He keeps us from digging a bunker to hide from the messy world outside. He reminds us that Jesus picked us off the ground, not to look down at those still trying to stand, but to show them the One who can make it happen.
For Further Reading
Romans 1-2
Matthew 9
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Making Faces
by Katherine Britton
When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord. – Exodus 34:29
Once upon a time, armed with a couple brushes and makeup cakes, I specialized in turning 20-year-olds into 70-year-olds.
My time backstage in the college theater resulted in curious, long-term fascination with age lines and facial features. I more than once found myself ignoring a professor's lecture to study his face – ironically, studying the faces sometimes gave me a clearer insight into who my professor was as a person, and what his expectations might be. I've carried that quirk with me as I meet new people at church, at work, or at massive family reunions.
Here's the thing – sure, everyone gets crows feet as they age, but only some people have the unique quality that upgrades the "wrinkles" into "laugh lines." The eyes in those faces possess a permanent twinkle that makes me wish I had all day to listen to their tales of dare'n'do. Other faces have the stern, vertical jowl lines indicating a person might not have spent enough time smiling. It's easy to spot the people who talk with their eyes just by looking at their forehead and observing how prominent the creases are.
Backstage in college, these observations played an important role in every theater production. As part of the makeup crew, my goal was to create immediate character recognition and visible personality for actors before they even opened their mouths to say their first lines. This was especially important when creating older characters. The artifice of the theater let me speed through the years and imagine – if this sallow character was 50, 60, or 70 years old, what toll would their personality have taken on their expression? Add a line here, a perceived fullness there, a slight curve or shadow, and my college-age friends would (in theory) walk out not as themselves, but as a visual portrayal of a character. The lines served as an outward sign of an inner temperament.
Theater makeup allowed me to put the habits of a lifetime onto someone for just a few hours. After that, an actor could just wash off the brown and crème lines and "old age" foundation. The rest of us wear – and are always creating – more permanent lines.
The visual character sketches I used to create constantly reminded me that people either get "better or bitter" as we grow older. Our attitudes and values subtly reveal themselves on our faces from childhood on. Dorian Gray was a caricature, but actions do tend to work themselves to the surface whether we want the world to know or not.
You can look around to see what a lifetime of self-centered crankiness will do to a person's looks. On the other hand, if your church is like mine, you can also find faces that show a lifetime of peace in Christ. Those faces – and those eyes – are tied to a world that has more than a few difficulties and anxieties, but that's not what shines through. It's the joy of Christ that gives those eyes a constant twinkle.
Intersection of Faith & Life: We ultimately display what's in our hearts right on our faces. Moses experienced this everyday truth in a supernatural way every time he spoke with God (Exodus 34:29-35), when everyone could tell just by looking at his "radiant" face that he had met with God. After his heart had been fully focused on God, his face reflected it. When people look at your face, what do they see? Are you building attitudes and character traits today that you want reflected on your face in a few years time?
Acts 4:13
Proverbs 15:13
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3 More Habits of Happy People
by Debbie Holloway, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
In my previous devotional, I mentioned the first 3 "habits of happy people" according to a list I recently found. I figured I would share more Happiness Tips and continue to measure how the wisdom fits into a Christian worldview. So, let's look at three more habits of happy people...
1. Express gratitude for what you have
Gratitude, or thankfulness, is encouraged throughout Scripture. Just a few verses espousing this attitude include:
"Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" (1 Thess. 5:18).
"Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!" (Psalm 95:2)
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God" (Phil. 4:6).
Followers of Christ are meant to be selfless, other-focused, and God-focused, not wrapped up in our own temporary discontentment. Noticing the blessings we do have, and expressing gratitude for them, helps us remember the big picture: we have already been given the ultimate gift of life through Christ!
2. Dream big
The most important thing the Bible tells us about ourselves is that our identity in Christ, and our status as God's creations and children, should underscore everything we do. Do you think of yourself as a slave to sin, or to a static, hum-drum life? Well, Paul says:
"Now if we are children, then we are heirs - heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory" (Romans 8:17).
Co-heirs. Sharing in his glory! According to Christ, God notices the fate of sparrows – so how much more does he care for the hopes and dreams of his sons and daughters? Christ also says that our faith is strong enough to move mountains, and that we will accomplish greater things for his Kingdom than even he did during his ministry. If that doesn't say "dream big!" – I don't know what does!
3. Don't sweat the small stuff
Not only do the Scriptures encourage us to let go of anxiety over "small stuff" – but God even wants us to relinquish worry over BIG stuff! Consider this passage from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount:
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
Intersecting Faith and Life: Is active gratitude part of your daily routine? What about anxiety? Is a skewed perspective of yourself limiting your potential?
Further Reading
The Beatitudes (Matthew 5-7)
Ecclesiastes 3
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Was Psalm 69:9 Jesus' Life Verse?
Alex Crain, Christianity.com
"For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope." (Romans 15:4)
There's a good chance you won't find the term "life verse" in a theological dictionary. For anyone who hasn't heard the phrase before, "life verse" has become a semi-popular term used by Christians to describe the fact that a certain part of the Bible can be a long-term, recurring source of encouragement... perhaps, throughout one's entire life.
I've heard some Christians say that the act of singling out a life verse can lower a person's view of the rest of Scripture. In other words, a life verse can be a bad thing. That seems a little picky though. Really, how bad can it be for a Christian to recognize the good effect that a certain Bible verse has on his attitude toward God, life, and whatever problems he's facing? Besides, doesn't it sound a little pompous to say, "My life verse is the BIBLE?"
To be honest, I've never given much thought about the merits or demerits of life verses. More than once I've had to stop and ask myself why I am even writing a devotional about them. But here's what sparked my interest in the subject. Recently, I saw a phrase in Romans 15:1 that made me curious if Jesus, perhaps, had a life verse during His time on earth.
Paul quotes an Old Testament phrase in Romans 15:3 that Jesus (apparently) had the habit of thinking on as He walked the earth. If this is so, I'm not sure how Paul would have known this. We can speculate that perhaps other people who were close to Jesus during His earthly life may have observed Him quoting it on a fairly regular basis. Maybe Paul overheard something about it during the days he spent visiting the other apostles. Or, possibly, it was revealed to Paul directly during his three-year period of discipleship before he ever met any of the early church leaders in Jerusalem (cf. Galatians 1:15).
Whatever helped Paul to learn about the mental habits of Jesus, what is clear is that the Lord Jesus Christ characteristically overcame temptation for any and all self-indulgence. "Christ did not please Himself," is the near context of the Old Testament quote that Paul cites next. The way that the rest of the verse strikes me is that Paul seems to imply that Jesus overcame temptation while meditating on a phrase from Psalms 69:9, which says: "The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me." This passage from Psalm 69 would have been a clear reminder to Jesus that the scorn He received on earth was actually the scorn that people bear in their hearts for God. Such a verse would align His expectations about this life and reinforce Him in His earthly mission.
Now, notice what Paul tells the Romans immediately after his quotation from Psalm 69. See especially verse 4...
2 "Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. 3 For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, "The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me." 4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."
"For whatever was written..." is a phrase that conveys reasoning. Paul is making an argument for something here. Teasing out his argument a little, I believe Paul is saying:
"Look at Christ's example of how He dwelt on Psalm 69:9. Scripture gives encouragement and instructs our thinking. It was this biblical perspective that propelled the Lord Jesus with endurance to fulfill the Father's will and not live for Himself. That's what you and I are to do."
Remember, Paul was writing to Jewish and Gentile Christians around 56 AD who were all meeting in segregated house groups throughout Rome. They weren't exactly the picture of Christian charity and unity. They were looking out for their own preferences—"pleasing themselves" to borrow the language of Romans 15:3. A few chapters back, in Romans 12:1Paul pointed out that they were to be transformed by renewing their minds. Now, in chapter 15, Paul seems to show how that's exactly what Jesus did.
Whether or not Jesus had a "life verse," He did let Scripture "dwell richly" in Him (Colossians 3:16). And that's what Christians are to do as well. Isn't it interesting that Paul doesn't just command it? He gives not only reasons but an example—the example of Christ Himself.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Looking at Christ's example here, how can we doubt or downplay the role of meditating on God's Word moment by moment as we go through life? In His humanity, Jesus let the truth of God's Word constantly shape His perspective. This filled Him with encouragement and hope. Let's do the same today.
Further Reading
See this word study on "hope" at BibleStudyTools.com.
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Beach Lessons
by Katherine Britton
Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven – for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little." –Luke 7:47, ESV
How do you explain to a child that's never been to the ocean what waves are like? You might fill a bathtub with water and splash it back and forth. That could teach action of waves – but what about the look? You might take the child to a nearby river with a few rapids, and show them how the foam collects at the bottom of a fall "like on top of a wave." You might show them a 4x6 inch photograph. You might try to show them what waves sound like with a conch shell. But what about their vast dimensions along the shore? What about their unending nature? What about the undercurrent of a wave going back to sea?
No substitute can convey the scale and true nature of waves continually breaking on the shore. No analogies or to-scale models prepare children for their first trip to the beach. They can't grasp the greatness until they've seen it for themselves.
Have you seen the greatness of God's forgiveness yet?
No measure of teaching, preaching, and analogizing can make us really grasp what God's forgiveness means. Even after we reach adulthood, we're still creatures of experience. It takes a firsthand experience – recognition of how vast our sins really are – before we can appreciate how vast God's mercy is to cover them.
Jesus gave Simon the Pharisee the example of two men who owed another money – one owed him five hundred days' wages, one owing him fifty. The moneylender forgives both debts, but, as Simon empathizes, the one forgiven the larger sum has a greater reason to love the one who cancelled his debt. But all Simon heard were the Jesus's words. He failed to realize what a vast stretch of sand he stood on, and what a great tide it would take to overtake all of those grains of sand. As a result, it's the woman Jesus recognizes for her great love of her Savior.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Is it possible that we can extend love and forgiveness if we don't understand how much Christ has shown us? Take your own "beach trip" and survey the vastness of God's incredible forgiveness that covers incredible sin.
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Strangely Dim
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com
Four crumbling stairs leading up the hill from the rock-encrusted sidewalk—that's all that's left. If you drove by today, you wouldn't know that I once smashed honey bees on the driveway with a shovel, or that I did so barefooted until one got a squishy revenge. You also wouldn't know about the loft in the garage where my brothers would hide away or the window in my room that thieves peeked through before they stole our bikes. You'd never see the stairs leading out the back door where my mom would sit while we brought her giant grasshoppers to examine or plums from the fruit trees.
You see, I had this idea that one day, when I got the chance, I'd take my wife and girls to Marion, Alabama. I'd show them the house where I spent the first five years of my life, regaling them with stories about the giant heating grate in the middle of the hall that my brother used as a bathroom while sleepwalking, and the stove fire that sent my dad to the hospital, and the small square pond with goldfish that our landlady's cat loved to eat.
But I can't—at least, not the way I intended. My oldest brother dashed this plan by posting a Google Street View image. The two neighboring houses still stand. Ours is gone. Completely. Considering the size of the trees that now play the stand-in role, I'm guessing the house disappeared years ago (given our experience with electrical issues there, probably in a blaze of glory).
I've been told by movies and books that I can't go home again, and this sad image of an empty lot does make a pretty good case for that. But that house—no matter the memories of watching PBS in the living room or music blaring from my brothers' stereo—that house was never my home, not really. Nor is the house where I spent most of my youth, nor is the place I live now.
Seeing an empty lot reminded me how easily the things here on earth disappear. One moment you're settling into a comfortable Alabama life; the next you're suddenly uprooted for Tennessee. And when you look back, all that's left is in your head.
Intersecting Faith & Life: When I saw the empty lot in Marion, it reminded me of an old song that I've never really liked. I know I'm supposed to because it's a classic and all. But I don't. I do admit that it makes a ton of sense:
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.
We can try to cling to all the stuff around us—our family, our house, our money—but it all disappears. That's why our foundation is so important. Building on the Rock of Christ isn't just a happy-happy phrase that we can post on our fridge and feel good about. It's a necessity. If we build on anything else, even without realizing it, we might look down someday to find our foundation and discover it's gone.
For Further Reading
Matthew 7
Luke 6
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People Who Need People
Laura MacCorkle
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. -Philippians 2:5-11, NIV
Strange but true, the words of the 1964 Barbara Streisand hit, "People" was wafting through my mind this past week.
Now I'm not a huge lover of Babs, but I do appreciate the way she infuses her songs with such emotion. You can't listen without feeling what she's singing—she's that good in connecting with others through song.
As I was thinking about the "people who need people" message, my mind was drawn to Scripture and how the Gospel is really about people in fellowship with their Creator and others. People need God, and we also need ... people!
No greater example of a person who needed people—and was someone other people desperately needed—is Jesus. As I flipped through the pages of Matthew to refresh myseIf on how Jesus purposefully sought to connect with people, I was reminded of how our Savior's ministry was always focused on doing the will of the Father while reaching others ...
Jesus went in search of people. The Son of Man came to earth to connect with people. And, as in the case of Peter's sick mother or the ruler whose daughter died, he went into their homes and then healed them. It all started with the calling of the first disciples in Matthew 4. He went to where they were, identified them and one-by-one invited them to follow him.
Jesus always shared Truth. Jesus didn't mess around. The time he spent with others was meaningful. His words were substantive and reached into people's lives to comfort and convict. Like the crowds in Matthew 7, people were always riveted and some (maybe not the Pharisees) wanted more. Everyone who took his words to heart was changed.
Jesus knew his audience. If you know Jesus, then you know he spoke in parables when teaching crowds. As with the stories of the mustard seed or the workers in the vineyard, Jesus knew the crowds needed something a little simpler at first which would effectively illustrate Truth. Since we're all at different stages in our spiritual growth, it's important to meet people where they are on their faith journeys as well, as we share from the Word.
Jesus made himself available. I'm sure Jesus got tired of being around people, just like we do from time to time. Ministry can be very draining. But the bulk of Jesus' ministry shows that he was often surrounded by others as he went from town to town. This was his calling. And this is our example to follow as God equips us—and empowers us by the Holy Spirit—to do his will.
Jesus established a support system. Jesus didn't have 1,000 disciples; he only had 12. And likewise we need a close network of people who we can regularly be in touch with for prayer and support. Jesus also saved his most intimate, revealing conversations for the disciples. And then he invited them to join his personal ministry as he delegated responsibility in reaching others. The feeding of the five thousand in Matthew 14 is a great example of this; Jesus gave bread to the disciples, and they were then called to give it to others.
Jesus had alone time but was still available. Sometimes we can go overboard in being available to others. We need some quiet time to recharge and be with the Father. Jesus was no different. He may have gone away for a solitary moment from time to time, but his whereabouts were still known (by the disciples, as well as sometimes the crowds) in case he was needed.
Jesus reached out even in his darkest hour. While in agony and hanging on the cross, Jesus was between two thieves. Matthew 27 notes this, but Luke shares even further how Jesus (Luke 23:43) forgave one of these men who asked him to "remember me when you come into your kingdom." "I tell you the truth," Jesus responded. "Today you will be with me in paradise." What a wonderful example of our Savior, understanding and experiencing the pain of separation from God, yet still reaching out,comforting, and bringing people to the Father!
Yes, Jesus is a tough act for any of us to follow. But following his example doesn't mean we have to be perfect as Jesus was. It just means we have to try ... being people who need people.
Intersecting Faith & Life: John 1:14 says that "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." How are others seeing this "glory of the One and Only" in you today as you dwell among them?
Further Reading:
Mark 12:30-31, NIV
Phil. 2:3-4, NIV
1 Peter 4:10, NIV
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Romans 8:28 Does Not Mean Giving Thanks with a Plastic Smile
by Alex Crain, Editor, Christianity.com
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).
Catastrophes like recent earthquakes, hurricanes, and even terrorist attacks remind us that, indeed, we live in a sin-cursed world. Not only do tragedies like these cause many to lose their lives, they often leave countless others in their wake---roiling in doubt and disbelief. The horrors of human suffering can stain our minds and souls and often obscure our vision of the God who is there. How are we supposed to respond?
Closer to home, we experience the curse of sin in personal ways through losses or disappointments that grieve the heart. We may wonder in all honesty at such times what verses like Romans 8:28 mean. Does Christ call His followers to simply put on a plastic smile and somehow grin and bear it?
Hardly.
Francis Schaeffer offers a helpful explanation to this dilemma in the first chapter of his classic book, True Spirituality. In fact, he says that a proper grasp of Romans 8:28 is crucial to understanding the world.
First of all, he takes care to point out that the Bible's view of life in the world is clear-eyed and realistic: At the Fall of man, everything became abnormal. The whole world is not what God made it to be. Therefore, Scripture verses like Romans 8:28 cannot be calling us to think...
"...that in some magical way everything is really fine when it isn't. Rather, we are to say "thank You Lord" knowing that God will somehow bring good ultimately, though we may not know how all the pieces fit together.
"It is not that Christians are to give thanks with a plastic smile, saying things are wonderful when they are hard. It is knowing that the hard things are really hard things, a result of the abnormality of the Fall, yet not revolting against God when the hard things come."
"We do honor to God and the finished work of Christ as we throw the words 'all things' in Romans 8:28 like a circle around all things..."
"...we are contented before God... yet not complacent about the suffering of the world."
In other words, Christ neither calls us to be indifferent nor to put on a plastic smile. Rather, we are to face the facts of hard reality and then sink our roots more deeply in who He is.
What a privilege that we who are naturally God's enemies can even have a relationship of trusting Him—this faithful, sovereign, covenant keeping God who is incapable of failure. He makes and keeps great promises not only for His glory but for the ultimate good of those who are His.
Intersecting Faith & Life: In what situations are you tempted to be shaken from trusting God? Clearly, this is a sin-cursed world. Still, do you sometimes catch yourself expecting a rosy path? Why? What do we really deserve? (Read Romans 3:10)
Further Reading
Jonathan Edwards' Sermon: "Men are Naturally God's Enemies"
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Dive In
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. – Galatians 5:13
One summer when I was younger, my church organized a week-long camping trip to Glacier National Park for all the high school boys. It was after one particularly long day of hiking that a few of us decided we'd cool off by taking a swim in a nearby lake. So we grabbed our swim trunks and towels and ran full speed into the lake, desperate to escape the summer heat. Now, I'm going to pause here and ask two questions...
First Question: Where does the water in these lakes come from?
Answer: Well, ice from the glacier melts and runs down through the waterfalls until it empties out into the lake.
Second Question: Does the water ever get warm?
Answer: No
The moment our feet hit the water we were stopped cold. We all stood ankle deep trying to figure out what to do next. A handful of the boys tried to edge gradually into the water, but after almost twenty minutes they still hadn't made it past their knees. As for me and a few other boys, we decided it was best not to wait. We dove headfirst into the water. For a time it was unbelievably cold, but eventually our bodies adjusted and we spent the entire afternoon diving and swimming far out in the lake.
Followers of Christ can encounter the same problem my friends and I had on the beach of that lake. God wants us to dive headfirst into the Christian life, to forget our worries and troubles and just focus on Him. Instead, many of us will stand on the fringes of our faith, trying to slowly and comfortably ease our way into God's plan for our lives. We aren't meant to stand in the shallows of God's love, however, so even though jumping in can be difficult at first, it's the best way. Only by surrendering to God as the center of our lives do we become truly free.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Have you been avoiding the call to do more with your faith? Consider where and how you can serve, and start at the very next opportunity.
Further Reading
Romans 12:11
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"Just Keep Swimming!"
by Katherine Britton
"Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." – Hebrews 12:1
On Saturday night, I let myself go limp in front of the TV. The blur of activity, newness, and ridiculously hot weather the week before had exhausted me, so a complete mind/body check-out seemed in order. I don't have cable and I didn't bother to turn on instant streaming, so my viewing selection was pretty limited. I soon found myself watching Finding Nemo.
Remember the part where the all-important scuba mask slips down, down, down into the dark gorge? Marlin panics and goes after it, only to swim frantically back out of the darkness. Then the crazy blue fish with a short term memory problem frolics her way into that same blackness with nary a care. A moment later Dory comes back to encourage Marlin. "Hey, Mr. Grumpy Gills," she says, "When life gets you down, you know whatcha gotta do?" "No, I don't want to know watcha gotta do." "Just keep swimming! Just keep swimming! Just keep swimming!"
Not that I'm taking lessons from a digitized blue fish, but Dory's attitude reminded me what perseverance should look like. It's not that sitting on the couch and taking a break was evil in itself, but my can't-go-any-farther attitude was. That attitude indicated that I was slogging away in my own strength and had run out of energy without looking to the Lord for supernatural help. At points like that, even though I know the answer, "I don't want to know watcha gotta do" to keep pursuing what God has called me to do. Wallowing in my exhaustion seems so much easier.
Sunday evening, someone reminded me that, "when life gets you down" and you're exhausted, God's faithfulness has the chance to shine through. The end of my rope is the beginning of grace made evident in my life, providing the strength to "keep swimming" even though I'm exhausted. And He gets the praise, because I know that strength is no longer something in me. His mercies are "new every morning" (Lam. 3:23) and enough to keep me moving in the direction that He encourages me to go. My responsibilities are just one more way to bring me to my knees and let the Lord refresh me with His grace. After that, I can keep going in His mercy, and even sing while I'm at it. His faithfulness never ends.
Intersection of Faith & Life: The Bible is full of reminders of God's faithfulness to believers, and the stories all end with God being glorified for their reliance on Him. In the end, it's when we are weak that He makes us strong (2 Cor. 12:10).
Further Reading:
Philippians 1:4-6
1 Corinthians 9:24
How to Pray on the Go
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Seeking God for the Right Reasons
by Sarah Phillips
For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. Philippians 1: 21
I ran across an article years ago that really touched me. In her piece "A Change of Plans," Lindsy Pike details the excruciating decision to call off her wedding to a man she loved dearly. Reflecting on the mix of pain and peace that comes with any situation where we must give up something precious, Pike rewinds a few centuries to Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son, Isaac:
"God promised to give Abraham a son and finally, after years of waiting, God came through, with Isaac. Why in the world would God ask Abraham to give up that gift? In my opinion, it is for the same reason He asked me to call off my wedding. God wants us to love Him more than we love His promises. The minute we get those out of order, He readjusts us."
While we don't fully know the mind of God in Abraham's situation, Pike's simple thought sheds light on a struggle I think all of us encounter at some time in our lives – the struggle to love God above everything else, even His blessings. God wants us to love Him because of who He is, not what He can give us. Yet, how often do we confuse our love of God's promises with love of Him? How often do we see Him as the divine blessing machine, ready to dole out happiness on our terms? The popularity of "prosperity theology" reveals how easy it is for believers to twist love of God into the pursuit of earthly happiness.
To be honest, it's not just greed that gets in the way of loving God. It's also a limited understanding of who God is. I used to wonder how some Christians could sit for over an hour praying. Is God really that interesting? I'd wonder. This type of thinking reveals a fundamental flaw in how I perceived God, and I think that flaw is what keeps many from coming to Christ in the first place. It's easy to see Him as limited like we are limited. It's easy to forget that God is truly our all in all. As C.S. Lewis once said, "God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing."
Still, had I not gone through a similar situation, I might not have believed Pike's sincerity when she says: "I am thankful for His grace that saved me from ruining my life by pursuing my dream."
In a "reach for the stars, be anything you can be" culture, the idea that pursuing any dream could ruin my life seems foreign. The more I think about it, though, the more I see that living outside God's will – even if it is for a "good reason" – is a recipe for failure.
Yet, when we give up our dreams for something greater - for Someone greater than ourselves - we begin to see we can trust God no matter what. We find solace in the incredible peace that comes with knowing that even if life here includes sorrow or dreams unfulfilled, there is a God that transcends not only all that's missing in this life, but also all the good this life has to offer.
Intersecting Faith & Life: This week, do something for God without expecting any reward or blessing in return.
Further Reading
John 16: 33
Author Debunks Prosperity Gospel Myth
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Blowing up the Fourth of July
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com
I nearly blew up Fourth of July. Well, not the holiday, just the block party we had when I was a kid. For a couple years when I was young, the residents of our neighborhood would congregate at an open lot on the corner. Many of the families would bring bags and boxes of giant bottle rockets, roman candles, sparklers, fountains, and other color-shooting fare. They'd dump them on a ratty blanket and sit in the grass. Most of them took turns launching the flaming orbs into the air, littering the ground with the paper and cardboard of spent fireworks, and filling the night with acrid smoke.
It was glorious, and I wanted to make a huge splash (cue the dramatic music).
Before descending upon the second—and last—of our block parties, I scanned the aisles of the fireworks tent not far from our house. Just shooting flaming balls or seeing a pretty sparkly pop in the sky wasn't enough. I wanted to go big. There'd be nothing mundane for my moment of greatness this year.
And that's when I found the perfect Chinese-made, powder-stuffed wonder. I have no idea what it was called, but it was a green plastic tube longer than my hand with fins sticking out from either end. The packaging promised showers of sparks as it rose into the sky, a loud report (code for explosion), and an unforgettable display of color. Some might say spending three bucks on one moment of awesome is a bit excessive. I just saw it as a small price to pay for a green wonder.
When we arrived at the party, I plopped that bad boy on the blanket and waited. The dozen or so puny pops and whistles made me all the more eager to get to my pièce de résistance. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the lightshow, but they didn't know what real excitement awaited them.
Finally, my time came, my moment of triumph. Although I was too young to do the lighting (so said my parents), I marched with my firework contraption to the middle of the road and placed it exactly in the center. This green wonder needed the perfect launching pad, after all.
I hurried away when the host of the party lit the fuse. To this day, I have no idea what happened exactly. I followed the instructions on the wrapper, and yet the green wonder's shower of sparks weren't enough to get it off the ground. Instead, it limped across the road with a pathetic whimper and shot toward the blanket full of fireworks.
Neighbors scattered. People screamed. God had mercy. At least, that's the best way I can explain how a shower of sparks and flame didn't set off any of the other fireworks or burn anyone.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Too often, I'm just like I was back then on that Fourth of July: I want my service, my gift, my moment to be more awesome than anyone else's. I compare what I'm doing with what you're doing or he's doing or she's doing to see how I stack up. That's exactly the point where things go boom.
But freedom in Christ begins with a humbling. We're meant to keep our eyes on Him, so much so that we aren't able to compare ourselves with others. One person may preach the gospel to an entire nation, and another may work with gospel-saturated hands in a tiny community. One may write books that sell millions of copies, and another may have a blog that ten people read.
We don't need green wonders to make a big splash. We need surrender to the One who made us. That's what sets us free.
For Further Reading
Romans 9
1 Corinthians 3
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Life Is Beautiful and Brief
by Laura MacCorkle
Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:12, NIV
Beneath my fun-loving exterior is a very analytical person. I love my life, I love spontaneity and I also happen to love trying to figure things out!
But like all good things taken to the extreme, my analyzing can turn obsessive and my focus fixed on that which cannot be explained anyway. It's like the quote I ran across recently from prolific author Philip Yancey: "Faith is believing in advance what will only make sense in reverse."
How true is that! Even so, I am always trying to make sense of a given situation going forward. Always.
But in light of today's verse, how sad is that that I am consumed with trying to know what I think I need to know when I think I need to know it. Surely I'm missing out on opportunities to serve the Lord and the rest that is only found in him.
In a recent siutation when I was trying to "make sense" of what was going on, I also listened to a great sermon from Pastor Ray Pritchard of Keep Believing Ministries. And the best take-away nugget was this: "When you need to know, you'll know."
How simple! And yet how hard.
Here I am trying to find wisdom in what I can see and what I can figure out, when my life could be freed up by this reminder that God is sovereign and has all things under his control—no matter the circumstance.
Whatever I am trying to figure out today may not matter tomorrow. So why am I not looking to God first and seeking his direction in what matters most in this very moment?
"Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom," the psalmist requests of God. And how do we gain a heart of wisdom?
By knowing the mind of Christ. By acknowledging our frailty and our humanity. And by remembering that God is God and we are not.
Earlier in Psalm 90 we read this:
You turn men back to dust ... For a thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night.
And toward the end of the passage, it says:
May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us—yes, establish the work of our hands.
The psalmist reminds us that God determines our life span, and he has his own timing and plans for each of our lives. Will we serve him and seek to fear and obey him before we once again turn to dust? Or will we fix our minds on ourselves, on our current circumstances and on trying to live our lives without regard to God's perfect purposes?
At the end of the day, even if our lives never make sense (even in reverse!), we are called to bend the knee and praise the one who has "brought forth the earth and the world."
Because of God's "unfailing love," life indeed is beautiful. And though it may be brief and sometimes confusing, because of his son our eternity is secure ... causing us to "sing for joy and be glad all our days."
Intersecting Faith & Life: Knowing that your life is beautiful and brief, have you made yourself available to God for him to work in and through you as you walk by faith? List one reason that causes you to "be glad" today, because of the new life the Father has prepared in advance for you (Eph. 2:1-10).
Further Reading:
Psa. 103:13-18, NIV
Psa. 119:133, NIV
"Take My Life and Let It Be"
Words & Music: Frances R. Havergal, 1874
Take my life, and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise.
:angel:
"Whatever": Simultaneously the Worst and Best Word We Have
by Shawn McEvoy, Managing Editor, Crosswalk.com
Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute... dwell on these things (Philippians 4:8).
On the one hand, it's always good to get scientific affirmation for something you believe or suspect.
On the other, it's never fun when you've been planning to write about that same belief or suspicion for over a year and someone goes out and steals your thunder.
But that's okay - this Fox News report about a survey by Marist College on the most annoying words in American conversation just gives me the excuse to get around to it now.
The article states,
47 percent of Americans surveyed in a Marist College poll released Wednesday [found "Whatever" to be the most annoying word we use].
"Whatever" easily beat out "you know," which especially grated a quarter of respondents. The other annoying contenders were "anyway" (at 7 percent), "it is what it is" (11 percent) and "at the end of the day" (2 percent).
"Whatever" — pronounced "WHAT'-ehv-errr" when exasperated — is an expression with staying power. Immortalized in song by Nirvana ("oh well, whatever, nevermind") in 1991, popularized by the Valley girls in "Clueless" later that decade, it is still commonly used, often by younger people.
It can be an all-purpose argument-ender or a signal of apathy. And it can really be annoying. The poll found "whatever" to be consistently disliked by Americans regardless of their race, gender, age, income or where they live.
Exactly! I've felt that way for years. When someone uses "whatever" on me in a conversation or email, it's a kick to the groin of non-importance. Beyond annoying, it's rude and dismissive. It's also ignorant, especially when delivered at the end of what was supposed to be a friendly debate or argument, because it illustrates that the person had no better retort and is now summarily ending the conversation with a parting shot connoting that nothing you just said mattered anyway. "Whatever!"
In a country sorely lacking in civility, manners, and conversation skills... and ripe with apathy and self-importance, "Whatever" is the motto du jour.
Then again... what a powerful word it can be for our walk with Christ.
It's kind of like when you are reading a play, or preparing to act in one. You have the script before you. There are minimal clues for how any word in the text should be read. What inflection, what level of voice, what tone shall I use? What does the context and the setting and the personality of the character tell me in regards to how this word or line is going to sound? Ultimately, you and the Director decide.
And I've decided that "Whatever" can be, if we so choose, the defining word of the Christian life. Because while few other words carry the same potential for dismissive rudeness, no other word holds the same potential for all-out surrender and steadfast faith.
I find you guilty in your sins.
Whatever you say, Lord, I repent and accept the sacrifice of your Son who atoned for them.
This situation you're in is going to hurt.
Whatever. I know my faith will be made strong through trials, and that I can do all things through your strength.
You don't know what the future holds; only I do.
Whatever it is, you deserve glory and honor and praise. Bring it on!
I want you to [go to Africa / give to this homeless person / quit this job / plant this church / preach my Word]
Whatever!
I know you think this is unfair compared to that person's situation, but do not let comparison steal my joy from you.
Whatever, God. Whatever.
The Apostle Paul was the master of "whatever." To wit:
Phil. 4:11: I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.
1 Cor. 10:31: Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
Gal. 6:7: Whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.
Eph. 6:8: Whatever good thing each one does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether slave or free.
Phil. 4:8: Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.
Whatever!
:angel:
Sifted
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com
"Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers." Luke 22:31-32
Every so often, I'm overcome with the urge. I tromp my way into the kitchen, raid my wife's Pinterest boards, and load up the most ridiculously awesome dessert I can find (as long as it has ingredients I can pronounce). Why? I have no idea, but cooking is an itch that has to be scratched every so often. And if I'm going to cook, then let it be dessert (or something grilled, but dessert works better year round).
Now, I'm not the most faithful of recipe followers. I never measure vanilla extract; I eschew mixer etiquette (like the speed really matters); and I don't sift flour. In fact, I'm convinced that a sifter was invented by kitchen accessory companies as a way to squeeze more money out of wannabe chefs: "Sure, your flour is fluffy, but is it sifted fluffy?"
Okay, okay... a real chef, which I am not, will tell you the importance of sifting. They'll go into a long spiel about why it makes the dish better. They're right, I'm sure, but that doesn't mean I'm willing to go through with the process. I'd rather live my fantasy about why sifting flour isn't important because it makes the dessert easier.
In fact, that's exactly the same reaction I have with my life being sifted. I much prefer the easy, slapdash method of getting to where God wants me to be. My desire is that He take me from messed up to fixed in the rough areas of my life without having to go through the tough work of restoration. Throw in the fix, and I'm good to go.
But it doesn't work that way, and there's a good reason why: being sifted leaves a mark that instant fixes don't. We need the scars to remind us.
Notice how Jesus explains this to Peter. First, He tells Peter that Satan has asked to sift the disciple. Asked... as in requesting permission from God to test Peter. Second, Satan gets permission. Jesus doesn't say the request was denied. He says only that He prayed for Peter's faith not to fail. In other words, Jesus holds the disciple together, but He doesn't stop the testing. Finally, it's only after the sifting and restoration that Peter can strengthen his brothers.
That's the key here. Peter gets sifted (through his denial of Jesus), but because he's sifted, he can restore his brothers. His faith gets a huge boost, and the post-sifting Peter becomes a rock-steady man of God (couldn't resist the pun).
Intersecting Faith & Life: Sifting stinks, and we'd all prefer that God would just snap His mighty fingers and make us the man or woman He wants us to be. But if He did, we would miss the blessing that comes from being refined in the fire. Yes, I said "blessing," a big, fat blessing—even if it doesn't feel that way at the time.
For Further Reading
Luke 22
John 21
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Friends with Benefits
by Stephen Sanders, Salem A/V Editor
"Everything is permissible"--but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"--but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others. -1 Corinthians 10:23-24 (NIV)
Anyone who has been a Christian for an amount of time has probably experienced an unfriendly encounter with another believer. It's just inevitable. People have bad days, become influenced by the wrong things and make the wrong decision sometimes. Christians, in our culture specifically, also have a tendency to be very judgmental...and that is probably a bigger problem than most of us realize.
In recent months, I've seen really strong arguments online about a variety of issues. Here are a few:
-Can someone watch Harry Potter movies and still be a Christian?
-Can someone drink an alcoholic beverage from time to time and still be a Christian?
-Is it God's will for all Christians to be rich?
-Should Christians take medicine for illness or trust God for healing?
-Why did God create people that He knew would go to hell?
As you read some of these, you probably immediately formed an opinion based on what you have found to be "true" in the Bible or in your Christian walk. Maybe you have spent countless hours stewing over and standing for one of the sides to these arguments because you feel so strongly about them. You could be one of the few people who don't get caught up in such arguments and, for that, I salute you. But, regardless of who you are, there is a very important lesson to learn from all of this.
God has made it perfectly clear in the Bible that it is His will for Christians to be a light to this world. He has called us to be a people who draw the lost to Him, who share the Good News with those around us in order for them to be reconciled to Him. Those who are not Christians should look at us and see a group of people who love one another. This we know.
However, there are some things that we do not know for sure. We have not been given the ability to look into the hearts of other Christians and know what motivates them. It is absolutely impossible for any of us to walk in the same shoes as those around us come to the same conclusions about the issues of life. But isn't it funny how sometimes we still try?
Is Harry Potter something that Satan could use to pull a believer closer to him? Perhaps, but I think that he would be far more likely to use something or somebody far more unlikely to do it...like another believer. Could a Christian become addicted to alcohol and do damage to himself and others around him? Yes, but could a Christian also practice moderation and shame the devil? Definitely. Did God create people that He knew would go to hell? If so, does that really change the way we have been called to behave and minister to those around us? Absolutely not.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Everyone has their own perspective on what is beneficial or what should be permissible. This week, step outside of your regular circle of Christian friends and create some bonds with some Christians that you may not see eye to eye with on all the issues. You might be surprised at just how much God will use that to grow you. You might just find that you receive something far more valuable than the satisfaction you get when you've proven your point: a friend.
Further Reading:
1 John 3:11-24
James 4:1-12
:angel:
Dentists and Coca-Cola
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
"If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it." – Genesis 4:7
I really like drinking Coca-Cola. The habit started when I went overseas my junior year of college. None of us could drink the water because we might get parasites, so I ended up drinking Coke with most of my meals. I thought I'd kick the habit once I got back to the United States, but if anything it only made my addiction worse. I suddenly became aware of how easy it was to find a nice, cold Coke.
They were so cheap and so accessible that I barely needed an excuse to buy one. Sure, I knew drinking too much was bad for me, but I figured as long as I exercised and brushed my teeth there wasn't any harm in having one a day. Then I had my dentist appointment. I think most people would agree that going to the dentist would not be the highlight of their week. Well, imagine going to the dentist and being told you have three cavities that will require fillings. Sure, on the upside I did get to chat with a cute receptionist, but when the dentist began jabbing around in my mouth trying to find a good place to inject the Novocain, it dawned on me that maybe I should start watching how much I drank.
All joking aside, I think sin works in the same fashion. Each day we are tempted, and it's remarkably easy to find an excuse to justify our behavior. We tell ourselves it's not that bad, that as long as we read our Bible and go to church we'll be balancing the scales, but that's not how it works. Sin will slowly corrode your character until one day you'll find yourself with a serious problem. Because of the cross, we have received the grace of Jesus and are now free from sin, but the battle is not over.
Every day we will be tempted, and every day Jesus will call us to turn from sin and live a life according to his word. There cannot be any compromises with sin; it will only devour us.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Take a moment to consider where you are being tempted.
Further Reading
John 8:34
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Your Birthday: The Most and Least Important Day of Your Life
by Alex Crain, Editor, Christianity.com
Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." John 3:1
Just before our second son Henry was born, I remember standing with my wife in the nursery, looking around and just taking everything in. The wooden crib stood assembled and accessorized with matching mobile, blankets, padding and pillows. Diapers, booties and footie pajamas were tucked away in the bureau. The oak rocking chair sat sturdily in the corner nearest the window. In only a matter of days a tiny boy would fill that little room with life and great joy.
People love babies. There is an inexplicable excitement that surrounds the beginning of life. But as soon as the day of birth arrives, it becomes simultaneously the most important day and least important day of one's life. It is the most important because, without it, one wouldn't have life; but it is also least important because it is only the starting point and then it's past. After the moment of birth, the most important thing is, of course, living.
Obvious as it seems, I was reminded while reading Francis Schaeffer's book, True Spirituality, that many professing Christians seem to languish in denial of this fact regarding the moment of their own spiritual birth. Ask a friendly question of, "how is your relationship with the Lord?" and you may hear an answer emphasizing a past decision, a moment of crisis, or an experience—as if past events were all that mattered. Schaeffer wrote,
"In one way, the new birth is the most important thing in our spiritual lives, because we are not Christians until we have come this way. In another way, however, after one has become a Christian, it must be minimized, in that we should not always have our minds only on our new birth. The important thing after being born spiritually is to live." (ch. 1)
Yes, we are grateful for the past. We look forward expectantly to the bright future ahead with Christ in His manifest presence. But our present walk with Christ, right now, is the most important moment. Romans 14:17 says, "The kingdom of God is [present tense] ... righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit."
1 John 1:7 reaffirms this emphasis on the present—true spirituality is concerned with walking [present tense] in the light "as He is [present tense] in the light, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, cleanses us [present tense] from all sin."
Intersecting Faith & Life: Refocus today on your present walk with Christ. If your fellowship with the Lord is broken, let 1 John 1:1 illumine the path. It says, "If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Trust God's promise of forgiveness and cleansing in Christ, and begin to walk with Him again. The important thing after being born spiritually is to live spiritually.
Further Reading
Psalms 86:7
continuous revival, by Norman Grubb (Chapter 1: "The Walk")
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Is Satan Spamming You?
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
Then Jesus said to him, "Go, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship The Lord your God, and serve Him only.'"
Matthew 4:10
"This stock is about to take off!" ... "You won't believe this Miracle Pill!" ... "Hello, I am a Nigerian Prince" ... These are only a few of the emails that have ended up in my spam folder. We've all received them, those obnoxious messages that try to trick you into sending money or personal information to some unknown source. All spam email follows the same design. First, they open up by preying on a person's fear, insecurity, or general discontent. After that, they propose a simple solution, an easy win for the reader, which convinces the reader to put their trust in something very untrustworthy.
Thankfully, most computers now come with software to filter out the phony emails. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for everyday life. I've found Satan often uses the same tactics as these spam mails whenever he wants to attack a human being. First, he takes advantage of your worry, your self-image, or something else in your life. Then he offers you something that might fix the problem, but in truth, only makes things worse. These temptations will always be present in life, but Jesus offers us a powerful reassurance in Matthew 6 that equips us to defend ourselves.
"For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these." Matthew 6:25-29
Many people have taken this verse to mean that as long as we trust in God, nothing bad will happen. Not so. We live in a fallen world, and bad things are always going to happen. What this verse does promise is that no matter what we face in life, God will always be there. Sometimes in the healing we desperately prayed for, other times in the shoulder we cry on.
Whatever roads our lives take, Christ is there to provide for us. Don't allow Satan to fool you with the offer of an easy fix, don't let fear and despair dictate your actions. God is there, and he will help you.
Intersecting Faith and Life: As a Christian, you are not alone in your struggles. Find support in a small group or an accountability partner.
Further Reading
Zephaniah 3:17
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Free Radicals
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
"Woe to you when all men speak well of you..."
luke 6:26
How deep does my arrogance run? Put it this way: you didn't ask, but I'm going to tell you anyway. You see, the biggest reason I've not yet written the book I've got jangling around in my brain is that deep down I still actually believe a complete impossibility: that hidden between my mind and my keyboard are the magic, just-right words that will get everyone to agree. On everything. Or at least, on everything as I have interpreted it. The words that will get Christians to start treating sinners as they treat themselves, and sinners to stop sinning. Phrases that will be so beautifully turned that neither liberal nor conservative will have aught to say about them. A book that will bring everyone together, and that, most importantly, will not cause anyone to write me nasty letters, claim I am deluded, or call me an idiot.
The irony, of course, is that my goal is already shot. The ideal itself is delusional, and pure idiocy. And as the saying goes, if you want everyone to like you, nobody will.
So what should be the goal? Well, truth, sure. And being obedient to simply be the vehicle through which God wants to impart a particular take on His Truth.
But why is that so hard?
I think it could be that we continually re-invent Jesus, who is paradoxically uncomplicated and difficult to parse, who already lived here before me, whose words are already recorded for anyone to read. The Lord called Himself 'the Truth' while giving us a version of how to walk on this planet that is so contrary, so impractical, so frustratingly (if I hope to be honest about it) radical.
Beginning with what I already admitted at the top of this devotional, bear with me as I turn Christ's Great Sermon from Luke 6:1 into something of a dialogue...
Jesus (vs. 26): Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for in the same way their fathers used to treat the false prophets.
Me: Ew. Cut to the chase about what I'm going through, why don't you? So I've set myself on the path of the false prophet, have I? Swell; I knew I couldn't trust myself. But Lord, anything else I say or write or do is going to lead to having enemies, people who are upset with me. What do I do about that?
Jesus (vs. 27-28): Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
Me: Oh... so it's an action thing instead of an avoidance thing. Pretty mind-boggling concepts. I can't help but notice you didn't say, "bash those jerks' heads in with rightness." Because that feels more natural, Lord. But assuming you're on to something, what does that look like in practice?
Jesus (vs. 29-30): Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either. Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back.
Me: Ooh, yeah, ya see, the thing is, Lord... there's a lot of people who might take advantage of that. And what in the world are you saying: there might be people who want to hit me in the face?! Is that what I signed up for in following you? I gotta be honest, it doesn't sound like a very comfortable, or practical, way of living in this day and age, this country, this world. Can't you simplify it for me?
Jesus (vs. 31-33): Just as you want people to treat you, treat them in the same way. And if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.
Me: Wow, that just blows my mind, Lord. Of course you're right... what is there to separate me at all from anyone else, even the most vile of unrepentant sinners, except how I react to situations and treat people? But don't you know how hard this would be? What am I saying... of course you do..., but... please forgive me for saying so, it just feels like giving some bully my coat, shirt, or other cheek is somehow crazier, tougher, more insane in 21st-century America than first-century Jerusalem. I hate asking, but if I'm gonna commit to this, I gotta know... what's in it for me?
Jesus (vs. 35, 37-38): Love your enemies and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men... Do not judge and you will not be judged... pardon, and you will be pardoned... Give, and it will be given to you.
Me: Man... and here I was thinking that I was the one who needed to come up with the words that helped us treat sinners as ourselves, and to what ends. You truly have covered all things and lived all things, Lord. Now, I just wonder if I can really do this, Lord, even for the rewards you promise.
Jesus (vs. 46): Why do you call me, "Lord, Lord" and do not do what I say?
Me: Because it's so contrary, upside-down, and radical that it's seriously hard to trust... even to trust you, Lord. Although, if it were easy I guess it wouldn't be called 'trust.' It just seems like there's so much to lose. Help me to be free. Help me to take this risk, to think not of myself, my safety, my comfort first, to love people as you love them. If I may be so bold, it's almost like you were... blessed to be unattached and to have no place to lay your head? Still, despite my handicaps, I want to try, Lord... I want to try.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Now here's a challenge -- but it's straight from the mouth of Christ: the next time you are wronged, hurt, or had something taken from you... can you give the person responsible even more of what they took? And believe you'll somehow be blessed for it? And if not, why not?
Further Reading
John 12:25
Radical Gratitude: Grateful in Tough Times
Someone Worth Losing Everything For
Are You a Radical?
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The Forgotten Vital Organ
by Katherine Britton
The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.
Proverbs 18:21
I have decided that many, many medical textbooks are wrong. Each and every one of them has actually left out a vital organ. Yes, they've remembered the heart and the brain and even that strange thing called a pancreas (I know it's important, I just forget why sometimes). But look through the books all you want, and you'll find not one mention of the most obvious vital organ of all: the tongue.
Then again, I myself often choose to ignore the importance of the tongue. I'd rather not believe it has "the power of life and death." I'd like to pretend my tongue is more like an appendix or a gall bladder - easy to forget about because it's not that important - but that's just not the case. Snapping at my family when I'm tired, nagging, and complaining all release a poison from my tongue that works its way through my whole being (James 3:6). Not only that, I infect others with my attitudes and motivations. I begin to spread a disease.
Contrast that with the "words of the wise," as Proverbs says many times. Their words heal and strengthen as they spread encouragement, wisdom, peace, and the Gospel message. Oh, and - get this - the wise actually use their tongues less than other people. The more powerful the tongue, the less it needs to be used. It's like the heart of a well-trained athlete - when someone is really in shape, the beats per minute actually decrease as the heart becomes more and more efficient. In the same way, why don't I condition my tongue to speak fewer words with more meaning?
In Genesis 1, God spoke into the darkness, and there was light. Those "mere words" created something from nothing, showing the power of speaking out. My pastor in college told us that this verse had meaning for us, too, since we are created in God's image. We are meant to speak out and bring light from the darkness as He did. That's the power of the tongue in a crazy world. The question is whether we choose to speak light or just add to the darkness.
That little muscle called the tongue holds the power of life and death. That's no small matter. So let's be careful how we exercise it.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Grab a concordance and look up the words "mouth" and "tongue." The reference lists are extensive. It gets even bigger if you include the words "speak" and words." Then, take a seven day challenge to "tame the tongue" in just one way. Perhaps try encouraging instead of complaining. Even taming just that one area is like trying to control a wildfire (James 3:5). Don't get discouraged, but take each opportunity to thank God for the "new song" that He has given you to sing (Psalm 40:3).
Further Reading
Christians and Cussin'
Prayer or Gossip?
The Tongue: Life or Death in Our Marriage?
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Forgive the Neighborhood Bullies?
by Alex Crain, Editor, Christianity.com
And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
Matthew 6:12
My family is blessed to live on a cul-de-sac where our seven-year-old boy freely rides his bike and plays for hours without having to contend with busy traffic. The contention he faces most often is unfortunately the unkind words and actions of the other boys around the block.
Knowing that our little guy isn't perfect, my wife asked our son after one recent occurrence if he had done anything to provoke the attack. "No, mom" he replied as he held the little spot on the side of his head where a hardened dirt clod missile had made impact just a few moments earlier. "He's just mean. I'm never playing with him again." She commended him for walking away from the fray instead of taking matters into his own hands—an impulse which generally tends to make matters worse.
While we have tried to help our son (and ourselves) understand that we live in a sinful world in which things like this happen, we still struggle to respond in a way that demonstrates the grace of the Lord to neighbors He has called us to reach. One habit that seems to bring about the right change in our hearts is to talk to the Lord about it as a family during nightly prayers. We often close our time reciting "the Lord's prayer," which gently reminds us of our own sins as we say the line: "...and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors."
Thomas Watson, the great Cambridge scholar and Puritan preacher from the 1600s, wrote commenting on that phrase (in Matthew 6:12) "We are not bound to trust an enemy; but we are bound to forgive him." (body of divinity, p. 734). Going further (p. 734), he asks: "When do we forgive others?"
Answer: "When we strive against all thoughts of revenge; when we will not do our enemies mischief, but wish well to them, grieve at their calamities, pray for them, seek reconciliation with them, and show ourselves ready on all occasions to relieve them--this is gospel forgiving."
Watson, being the biblical scholar that he was, did not derive his answer from thin air. Each part of it comes straight from Scripture:
1. Resist thoughts of revenge: Romans 12:19, "Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,' says the Lord."
2. Don't seek to do them mischief: 1 Thessalonians 1:15, "See that no one repays another with evil for evil..."
3. Wish well to them: Luke 6:28, "Bless those who curse you."
4. Grieve at their calamities: Proverbs 24:17, "Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles."
5. Pray for them: Matthew 5:44, "But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you."
6. Seek reconciliation with them: Romans 12:18, "If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men."
7. Be always willing to come to their relief: Exodus 23:4, "If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey wandering away, you shall surely return it to him."
Today, there was peace in the neighborhood. All the boys were getting along again climbing up the tree fort and playing on the rope swing in our backyard. This side of heaven, our battle with unforgiveness may continue to wage; but Watson's biblical counsel and God's grace form the right strategy of gospel forgiving.
Intersecting Faith & Life: In what situations are you tempted to harbor unforgiveness?
How does God look upon unforgiveness? (read Matthew 6:15).
Is there a situation in your life today in which you can apply "gospel forgiving?"
Further Reading
Psalms 73:1
Thomas Watson, A Body of Divinity
Thomas Watson, The Lord's Prayer
:angel:
Imperfect Communities of Peace
by Alex Crain, Editor, Christianity.com
"He gives more grace. Therefore it says, 'God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.'" (James 4:1)
Looking around at the seemingly fractured state of Christianity in the world today with all of its various camps and divisions, it's tempting to idealize the early church as a perfect time of peace and harmony. Instead of multiple churches in a city, there was just one. Instead of separate denominations, seminaries, and theological societies there was just a small, despised group of disciples who clung to Christ and turned the world upside down with the message of grace and salvation.
Then the book of James disrupts that rose-colored view of history with a more complete picture of the early churches. The Epistle of James was the first book of the New Testament written slightly more than a decade or so after Jesus ascended. Even a casual reading of this short letter shows that the author spilled a lot of ink addressing the ongoing problem of sinful human conflict among Christians. Why? Because Christians can, and do, still sin. And sin tends to bring about devastating effects.
But the Holy Spirit, through James's letter, instructed these believers how to become communities of peace in Christ's power. The seven implicit commands in James 4:1 are for us as well by extension. All seven commands hang together. Not one of them is optional.
1. Realize the true source of sinful conflict (vv. 1-2a). It's not your circumstances. It's not your brother or sister. It's your own heart.
1 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 2 You desire and do not have;
2. Fear the serious effects of sinful conflict (vv. 2-4). In other words, don't take sin lightly.
2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.4You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
In life, we recognize that having a healthy fear of danger is the mark of maturity, not weakness.
3. Humbly seek God's grace to overcome sin (vv. 6, 10). We Christians need to continually view ourselves as needy recipients of God's grace, not dispensers of self-made virtue.
6 He gives more grace. Therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." 10 Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.
4. Pursue God and you will not pursue sin. (vv. 7-8) Such an obvious, self-evident truth needs little explanation.
7 Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.
5. Keep your hearts tender to sin (v. 8-9)
8 Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom.
To this originally Jewish audience who were the first recipients of James' letter, it would be common knowledge that the Hebrew word for heart in verse 8 means conscience. Rather than talking about the blood-pumping organ in our chest, James refers to the inner person, the soul, the conscience.
Moses recorded that Pharaoh "hardened his heart" (Exodus 8:15), which meant that Pharaoh had seared his conscience from heeding God's will.
When Scripture speaks of a tender heart as in 2 Chronicles 2:27, it's talking about a sensitive conscience.
Proverbs 4:23 says, "Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life."
We may mentally know the source of sin and possess a genuine fear for the effects of sin, but without an alert and tender heart to the presence of sin, we fall into sin.
6. Don't judge each other in sinful ways (v. 11)
11 Do not speak against one another, brethren. He who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge of it.
We wrongly think that we can hide our sins by highlighting the sins of others. We sinfully judge through subtle forms of gossip and slander, both of which grieve the Spirit and divide the family of God. It's important to have discernment. And that means Christians can, and should, use sound judgment about whose professions of faith are credible. Jesus Himself said that we evaluate not by a person's words but by what fruit is shown in his or her life (Matthew 7:20). But rather than judge in sinful ways, we follow Christ's way of restoration spelled out in Scriptures like Matthew 18 and Galatians 6:1.
7. Trust God to work in each other's lives (v. 12)
12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy; but who are you who judge your neighbor?
I recall hearing biblical counselor, david powlison, once say that a wonderful trait about true Christians is that they love the light; and when given the truth, they'll embrace it.
While that may not always take place as immediately as we would like, if the other person is truly a believer, he has the Holy Spirit dwelling within him and will ultimately be drawn to the truth. James 4:12 reminds us that God is, indeed, able to save. The great promise of Philippians 1:6 comes to mind, "I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ."
When living out these commands by God's grace, Christian individuals can become churches that are communities of peace. Imperfect, yes. Nothing will be perfect until Christ returns and his glorious kingdomcomes. But until then, Christ doesn't call his sheep to be passive about the dangers of unchecked sinful conflict.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Our struggle with flesh is over only in heaven, but we are called to embrace the struggle and fight the flesh, not surrender to it.
Further Reading
Not What You Wanted?
What is the Kingdom of Christ?
:angel:
Sex, God, and a Lasting Love
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
An excellent wife, who can find? For her worth is far above jewels. – Proverbs 31:10
We live in a culture obsessed with sex, but that shouldn't surprise anyone. From the moment we get up in the morning, to the second we fall back asleep, we are bombarded with images and slogans designed to generate our physical desires. Like many Christians, I grew up listening to sermons about the sin of premarital sex. Over and over I heard pastors talk about the sanctity of marriage, the spread of diseases through casual encounters, the risks of unwanted pregnancies, etc. While I took these warnings to heart and stayed celibate, another part of me was too embarrassed to admit that I just didn't get it.
To me, most of the sermons just sounded like fear-mongering. As long as both people were careful and consenting adults, was it really that bad? For a long time I chose to ignore my questions, hoping the answers would eventually just come to me, and ironically enough, they did. I was working part-time at an amusement park with a bunch of other teens when I overheard a co-worker boasting about a girl he'd hooked up with the previous week. I was beginning to tune him out when a realization suddenly struck me.
He didn't care about this girl; and odds were she didn't care about him either. They didn't know each other's hopes and fears, or the character traits that defined their identities. They had both just used each other for their own gratification. To each other, they were both a disposable pleasure.
But look now at how the first marriage is described in Genesis 2,
"So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. The LORD God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. The man said, "This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man." For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed." – Genesis 2:21
God created sex, physical intimacy, to be a lasting love. Its purpose was to be the greatest connection between two people who knew one another, loved one another, and were loved in return. What our world offers in comparison is nothing more than a cheap knock-off. Be careful to guard your hearts and minds, and don't allow lust to gain a foothold in your life. Remember, God made us to be more than a disposable pleasure.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Consider your own heart and mind, are you pursing a lasting relationship?
Further Reading
Song of Solomon 7:1-13
:angel:
Give Me Fruit, or Give Me Death
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com
"And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God." Philippians 1:9-11
For the last several years, my wife and I have dabbled in gardening. I say "dabbled" because each year has brought more frustration than juicy cucumbers. First, we realized the importance of finding a spot that gets enough sunlight. Then, we discovered the joys of unfit or exhausted soils. Most recently, we've found how much deer like to nibble on just-about-to-bloom plants.
Master gardeners we are not. All those visions of vegetables and fruits dancing in our freezer have met the brown reality of stunted corn and shriveled peas.
You see, we come at this with some serious deficiencies. Namely, we have no idea what we're doing. Everything we've learned about clays and fertilizer and propping up pumpkin vines has come from a book I picked up at Tractor Supply and various YouTube videos. We've cut back the weeds on our ignorance page by page because neither of our families really did much in the way of horticulture (unless you count cutting the grass).
But that doesn't mean we've been completely unsuccessful. In fact, every time we pick something from our garden that's actually edible, it's pretty much a party. "We have beans. Who wants to do the bean dance?" I have no shame when it comes to herbal success.
Perhaps that's because my spiritual growth has come pretty much the same way. Everything I've learned about God, salvation, faith, and love has come from the Bible I picked up in 2003 (and all the others since then) and the examples of Christians I've met along the way. I stumbled along for years, trying to figure out my newfound freedom in Christ, trying to grasp what it means to be an effective ambassador for Him.
Over and over, I kept trying to make things grow. I'd rush to this fad for spiritual success, dig into this surefire method to overcome my sin nature, and pluck up whatever Christian book that had the answers. Surely the next one would help me be fruitful. Surely this pastor/writer/author/blogger has the best answers for how I can really do what God wants.
The whole time, I missed what Paul said to the Philippians: "the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ." The fruit comes from Him. God prepared the works for us (Ephesians 2:10), and He provides the growth (1 Corinthians 3:6). Those other sources of wisdom are fine, but they were never any substitute for Christ being formed in me (Galatians 4:19).
It takes time (and will take much, much more), but I wouldn't trade it for all the juicy cucumbers and plump beans in the world, even the ones in my own little garden.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Being fruitful takes time. It's easy to think that some expert has the answer you need to get where you want to be, to overcome the challenges you face. But they probably don't. While most of those books and conferences can be useful, they're no substitute for good, old fashioned growth in Christ. Time, prayer, and Word—there's no getting around how much we need them. They produce the true "organic" fruit.
:angel:
Love is On the Move
by Debbie Holloway, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
"Then the righteous will answer Him, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'" -Matthew 25:37-40
"On the corner of 5th Street / a homeless man needs to eat / down on the edge of town..."
-Leeland, "Love is On the Move"
Actually it was 14th Street. 14th and Cary.
I was driving slowly across the cobblestone of downtown Richmond, one block away from pulling into my parking garage before work. However, I noticed a new addition to my morning drive: a middle-aged man with sandy hair sitting on the corner, facing me. He was holding a cardboard sign which read "STUCK LIKE CHUCK." I had never seen him there before. On my way to work this morning I had already passed a beat-up looking group of teenage boys hitch-hiking on the side of 95 south, so by now my maternal instincts were driving me crazy.
I specifically made sure that I made my way to the office via the man with the sign. Before I walked past him I stopped and asked, "Sir?" He looked up at me. His skin was very weathered and tan, but his eyes were electric blue. Almost shocking. "Do you need some food?" I asked.
He sort of looked down, as though thinking, Well, I can't pay my bills with food... But he looked back up at me and hesitantly conceded, "It sure would help." I gave him part of my lunch I had packed for the day, said "God bless you, sir," and tried not to cry.
It's so hard to translate Christ's mandate to love the poor into modern, daily city life. What if I give someone money and they just go buy drugs or cigarettes? What if I help a hitchhiker and they put a gun to my head? How could my pitiful Tupperware container full of fruit possibly help a genuinely struggling man? But Christ made no bones about it: we at least have to try. Not just the important, desperate, convenient people. God's empathy extends to "even the least of them" – He feels both their pain and their gratitude.
"If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,' and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?" –James 2:15
"Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?" –James 2:5
Intersecting Faith and Life
How can you be a powerful, physical force for God's love? In your life, who are the poor, "the least," that Christ would have you notice?
Further Reading/Listening
Love is on the Move – Leeland (Essential Records, 2009)
Matthew 25:1
James 2:1
Permission to Feed the Poor?
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Setting a Christian Example
by Sarah Piper
Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe. 1 Timothy 4:12
Has there ever been a time in your life when you felt like you had nothing to offer or that your contributions didn't matter? Ever had to prove yourself to others in order to gain their respect? Think back to your childhood—maybe you experienced this in a classroom or on a sports team. It's easy to be intimidated or overshadowed by those who are older, smarter, more talented or more experienced than we are. In 1 Timothy 4:12, Paul is writing to Timothy, a young believer. He encourages him not to give anyone an excuse to write him off as immature or undeserving of their attention, but instead to confidently set an excellent example of the Christian life.
Of course, Paul's message here doesn't apply only to Timothy, but to us as well. Even if we sometimes feel useless, God has a plan to use us for His glory in every situation. He enables us to live in a way that exalts Him and to bless others with our example.
In this verse, Paul names five specific areas in our lives that should be representative of a changed heart, the first of which is speech. This is probably one of the most difficult aspects of our character to keep in check; as James 3:6 says, "the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness." Although there's no denying that it's challenging, it's vital that we learn to control what we say since it often has a huge effect on others. Thoughtful and loving words can establish relationships, but just a few angry or careless words can destroy years of friendship.
Next, Paul emphasizes our conduct. In his letter to the Philippians, he encourages them to "conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ." As believers, we have a responsibility to represent Christ to the world through our actions. If we wear the label of "Christian," we must be willing to live our lives to that standard.
Perhaps the most essential aspect, love must also be characteristic of our lives. As Jesus says in John 13:35, "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." More than anything else, our love distinguishes us from unbelievers. Christians are called to exhibit a kind of love that others would see as crazy, the same kind that Jesus showed us: unconditional, undeserved, and often unrequited—the type of love that makes people do a double take.
Next, Paul addresses our faith. As believers, "we walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7). We trust that the Bible is true, that Jesus was who He said He was, and that God has the ability to keep the promises He has made to us. This faith should give us courage to live boldly for Christ because we know God will love, protect, and provide for us no matter what.
Finally, we are called to be an example of purity. In the Beatitudes in Matthew 5: 8, Jesus says, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." Because of our fallen nature, we can't reach perfection in this life, but nevertheless, we are to strive to keep God's commands as a demonstration of our love for Him and gratefulness for the saving work He's done in our lives. As we grow in our walk with Him, He promises to purify us and make us more like Himself.
The characteristics outlined in this verse aren't easy to perfect by any stretch of the imagination. That doesn't give us a free pass not to work towards that goal, though. Paul challenges us to reach for a higher standard, not only to set an example for other believers, but also to make unbelievers wonder what we have that is so special that it changes everything about our lives.
:angel:
Go Ahead. Shine.
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com
"Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life" Philippians 2:14-16a
The quick burning desire to be an astronomer came during year 3 of my college experience. That was after philosopher, writer (the first time), and English professor, but before anthropologist, high school teacher, and writer (the second time). You can't blame a guy for wanting to wring every cent out of his scholarships.
So, in year 3, I became convinced that I would study space because... well... because I loved planets and stuff. With the same gusto that had carried me through my philosophy phase, I charged into star charts and calculated orbits with fury and fine-tipped lead pencils. I pored over research on black holes and quasars and stared intently into the night sky trying to figure out how in the world someone could think that a certain cluster of stars could look anything like a person or a goat or whatever.
Then, reality hit in the way of astrophysics. The funny thing about studying the stars is that you have to be able to calculate distances, luminosity, parallaxes, and more fancy terms. I could crunch equations just fine, but that doesn't mean I found it more satisfying than, say, ripping off a bandage from my legs.
Before I came to know Christ, all that nadir gazing did produce one substantial result in me: deep, deep emptiness. You can't help but feel how small you are when you peer into the infinite-seeming inkiness of space. The more you see how incomprehensibly expansive everything really is, the more you feel speck-like in the cosmic order. The weight of eternity came crushing in on me.
And in that darkness, I needed light. This "crooked and depraved" man groped about for anything that would shine, some embers of hope. Not finding them in philosophy or books or even astronomy, the pressure just got worse. I kept feeling my way through the darkness into whatever classes the university offered, but through each of my potential career paths, I found nothing that could illuminate the road around me.
Of course, I wouldn't have put it in those terms back then. At that point, I just knew something was messed up, and I couldn't figure out what. I needed the "word of life." But I didn't know I needed it, and I didn't know where to find it.
Intersecting Faith & Life: That's where we come in as Christians. People like the old me don't always even know what gnaws at them. Some have so subverted the pain that it plays out in pursuits of passion: They mute it with noise, clutter, medicine, or flesh. They prefer to find ways to ignore the crushing weight.
And then they see the stars. At least, they should see the stars. I don't necessarily mean the stars in the night, since city lights drown them out for most of us now days. I mean, they need to see the stars around them who shine through their Jesus-emulating behavior. That light has the power to both expose their blindness and help them see.
So, shine. People like the old me are counting on it.
For Further Reading
Philippians 2
Matthew 5
:angel:
Do You Have Unfair Expectations?
by Debbie Holloway, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
"Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD?" (Exodus 4:11)
Last week one of the ladies in my office brought some veggies burgers to give away during lunchtime. She is sometimes sent free products or games through a certain company in exchange for spreading word about them and sending in pictures of her friends & co-workers enjoying the free product. I'd never had a veggie burger, but I thought, Hey, I won't say no to a free lunch!
Several people showed up to the break-room to sample the burgers, but everyone was a little nervous to actually eat them. I went first, my expectations low and my mind open.
It wasn't bad! In fact, I found it tasty and would eat it again. Later I chuckled to myself, thinking, there's no way my husband would enjoy this. You see, my husband is a pretty big fan of a good burger. And, while the veggie burger was tasty in my opinion, it didn't really taste like a beef burger. It had its own unique flavor. But it would be hard to give my husband something that looks like a burger and then tell him that it won't taste like a burger. Basically disappointment would inevitably happen.
And that got me thinking even further. Isn't that an epidemic that the human race has most of the time? We have such specific expectations about things. We hear a movie quoted and praised to death, set our expectations sky-high, and by the time we watch it, we can't appreciate it because it doesn't live up to the hype. More harmful than movie expectations, however, are the expectations we subconsciously place on our spiritual life, or our relationship with Christ.
"I'm supposed to feel ____ when I worship...right? But I don't feel it. There must be something wrong with me."
"Why don't I hear God's voice when I pray? Abraham did. Moses did. Does God hear me?"
"My friend _____ speaks in tongues. I've never done that. Does that mean I'm not filled with the spirit?"
But Scripture tells us that every human being was created unique, in God's image, and you have a different part to play in the body of Christ than your neighbor does.
"Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body... If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be" (1 Corinthians 12:14-18).
Intersecting Faith and Life: The next time you allow your expectations to deflate you, remember that expectations rob us of joying in the here-and-now. Be present! Be thankful! Remember that your experiences and your role in the church are meant to be unique and shouldn't be compared to anyone else's.
Further Reading
1 Corinthians 12
The Comparison Trap
How Can I Come to Terms with Unrealistic Expectations?
:angel:
Unqualified
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
It is the LORD your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him. -Deuteronomy 13:4
Sometimes I feel like, as a Christian, I'm no good. I have no memory for Bible verses, I don't have any gifts in leadership or preaching, and I've done some pretty stupid, not to mention embarrassing, things while trying to serve Christ in the past. In moments like these, I try to remember Gladys Alyward.
Gladys Alyward was a London-born woman who became a missionary to China in the 1930's. Another missionary named Mrs. Lawson had invited Alyward to China, where the two women would run an inn and tell Bible stories to the passing travelers. Lawson and Alyward were the only foreigners in the city, at a time when Europeans were looked on with great distrust by the Chinese, and not long after her arrival, Mrs. Lawson suffered a severe fall and died a few days later.
Only a few weeks after Lawson's death, Alyward was approached by the city's Mandarin. The government had decided to put an end to the ancient practice of foot-binding, and this meant the government needed a foot-inspector, a woman (someone who could invade the women's quarters without scandal) who would patrol the district and enforce the decree. Though Alyward was now running the inn by herself, she chose to accept the position and used it to minister to countless individuals.
A year after that, Alyward was once again summoned by the Mandarin. A riot had broken out at a local prison, and Alyward was told to calm it. The prison guards had heard of her strange religion and wanted to put it to the test, so Alyward had no choice but to walk into the rampaging prison. To everyone's surprise, when Alyward called for the rioting prisoners to stop, they did. She told them to select a spokesman for the prisoners whom she could speak with, which again, they did without argument. It turned out the prisoners were confined to close quarters all day, with nothing to do and nothing to eat but food sent to them by family members. Though prison reform was unheard of at the time, Alyward managed to gather equipment the men could use to grind grain, earning them money for food.
As the years passed, the people of the city gave Alyward the name Ai-weh-deh, meaning "Virtuous One." Her inn expanded to become an orphanage where she cared for over 100 children, and when the Japanese threatened to invade in WWII, it was she who led the children over the mountains to safety. Alyward continued to preach the message of Christ all her life until she died in 1970.
Funny thing about Gladys Alyward: when she first applied to be a missionary, she was turned down. The organization she'd applied for considered her "unqualified" to minister in a foreign country.
God loves unqualified Christians. Look at Peter - a day laborer and a coward. Look at Matthew, who was a tax collector and an outcast. Look at Mary, who the scripture say Jesus cast twelve demons from. Don't underestimate what Christ can do with your life. Give God one willing Christian, and he can change the face of the world.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Do you feel like an unqualified Christian? Don't feel down; pray to God and seek a place where you can serve him.
Further Reading
Romans 12:11
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Wakeup Call
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com
Awake, my glory! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn! (Ps. 57:8).
Somewhere along the line, I forgot that I hate mornings. As a kid, I loathed the early morning sunshine after staying up too long and gorging on late-night TV shows. My Saturdays and Sundays and summer stirrings usually began at 1:00—p.m., that is. Even in college, I picked classes that didn't require any matinal commitments on my part. If I could squeeze everything in from noon to four, all the better (which is part of the reason my university experience meandered through six years and countless majors).
But now, suddenly, I'm up at 5:00 a.m. And even worse? I like it.
I suppose there's something about aging that rewires the morning-hate genes in our bodies or weakens the dawn antibodies we've built up over our childhood. The condition obviously overtook my grandfather, who never met a four o'clock coffee he didn't like, and my father, who used to spring out of bed before I even went to sleep on summer nights. Genetic baggage like that will catch up with you.
So, here I am, awake to pray and scare the twitchy deer from our stubbly bean plants, awake to shush the early morning sleep whimpers from our dog, awake to roll life decisions through my recharged synapses before all the buzzes, whoops, and emails clog them up. Awake and alive.
David said that he would "wake the dawn" with his praises and prayers. Another psalmist, much later, cried for help in those dark, early morning hours. Suddenly being one of those early risers, now I understand why morning sun meant so much to them.
You see, for all my loathing earlier in life, there's something almost sacred about the first light. No, I don't mean God blesses one part of the day more than others; I mean that early mornings peel away distraction with rose-colored light. Early mornings smother doubts and fears in the same way they splatter dew on the grass. Those moments, before anything else bangs on the door of your brain, bring a clarity that fades away far too quickly. And I don't want to miss it.
That's why the boy who shuddered at the thought of eyes being open before noon is now the man who doesn't want to miss the pre-day lightshow. It's there that I find God waiting.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Mornings aren't for everyone. So, this isn't a devotional meant to guilt you into dragging your half-dead body out of bed before 6:00. Not everyone has had the night-owl genes swallowed by the morning ones, and it doesn't make sense to wake up that early only to pass out during prayer.
Really, the time of day doesn't matter; the focus does. I love those moments because their God's. I wanted to give something up, to put aside the comfort of a warm bed for the better things: reading and thanking.
For me, mornings make the most sense. For you, maybe it's a lunch break or an evening time when you might normally be watching Netflix. Whenever the time, you'll be amazed how fulfilling it is to lay it aside for God... and how He changes you.
Further Reading
Psalm 57
Psalm 139
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Playing Second Fiddle
by Stephen Sanders, Audio/Video Editor, Salem Web Network
"Love from the center of who you are; don't fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle." (Rom. 12:9-10, MSG)
Shortly after I decided that I wanted to write a blog post on this passage of scripture, a funny thing happened. For the second time this week, I received a work email from one of my fellow employees titled, "free Hanover Tomatoes in the break room!"
Now, as a lover of all types of tomatoes, especially those of the Hanover variety, I got this email and quickly rushed down the steps to the break room where I found a couple more of my work mates. With a speedy "hey guys," I made a beeline for the table where people place all the free stuff.
As I opened the bag and reached inside, I discovered that there was just one delicious Hanover tomato left. I reluctantly picked it up and turned to toss the bag in the trash when one of my colleagues exclaimed, "Aww man! The last tomato?!?!"
"Here you go, man." I said. After all, I still had a delicious Hanover tomato in the fridge from earlier that week.
He said, "No. I can't. It's fine, man."
"No really," I said emphatically, "please take it."
"OK. If you say so," he said. As I walked towards the door to head back upstairs, he said, "Wait. Here you go, man. It has a couple holes in it anyway."
"Are you sure?" I replied as I reached out for the delicious Hanover tomato. "I'm positive", he said, "I mean, you may want to slice it up or put it on a sandwich or something like that."
"You guys are embarrassing me", said my other work mate jokingly.
When we "play second fiddle", or as the ESV says, "outdo one another in showing honor", the world around us takes notice. It's the defining mark of a Christian and ultimately what causes us to shine. Sure it might make things a little awkward or uncomfortable for everyone involved, but what's so wrong with that? I mean, isn't that kind of the point?
Just think about it; the Bible tells us emphatically that our walk with Jesus is one where we empty ourselves and then fill ourselves back up with Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul was always talking about how it was no longer he who lived but Christ and that he actually died daily to be a follower of Jesus. Even Jesus Himself states that His followers are those who deny themselves and even lose themselves for His sake.
Denying your wants is not an easy thing. It may, in fact, cause you a lot of stress. After all, what happens if you give and give until you have nothing left?
In Matthew 6:25-34 (MSG), Jesus provides a remedy to our anxiety on this matter:
"If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don't fuss about what's on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body.
Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds. Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion – do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them.
If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers – most of which are never even seen – don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works.
Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes."
Intersecting Faith & Life
Surrendering to Jesus is the only way to supplement all of the discomfort we experience when we go without so someone else can receive. Be on the lookout for opportunities to display sacrificial love today while relying on Him for comfort.
For Further Reading
Mark 12:28-31
Philippians 2:1-4
Ephesians 5:14
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Time for Radical Action
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell."
Matthew 5:30
The arm amputation scene in the movie 127 Hours vividly portrays the tough-as-nails experience of rock climber Aron Ralston during a 2003 expedition that almost claimed his life. As I watched the scene not long ago, I was reminded of a spiritual truth that makes most Christians wince, including me.
Aron, an experienced 27-year-old outdoorsman had taken along just enough food and water for the day. He hiked all by himself in a remote canyon area that used to be the hideout for wild-west outlaws Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. At one point in the middle of the afternoon of that near perfect day, he was about seventy feet above the canyon floor—climbing in a narrow crevice that was just a few feet wide. Without warning, a boulder above him shifted and came hurtling toward him. Within seconds, Aron's right arm was pinned against the wall. His hand was crushed. What had been one of his greatest assets as an expert climber was now his greatest liability.
For the next five days, he tried various ways to free his arm. Chipping away at the boulder with a pocket knife only made a small dent. Rigging up a pulley system to somehow shift the boulder drained precious time and strength to no avail. Finally, a moment of clarity came. Aron would break his forearm, cut through the muscle with the dirty pocket knife, detach his arm, and use rope for a tourniquet. Following this plan, Aron would lose his arm, but save his life.
In his book, Between a Rock and a Hard Place, Aron explains that "some sort of autopilot" took over him as he went about the gruesome task of amputation. When he finished, Aron lowered himself down the rock wall, leaving a trail of blood. He then trudged slowly in the direction of his truck parked miles away. Fortunately, he happened across two hikers on the way who phoned in a rescue helicopter. Amputating his right arm was a radical act, but it saved his life and, soon, he was reunited with his loved ones.
Christians are called to deal with sin in a similar way. The Bible doesn't offer a laid-back, live-and-let-live approach. Sin is our deadly enemy. We have two choices: kill or be killed. As Puritan writer, John Owen famously put it in his classic book The Mortification of Sin, "be killing sin, or it will be killing you."
Jesus spoke about the time for radical action in Matthew 5:30: "If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell." While Jesus was not literally talking about physical amputation, He was saying that sin's deadly effects call for extreme measures. It may cause temporary pain or loss, but we must kill sin in our lives. In fact, our eternal destiny hinges on how we deal with sin. Yes, really. Think about Christ's words again. Why else would Jesus talk about hell in the same breath that He talks dealing with sin? If He didn't mean that our eternal destiny hangs in the balance, then the passage makes no sense. Clearly, the way that one deals with sin (or not) shows what the heart prefers. If Aron Ralston had just given up and stayed there on the canyon wall, he would have most certainly died. But he was willing to kill his hand so that his life could be saved.
This is not to say that in our relationship with God we somehow "save ourselves" by our own righteousness. No. But neither should we think about salvation as a one-time decision. Christ doesn't call us to a mere decision of "inviting Him to be our Savior," He calls us to a life of trusting Him and walking with Him. The way we deal with sin simply shows what we value. Do we prefer the world or Christ? Colossians 3:5 says, "Put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry."
The world may tell us to laugh about sin, to lighten up about it, to tolerate it, and just let it be... that it's not idolatry; it's not an issue of worship.
God says the opposite is true.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Usually, sin doesn't appear to us as an ugly, painful boulder that crushes us against a rock wall. What are the pleasures of sin that tend to pin you down? What is it that keeps you from treasuring God above all things? Ask God for grace and strength to amputate sin—today and every day.
Further Reading
Romans 8:10
What is Christianity?
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The Level Ground
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God – Romans 3:23
I've always felt parables are the best resource anyone has for studying the gospel. The stories Jesus used to teach his followers are timeless and many Christians, including myself, are prone to forgetting their lessons. The parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector is one such lesson,
"And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt. Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other people, swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week ; I pay tithes of all that I get.' But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, the sinner !' I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted." – Luke 18:9-14
Reading this section of scripture, I tried to picture what this story would look like if it was played out on a modern stage. The Pharisee would look the model Christian: He grew up in a Christian home, attended youth group as a teen, participated in a dozen missions trips, as an adult he runs a respectable business, and has a godly wife and three well behaved children. And the tax collector, who would he be? I tried to come up with a fictional description, but instead something else happened. I started seeing the faces of all the Christians who had ever been honest with me about their struggles.
Friends who had struggles with addiction, others who had confessed to adultery, I saw myself confiding in them about my own sins and realized, in that moment, we are all tax collectors. As Romans 3:23 says, we have all fallen short of God's glory. The moment we start to believe ourselves saved by our own worth is the day we become Pharisees. It's an old moral, I know, but sometimes the hardest lessons to learn are the ones we think we already know.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Who do you most resemble, the Pharisee or the Tax collector?
Further Reading
Matthew 7:1-3
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From Middle of Life to Center of Truth
Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
Do not withhold your mercy from me, O LORD; may your love and your truth always protect me.
Hebrews 12:1-3, NIV
I turned 40 a couple months ago. Woo-hoo.
You'll pardon my "enthusiasm," I'm sure. What nobody tells you about turning 40 is that you ask yourself a lot of questions, sort of a checklist of making sure you have certain things right before proceeding to the most meaningful half of the game. It's like you're in the locker room at halftime of life - bandaging injuries, reflecting on the strategies of the first half - both failed and successful - and considering your options as you re-emerge to the field.
One upside of this odd time (one of my most awkward since adolescence; think of me as a teenager plus a modicum of wisdom, confidence, and gainful employment. I even found a couple of zits this week for goodness sakes) is empathy. I wouldn't call what I'm going through a "mid-life crisis"... but I now understand why some people have them. I wouldn't say that agnosticism is any kind of answer to the meaning of life... but I now understand why people gravitate to it, conscientiously or not. I wouldn't say this life is the point or that this world is our home... but I get why people begin to make the most of the time they have left as they see the clock running down.
The downside, however, is that I find myself prone to thinking I'm smarter than I am, to thinking so much depends upon me, to buying into answers that are all at once beyond biblical teaching in both complexity and sanity. My like-it's-on-hormones brain has me wondering about...
Dinosaurs, definitions of marriage, death, love, whom I've loved, whether I've loved, addictions, exercise, accountability, honesty, privacy, sexuality, inerrancy, accuracy, cosmology, biology, psychology, mighta-beens, coulda-beens, shoulda-beens, woulda-beens, fairness, facts, food, euthanasia, hip dysplasia, adoptions from Asia, character, selfishness, and yes... even shiny new sportscars.
Good gracious.
Take any one of those categories - plus many more - and I've been bogged down thinking about it. Some of my thoughts challenge my own beliefs, beliefs I've long held as established, settled. Some of my thoughts wake me up to new possibilities, or things I haven't done yet that I may still be called to. But in the end all these ideas remain merely...
My. Thoughts.
Biblically, those just aren't very trustworthy words. So what do I do now?
The same thing I've always done - come back to first principles. Study the old verses from childhood. Memorize scripture. And be really, really honest with friends and acquaintances. That authenticity, though, is a new ingredient, one that is making this halftime speech much more meaningful, bearable, and shared.
But at its root is just the same formula from which I deconstruct everything: something happened in Jerusalem and the surrounding areas over 2,000 years ago that sent plain old uneducated men to the corners of the earth convinced that everything - life, meaning, all time and all space - was on the line, and there was a Truth worth dying for. They did this because they knew a man who was also God, whom death could not hold, and who offered an amazing gift to anyone who would faithfully open it. And there's this book about those men, and the One in whom they believed, and no matter how many questions you seem to have about this book or how it was put together or who wrote it or whether its teachings are fair or right, one thing is for sure - it spoke in advance of the One who came, and in Him it becomes a whole lot clearer.
And the same God who caused all that to happen wanted the rest of the story told in certain ways. He told us some things were good for us, some bad. He told us some things were right in His eyes, some wrong. He told us He created this place we live in a period of days. No matter how confusing any of that may seem (and make no mistake - child-like faith is one of my favorite things, but growing in wisdom is a stretch to that faith, and stretching is almost always a good thing to do with aging muscles), it holds that there was a Truth. And the God that foretold, sent, and raised this Truth is the one telling the story in a way that might make you scratch your head, puzzle out how things piece together, but before you know it, you have been thinking, praying to, and meditating upon Him and how He did it, how it all might paradoxically mesh.
Simplicity out of complexity. Youthfulness out of age. Truth out of confusion. Beauty out of chaos.
So far, I have to tell you, the 40s just rock.
Intersecting Faith and Life: No matter how old you are, make a list of what's behind you and what you think or hope lies ahead. Admit the concepts with which you struggle, and the bedrock that does not move, and find the place they meet for you. And move forward from there.
Further Reading:
John 18:37-38
What is Truth?
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Will They Know Us By Our Love?
by Debbie Holloway, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
"By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:35).
Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and it not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things (1 Corinthians 13:4-7).
These two passages are arguably the most famous Bible verses about love. Love is a concept promoted
by Christians, Jews, Buddhists and Muslims. It is a thing acknowledged by atheists and agnostics.
Something every man, woman, and child strives to obtain every day. Love is something we all know
about and all desire. But so often it seems to be the most difficult thing for us to practice.
As Christians, we have no excuse for not knowing what love is. 1st Corinthians chapter 13 tells us in no
uncertain terms. And Christ tells us in John 13 that the world will know that we belong to Jesus if we
practice this love. But how often do we truly think of those two scriptures as one command? How often
do we piece together the "how?" and the "what?" of love in our own lives?
The ramifications of doing so present a clearly defined, but difficult life. If we combine 1 st Corinthians 13
and John 13, what would our lives look like? How would people come to recognize Christians?
Well, they would know us by our patience. They would know that we are Christians by our
contentment, modesty, and humility. They would recognize us, for we would not be rude. We would
seek the best for others, be difficult to make angry, and refuse to keep count of how many times we've
been hurt. They would know us because evil makes us sad, and truth makes us happy. They would
know us because we protect the defenseless and we do not live in suspicion of others.
They would know us by our hope. They would know us by our perseverance.
That is what love looks like. Those should be the marks of Christ's disciples.
Oftentimes when the world hears "Christian" – they do not think of this love. They think Patriotic. They
think of rules. They think of stingy, bad-tippers, who blindly vote Republican and will judge you if you
drink beer or use four-letter words. And that might not be fair. That might not be you. But it's still your
responsibility to change what the world thinks of Christians. It's still your responsibility to demonstrate
that radical love Paul described to the Corinthians.
Because then, one by one, people might start to know Jesus a little better. Because then, one by one, we
could really reach the world with this radical, biblical, Christ-like love.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Find one relationship or duty in your life that lacks love. And change it.
Further reading
1 John 1:5
Romans 13:8
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The Wonderful Gift of... Suffering?
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com
"For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have." (Philippians 1:29-30)
Philippians 1:29 is one of those verses that makes me stop and shake my head in disbelief. Paul tells the readers of this letter that suffering has been granted to them. Granted? Really? As in, "Here you go. Here's a big ol' heaping helping of suffering"?
If you dig into the Greek behind that phrase, you'll uncover the word charizomai. This word usually implies something that's freely given for someone else's benefit. In fact, Paul uses this same word to talk about how God forgave our sins (Colossians 2:13; Ephesians 4:32); how we are to forgive others freely (2 Corinthians 2:7, 10); and how God bestows gifts or titles because of His love and power (as in Philippians 2:9). In Luke 7:21, the same word shows how Jesus gave sight to the blind. Free, beneficial gifts.
All those are well and good. So, why would Paul add something crazy like suffering to these other good things? Surely, he has to see that suffering doesn't fit in the same category as healing the blind and forgiving sin. They don't even share the same zip code. Right?
Well, Paul's example shows us that they do. Right near the end of Acts (chapter 27), Paul gets stuck with a stubborn centurion who can't wait to get to Rome and a ship's pilot who's happy to oblige. Paul warns that such a trip will end badly. They ignore him (word to the wise: never ignore Paul). When they run into a storm, things look really, really bad. People are throwing supplies overboard, faces are green, and hope goes buh-bye.
About that time, Paul gets to give his "I told you so" speech, and in that speech, he uses our old friend charizomai. An angel had appeared to Paul and told him, "God has granted you all those who are sailing with you" (Acts 27:24). God had granted him seasick sailors (who wanted to kill the prisoners, mind you) and a stubborn centurion who refused to listen to sense. What kind of gift is that? God could have granted him a miraculous trip to a nearby island—perhaps somewhere warm and not so stormy.
But if that had been the case, Paul wouldn't have done the other part of this verse: "you must stand before Caesar." If Paul had been whisked away, in fact, we wouldn't have the books of Acts or Luke (that chapter is filled with "we" from our good doctor friend who also survived the storm); the sailors and centurion wouldn't have seen God's mighty act to save every single one of them; and Paul wouldn't have taken the gospel to the most important city in the Roman Empire. God gave Paul the gift of their lives so that the gospel would bulldoze on.
And that brings up back to Paul's suggestion that suffering is granted—a gift. Quite likely, Paul wrote his letter to the Philippians not long after being smashed into the rocks. Despite the messy trip (or perhaps precisely because of it), the message of Christ spread throughout the royal guard and people all over Rome. Other Christians got some backbone to speak more boldly (Philippians 1:13-14). Things went boom all over.
Intersecting Faith & Life: The gift of suffering, for Paul and for us, doesn't seem much like a gift—at first. But the vantage point makes all the difference. Suffering that comes for the sake of Christ always produces a harvest of awesome. That's because, in addition to the suffering, God also grants us the strength to endure and the chance to see the gospel take root.
And that's why Paul can truthfully say, "What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things" (Philippians 3:8). That's not empty boasting from a beaten down man. That's the triumphant cry of someone who sees what lies ahead.
For Further Reading
Acts 27-28
Philippians 1 (Read the whole thing; it's short and concentrated.)
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Words, Words, Words!
by Katherine Britton
In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."
John 3:3
American English uses hundreds of idioms, both helpful and just plain ridiculous. It's entirely possible to slink through a whole day without expressing a single original phrase, if we try hard enough. It's not rocket science, I mean. You can blow your top, or go overboard, or feel like you're an emotional rollercoaster, or wind up between a rock and a hard place, or hit the wall. Maybe it's a cloud nine day, and you're walking on air. And no, I'm not pulling your leg. There's a method to my madness.
You can probably think of a dozen more idioms that I omitted. Nowadays, we use overuse all those phrases and stick them into our conversation as a substitute for original thought. But once upon a time, all those things we call clichés resonated with meaning. Consider just a few:
That's a load of hogwash – This wholesome little phrase comes straight from the farm, where "hogwash" designates a concrete mess of garbage and refuse that's only fit for the pigs. The good-for-nothing stuff certainly isn't a compliment; in fact, it's downright nasty.
Catch-22 – We use it now for any situation with a lose-lose outcome, but the original phrase actually comes from a 1961 novel by the same name. The plot highlights the result of bureaucratic regulations that take their validity from each other but can't stand alone. The bewildering, circular logic keeps characters from any good outcomes, thanks to the nonsense to which they're subject.
"The lady doth protest too much, methinks." – Shakespeare would probably roll over in his grave if he could hear us butcher this one so royally. The phrase actually comes from the lips of Queen Gertrude, who rather hastily marries her husband's brother after her husband dies. Gertrude was actually sneering at the faithful promises – the protestations – of the queen in a play, who promised eternal love and faith to only one man. And so, her inconstant character announces itself to Hamlet and the audience.
Your John Hancock – As president of the Continental Congress, Hancock's name appeared before all others on the first copy of the Declaration of Independence. By that action, Hancock marked himself among the primary traitors if the War for Independence failed. He risked his life, his fortune, and indeed, his sacred honor. Is that what you think of every time you sign a credit receipt?
We all use language, and it's a hop, skip, and a jump from a meaningful metaphor for a dull catchphrase. After that, real meaning gets lost in the hubbub of "words, words, words," as Hamlet would say.
I mention these cultural amusements for a simple purpose.
Do you remember how totally radically it is to be "born again"?
Christians – myself included – so easily wear down the language of grace into simple catchphrases. When Jesus told
Nicodemus that he "must be born again," he was conveying a radical idea, and Nicodemus knew that much. "How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!" (John 3:4) Jesus goes on to explain the obvious changes that come from being born again of the Spirit, so that a person changes completely. "Born again" meant so much more than a hidden identity. As my pastor pointed out Sunday, you might as well ask, "Is that baby new?" as ask, "Are you born again?" The answer should be obvious to all. Is it?
Intersecting Faith & Life: The slip from authentic faith to rote "Christianese" is sometimes nothing more than a wandering mind, and sometimes as much as complete forgery. As you pray and read the Bible this week, take time to meditate on what simple phrases like "mercy," "born again," "repent," genuinely mean. Find names or attributes of God that you don't usually use and meditate on them. As Jesus said to his disciples (ironically, right before he gave them the Lord's Prayer, which far too many of us utter by rote), "And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words." (Matthew 6:7) The fight against complacent muttering finds success when it's joined by a genuinely appreciative heart, so let's skip the babbling and get down to praising God for the radical way He has saved us!
Further Reading:
Luke 18:9
Zephaniah 3:14-18
Top 10 Irritating Phrases
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It Looked Better in My Head
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com
"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others." Philippians 2:3-4
Your calling looks better in your head than in real life. Inside, safely tucked away in your synapses, the visions of what God wants to do through you come with puppies, double rainbows, and guilt-free cheesecake. It's amazing how perfectly our brains can sand down the obstacles ahead, plaster over the voices of dissent, and generally build a future much like the highlights from someone else's life.
With such a build-up, it's easy to see why we get disappointed. After all, stories like these are all over:
· The country preacher has a vision to reach rural America with the gospel, to burn so brightly that a whole community is changed. But the church never grows. He sees nothing dramatic happen and finally moves on.
· A woman faithfully loves and serves her unsaved coworkers for years. She pours hours of prayer into the thing, hoping that at least one will really absorb what she's been sharing with them. But all she seems to take with her when she retires are the pictures from her cubicle.
· A Christian missionary community, after years of serving the poorest in their adopted country, finally has a breakthrough when a local leader professes faith in Jesus. Days later, militants attack the area and murder the new convert, his family, and many of the missionaries.
And maybe something like that has hijacked your calling, too. You started out strong, pushing forward even when turbulence hit. You just knew God would work all things together for your good, and you had that verse, Romans 8:28, firmly planted in your noggin (and maybe scribbled on a Post-It Note on your mirror—just to be sure).
But along the way, the future you had imagined became more and more distant from the slog-it-out reality. You doubt that God was ever really in the thing to begin with, and, so, you try to forget that something ever happened, that something got you excited and charged up in the first place.
Don't write off your calling just yet.
The thing about God is that He's big, really big. And He sees much farther, clearer, and better than us. From our perspective, we can't always see progress. But usually that's because we're trying to see the land ahead from a valley.
Intersecting Faith & Life: The truth is that we may not see progress in the short-term, maybe not even in our lifetime. But we've been called to faithfully serve where Christ puts us. We get bogged down when we imagine that all our service and work should produce results that we can experience. Our joy comes from seeing things happen, and not so much the serving.
But God never promises that we'll see what He's up to—at least, not while we're camping here on earth. He's called us to look out "for the interest of others," both believers and the unchurched. Whether we see something happen or not.
For Further Reading
1 Corinthians 12
Ephesians 4
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Yard Sale Christianity
by Stephen Sanders, A/V Editor for Salem Web Network
As many of you know, summer is prime time yard sale time and you can't drive anywhere in the south on a Saturday without passing at least a few. This past Saturday, we stopped at one not far from our house.
In the past when I've been with my wife to these things, I seldom find anything that I get REALLY excited about. I usually just look for old books because that's the only thing I can find for a buck that I might actually use. But this past Saturday, as I dug through a box of old CDs, I found something that I couldn't pass up.
When I look back at my childhood and think about music, two names come to mind: Michael Jackson and the Beastie Boys. The very 1st album that my mom ever bought me was "Thriller." The first album that I ever bought with my own money was "Licensed to Ill" at a Kmart in Mason, Ohio with my cousin Mark. I can still vividly remember driving home that weekend with my parents in our '78 Chrysler New Yorker bumping "Fight For Your Right To Party." We had the cassette adapter for the 8-track player that was in there. I guess this was probably about 1986-87. This tape stayed in my silver boom box until it broke a couple years later.
During my middle school years, I developed a second wind of musical enlightenment. This was when hip-hop was at its peak in the early 90's. I'd picked up this interest from my good friend Chad, who bought me an NWA tape in 1992. This was, of course, followed by Dr. Dre's "The Chronic" in 1993...then "Enter the 36 Chambers" by Wu-Tang Clan later that year...
The Beastie Boys released "Check Your Head" in 1993 also. They were still just as relevant then as they had been in the 80's even though the style had changed a bit. They'd evolved from a party rap trio to a 3-piece jam band in what seemed like no time...but it had been 7 years. I loved this CD.
My love for hip-hop slowly but surely vanished as grunge slowly gained my affection and carried me through my high school years. The Nu Metal genre developed as I entered my college years; a movement that was pretty much over almost as soon as it started. I picked up a bass guitar my freshman year at SECC and my love for hip-hop officially died. But my love for the Beastie's never did...
In 2002, on a couch at a friend's house, I discovered "Paul's Boutique" by the Beastie Boys. This album was released in 1989; many consider this to be their finest work. This album soon became my "favorite album to listen to while I played video games with Eddie." And even still, the Beastie's were just as relevant in 2002 as they were in 1986... and 1989... and 1993...
Now, flash-forward to 2011... I look into a box of CDs at a yard sale and find "Check Your Head" and "Paul's Boutique" in perfect condition... for $5. SOLD! As I walked away, all I could think about were the good times I'd had with my cousin Mark, Chad, Eddie; some of the best times of my life. I couldn't wait to listen to them when I got home.
I got home, went upstairs, turned on my computer to do my homework and hit play...and immediately realized how much Christ has changed me as an individual. It's not so much the music itself, because it is still just as creative and impressive as it ever was. It's the message behind the music that causes a separation. It's just not the same anymore.
Jesus and Paul talked a lot about this sort of thing in the Bible. You know, the difference between who we were before accepting Christ into our hearts versus the new man who has surrendered his life to Jesus. I don't think I've ever seen this played out in my life in such a real way until this episode. There is simply nothing I can gain from this music at this point in my life without turning my back on Christ.
Now let me make a bit of a clarification before I go any further. I'm not talking about legalism here. I'm not saying that, "Christians cannot listen to secular music because it is sinful." If that had been the case, I never would have bought these CDs to begin with. Now, the Stephen from 5 years ago with his sheltered, legalistic, judgmental Christian mindset would have been outraged at the idea of a believer being excited about a secular CD or movie or anything else that wasn't "Christian." I'd been taught that everything was a black or white issue. If it wasn't "Christian" then it was sin.
But in recent years, with a change of logic and a new church environment, I've realized that my old mindset was a very self-serving mindset to have. In reality, not everything in the real world is a black or white issue. Not all "Christian music" is godly and not all "secular music" is sinful. When I used to believe this way, I would make my walk with God a lot easier, while making it more difficult for everyone else I came in contact with.
What I'm talking about is true relationship with Christ where He deals with me personally while I only focus on how God views me, not those around me.
Believe me when I say that I really wanted to enjoy these CDs when I got home. But there was something inside of me that no longer desired or could allow me to digest them. I fully believe that this is what Christ does to our lives. He draws us close to Him by his Spirit and these desires just naturally fall off. They happen in His timing, not our timing and not in the timing that other believers feel they should happen in our lives.
It's experiences like these that let me know that I am certainly not who I used to be. Fleshly desires that I used to have simply do not exist anymore. I don't have to beat down my flesh and force myself to exhibit Christian behavior anymore. Christ's desires just naturally become mine. True freedom in Christ started when I stopped trying to achieve the unachievable: being a perfect Christian.
Intersecting Faith and Life: We all have our individual walks with God that we have to experience. So many of us try so hard to make things automatically sinful for the sake of comfort. We attempt to force our religion on others around us, instead of simply sharing the Gospel. But that's not what we, as Christians, are called to do. We are simply called to love God and love others. Love doesn't cause me to push myself on anyone. It subtracts from me and adds to the world around me.
For Further Study
1 Corinthians 10:13-33
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That Boy Dating Your Daughter is More Than a Nuisance
by Shawn McEvoy, Managing Editor, Crosswalk.com
Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts...
Psalms 95:7-8
My little girl will turn eight in a week, and believe it or not... I'm looking forward to the day she starts bringing boys home.
Oh, believe me, there's no rush. I'm happy to remain Numero Uno in little Lauren's eyes as long as possible. All I'm really saying here is that I believe in her, in how she's being raised, in how she's taking after her mother. Whoever she brings home - I'm confident saying - is not going to be a person without redeeming qualities.
So what has me so primed for this experience that I don't sound like the typical dad at the door with a sneer and a shotgun? What else? The experience of having been valued and trusted myself.
Twenty-three years ago I didn't know it, but I became part of a family. The McGriffs were a very unique family. When I met their eldest daughter, Dick and Susan had just remarried each other after having divorced each other. I never knew all the details, only that this was their first example to me of it never being too late, of recognizing wrongs and repenting.
They took to me right away, but don't get the impression that they didn't lay down the law or have rules. It was the way they imposed them - agreeably, fairly, seriously - that made so much of a difference. It's not even that they didn't try to "change" me - to be perfectly honest they did try: suggesting Christian alternatives to my secular music, suggesting viewed-at-their-home Cary Grant movies to the ones I would have preferred taking their daughter to the theater to see, giving us five minutes after a date to say goodnight before the front lights would be flicked on and off signaling that, okay, that's enough now.
I dated Malia for four-and-a-half years, off and on. During that time I built memories, house-sat for their family, came to cherish younger sisters Michelle and Amy like they were my own. Oh, like most young couples our relationship wasn't perfect; we would fight and make things more difficult than they had to be, just as I continue to do. But from her folks there was always instruction, encouragement, solidity. Laughs and firm handshakes. Always trust regardless.
Thanks to Facebook, I've regained contact with these three sisters, observed how their family has grown, and chuckled at the way they continue to interact despite living all over the country (Malia in particular had the most amazing talent for taking tense situations and making them laughable, one I'm told she still has, one that is a story for another time). I sent them the following email:
Just wanna say... You three are still some of my favorite people I've ever met, especially for a trio of sisters. I love how life has worked out for all of you, and how large that family has grown, and how involved your folks are in visiting. You have fantastic men who seem to get you and treat you well.
You're all three beautiful examples of Christian motherhood and of being distinctly individual yet connected. It was transformative to grow up as a semi-adopted part of your clan, and it's a blessing to see your joy - and how you've dealt with the pains - today.
You gals rock!
And from each I received back a distinctive, meaningful, heartfelt response. And I traced it all to the commitments, re-commitments, and never-give-up attitudes their parents made so obvious without being annoying. And shoot, even if they were ever annoying, I love them the more for it now.
There are opportunities everywhere. And yes, there are dangers. And times are different, and believe me - I know guys and what is on their minds. But I was politely welcomed and discipled as more than the sum of my convertible sportscar + raging hormones, and in so many ways, that made as much difference as several lessons my own parents modeled for me.
Thanks again, McGriff family.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Are you nervous about your daughter starting to date? Why or why not? Have you taken an active role in helping her decide in advance what choices are better than others? Will you be able to understand or tolerate failings? Are you able to be firm while smiling and maintaining a sense of humor or gentility? Willing to be labeled as old-fashioned but resolute in knowing your ways are good ways? You never know who or what that boy is going to become, but you have a chance to help ensure it's something good.
Further Reading
Proverbs 22:6
1 Corinthians 2:5
Raise a Godly Daughter in an Ungodly World
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Freedom from the Bonds of Sin
by Alex Crain, Editor, Christianity.com
"...if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live." Romans 8:13
While reading this week in chapter eight of Francis Schaeffer's True Spirituality where he is speaking about freedom from the bonds of sin, I was reminded of the story of an experienced, 27 year-old rock climber named Aron Ralston. One beautiful spring morning in 2003, he jumped into his truck with just enough food and water for the day. He took off by himself and drove a hundred and fifty miles south of Salt Lake City to his favorite spot—a remote canyon area that used to be the hideout for wild-west outlaws Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
By afternoon, he was suspended seventy-five feet high off the canyon floor—climbing in a crevice that was just a few feet wide. It was a perfect day. But then without warning, a boulder suddenly broke loose from the rock wall above him, hurtled down and trapped Ralston's right arm against the wall, completely crushing his hand. At that instant, Aron's hand—one of his greatest assets—had now become his greatest liability.
Five whole days passed as he tried various ways to free himself—all to no avail. His efforts to chip away at the boulder with a pocket knife only made a small dent. Rigging up a pulley system to move the boulder proved fruitless.
Finally, a moment of decisive clarity came. The thoughts came fast and furious: he could break his forearm, cut through the muscle with his dirty pocket knife, detach his arm, and use a piece of rope as a tourniquet.
Aron explains that he was driven by "some sort of autopilot" as he went about the gruesome task of amputating his own right arm just below the elbow. After he was finished, Aron lowered himself down and began trudging slowly in the direction of his truck. Later, he stumbled across two hikers who used a mobile phone to call in a rescue helicopter. Amputating his right arm was a radical act, but it was one that saved his life and reunited him with his family.
God calls us to deal with sin in our life in a way that is surprisingly similar. The Bible doesn't offer a laid-back, live-and-let-live approach at all. It's so radical, that we don't really like hearing about it or talking about it. Recall what Jesus said in Matthew 5:30, "If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell." While Jesus was not literally talking about physical amputation, He was saying that sin's deadly effects call for extreme measures. Even though it hurts, we must rid sin from our lives. In fact, our eternal destiny hinges on how we deal with sin.
Really? Well, why else would Jesus talk about hell in the same breath that He talks about how we are to deal with sin if He didn't mean to teach that our eternal destiny hangs in the balance? Clearly, it's a matter of preferring one destiny over the other. Outward behavior indicates what the heart primarily loves. If Aron Ralston had stayed there on the canyon wall with his hand pinned down by the boulder, he would have died. But because he was willing to kill his hand, his life was saved.
The same goes with us as we deal with sin. It really comes down to what we value most. Colossians 3:5 says, "Put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry." The world may tell us to laugh about sin, to lighten up about it, to tolerate it, and just let it be... that it's not idolatry; it's not an issue of worship. God says the opposite is true.
Intersecting Faith & Life: What is robbing you of the blessings of peace with God?
What is keeping you from treasuring the Lord Jesus Christ above all other things?
Pray for grace to heed God's radical call to amputate sin from your life in His strength.
Further Reading
Romans 8:10
"Is Christianity Just a Bunch of Rules for How to Live?" (by John Piper, desiringgod.org)
Between a Rock and a Hard Place (by Aron Ralston, © 2004 Simon & Schuster)
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Sick on the Scenic Route
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com
"Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own." Philippians 3:12
On my way home from North Carolina, I followed my impulse to jump on the Blue Ridge Parkway that meanders along the spine of the Appalachian Mountains. Late spring had hit, and the trees on that slithering byway had burst into color. And if you know me, you know I can't resist a scenic detour in spring... or summer... or anytime I'm sure my car won't get stuck for some reason.
If you've ever had the chance to sling along the Blue Ridge, you'll find it hard to keep your eyes on the road. Gasp-worthy valley vistas pretty much assault you wherever you turn with their seductive greens and purples and blues. The only problem with a wandering gaze, however, is that many of the turns on that road completely bend back on themselves. So, you're constantly looking out in awe—and then whipping the car back on the road before you become part of that valley view.
In fact, those stomach-churning curves nearly got the better of me. Never before or since have I suffered from motion sickness while driving. But that road, with all its flipping and flopping, beat me up. By the time I finally escaped that tangled beast of a road, I was actually happy to see the interstate and all its rush-hour traffic (well, for the most part). At least those bumper-to-bumper shenanigans meant I'd be going straight.
For many of us, our pursuit of Christ swings us around in much the same way. We whip around curves that seem to take us the long way round, nearly bumble off the road because something shiny catches our eyes, and let the cares along the way nauseate us. It's a circuitous route, this Christian life, and one that doesn't move us from start to finish quickly.
But it's a path paved by the One who made us His own.
Each bend, each switchback curve, brings us closer to the goal He made possible. His mountain climbing 2000 years ago means we can follow Him all the way, no matter how far away the goal may seem. We're His, and He's calling us home.
Intersecting Faith & Life: We belong to Christ. He made us His own by dying on a tree. That's not some partial investment or a half-hearted venture; that's some serious business. He paid our price in full.
He intends to lead you around the bends, past the vistas, through the gulches, by still waters, and, finally, home. He'll calm you, guard you, and shield you. But what He won't do is leave you stranded. (There are no guarantees against nausea, though.)
For Further Reading
Just go ahead and read (or reread) Philippians.
Psalm 119
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A Hedge of Clichés
by Katherine Britton
And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. - Matthew 6:7
A Bible study friend recently encouraged me to rewrite the famous passage on Proverbs 31 woman in my own words, with application to my own life. I took her up on the challenge, thinking the task wouldn't be too hard for someone who writes for a career.
Crafting a modern application took an hour—much longer than I figured. Getting away from verbatim repetition to explore specific application required much more of my time and energy than I would typically spend journaling on a passage. Stepping back from the verse-by-verse analysis, though, I thought I saw the Proverbs 31 woman's characteristics a bit more clearly. Rewriting the passage didn't destroy the original language for me—on the contrary. The "words, words, words" seemed fresh and clear from my new vantage point.
Unfortunately, reading and "hiding Scripture in our hearts" quickly slips into rote recitation for me. It's like Tim Hawkin's hedge of protection comedy sketch; the words have power, but we start spouting them off without much thought. Pretty soon, I'm sitting in church and halfway through a hymn before I realize that I'm singing. My heart gets left behind too when my mind is disengaged. Pretty soon, I'm praying a "hedge of protection" for somebody, partially because the phrase sounds good without making me think too carefully about their specific needs.
The Pharisee Jesus described in Luke 18:9-13 had mastered the art of hiding insincerity behind the right phrases. He knew the turn of phrase that would convey holy devotion, regardless of the filth in his heart. "Words, words, words" became meaningless, as Hamlet saw them in the dead books - they became a socially acceptable key to avoid the real attitudes.
Contrast this to the tax collector. He understood that social niceties wouldn't veil his sins before God, and he didn't continue with a recitation the way the Pharisee did. His simple prayer was, "God, have mercy on me, a sinner." That was it. He knew the impact of his simple phrase far better than the Pharisee did. He didn't need to "babble" to impress God or those around him; he simply spoke his heart, knowing that ability to pray is itself a mercy.
The beautiful language of Scripture is best adorned with sincerity of heart, not how many words we can string together in holy sentences. After all, consider how simple the Lord's Prayer is written - and how difficult and miraculous it is to proclaim "Your will be done."
Intersecting Faith and Life: There's not a "holy attitude" that we put on at "holy times" - we are called to be holy all the time, in our joking with friends as well as our prayers. We need to speak simply, truly, and to God's glory all the time. This week, practice this by eliminating Christian catch phrases from your prayers, instead journaling your prayers to bring a fresh application.
:angel:
I Want Answers Now!
by Laura MacCorkle
In his heart, a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps. Proverbs 16:9, NIV
Living in the Information Age, we're so used to getting what we want as soon as we want it.
We're becoming more and more accustomed to not having to wait for anything, as instant gratification is the norm in many areas of our lives.
A gourmet, meat-and-three meal ready in less than three minutes from the microwave. Check.
Instant text messages sent directly to our handheld communication devices. Check.
Mobile phone reception and extensive coverage wherever we may travel. Check.
Wireless Internet access so we can log on whenever and wherever we want. Check.
A new group of "friends" in an online social network who we don't have to spend face-time with in order to call friends. Check.
Can you relate? God forbid that we should ever have to wait on something, because that's when the real whining and the complaining kick in. I should know.
I've been struggling with an ongoing life situation that has got me journaling and praying and reading and discussing up a storm. I don't understand what God is doing, and I want answers and a flowchart of how this will all be worked out. Right now.
I want to plan my course and make something happen—move the situation along, if I can, and get the results that I think should be had and on my time schedule.
Not long after I have a mental outburst such as this, I am immediately convicted. And I know that this is not the right way to respond. How must God interpret this type of thinking? Does he lovingly shake his head and murmur, "Oh, sweet child. Someday she'll learn." Or perhaps I disappoint him because I cannot trust in him without struggling with my desire to first know all the steps he's planning for me to get from Point A to Point Z.
While flipping through my Bible this week, I found that the words of Psalm 145: 3-7 have helped me to see this struggle in a different light:
Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
His greatness no one can fathom.
One generation will commend your works to another;
They will tell of your mighty acts.
They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty,
and I will meditate on your wonderful works,
and I will proclaim your great deeds.
They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.
After reading this passage, I was reminded that it doesn't matter that I understand what is going on in the world. It doesn't matter that I can't control what is or isn't happening. What matters is that I know and profess that God is great, and that he is good. Period.
Why even struggle with trying to understand the ways of a sovereign God? He alone is worthy of our praise and adoration. Why not just immediately respond with celebration for who he is? Why not just surrender and rest in him? For his answers for our lives are never late and always arrive at just the right time.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Are you wrestling with God, as Jacob did at Peniel (Gen. 32)? It is God—not you—who holds your destiny in his hands. Ask him to help you take one day at a time as you trust in him and his plan and timetable for your life.
Further Reading:
Isaiah 55:8-9, NIV
Romans 8:28, NIV
:angel:
Members without a Club
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through me.
John 14:6
"I don't respect [believers] who don't proselytize. I don't respect that at all. If you believe that there's a heaven and a hell, and that people could be going to hell, or not getting eternal life, or whatever, and you think, well, it's not really worth telling them this because it would make it socially awkward... how much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytize? How much do you have to hate somebody to believe that everlasting life is possible, and not tell them that? I mean if I believed beyond a shadow of a doubt that a truck was coming at you, and you didn't believe it, but that truck was bearing down? There's a certain point where I tackle you. And this is more important than that."
Wow, great words. Completely sums up what's at stake with Christian evangelism, and why it's so important, not to mention commanded. Who said that? Famous pastor? Leading revivalist? World-traveled evangelist?
An atheist. One who later in the same speech will say, "I know there's no God," and "religion does a lot of bad stuff," but who was nonetheless touched by a genuine gesture a simple, normal, respectable gentleman made in giving the gift of a Gideon Bible.
The atheist in question is Penn Gillette, of the famous magic act Penn & Teller. You can check out his story of being offered a Bible following one of his shows on YouTube.
I am sure Mr. Gillette and I - and you - disagree on a lot of things. But he's so right about this. Our pastor was recently addressing some of the tough questions about Christianity in a sermon series, including the one about how can Christians claim to know the true way; aren't all ways equally valid? And he settled on our verse today - John 14:6 - which is our beloved starting prooftext for how Jesus himself stated that no other way would work.
While that is blessedly true, our pastor suggested we tend to have inverted if not perverted the subtlety of the message. We've behaved like we're privileged members of an exclusive club, one that has all sorts of rules to keep others out. One that gets to tell them how wrong they are. One that should be full of joy and open arms, but is instead full of stern sobriety and pointing fingers. One that nobody would really want to join anyway, even if it were a club, which it isn't. For one thing, we're on a journey toward perfection, and in the same chapter Jesus told his followers that the many rooms in his Father's house were being prepared. We aren't living in them yet. Our clubhouse is not our current home. We have merely started on the journey, and yet...
We forget where we come from.
Christianity is flawed in part because it is full of losers - those who humbly admitted their own shortcomings and acknowledged The Answer was outside themselves. My own father - before his conversion - said he viewed Christianity as a crutch for weak people. "Exactly," was my response. Christ did not come for the healthy, but for the sick. That was us. We have no claim to exclusivity. The message, similar to how eloquently Mr. Gillette put it, is that anyone can be INcluded, provided they believe. Our job is to tell them that truck is bearing down, politely and sincerely. To give the Bible and to have read it ourselves. To model a life not based on legalism or even moralism, but on the joy of every day's opportunity along the narrow road and the freedom we have to choose to follow it or not.
When Jesus told his followers that he was the way and the truth and the life, it was a statement of comfort. He had just told them he would be leaving, but that if they had seen him (and they had) then they had seen the Father, and that "you know the way to the place where I am going."
Intersecting Faith & Life: Comfort others with this verse. There are a lot of hurting people in this world who point to this text as the source of their conundrum with Christianity. Remind them that we're not about keeping people out, evoking a membership privilege to remind them who and what is wrong, or even condemning them to a more dire fate. In fact, it has so little to do with do's and don'ts, and everything to do with grace, freedom, and acceptance. I was lost, and someone pointed me to this road. Many others had tried before, but their words finally took hold and my eyes were opened to see it was indeed the right road. Yours can be too. Pure blood was shed for you as it was for anyone who would accept it, repent, seek forgiveness, know joy. Here's a Bible. Won't you read it and join us on The Way?
:angel:
Sinners Gonna Sin
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com
"For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things." Philippians 3:18-19
We should never be surprised by sin. Humans run to it, fill their hands with the dripping filth, and smear it over their bodies. From birth. From conception (Psalm 51:5). It's the natural state of what it means to be a fallen Homo sapiens.
Often, though, it's easy to forget our own dip into the slop. Years of following Jesus can make that mud bath indistinct and alien in our memories. We were, but are no longer (Romans 6:6). The times we plunged headfirst into sin no longer seem real. We forget how arduous the road has been that's brought us here—the struggles, the temptations, the urges to turn around and dive back in. We forget that each victory came with wounds. We forget why we have the scars.
With that newness of rebirth comes the temptation to compare everything and everyone with where we are now. Our filth cleansed, we see clearly. And what we see are those pitiful figures still flailing in the dirt, still covering themselves with sin.
It's easy to be disgusted. The mud seems much dirtier now than it was when we were in it, more putrid to our nostrils. Certainly we would never do what they do—those still wallowing, those whose god is their every whim and desire. There's nothing very attractive in the mess.
But when you think of what will become of those who blindly grope in the sludge, when you consider the destiny of those who glory in their own shame, you start to see something else. God looked into just such filth to find a struggling wretch—one that looked just like you. His love wasn't deterred by all your caked-on grime. His compassion wasn't stopped by the junk that clung to you. He yanked you from the pit and put your feet on the rock. Then, He washed you clean.
Sin comes naturally to humanity. But love that looks past the grime to share the hope of the gospel? That's the hard thing. That's the thing worth doing.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Those who are enemies of the cross, as Paul describes them, will sin. They'll do so in small ways, and they'll do so blatantly and defiantly. And from outside the mud bath, it's easy for us to wrinkle our noses in disgust. "Sure, we all sin," we might tell ourselves, "but they're reveling in the stuff."
But compassion, the kind that rolls through 1 Corinthians 13, peers ahead to the future destiny of those writhing in the filth and peels back the layers of grime. There, we see humans destined for destruction. They may not want help, but they need it. And you're called to offer it to them.
For Further Reading
1 Corinthians 13
Romans 2
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What are You Drunk On?
Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
And they all continued in amazement and great perplexity, saying to one another, "What does this mean?" But others were mocking and saying, "They are full of sweet wine."
Acts 2:12-13
"These men are not drunk, as you suppose," Peter told the bewildered crowd at Pentecost. "This is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel." The Holy Spirit had been poured out, and I've always found it fascinating that its effects could be mistaken for the pouring out of, shall we say, less holier spirits.
To be sure, the Bible instructs Christ-followers to be "sober-minded" (Titus 2:6, 1 Corinthians 15:34). And there's honor and maturity in a steadfast, stoic reaction to life's trials. But then there's this fantastic scene in Acts that just fills me with tiny bubbles of delight. There's so much joy and power and overflowing involved with the Holy Spirit, that sometimes, well, we Christians just seem a little bit crazy. Flipped-out. Punch-drunk. Downright giddy.
And who wouldn't like to see more of that side of us these days?
Reflecting on this kind of Spirit-trusting, God-leaning fun reminds me of my three summers as a Christian youth camp counselor. The labor was hard but not in vain. The purpose was evident. The craziness was everywhere. "Go nutso-picasso," our Director would say, and show these kids that being a Christian isn't some droll, fun-killing existence, but something real, life-giving, sustaining, and joyous.
And indeed it was, and is. My closest friends and I had an odd high school experience, in that we had a hard time understanding why our peers found it so fun and/or necessary to involve alcohol - illegally, even - in their weekend plans. We were having more laughs and fun than we could imagine without any drugs. What were we filled with? Why didn't we need anything else?
Later, when I worked at camp, one of the things we would do is create a video of each week for the students to take home with them. One of the features on each week's video was a "blurb" from one of the counselors, an off-the-cuff, from-the-heart snippet of encouragement. I recently found the videotape of the week I was interviewed, and my response reminded me so much of what today's verse means to me, what real life under the guidance and excitement of the Holy Spirit is about. Here's what I said:
I think so many times in our youth groups back home we get tired of hearing the same things: don't drink, don't do drugs, don't have sex. And that's good advice to be sure, but why? So many kids here at camp and the ones I knew growing up weren't doing these things anyway; don't we have any more to offer them? Do we have any explanation for what is filling them, and what they can do with it? It just seems to me that those I've come across who are involved in these so-called "greater sins" are often engaging in them just to fill a void caused by, maybe, disobedience to parents, rebellion, lying, or a poor self-image. So what I like to do is show them that Jesus has given them everything they need to be content, secure, high on real life. And it takes a lot of energy to do that, but I find that the energy is there when I need it, and anyway, if it means leading a young person to the Lord or just reconciling someone to their parents, hey, that's worth it to me.
That's healing through a Holy infectiousness. Won't you take a sip and pass it on?
Intersecting Faith & Life: Are you in a prolonged stupor, or are you tipsy on the outpourings of the Holy Spirit in your life? What's holding this back? Is there a dam keeping the river from flowing forth out of you, keeping it fresh and alive? Take the first step to remove it by looking back to a time when you were first saved or relying entirely on God to do work in His Kingdom.
Further Reading
1 Corinthians 14:23
Acts 7:51
Expect the Holy Spirit to Work in Your Life
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God is So Much More
by Debbie Holloway, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
For your Maker is your husband--the LORD Almighty is his name--the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth (Isaiah 54:5).
It is natural and good for us to turn to God for comfort when we are overwhelmed by life. Scripture, prayer, and meditation can help us through anxiety, loneliness, divorce, the death of a loved one, and depression. Divorce rates continue to skyrocket, and many women (including single mothers) struggle to fill the hole in their lives with promises of God's faithfulness. Many women use Scripture to remind themselves that, like Hosea married Gomer, the LORD said:
"I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy" (Hosea 2:19).
As I have been pondering this notion of God acting as husband to a neglected wife, grieving widow, or lonely divorcee, something interesting came to mind. Something that maybe changes the way we think about God as a husband figure.
Marriage today is not what it was for biblical authors. Today, in the Western world at least, marriage is a union based on commitment, love, and common interest. We marry someone who shares our worldview, so we can journey through life together. We marry someone to whom we are physically attracted, so that we can enjoy them to the fullest. We marry for romance; we marry for personal fulfillment. Mostly, we marry because we want to – not because we have to. Women who remain single are fully capable of earning a living, doing good works for the Kingdom, and enjoying life.
Women, in the ancient near east had a much more complex understanding of marriage. Yes, in Genesis 2, the Song of Solomon, and other places, we see that God's plan was for marriage to create emotional and physical fulfillment and pleasure. But marriage for ancient Israelite women was more than emotional and physical partnership. It was – literally – a lifesaver. A woman who married gained the chance to have her own home. A woman who married gained the chance to have sons (essentially the life-goal of any ancient near-eastern woman). A woman who married would be provided for, fed, and cared for. If anyone hurt her, she had a legal protector and a place to find safety in much greater measure than if she still lived in her father's household (or, God forbid, had no father or family).
Kind of makes looking to God as "husband" to fulfill emotional needs seem...pretty shallow, doesn't it? Check out this passage in Isaiah that really elaborates on the significance of the metaphor:
"Sing, O barren woman, you who never bore a child; burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never in labor; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband," says the LORD. "Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes. For you will spread out to the right and to the left; your descendants will dispossess nations and settle in their desolate cities. "Do not be afraid; you will not suffer shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated. You will forget the shame of your youth and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood. For your Maker is your husband-- the LORD Almighty is his name-- the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth" (Isaiah 54:1-5, emphasis mine).
To ancient Israel, saying "God is your husband" meant that God was their redeemer, God was their savior from captivity, their savior from barrenness.
An important realization comes with this fuller understanding of the God-as-husband metaphor. We can realize that, while God is protector and ultimate satisfaction, he is not a cure-all for our momentary pain. God never promises that his relationship with us can –or should- eliminate every negative emotion that we feel. We must have grace for ourselves, and grace for each other, to mourn and work through pain, without guilt or shame for doing so.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Have you been trying to dismiss your own heartache (or the heartache of a friend) by saying, "The Lord is your husband!"? Take a moment to consider the full extent of what that means, and what it does not mean.
Further Reading
Hosea
Jeremiah 31
"Jesus is not my Boyfriend"
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Finish the Race
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. – 2 Timothy 4:7
The other day I was flipping through videos of old Olympic events when I came across one you might be familiar with. It followed the 1992 men's 400 meter track semi-final in Barcelona. The race started out like any other Olympic event. The runners took their mark, and at the sound of the starters pistol took off at lightning speed.
Halfway around the track though, a runner named Derek Redmond suddenly stumbled and fell. For several seconds he didn't move. Then to the audience horror, Redmond got up and began to limp his way around the track. Instantly coaches and medics ran onto the field and tried to get Redmond off his feet, but the runner only pushed them off and kept going. Suddenly a man broke through security and came running to Redmond's side, it was his father.
Taking his son by the hand, the older man held Redmond up as the two of them half walked; half stumbled their way across the finish line. Sometimes, there are things in this world that point more strongly to God than any Bible verse we can memorize, and I believe the story of Redmond and his father is one of them. Life is not a race we are going to win. At some point, whether because of this fallen world or our own sin nature, all of us will stumble and fall. Many people believe that these times of tragedy prove God either does not exist, or simply does not care what happens to us, but they are wrong.
True Christian grace is that in those moments of pain and defeat, God takes us by the hand, holds us up, and says, "Let's finish together."
Intersecting Faith and Life: Take ten minutes to pray, read scripture, or simply spend some time alone with our Heavenly Father.
Further Reading
Isaiah 40:31
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Helping Kids See the Gospel
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com
"What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me--practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you." Philippians 4:9
First, I want to blow up a common misconception. You've probably heard that Francis of Assisi, that saint of old, said something along the lines of: "Share the gospel. If necessary, use words." He did, but his story and evangelistic career don't end so abruptly in a manner that suggests we never speak our faith. When you study Francis's life, you find that he spoke the gospel... a lot. He preached on haystacks and street corners and pretty much anywhere people were. He preached to peasants and nobles, lepers and prisoners. So, it's safe to say that he believed in the concept that "faith comes by hearing."
But Francis did back up his preaching with some pretty amazing examples of the gospel. He demonstrated the sacrifice of Christ in ways that the people around him could see and touch. You could say that his life of poverty served as a parable for Christ giving up the riches of heaven (Philippians 2). Given the culture (which wasn't too different), a rich man's son choosing rags over raging parties does send a pretty potent message (it'd be like Paris Hilton choosing a monastery over Malibu Beach houses).
So, Francis and his famous quip and his demonstrations of the gospel have given me something to think about. Namely, as a father, how do I make what Christ did real to my girls? How can I show them what I teach with my words and through the Bible? Since I can't exactly forsake all my possessions and provide for them at the same time, I've learned to think on a bit smaller scale.
The Exchange: I admit it. This seems kind of hokey. But I've found that simply exchanging something dirty for something clean (with a gospel explanation) has made quite the impact. For example, my oldest daughter hates for any two items on her plate to touch. Even a microscopic amount of mashed potatoes befouling her green beans is enough to make her queasy. So, instead of fighting about the silliness of it, I recently just traded one of my un-besmirched beans for hers. When I did so, I pointed out that this is similar to what Jesus did for us. He took our dirtiness of sin and gave us His cleanness (2 Corinthians 5:21). She studied the bean with squinty eyes and then ate it.
The Takeaway: This isn't something I do often—just so we're clear. But every once in a while, when my girls do something that deserves some "reflection time" in the "reflection chair," I take away the punishment completely. That only works if I know they're truly repentant about what they've done (and if they know it's uncommon). I point out that they deserved punishment—according to our if/then Scripture chart—but they aren't getting what they deserve (1 Thessalonians 5:9).
The Substitute: This isn't one I've used just yet because I want them to be a little older. But my wife and I have planned something we hope will really drive home the point. When they mess up, I'm going to take the punishment they deserved. I'm going to lose the privilege they should have lost, to suffer the consequences of their failures. I want them to see that Jesus did just that for us (Isaiah 53).
Intersecting Faith & Life: No earthly example can truly capture what Jesus did—not Francis, not my dinner table exchanges. His sacrifice is just too ridiculously huge. But that doesn't mean we can't try. Be intentional with your teachable moments. A tangible example of what you preach with your lips can reach people in ways that words alone cannot.
For Further Reading
Saint Francis by Robert West
Philippians
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You're Right!
Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
"I've laid down a pattern for you. What I've done, you do.
I'm only pointing out the obvious...
If you understand what I'm telling you, act like it - and live a blessed life."
John 13:15-17, The Message
I was very close to my father. He was the best man in my wedding, and growing up, when a lot of my peers were spending their weekend nights partying, I was usually happier to spend an evening with my dad watching a movie over ice cream.
One of the reasons I loved spending time with him was because I knew the Lord in a personal way... and he didn't. Sure, he was raised a "cultural Catholic," and was even an altar boy, but he'd definitely fallen away from any semblance of faith, and we all knew that he'd never been saved.
For several years, Dad was pretty much my pet project. I was always sharing with him when I could, always witnessing, always loving on him. I was continually lifting up prayers to God for his salvation, always trusting and somehow knowing it would eventually come to pass. And it did, 17 years after it had for me, and four years before he died. It's one reason his death - even though he was only 57 - wasn't nearly as devastating as it might have been to me.
He passed away in August of 2001. I stayed with my mom for a few weeks to help out before flying home on the evening of September 10 - yep, the night before a whole lot more stuff changed for a whole lot of us. I was in graduate school at the time, though I ended up taking a semester off to deal with all that had happened. So that Fall was a very strange time for me.
But then, as is so often true, there was Christmas...
We were at my in-laws' house that year. Somewhere in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve I was awoken, not by reindeer on the roof, but by a rainbow in my mind. It came to me in a dream, out of the darkness, but as if I were awake. One minute there was an immense, black screen before my eyes. Then, just like in a cartoon, someone pushed a section of the blackness out of the way, revealing just a square inch of the most amazing colors. It was my dad.
He was young, tan, and radiant, and he was wearing a smile bigger than any he'd smiled on earth. He didn't linger long. He simply said, "Shawn! Shawn-o! You were right! You were right about all this! But you're not living like it!"
Intersecting Faith & Life: The rest of this story is mine, and for the most part, I'm blessed to say I'm "living like it" a lot more since then, a few bumps in the road excepted. Ask yourself: if it were confirmed to you that everything you believe from the Word of God, and everything you've preached was true, right, and absolute, what would you do? What would you no longer waste time doing? With whom would you share, and how would your purpose and daily life change? Because guess what... it is true! You're right!
Further Reading
Live Today in Light of Heaven
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No Empty Labor
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com
On the surface, Ecclesiastes paints a pretty morbid picture about human labor. Here's ol' Solomon's pep rally:
What does man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun? (1:3)
So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun. (2:20)
And I saw that all labor and all achievement spring from man's envy of his neighbor. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. (4:4)
Naked a man comes from his mother's womb, and as he comes, so he departs. He takes nothing from his labor that he can carry in his hand. (5:15)
Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun--all your meaningless days. For this is your lot in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun. (9:9)
I'm sure you can relate. Day by day, you swim through a tidal wave of emails, swing a hammer, or stare at the same spot in the assembly line you've been looking at for months. You're glad to have the work, of course, but no matter how much you get done, it's as if you never really make any progress at all. Tomorrow, those emails will be there, nails will still need to be smacked in, and the assembly line will keep churning along.
Sometimes, all you can really think is this: The job pays for the car that you need to get to the job. "Chasing after the wind," indeed.
In some sense, nothing brings us more face to face with the Fall of Humanity than work. In toil we see how the earth no longer produces like it once did (Genesis 3). In bitterness we see how "the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions" (1 John 2:16) can get us stuck on an endless uphill treadmill. In sorrow we can easily get burned (and burned out) by life "under the sun." If our eyes can see no farther than "this world," our work has nothing to offer beyond a paycheck.
But under the Son, labor takes on a completely different dimension—a Kingdom dimension. No, that doesn't mean work suddenly becomes always awesome. It means that we recognize work as part of our calling, our marching orders to make Jesus-followers wherever we are. The true labor isn't in email or hammers or assembly lines; it's in throwing out nets and harvesting grain. We are where we are as a sliver of light to those around us.
Christ answered Solomon's questions from all those years before. Carpenters, fishermen, tentmakers, shepherds, clothiers, tax collectors, soldiers, priests, and beggars, all found what gain there is in labor. It's not empty toiling under the sun at all. It's Christ in us, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27).
Intersecting Faith & Life: Work is a calling, but that calling isn't in the day-to-day tasks you're doing. No, the calling is for you to bring the Kingdom with you. Whether we love our work or, at times, despise it, our focus makes all the difference.
For Further Reading
Acts 18
Labor Day: 8 Biblical Principles of Work
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3 Simple Steps to Surmounting the September Slump
by Stephen Sanders. A/V Editor at Salem Web Network
You observe days and months and seasons and years.
Galatians 4:10 (NASV)
Yeah, so it's that time of year again... September. Or as I like to call it: the month where nothing happens.
Think about it. What happens in September?
OK... Labor Day and that's pretty much it. Some of us get a paid holiday for Labor Day, which is awesome.
Well, that and some retail stores use Labor Day as an excuse to have "the best sale ever."
But let's face it... that's the only 2 reasons why most of us even know that Labor Day exists. Other than that one meaningless holiday, September is easily the most uneventful month we have.
On the flip side, isn't it ironic that one of the greatest dance songs ever is called "September?" I mean nothing gets the party started like some Earth, Wind and Fire, am I right? They make September sound like so much fun! Magical even!
But they deceive us. September isn't magical. It's dull. And it's right in the middle of this insane monotony that I begin to feel restless... like I need to do more with my life.
We've just gotten back from vacation. Summer is ending. The kids have just started a brand new school year. So naturally, it's time to take things up a notch, right? Am I the only one?
"I should really read my Bible more."
" I should do _________ less frequently."
"Christmas will be here before you know it."
Usually, I have to admit, these feelings tend to overwhelm me a bit. But this year, I've decided to break the monotony of September by doing a few very basic things that, between you and me, I should be doing anyway:
1. Read a Proverb a Day: Yes, I know there are 31 Proverbs and only 30 days in September. We can blame September for that. Besides, most of the people who are reading or listening to this devotional are pretty familiar with most of Proverbs 31 anyway. The point is: it's an easy goal with a big payoff. Not only are the Proverbs applicable to our daily lives, they are quite challenging.
2. Start a Prayer List: It's hard to deny the importance of praying for others. For one thing, it takes the focus off our problems. Secondly, you will discover that there is no shortage in the amount of prayer requests you will receive once you let people know you are starting a prayer list. You'll find the key to this exercise is to, not only compile a prayer a list, but to also actually pray for people once you create it.
3. Random Acts of Kindness: I love this one for so many reasons. For one, it's almost always something totally spontaneous. It can be as simple as picking up that piece of trash that you walk by or as complex as taking 30 minutes out of your day to be there for that annoying someone that you'd normally make excuses to avoid. Like the Proverbs challenge, you could settle for a "one a day" quota, but I usually find that once I get started it becomes quite contagious.
Intersecting Faith and Life: There you go. Three simple things you can do to feel like you aren't being a slacker in September. All three take very little time and just a little stick-to-itiveness. And, most importantly, all three are sure to bring you closer to your beloved Creator.
For Further Study
Proverbs 1:1
Earth, Wind and Fire – "September"
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Do You Pray?
Kelly Givens, iBelieve.com Editor
Editor's Note: The following devotional is based on J.C. Ryle's A Call to Prayer (Banner of Truth, 2002).
"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." Luke 11:9, NIV
Do you pray? In J.C. Ryle's small but important book, A Call to Prayer, he challenges readers with this simple question. Ryle asserts "there is no duty in religion so neglected as private prayer." I'm sure many of us would agree; of all the spiritual disciplines, prayer is often the hardest habit to form and one that is most quickly broken. However, we should strive to pray often, because prayer is an incredibly important element of our faith.
Here are a few reasons Ryle gives for why prayer is so important:
1. A habit of prayer is one of the surest marks of a true Christian. The greatest heroes and heroines of the Bible often shared a similar attribute- they were men and women of prayer. To take your frustrations, challenges, joys, hopes and dreams to God on a regular basis requires a great deal of faith - you are essentially relinquishing control and telling God, "I trust you will work on my behalf in this situation." Do you have this kind of faith? Do you pray?
2. A habit of prayer brings great encouragement to the one who prays. In the Bible, we see that prayer moved God to raise the dead, heal the sick, save souls, draw water from a rock and send bread from heaven. Prayer even made the sun stand still! The fact that prayer moves God to action should be a great encouragement to us. Are you encouraged by God's provision and power? Do you pray?
3. A habit of prayer creates holy men and women. The more we seek God out in prayer, the more our hearts are aligned with what God desires for us and we become holier men and women in the process. Are you growing closer to God? Do you pray?
4. If we do not pray, we run the risk of backsliding in our faith. Let's be clear - Ryle doesn't mean we should fear losing our salvation. However, without prayer we run the risk of becoming stagnate in our faith, if not falling back into sinful habits and temptations we had once overcome through prayer. When a relationship turns sour, often a main cause is poor communication. So too with us and God. Do you feel stagnate in your faith or distant from God? Do you pray?
5. A habit of prayer brings peace and contentment. We live in a sin-filled world. Sorrows and troubles abound. So how do we combat sadness, disappointments, fears, slanders, and hurt? When we cry out to our Father, he offers us peace that transcends our understanding. This is one of the richest blessings of our faith. Are you experiencing this blessing? Do you pray?
Intersecting Faith and Life: Ryle says, "In every journey there must be a first step." If you desire to become a more prayerful person, take time today and go somewhere quiet, shut the door and pray aloud that God would give you the grace and strength you need to develop a habit of prayer. Then be encouraged- God greatly desires you to be in regular prayer with him- if we ask, seek and knock, he will open the door for us to a richer prayer life.
Further Reading:
Hebrews 5:7
Matthew 6:5-6
Romans 8:26
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Toys into Tools
Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. Luke 12:48
With the start of football season this month, I've heard the phrase, "to whom much is given, much is required" used a lot... and that's a good thing. A great thing. Athletes, profiled on sports shows, have been given chances to explain how they are using their celebrity and money to help mankind, or even spread the gospel.
One prominent athlete was interviewed about wanting to use what he's been given as a platform to further the Kingdom of God. His goals were reminiscent of the parable Jesus told about the difference between faithful and unfaithful servants, stewards of the kingdom. Faithful servants are to be about their master's will, not doing their own thing, not squandering what they've been given. They realize how much they've been granted, and understand there are punishments awaiting those who knowingly disobey (and even for those - albeit less severely - who unknowingly disobey. Seem harsh?).
Nonetheless, I enjoy verses like our main verse today, where a concept is repeated synonymously for effect. The Bible's wisdom literature is ripe with this structure, and Jesus makes use of it here. The phrase "Everyone who has been given much" is echoed by "the one who has been entrusted with much," and "much will be demanded" becomes synonymous with "much more will be asked." It drives the point home.
We often hear the first part of this verse quoted, and it works fine by itself: "To whom much is given, much is required." That concept even works well in the secular world, so much so that non-Christians quote it, perhaps without even knowing it's biblical in origin, and superhero movies use it as a thematic element.
But this week, after seeing and reading those profiles of Christian athletes, I read the verse in its entirety, and it opened up a new level of meaning for me.
Generally, when I think of things I've been "given," or "gifts," I tend to think of presents, possessions... toys, even. Things that are mine. Things I can hoard, break, forget about, get tired of, use for personal gain, waste, sell, or lose. Some things we are "given" include salvation, spiritual gifts, genetic gifts, talents, financial blessing, testimonies, family, forgiveness, love, and more.
Now, does your perspective shift at all if you think of those things not merely as "things given," but as "things you are entrusted with"?
For me, the ante gets upped. There's a new level of seriousness. The steward who has faith must, by definition, be faithful.
My toys, as I grow up, must become my tools - the things the Master has given that He expects will be used to build and further His Kingdom.
Intersecting Faith & Life: What gift have you been entrusted with that you are still just playing with? Or hiding? Or wasting? Knowing the Master's will, decide what you would say if He returned today to find you not busy at Kingdom work. Then decide one way you can use what you have been entrusted with to edify others this week. You may not have the platform of a Tim Tebow, but you've been given all the requirements necessary to do the job assigned to you.
Further Reading
James 2:14-18
1 Corinthians 4:2
Envisioning Your 'God-Sized' Calling
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Unfulfilled Desire
by Sarah Phillips
"I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4: 12 - 13
"For a long time I have not belonged to myself since I delivered myself totally to Jesus, and He is therefore free to do with me as He pleases." ~ St. Therese of Lisieux
Do you have unrealized desires? They have a way of burning up our insides, don't they? Perhaps you wish to be married, but year after year remain single. Or you wish for children, but remain childless. Or maybe you want to write books, but never make any headway.
Confusion and despair over unrealized desires feel the most intense when they seem natural and God-honoring. Doesn't the Lord want me to be married? Didn't He place in me this desire to be a pastor? Didn't God give me these gifts? So why do all the doors remain closed?
I've been noticing a theme lately in the stories of revered Christian heroes. Most of them had personal desires that were put on hold or even went completely unfulfilled - at least from the outside observer's perspective. Some of these desires seemed especially holy.
Take St. Martin of Tours for example. From an early age, this Christian convert's sole desire was to be a monk. But the laws in 4th century Rome required him be a soldier - an occupation that did not suite him well. Even after the military finally released Martin, his plan to dedicate his life to solitary prayer never played out as he hoped. Martin's unique spiritual wisdom drew crowds to him and ultimately, the beloved monk was ordained a Bishop against his wishes.
St. Therese of Lisieux is another example. This French beauty from the 19th century longed to be a Carmelite nun and a missionary. While Therese's first desire came true at the early age of 15, her second never did. At 22, tuberculosis limited her to her French convent.
Why does God allow some desires to go unfulfilled? There's no simple answer to that question, however, I think it's fair to say that when good desires lay dormant, God does important work through us that might not otherwise have been possible. Paul articulates this when he is torn between two holy desires: a desire for heaven and a desire to continue to build up the Church on earth. Through eyes of faith, he sees how God can work through both outcomes.
I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith Philippians 1: 23 - 25
The same peace we see in Paul can be found in the stories of countless Christians who set their personal preferences aside.
In her autobiography Story of a Soul, St. Therese reflected, "God cannot inspire unrealizable desires. I can, then, in spite of my littleness aspire to holiness." Therese recognized that her earthly desires really boiled down to a desire for God, and while her personal limitations frustrated her, they did not limit God's work in her life. Therese spent her remaining two years on earth "in the mission fields" by praying for and corresponding with missionary priests who drew much strength from her support.
St. Martin of Tours also accepted God's calling with peace in his heart. He made an excellent Bishop in spite of his introverted ways. The key to his contentment? His love for God enabled him to love needy souls more than his solitary lifestyle.
While it's hard to accept that our personal desires sometimes have to be put on hold, it's also incredibly freeing. I think if you had a chance to speak with Paul, Therese, or Martin they'd all agree that life is much more fulfilling when the Creator of the Universe is in control instead of our little selves. What desires can you hand over to Him today?
Intersecting Faith & Life: What dreams have been put on hold in your life? Think of ways God has worked for good in your waiting. Write down one (or more) blessings you may not have received had your original dreams come true.
Further Reading
James 4: 1
Psalm 37: 4
Realizing Your Dreams
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That Verse Before
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com
"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." Philippians 4:12
I'd rather live a Philippians 4:13 type life. But that verse before it always gets me. I'd rather jump right into the "doing all things through him who gives me strength" without slogging through the "content in any and every situation" part. The second verse makes for such great posters, but now, when I read it, all I can think is "whether living in plenty or in want."
Talk about a buzzkill.
But God's plans come in a larger size than my earthly satisfaction. He wants my sanctification, my being-made-more-like-Jesus-ness. He wants me to see that His riches don't come with dour-looking presidents or expiration dates or limited warranties. They aren't earned by the sweat of my brow. Instead, His riches come pouring down in my contentment.
Paul told Timothy that "godliness with contentment is great gain" (1 Timothy 6:6), and he's driving at the same thing here in Philippians. "Strength," according to the world, boils down to laying claim to the most stuff—power, model spouses (emphasis on the plural), houses, and influence. But those who think that way can never be content no matter the situation. When their "strength" disappears, they wilt. Some do whatever it takes to get back to where they were; some end up in rehab; and some see no reason to live. Some strength, huh?
Jesus doesn't play by our rules, though. His Beatitude bunker busters make that pretty clear (see Matthew 5). The weak, the poor, the hungry—those are the ones who receive the treasures. You see, Jesus does want us to get to Philippians 4:13, but to do that, He has to demolish our strongholds by taking us through Philippians 4:12. We're strong through Him only when we've learned to clear the detritus of what we think we need in this world and see Him for the all-sufficient treasure that He really is (Colossians 2:3).
We can do all things through Him who strengthens us. But to get to that point, we have to learn satisfaction in His "all things," the plans He has for us. That's because it's His strength, not ours.
Intersecting Faith & Life: God's plans for us don't always send us down the paths we might choose. Okay, they rarely do. That's why true contentment becomes so vital for the Christ follower. And the only way we can get there is to die and die and die. Every day we die to the things that supposedly make us strong in this world. Every day we kill the need to have more, to be more. Every day we die for Him.
You are strong—right where your contentment in Christ begins.
For Further Reading
Matthew 5
You Cannot "Do All Things" through Christ
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I Hate You, But with Love
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. – James 1:26
I once heard a story of a certain churchwoman who loved to criticize others. Whether by gossiping, or by simply stating things up front, she had a reputation for being extremely hurtful. What made it worse though, was that she always disguised her remarks as helpful suggestions. She claimed to be speaking out of love, but all her words did were hurt and discourage. I bring this up because I feel that hurtful speech has become all too common in the Church.
Now that the internet has provided people with an easy way to speak while avoiding accountability, some Christians have taken the opportunity to post bitter messages and spiteful blogs online. Ironically, after spending an entire paragraph detailing why certain persons are going to Hell, many Christians finish up by saying "I'm just speaking the truth with love." Popular writer Jon Acuff wrote an article about this two years ago on the CNN website, where he encouraged his Christian brothers and sisters to remember what Jesus told his disciples in Matthew 22,
"Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 'Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?' Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.'" – Matthew 24:34-40
Jesus called these two "The Greatest Commandments", and it seems like they should be pretty easy to follow since you can't love God if you're not loving other people. It doesn't stop there however, the gospel is overflowing with verses telling us how the only way to know God is by loving others, even our enemies.
"We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother." – 1 John 4:19-21
"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal." – 1 Corinthians 13:1
Even the famous verse John 3:16 speaks of God's compassion for everyone,
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
Notice the verse says "the world" and not "certain Christians". The wonderful, beautiful, message of the gospel is that God loves us and asks us to love in return. There is no room in the body of Christ for a cruel tongue, so guard your words, search your thoughts, and the truth really will be spoken with love.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Carefully examine your words (both online and off), are you truly speaking with love?
Further Reading
Matthew 5:43-48
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When Sin Bubbles Up
by Kelly Givens, Editor, iBelieve.com
"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of Life has set me free from the law of sin and death." Romans 8: 1-2
A few weeks ago, after realizing I had somehow missed reading this children's classic as a child, I found myself speeding through the entire Anne of Green Gables series. The books captivated me, and for good reason. Written in the early twentieth century by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery, the series chronicles the life of red-headed Anne Shirley, an orphan adopted by a brother and sister pair who really wanted a little boy to help on their farm. Eventually, they learn to love the little girl brought to them, as do all readers of Montgomery's classic. Anne is a true literary heroine. We identify with her weaknesses: her spiritedness, quick-temper and vanity, and we strive for her strengths: bravery, generosity, and a heart overflowing with love for life and people.
As I read through the books, I was struck with the number of times Montgomery used Anne's character to illustrate deep truths about the human condition. There were many examples, but one stood out in particular to me. After being picked up from the train station by Matthew, Anne begins describing her life in the orphanage. Realizing she was exaggerating just how badly things were, Anne apologizes, saying, "It's so easy to be wicked without knowing it, isn't it?"
Indeed, it is. Throughout the Green Gables series, Anne repeatedly found herself unexpected moments of "wickedness," forced to repent to neighbors, family and friends for some fiery retort, vain action or other impulsive sin. We can all relate to Anne- I know there are days I have to apologize over and over for the same sin- it just somehow keeps "bubbling up" in me.
The Apostle Paul dealt with this too. In his letter to the church in Rome, he wrote "For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing" (Romans 7:19). What causes us to do the very things we don't want to do? Why does our sin seem to bubble up in us—overflowing like a pot of boiling water? Paul understood: it is our indwelling, sinful nature fighting against our desire to do what is good. He goes on to say:
"For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?"
Thankfully, Paul's question is rhetorical; he knows the answer. "Thanks be to God - through Jesus Christ our Lord!" After acknowledging God to be our ultimate rescuer from sin, he writes some of the most encouraging verses of scripture found in the Bible, reminding us that through Christ's death on the cross we have all we need to fight the wickedness that bubbles up in us.
"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." Praise God! Our sinful nature is no match for the redemptive power of the cross. Yes, as Anne said, it is easy to be wicked- in fact, it's unavoidable. Thankfully, Christ has already taken the punishment for our wickedness, and even more- he has credited his righteousness to us, giving us all the means we need to conqueror the sin in our lives.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Are you like me and Anne, feeling the weight of your sin and maybe a little powerless to stop it? Then cling to the encouragement that Paul gives us in Romans - through Christ's sacrifice on the cross we are justified and are being sanctified from our sin.
Further Reading:
Romans 7-8
Galatians 5: 13-18
Timothy 1: 12-17
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Pushing the Red Button
John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. (Matthew 5:9, ESV)
Up till then, we'd crushed the competition. Granted, this wasn't a sporting event. In fact, the most physically taxing aspect involved pressing a red button. But we had other skills—scholars' bowl skills. We could answer questions, rack up points, and bury other teams with our wit and finely honed memorization. In fact, we'd rarely been challenged.
Then came the county tournament. I grew up in a sparsely populated county. As far as scholars' bowl competitions, this was it. Sure, we traveled outside the area and competed for exhibition prizes, but the county tourney meant validation at home. And we knew we could win.
In the two-bracket competition, each team in the county usually played every other team. That only worked because it amounted to playing around three games apiece (as I said, a small county). At the end, the last team standing in the winners' bracket played the last team standing in the losers' bracket.
Match one involved our team pressing those little red buttons into submission. We outscored the other guys by something close to a two-to-one margin. In other words, we cleaned house in our nerdy way.
And then came match two against Maury Middle School. We went in glowing; we came out stunned. Let's just say that they completely trounced us—wasn't even close. Afterwards, we rebounded to an easy win in the last match, but that only meant we had to play Maury again in the championship.
What happened? If you guessed the underdogs roared back to take the trophy, then I would love to confirm that. But, no. In front of our families and teachers, we got beaten even worse than before. In fact, I remember the match being out of reach soon after it started and all of us feeling powerless to do something.
We'd practiced, studied, and prepared ourselves. We'd won match after match prior to the tourney. But still, we couldn't overcome this one team—even when given two shots. Our superiority turned into inferiority in a single day.
Intersecting Faith & Life: If there's one thing I've learned about human effort and human ability, it's that there's always someone better. Someone can always write better, think more creatively, or hit the ball farther. Someone can always outscore, outplay, or outcompete. And, yet, we humans spend so much effort trying to overcome, overwhelm, or just plain win. We compete, and we fight to prove ourselves.
Jesus brushes all that aside in a single sentence: Blessed and happy and satisfied are those who seek peace with God and peace with others. This isn't a condemnation of competition, but it is a blunt reminder of the point of our lives. We're not here to see who's the best at sword swallowing or chicken juggling. God calls us children when we seek the good of other people above our own good.
If we win or if we lose (or if we get completely whipped twice by the same team), God's blessing on our life doesn't increase or decrease based on the score. Instead, He expects us to love Him and other people—even the ones who are better than us at something.
Further Reading
A Season of Need: Maintaining a Heart that God Blesses
When There's Strife, There's Self: In Pursuit of Radical Humility
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Beyond the Chariots
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com
"For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." Colossians 1:13-14
If you've heard of Eric Liddell, you probably know him as the Chariots of Fire guy. The Scottish Olympian famously turned down what most people thought was his best chance at a gold medal, the 100-meter dash. He did so because the trials for the race fell on a Sunday and he wouldn't budge on this matter of faith. Instead, he entered the 400-meter event, qualified, and then stormed to the finish line with a new world record. Although the theme from the movie wasn't playing back in 1924, the whole thing makes you think it should have been as he rounded the turns with his flailing gait.
Credits roll, end of story... right? Hold your chariots. Liddell's faith carried him far beyond a single Parisian race. After the Olympics, Eric gave up running completely—at least the type of running done on a racetrack. Instead, he focused on a much greater race. A year after standing on the platform in triumph, he arrived in China as a missionary and, later, as a pastor. No endorsements or bling, just an impoverished country and a chance to share the good news.
During the worst days of World War II, Liddell chose to stay in Japanese-controlled China to serve the people he'd come to love. However, after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, the Japanese military became more and more suspicious of foreigners and forbade them to preach or teach. In 1943, the Japanese sent Eric and many others to an internment camp in Weihsien. Even there, though, the preacher continued leading others in worship and being "Uncle Eric" to dozens of orphaned children.
He also made an incredible sacrifice.
During the war, Japan and Britain made a prisoner exchange deal, a deal that included the famous Scottish runner. Liddell had a wife and children waiting for him in Canada. He had every reason to go. But instead, he gave up his spot for a pregnant woman—a fact unknown even to his family until the Chinese government revealed it over 60 years later. Eric himself would never tell either because he died of a brain tumor in 1945, not long before the war ended. His friends at the camp didn't remember him as the Olympian; they remembered him as someone who did what God called him to do.
Liddell realized that this world has nothing on the kingdom of the Son. We can win accolades, money, fame here, but none of it can touch the far, far greater rewards of Christ. In Him, redemption makes earthly recognition nothing more than dust. In Him, forgiveness makes even the greatest fortunes seem empty.
Intersecting Faith & Life: As Christians, our address has changed—and with that changes our whole way of putting value on things. If there's nothing beyond this world, then by all means we should live to pile up accolades and plaudits. We have nothing else to live for. But if we're focused on Christ and His kingdom, everything else just fades out. We're no longer running for the things we can see.
For Further Reading
7 Men: And the Secret of Their Success by Eric Metaxas (I'm indebted to this book for the bio)
Colossians 1
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Do We Forget Our Larger Enemy?
by Debbie Holloway, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
"Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light..." (2 Corinthians 11:14)
Have you ever suffered a crushing loss, only to have someone tell you, "Well, it's all part of God's plan"? Have you ever projected pure hate or bitterness toward a fellow human being because of violence or deceit displayed by his or her actions? Have you ever watched the news as innocent children die in war, and wondered how God could allow such things to happen?
I've been there. I can hazard a guess that we've all been there. It's only natural to lash out at each other during tough times, and we're also very quick to give God the responsibility for bad things when they happen. But it's crucial that, when such times come, we mustn't forget our larger enemy: Satan.
"Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8).
It almost seems like a silly reminder, doesn't it? So obvious! Of course Satan exists. References to him are peppered throughout Scripture, and in reading the Gospels we see Christ rise victorious over him once and for all. But unfortunately, Satan has a way of conning even the most steadfast Christians into temporarily forgetting about his existence. I believe we do this mainly in two ways.
Mistake #1: We direct our hate at suffering, injustice, and sorrow toward each other.
We are instruments in many ways, and many people choose to be instruments of darkness rather than of light. But should we truly speak curses on murderers, or should we pray for their repentance? Should we delight when a terrorist is given the death penalty, or should we hold firm in the faith that Christ's love is strong enough to conquer any heart?
At the end of the day, we must remember that Satan and demonic forces are strong influences in this world, and we all fall prey to the temptation in different ways. The Bible verse that helps me remember not to direct my hate toward another person is Ephesians 6:12:
"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."
Mistake #2: We direct our hate at suffering, injustice, and sorrow toward God himself.
Scripture tells us we are to praise God through all things. In no way does this signify that God is, himself, the cause of all things. This mindset can lead to dangerous and depressing ideas about our good Creator. Jesus told his followers,
"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly" (John 10:10).
In this, Jesus plainly rejects the notion that evil things (murder, destruction, and disorder) are not in his will. God's will is for life, abundance, and wholeness. When chaos runs rampant, as it often will because of the freedom God gives us to make choices, we must remember that it's a result of human choice and Satan's influence – not the desires of God.
The grace and good news is that the Holy Spirit equips us, and we need have no mortal fear of Satan...so long as we remember that he's still around! James writes,
"Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:7).
Intersecting Faith and Life: The next time you seek to place blame or anger at the doorstep of God or another person, remember the cosmic battle that even now God wages against the powers of darkness. Let us not forget our larger enemy!
Further Reading
1 John 3:8
John 8:44
2 Corinthians 11
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Encourage One Another
by Anna Kuta, ReligionToday.com Editor
"Therefore comfort each other and edify one another..." (1 Thessalonians 5:11)
This week, our office set up an "appreciation station" – a big display box containing various notes and tokens of appreciation to give to a coworker to express thanks or encouragement. Some of the items to choose from include little button pins, stickers and magnets with various slogans like "You're awesome" or "Great job," plus space to write a short note. It's only been going on for a couple days, but I've already seen several coworkers stocking up on the items or delivering one to a cubicle on someone else's behalf.
Encouraging our fellow Christians is often something we overlook or forget to do in our everyday lives, but it is a theme that can be found throughout the Bible. As Hebrews 10:24-25 says, "And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching." Another example can be found in 1 Thessalonians 5:9-11: "For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing." Or, as the NIV translation says in verse 11, "Encourage one another and build each other up."
We all know what it's like to go through a difficult time or simply have a bad day, and I bet most of us would agree that nothing can lift your spirit quite like a word of encouragement from a friend, family member, coworker, or even a stranger. Whenever you have a chance, take a moment to build up or edify a brother or sister in Christ.
Intersecting Faith & Life
Who can you encourage today?
Further Reading
1 Thessalonians 5
Ephesians 4:29
Proverbs 12:25
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Bring Oil
Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
Then the angel said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!' " And he added, "These are the true words of God." - Revelation 19:9
For the second time this year, I had the privilege to be part of a friend's wedding. I was one of the groomsman, and I was honored. Being a groomsman is a tough gig though. While supposedly there was a list of duties I needed to perform, I soon realized my main job was making sure the groom didn't spontaneously implode from stress. This was crucial because if anything happened to the groom the bride would probably strangle everyone with her own wedding veil. Luckily, my fellow groomsmen and I managed to play our parts with no major errors.
My only slip up happened during the rehearsal dinner, when I excused myself to go look for a bathroom. I was probably gone for only a few minutes, but when I came back I found the groom's father was in the middle of the dinner toast. I didn't want to be rude, so I stood outside the room for about fifteen minutes waiting as everyone toasted the bride and groom. All in all, it wasn't that big of a deal, but as I stood out there and watched the celebration from behind the door, I remembered a parable Jesus had once told his disciples.
"At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. "At midnight the cry rang out: 'Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!' "Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.' " 'No,' they replied, 'there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.' "But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. "Later the others also came. 'Sir! Sir!' they said. 'Open the door for us!' "But he replied, 'I tell you the truth, I don't know you.' "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour." (Matthew 25:1-13)
Sometimes I think we underestimate the parable of the virgins. We were always told it represented Jesus return, and our duty to be ready, but I think there's more to it. We are, in a sense, the wedding party for Christ's marriage to the Church. Like the bridesmaids and groomsmen, it's our responsibility to help prepare the celebration by following Christ and working to serve him. It also means we'll have to endure a long night filled with uncertainty, and our faith, like the lamp oil, must constantly be replenished. It's going to be a lot of hard work, but when the groom arrives and the celebration begins, there's no doubt it will all have been worth it.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Take some time to read Jesus' parables and reflect on their meanings.
Further Reading
Matthew 13:44
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What You Should Do
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com
And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. (Colossians 1:10-12)
Hundreds of times I've found myself bemoaning some predicament or difficult decision. Often, I'm on the floor and staring up at the ceiling. Although the words may vary somewhat, they all pretty much amount to this:
"God, can't you just tell me what to do?"
I'm a planner. So, what I really mean is this: "If You could just spell out every step for the next few months—or years—that'd be great. Maybe a detailed list?"
What I keep forgetting is that God already did that. He even put it all in a list for me in Colossians. Sure, it isn't exactly a step-by-step guide, but close enough. His planner for our daily life goes like this:
Bearing fruit in every good work: Since He's prepared good works for us to do (Ephesians 2:10), that makes this one even more straightforward. But how can we identify these? By...
Growing in the knowledge of God: He's the one who prepared these good works. So, He's the one we should cozy up to and learn from through His Word and consistent communication. And when we do, we get some boom to go with it...
Being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might: God is radioactive. As we walk in those good works by getting to know Him, His power rubs off. True, we don't get the X-Men glowing face like Moses, but we can still put on quite the light show (Matthew 5:16). You get that power...
So that you may have great endurance and patience: When good works flow from our knowledge of God and His strength, we suddenly care a lot less about those worries that used to drag us down. We can endure because God's Kingdom is present in our life right now (Matthew 6:33). With such a focus, that means we should be...
Joyfully giving thanks to the Father: Rolling in those pre-prepared good works with God-strength and God-focus makes us want to do the God-is-good electric slide (your results and dance moves may vary). We just can't keep our mouths shut because He...
Has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light: In fact, that's the biggest, boldest thing on our God-given to-do list. We do the good works He's planned with His strength and our eyes on Him, all because He qualified us.
Intersecting Faith & Life: So many times I want God to spell things out for me each step of the way. And sometimes He does. But most often, He points me—gently or not so gently—back to Colossians. I've been given instructions for the day-to-day race that will one day end with Him. Faith means leaving the details in His hands.
Further Reading
Matthew 6
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Not What You Wanted?
by Alex Crain, Editor, Christianity.com
"What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you?"
James 4:1
A holiday edition of the TV show "America's Funniest Home Videos" showed various children opening their presents on Christmas morning. Apparently, it's hard for many kids to see humor in getting an unwanted gift. Most of their reactions were, well... downright childish.
When the ribbons and paper were torn off, one child pulled out a new pair of socks, threw her head back and erupted in an angry sob. A matching outfit given to another child produced a tantrum across the floor followed by stomping footsteps up the stairs. Other children glowered with frowns and snarls. One even screamed at the parent holding the video camera, then hurled the unwanted gift back in his face. Not exactly the funniest home videos.
In contrast to all the immaturity and ingratitude came a bright ray of hope at the end of the montage as a little brown-haired girl in pink pajamas ecstatically jumped up and down with glee. She held in her hands a tiny chestnut and spun around to the camera exclaiming, "A nut! A nut! I got a nut! I don't know what kind it is, but I got a nut!"
James 4:1-6 says that sinful responses erupt from hearts that are controlled by overwhelming desires. They don't have to be sinful desires necessarily. The degree to which "harmless" desires become sinful is shown by what happens when things don't turn out as you hoped or expected. Whether it is irritability, or an angry tantrum or a sulking frown; sinful responses show that something in the heart has replaced God.
Notice verse 1 where James asks the question (paraphrasing), "Why are you so upset? What's the real problem in your heart?" And then he answers with divine wisdom, "I'll tell you what the matter is: it's your pleasures—your desires—that are waging war within you. And the result is sinful fights and quarrels."
Certainly, there's nothing inherently sinful about simply having desires in life. God created us to have desires. There are many good things to desire in life: having adequate food, clothing and shelter, having a happy marriage, getting a promotion at work, buying a nice car. There is nothing wrong with these kinds of desires... nothing inherently wrong, that is.
The problems come when, in our hearts, those desires turn into something else. The word translated as "lust" in verse 2 is actually "desire" with the added element of "strong craving." Epithumeo is not a word that necessarily means "lust" in the sexual sense. The idea conveyed in the original text is "you are controlled by desire." In other words, some desire—perhaps, even for a good thing—has gotten so wrapped around your heart, that it has become more important than God to you.
Whenever this happens, the result is sinful behavior. And the sin of the heart that must be confessed first in cases like this is no less than the sin of idolatry. False worship occurs whenever worship of the true God is replaced with the god of "my way."
What a peaceful contrast is painted in verse 6. God gives grace to the humble. That is, those who humbly submit their desires to God and trust Him as the sovereign provider of needs are given grace. Grace here is the desire and ability to obey God and respond in a way that pleases Him. Such recipients of grace are able, then, to deal with whatever happens—whether the present under the tree is a pair of socks, a cool skateboard, the keys to a new car, or a tiny chestnut.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Does your situation today resemble what you expected or wanted in life? What is your response to this?
Think back to a recent outburst of anger, or incident in which you showed irritability. Trace it back to the unfulfilled desire that had control of your heart. What was it that you wanted?
Ask God to reveal any desires seeking to control your heart so that you can humbly submit them to Him and release them to His sovereign care. Repent of any lingering idolatry. Ask Him for grace to deal with whatever happens. Trust Him to provide for your needs.
Further Reading & Listening
Isaiah 40:12
Listen to an Example of What Humility Sounds Like Here
(Indelible Grace Acoustic "By Thy Mercy")
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The Older Son
Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
"But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal." – Matthew 6:20
Most Christians have heard the story of the Prodigal Son. For those of us who grew up in the Church, the story probably conjures up memories of Sunday school, when the teacher would reenact the parable on one of those crazy felt boards. The Prodigal Son really is a perfect description of God's relationship with us, his children. I don't know about you, but I've done more than enough stupid stuff in my life to qualify as a prodigal. Lately though, I've found myself relating more and more to the older son in the story, the one most people tend to forget about.
"Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing.So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on.'Your brother has come,' he replied, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.' "The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!' " 'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' " – Luke 15: 25-32
It's almost unsettling how easily we Christians can become the Older Son. Maybe you're having a bad month, or maybe it seems like someone else is getting all the rewards you desire. In those moments it's so tempting to turn on God and yell, "I've followed all the rules. I've done everything right! Would it kill you to throw me a bone once in a while?" But God isn't Santa Claus; he doesn't keep a list of whose good and bad then parcel things out accordingly.
For all his mistakes, the younger brother understood that anything he got from his Father would be out of grace, and for all his good work, the older brother let his anger blind him to the many blessings he already had. A friend of mine once told me, "Being a Christian doesn't mean you have to dance happily in bad situations" and it's true. Being a Christian means that we are saved by Christ through grace, and good times or bad, his blessings are still there even if we don't see them.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Take a moment to count your blessings.
Further Reading
Luke 15: 1-7
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Is Your Soul Healthy?
by Sarah Phillips
His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness... For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:3-8)
When I first became a believer, I was like the woman with the alabaster jar (Matthew 26:7). I loved much because I had been forgiven much. But as the years slipped by something happened in my life that happens to many believers: my gratefulness towards God's mercy transformed into frustration at my lingering sinful nature. I understood why I failed so greatly before knowing Christ, but it was difficult to accept my failings when I felt I should know better.
It's easy to beat yourself up, even run from God, when you fall. Out of frustration and shame, I have begged God to rid me of my sinful tendencies. Of course, God didn't instantly heal me with a lightning bolt, but answered me with a different kind of grace. The answer to my prayer came in the form of a Sunday school lesson on "holy habits," more traditionally known as virtues.
Practicing virtue is a lot like lifting weights – it's exercise that builds health in your soul. There are many virtues, but as we learned in class that day, the foundation of all virtues can be found in the four natural virtues or cardinal virtues. These were first articulated by Plato but hardly belong to Plato. They are part of what theologians call "natural law" – God's design for humanity woven into our beings since the beginning of creation. When a person cultivates these virtues in his or her life, they are cooperating with the Creator's design for the human soul.
It's important to note here that pursuing a virtuous life is not the same as trying to earn salvation. Our salvation is a gift that flows from God's grace. But in our Christian journey, it's important to do our part to improve our character so that we can grow in character and more accurately reflect Christ's goodness to the world. Now let's take a closer look at each cardinal virtue:
1. Wisdom: For wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her. (Proverbs 8:11). You've probably known people with book smarts who lack common sense. Or perhaps you know someone with street smarts who lacks knowledge. A person who has cultivated the virtue of wisdom can not only discern truth but has the ability to implement their insights appropriately in any given situation. According to scripture, characteristics of wise people include those who prepare properly for hard times (Proverbs 21:20), those who humbly heed instruction and correction (Proverbs 8:9), those who hold their tongues from saying foolish things (Proverbs 10:19), and those who fear the Lord (Proverbs 14:16-35). Because wisdom allows us to discern right from wrong, this virtue sets us up to practice all other virtues.
2. Justice: Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed (Isaiah 1:17). Most of us have some sense of justice from a very early age when we yell, "It's not fair!" A just or righteous person gives to others what is deserved, keeps his word, and acts fairly even when no one is looking. According to scripture, a just person favors the innocent over the wicked (Proverbs 18:5), never accepts bribes (Proverbs 17:23), aids the poor, fatherless, and widows (Proverbs 29:7, Isaiah 1:17), and experiences joy (Proverbs 21:15).
3. Courage: In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence (Proverbs 14:26). While most of us associate courage with lack of fear, courage has more to do with fear put in proper perspective. A courageous person chooses right even when a decision is frightening or comes with personal cost. Among many traits, the courageous person exalts Christ (Philippians 1:20), holds on to God's promises (Acts 27:25), and gives an effective witness for Christ (Acts 4:13). A person can not exercise any virtue for long without courage because sin often appears easier or more attractive than virtue.
4. Temperance: Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control (Proverbs 25:28). Temperance is an old-fashioned word for moderation. A temperate person exercises self-control, building a wall against unhealthy, sinful extremes. Among many qualities, scripture tells us that a temperate person does not gossip (1 Timothy 3:11), does not vent anger (Proverbs 29:11) is respectable and able to take on leadership roles (1 Timothy 3:2), and is sexually pure (1 Thessalonians 4:2-5).
So, are any of these virtues lacking in your life? I can see some areas where I am still weak. Thankfully, with God's grace and a few good decisions, we can grow in our effectiveness and productiveness for Christ.
Identify which cardinal virtue you struggle most with. Ask God for the grace to grow and make one positive change in your behavior this week that will help you develop this "holy habit."
Further Reading:
Matthew 25:23
Ref: Kreeft, Peter. "Justice, Wisdom, Courage, and Moderation: The Four Cardinal Virtues". (c) 1986 Ignatius Press.
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My Day at the Beach That Wasn't Any Such Thing
by Shawn McEvoy, Managing Editor at Crosswalk.com
For the waves of death encompassed me, the torrents of destruction assailed me... (2 Samuel 22:5).
Your wrath lies heavily upon me, and you overwhelm me with all your waves (Psalms 88:7).
I have many times stood upon the shore of a peaceful Atlantic ocean gazing East to the sunrise, pondering the vastness and the depth of God. This was not one of those times.
Today, I wanted to catch some fish. It was my only two hours of alone time during the whole week of family vacation to Isle of Palms. I decided to bike down to the point I'd walked to earlier that morning. This was mistake number one. I popped the chain on that old bike about half-way down the beach, and ended up having to push it the rest of the way with one hand while holding my fishing pole (and trying not to hook myself) with the other.
When I finally got there the waves had risen to a height I'd not encountered in any of my last four seasons on Atlantic beaches. I could barely cast my lure over them, and if I did succeed, I'd soon get knocked over. So, alright. You know what? I've been wanting a showdown. "Let's see whatchya got," I said, to either myself, God, or the forces of nature. I took my pole back to shore and I waded out to war.
I adopted my best linebacker stance and stood up to the 6-foot waves as best I could. I tried body surfing and nearly swallowed a gallon or two of seawater. I tried jumping over, diving under, and shouldering through. And while I was doing all of it I was telling God or whoever would listen how hard a time I'd been having of it ("Sure," you're saying, "a week of luxury beach vacation with the family, you're really struggling." But it's true).
Why do I put on weight so easily? Why do you not seem to hear me anymore? Why am I not satisfied in my soul? Why do my simplest desires – like to ride a bike down a beach and catch a fish – result in such discouraging and powerful setbacks? Why is my faith bruised and how do I start to care for the people of God again? Huh?!
Nothing. Just wave after wave after pounding after pounding.
The good news is I was exhausting myself, getting this out of my system, and 'praying.' That I was again getting a sense of myself in this rough place called The World and how puny I am in relation to the created universe.
The bad news is I was becoming more dejected. When I finally gave up and told God I recognized his bigness and my smallness, I sat in the surf and tried to really connect, to really give it all to him, to really make this the milestone day from which everything was different for the rest of my life.
But it was just words. Nothing seemed to rise. I couldn't make my heart climb into my prayers. And I couldn't figure out how or when I had lost it, or what to do about it.
I paced to shore defeated and dejected. What progress had I made? At best today was a humbling, at worst a humiliation. My head drooped, and I looked down.
What I saw further discouraged me. For a length of several yards, the shallow foam washing back out was running at the same pace as my strides walking back in. The optical illusion was one of getting nowhere. Moving, but remaining in the same place.
That's when, finally, this: "You know you're making progress. You know, despite how it looks, that you're getting closer to shore with every step. Likewise, today was progress. Tomorrow will be a step. As will the next. My grace is a wave infinitely more powerful and cleansing than these, and My footprints don't wash away."
I sighed, but I smiled. "Step by step you lead me, and I will follow you all of my days..." Step-by-step is exactly how I got home that day, beaten, extremely chafed, shoeless, pushing a bike and carrying a pole. And, I'm happy to report, that's exactly how I'm getting back home in my spirit as well.
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My Alien Brain
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com
"And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him" Colossians 1:21-22
The first migraine hit me in middle school. While wrapping up some pre-algebra problems, a fuzzy, white spot kept covering up the numbers. I'd blink and rub my eyes and try to work around it, but the spot hovered there for most of the class. Being the well-reasoned adolescent that I was, I naturally assumed what seemed logical: I was about to die of a massive stroke.
I obviously didn't die. But when the spot finally did go away, I wished it had stayed.
Stomach-curling, fist-clenching, world-bending pain plopped down into my cranium and threw some sort of headache party. After an hour or so, I couldn't take it anymore. I told the skeptical school nurse that I thought I had a "migration headache," which didn't ease her skepticism. Still, she let me go home.
Just to complete the headache humiliation, I got sick right outside the school (so that all the classes on that side of the building could watch), fell asleep as soon as I got home, and woke up with a throbbing head. Migraines don't like to go without a fight. They kick and scream into that good night.
My own head revolted against me for several years after that. If I didn't get enough sleep or got hit with too much stress, the spot would make a comeback. I did learn to lessen the pain sometimes by closing my eyes as soon as the fuzz sprang into view, but that didn't always work.
Truthfully, the migraines were the least of my problems. My un-reconciled brain, the one that had no understanding of Christ, had revolted from God. Instead of fuzzy spots as warning signs, there were evil deeds, as Paul calls them. I played on others' emotions to get my way, used girlfriends as my personal trophy case, spent hours and hours on the kinds of websites that wouldn't make it through a work Internet filter, and generally wasted my gifts. The pain that resulted from those "spots" wasn't just inwardly focused—it left quite the burning trail in its wake.
My alien brain knew nothing else then. It wanted nothing better. It was pretty much dead.
That's exactly the reason Christ's reconciling, restoring death still astounds me. This gray matter, so unresponsive to anything spiritual, came to life with God's preceding grace. He kept hitting me and kept hitting me until I finally gave up, followed His Son, and stopped being an alien.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Before Christ, nothing works the way it should. Like the migraines that plagued me, our brains revolt against their Creator, and pain inevitably comes. Take some time to look back and who you were before Jesus pumped life into your body—not to turn around or go back, but to be continually blown away by how much He changed you.
Further Reading
Hezekiah: Spiritual Renewal
Ephesians 2
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Feeding the Fire
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always. - 1 Chronicles 16:11
Earlier this year I went fishing with my family up in the boundary waters of Minnesota. Ironically, the first day we pushed out onto the lake in are canoes, the weather was ideal. The sun was shining, the sky was clear, and it was warm but with a nice breeze to take the edge off. Then, like something out of a Calvin and Hobbes cartoon, the weather made a sudden shift. The next morning we got up to find a cloud had descended over the lake.
It wasn't raining per say, it was more like all the moisture in the area had gotten together and decided to smother our campsite. It was cold, it was damp, and all we could really do was huddle together for warmth. Finally I couldn't stand it any longer, I was going to build a fire. We had all tried earlier that morning, but the damp wood was nearly impossible to burn. With no lighter fluid and only a couple of matches, I realized I was going to have to do this the hard way.
First I started off with small kindling, pine needles, leaves, twigs. Then I moved on to sticks and paper. It took a long time, but at last I got a decent sized flame that would burn the big logs despite the fact that they were damp. You can be sure, now that we finally had a roaring fire there was no way we were going to let it go out. I bring this up because I believe the concept of building a fire is similar to building a relationship with God.
When a friend of mine recently said he didn't want to lose "the fire" God had given his spirit, I couldn't help but remember that cold morning in Minnesota. The Holy Spirit will give us the passion and endurance to live Godly lives, but like a campfire, it will eventually burn down to embers if not supplemented by our own actions. It can be hard work at times. You'll need to start with kindling like daily prayer and scripture reading, follow up with something bigger like volunteering at Church, and then maybe apply a large commitment like ministry. It won't be easy, and there will be times when it all seems useless, but in the end the Holy Spirit will burn all brighter.
Remember the words of Matthew,
"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." – Matthew 5:14-16
Intersecting Faith and Life: Look for ways to build up your faith in daily life. What actions can you take to make a difference?
Further Reading
1 Corinthians 12
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Who Wants a Free Gift?
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. – Hebrews 4:16
"Who wants a free gift?" I don't know about you, but that's a statement that often gives me pause. The reason why is because almost every day I'm bombarded with offers to receive a "free gift" that isn't really free. You probably know what I'm talking about. Credit card companies offer me "free rewards" if I spend more that eighteen thousand dollars with one of their cards. Airlines say they'll give me "free miles" if I book a trip to China right now, and then there are those pesky infomercials that offer me "free" steak knives if I buy their grease cooker for only $19.99!
As a Christian living in a world where there's no such thing as a free lunch, it's sometimes hard to understand the meaning of grace, and even harder to teach it to others. So when my father was asked to teach a group of middle school students about grace, I admit I had no idea how he was going to pull it off. But my father is a pretty shrewd guy (you're welcome Dad), and as soon as he got the lesson he went out, bought a Hershey bar the size of a laptop computer and covered it in wrapping paper. On Sunday morning he walked to the front of the room, held up the present, a said "Who wants a free gift?" No one moved.
Finally, one brave kid got up and ran forward to take the present from my father's hand. It's that simple. Every day God calls to us, offering the free gift of his grace, and all we need to do is accept it. Grace doesn't require a down payment, it doesn't ask you to do something first, and it's never a bonus for something you've already accomplished. Grace is a gift, the only thing in this world that is truly free.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Do you want to receive a free gift? Take a moment during your day to reconnect with Christ.
Further Reading
Ephesians 2:8
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There's a Title for That
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com
"He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy." Colossians 1:17-18
Sometimes, we just need to be reminded of who Jesus is:
· The Word: He pitched His tent with us and put flesh on God's promises (John 1)
· Son of God: He's got the whole world in His hands (Matthew 16:16)
· Son of Man: He knows our sorrows up close and personal (Matthew 17:12)
· Son of David: He loved His people, even if they didn't recognize Him (Matthew 1:1; John 1)
· Teacher: He tells us exactly what we need, even if it's not what we want to hear (John 3:2)
· Prophet: He told us what would and will happen (Deuteronomy 18:15; Matthew 13:57)
· Provider: He can make a little go a long way (Mark 6:30-44)
· Mediator: He's right in the middle of our struggles and pleading our case (1 Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 9:15)
· Suffering Servant: He got busted up for us (Isaiah 53)
· Lamb of God: He put sin in a full-nelson and made death cry uncle (John 1:29)
· Lion of Judah: He can take care of His enemies with just His roar (Revelation 5:5, 19:21)
· Counselor: He's the cure for our addictions and struggles (Isaiah 9:6)
· Prince of Peace: He signed—in blood—the peace treaty between God and us (Isaiah 9:6)
· Immanuel: He never gets tired of being with us (Isaiah 7:14)
· King of Kings: He's got the power (Revelation 17:14)
· The Way: He ain't got no time for wishy-washy "all roads" arguments; He's it (John 14:6)
· The Truth: He puts the lie in our "true for you" follies (John 14:6)
· The Life: He resuscitates hearts that were hardened by sin (John 14:6, 20:31)
· Good Shepherd: He patiently and lovingly tracks down His runaways (Luke 15:4; John 10:11)
· True Vine: He nurtures us to fruitfulness (John 15:4-5; Romans 7:4)
· Friend of Sinners: He offers grace to those stumbling around in darkness (Matthew 11:9)
· Balm of Gilead: He binds up our wounds by the scars on His back (Jeremiah 8:22; Isaiah 53:5; 1 Peter 2:24)
· Giver of the Spirit: He sent the One who makes the journey alongside us and leads us into truth (John 14)
· Light of the World: He sends photons to those who've been blinded by the god of this age (Luke 2:32; Acts 13:47; 2 Corinthians 4:4)
· Intercessor: He never stops praying for us (Isaiah 53:12; John 17)
· Great High Priest: He took care of all the Temple work (Hebrews 7)
· The Bread/Water of Life: He's our daily nutritional requirement for a spiritually balanced life (John 6; Revelation 21:6)
· Alpha and Omega: He gets the first and last word... always (Revelation 22:13)
· Lord of Glory: He makes angels belt out never-ending praises (Psalm 24, 103:20; James 2:1)
· Firstborn among the Dead: He paved the path that leads to His place (Colossians 1:18)
Intersecting Faith and Life: Jesus has so many titles because He fulfills all our needs. Wherever you are in life, whatever you need, He's got it covered. As my father-in-law sometimes says, "Jesus picked up His cross and said, 'Hang on to Me. We're going through.'"
With Him, you will make it out alive.
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Theocratic Bilateral Dispensationalism
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. – 1 Corinthians 3:11
The immortal bard, Dave Barry, once wrote "The problem with writing about religion is that you run the risk of offending sincerely religious people, and then they come after you with machetes." All humor aside, I can't help but agree with Mr. Barry, especially where Christians are concerned. You see, we Christians have a habit of tangling our faith in things other than Jesus Christ. As a kid, I can remember my initial confusion when words like "Baptist", "Catholic", or "Calvinist" where added alongside "Christian". This didn't bother me much, they still meant Christian after all, but it surprised me how these words sometimes caused tension between believers.
Soon, other words started finding their way into the term "Christian". Words like Republican, Democrat, Moderate, occasionally Communist, Egalitarian, Complementarian, Theocrat, or Dispensationalist. Aside from being really confusing and hard to spell, these words caused more than one disagreement among Christians. The first disciples saw their fair share of division too. In fact, Paul dedicated most of 1st Corinthians to calling for unity within the Church.
I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. My brothers, some from Chloe's household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, "I follow Paul"; another, "I follow Apollos"; another, "I follow Cephas "; still another, "I follow Christ." Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul? I am thankful that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, so no one can say that you were baptized into my name. (Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don't remember if I baptized anyone else.) For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel--not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. – 1 Corinthians 10 – 17
I can just imagine Paul madly shaking some ancient Christian and yelling "DON'T YOU GET IT! IT DOESN'T MATTER! CHRIST IS ALL THAT MATTERS!" and he's right. As Christians, it is important that we be on our guard against false teachings, but it is equally important that we do not let ourselves become divided. God never meant for his children to become separated, and when we allow issues like denominations or political leanings to cause strife between us, the message of the Cross becomes obscured.
We were meant to be one body, one family, unified, as brothers and sisters. In his infinite grace, Christ called us to be Christians.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Are you letting political or personal issue keep you from loving fellow Christians? Read 1 Corinthians and reflect on Paul's words.
Further Reading
Psalm 133
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God is Not Judge Judy
by Kelly Givens, Editor, iBelieve.com
"But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere." - James 3:17
Last month I found myself in a situation that needed a good dose of wisdom. I had to make a decision and felt unsure what course of action was best, so over those next few days I prayed for wisdom on what I should do. I also looked for verses in the Bible that talk about wisdom, and was surprised by what I found.
When I think of wisdom, usually the first thing that pops in my head is King Solomon and that poor baby. You probably know the story- God had given Solomon an incredible amount of wisdom, so much so that people from all over were coming to him with their questions and disputes. In this recorded case, two prostitutes came before the king, both claiming to be the mother of the same baby boy, both insisting that the other had stolen the infant after the death of the other's child. This was obviously before DNA testing, so what could be done? Well, Solomon had a sword brought to him and decided to settle things by cutting the baby in half! Now, that doesn't seem like a very compassionate king! It sounds more like something Judge Judy would do.
Judge Judy doesn't want to hear your sob story. Her Honor gets right to the facts, lays down her decision and moves on to the next case, end of story. I realized I was asking God to be the" Judge Judy" of my life- I would present my problem and "ask for wisdom," but what I really wanted was for God to give me a definite answer that didn't leave any lingering questions. Obviously, God is not Judge Judy, and this is not the kind of wisdom he gives. So how should we think of wisdom? Let's go back to Solomon- who really wasn't like Judge Judy at all.
While it may have seemed bizarre that Solomon was going to cut a baby in half, the king had wisely discerned that the true mother would care more about the safety of the child than her possession of him. And so it was- the mother cried out for the boy's life to be spared, and Solomon declared her the rightful parent. In doing this, he spared both the child and the women further pain. But this is more than Solomon just being cunning or smart. There's compassion to this decision too- an essential part of wisdom.
When Solomon asked God for wisdom, God didn't just fill his head with the right answer to every problem that would ever come up. No- he filled him with "wisdom" as James describes it- he filled him full of consideration, peacefulness, mercy, goodness, impartiality and sincerity. King Solomon wasn't wise because he knew the law book forwards and backwards, or because he was particularly clever or a good problem solver. He was wise because his decisions flowed from a heart and mind focused on values that are essential to the Kingdom of God. He didn't bother punishing the one woman for stealing a baby or stoning both women for being prostitutes (which the law would have demanded). His wisdom was compassionate, merciful, and just: it was true wisdom from above.
Intersecting Faith and Life: What problems in your life are you seeking wisdom in? Approach those problems in light of James 3:17 and trust that God will equip you with the wisdom you need for the challenges you face.
Further Reading:
Psalm 37:30
James 1:5
1 Corinthians 1: 19-29
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Wisdom From Above
by Debbie Holloway, Family Editor, Crosswalk.com
Recently I participated in a small group discussion of Christ-like humility. Our discussion leader had pulled up several Scripture passages for us to reflect upon, and one of them has been racing around in my brain ever since:
But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy (James 3:17).
Christ Mark 1:35 and always sought wisdom from above before speaking and acting. Thus, as Christians (Christ-followers) we should be constantly seeking this godly wisdom and applying it to our lives and relationships. But that verse is a big verse. What does it look like to have this wisdom from above?
1. It is first of all pure. Our motives for doing anything should reflect a desire to live like Christ and be in right relationship with God. If our earthly "wisdom" tells us to approach a situation with impure motives such as greed, selfishness, or pride – that is not wisdom from above.
2. It is peaceable. Sometimes we get preoccupied with the imagery of Spiritual Armor and treat everyone we meet like an enemy solider. We must remember that Ephesians 6:10 says this battle is "not against flesh and blood." Our Lord is a Prince of Peace, and we have a duty to act as citizens of peace.
3. It is gentle. Proverbs 15:1. If we speak gently, others are more likely to accept and understand God's work and wisdom. But gentleness is not just about tone of voice. Remember the gentleness and patience with which Jesus dealt with children, sinners, and his apostles. Gentleness is a way of life.
4. It is reasonable. Another translation of this reads "willing to yield to others" – and both are absolutely crucial elements of wisdom. It may seem impossible to live a pure lifestyle while being reasonable and willing to yield, but the Bible says we must. We were given an astounding level of intellect and reason – let us use it! We mustn't buy in to the lie that "reason is the enemy of faith." It is necessary to yield to God daily with every decision we make. But it is also possible (and necessary, and wise) to yield to others. Whether it's a matter of selfless giving or resisting the urge to have angry, theological debates, we are called to yield.
5. It is full of mercy. That parent who abused their authority? That government leader who makes you cringe? That blogger who sounds heretical? Wisdom from above tells us to look on them with mercy. After all, has not God shown us the greatest mercy of all?
6. It is full of good fruits. I'm sure many of us can list Galatians 5:22 of the Lord's Spirit. When we use godly wisdom to discern what we should do, we will consider the fruits of our choices. Do we strive to make choices that result in the fruits of the Spirit manifested in our lives?
7. It is unwavering. Perhaps it might be strange to think that wisdom from above can be both "willing to yield" and "unwavering." But don't think of them as opposites. Perhaps think of it like a marriage or a friendship. Each person in the relationship must listen to reason and be willing to yield to the other. But the relationship itself must be unwavering. We must be bold enough to live unwaveringly as followers of Christ and good stewards of the earth, no matter the opposition.
8. It is without hypocrisy. If something seems like wisdom to you but causes you to be double-minded or deceitful, it cannot be wisdom from above. What we believe must match what we say. What we say must match how we behave. Otherwise, we misrepresent Jesus and the lifestyle we claim to live.
Intersecting Faith and Life: The next time you're faced with a decision, take a moment to match up your actions with "wisdom from above."
Further Reading
Ephesians 6:10
Galatians 5:22
Psalms 111:10
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The Failure of History
John UpChurch, Senior Editor of BibleStudyTools.com
For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. (Romans 5:6)
To their credit, my two little girls sat patiently as the Cherokee peace chief explained his slit ears, metal breastplate, and high-heeled shoes. On the table in front of him sat a rifle, swan feathers, a clay mug, and other shards of the past. This is exactly what I love to do on a Saturday morning.
You see, I love the way history feels because I'm something of a nostalgia junky. The narratives that draw together people, locations, and wars latch onto me. The connections that run through mountains, rivers, and small towns dig under my skin. The history of grace absorbs me.
I have to be careful, though. Otherwise, I'd spend too much time living back there and not paying attention to grace here and now.
There's something in history that we often overlook. Sure, learning about the past supposedly keeps people from repeating mistakes (though I've yet to see that be the case). And we need to see where we've come from, to understand the ebbs and cycles in the story of civilization. But it's more than that.
History—much more than just a learning tool—is the story of human failure. If that sounds morbid, it is. The big picture of our history is how humans have failed to love, failed to live up to God's standards. There are tiny currents that push back against the raging waters of failure (and those are some great stories to focus on), but the overall direction has been clear.
What we learn, if we care to glance back, is that humanity has no chance—that is, no chance apart from grace. Our history lays bare the need for a raw, relentless love. We've stumbled and scrambled, fought and exiled. And yet no amount of human effort has ever satisfied the searching, the wanderlust. We've pushed on, pressed on, killed on. And never reached our goal.
But always there is God. The history we have points to the sparks He created in the darkness, the fires He kindled in the tragedies. Always there is God, appearing where you least expect. Always there is God, breaking through.
I love history because God's there in the midst of our failures. He never lets go; He never disappears.
Intersecting Faith & Life: One reason I always challenge others to keep a journal or a blog is because it gives us all a place to record our own histories. It's a place where we can see the pursuing love of God as He picks us up from our failures and loves us anyway. It's a place to learn from past mistakes. Take a moment today to capture your own story and keep at it. You'll always be amazed at the grace that shimmers through.
Further Reading
Romans 5
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Cold Soup
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. – Mark 12:30
A while back, some friends and I went out to lunch at a nearby restaurant. Now, I'm not much of an adventurous eater, but that day I decided to try something new and ordered a soup called, "Vichyssoise." I now know that Vichyssoise is a thick soup made of puréed leeks, onions, potatoes, cream, and chicken stock. Also, it's traditionally served cold. Maybe I'm just not cultured enough to appreciate this unique delicacy, but in my opinion cold soup tastes horrible.
After one spoonful I was trying to find a creative way to spit it out without my friends noticing. The meal did make me think though, about what the Bible says about cold and lukewarm Christians.
I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth. - Revelation 3:15-16
It's funny how a bowl of soup can make you reflect on your life as a Christian. As I mulled over my actions in the past year, I realized how far away from God I had really moved. I had let my faith become a daily routine, like brushing my teeth or doing laundry, I had let my passion grow cold. God wants us to change the world, if only in our own small ways. Keep your heart and mind centered on Christ, don't let yourself grow cold.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Have you let your passion for Christ grow cold? Take some time to consider.
Further Reading
Habakkuk 3:19
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Maybe Those Words Mattered
by Debbie Holloway, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
"Maybe those words never really mattered at all/
But lately those words run with me wherever I go..."
Those lyrics are from a Keane song that I'm currently listening to as I write. Do you ever reflect on the power of words? Words have so much influence, even when we don't intend for them to. I'm currently dealing with a rocky relationship, and words have played a key role in the hurt and confusion. "Rocky" probably isn't the best description...frayed, torn, broken, sporadic, and unraveling might be more accurate – but you get the idea.
The worst part honestly just might be that I have no idea how to deal with it.
I don't envy people who've always had to deal with crazy drama, but I envy their preparation and their ability to keep it together after years of practice. I don't have a background in Dealing With Crazy. I don't think I've ever had a heated, angry, yelling-type fight with anyone outside my immediate family. And in dealing with family, all arguments have always ended with jam sessions or forgiveness or just a resolve to move on.
So when a relationship I thought was secure starts pumping venom in my direction, I sort of lose it. I'm an ugly crier, too. And my times of panic are bewildered, because I'm not usually a panicked person. To boot, I was often told growing up "you should be a lawyer" because of my passion for rightness and justice. So when my sense of "how the world is meant to work" gets thrown back at me in a situation I can't control.... well... it's hard. I have a soft and fierce heart.
This season has helped me grow in ways, though. It's helped me think twice about judgments I make on people when I don't know their story. It's helped me remember to measure my own words. It's helped me realize that I have no control over what someone will do with my words once they leave my lips. It's helped me remember that love and loyalty must be kept up like a well-trimmed garden. Leaving relationships to take care of themselves sometimes results in a beautiful, out-of-control wisteria vine... but too often, it results in chaos, decay, and weeds choking out the flowers.
James writes,
"No human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison" (3:8).
No human can tame the tongue. But God can. Give your words over to God before they pass through your lips, and let God reign in taming your tongue. It's a daily struggle for me, but even in my weakness, he is perfectly strong.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Do rash words get you in trouble? Start meditating on the Word, and give your impulses to God. Are rash words from others hurting your heart? Remember, you are only master of your own tongue. Behave as one bearing the standard of Christ.
Further Reading
James 3
Say It Ain't So: The Power of Words
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The First Fruit of the Gospel
by Alex Crain, Editor, Christianity.com
"For whosoever shall be ashamed of Me and My words, of him shall the Son of Man
be ashamed, when He shall come in His own glory..."
Luke 9:26 NASB
Nothing—not good works, religious rituals, not anything can add merit to Christ's perfect work of atonement.
Still, virtue does flow from the work of Christ in our lives.
One virtue that is the necessary result of the gospel in our lives is the habit of dying daily. Francis Schaeffer, in his book True Spirituality, insightfully takes us to Luke 9:22 about this where Christ is telling His disciples the certain order of events that would soon occur to Him... that He would be rejected, slain, then raised.
Jesus immediately relates this order—rejected, slain, raised—to the christian life as well.
In Luke 9:23-24, Jesus says, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it."
Schaeffer points out that,
"Jesus is talking here about our death by choice in the present life. He applies it to a specific situation to make it more concrete. "For whosoever shall be ashamed of Me and My words, of him shall the Son of Man be ashamed, when He shall come in His own glory..." (Luke 9:26)
"The Bible is not speaking of some romantic feeling, some idealization, some abstraction. Jesus carries this concept of facing the rejection, being slain, down to a very practical situation: facing an alien world. It is the saying "no" to self when our natural selves would desire acceptance by the alien world—a world in revolt against its Creator and our Lord.
"...this command of Christ is not limited to one situation; it is that which is to be the whole mentality and outlook of the Christian's life.
"As Christ's rejection and death are the first steps in the order of redemption, so our rejection and death are the first steps in the order of true and growing spirituality.
"As there could be no next step in the order of Christ's redemption until the step was taken, so in the Christian there can be no further step until these first two steps—rejected, slain—are faced; not in theory only, but at least in some partial practice."
Intersecting Faith & Life: Is the gospel bearing fruit in your life in this way? Put another way, do you increasingly treasure Christ so that things and self receive less and less of your time, attention and resources?
Ask God for grace to live before the watching world in a way that others would see the blessings of a resurrected life in you.
Further Reading:
Philippians 1:1
The Expulsive Power of a New Affection
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Is the Aim of Your Life to Please the Lord?
by Anna Kuta, Editor, ReligionToday.com
Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him (2 Corinthians 5:9).
My pastor mentioned today's verse in a sermon several weeks ago, and it has stuck with me since then, convicting me.
Basically, this verse is telling us that if our ambition is something other than being pleasing to the Lord, we need to reevaluate. Too often I find myself going through life with a totally different aim, whether it be to please others, to be perceived a certain way or to please myself. But this verse has me thinking, and it is something we all need to consider. How can I claim to put the Lord first in my life while continuing to do things I know are not pleasing to Him? Do I even claim to put Him first in my life? And if I continue in sin, what message does that send to unbelievers with whom I am trying to share the gospel message?
The Bible is our complete manual to following the Lord and living for Him. Though we are all sinful people, the process of the Christian life should be one of sanctification and becoming more Christlike – and we can find in the pages of God's word everything we need to grow in our faith and knowledge of the Lord. As Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 4:1: "Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort you in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God; for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus."
We can't live to please God unless we know who He is and what He commands – and we can't know that unless we read His word. As Romans 10:17 says, "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." As Christians, our aim should be constantly striving to better know the Lord, to follow Him – and to please Him.
What is your aim?
Intersecting Faith & Life: Are you living in a manner "well pleasing" to the Lord? If you do not read your Bible every day, commit to set aside a few minutes. Ask the Lord to open your eyes to His directions as you read His word. Pray that He will help you live a life pleasing to Him.
Further Reading
Colossians 1:10
Colossians 3:16
Hebrews 4:12
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Faith Like a Little Child
by Debbie Holloway, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
"Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all" (Mark 10:15).
Most of the times I have heard this quote from Jesus used, it has been a reminder to have simple faith. Christians tend get caught up in theological squabbles, and when it gets intense usually someone will chime in at some point with a reminder that the bottom line is to have childlike faith.
And while obviously divisiveness is to be avoided among brethren, sometimes I think we forget what children are actually like when we use the phrase "childlike" to describe desired attitudes or attributes. As someone who been around children my whole life, I've recently had some thoughts on relating this verse to the truth about how (most) children behave.
1. Children require relationship.
If a child is told to do something with no context or established relationship, it is very likely said child will simply be scared, angry, or will even fight. Each one of us is on the journey to build a relationship with God through Christ, but we are each at a different step in the journey. To expect someone without a relationship with God to "have childlike faith" with what they're struggling in would be a silly as expecting to convince a stranger's child to do something they did not want to do. Children know less than adults, naturally, but children will very rarely follow you instructions unless they know your face.
2. Children never stop asking questions.
Unfortunately, being told to have faith like a child is often a response given to a hard question. Kind of a wet blanket, huh? But it's so misguided, because children naturally ask a million questions a minute! Now obviously as they grow older they learn tact (and often learn from endless shushings to ask fewer questions), but innately, children are open to learning and want to learn. They want to know the stories behind traditions, the logic behind chores, and they want to rip the mystery off why we do things the way we've always done them. If we are to "be like a little child," we must never lose our drive to ask questions.
3. You must earn the trust of children.
When I was a very young child, a man in my church body used to make a habit of teasing and tickling the children in the congregation. Most children liked him and didn't mind his antics, but I was an incredibly sensitive toddler – one who rarely felt at home away from my mother's arms. I needed my personal space, and very much resented the intrusions of this (admittedly, very well-intentioned) parishioner. At one point when he accosted me, I am told by my family that I calmly ordered him to "never touch me again." He had not earned my trust with his particular brand of playfulness, and therefore I was not OK with him being inside my bubble. (*disclaimer: don't worry, I grew out of this sensitivity. This poor man did not remain my arch-nemesis!)
This phenomenon can be seen every Sunday morning when children are dropped off in the nursery and crying fits ensue. Is it because they are bad kids? Of course not! It's because they have itty bitty reasoning capabilities, and all they know instinctively is that they've been dumped into the arms of someone who has not earned their trust.
And yet so often we, as adult Christians, are asked to put our trust in the hands of pastors, teachers, or specific caricatures of God before they have actually earned our trust. If we raise a concern with how a pastor leads a congregation, or with how someone in position of leadership interprets the Bible, we are far too often shushed and told to just trust, follow, and believe.
But if we are to be like little children in God's Kingdom, surely we ought to place our trust where trust is earned! We should be telling each other to look for fruits of the spirit, look for love and truth, and follow those roads. If someone feels discomfort, pain, or abuse from a source of authority, telling them, "you must have childlike faith," is quite a faulty comparison.
Intersecting Faith and Life: How does the metaphor of God as "father" and us as "children" help us learn how to think of him, and interact with each other? What does accepting the Kingdom of God "like a little child" look like to you?
Further Reading
Luke 18:17
Who is Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?
Living as Sons and Daughters, Not Slaves
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What Will Your Legacy Be?"
Debbie Wright, Assistant Editor at Crosswalk.com
One of the most spiritually provocative songs I've ever heard is called War Sweater by the band Wakey!Wakey!.
"New York is dangerous, littered with thieves
We've no morals here, we just do as we please..."
...sings the narrator in the opening lines. He continues:
"But I don't want to go home where they all stare at me
'Cause I'm tattooed and fired up and drunk and obscene."
I'm sure many of us can picture a similar "wayward" family member or friend. But why exactly does this narrator feel so uncomfortable with this scrutiny? He explains in the following chorus:
"You wear your religion like a War Sweater
You ask for the truth, but you know you could do so much better
And you sat on your fences, and you've screamed "no retreat!"
...So what will your legacy be?"
Every time the singer repeats that phrase, "what will your legacy be?" I get knots in my stomach. Because I know my actions and my words will create whatever legacy I leave behind. Reputations are not created by beliefs – rather they come about by observed behavior. No one will remember me simply for getting all my doctrine right or wrong.
They will remember, though, if I wear my religion like a War Sweater. If I thrash my faith about like a flag and scream in the faces of unbelievers. Sadly, many Christians have created such legacies for themselves. Emperor Constantine created the legacy of Christianity's ties to the government. The Crusaders connected Christianity with war. Even today there are self-professing Christians who stand on street corners and picket funerals, wearing their religion like a War Sweater.
But my faith, my religion, informs me of something better. My religion tells me: "James 1:22." My religion does not allow me to sit on a pedestal and judge; it says to Galatians 5:13. My religion Psalms 149:4 that salvation cannot come through pride. My religion does not stand for violently demanding all people bow to my standards; rather, it tells me that, Romans 12:18.
So take a look at the words you speak, at the people you mock, at the bumper stickers adorning your car.
Are you wearing your religion like a War Sweater?
What will your legacy be?
Intersecting Faith and Life: When confronted with a hard situation today, see how you can leave a legacy of Christ's love.
Further reading
Matthew 5:9
John 16:33
2 Corinthians 2:11
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Fill 'er Up
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com
"Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness—the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints." Colossians 1:24-26
Right after I got married, I gave up computer software updates and PC troubleshooting for something a bit more... down to earth, you could say. I needed work in my new hometown, and since employers weren't tracking me down and forcing jobs on me, I gravitated toward the only available option: construction. With a booming housing market at the time, finding enough to do wasn't a problem.
But finding motivation was a problem. Going from a specialized, higher paying job in computers, where I mostly sat at my desk all day, to cleaning up cinder blocks, wrestling with insulation, and scrubbing windows—that was quite the humbling thing. Honestly, I'd never had to do any real manual labor in my life before that (yes, I was coddled). The heat and pain and bloodied hands were all new to me.
The first few weeks, after a particularly arduous day of gophering around the jobsites, I'd come home and crash on the living room floor. My muscles weren't used to the beating they took, and they made sure I knew about it.
Slowly, however, with all the wood slinging and nail pounding and putty slapping, things changed. The nights of carpet collapses became less frequent, and my hands didn't split open nearly as often (unless you count the numerous times I stabbed myself with a chisel). In fact, I came to enjoy the process of seeing something come together, seeing a house take shape.
My spiritual growth has come in a similar fashion—just without the splinters. At first, the failures dragged me down and beat me up. The rejections when I tried to share my newfound faith stung. The transformation cut deep. But as I grew and as God worked in me, something changed. The pain still stings and the transformation still cuts (that never stops), yet I began to see the pain as an important part of the overall process. Christ is building something in me—and in His Church.
As humans, we all suffer. But as Christians, we fill up on suffering. Sounds bad, but the point is that instead of us letting the suffering go to waste, God uses it for the good of other believers (and our own). He takes the pain and makes it passion, passion that spills out as love for our brothers and sisters.
Intersecting Faith & Life: We each serve as a breathing example of the gospel played out in real life. Our pain and restoration make us a family like nothing else can.
Further Reading
1 Corinthians 12
Ephesians 3
Build in Layers
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Turn with Me to Your Next Prayer
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com
According to Hollywood, most funerals should include the pastor intoning the morbid notes of the twenty-third Psalm. All the black around the pastor makes it seem that much more depressing. Usually, there's rain.
But there are two things about this that strike me as odd. First, Psalm 23 isn't depressing. Yes, it mentions the "shadow of death," but it's chock full of hope and paths of righteousness ... and oil pouring over heads. You can't be depressed when oil's dripping down your nose ... at least in biblical terms.
Second, I don't really hear people pray from the Bible. Sure, they toss in a verse or two about being "more than conquerors" or "God working all things for our good." But I've never seen a pastor reach for Psalm 23 or any Psalm for that matter when praying in public.
Now, don't get me wrong. I've heard plenty of great prayers from pastors and other believers. Some of them have hit home hard. But it seems as if Evangelicals especially are averse to anything that isn't somehow unique when it comes to praying. It's as if we think that just praying from the Bible isn't quite spiritual enough. We have to say something original.
Honestly, that's too bad. Because the Bible is crammed with better prayers than I could ever come up with—ones that fit almost every situation. And, really, that makes sense. After all, God inspired Scripture. These are His prayers to us; they're gifts of His grace.
In the Psalms alone, there are prayers for depression, loss, fear, moments when you just gotta praise ... it's like an encyclopedia of prayers. Just dial up a Psalm, and you've got a template for expressing what may have seemed inexpressible a few moments earlier.
Now, I'm not saying we should reject all original prayer-making. I'm just saying that there's no reason to ignore the Bible as a source for some pretty great prayers. We don't always have to come up with something original when God gave us His own Word to pray from. These prayers are creative for you creative types; passionate for those who like passion; and orderly for those of you who like things with three main points.
Just make sure that you aren't praying the Psalms like those pastors in the movies. Put some heart behind it.
[Finish Psalm 23]
Intersecting Faith & Life: God's interest in our prayer is that we spend time giving Him everything we've got. It's easy to think that we have to have the right words—or that prayer is a test of our creativity. But it's really a test of our hearts.
There are no original words ... nothing new under the sun. Using the Bible as a prayer manual isn't a cop out; it's brilliant. Who better to teach us how to pray than God? Start there and see how well God's Word fits the problems you face. Then, if you still need to wax poetic, you can do that, too.
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Our Love Should Be Ridiculous
by Stephen Sanders, Salem Web A/V Editor
Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Romans 12:10
Every once in a while, you meet a Christian who just flat out makes you feel good about life in general. It doesn't happen probably as much as it should, but nonetheless, it's always nice to see. Even though it may just be a brief encounter, you leave that conversation feeling important, hopeful and restored. Sometimes, it's even so powerful that it inspires you to become a better person.
I recently had an encounter with a certain pastor who just flat out blew me away with the way he carried himself. This was actually my 2nd time meeting him, and I just can't describe the attitude of this man. His love for God and love for people was simply contagious. Everyone in the room was just so peaceful and complimentary after he left. I found myself wanting to be more like that because, well, I'm not.
Showing "brotherly affection" towards others is not something that comes naturally for me. I tend to make a lot of excuses when it comes to being more outgoing and more loving. After all, it's much safer to just ignore people I don't know or have things in common with. That makes perfect sense, right? It's wiser to just let someone else share God's love with them; someone who can "minister to them more effectively than I."
God continues to deal with me about this on a daily basis. Not only is displaying love towards one another one of the chief commands of the Christian faith, but it's the core of who Jesus Christ was while he was on earth in the flesh. It's easy to assume that Jesus would have gotten along easier with the "church folks," but He actually spent all of His time with tax collectors, prostitutes and such; people who He had absolutely zero in common with.
The religious people of that day mocked Jesus for loving the way He did. Jesus' love was ridiculous.
I've been studying the heck out of the book of Romans lately. It's been great because I've begun to see this continuing contrast between the "church folks" and the "actual church" that Paul was ministering to in those days. The "church folks" were so proud of the list of regulations that defined who they were and set them apart from the society in which they lived. The "actual church" simply grabbed hold of the free gift of Christ and displayed it openly to that same society. The "church folks" disqualified others from becoming God's Chosen because of what they were unwilling to do. But the "actual church" made no assumptions about who could and could not be "saved."
The early church let the good news of the cross speak for itself... and they would scream this truth to everyone... everywhere... even if it meant dying a gruesome death. Their love was ridiculous.
In today's culture, self-sacrificial love to the point of death sounds just as extreme as it did back then. So many of us make excuses as to why we don't need to love like that. Christians and church doctrines manage to create unwritten laws that shield us from having to actually love like the Spirit of Christ so desperately wants us to. We take specific scriptures and turn them into shield for our own protection. Take Romans 12:1-2 for example:
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Until recently, I'd only recognized this scripture as an instruction to "beware of society and it's influences." And it's true that the world does things way differently than the Holy Spirit does. But I've always overlooked the importance of "test and discern what is the will of God." You see, we cannot "test the will of God" if we are so far removed from society that we are out of touch. The same "enemy society" that we are to not become influenced by is also the same exact place where God has strategically placed us to seek His will for our lives and display the gifts and talents He has placed in us.
Sound impossible? It's really not... it just takes a ridiculous love for this lifestyle to be functional.
In actuality, it may appear to many as being very dysfunctional. But that's okay! This Christian walk was never meant to be something that caused us to take ourselves more seriously than we ought to anyway. To tell you the truth, Jesus said that the "actual church" would "confound the wise and shame the strong." So don't be afraid to be excessively full of life, hopeful, positive and patient when others try to make that difficult to do. Look for excuses to just randomly meet the needs of others... especially your enemies! That's love... that's the sort of thing that everyone, Christians and non-Christians, long for deep down inside. That's what the love of Christ is all about.
I'm challenging myself (and you) to reach out in some way to someone every single day... starting today. God has radically changed our lives. He has given us something that is more valuable than anything. It's time we share it, not from a soapbox or inside our church walls, but in the every day hustle and bustle of where we already exist...
...and be proactive because, chances are, if you don't then no one else will.
For further study, read Romans 12:1.
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Elbows & Ears
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
I will redeem you with an outstretched arm.
Exodus 6:6
Be merciful to me and hear my prayer.
Psalm 4:1
Once, when my son was just shy of three, he informed his mother he was drawing a picture of God.
"Oh... What does God look like?" she asked.
"Well, I put some elbows and some ears," he replied, and he went back to his work.
I was told that story when I came home from work. Cute, I thought. Not exactly as awe-inspiring as Ezekiel's vision, but sounds like a weird picture. I mean, where is the face?
"The face of the Lord is not one you could look upon" (Exodus 33:12-23), came the voice inside my head.
Where are the hands and feet?
That's you.
Oh yeah, that's true...
So... elbows and ears, huh?
Well, I guess God does reach us, and move us, and nudge us, and hold up the light to our paths. As Wayne Watson sang, "No one in this world can slip beyond the reaches of the long arm of the Lord."
And I know he hears us. He created us for fellowship. He desires praise and prayer. He's absolutely listening. He can even hear things we don't even know we're saying. As Steven Curtis Chapman sang, "The cross should have been mine, But His love broke through time, And heard my heart's cry."
So in one statement about one drawing by one child, I had digested a complete meditation on the nature of God, who He is and what He does, even what He leaves for us to do. As Casting Crowns sang, "If we are the body... Why aren't His hands healing... Why aren't His feet going?"
Intersecting Faith & Life: Consider today what part of the body you are playing, and what other parts (eyes, mouth, shoulders, etc.) describe what you know about the character of your God.
Further Reading
Video: "Proof" Most of us have thought how much easier it would be to follow God if we could just see Him once. The truth, though, is that He is all around us...
Matthew 5:8
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Spiritual Health
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
"Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. – John 14:27
Lately I've been reflecting on the story of Jesus and the paralytic. You've probably heard it before; it appears in Mark chapter 2, when four men break through a roof to bring their friend to Jesus.
And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room, not even near the door; and He was speaking the word to them. And they came, bringing to Him a paralytic, carried by four men. Being unable to get to Him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him; and when they had dug an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic was lying. And Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven." But some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, "Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming; who can forgive sins but God alone?" Immediately Jesus, aware in His spirit that they were reasoning that way within themselves, said to them, "Why are you reasoning about these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven '; or to say, 'Get up, and pick up your pallet and walk '? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins "-He said to the paralytic, "I say to you, get up, pick up your pallet and go home." And he got up and immediately picked up the pallet and went out in the sight of everyone, so that they were all amazed and were glorifying God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this." – Mark 2:2-12
What gets me when I read this story is that, after all these men did to get their friend to Jesus, the first thing he does is say, "Your sins are forgiven." I must have read this story a hundred times, yet I always seem to forget that Jesus healed the man's soul before he healed his body. I don't know about you, but it bothers me how easy it is for us to focus so much on our physical needs that we overlook our spiritual ones. They don't necessarily have to be selfish needs either.
"Please let me be healthy, please let me find a job, please let my car not break down."These are things everyone prays for, but what happens when we grow so concerned about our lives that we forget to ask God for more faith, or wisdom, or opportunities to exercise His Grace? Walking with Christ means balancing the physical with the spiritual, because while our bodies were made for this world, our spirits were made for somewhere else.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Are your physical needs overshadowing your spiritual ones? Take time to pray and meditate on his word.
Further Reading
Hebrews 11
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A Crown without Jewels
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.– Hebrews 4:16
Like most kids who grew up in the church, I was enrolled in Awana the moment I had the ability to memorize John 3:16. Not that I'm complaining, I enjoyed the evenings of games and Bible stories. However, like every Bible club for small children, Awana had its share of speed bumps. One such bump appeared during a lesson where a young woman was sharing her testimony. She had just finished telling everyone the story of how her grandfather accepted Christ on his deathbed when a hand shot up in the back of the audience.
"Does this mean we can do whatever we want as long as we say sorry before we die?" asked the child. I can vaguely remember the look of panic that came into the woman's eyes when she discovered her class was trying to cheat the system. Torn between theology and a group of minors, she opted for the easiest answer.
"Well, yes, God will forgive you if you ask him," then reaching down to her jacket, she pulled out the tiny crown pin reserved only for the best children in the club, "but it also means you will have fewer jewels in your crown when you get to heaven." I'm not bothered that our leader chose to use this explanation; it's hard to describe the grace of God to a room full of third graders hopped up on gummy bears. What does bother me is the number of adult Christians who still believe this idea to be true.
"I grew up in a Christian household."
"I accepted Christ when I was only seven."
Many Christians will take these statements and present them as proof of their superiority. Proof that the person who just gave their life to Christ is somehow "Second Class." Thankfully, Jesus didn't see it that way, and said as much in the parable of the vineyard.
"So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 'These men who were hired last worked only one hour,' they said, 'and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.' But he answered one of them, 'Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?' So the last will be first, and the first will be last." – Matthew 20:10-16
It does not matter if you spend your entire life ignoring God or trying to build a stairway to heaven, we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of Christ. But when we accept him as our savior that all changes, regardless of how old we are or how we've spent our past. The whole, wonderful point of grace is that it cannot be earned. How else could it be called grace?
Intersecting Faith and Life: Remember to be humble and show understanding to others. We are all on a journey to know God, so love others as he would love them.
Further Reading
Romans 6:14
:angel:
October 30, 2013
Honoring All Souls
by Sarah Phillips, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. And even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you." Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?" She said to him, "Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, he who is coming into the world." John 11: 17 - 27
Most of us who've been around for more than a couple decades have experienced the death of a loved one. I remember when a close family friend died while I was in high school.
"Uncle" Ed was only in his 40's, a tough looking, bearded guy with a jolly sense of humor. I remember the day he called my mom, a seasoned ICU nurse, with some unusual symptoms. My stomach felt uneasy as I overheard my mother tell Ed he needed medical attention as soon as possible.
My sisters and I would only see Ed a couple more times after that call. Once, just before he was admitted for a bone marrow transplant to treat the rare disease attacking his body. He was wearing his regular clothes and looked like the Ed we always knew.
The second time was in the hospital after his transplant. He looked weak and bald, and that scared me a bit. It was the day before prom, and mom urged me and my twin sister to tell him about the prom dresses we designed. Ed listened to our descriptions as if our dresses were the most important topic in the world. A few weeks later, I got a phone call from my mom telling me Ed passed away.
One of the saddest aspects of Ed's untimely death was that he never fulfilled his long-held dream to marry and have children of his own. That stuck with me. But another thing that stuck with me was Ed's memorial service. I was not a Christian, and to my surprise, Ed's Lutheran funeral was filled with one story after another describing his devotion to Christ and his lengthy trips into the mission fields. Ed's death played an instrumental role in bringing me to faith in Christ a few years later.
I know many of you have similar stories. Life was going along swimmingly, and suddenly the phone rang and nothing was ever the same. I also know many of you have encouraging stories of how God worked through the death of someone in a special way.
Some of the most encouraging reflections on death and eternity I've read can be found in a book published by former hospice nurse, Trudy Harris, titled Glimpses of Heaven (Revell, 2008). Harris collected stories of her dying patients to offer comfort to those who have experienced loss, and also to share the profound spiritual insights she has gleaned from those getting ready to pass into heaven. Having observed God's tender care for her patients time and again, Harris says, "Those who have allowed themselves the luxury of being present with patients as they are dying come away realizing in a whole new way that there is only one Divine Physician, and it is He alone who sets the timetables of our lives."
While death is always a tragedy, Harris confirms what Christianity teaches – that even death has merit when doused with God's grace. Harris writes that many of her patients could sense – even see -- God's presence in ways most of us can't right now. She notes her patients, who endured painful illness, were anxious to give hope, comfort, and wisdom to the living before they passed on. Some even died with so much grace, they wore a gentle smile.
Of course, we can look to our Savior, who did not avoid death even when He could have, to see two truths: God works through the dying process to draw each of us closer to Him, and death – no matter how horrible - does not have the final word.
While it can be difficult for those of us here to bear the weight of losing a loved one, like Martha we can find peace in knowing God does not abandon us or our loved ones even in the darkest moments of death. And while we don't yet have the privilege of seeing God in all His glory, we can faithfully entrust our futures and the futures of our loved ones' to the merciful love of Christ.
Intersecting Faith & Life: While many of our loved ones are not famous Saints like Augustine or Aquinas, they are just as precious to us and to God. Nov. 2 is the Feast of All Souls – the day when Christians officially remember all who have gone before us, like Ed. Thank God for the blessings of the time you had with your loved ones, and perform some little act of kindness in their memory
Further Reading
Romans 5: 5 - 11
John 10: 9 -10
1 John 3: 1 – 3
Living -- and Dying -- Well
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October 31, 2013
Community Is Where You Find It
Laura MacCorkle
They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. Acts 2:42-47, NIV
You know what's not so great about getting older? Well, for starters there's the gray hair. And then the memory loss . . . no, let's call that "a recall challenge."
But another issue that really stood out to me as not so great as I've aged is community. Or the lack thereof. Community truly is the buzz concept these days. In churches, there are now "community groups," otherwise known as small groups. And outside of the Christian bubble, it's interesting to see that even Hollywood has covered the topic of community in several recent films—The Way,Seven Days in Utopia, The Help, Dolphin Taleandeven Winnie the Pooh.
The fact is: We were created for relationship, as we help one another and walk this journey together.
I remember how easy it used to be to find community when I was a younger. I was four years old on the first day of Sunday school at my new church, and I met Holli. She sat by me, and we started talking. By the end of the hour, we were buddies. And we've been friends ever since. How easy was that?
Continuing through elementary, junior high and high school, it was no trouble to find others who were likeminded or wanted to spend time with me and had my back. My community was bountiful—almost effortless—and I cherished every minute of it. Doing life together with my dear brothers and sisters in Christ yielded many meaningful and uplifting moments together, and I truly treasure those years.
After college, as people entered into the different life stages (career, marriage, parenthood) and some even moved away, it seemed like it wasn't as easy to find community anymore. All of a sudden I didn't have the community that occurred naturally and was readily available to me in structured settings such as school or youth group or social organizations.
Now that I was older, I realized I would have to do a little extra work to find community for myself.
In 1 Peter 4:10 we read: "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms."
I love that verse, because it reminds us of our responsibility as believers in the lives of others. We are instruments of God's grace. That means we are to be proactive in reaching out, instead of waiting for someone to reach out to us. And when we do reach out to others, not only can we help one another tangibly, prayerfully and with our spiritual gifts, but we can also find community.
In recent years, I've found it in some unexpected places, and if you looked at my list of friends I consider my "community," you would find all different ages and shoe sizes. I've even found community with complete strangers. In fact, this past summer I met a lovely father and son while on a return flight home from a trip. I'm never afraid to chat up a stranger, and it didn't take us long to get a great conversation going. Throughout our discourse, I found out that the father and son were also believers, and so this added an even sweeter depth to our mile-high discussion.
As the flight prepared for landing, the father leaned over and told me that he felt that our meeting on the plane and time spent sharing with each other was providential, and that he and his son had been blessed. I wholeheartedly concurred and came home from that trip very much encouraged and felt like my spirit had been lifted. I didn't have to reach out to them, and they didn't have to reach out to me. But we did, and God was there in our midst during our two-hour conversation.
By God's grace, I happened to find community on a plane one day. Which just goes to show: if you're looking, community is where you find it.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Today's devotional verse describes what community looked like in the first Christian church. How does what you read apply to you today? Are you part of a thriving community? Do you long to be? Ask God to reveal how you can reach out to others and where you should be looking for community in your life today.
Further Reading:
Galatians 6:2, NIV
Colossians 3:12-14, NIV
1 John 3:17-18, NIV
:angel:
All Saints' Day
by Alex Crain, Editor of Christianity.com
"Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us." Hebrews 12:1, NAS
There's an old country-western song that says "Me and Jesus got our own thing going" (Tom T. Hall). And I have to admit, there's a part of me that likes that message. It's the sinful, self-absorbed part of me, but the words of that song have a dark appeal. Sometimes, I just don't want other people looking at my life. I don't want to be questioned. I want to be affirmed. But that kind of "Mind your own business. Me and Jesus got our own thing going" attitude isn't from God. He doesn't teach His children rugged individualism. He connects us to something bigger than our stand-alone, little lives. Every follower of Christ is a part of something grand and ancient. A yearly reminder of that fact is the holiday known as "All Saints Day."
Who is a saint? Well, you are, if you're a believer. The Bible says that—by God's grace, with all our blind spots, flaws, and all—God calls Ephesians 1:1 those who trust in Christ alone for salvation. Because Christ lived a perfectly obedient life and died on the cross for our sin, it's paid for and forgiven (Romans 5:1). We're also clothed in the righteousness of Jesus (2 cor. 5:21). God then uses His saints with feet of clay to further His kingdom. This brings Him glory and makes His grace shine clearly.
All Saints Day dates back to about A.D. 610 when the Pantheon in Greece, turned into a Christian Church, was dedicated to all saints. The 1662 Book of Common Prayer says that the holiday stands for "the unity of Christians of all ages, countries, and races in Christ, and the perfection of that unity in heaven."
The Bible doesn't teach us to pray to the saints (matt. 6:6), through the saints (1 tim. 2:5) or for saints who have already gone to heaven. Instead, we remember the saints and to allow the memory of their faith spur us on to deeper worship and greater service to the Lord.
hebrews 11 gives us examples of the great cloud of witnesses who are called so, not because they are watching us, but because they testify of God's grace to them. These saints of the past remind us:
"God is faithful."
"The Lord is good, trust always in Him."
"God's grace was sufficient for me and it will be for you too."
There's a hymn that's traditionally sung around this holiday called "For All the Saints." It encourages believers to look across 2000 years of Christian history and think of the millions now enjoying rest and salvation in the presence of God. It's also meant to provide encouragement to believers here and now to press on, looking forward to the glorious day...
"And when the strife is fierce, the warfare long,
Steals on the ear the distant triumph song,
And hearts are brave again, and arms are strong.
Alleluia, Alleluia!"
Intersecting Faith and Life
How do you tend to view your Christian life? An individual self-improvement project? Or is it a life of connection to Ephesians 4:1?
Further Reading
Take a moment to reflect on the words of "For All the Saints." If you've never heard this great song of the faith, here are two recordings you might listen to as you reflect on the lyrics below:
choir of york minster, england (traditional arrangement)
indelible grace (contemporary arrangement, track 14)
"For All the Saints"
(Lyrics: William How; Music: Ralph Vaughan Williams)
For all the saints, who from their labors rest,
Who Thee by faith before the world confessed,
Thy Name, O Jesus, be forever blessed.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
Thou wast their Rock, their Fortress and their Might;
Thou, Lord, their Captain in the well fought fight;
Thou, in the darkness drear, their one true Light.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
For the Apostles' glorious company,
Who bearing forth the Cross o'er land and sea,
Shook all the mighty world, we sing to Thee:
Alleluia, Alleluia!
For the Evangelists, by whose blest word,
Like fourfold streams, the garden of the Lord,
Is fair and fruitful, be Thy Name adored.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
For Martyrs, who with rapture kindled eye,
Saw the bright crown descending from the sky,
And seeing, grasped it, Thee we glorify.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
O blest communion, fellowship divine!
We feebly struggle, they in glory shine;
All are one in Thee, for all are Thine.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
O may Thy soldiers, faithful, true and bold,
Fight as the saints who nobly fought of old,
And win with them the victor's crown of gold.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
And when the strife is fierce, the warfare long,
Steals on the ear the distant triumph song,
And hearts are brave, again, and arms are strong.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
The golden evening brightens in the west;
Soon, soon to faithful warriors comes their rest;
Sweet is the calm of paradise the blessed.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
But lo! there breaks a yet more glorious day;
The saints triumphant rise in bright array;
The King of glory passes on His way.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
From earth's wide bounds, from ocean's farthest coast,
Through gates of pearl streams in the countless host,
And singing to Father, Son and Holy Ghost:
Alleluia, Alleluia!
:angel:
The "Whys" of Life
by Kelly Givens, Editor at Salem Web Network
"He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." -Revelation 21:4
Towards the end of work some weeks ago, our office was informed that a few cars in our parking deck had been broken into. The vandalism and robberies had been contained to Level 2—the level I had parked my car. Thankfully, my car had been left untouched. The SUV directly across from me, however, hadn't fared so well- the shattered glass on the ground evidenced the vandals' quick and effective work. As I began my drive home I prayed God would give the owners of the busted up cars a measure of his peace, mercy and patience.
Nearing my exit, I noticed cars slowing down, and around the bend in the road I saw why. A cop was getting out of his car; he had been called for a minor fender bender and traffic was slowing to accommodate. I inched past, glancing at the guy in truck that had been hit. He had his head in his hand and was looking up at the sky in exasperation. You could tell he was thinking, "I can't believe this happened. Why me?! What did I do to deserve this?!" I thought back to the owners of the cars in the parking deck, knowing they would be asking those same questions when they discovered their vehicles had been broken into.
The "whys" of life point us to a story larger than our own. When we ask why bad things happen, we're acknowledging that the way life is right now is not how it ought to be. Why is that significant? It's significant because, in a world which wants us to believe we were created at random and have lived on through survival of the fittest or just good luck, our souls actually cry out against randomness and unjust advantage. We crave order, justice, and mercy, and we feel angry and sad when a seemingly arbitrary, awful thing in life happens. There's a disconnect between what we believe should happen and what really does happen. I find it interesting that my friends who believe in a random, chance creation still feel indignant when apparently random, chance events work against their lives. Their heads may believe one thing, but their hearts believe something else. As Christians, our heads and hearts are more aligned.
At the beginning of Creation, we're told "God saw all he had made, and it was very good" (Gen. 1:31). You were created to live in a perfect world, where the question of why bad things happen was never supposed to exist. But then man sinned and the world was corrupted (Gen. 3: 6-7). Adam and Eve immediately recognized sin for what it was, and in their guilt hid from God (Gen. 3:10). In the same way, we recognize evil as evil because it goes against the very nature of our intended existence. We cry out against suffering because we were never meant to suffer. We get overwhelming distraught over death because no one was ever supposed to die. As believers, we can take encouragement from this gut reaction to pain and suffering. It reminds us we were created for a world absent of these things, and we can look forward to the day when Jesus comes back and takes away our tears and frustrations. We will never utter "Why me?" again. Everything good that can be, will be. Everything evil will be undone. That is such good news; it fills me with joy and hope to think on it.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Are you experiencing seemingly random suffering and sorrow in your life? Cling to the comforting truth of your faith - all suffering is temporary, it is not random, and Jesus is coming soon to restore this world and everything in it - including you - to perfection.
Further Reading:
Isaiah 25:6-9
Romans 8:18-39
:angel:
How Are You Spending Your Time?
by Debbie Holloway, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands (1 Thess. 4:11).
Sometimes on my way home from work I drive under a highway overpass and see large posterboard signs and flags being waved about, which read, "IMPEACH OBAMA." I suppose there is a very dedicated group of people near the area who have made it their mission to share their dislike of our President with everyone commuting out of the city. And while I certainly think it's any citizen's prerogative to disagree with, dislike, or even desire impeachment of any political leader... seeing those banners and signs always sends a frown to my face, and a wave of disappointment over my heart. I think to myself, "Instead of doing anything creative or productive, these no-doubt passionate and hardworking folks are spending hours and hours of their time... trying to get someone else fired."
In a world of endless Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter streams, sometimes we feel we have to shout louder and be bolder just to get noticed at all. It seems to be true especially in the political arena; normally only the wealthiest, well-funded, and over-advertised of those running for office are able to get their names on the ballot. But in such a frenzied atmosphere of opinions and beliefs and convictions and anger, it seems that Christians might need to take a step back, take a deep breath, and learn to live a little more quietly.
Likewise, the Teacher from Ecclesiastes muses:
"No one can comprehend what goes on under the sun. Despite all his efforts to search it out, man cannot discover its meaning. Even if a wise man claims he knows, he cannot really comprehend it" (8:17).
The further we go along in life, the more we recognize that our toil and striving is chasing after the wind; that our supposed "wisdom" really just shows us how little we actually know. Especially when it comes to divisive matters (matters over which families have torn apart and nations have fought wars) it behooves followers of Christ to live with humility and gentleness in our convictions.
"It is foolish to belittle a neighbor; a person with good sense remains silent" (Proverbs 11:12).
Intersecting Faith and Life: When you look back on your life years from now, how will you feel about the way you chose to spend your time, and the words you chose to speak? Will you be pleased with your choices, or will you find yourself echoing the words from Ecclesiastes: "Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few" (5:2).
Further Reading
Ecclesiastes 3:12
Philippians 2:5-8
1 Peter 5:5
Video: How Ought Christians Most Effectively Use Their Time to Shape Culture?
:angel:
Ambition
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands.
1 Thessalonians 4:11
Quaint, right?
Be honest; read today's verse and then try telling your children that such is all they should aspire to; that, essentially, unheralded blue collar work should be their ambition. Aim high? Sounds more like settling for anonymity.
What could Paul be getting at? Sure there are times we all grow tired of the rat race and perhaps dream about a scenario where we forsake the city and a high-pressure job for a more pastoral setting, crafting furniture and knick-knacks, living in harmony. Is that what this verse is getting at?
Let's look deeper.
The Greek word philotim means to labor, endeavor, strive, study to become. It is used in three places in the New Testament. The first is quoted above, regarding ambition, which sounds not much like what we typically imagine when we think of things to be ambitious about.
Another place the word appears is Romans 15:20, where Paul writes, "And thus I aspired to preach the gospel..."
In 2 Corinthians 5:9 we read, "We have as our ambition... to be pleasing to Him."
Contrast these goals with the first defitinion under "ambition" on Dictionary.com:
1. an earnest desire for some type of achievement or distinction, as power, honor, fame, or wealth, and the willingness to strive for its attainment.
I thought so. The more I study, the more I philotim to know God, the more I understand how different the Word and the world really are. Perhaps folks who live in other parts of the globe are less shocked to learn such lessons. For me, born, raised, working, and raising children in these United States, the lesson is always one of dichotomy, paradox, and sadly wondering if I'm handicapped beyond repair from truly following.
One of my bosses is fond of saying that in business, it's crucial to determine early on whether a person you are dealing with is a "make me rich" or a "make me famous" person. Everyone, the story goes, is either one or the other at heart. And truly, according to the world's definition of ambition, that makes sense. We all have something we want that drives us.
Lately I've been wondering a lot at where this has gotten me. Everything I have done, accomplished, purposed, learned, studied (i.e. "philotim-ed") in life has led to... what, exactly? What goal? When I pray that the Lord would make my life useful and provide for me and let me know His will and keep me safe it's all so... what? So I can watch my TV programs every night without acid in my stomach and with an easy feeling in my chest? As opposed to having to really live by faith?
Today I read this quote by the English poet Samuel Johnson: "To be happy at home is the ultimate result of all ambition." Instantly my face fell. I knew that feeling all too well. All my aspirations only lead to the place of comfort, happiness, the path of least resistance. What's wrong with that? It quickly becomes a place that feels too far from God, too self-centered, too out of the loop, too far removed to be making a real difference.
So what then is the ambition of the Christ-follower?
Lead a quiet life
Attend to your own business
Work with your hands
Preach the gospel
Be pleasing to Him
In other words, don't stress yourself with fame, or getting and spending, always climbing, making more more more. Don't bother with being a busy-body or a gossip. Be creative; let God work through you. Tell others about Him. And live by faith.
It's so simple, almost too simple. Ambition isn't something far out there, some unabashed worldly success beyond our dreams, though that's where God may take us. It all goes back to the very reason God made man in the first place - to have someone to know Him.
And there's just not anything quaint about that.
Intersecting Faith & Life: The bulleted points above might sound too easy, too simple. And they can be. But when was the last time you made any or all of these your ambition? Pick one and practice it today, perhaps preaching the gospel to someone, perhaps seeking God's pleasure more than your own in any decisions you make.
Further Reading
What Motivates You?
Romans 15:20
2 Corinthians 5:9-31
:angel:
Mixed Metaphors
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com
"Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving." Colossians 2:6-7
If you grew up in America, you probably heard somewhere along the line that sentences should never end with prepositions, infinitives should never be split, passive voice is taboo, and metaphors should never be mixed. We have those rules, for the most part, to preserve clarity as writers learn the craft. But sometimes grammar rules need to be broken, just as Paul does here by cramming metaphors right up against each other—and for good reason.
So walk in Him: It all begins with a walk. Jesus put splinters in His back to stumble up a hill, and He expects no less of us (Matthew 16:24). We sometimes struggle over the rocky ground, and obstacles define the journey as much as the path itself (Psalm 37:24). But God laid out the lines (Psalm 16:11), emblazoned the roadway with clear markers (Psalm 119:35), and provided a Helper to go alongside us (John 16:13). To get to the goal, we have to shake off the things that wrap around our legs and hold us back (Hebrews 12:1).
Rooted [in Him]: All the while, we're connected to the True Vine (John 15:1). He sends the sustenance we need to not only survive, but thrive in a barren world (John 10:10). God wants us to be fruitful—to the point that He actually prepared fruit beforehand for us (Ephesians 2:10). Sometimes He has to prune us a bit but that's only so we'll break forth in more fruit later (John 15:2).
Built up in Him and established in faith: But we need structure to make all this happen, a steady trellis. Christians—walking, fruitful Christians—rely on a sure foundation (Isaiah 33:6), a rock-solid Cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20), and the living walls of fellow believers (1 Peter 2:5). Apart, we're just a piece of drywall, but, together, we're an impressive, if imperfect, house (Hebrews 3:6).
So, in one sentence, Paul makes us out to be walkers on a journey, plants with deep roots, and a living building. He would never have passed a modern writing course, but he gets the point across just the same: We move and grow and have our being in Christ (see Acts 17:28).
Intersecting Faith & Life: Word pictures in the Bible are imperfect physical descriptions of spiritual realities. Sometimes, you just need a bunch of them to get to the deeper truth—many broad strokes of the brush to nail down what's meant (see what I did there?). When you come to them, stop and try to imagine the picture being painted. You'll be amazed how much God can teach us through mixed metaphors.
For Further Reading
How to Walk with God
Colossians 2
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Living With Need
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
"Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. – Matthew 6:34
It all began with an enormous doctor's bill. Over the past few months I had been trying to do a better job at budgeting my finances. This had never been one of my strong points, but slowly, surely, I felt like I was starting to make progress toward becoming a true, independent adult. Then the doctor's bill came. Aside from putting a huge dent in my finances, what made things even more frustrating was that I began to recall the appointment in question.
The doctor had been almost two hours late and had left me waiting in one of those small service rooms, convinced I'd die of old age before he arrived. After that, there had been the tetanus shot that left my arm feeling stiff and sore for the rest of the day. Now I was looking down at a small piece of paper that told me I was expected to pay a ridiculous sum of money for the inconvenience of both. I decided the first thing to do was pray and ask God to help me with my finances. Once I had finished, I began flipping through my Bible for some sense of assurance.
I finally landed on this verse in Philippians,
I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble. – Philippians 4:10-14
This was not the answer I had hoped for. No one likes being told to tighten their belt, and as I began cleaning up my apartment I couldn't help feeling a little annoyed at God. Midway through my work, I realized I had just enough food in my pantry, my rent was paid, and my car hadn't died on me yet. So maybe I'd have to eat leftovers for a few meals or spend an evening reading instead of going out, so maybe I was living with a little bit of "need;" I had a lot more than most did.
Sometimes it's easy to overlook the ways God has blessed our lives. We worry about what we don't have, instead of looking around and acknowledging what God has already provided. So when times of need start to make you worry, remember that God will always provide, though not always in the way you might expect.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Count your blessings. There's almost surely more of them than it may seem at first.
Further Reading
Philippians 4:4-7
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Those Who Serve
by Laura MacCorkle
Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13, NIV
Today, on Veterans Day, we honor all of those who serve in the United States Armed Forces.
This morning, at the Arlington National Cemetery, a Veterans Day National Ceremony will take place where a wreath is placed at the Tomb of the Unknowns by a color guard made up of members from each of the military services.
While those who have passed away are certainly remembered on this day, Veterans Day is primarily intended to thank those Veterans who are still living for their time in service to America. In fact, it is said that today there are over 24 million Veterans who have served and reintegrated back into society. And I hope for both of us, if we know one of these men or women, that we will thank them today.
Veterans are probably some of the first people we think of when considering those who serve others or have jobs that cause them to sacrifice in some way in their lives. I also think many of us would agree that you could count firefighters, teachers and missionaries in that category as well.
But perhaps we should also consider others who serve today—the ones behind the scenes and the unsung heroes of our lives, if you will.
I'm sure you know of someone in your life who has greatly impacted you with his or her selfless acts of kindness and service. Perhaps it's a parent or a friend, a neighbor or someone at your workplace. Whoever they are, they stand out to you because they don't call attention to themselves. Their actions are what speak loudest, because they are living for something—and for Someone—greater than themselves.
Two women in Scripture who exemplify these kind of "undercover" people who serve are Lois and Eunice, who were Timothy's grandmother and mother respectively. Paul acknowledges them for their significant work in Timothy's life in his letter to Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:5:
I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.
And then later on in chapter 3, verses 14 and 15 he also says to Timothy:
But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
We don't often call out Lois and Eunice as great heroes of the faith when we talk about examples from Scripture, do we? But these few verses point to the very important sacrifices they made in their lives to make sure that Timothy was taught the Word. They were faithful in service to God, as they gave what had been entrusted to them—the gift of God's Word—to Timothy, so he would, in turn, be equipped to share the Truth in service to God and others.
On the surface, this sounds like an easy way to serve. But when was the last time you sat down with someone, day after day, month after month, year after year and worked with them in their spiritual growth and development? It's a sobering thought. Because it requires the sacrifice of our time, our desires and our very lives.
Veterans or not, those who serve are all around us today. So let's give thanks for them all and for the difference God has made in our lives through those who he has led to serve.
Intersecting Faith & Life: As you give thanks for those who have served America today, take inventory of how you are serving others. What sacrifices is God asking you to make so that you can demonstrate his love and make an eternal difference in the life of someone else?
Further Reading:
John 21:15-17, NIV
Romans 12:10-13, NIV
1 John 4:19, NIV
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Seasons of Hope
by Sarah Phillips
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance..."
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
It's the time of year when nature inspires a sense of awe in us. As leaves die, they give forth one final burst of color brighter than the paint on an artist's palette. The sky takes on an unusually crisp blueness and the sun's low, golden rays cast whimsical shadows. We feel energized as autumn breezes stir up the color around us and chase away the dense summer air.
For me, Autumn has always been a "second Spring." A playful time, promising us that life, although soon to be hidden in the dead of winter, will only be invisible for a short while. When the days are gray, cold, and hard, I remember that only a few short weeks ago, the world was light and lively and in only a few weeks more, color will return.
As the author of Ecclesiastes reminds us, God designed life to run in cycles or seasons. Yet how often do we approach this life with expectations of perpetual summer, only to struggle with anxiety and disappointment when winter inevitably interrupts? I know I am guilty of this.
I spent time with my twin sister over this beautiful Fall weekend, and in the course of conversation, she revealed to me how approaching life as a series of seasons gives her perspective as a young wife and mom. "I've seen couples apply much pressure to their family life, expecting every week to live to the standard of the last, just as happy or productive, just as evenly paced. I think it takes a lot of burden off when you accept that this week will not necessarily look like last week, and that some seasons of life will be better than others."
Knowing there is a natural rhythm, a "time to weep and a time to laugh," gives us permission to let go of perfectionist expectations of our lives. It lightens our burdens by giving us hope for the future in the midst of trial and prepares us for times of struggle – until the day comes when there will be no more winter and no more tears.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Are you currently experiencing a scorching summer or a frigid winter? How can you embrace this time as a fruitful season even if it's not your ideal? Are you reveling in a season of joy right now? Give thanks to God for His outpouring of blessings, knowing all goodness comes from His extravagant love.
Further Reading
Psalm 30:4-5,
Revelation 21:1-4
Embrace Your Season
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Rotten Fruit
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. – Matthew 7:1-2
During my time in college, I met another student who considered himself a very devout Christian. In terms of practice, this student couldn't be criticized for his dedication. He read the Bible each morning, attended chapel like clockwork, and never broke a rule during his time at the university. In terms of spirit though, he represented the worst Christianity had to offer. He was proud and judgmental, always calling out others on what he considered to be "sins".
When guys got together to play a game of Halo, he accused them of putting videogames before God. Once, when a guy kissed his girlfriend goodbye on the cheek, he railed for an hour about sexual immorality. When one girl stood up to him and told him to mind his own business, he called her "deaf to the Holy Spirit." Things finally hit a major low one night at a Bible Study where, after being ignored by some of the other members, he declared that a prophet like himself was wasting his time with these reprobates. He left the university shortly after, and no one was sad to see him go.
Now, the reason I'm writing this isn't to shame him, God knows I've done plenty of stupid things in my time too. What bothered me though was the fact that, despite much evidence to the contrary, this student was certain he was doing the right thing. In fact, there are many so-called Christians who do and say terrible things, all in the name of God. In cases like these, it's vital to remember what Matthew wrote about bearing fruit.
"By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'" – Matthew 7:15-23
At some point, every Christian needs to look at their life and examine the fruit they've been harvesting. Are there bushels full of harsh words, proud actions, and vindictive thoughts, or does their bounty include selfless gestures and a gracious heart? Remember, God will judge us by what we sow in the hearts of others, be careful you're fruit isn't rotten.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Take a moment to examine how you have been treating others. Are you truly approaching them as Christ would?
Further Reading
Luke 6:31
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Scripture to Comfort
by Meghan Kleppinger
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Matthew 5:4, NAS
If you have ever suffered a broken relationship and/or heart, the loss of a loved one, or any number of other devastations, than you know about "that" pain.
It's that pain that originates in the bottom of your stomach and initially feels like a big numb ball. Later it develops into a raw gnawing that can only be equated to burning stabs of fire. It makes it way up through the intestines and finally settles in the throat, choking out all attempted spoken words and creating such an excruciating sensation that tears are sure to follow.
Like any other person who has spent more than a few days on this planet, I know "that" pain well. It comes quickly and when it does, it's difficult to believe that it will ever go away. It brings about sorrow, grief, and as it eventually begins to fade away, it brings guilt.
This has been a tough year for my family. We've lost friends and recently, just a few short weeks ago, my grandfather. I know I'm not an anomaly and that people all over the world are suffering a similar pain, so as I began to pray about what I should write about for this week, I started thinking about what has really been helpful for me during these times.
Friends and family have been great, but most of all, scripture has been comforting me. My hope is that the scripture I share with you will be beneficial to you as you grieve or that you can use it to minister to others who are suffering.
"Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful." (John 14:27)
"And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us." (Romans 5:5)
"The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed n spirit." (Psalm 34:18)
"The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever." (1 John 2:17)
"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." (Psalm 147:3)
"And He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away." (Revelation 21:4)
And finally...
"For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words." (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)
Intersecting Faith & Life: Go to the Word of God for comfort. In the words of Matthew Henry, ""The Word of God gives us great help in attaining the peace we need. It is living, very lively and active in seizing the conscience of the sinner, in cutting him to the heart, and in comforting him and binding up the wounds of the soul. It is powerful. It convinces powerfully, converts powerfully, and comforts powerfully.""
Further Reading
Revelation 21:3-5
Why Does God Comfort Those Who Mourn?
Learning True Comfort
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Are You Listening?
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice. – Proverbs 12:15
It's common to hear Christians say, "Speak the truth with love," but what about listening? I once read the story of a young man who was struggling with a number of problems. He was depressed, his faith was waning, and his parents eventually convinced him to sit down with their Church's pastor. The day of the appointment, the pastor walked in and, before the young man could even open his mouth, began to speak about "How the grace of God was sufficient for all things."
"By the end of the meeting I knew a lot about him and what he believed, but he knew absolutely nothing about me," the young man would later recall. Sadly, one of the most overlooked commands in the Bible is that we are to listen to others. Too often, in our zeal to share the word of Christ with others, we end up trampling them in platitudes and redundant scriptures. But listening can be a powerful tool. Listening builds understanding, diminishes fear, and can be comforting in a time of sorrow.
Look at this passage from the book of James,
My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it--he will be blessed in what he does. – James 1:19-25
Listening is the first step in acting out the scriptures, not speaking. The Church has the potential to do so much good in the world, to share the love of Christ with so many people. However, in order to do this we must first stop talking, sit quietly, and get to know them. We need to hear their stories, understand their hurts, empathize with their anger, and then, when they have nothing else to say, that is when we speak our truth. It's time to start using our ears before we use our words.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Have you been listening to others? Take a moment and consider how you are reflecting Christ.
Further Reading
Proverbs 17:28
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Thanksgiving: For Richer or Poorer
by Shawn McEvoy, Managing Editor, Crosswalk.com
"Christians who are poor should be glad, for God has honored them." James 1:9
The rich eat ham,
The poor eat tuna.
Doesn't take as long to cook,
So we eat soona.
--Jay Henze
The words of that heretofore unknown poem were uttered by my lifelong best friend sometime around our senior year of high school. He conjured it out of thin air while I was spending the night at his house. It was the result of one of those "I'm so tired I'm laughing at anything" sessions you'd often experience with close friends around midnight.
It was also the result of Jay's enduring awareness of the socio-economic differences between himself and many of his friends, like me, from the affluent north side of town. So whenever I think of ham, tuna, or Jay, I often think of richness and poorness as well.
Recently, thanks to a fantastic tour around the Missionary Learning Center, I was thinking about missions and outreach. It struck me as interesting that whenever a mission of mercy or evangelism is commissioned, it tends to be to an area where there is a high concentration of poverty, whether it's to India, Mexico, or inner-city Philadelphia. Well, yes, as it should be.
After all, Christ commanded us, if we loved Him, to tend to His lambs (John 21:15-17). James 2:15-16 admonishes us not to ignore those in need of food or clothing. Paul and the Apostles started churches among those who were poor (Acts 9:36; 10:4). Poverty was crippling in the time of Christ and so it continues to be now. The very fact that Jay had a roof over his head and the fish he despised came in a can rather than him having to catch it made him one of the wealthiest persons on the planet. So the holidays are certainly a time to think about - nay, physically assist - those less fortunate than ourselves (2 Corinthians 9:9).
Then again, are we missing something?
Consider James 1:9 - "Christians who are poor should be glad, for God has honored them." There are lots of ways to be poor, and Jesus told us they brought about blessing in the long run (Matthew 5:3-12). Those poor in spirit will inherit the kingdom of heaven. Those mourning loved ones will be comforted. Those who make peace rather than seeking their own profit will be called sons of God, Who chose the poor of this world to be rich in faith (James 2:5). 2 Corinthians 6:10 states: "Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything."
And what about the rich?
That's the hard part, literally. Jesus said it's very difficult for the wealthy to enter the kingdom of heaven. Those who love their life too much find it hard to lose it. James reminds us it's the rich who "oppress us and drag us into court, blaspheming the fair name by which we've been called (James 2:6-7)." The word "miserable" has at its root the word "miser." The love of money isn't just the source of evil, but also of depression and dissatisfaction.
So... doesn't that mean that the rich have just as many spiritual needs, if not more, than the poor? Who will go to them? Who will train them in the joy of giving their money away and not living by comparison to others? What mission trips are planned?
I contend that untold legions of us are making such a trip this very month, back home to our families and friends, where a big ham might fill the center of the table, people will put on their fineries, and a lot of the talk will focus on the daily drudgeries of keeping our precious lives in working order to cover up the hole that's getting bigger in the soul.
We might spend a few minutes at the table saying how we're thankful we're not like others, or that we have our health, or that our family is with us - before we stuff ourselves, stare blankly at the Dallas Cowboys or Detroit Lions to avoid looking at each other, or fall asleep. Of course, you probably know someone for whom Thanksgiving is an unwelcome chore, a painful experience of dodging rejection, annoyance, questions of future or romance, and Uncle Jimbo.
Or, if you're truly rich, as I am for marrying into a godly family, there will be genuine thanks, true giving, heartfelt prayers, and corporate worship.
Whatever the case in your gathering, let me encourage you to take the love of Christ with you and accept the difficult challenge of bringing it to the wealthy this Thanksgiving. Jesus said a camel fitting through a needle's-eye was difficult, not impossible (thank goodness for most of us).
Intersecting Faith & Life: While you're together, try to figure out a way your clan can come together to do something for the impoverished among us. Without that outpouring, the warm comfort of wealth can grow stale and dry. Meanwhile, the next time you think on the cloud of poverty and those who suffer at its chill, remember that, at least in the biblical view, it carries a silver lining of comfort, inheritance, peace, and, I suppose, eating soona. And if those elements are present at your table, then you have a cornucopia indeed.
Further Reading
1 Timothy 6:6-11
Matthew 5
Make Your Life Rich without Money
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A Thankful Tomorrow
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
"How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you, which you bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in you." – Psalms 31:19
I've always really enjoyed Thanksgiving. Sure, the family can be pretty crazy at times, and I usually end up on dish duty after the meal, but Thanksgiving has always been a time for me to stop and realize how blessed I am. Friends, family, a warm meal, there are many simple things in this life that are easy to take for granted, so it's good to have a day that reminds us to be thankful for all God has given us. The problem is that's usually how long it lasts, a day. After the food has been eaten and prayers have been said, many people wake up the next morning and jump head first into the madness of Black Friday.
I can only remember shopping twice on Black Friday, and I regretted it both times. It's complete chaos, with people running, screaming, and sometimes even fighting each other over things they want to buy. I've never had any crazy experiences myself, but my brother-in-law remembers a particularly strange incident that happened while he was in college. One year, while he and my sister were still dating, he drove up to visit her on the Friday after Thanksgiving. He had left his house at 3am with hopes of avoiding the holiday rush and was making good time on the freeway when suddenly, out of nowhere, a long line of traffic appeared in the distance.
At first he thought there had been an accident, but as he got closer he realized that the stalled traffic was due to cars making complete stops on the freeway so their passengers could get out, jump the guard rails, and climb a small hill to a nearby outlet mall. It's ironic, and a little sad, that a day which celebrates American greed happens after the holiday about being thankful. At times like these, it's important that as Christians realize we cannot live Christ-centered lives when we leapfrog between God and possessions.
"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money." (Matthew 6:24)
So don't throw out your thankfulness with the evening leftovers, but hold onto it as the Advent season begins. Remember the blessings Christ has given us and use them to prepare yourself for Christmas, when we celebrate the birth of Christ, the greatest gift of all.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Don't let the crazy shopping season distract you from what's really important.
Further Reading
1 Timothy 4:4
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Abounding in Thanksgiving in a World of Grumbling
by Mike Pohlman
Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
Colossians 2:6-7
My family and I just completed our first full week in our new home in Richmond, Virginia after leaving Los Angeles to begin my new job. And if I'm honest I cannot say I've been "abounding in thanksgiving" over the last several days. No. In fact, "abounding in grumbling" may be the more accurate phrase to describe my disposition of late. I've grumbled about the weather, traffic, leaves, the movers and a myriad of other things petty and not-so-petty. None of this grumbling, however, has been constructive or justified. And, most importantly, it's been sinful.
To help combat this steady bombardment of grumbling I corralled our children the other night for a family time of thanksgiving. You've probably practiced this exercise many times as well: go from person-to-person and highlight things you're thankful for (it's tough to grumble when you pause to consider the many blessings in your life).
It took my nine-year-old Samuel some time to get warmed up, but eventually he offered a short list of things he's thankful for, including our new church. Anna was next. What would our seven-year-old daughter express gratitude for? Her new neighbor friends across the street and the Bible. Good stuff. Finally it was John's turn. He echoed his big brother on some things and agreed with Anna that the neighbors are great, and then with the zeal of most six-year-old boys who love sports, Johnny thanked God for his new basketball hoop out front (and proceeded to remind me of how he beat me in "21" over the weekend, 21 to 17). As Julia left to put our newborn down for the night, I shared with the kids several things I was thankful for. But it wasn't until the next day that I realized the inadequacy of my list.
While I voiced gratitude for God generally, I failed to highlight specific attributes of God that, when I consider them, cause me to "abound in thanksgiving." Driving to work the next morning I found myself asking, "What is it about God that I am most grateful for?"
The one attribute of God that flooded my heart and mind was His providence—the fact that He orchestrates everything in my life for His glory and my good. It's the promise of Romans 8:28: "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers."
In his helpful book, Respectable Sins: Confronting the Sins We Tolerate, Jerry Bridges applies Romans 8:28 to the sin of ingratitude. He counsels: "The meaning is that God causes all things to work together for good; for 'things'—that is, circumstances—do not work together for good themselves. Rather, God directs the outcome of those circumstances for our good." And what is the "good" God is working? Christlikeness. Indeed, all of our circumstances God uses as a means of our sanctification. I began to abound in thanksgiving as I visualized God as the great conductor over my circumstances, using them as an instrument for my growth in grace.
This Thanksgiving holiday I want me and my family to be "abounding in thanksgiving." And for this to happen I know being thankful for God in a merely general sense will not suffice. We need to meditate on some particular glories of our great God—not least of which is His sweet providence over our lives. For this I am most grateful.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Take a moment this Thanksgiving and ask yourself, "What specific attribute of God am I grateful for?" Perhaps you'll recall His love or mercy or grace or forgiveness or patience or wrath or providence. Challenge your mind to meditate on, and prayerfully consider, some particular glory of God as a means of abounding in thanksgiving
Further Reading
Respectable Sins: Confronting the Sins We Tolerate, Jerry Bridges
Knowing God, J.I. Packer
"But God," Katherine Britton
Psalm 63:3
Lamentations 3:22
Colossians 2:13-15
Ephesians 5:20
1 Thessalonians 5:18
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What Does God Love?
by Debbie Holloway, Family Editor, Crosswalk.com
I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever. For great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths of the grave (Psalms 86:12).
There is a very famous passage in Proverbs detailing what God hates. Indeed, throughout the Bible God never shows reluctance to speak against behaviors he finds detestable. This should come as no surprise to us, being that he is holy and man has amassed a large amount of sinful tendencies since he first came into the world.
But what does God love? While avoiding the "bad" list – is there a "good" list toward which we can be working? Let's dissect Proverbs 6:16 to discern the things which God loves.
God hates "haughty eyes."
Therefore, God loves eyes which gaze with humility. Not a false or broken humility of despising oneself, but a genuine, Christ-like choice to serve others, not draw undue attention to oneself, and treat others with great honor and respect.
God hates "a lying tongue."
Therefore, God loves a tongue which speaks truth. Note that this does not say a brash tongue, or a loud tongue, or a tongue which speaks its opinion at any and every possible moment. Rather, he loves a tongue which, when it does speak, values honesty and artlessness.
God hates "hands that shed innocent blood."
Therefore, God loves hands which protect the innocent. Throughout Scripture, God's compassion for the defenseless and the innocent is clear. He commends his children (in both the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Covenant) to protect the defenseless (Psalm 82:3-4), welcome the alien (Matthew 25:35), care for the widow (James 1:27), defend the orphan (Deut. 24:17), and mourn with those who are mourning (Romans 12:15). We are to be peaceful citizens, not bloodthirsty citizens, and our hands should therefore strive to protect innocence.
God hates "a heart that devises wicked plans."
Therefore, God loves a heart which devises good and righteous plans. God loves our desires to serve, our desires to help, our desires to minister. When our hearts long to carry out God's plans for goodness, righteousness, and peace, it delights him.
God hates "feet that run rapidly to evil."
Therefore, God loves feet which run rapidly to goodness. Our feet carry enormous power. Where we choose to walk can truly define who we are as a person. Will we choose to walk away from a fruitless argument, or remain in an attempt to stubbornly prove a point? Will we choose to chase after those whom we have wronged, falling at their feet with love and humility? Will we let our feet wander to where the Spirit leads us, or will our feet guide us to our own selfish desires?
God hates "a false witness who utters lies."
Therefore, God loves a trustworthy witness who speaks the truth. When we are beacons of integrity, truth, and honor, God rejoices. In any situation, a witness is charged to faithfully report what happened to the best of his ability. The greatest witness we can be is a faithful witness of God's redeeming work in our lives. Will we stand boldly and speak the truth of God to the world? Are we living our lives as false witnesses, or trustworthy witnesses?
God hates "one who spreads strife among brothers."
Therefore, God loves one who spreads peace among his brothers. It is really only possible to spread peace or strife. Every word we speak contributes one of those two attitudes to our relationships. And God loves those who value peace over 1) proving a point, 2) being heard, or 3) manipulating situations. With one word at a time, God wants us to change our attitude and sow seeds of peace in our relationships.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Pick one thing that God loves and work to implement more of it into your daily life.
Further Reading
Leviticus 19:18
Micah 6:8
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What Are You Thankful For?
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
"I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving." – Psalms 69:30
A while back, there was an episode of The Simpsons in which the family is celebrating Thanksgiving. When the time came to say grace, Bart Simpson bowed his head and said,
"Dear God, we paid for all this stuff ourselves, so thanks for nothing."
The first time I saw this clip on TV I remember feeling a mix of emotions. On one hand, I was angry that such cynicism was being shown toward God and a day celebrating thankfulness. On the other hand, I couldn't help but relate to Bart a little. I was at a time in my life when everything seemed out of control. I had no money, my life felt like it was stuck in neutral, and my future was looking pretty bleak. Why should I be thanking God for anything?
If you've ever been in my situation, I want to point you toward a passage of scripture that helped me put things in perspective,
"On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices, saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us." When he saw them he said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." And as they went they were cleansed. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus answered, "Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" And he said to him, "Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.'" – Luke 17:11-19
It's easy to spend our lives worrying and obsessing over the problems of life. It's also easy to overlook a blessing in times of need, or forget to be thankful when troubled times have been put to rest. Be sure you don't become one of the nine lepers, who were so happy to be cured that they forgot who cured them. This Thanksgiving, I encourage you to spend time remembering what God has done in your life.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Whatever your situation may be, count your blessings and take a moment to thank God for them.
Further Reading
Psalms 95:1-6
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A Letter to Josh
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor of BibleStudyTools.com
Dear Josh,
Giving advice always seems such a dangerous task, balanced between two equally foreboding chasms: impersonal aphorisms that do little to instruct on the one hand and, on the other, a fruitless attempt to reach into your future based upon my past. After all, you already have the best book of instruction on all matters, a book you've already read countless times. How could I really add to that?
But since I've learned quite a bit vicariously from stories other people have shared of their own mistakes, I hope I can do the same for you. In other words, I hope that I messed up so you don't have to. As always, lay down the prayer as you consider these thoughts. Seek God for true wisdom because He's got the monopoly on that. I'm just trying to pick up the scraps.
First, beware the gradual loss of your joy and wonder. Attacks on our faith rarely come as a frontal assault—more often they grow like ivy, slowly covering our defenses and blocking out the light. Day by day, the joy you've known slips away, and bitterness fills the cracks. Make it a habit to praise God for something new each day. It's much harder to lose your joy when you're looking for reasons to be joyful.
Second, lead by serving those who follow you. This became a cliché in the church because it's true. We lead others best when we serve them and do the things no one else wants to do. Jesus came as a missionary to our world and served the sick, dying, and hungry. He cleaned nasty feet, touched lepers, and made mud pies to heal a blind man. He didn't have to. He didn't need to. He wanted to. Joyfully serve and show others what loving people with reckless abandon means. (Did you notice I put that joy thing in here again?)
Third, don't be surprised by sin. Sin isn't a popular term. It's not politically correct, and many people prefer to act like sin is just a social program away from being irradiated. But sin will smack you in the face from time to time—both your own shameful failures and the failures of others. When that happens, you may be tempted to be discouraged. Don't be. God knows our sinful nature and loves us until we're clean. That's what really matters.
Fourth, remember your calling no matter what happens. You may already know or suspect God's call for you. Keep that calling in mind. After all, there's a reason Paul had to remind Timothy of his calling—it's easy to question when times are difficult. Go where God calls. Go scared if you have to (and you may), but go.
Fifth, God's not finished with us yet. Sometimes news stories about war and death may make you think that God's finished with humanity. Web articles may make you feel like you're the only one left who hasn't bowed to Baal. And TV shows and movies may make you wonder how things could get so bad. But God's not finished with us. And He's never surprised by anything.
And, finally, love. Above all else—and this may sound elementary—love like you have no time left to love. Love by giving your life away. Love by pouring time and energy into others. Love by sharing what you have. Love by putting God first.
Wherever God takes you, I know He will faithfully bless and provide for the dreams He's given you (and will yet give). You've only just begun to see how hard and rewarding it is to take up your cross daily.
But—and this is something you must remember—it's definitely worth it.
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Fools for Christ
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. – 1 Corinthians 1:27
I was leaving the grocery store and had just started my car, when I was approached by a man pushing a stroller. I assumed he was going to ask for directions, but it turned out that couldn't have been further from the truth.
"Hey man, I really need some help. My daughter and I just got evicted from our apartment." He proceeded to rattle off his story as I listened uncomfortably. He had contacted Social Services but they wouldn't be able to help him until tomorrow. His wife had left when things got tough. He was afraid of losing his daughter. He'd found a cheap motel to stay in, but he still needed seventeen dollars to pay for the room.
Now, several things began to buzz through my head as he talked. The first was how I didn't trust a thing he was saying. In Asia, I'd seen female beggars use their children to garner sympathy from passing strangers. In South America, older men would hold Bibles or crosses, not because they were Christians but because it encouraged people to give more generously. Everything about his story felt rehearsed, staged, right down to the toddler in his stroller.
The second thing was that the man had said he needed $17, which was the exact amount I had in my wallet. I had been hoping to use that money to grab a lunch out or maybe see a movie, but could I really justify being so selfish if this guy really needed it? I considered giving him a few bucks just to make him go away, but withholding the rest didn't seem any better than giving him nothing. It felt like I was trapped between two choices, would I be stupid or heartless. Eventually, I considered what Christ would have me do, and handed over the money along with my best wishes.
I don't know what became of that man. Maybe he was telling the truth, maybe he was lying, and to be honest I don't really care. God has called us to love, and you cannot love others if you are afraid of looking foolish. Remember what the Bible says in the book of Matthew,
"'You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.'" – Matthew 5:38-42
Intersecting Faith and Life: Consider this: Love is like dancing, you'll never do it well if you're afraid of how you look.
Further Reading
1 Corinthians 4
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The Time for Radical Action is Now
Alex Crain, Editor, Christianity.com
"...if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live."
romans 8:13
Aron Ralston's grisly experience during a climbing expedition illustrates a spiritual truth that makes me wince. If you aren't familiar with the story, take a look at his book, Between a Rock and a Hard Place (© 2004 Simon & Schuster), which is a detailed tell-all of his ordeal that occurred in late April 2003.
The experienced 27 year-old outdoorsman jumped into his truck that spring morning, bringing just enough food and water for the day. He took off by himself, driving 150 miles south of Salt Lake City to his favorite spot—a remote canyon area that used to be the hideout for wild-west outlaws Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
By afternoon, he was suspended seventy-five feet high off the canyon floor—climbing in a crevice that was just a few feet wide. It was a near perfect day. But then without warning, a boulder suddenly broke loose from the rock wall above him, hurtled down and trapped Ralston's right arm against the wall, completely crushing his hand. At that instant, Aron's hand—one of his greatest assets—had now become his greatest liability.
Five whole days passed as he tried various ways to free himself—all to no avail. His efforts to chip away at the boulder with a pocket knife only made a small dent. Rigging up a pulley system to move the boulder proved fruitless.
Finally, a moment of decisive clarity came. The thoughts came fast and furious: he could break his forearm, cut through the muscle with his dirty pocket knife, detach his arm, and use a piece of rope as a tourniquet.
Aron explains that he was driven by "some sort of autopilot" as he went about the gruesome task of amputating his own right arm just below the elbow. After he was finished, Aron lowered himself down and began trudging slowly in the direction of his truck. Later, he stumbled across two hikers who used a mobile phone to call in a rescue helicopter. Amputating his right arm was a radical act, but it was one that saved his life and reunited him with his family.
God calls us to deal with sin in our life in a way that is surprisingly similar. The Bible doesn't offer a laid-back, live-and-let-live approach at all. It's so radical, that we don't really like hearing about it or talking about it. Recall what Jesus said in Matthew 5:30, "If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell." While Jesus was not literally talking about physical amputation, He was saying that sin's deadly effects call for extreme measures. Even though it hurts, we must rid sin from our lives. In fact, our eternal destiny hinges on how we deal with sin.
Really? Well, why else would Jesus talk about hell in the same breath that He talks about how we are to deal with sin if He didn't mean to teach that our eternal destiny hangs in the balance? Clearly, it's a matter of preferring one destiny over the other. Outward behavior indicates what the heart primarily loves. If Aron Ralston had stayed there on the canyon wall with his hand pinned down by the boulder, he would have died. But because he was willing to kill his hand, his life was saved.
The same goes with us as we deal with sin. It really comes down to what we value most. Colossians 3:5 says, "Put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry." The world may tell us to laugh about sin, to lighten up about it, to tolerate it, and just let it be... that it's not idolatry; it's not an issue of worship. God says the opposite is true.
Intersecting Faith & Life: What has you pinned down? What are you trying to hang on to that is robbing you of the blessings of abundant life or, perhaps, preventing you from being restored to a brother or sister in Christ? What is keeping you from treasuring the Lord above all other things? Read the first two links below as you have time, but most of all pray for grace to heed God's radical call to amputate sin from your life.
Further Reading
Romans 8:10
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The Last Days
by Sarah Phillips
"And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and upon the earth distress of nations in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, men fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, look up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." Luke 21:25
Most of us don't love to wait. We want to get on with things. Tie things up neatly so we can move on to the next thing. We often forget that in some cases, the opportunity to wait is an expression of God's mercy.
You see, this Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent. It came quickly this year. I was so busy preparing for Thanksgiving, I almost forgot about Advent. Thankfully, our reliable pastor will be decked out in purple this Sunday, scripture readings and hymns ready to go.
Advent isn't really an event so much as a season set aside to wait for an event. We can choose how we want to practice Advent. We can see it as a burden, an afterthought, or a hindrance. Or we can see its greater application to all of life. We can recognize it for what it is: a reminder to stop, clear away some of the normal "stuff" of life, and remember that throughout our life here we are waiting for something big, something that needs our attention and preparation: The second coming of Christ.
Many times I've heard fellow Christians express the desire for the day to just get here already. Can't we just end the wars and suffering... the waiting... and get on with Christ's return? Many pick apart the Scriptures, looking for details, for signs, that Christ is coming soon. Groups form and debates rage about the finer details of the end times.
While I am sure God appreciates our interest in and desire for his arrival, I am not so sure we really know what we're asking for when we say we wish he would hurry up and appear.
Think about it. Are we really ready? Is the world really ready? If you had to stand before Christ tomorrow, would you be ready? I don't mean "ready" as having correctly predicted the dramatic events that would unfold during the end times. I mean would your life reflect service to him? Love of him? Submission to him?
Mine wouldn't. At least not to the extent that it should. I'd like a few days, or um decades, to straighten things out. And to the best of my humble abilities, help a few more of those living in the dark find the light.
Suddenly, waiting doesn't seem too bad. God's plan to give me and the rest of the world a little more time doused with a lot of his grace doesn't seem so frustrating.
After reading the above dramatic passage from Luke at an Advent Sunday service past, our pastor did not delve into prophecy or speculation about the last days. He backtracked a little, and instead opted to focus on the here and now. He challenged us to avoid the "drowsiness" that comes with our everyday cares and concerns. He challenged us to become disciplined people, Christians whose lives are truly transformed by Christ instead of by the seductive "spirit of the age." He held up examples of fellow Christians who came before us and conquered their own contemporary challenges.
He reminded us that we will each have our own "last day" even if our lives here do not witness the Last Day.
That's what Advent is really about... grace today for whatever may come tomorrow. It's about God's incredible patience and love for children who have much to learn and need plenty of precious time to allow for stumbling along the way. As for the final days, set aside the speculation and leave that to God's perfect timing. He'll know when we're ready.
Intersecting Faith & Life: A disciplined prayer life opens our lives to God's transforming graces. Set aside a little extra time every single week, from now until Christmas, to spend time in prayer.
Further Reading
Jeremiah 33:14-16
Psalms 25:4-5, 8-9, 10, 14
Luke 21:25-28, 34-36
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Christmas Lights
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. – James 1:12
When I was still a child living in Illinois, my father drafted me into his yearly Christmas decorating. Every December, with the snow heavy on the ground, the two of us would bundle up and tramp outside to begin putting up the Christmas lights. I hated putting up Christmas lights. The process always took forever, robbing me of my well-deserved break from school. To make matters worse, my father had a fondness for those icicle-styled lights that were supposed to drip down from the rooftop in merry "winter-wonderland" fashion.
Except the high winds always blew the strands of light up into the gutters, so once again we would have to go outside and set them right. It got to the point where I would do anything to avoid putting up Christmas lights. I hid, I threw tantrums, I'd sulk, and eventually my father decided dealing with both me and lights was too much work and set me free. Looking back now, I regret how short-sighted I was. I was so upset at having to do a few hours' work that I never realized how beautiful our house looked when it was all lit up, or how fulfilling it was to know I had helped my father make it that way.
It's funny how our Christian walk can mirror the experience of setting up holiday decorations. At times it can be difficult, and we can resent what we believe we're being denied, but take a look at what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9:
"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize." – 1 Corinthians 9:24-27
Life offers us plenty of easy roads, and when it comes to living out the Christian life, these paths can be especially tempting. The world will tell us to go with the flow of the current of culture, to follow the past of least resistance, but God calls us to do differently. Christians are meant to reflect Christ's glory on Earth, and this cannot be done without hard work, sacrifice, and grace. So whether you serve God through ministry, or simply through your everyday life, remember to live in a way deserving of the prize.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Consider whether you are running in such a way as to win the prize.
Further Reading
Matthew 6:19-21
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The Humility of Being Human
by Katherine Britton
"Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness." - Philippians 2:5-7
I'm a Christmas carol snob, I guess, as I scorn most songs written in the past 30 years. I do have notable exceptions, however, when the lyrics go beyond the kitsch of "All I Want for Christmas Is You" and other such piffle. We have more than enough American Christmas songs, but there's always room for a thoughtful reflection in the canon of carols. So yes, I make an exception for the CCM favorite "Welcome to Our World." Here are some of the lyrics:
Hope that you don't mind our manger
How I wish we would have known
But long awaited Holy Stranger
Make yourself at home
Please make yourself at home
Fragile finger sent to heal us
Tender brow prepared for thorn
Tiny heart whose blood will save us
Unto us is born
Unto us is born
So wrap our injured flesh around You
Breathe our air and walk our sod
Rob our sin and make us holy
Perfect Son of God
Perfect Son of God
Welcome to our world
So many Christmas songs focus on the joy of the season, and rightfully so. It's a joyous time, both culturally and spiritually. But occasionally I need to view the holiday from a different perspective - that is, from the viewpoint of heaven. From God the Son's perspective, becoming human was - to put it mildly - a huge demotion. Christmas began with an act of submission and humility on the part of the Son. The Creator consented to become one of the creation, with all of our blood, sweat, and tears. From the heavenly perspective, the Incarnation arrived with sorrow, as part of the Godhead separated himself physically from the Father. Christmas signals an arrival into our world, but a departure, however brief, from a greater world.
Jesus's demonstrated humility is just one of the reasons the Incarnation should inspire such awe in us. Yes, the Incarnation dignified a downtrodden humanity. But the Incarnation also required sacrifice we can't begin to describe. All this before the ultimate shame of the cross.
The Puritan Thomas Watson meditated on Christ's humility with these words:
"He came not in the majesty of a king, attended with [a bodyguard], but he came poor; not like the heir of heaven, but like one of an inferior descent. The place he was born in was poor; not the royal city Jerusalem, but Bethlehem, a poor obscure place. He was born in an inn, and a manger was his cradle, the cobwebs his curtains, the beasts his companions; he descended of poor parents.... He was poor, that he might make us rich.... He lay in the manger that we might lie in paradise. He came down from heaven, that he might bring us to heaven."
Intersecting Faith & Life: As you consider the joy of this holiday season - whether you're anticipating the unwrapped smiles, lighting the Advent wreath, singing carols, making cookies, or whatever - take time to consider the counterpoint. Our joy is Christ's first sacrifice.
Further Reading:
The Grace and Greatness of True Humility
Hebrews 2:6-11
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I'll Be Home for Christmas
by Alex Crain, Editor, Christianity.com
"For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come."
Hebrews 13:14
Recently, I got my parent's old Christmas records out of storage and began making mp3 files of them so that we could play them again around the Christmas holidays. Bing Crosby's classic rendition of "I'll Be Home for Christmas" came on. Its melancholy sound filled the air.
I pictured the war-weary allied troops hearing this song the year it was recorded in 1943, listening to it on their radios at night, spellbound by the sound; longing to be back at home with their loved ones.
I'll be home for Christmas, you can plan on me.
Please have snow and mistletoe, and presents on the tree.
Christmas Eve will find me, where the love light gleams.
I'll be home for Christmas... if only in my dreams.
Does any other version of the song capture the sense of sadness to the same degree that he did?
Believers in Christ are soldiers engaged in war (Ephesians 6:10). And deep within us there is a longing that nothing can suppress. We want to be home. It's great to know that we are on the winning side, but we often get weary of the fight.
Hebrews 13:14 encourages us to remember and find strength in the fact that "we seek the city that is to come." It's a losing battle to pursue lasting satisfaction in this life. The words "Here we have no lasting city" drive us to only source of contentment: the promise that Christ is always with me (Matthew 28:20) and that He's bringing me home to a place where love, joy, and satisfaction never end.
Intersecting Faith and Life
In the words of author, randy alcorn, "Things won't always take a better turn on an Earth that is under the curse. Sickness, loss, grief, and death will find us. Just as our reward will come in Heaven, laughter (itself one of our rewards) will come in Heaven."
Further Reading
the christmas bible reading plan
heaven: home of laughter
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A Season of Hope
By Debbie Holloway, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
"The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing" (Zephaniah 3:17).
The winter festivities continue to fly by. First came Halloween and harvest time, then Thanksgiving, and now the Advent season is upon us. For many, the season of Advent is spent in little else except preparing for Christmas. Gifts are bought, wrapped, and tucked away beneath the tree. Verses are read from the books of Luke and Isaiah as we recall the nativity story. People find it easier to remember to love their neighbors, give to the poor, and reflect on the meaning of Christmas.
I myself have been thinking a little bit about Advent... and about hope. You see, of the five Advent candles, the Prophecy Candle is lit first, which represents hope. We're all familiar with that oft-quoted verse...
"Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:14).
Prophecies like these gave the Israelites hope that God would not forget them. During some of their darkest days, prophets like Isaiah gave them words from the Lord as a reminder that God would not abandon them to sin and slavery forever. Immanuel means "God with us," and that is perhaps the most stirring theme of ancient prophecies.
Today may seem just as dark to us now. Wars are fought all over the world, bringing staggering civilian casualties as well as solider deaths. Children are abused and underfed. Homelessness is evident on every inner city street corner. Families are torn apart by greed, hatred, selfishness, and pride. But, just as the prophets gave hope to the ancient Israelites, we have a renewed hope through Christ.
"And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20).
There it is again: Immanuel. God with us. Because God is with us! He spoke it over and over throughout history, and Christ affirmed it. As we enter into this season of Advent, is that not the greatest hope we could wish for? Through our struggles, failures, faults, and fears – we have the blessed hope that Christ is not only with us, but will continue to be with us and will return again.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Into what areas of your life can you inject hope? Remember, no situation is too dire for God.
Further Reading
Jeremiah 29:11
2 Corinthians 4:16-18
Romans 12:12
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The Strains of Christmas
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com
But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. (Galatians 4:4-5)
Christmas at my house meant preparing for the worst. The worst didn't always come, but you couldn't be too careful.
You see, the thing about holidays is that people tend to be together, pushed into the same room by tradition and baked turkey. My family spent most of the year avoiding such things, as we hurried off to school or work, buried ourselves in music and books, and generally enjoyed the comfort of a closed door.
We could usually navigate the raging Scylla and Charybdis of Thanksgiving because it only meant a day together before we scattered again. But while we chewed stuffing, my father would chew on his disappointment over his life and his family. My older brothers would try not to notice. The tryptophan made us all too sleepy for much more—at least, that's what I like to think.
But then Christmas came lumbering into the UpChurch household with all its vacation days. We had too much time off, and too many unspoken issues. We were like a pot of boiling potatoes with the water sloshing out on the stove. There'd be some sizzling over a lack of job, a splash or two over how much something cost, and then boom... the lid blew off.
An hour and two new holes in the wall later, we surveyed the wreckage of the yuletide cheer. My brothers would fume back into the basement, my father would escape to his computer, and my mom would try to figure out what to do. Usually, the anger just sunk back into the pot for another year.
When I moved out of my house, it took years for Christmas to reclaim its festive atmosphere. Even when the war ended, the shellshock didn't. There were too many things unsaid, too many things not dealt with. The embers of home-fought battles wouldn't die down.
Then, Christ.
Describing salvation couldn't be better summed up than in those two words set apart in their own paragraph: then, Christ. There was no choir of angels singing (audibly to me, at least) or a special star shining light down on my apartment, but it was a moment that clearly separates time into two epochs. That separation is for both BC/AD and OJ/NJ—Old John and New John.
As this New John, though, I noticed something that might as well have been as miraculous as angels breaking out the tunes over my head. When Christmas came, the dread didn't. I'd plucked the Christ off Christmas, and the mass didn't seem so heavy. In fact, I even looked forward to it.
No, the tension didn't suddenly melt away. The tempers weren't all snuffed out. There were still moments that stretched tightly across our gatherings. But I now knew something just slightly flip-the-world-upside-down, mind-blowingly awesome: A baby, born poor and away from home, had taken the worst this world had to offer. A king wanted Him dead, and His country had no place for Him. But still He came... for me.
For you.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Christmas has no shortage of strains. It's a holiday that seems perfectly designed for stress—at least, in the way we Westerners celebrate. Family tension has a way of bubbling up with the egg nog, and old arguments never seem to die.
But my prayer is that you aren't afraid to face the day, and not just face it, but be filled with the mystery of it all. Here is a day to remember our God adding humanity to deity and giving up the sweet spot in heaven to plop Himself into our world. He came because He didn't hold our sin against us; He wanted to hold it for us.
And when you keep that perspective, family arguments and stress suddenly seem trivial amid the menagerie of hams and yams and red velvet cakes.
Further Reading:
Christmas Bible Reading Plan
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What's It To You?
by Kelly Givens, Editor, iBelieve.com
Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who had been reclining at the table close to him... When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, "Lord, what about this man?" Jesus said to him, "If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!" John 21:20-22
Have you ever wondered why God allows some Christians to suffer so much, and others seem to glide through life effortlessly, painlessly? I know many Godly men and women who seem to suffer without end. Their pain is more than I have ever experienced; they've faced more trials in a year than I've faced in my entire life. Why is that? Am I loved by God more than these people? Are they glorifying God more through their suffering than I can in my blessings? The comparisons go in all directions.
Comparison was Peter's go-to when Jesus told him this: "Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go." (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God). Then he said to him, "Follow me!" (John 21: 18-19).
Jesus was foretelling that Peter, just like himself, would be led to his death, arms stretched out in his own crucifixion. Tradition points to Peter being crucified upside down during Nero's persecution, not wanting to be crucified in the same manner as his Lord.
I'm not sure if Peter knew then by what kind of death he would die, but no doubt he got the gist of what Jesus was saying. So it's no surprise that he quickly disregarded Christ's instruction to "follow me!" Instead, he looked around at the other disciples, spotted John, and exclaimed "Lord, what about this man?" I wonder if Peter was thinking, "If I have to die a horrible death, does that mean John will die a horrible death too? If not, why should I go through this trial and not him? Do you love him more than me?"
Our sinful nature is hard-wired to compare. When others seem to get ahead or are seemingly blessed more than us, we grow envious. When the tables are turned and we are the ones being blessed, we might fight the urge to brag or think more highly of ourselves that we ought. Both kinds of comparison are fatal to our faith, and Jesus knows it. So when Peter bluntly asked, "what about this man?" Jesus' response was clear. "What is that to you? You follow me!"
Peter died a horrible, agonizing death. Most historians agree that all of the other apostles met similar, violent ends to their lives. Except John. John died peacefully in his old age. Why? Because that was how each "was to glorify God." When God bestows on us blessings we should proclaim his glory joyfully and humbly. But when he allows us to suffer, we have the opportunity to proclaim him King through our hopefulness and faith. God's glory is what's important, not our circumstances.
"You follow me." Fixing ourselves on Jesus is the key to fruitful ministry, the key to humility, the key to joy regardless of our circumstances. It's the key to glorifying God - the true purpose of our lives and ministry.
Intersecting Faith & Life: How quick are you to compare your joys and sufferings to those around you? Comparing our circumstances to others' is fruitless. Jesus desires us to follow him, and have faith in the plan he has for our lives.
Further Reading:
1 Peter 1:6-7, Romans 8:37, Philippians 3:13-14
"The only glory which Jesus ever sought for himself or offered to his disciples was to be caught up in God's redemptive purpose." - George Caird
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Six Lessons from The Lord of the Rings
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy (Matthew 5:7).
Not too long ago, I found myself talking with a friend over coffee. As we began to discuss the upcoming Hobbit movie, the two of us began to reflect on Tolkien's novels and how his Christian faith was revealed through his writing. Grabbing a pen and a spare napkin, I managed to jot down a few of the lessons we realized J.R.R. Tolkien passed on through his epic fantasy...
Have Courage
Who would you say is the "hero" of Tolkien's series? Is it Frodo? After all, he was the one who bore the Ring of Power to Mount Doom. Some might think the real hero is Gandalf. Without his wisdom and guidance, Middle-earth would surely have been overrun. What about Eowyn? She was the one who could defeat the Witch-King in battle. There are many characters you could choose, but they all have one thing in common: Courage. Tolkien lived during the years when Nazi Germany stood ready to overshadow the world, and no doubt he saw ordinary people called on to perform extraordinary acts of heroism. As Tolkien wrote, "Even the smallest person can change the course of the future." Even the meekest of Christians can show courage when afraid.
The World Needs More Hospitality
I feel like the gift of Hospitality is going out of fashion among Christians. It's true everyone needs a place where they can take a break from the world, but it has nearly reached the point where Christians are no longer bothering to open the door even to other Christians. Hospitality was not just a virtue but an essential part of Tolkien's Middle-earth. In The Hobbit, Bilbo hosts over a dozen rowdy dwarves who eat everything in his pantry. In The Lord of the Rings the elves are constantly opening their doors to travelers in need. Even the Ents, who are basically walking trees, find ways to accommodate guests when they pass through their forest. Hospitality is not an easy gift, and from the way he writes Tolkien obviously believed it wasn't supposed to be, but that does not mean it isn't an important gift.
Fellowship is More Valuable Than Gold
One of my favorite passages from The Hobbit is at the end of the story, where Bilbo Baggins meets with Thorin Oakenshield one last time before they finally part ways. Throughout their adventure Thorin had pursued his lost treasure with unwavering determination, and when it was finally returned, he refused to part with even a piece of it. His greed led to many bad decisions, and in the end he realized what the soulless mound of gold had really cost him. In that moment, he turns to Bilbo and says, "If more of us valued food and cheer and song above horded gold, it would be a merrier world." In today's world, where the economy and money seem to be on everyone's mind, it's important that we don't forget what's truly important: family dinners, jokes with friends, the people we love, and those who don't come with a price tag.
Mercy is Strength
There are many forces at work in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, but when asked what he believes keeps evil at bay, the wizard Gandalf answers mercy. "Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment. For even the very wise cannot see all ends." It is fascinating to think that the mercy Bilbo showed in Tolkien's first, thin story could have such a great impact in his three-part epic. What's more, the same is true for our own lives. Even if we can't see them, our actions have consequences, and the grace we show to others is always remembered.
Sometimes We Must be the Sacrifice
J.R.R. Tolkien lived through two World Wars; he knew better than most that no victory comes without a cost. This theme of sacrifice is ingrained in his novels and in the essence of his characters, none more so than Frodo Baggins. Frodo gave up his peaceful life at home in order to destroy the Ring, knowing the mission would likely claim his life. In the end, even though Frodo survived his journey he could not go back to his life in the Shire. He had given everything to protect the world, and now, he had no place in it. As Christians, sometimes we are called to surrender the things we love most in order to preserve what Christ has done. It may be our hard-won careers, our deepest dreams, perhaps even the desire for a family of our own. It is a cold and bitter truth, but like Frodo, Christ does not leave us alone and without hope.
There is Always Hope
There are some pretty heavy moments in Tolkien's writing. There are good people who suffer, while others give in to the darkness, but no matter how far a character falls there is still always hope and the opportunity of forgiveness. Even a character like Boromir, who betrays his companions, ends up finding redemption in the end. For Christians, the message of hope is a powerful one, and it is very comforting to find it within the pages of The Lord of the Rings. There is a quote in The Return of the King where Pippin asks Gandalf if there any hope for them, "There was never much hope," the wizard replies, "Only a fool's hope." And yet, that is all that's really needed. Despite all the adversity we might face in life, God's grace is still present, and no matter what we've done he can still use us to demonstrate His glory. One of Tolkien's greatest gifts to his readers was the message that hope exists, even when we're faced with overwhelming odds.
For Further Reading
J.R.R. Tolkien and the Discipline of Hope
Vessels of Mercy: God, Grace and Gollum
Tolkien's Middle-earth: A Christian World
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Stop the Sun
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com
Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger (Ephesians 4:26)
When I got married, the friend my wife and I roped into making the wedding video for us added a few surprises to the tape before he gave it to us. During our rehearsal dinner (which didn't actually follow a rehearsal), he'd grabbed guests, whisked them outside, poked the camera in their faces, and asked them for their best tips on keeping a marriage strong.
The advice is decidedly mixed. It ranges from the serious ("Make time for your relationship") to the Scriptural ("Love is kind") to the funny ("Just let her win, John") to the ludicrous ("Beat him when you need to"). It's the stuff you'd expect from those who are on the spot with only moments to think up something that would be forever stamped on our video.
But one piece of advice has always stuck out to me, and even as I write this, I see it and wince. One of our friends told us that we should just "forget about that whole sun-not-going-down-on-your-anger thing. You will go to bed mad."
It's just really bad advice.
Now, admittedly, when Paul wrote Ephesians 4:26, he wasn't talking to married couples directly. He meant it for the believers at Ephesus in general. But he slips that passage in among his admonitions about how our lives should be different now that we follow Christ. He says those who don't know Christ live one way, but when they start to follow Him, their lives show it. Before, we let our anger seethe, but now, we fix the problem. Before, we didn't seek forgiveness and restitution, but now we do.
In marriage, the status quo is always safer. We get into routines, and we like how comfortable the ordinary feels. When something disrupts the normal flow, guys especially want to just move it out of the way and get back to flowing again. Meanwhile, our wives are still upset, and nothing has been dealt with.
You see, there's another part to that going-to-bed-angry thing that our well-wisher left out. When we do that, the Bible says we give the devil a foothold, a place to cling on. The anger burns deeper and deeper. One angry night becomes dozens. That's the place where relationships stop growing—and even die.
But there's no need for any angry sleeping, not when we've got something as crazy-good as the gospel. As Paul says, the good news is that we've chucked off our old selves and gotten brand-spanking-new selves. This new-self sets us apart in the world as children of light. In other words, when we don't do what people expect, we suddenly blaze into the darkness. When we don't let the sun go down on our anger, but forgive as we're forgiven, it's like setting off a flare. You're saying, "Look. This is God's love made manifest through us. Dig it."
Intersecting Faith and Life: Paul doesn't leave us a way out. Boiling anger has no room in our relationships, and it's this readiness to forgive and willingness to work out our problems that make us light up the world. No matter what conventional wisdom may be, don't let the sun go down before you work to put things right.
:angel:
Not What You Wanted?
by Alex Crain, Editor, Christianity.com
"What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you?"
James 4:1
A holiday edition of the TV show "America's Funniest Home Videos" showed various children opening their presents on Christmas morning. Apparently, it's hard for many kids to see humor in getting an unwanted gift. Most of their reactions were, well... downright childish.
When the ribbons and paper were torn off, one child pulled out a new pair of socks, threw her head back and erupted in an angry sob. A matching outfit given to another child produced a tantrum across the floor followed by stomping footsteps up the stairs. Other children glowered with frowns and snarls. One even screamed at the parent holding the video camera, then hurled the unwanted gift back in his face. Not exactly the funniest home videos.
In contrast to all the immaturity and ingratitude came a bright ray of hope at the end of the montage as a little brown-haired girl in pink pajamas ecstatically jumped up and down with glee. She held in her hands a tiny chestnut and spun around to the camera exclaiming, "A nut! A nut! I got a nut! I don't know what kind it is, but I got a nut!"
James 4:1-6 says that sinful responses erupt from hearts that are controlled by overwhelming desires. They don't have to be sinful desires necessarily. The degree to which "harmless" desires become sinful is shown by what happens when things don't turn out as you hoped or expected. Whether it is irritability, or an angry tantrum or a sulking frown; sinful responses show that something in the heart has replaced God.
Notice verse 1 where James asks the question (paraphrasing), "Why are you so upset? What's the real problem in your heart?" And then he answers with divine wisdom, "I'll tell you what the matter is: it's your pleasures—your desires—that are waging war within you. And the result is sinful fights and quarrels."
Certainly, there's nothing inherently sinful about simply having desires in life. God created us to have desires. There are many good things to desire in life: having adequate food, clothing and shelter, having a happy marriage, getting a promotion at work, buying a nice car. There is nothing wrong with these kinds of desires... nothing inherently wrong, that is.
The problems come when, in our hearts, those desires turn into something else. The word translated as "lust" in verse 2 is actually "desire" with the added element of "strong craving." Epithumeo is not a word that necessarily means "lust" in the sexual sense. The idea conveyed in the original text is "you are controlled by desire." In other words, some desire—perhaps, even for a good thing—has gotten so wrapped around your heart, that it has become more important than God to you.
Whenever this happens, the result is sinful behavior. And the sin of the heart that must be confessed first in cases like this is no less than the sin of idolatry. False worship occurs whenever worship of the true God is replaced with the god of "my way."
What a peaceful contrast is painted in verse 6. God gives grace to the humble. That is, those who humbly submit their desires to God and trust Him as the sovereign provider of needs are given grace. Grace here is the desire and ability to obey God and respond in a way that pleases Him. Such recipients of grace are able, then, to deal with whatever happens—whether the present under the tree is a pair of socks, a cool skateboard, the keys to a new car, or a tiny chestnut.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Does your situation today resemble what you expected or wanted in life? What is your response to this? Think back to a recent outburst of anger, or incident in which you showed irritability. Trace it back to the unfulfilled desire that had control of your heart. What was it that you wanted? Ask God to reveal any desires seeking to control your heart so that you can humbly submit them to Him and release them to His sovereign care. Repent of any lingering idolatry. Ask Him for grace to deal with whatever happens. Trust Him to provide for your needs.
Further Reading & Listening
Isaiah 40:12
Listen to an Example of What Humility Sounds Like Here (Indelible Grace Acoustic "By Thy Mercy")
Thomas Watson, The Lord's Prayer
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The Real Santa Claus
by Sarah Phillips
I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.
Romans 1:16 NIV
His eyes-how they twinkled! His dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.
~ "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" by Clement Clarke Moore (1823)
My dad used to take my sisters and me down to Miller & Rhodes for a visit with the "Real Santa Claus." The trip made for some of my favorite childhood memories. This Santa wasn't some ordinary mall Santa. The "Real Santa" arrived via reindeer-pulled sleigh and -- you bet – slid down a chimney. His full, white beard was genuine, and his beautiful friend, the Snow Queen, glittered as she greeted each awe-struck child.
But the real clincher occurred when, after waiting for hours in a sea of overexcited children, Santa called my siblings and me by name to join him on his big, comfy lap.
Of course, come adulthood, I discovered the beloved "Real Santa" was actually a local man with a local legacy -- a kind-hearted, Christian grandfather who delighted in bringing joy to children like me. (And, if you're wondering, the friendly Snow Queen was wired so "Santa" could hear our names as we approached).
I suppose we all have to step off the Polar Express at some point and accept that Santa is just a mythological figure. Or is he? As it turns out, there really was a Santa Claus. He went by the less marketable title Bishop Nicholas of Myra. While he never wore a red suit, smoked a pipe, or slid down chimneys, his story actually has a lot to do with the true meaning of Christmas.
Stories of the Real St. Nick
Researching the life of St. Nicholas presents a challenge – he seems destined to be obscured by legend, even in the history books. But even if the facts are a bit murky, there are some things we know with relative certainty.
We first encounter Nicholas as a compassionate young man in 4th century Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). Both of his parents had passed away, leaving the grief-stricken youth a substantial inheritance. Nicholas decided the money would go to charity.
It wasn't long after this decision that he encountered a family in need. The father had lost his daughters' dowries, and in those days this meant the three women had no hope for marriage. As a last resort, the father decided to sell them into prostitution.
When Nicholas heard of the family's plight, and the father's horrific solution, he did something very much in the spirit of Santa Claus: He secretly visited their home by night, throwing a bag of gold coins through the family's window. He repeated his covert act of charity three times, resulting in the marriages of all three sisters. During his third visit, the father discovered his identity and expressed deep gratitude for his kindness.
St. Nicholas went on to assist many others, often anonymously. His generous and creative commitment to the needy gave rise to many unconfirmed legends and miracles over the centuries, but one fact is known for certain: his virtue resulted in his appointment as Bishop of Myra.
Defender of the Faith
Though less magical sounding, Nicholas' role as Bishop gives us even greater reason to associate this Saint with Christmas.
That's because Nicholas' life unfolded during a pivotal era of Christendom. After years of terrible persecution, the rise of Roman Emperor Constantine in 313 A.D. brought legal acceptance of Christianity. Legend has it that Bishop Nicholas was among the many Christians who endured imprisonment and torture for the faith until Constantine freed him.
But the joys of freedom were short-lived because the Church faced a threat from within: A heresy called Arianism was spreading confusion among the faithful.
Arianism, named after its promoter Arius, denied Christianity's central doctrine of the Trinity by claiming that while Jesus was the Son of God, the Son was not one (united in essence, nature, or substance) with the Father. In other words, Arius claimed Jesus Christ was not the eternal Word made flesh (John 1: 14), relegating Him to a lesser status -- a sort of "secondary god."
St. Nicholas was one of the defenders of the true Gospel, clarifying Jesus' identity against Arius' confusing teachings. Some stories even claim Bishop Nicholas boldly confronted Arius at the historic Council of Nicea (although there are no official records of Nicholas' presence at the Council.)
Thanks to the devotion of Christians like St. Nicholas, St. Athanasius, and St. Gregory of Nyssa, Arianism eventually died out. But had it prevailed, we could not celebrate the true miracle of Christmas: the Incarnation, the Word made Flesh, realized in the birth of Jesus Christ. And without fully understanding Christmas we ultimately would have lost the meaning of the Cross, too.
When Did St. Nick become "Santa Claus"?
When did St. Nick trade in the Bishop's miter for a fuzzy, red hat? Not for a long time. Bishop Nicholas' generosity and devotion endeared him to the masses. After his death, churches were named after him, and artists portrayed him in their works, spreading his popularity throughout the Mediterranean, Europe and Asia. Over time, St. Nick's legacy was associated with love of children and gift-giving, but the widespread lore kept much of the original Christian context for centuries.
"Santa Claus" is actually a very modern and very American version of the Saint. It wasn't until Dutch and German settlers brought their magical tales of Sankt Niklaus (German) and Sinterklaas (Dutch) to the New World that St. Nick began to look a little like Santa. From there, St. Nicholas still didn't take on his plump, elfin appearance or slide down chimney's until the early 1800's thanks to a satirical work called Knickerbocker's History of New York by Washington Irving.
In 1823, the red-suited image of an elf transported by flying reindeer finally solidified thanks to the poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas" (later renamed "'Twas the Night Before Christmas") penned by New Yorker, Clement Clark Moore. Popular culture and marketing by companies like Coca-Cola further ingrained the icon into American tradition.
While 4th century Christians would not recognize the modern Santa, it's hard to imagine a better candidate for the job than a man who helped preserve the real meaning of Christmas. Bishop Nicholas exemplified the Christian life by giving his all to Christ and to those in need. Hopefully, in the midst of all the glittery commercialism surrounding our modern holiday celebrations, we'll be able to prepare for Christmas '08 in a way that genuinely reflects the spirit of (the real) St. Nick.
Intersecting Faith & Life: : St. Nicholas' legacy demonstrates a balance often difficult to achieve: a life steeped in both truth and love. What ways can you show the love of Christ more effectively during the holidays? What ways can you stand up for the truth of the Gospel more effectively?
Further Reading
Is 40:1-5, 9-11
Ps 85:9-10-11-12, 13-14
2 Pt 3:8-14
Mk 1:1-8
The Real St. Nick - Dr. Warren Throckmorton
Ref
"St. Nicholas" http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=371
The St. Nicholas Center (http://www.stnicholascenter.org/Brix?pageID=35)
"Santa Claus" wikipedia.org (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Claus)
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Where is Your Joy?
by Debbie Holloway, Family Editor, Crosswalk.com
But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord." –Luke 2:10-11
The winter season can be bleak for many. Students are preoccupied with their work. Others become easily stressed with the pressure to plan (and cook for) family gatherings associated with the various winter holidays. Some of us even struggle with S.A.D (seasonal affective disorder), a medical condition where melancholy and sorrow creep up, due in part to the lack of sunshine.
There is something special, then, about the coming of spring. About seeing daffodils peek their yellow heads above the ground for the first time.
I imagine the Jews of Jesus' day longed for the spring of the Lord's favor. No word from the Lord had come for a long time. Jews were living under a powerful, pagan Roman government. While the people were not necessarily miserable or oppressed, their joy perhaps had worn a little thin. They no doubt pined for something better.
Imagine, next, the Shepherds who were visited by Angels on the night of Christ's birth. The hum-drum of their evening duties, perhaps even their sleep, was interrupted in a big way.
And the glory of the Lord shone around them.
And they were terrified.
But the terror was short lived, of course. What terror can stand against such amazing, incredible, joy?
A savior has been born to you.
"Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about" they exclaimed (Luke 2:15).
Is it any wonder that the third candle of Advent, the Joy candle, is called The Shepherd's Candle? Perhaps no other figure in the nativity story was blessed to receive such unblemished, unmitigated joy as the shepherds were. There they were, pegging away like every other day, when – for no reason other than God's favor – they were given the gift of joy. They were shown the Messiah, their looked-for Messiah, and had glimpsed into that eagerly-awaited spring of the Lord's favor.
This season, as Christmas edges ever closer, let us remember this joy. We too await another awakening: the Lord's second coming. We continue to fight through the pangs and groaning of a world which continually gives birth to sin. But, in this season, let us remember the Incarnation with as much joy as did those first witnesses.
"A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy." –John 16:21-22
Intersecting Faith and Life: Is your joy in Christ such that no one can take it away? If not, take some time to meditate on God's gift of an incarnated Christ to the world.
Further Reading:
Luke 2
Psalms 16
1 Peter 4:13
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The Thrill of Hope
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13
"A thrill of hope; the weary world rejoices, for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn." ~~ O Holy Night
Does Christmas thrill you?
Children get excited at the coming of the season, and often we might feel a bit of a charge through experiencing their amazement, but the chores we go through to provide that for them are often the very things that rob us from knowing the wonder for ourselves. Plan the party, trim the tree, max out the MasterCard, wrap, ship, take a trip. And that's assuming we aren't one of the multitudes who find themselves with a case of the Holiday Blues.
So if Christ's coming into this world offers hope, and hope, as the song says, provides a thrill, how do we locate that experience amid the distraction and disillusionment of December?
Well that's the cool thing about Hope. Just as total darkness can't hold back the light of a tiny flame, so does even the smallest increment of Hope provide joy and purpose.
Here are a few scriptures I've been mulling over on the subject:
Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1).
Notice the parallel between "things hoped for" and "things not seen." Talk about a paradox; try applying "assurance" to something your five senses can't detect. It's a challenge. The plus side is that hope, through Christ, is available to you no matter what you see, hear, or feel. It's above your circumstances.
"We also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance [brings about]proven character; and proven character [brings about] hope; and hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us" (Romans 5:3-5).
Do you ever hear people say, "I don't want to get my hopes up" because they're afraid of being disappointed? What would you make of Paul's claim that "hope does not disappoint"? Might the disconnect have something to do with what we're hoping for or expecting? Max Lucado thinks so:
"Hope is not what you'd expect; it is what you would never dream. It is a wild, improbable tale with a pinch-me-I'm-dreaming ending... Hope is not a granted wish or a favor performed; no, it is far greater than that. It is a zany, unpredictable dependence on a God who loves to surprise us out of our socks and be there in the flesh to see our reaction."
"Love... hopes all things...but now abide faith, hope, and love; but the greatest of these is love" (1 Corinthians 13:7,13).
Ever wonder why faith, hope, and love are the greatest virtues, and apparently in that order?
Maybe hope isn't actually something we do, but something we receive, like grace. If it's true that "without faith it is impossible for us to please Him" (Hebrews 11:6), perhaps it's conversely true that without Hope it would be impossible for Him to please us. The same verse says that God is a rewarder of those who seek Him. Is hope that reward?
I mean, if faith is what we give to God, and hope is what He gives to us, then we have the dynamic of a relationship. With that in place, we can love. So love is built on hope, which is built on faith.
For hope to exist, unfortunately it looks like there has to be hopelessness first. A perfect world wouldn't have any need of hope. Deliverance arrives undeservedly and perhaps unexpectedly, just as in the unlikely way God came to earth to provide a once-and-for-all substitute for the sins of all men on the first Christmas. That's why things can look bleak, but that's where hope lives.
The good news is: you simply can't hope big enough, which goes back to the idea of our minds and senses being inadequate to judge God's design and methods, and hope being more a function of God's involvement than our desires. I readily acknowledge I could not have conceived of the plan of salvation or the virgin birth. I couldn't have imagined the plan for the walls of Jericho to crumble, for hungry lions to turn into Daniel's pet kittens, or the Red Sea to part and offer up dry land. So neither do I know how my problems will be solved, or what miracles I'll be blessed to see this Christmas.
Isaiah 9:6-7 concerns the hope of the prophecy being fulfilled that brought us a "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, and Prince of Peace." The last sentence of verse seven says it's "the zeal of the Lord" that will accomplish this. God is excited! He's zealous (enthusiastic, passionate, obsessive even) to bring us this hope!
Romans 15:13 is my Christmas prayer: "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
Why is there hope? Because Jesus was born. O holy night. What a thrill. God is at work.
From God Came Near, page 89
Intersecting Faith & Life: What does hope out of despair look like? There are lots of examples in any Christian's life, but in terms of contemporary cinema, I know of no better example than the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Go back and watch those movies again over the holidays, keeping an eye out for allusions to hope and hopelessness.
Further Reading
Isaiah 9:6-7
The Promises of God
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Sometimes It Takes Two Christmas Trees
by Laura MacCorkle
He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Phil. 1:6, NIV
If you want to put up your Christmas tree one more time again this year, raise your hand.
I didn't think so. And I didn't want to put up my trusty, artificial Christmas tree again this year either, but I had to. You see, when I put up my first tree right after Thanksgiving, I knew that the rigging I had done to make sure the top half of the tree stayed in place was on its last leg and that I would need to break down and purchase a new tree next year.
But then something funny happened on the way to December 25. A couple of days later, the top half just fell off. As in, completely toppled over and onto my living room floor. For a second, I thought about just abandoning having a Christmas tree at all this year. I was frustrated and had already put in so much effort. Why go through this whole rigmarole again in the very same week?
But something in me wouldn't give up. I WILL have a Christmas tree, I thought. And I'll find a way and the time to get a replacement tree bought and decorated this week!
So I regrouped, purchased another tree and started all over again. Now, what I don't enjoy about putting up my tree is the unfurling of all of the branches that have been smashed up in the tree's box. And then even more unenjoyable than that is when I have to wrap the lights around the tree. The fake needles and branches scratch up my hands as I'm pushing lights into all of the nooks and crannies. It stings my skin, but I do it so that there's a beautiful glowy backdrop for all of my ornaments.
Once I get past all of that, then I actually do enjoy putting up my Christmas tree. First, I put the tree skirt in its place. Next, I lace around the sparkly garland. And then, since I have multiples of many ornaments (glass icicles, dangling bells, painted balls, etc.), I strategically place them first so that not all of one type of ornament is having its own holiday gathering on one branch of the tree. After I've done all of that, then I can place the one-of-a-kind ornaments here and there, pop the tree topper on the tree top and Christmas is good to go.
So then, there was great rejoicing when the Christmas tree was completed (and no, that's not a Bible verse). I just love looking at this beautiful creation. And to see it sparkle and glow... well, it makes for something glorious in my home.
Perhaps that's how the Father feels when he looks at us, his divine creations. How many times has he had to pick us back up when we've toppled over our lives? Or unwind the tangled mess we've made because of our disobedience to him? Somehow, in his great love, he never gives up on us. Because Jesus made a way for us to come to the Father, God is faithful and continually works to make us radiant and pleasing to him.
I'm thankful God doesn't tire of putting me back together each and every day of the year. In fact, if I know him, and I do, I think even if it took putting up a gazillion Christmas trees that he will never tire of working in our lives so that we might glorify him.
Intersecting Faith & Life: How has the Father shown you his kindness, his patience and the ways that he is long-suffering toward you this year? Thank him for the gift of his Son this Christmas and that because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed (Lam. 3:22).
Further Reading:
John 1:3-4, NIV
Rom. 2:4, MSG
Heb. 13:21, NIV
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Tell Everybody!
by Anna Kuta
So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, "Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us." And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds (Luke 2:15-18).
Every December my church puts on an event called Bethlehem Walk, an interactive living nativity of sorts that takes people through a recreation of first-century Bethlehem and then through scenes of the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Thousands of people from the community and even all over the state come each year to hear about the real meaning of Christmas. I've been a cast member almost every year, but this year for the first time I played the part of a guide, who leads groups of people through the city and from one drama scene to the next.
If I thought it would get monotonous saying the same lines, hearing the same story and seeing the same things acted out on repeat for 20 hours in one weekend, I could not have been further from the truth. One of my favorite parts was seeing the reactions of people in my groups to each of the scenes, especially the kids.
After the group watches the angels appear to the shepherds in the field and tell them of Jesus' birth, we hurry with the shepherds to the stable to see it for ourselves. After we learn that this baby really is the Messiah, the guide is supposed to tell the group, "Come, let us go tell others what we have seen!" (From there, the group stumbles upon the three kings and points the way to them.) One night, however, I had a group of kids who were as enthralled with the whole story as anyone I'd ever seen. When we got to the manger, they crowded in close, eyes wide, like they'd never seen anything like it. They watched with awe as Mary sang "Silent Night" and rocked the baby Jesus in her arms. And just when she finished and I opened my mouth to speak my lines, I was upstaged – one little boy in the front jumped up and shouted, "It's Jesus! We gotta tell everybody!"
Sure, we all crack a smile, but the little boy had it absolutely right. Tell everybody! The shepherds did just that after the angels pointed them to baby Jesus – they made it "widely known," according to Luke 2:17. How could they keep quiet, having seen what they had seen? How can I keep quiet, having been redeemed by Christ?
If you, like me, ever feel unqualified or unworthy to share the Gospel, remember the shepherds. They were the most unlikely messengers of the Messiah's birth – rough, poor, dirty; outcasts of society. God could have sent the angels to proclaim the news to anyone, but he chose the shepherds. He used them as the first-ever preachers of the Gospel.
Just as the shepherds could not keep quiet about what they saw when they found Jesus, so it should be for us. This Christmas season, share the good news – not just of Jesus as the baby in the manger, but of Jesus who came to save us from our sin.
Intersecting Faith & Life: With whom can you share the good news of Jesus?
Further Reading
Luke 2
Mark 16:15
Ephesians 6:19-20
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A Revealed Savior
by Katherine Britton
"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." -Jeremiah 29:13
I wish I could ask the Magi what it was like after they returned to their homeland. After watching the skies for years, journeying for weeks, and seeing Jesus with their own eyes, how did they return to the life they once knew? Did they ever hear about the rest of the Jesus's life? Did they realize the Jew who was killed on the tree was the same child to whom they offered gifts befitting a king? Did they understand that his birth was a precursor to a far greater event?
We don't know much with certainty about these men. They brought three gifts—gold, incense, and myrrh—but there may have been dozens of Magi who went on that journey. These wise men were certainly Gentiles, probably from Persia. They acted as something close to astrologer-priests in their homeland, we think, marking the movements of the heavens to find out its impact on man. Judging by their gifts and their titles, their status and wealth came close to royalty.
Now consider what we definitely know about them: these Magi considered it worth their time, efforts, riches, and worship to come worship at a Bethlehem house.
"When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh." - Matthew 2:10-11
Matthew 2:10-11These pagans searched for the Messiah as no one else did. Their adventure is an extraordinary tale of God's grace mixed with man's hunger, as they followed the star God set up in the heavens with a single-minded devotion. They were on a search for God, who had given them the signs to find him. I think these men, who knew so much less than I do about the Messiah, sought him harder than I ever have.
Consider Matthew Henry's commentary on what transpired:
"They might have said, 'If such a prince be born, we shall hear of him shortly in our own country, and it will be time enough then to pay our homage to him.' But so impatient were they to be better acquainted with him, that they took a long journey on purpose to enquire after him. Note, Those who truly desire to know Christ, and find him, will not regard pains or perils in seeking after him."
Personally, I don't think the Magi were ever the same after their encounter in the Bethlehem house. They invested themselves to finding the King of the Jews, and he revealed himself to them. I think all other stars must have paled in comparison.
Intersection of Faith & Life: Like the psalmist sings, the "heavens declare the glory of God" (Psalms 8) to each one of us. Those signs are God calling us to seek him with our whole heart, so he can reveal himself to us more and more. This Christmas season, I want to follow the Magi's example. I want to find the mystery of the Gospel so incredible that I pursue it with all my heart, and all my strength, and all my soul. I pray this mystery captivates your heart this Christmas!
Further Reading:
Matthew 2
Why Did the Wise Men Search for Jesus?
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Peace, Love, and Angels
by Debbie Holloway, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: "I have loved you with an everlasting love" (Jeremiah 31:3).
Snow comes. Once twilight takes over, lights appear all over the city. People hum Christmas carols as they walk. The Salvation Army bell is heard clanging a block over. Christmas is coming; it's almost here. And it can be a swirling, hectic time. It can be easy to forget about the quiet importance of Advent Season, and the rich meanings in each Advent candle.
The fourth Advent candle is called the Candle of Love.
If we as Christians are so eager to keep "Christ" in "Christmas" and not surrender the holiday to commercialism, we had better remember to love during this season. Otherwise, what message do we send to the world? Lighting the Candle of Love during Advent season is a reminder of how great the Father's love is for us. The Incarnation embodied God's passionate pursuit of all humankind; it showed the depths to which our LORD was willing to go, in order to teach us, redeem us, draw us to himself.
The fourth Advent candle is called the Angel's candle.
The Angel who proclaimed the news of Christ's birth to the shepherds had a vital duty: to impart God's love and good news. For in a world swirling with legends of violent gods, bloody sacrifices, and warring nations, God's love is the best possible news. The birth of a Messiah was the best possible news.
Are we not to be God's emissaries, perhaps something like God's angels, today? Should we not exude joy and spread peace? Should we not glorify God in everything and serve him always?
The fourth Advent candle represents the peace of God.
In a world torn and ragged, Christ alone offers true peace. Let us soak in this peace as we remember the night he lay as an infant in a tumultuous world he would soon change forever. Let us soak in this peace as we partake of the Lord's Supper and remember that his body was broken out of love for us. Let us become this peace, in a world so full of violence, abuse, and ignorance. For we cannot change the world; but we can open up our own hearts to be transformed through Christ.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Even if you don't light the Advent candles each week in December, take a moment to reflect on each of their meanings.
Further Reading:
Luke 2:14
Matthew 5:43-48
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The Audacity of Christmas
by Mike Pohlman
So let no one boast in men. For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future--all are yours, and you are Christ's, and Christ is God's. –1 Corinthians 3:21-23
This Christmas millions of children (and adults) will find under their Christmas tree a Wii or Xbox 360 or Playstation 3. When the wrapping paper is ripped and the contents revealed shouts of joy will fill the room. (I'm planning on this as our kids open their Wii!) Each of these game consoles will bring countless hours of pleasure to the players. But as amazing as these machines are, they in no way compare to the audacity of God's gift given at Christmas.
Consider the staggering promise of the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 3:21. He says, "all things are yours" by virtue of being in Christ. And what does Paul include in "all things"? Things like the world, life, death, the present and the future. Breathtaking. How can this be?
Galatians 4:4-7 shows how the Christian comes to inherit "all things."
But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
Christmas marks the "fullness of time" when God, in his sovereign freedom, "sent forth his Son." The One who dispenses times and seasons determined that it was time to send forth the Son who had existed with the Father from eternity. Indeed, the second person of the Trinity "did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men" (Philippians 2:6-7). He was "born of a woman, born under the law." Here we have the wonder of the Incarnation: God of very God assuming a human nature.
Why would the Son of God take on flesh and dwell among sinful mankind? Why would divinity take on humanity and "become obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross" (Philippians 2:8)?
He did it to secure salvation. In other words, "to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons" (Galatians 4:5). Christ came into the world not only to free us from the tyranny of sin, death and the devil, but also to crown us with unimaginable glory.
It is true that at the Cross Christ "redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us" (Galatians 3:13). But we have not been saved only in this "negative" sense. We have been adopted into God's family and given all the rights and privileges of legitimate heirs. Paul captures this beautifully in 2 Corinthians 2:8-9, "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich." And the riches that are ours in Christ are far greater than anything merely monetary. These riches are in fact "all things" for "all are yours, and you are Christ's, and Christ is God's" (1 Corinthians 3:23). This is the audacity of Christmas and it is intended to redound "to the praise of [God's] glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved" (Ephesians 1:6).
Intersecting Faith & Life: This Christmas I want to think and live as one adopted. One way to do this is to let every gift given to a loved one serve as a pointer to the Gospel. And when we consider how excited we are for the new Wii or Xbox or Playstation with its temporal pleasures, let us remember the eternal weight of glory that awaits the heirs of the King.
Further Reading
Disturbing Christmas, C.J. Mahaney
A Redemption Worthy of Our Worship, Peter Beck
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Blessed are You among Women!
by Sarah Phillips
In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to the city of Judah, and she entered the house of Zechari'ah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and she exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord."
Luke 1: 39 - 45,
You don't need me to tell you Christmas is here. Chances are, this past week, you've been rushing around trying to get last-minute errands completed. I had a mental list of "must do's" running through my own head.
So as I read the gospel for the final Sunday of Advent, I was struck by how Mary prepared for Christ's coming. Mary received the biggest news of human history, the coming of the Messiah (through her?!), and what did she do? Mary set aside her own agenda and "went with haste" to visit her cousin Elizabeth. At this point, Elizabeth's pregnancy is entering the final trimester and no doubt this older mother is tired and in need of assistance.
I imagine Mary must have had a lot of thoughts running through her head on the way to Judah. "Is Elizabeth really pregnant in her old age? She must be... but really? And how am I going to explain my situation to Elizabeth? Will she believe me?"
Mary's arrival is one of those great moments in history - a moment that reverberates throughout the ages that follow. This simple story of two pregnant women meeting carries so many implications. Some of the themes that stick out to me include:
1. Mary's faith. Mary was obedient to God and put faith in him. She set aside her own comfort and questions to help Elizabeth. Mary's virtue shines through here, and God throws in a little reward - a miraculous and joyful greeting from Elizabeth.
2. Elizabeth's selflessness. Elizabeth's news is a pretty big deal. Her husband receives a vision from an angel and she conceives in her old age after years of waiting. Yet, her first response focuses not on her big news, but on Mary's. This reveals Elizabeth's virtue and also adds emphasis to the reality that Mary's news holds even more profound implications for humanity than Elizabeth's miracle.
3. The humanity of the unborn. In those days, pregnant women didn't enjoy the luxury of ultrasound technology. Yet, God makes the humanity of these little ones very clear here. Elizabeth exclaims, "And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" Elizabeth refers to Mary as "mother" in the present tense and she refers to the growing baby inside of Mary (who probably wasn't even showing yet) with his proper title: Lord. God was "with us" the moment Mary conceived, and even the unborn John the Baptist recognized this!
4. God works through fellow human beings. God could have found any number of ways to communicate his message that day. He chose to speak through Elizabeth and John and the communion between Mary and Elizabeth. He also brought help to Elizabeth during her last trimester through Mary and comfort to the newly pregnant Mary through Elizabeth.
5. God's love for women. How can there be any doubt that God has a special place in his heart for the fairer sex after reading of Mary and Elizabeth's stories? God could have arrived on earth in any form he chose... and while the rest of the world remained ignorant, two women basked in the presence and knowledge of the Lord.
I am sure great theologians can extract even more from this story, but I'll leave it here for today. As you celebrate Christmas today, imitate Mary who "treasured up" the mysteries revealed to her and "pondered them in her heart" (Luke 2:19).
Intersecting Faith & Life: How has God been present in your life this holiday season? Think of the little ways God makes his presence known and brings you comfort and joy even in the midst of trials.
Further Reading
Psalm 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19
Hebrews 10:5-10
Women of Advent and Christmas: Elizabeth
Women of Advent and Christmas: Mary, Not Just a Womb
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Nothing Wasted
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com
When they had all had enough to eat, [Jesus] said to his disciples, "Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted." (John 6:12)
In your house somewhere, there's probably one of those things. Although it looks like any other scribbled-up notebook or faded picture or crinkle-edged envelope, you know better. You know better because there's a ton or two of memories tied around that thing. You avoid it for years because you don't have time (or courage) to drag all that weight back out. It's best left dusty and dormant. You tell yourself you've forgotten. You don't really believe that, but it's what you tell yourself.
Then, that thing finds you. Okay, so technically you found it while you were cleaning or trying to decide what to pitch out from your overstuffed closet. But whatever the case, it's there in your hand. You plop down in the floor and place it on your lap. Your fingers smooth down the edges. Maybe your gut tightens up a bit.
Once again—just like the last time you "found" it—the I-was-a-fool song zips into your head. It's a song that only has one verse, but that verse plays over and over. Usually, you turn the melody into a prayer that goes something like this:
God, what was I thinking? How could I not see? How could I have done that? Why didn't I say something?
Waste—eventually, it all comes down to that. While tracing pencil indentions with your fingers or taking in the smooth surface of the photo, you wonder how many years you wasted. What mighty things you might have done. At least, it seems like that now.
But there's another song that comes, too, and that one has many verses and many versions. One of the best sounds like this:
You were dead because you lost sight of Christ. But He never lost sight of you. Right when you needed it most, God made those nail-pierced wrists very real to you, and it crushed you to know what shame had been hammered to the cross—all our regret-filled yesterdays. (Colossians 2:13-14, author paraphrase)
And if you listen to that song (or dozens more like it), you won't fear that tattered thing in your hands, that memento too heavy to keep close by. Instead, you'll see how God never wastes anything. Not busted up plans, not years of prodigal living, and certainly not you. Instead, He picks them up—when He picks you up—and teaches you how to talk about His can't-believe-it's-possible grace.
So, talk.
Intersecting Faith and Life: If there was anyone who should have wanted to forget his past, it was Paul. This Christian-murdering, Jesus-denying man pretty much owned the record for most regretful decisions. But Paul never hides what he was. In fact, he keeps repeating it to believers, to governors, to kings. He never hides the years that we might think were wasted.
You see, Paul had it figured out. He'd done shameful things, but he'd received shameless grace. And all those years of not knowing Jesus became the foundation for his new life. He spoke from his weakness and God's ridiculous gift of salvation. Even for him.
And the same is true with your past. You may hate what happened or what you did. But it's not about where you've been or the wounds you inflicted on yourself; it's about showing God's love through your scars.
Further Reading:
Colossians 2
John 6
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"You Never Do Anything You Don't Want to Do"
by Shawn McEvoy, Managing Editor, Crosswalk.com
Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.
Galatians 6:5, The Message
If I try, I can remember my friends from 10th-grade Sunday School. In fact, I'm still tight with two of them. I remember our church, our youth group, and our youth minister. What I don't remember so well are the individual lessons we learned from the Bible each week. As I realize that, I give myself another kick for not having gotten into note-taking and journaling. I'd like to have those things to review now.
What I do recall from one particular class session, however, has always stuck with me. And it wasn't even a quote from the Bible. To show how much I've forgotten, I don't even remember the name of the teacher who said it! He was tall, well-accomplished in business, but still wanting to give of his time to young men. And one day he looked at us and said the following:
"Today's lesson is going to be very short. Look at me, because whatever you remember from today, remember this. Whatever you remember from your time in this youth group, remember this: You never do anything you don't want to do."
That was it. Obviously I still remember it. Why?
I also remember challenging the teacher on that day, most of us scoffing and saying things like, "Yeah, right... I can honestly tell you I do not want to do my homework tonight."
"Yes you do."
"No, I really don't."
"What will happen if you don't?"
"Well, I guess I'd be embarrassed when it was time to turn it in, I'd probably have to lie to my parents when they asked if I'd done it yet, and I wouldn't be prepared for the upcoming quiz."
"So I guess the reason you're going to do your homework is because for the motives you just stated, you DO want to do it."
Snap.
A dozen high school boys just got handed a logic lesson in responsibility, desire, and motivation. All around the room you could see eyes and minds opening to new possibilities.
This is what we'd been hearing about free will. But now contextualized and personalized.
This is what our parents and teachers had been getting at as they spoke to us about becoming responsible young men.
This would make me own all my actions and reactions. And oddly enough, that was something I could tangibly handle.
The applications were endless.
I'm still not even sure his statement was absolutely true, or biblical. But to be honest, it doesn't matter anymore, because it informed and continues to inform many things in my life that are true and biblical.
Do I want to lay in bed or do I want to get to work? Why or why not? Do I really "want" that sportscar, or can I put it out of my mind to burden me no more since it conflicts with several of my primary wants?
Why am I overweight? Well, my bad. Guess I wanted that, too, when you get down to the nub of it. Certainly didn't do the things I knew would prevent it.
One of the doors that opened to me was in realizing that once I got past "my will be done," I could begin to pray as Jesus did, "Your will be done."
Another was in being able to recognize motivation. Why am I going to conquer this lust or pursue this knowledge or accomplish this hard task for God's Kingdom? Because ultimately, what I want to do is to have my heart's desires be the same as God's. That's where he tells us delight is, and that's the only place where we know what we want is right.
Intersecting Faith & Life: What action or reaction in your own life have you been blaming on other people or circumstances? Write down all the ways you yourself can own up to it.
Further Reading
1 Thessalonians 5:12
Philippians 1:23
We Are Responsible for Others
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Grace for Families in 2014
Sarah Phillips
For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.
Genesis 2:24 NIV
Part of my job includes receiving letters from readers about family issues. Something that struck me this past year was how many Christian families suffer - truly suffer. Some struggle from financial woes, others from the behavior of rebellious teenagers, and some from painful relational problems within their marriages.
While I can't offer quick fixes in this small devotional entry, I want to reflect on some scriptures here that will hopefully offer you some encouragement if you are among those facing a difficult family situation.
"The man said, 'The woman you put here with me--she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it." Genesis 3:7-12.
First, if you're facing a broken situation or relationship, remember you're not alone. With the fall of man came the fall of family life. We can see this in Adam's dysfunctional words as he blames God and Eve for his own sinful decision to eat the forbidden fruit.
You may compare your family to others and feel like a failure - like everyone else has this family thing figured out. But truthfully, we are all sinners who marry sinners and give birth to sinners. While this truth doesn't excuse a person's hurtful, sinful behavior (God himself is grieved by such behavior), it helps ground me a little more in reality when I find myself playing the comparison game or building up unrealistic expectations of others.
"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord." Ephesians 5:8
Second, we're not doomed to this sinful state forever. Becoming Christian doesn't necessarily make family life easier, but it does make healing possible. It is through the sanctifying grace of Jesus Christ that not only can we be transformed as individuals, but our relationships can also be transformed, successfully reflecting the Trinitarian love of God to each other and the world. This is God's desire for every Christian family, not just a privileged few. For as many disheartening letters as I receive from distraught spouses and parents, I receive encouraging letters and articles from those who have found true transformation and healing in Christ. If you are a believer, know that you have profound spiritual support to overcome your family trials.
"Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them." Ephesians 5:8-11
Third, transformation requires humility, help and work on our part. This may seem like I am stating the obvious, but sometimes it's helpful to me when a loved one reminds me of basic truths. Just as we didn't instantly become perfect upon our acceptance of Christ, neither will our families. Each day we have choices - choices to choose Christ and accept his grace or to turn our backs. Occasionally we have breakthroughs - giant leaps forward in sanctity - but most of the Christian life consists of small, everyday decisions to seek God and live in his truth.
Sometimes we need help from fellow believers to live successfully as children of the light - even Christ, who needed no help, graciously received help from Simon in carrying his cross (Matthew 27:32). I encourage you to plug into a local support group or check out some of the resources at the end of this devotional if your family is hitting particularly dark days.
"My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done." Matthew 26:42
Fourth, God grieves with us. He doesn't rejoice in our pain or sit back and watch indifferently. Whatever trial you're facing, he is there, wanting the very best outcome even if sometimes we don't feel his presence or understand why things are going the direction they are going. When I find myself questioning God's loving presence, I reflect on Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane where he accepted the painful cup of sacrifice out of profound love for you and me.
"I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." John 10:10
Fifth, while being Christian means embracing our crosses, it doesn't mean we'll never know joy or peace in our lives or families. There is hope. My prayer for you is that you will have renewed strength, happiness, and faith within your families in 2014.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Sometimes it's easy to get overwhelmed by our situations, and we forget to remember the positive. List at least one good trait in each family member and reflect on these positives during your quiet time.
Further Reading
The Power of Rewriting Your Story -- Dr. David Hawkins
Resources:
The Marriage Recovery Center
Retrouvaille
Love Path 911
Heartlight Ministries (for parents with struggling teens)
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Resolutions and Redemption
by Anna Kuta
"For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9).
It's that time of year again! I'm talking about New Year's resolutions, of course. It's still December as I'm writing, but I guarantee that by the time you read this, I'll already be asking myself what possessed me to come up with such grand, unattainable plans for 2014. (It seemed like a good idea at the time). Every year I tell myself it'll finally be the year I keep all my resolutions. I mean, come on – how hard can it possibly be to finally set aside an hour for exercise each day, to stop consuming so much chocolate and coffee, and to never sleep for less than eight hours again?
Why are New Year's resolutions so hard to keep? I don't know, but it's a lot like another area of life. Let me explain.
Before I became a Christian at the age of 17, I approached my life the same way I often approach New Year's resolutions. I would try so hard to do the right things but I always ended up falling flat. I convinced myself that as long as I was the "good girl," I'd be fine, so I tried really hard to live up to certain standards to please everyone, and hopefully God too. The problem, though, is that there's nothing anyone can do in his or her own power to "earn" God's favor.
As Ephesians 2:8 says, it's by God's grace that we are saved, not because of anything we could ever hope to attain or accomplish. God's gift of His son Jesus Christ to save us from our sins through His death and resurrection is just that – a gift. Doing all the good, noble things in the world will never earn salvation, and like verse 9 says, nobody could ever think of boasting about such an undeserved gift.
Of course, the desire to do the right things is one result of making Jesus the Lord of your life, but we all continue to mess up because, after all, we are just sinners saved by grace. I still lose sight of it all sometimes and get caught up in the cycle of trying to "out-good" myself and others. This new year, however, in light of any New Year's resolutions you may have made (or already broken), join me in remembering the assurance of one thing we never have to work to attain: God's grace.
Intersecting Faith & Life: It's hard to live up to New Year's resolutions, but it's impossible to earn God's favor through good works or noble aspirations. This year, realize and thank God anew for the gift of His grace and salvation through Jesus.
Further Reading
Titus 3:4-7
2 Timothy 1:8-10
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The Redemptive Value of New Year's Resolutions
by Mike Pohlman
But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. --Philippians 3:13-14
Thinking about New Years and what resolutions I want to make this year. I, for one, see God's grace in the close of one year and the dawn of another. This yearly cycle gives us the opportunity to take inventory of where we stand in relation to our Creator; are we seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matt. 6:33)? The New Year can be a time for "forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead," to recommit ourselves to "setting our minds on things above" (Colossians 3:1-4).
To help me in this endeavor I've enlisted Steven Lawson and his fine book on Jonathan Edwards: The Unwavering Resolve of Jonathan Edwards. Jonathan Edwards, of course, is probably best known for his sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God." But there is far more to appreciate about this eighteenth century pastor. Benjamin Warfield referred to Edwards as a "figure of real greatness in the intellectual life of colonial America." And Edwards scholar George Marsden considers him "the most acute American philosopher." But perhaps the Englishman Martyn Lloyd-Jones said it best: "I am tempted, perhaps foolish, to compare the Puritans to the Alps, Luther and Calvin to the Himalayas, and Jonathan Edwards to Mount Everest! He has always seemed to me the man most like the Apostle Paul."
Lawson's aim with his book is "to challenge a new generation of believers to pursue holiness in their daily lives" by focusing on Edwards' seventy "Resolutions" (Amazingly, Edwards wrote these resolutions in 1722 and 1723 when he was just eighteen and nineteen-years-old).
Lawson chose to focus on Edwards' "Resolutions" given how well they demonstrate the towering virtue of his life, namely, his piety. "In short, though Edwards was intellectually brilliant and theologically commanding, his true greatness lay in his indefatigable zeal for the glory of God."
Consider Resolution #1:
Resolved, that I will do whatsoever I think to be most to God's glory, and my own good, profit and pleasure, in the whole of my duration, without any consideration of the time, whether now, or never so many myriads of ages hence. Resolved to do whatever I think to be my duty, and the most for the good and advantage of mankind in general. Resolved to do this, whatever difficulties I meet with, how many and how great soever.
Edwards was resolved, regardless of the difficulty, to live for the glory of God, his own pleasure (in God) and the good of mankind generally. Profound and convicting.
Now, notice what this puritan - this relic of centuries ago - says in Resolution #2:
Resolved, to be continually endeavoring to find out some new invention and contrivance to promote the forementioned things.
We don't usually associate Jonathan Edwards with "innovation" or "cutting edge thinking." And yet, here he is resolved to continually dream up ways to advance the glory of God.
I want to do that this year. I want to be resolved to live for the glory of God, to find my pleasure in Him and the good of mankind generally. And I want to do this with a determined, vigorous and biblically-wise analysis of ways I can do it better.
Intersecting Faith & Life: What new ways can you think of to advance the glory of God, your pleasure in Him and the good of mankind? And don't just think innovation. Perhaps what is "old" should become new again.
Further Reading
The Unwavering Resolve of Jonathan Edwards (Steven Lawson)
Unfashionable: Making a Difference in the World by Being Different (Tullian Tchividjian)
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The Day My Mom Went Crazy
John UpChurch, Senior Editor of BibleStudyTools.com
I don't remember the day of the week—so, let's say Wednesday. I'd just returned from work and was making the walk from the parking lot to my apartment.
Before I could get to the door, the call came. My cell phone cracked and spluttered as my brother spoke on the other end. His words tumbled into the hundreds of miles between us. But I understood enough. My mother had stopped her meds again; she'd lied about it; and now she didn't know her youngest son existed. My family wanted me to talk to her to prove I was, in fact, real. The idea sickened me, but I didn't have time to object before the phone went to her. Really, it took that long for me to recover.
They didn't tell her who I was, just that someone wanted to talk to her. My mind whirled around a prayer—a very inadequate bottle rocket—as I waited through the rustling and murmurs and silence. Mostly, I just hoped she wouldn't take the phone.
She did.
If you've never been told you don't exist, it's not something I recommend. You hurt for the person who doesn't want to remember, and you hurt for the lost connection. But that's what happened when I said hello and told her who I was. She screamed into the phone that I had died as a baby, that I didn't really exist, that I was lying to her. The whole moment will never really fade away.
When I visited my mom later in the hospital, a shell sat across the table from me. Her eyes dulled under the fluorescence. There was no recognition, no love in the hazel. She only resembled the woman who'd once wept when I moved out.
Loving her then gave me the smallest glimpse of what it was like for God to love me—even when I ran away, even when I denied He existed. I couldn't see back then. My eyes couldn't recognize His goodness because I convinced myself that the lies of this world are more satisfying. I denied Him and raged against Him in turn. I hated that He loved me.
Slowly, over months, my mother began to remember. She got back the names and faces that had vanished from her mind. She saw us again.
And how slow my own journey has been. First, I came face to face with a very real Maker of the universe. Then, I fell down before His ridiculous love for me. Since then, I've been slowly regaining my sight, seeing the world through His eyes. I once blinded myself, but now I've been granted new eyes. I couldn't see until God's preceding grace tore away the haze, and, suddenly, I remembered what love is.
Intersecting Faith and Life: My mom's lapse opened the cosmic door just a crack—at least, I like to think so. The whole situation hit me with the truth of what John 3:16 really means. God longs for us to recognize His love. But we have selective amnesia; we forget the one who created us.
Even that doesn't stop Him, though. He pursues us in Christ Jesus, who went through the pain of being rejected to heal our forgetful hearts. Nothing could stop him from that.
Further Reading
John 3:1
Romans 3:1
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God and Treadmills
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Culture Editor
May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance.
2 Thessalonians 3:5
Ever since I moved to Richmond I've acquired a taste for working out. There's just something addicting about going to the gym after a long day at the office and pounding a treadmill until you feel the moisture on your forehead. If I don't get my usual workouts, I tend to go stir crazy. That's why I can't stand January. After every New Year's celebration, like clockwork, the gyms become crowded with people who have resolved to become healthier.
Because of the crowds, it becomes harder to get equipment, find parking spaces, or do any of my usual exercises. Now don't get me wrong, I'm glad people are trying to get healthier and I encourage anyone who wants to start working out to give it a try, but I still get frustrated because I know that within a month most of these people will be gone. Exercise requires a lot of commitment and perseverance, and while a lot of people have resolved to live better, when the hard part comes they give up. You could say the same thing applies to faith. I cannot tell you how many times God has revealed himself in my life through his grace, his power, or even his sense of humor. But despite all these moments, it's still so easy for me to doubt, to get angry with God and wonder if he has a plan, or if he's even there at all.
The book of James is useful in moments like this, and even offers some encouragement for when we're tempted to doubt.
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does." – James 1:2-8
Spiritual workouts are no different from our physical ones. If you want to run a marathon, you first have to run a mile, and if you want to become a tool for Christ, you have to trust him first. So don't be afraid of trials and challenges, but instead embrace them as opportunities to mature in your faith. It won't be easy, and odds are you'll probably have to endure some difficult and painful experiences, but in the end you'll look back and know you're stronger because of it.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Apply God to your daily life through the excercise of prayer and service.
Further Reading
Hebrews 12:1
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The Temporary Non-Path of Patience
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.James 5:7-8
We all know that patience isn't easy, or fun. What it is, though, is the path of the wise. Or, perhaps it's better to say the "non-path," since it usually involves a decision to do nothing for a while, to be still and know that you are not God, to reflect, or to strategize.
I recently gained new insight into the value of patience and the reason it's prized so highly in the Bible, from verses about "those who wait on the Lord" to "letting endurance have its perfect result."
In the first half of 2010 I raced through a blog of the TV show LOST. The series is replete with Christo-religious metaphors and parallels. One such area it studies in detail is patience. Early on, one of the characters tells another that "Patience, which you lack, is the quality of a leader." It almost flew right by me, like it did the first time. Patience? The quality of a leader? Does that sound right? Not really, not to today's ears. Don't we usually think of leaders as people who make immediate, command decisions, rush into action, tell others what to do, and make people feel safe (which is to say, how they think they need to feel)?
That's part of it; however, those are the very flaws about the concept that plagued most of the characters on LOST. They were so driven to do, fix, run, save, correct, fight, and prove that they often didn't take time to actually ponder the next step or, even better, wait for the next step to present itself. Their lack of wisdom in making rush decisions and actions was obvious to the audience, who kept wondering why they couldn't remember the miracles they'd already seen, why they couldn't reflect on what they'd already come through, the amazing ways they'd been granted second chances, the redemption they'd been given despite not deserving it, the way they kept longing for home while failing to realize they were building a new one (if they could have just slowed down and seen it).
As I watched it all unfold, I was reminded of the children of Israel. Granted, 40 years in a desert would be a long time to wait for anything, particularly a promised new home. So they grumbled. They longed for the old ways, even though those meant bondage and servitude. They failed to stop and understand that the miracles of manna and the Red Sea meant more were on the way - at the right time. They nagged their leadership, sought unproductive solutions, and just like the characters on LOST, were plagued by always feeling they had to do something, to take control.
The paradox is that control is indeed involved, but it's self-control instead of situational control. Relax. Quiet yourself. Let's remember where we came from and the amazing ways we passed through peril for a while. Let's reflect on the present - the fact we're here - and how amazing the Lord is. Let's ponder our future steps before rushing up them and tripping.
Patience - the "strengthening of the heart" James refers to - then is directly related to another fruit of the Spirit, self-control. Self-control thus leads to maturity, which is completeness, which is wisdom, which is leadership, which is purpose, which is ministry, which is being used of God, which is where we see miracles again. Full-circle we come, eventually, when we patiently wait on the Lord, who is never late and perpetually victorious.
Situational control may provide temporary satisfaction, but it also often makes a situation worse. Patience is a willing temporary dissatisfaction, but it puts your emotions under control and God in control. It might make a situation feel like it's not getting better, but the solution can only be miraculous with it as part of the equation. Patience prevents rash judgment, and judgmentalism. It secures a plan. It is a beautiful paradox of being a non-action and yet a conscious exercise of free will. It is the basis for the merciful ways the Lord deals with us. Patience provides the path in proper time, and promises that faith will be rewarded.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Practice patience this week by seeking not to pursue control in one particularly vexing portion of your life, and ponder whether it's indeed your problem to solve in the first place. Start by remembering the miracle of how God got your attention and delivered you, and his promise that the great work he began in you will not remain incomplete, no matter how long it takes. What miracle will be next? Wait and see. "You will know that I am the LORD; Those who hopefully wait for Me will not be put to shame (Isaiah 49:23)."
Further Reading
Galatians 5:22
Hebrews 6:12
1 Corinthians 4:5
Isaiah 40:31
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Laying Bricks
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Culture Editor
Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.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: 43 – 45
Sometimes, I get restless. I went to college at Taylor University, a small Christian school in the middle of Cornfield, Indiana. Though Taylor wasn't very big, it strove to serve Christ, and encouraged its students to impact the world for God. During the January term, when you could sleep all day and goof-off all night, Taylor offered something called Lighthouse Missions. Instead of wasting their brief vacation, students became a part of service-learning projects that allowed them to share Christ with a world in need.
When Spring Break came around, and the beaches of Florida were calling, it sent students everywhere from Russia to the neighboring town of Grant County, where they engaged in housing projects, orphan care, and outreach. It was tough giving up those precious vacation days, but it felt good to know you were serving Christ. Unfortunately, after graduation opportunities like these are harder to come by. With a forty to fifty-hour work week, not to mention budgeted money and vacation time, jetting off to some foreign location isn't something you can just do.
I can remember sitting in church, boiling with frustration because I couldn't just go do something like I had in college. God clearly has a sense of irony, because at that moment the pastor stood up and asked for volunteers to help pack up after the service. My problem? I had become the "wealthy giver." Not sure what I mean? Read this story in Mark 12:
Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything--all she had to live on." – Mark 12: 41-44
It's amazing how serving Christ can easily become something selfish. I was only interested in serving if it was on my terms, and because of that I let a lot of opportunities pass me by. The truth is that volunteering for a church nursery could be just as important in God's eyes as building houses in another country.
An old professor once told my class that the kingdom of God is built on willing hearts. When we choose to follow God, we are laying the bricks of his kingdom, and creating a sturdy foundation for others to stand on. So get involved, and if you feel God leading you toward a big opportunity, take it. But don't be too proud to serve in the small places. Sometimes it's the little things that make all the difference.
Intersecting Faith and Life: What opportunities does your church offer for serving? Take a moment to look them over and see if one is good for you. Churches are always looking for volunteers to help with children and young adults.
Further Reading
Philippians 2:1-4
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Are You Reciting the Gospel by Yourself?
by Alex Crain, Editor, Christianity.com
...with Him... Moses and Elijah, who, appearing in glory, were speaking of His departure which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.
Luke 9:27 NASB
It's good to see that the idea of 'preaching the gospel to yourself everyday' is becoming more popular. At least that's how it seems to me. Things that point to the gospel are popping up in all kinds of places and ways, not only in big and new movements but in short videos, articles and Twitter messages ("gospel tweets"). A caution in the way we think about the gospel was brought to my attention recently in chapter two of True Spirituality. If you're not following along in our weekly journey through this important and helpful work by Francis Schaeffer, I invite you to join us.
In chapter two, Schaeffer mentions our Scripture passage today (above) where we see Moses and Elijah speaking with Jesus at the Mount of Transfiguration about His impending departure—His death.
It's subtle, but notice that they're not just making a passing mention of the fact. Rather, they were actively and continuously speaking about it. They were dwelling on the gospel; at least the substitutionary atonement part of it. And with the Object of their redemption (Christ) standing right there, no doubt there must have been more than just theological accuracy in their conversation. Probably more like amazement and deep gratitude. As they thought of all that Christ was about to endure for their sin, I'm sure they had correct thoughts about the gospel. But Christ's own presence energized their orthodox theology.
At times, there can a detached, tearless way that we think about the gospel. When I have well-articulated and familiar facts about Christ's life/death/resurrection/ascension, and they are just empty echoes down the icy corridors of my thoughts, the diagnosis is simple: I have broken fellowship with Christ. It's evidence of unconfessed sin.
Schaeffer reminds us that when we rehearse the gospel, we must do so in the presence of the Living Christ; in humble worship of Him. He is not a distant figment of man's imagination. He is the God Who is there. Just as Moses and Elijah were "with Him"... in His presence, so we too must continuously rehearse the gospel while recognizing that we are in the presence of the God Who is there. The Christian life flows from the constant spring of dwelling on the gospel with the Redeemer Himself.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Remember this paraphrase of John Piper: the gospel is like blood, it's supposed to course through your veins not be carried in a bucket.
John Owen, (a 1600s Puritan) often prayed, "Lord, may I commune with You in the doctrines I espouse." Make this your prayer and experience today.
Further Reading
John 15:1
The Gospel in Six Minutes (John Piper, video)
"While all that borrows life from Thee is ever in Thy care;
And everywhere that man can be, Thou, God art present there."
From the hymn, "I Sing the Mighty Power of God" by Isaac Watts
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A Mathful God?
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
God doesn't count us; he calls us by name. Arithmetic is not his focus.
Romans 9:28, The Message
Thank God that he calls us by name, that our names have been written in the Book of Life. He knows us intimately. We are not just numbers to him, as the verse above reminds.
That said, have you ever looked at the face of a calculator and marveled at how completely God is involved in all of those functions? He adds, he subtracts, he multiplies, he divides. Positives, negatives, rationals, irrationals, imaginaries, radicals, constants... all indicate some aspect of God and what he does, how he interacts with his creation.
Let's take a look at some examples of the most basic of these functions, and how they suggest a perfect sum of completeness and trust. He's worked it all out. The numbers add up. The whole world - its time and history and future - is well calculated, and safe in his hands.
ADDITION
Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved. --Acts 2:46-47, NAS
So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. --1 Corinthians 3:7, KJV
"Nothing in Scripture and in the life of Christ could be clearer: Wealth is not an objective of the spiritual life. When we encounter money on the path of life, we are encouraged to do one of three things with it: Turn and walk in the other direction; pick it up and give it away; or use it for the necessities of life. It's this last part that I think has become skewed over time. Our list of 'needs' is much greater today than it was in 1900 and their list of needs were certainly greater than during the time when Christ walked the Earth. Now I know that here in the year [2014], it is countercultural to give money away. It is countercultural to seek your security in things that aren't man-made. But, remember what Jesus promised, 'But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you' (Matthew 6:33, NKJV)." --Steve Scalici, "Should Christians Strive for the American Dream?"
SUBTRACTION
The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! --John 1:29, NAS
If you subtract from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will subtract your part from the Tree of Life and the Holy City that are written in this book. --Revelation 22:19, MSG
"Our spiritual engrafting provides an eternity of new life. While the struggles of our present earthly existence cause momentary, light affliction, the life to come for those who are in Christ Jesus will last forever. There will be no more heartaches, no more pain. He has taken our heart of stone and replaced it with a heart of flesh. He died so that we might live." --Peter Beck, "Engrafted for Life"
MULTIPLICATION
For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. --Hebrews 6:13-14, KJV
Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. --2 Corinthians 9:10, NAS
"I would be afraid to bring children into this world if I did not know God. But because I know God, I am free to encourage you to have children... God's people are the ones who ought to be bringing a godly seed into this world. What does the world need? Jesus. How are they going to hear if the light goes out?" --Adrian Rogers, "Bringing Children into the World"
DIVISION
So you shall divide this land among yourselves according to the tribes of Israel. --Ezekiel 47:21, NAS
And the people of all the nations will be gathered before him. Then he will divide them into two groups, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. --Matthew 25:32, GNT
"God is in the business of division. As in creation, He divided whatever was necessary in order to bring order. He divides light and darkness today also. That is why His people are in this world but not of it. God's children are separated from the world as they are sanctified, or set apart, for the things of God. As Christians, we think of the Lord as One who wants to make "everything ok" or to bring peace to a given situation. However, the Lord Jesus clearly said that He came to divide. 'Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword' (Matt. 10:34)." --Tonilee Adamson & Bobbye Brooks, "Division"
The Sum of the Equation...
I know that whatever God does will last forever; there is nothing to add or subtract from it; and God has done it so that people will fear him. --Ecclesiastes 3:14, CJB
Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped. He said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, And naked I shall return there. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD." -- Job 1:21, NAS
You can't take any of this stuff with you. Enjoy it and praise God for all of it. Instead of counting widgets, count blessings, count it all joy. Let him do the math of your life: accountant, buyer, salesman, financial planner, marketer, measurer and profiteer.
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Be a Friend to Have a Friend
by Laura MacCorkle
A friend loves at all times. Proverbs 17:17, NIV
Christmas is just about three weeks past us, but the remnants remain on a bulletin board in my office.
There, I have thumb-tacked various holiday family pictures and newsletters that I received in the mail from all different friends and acquaintances. I decided that that's how I would "handle" these materials this year, instead of putting them in a pile to collect dust and go forgotten.
As I look at the bulletin board each day, my heart is warmed as I see the faces of friends who have played different roles in my life: comforter, truth-teller, listener, hugger, encourager, constructive criticizer, relationship decoder/investigator, and so forth.
I see so many ways of serving and giving from so many different types of friends. And I am blessed as I am reminded of what they have done for me. And then I am also convicted: What am I doing for my friends? How am I pouring into their lives as they are pouring into mine? How is God moving me to be part of their worlds? And am I responding to his instruction and guidance in my life?
Ralph Waldo Emerson famously said: "The only way to have a friend is to be one." And he was so right about that. Friendships don't just happen. They take time. They take effort. They take upkeep. And that means we all have to do something if we want to cultivate, grow and nurture relationships with others.
When I look at my bulletin board of friends, if I am truly willing to be a friend "who loves at all times," I know that that means I have to always be ready to shelve or alter my plans in order to help meet the varied needs of others.
It's something God has been working on me for a while now. Am I willing to lay down my plans and sacrifice my time and my desires for my friends? Or is it more important that I get done today what is on my list and what I think is right for me? Am I seeking the Lord for his direction? Am I paying attention to the Holy Spirit for conviction?
Let me warn you, though. Don't ask God to move in your life in this way unless you really mean it. Because when you do ask him to help you be a better friend and to help you reach out to others, he will give you plenty of opportunities that may or may not be what you had in mind.
You might be asked to...
Offer your professional skills to someone else in need for free.
Forgo your after-work errands or agenda to just sit, listen and offer a warm hug
Give up your Saturday to help someone move, paint a house or run a garage sale.
Better yet, you might be moved to...
Give financially to someone you don't even know.
Befriend the "different" or "difficult" person whom no one else likes.
Not take careless words or confusing situations personally and instead choose to "cover" these minor offenses with love.
That's what a true friend does: gets outside of themselves and gives. And gives. And gives! Are you up to it? I'm asking myself the same question. For friends both new and old, how can we be a true friend to someone else today?
Intersecting Faith & Life: No doubt, at some point in your life you've known what it's like to be on the receiving end of someone who has been a good friend to you. But what's it like to be your friend? Do you take more than you give? Are you ever around? Do you take time to listen and care about others' concerns and life matters? Take a friend inventory today and see what changes you might need to make in your outreach to those you call "friend."
Further Reading:
John 15:13
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
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Missing the Forest for the Trees
by Debbie Holloway, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied:"'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments" (Matthew 22:36).
I just read an article about how being technically "overweight" might not actually, in and of itself, carry a higher mortality risk. It discussed how previously established governmental standards of healthy, "normal" weight might have sprung more from our society's visual obsession with thinness, than with any inherent physical dangers of weighing more than your neighbor.
As mind-blowing as this conclusion may seem, perhaps the real problem isn't a number on a scale. Perhaps it's when too much extra weight for a person's body brings on unnatural fatigue, immobility, illness, or discomfort. Perhaps the problem is eating too much, or too poorly, for our bodies to function correctly.
Perhaps we're missing the big picture of health and wellness and zooming in too close on the raw numbers of weight.
I would venture to say that we do that in our spiritual lives as well. Perhaps you've diagnosed a fellow believer as having a spiritual "illness" – let's say they don't attend church on Sunday morning. Knowing only this raw data can lead to a judgmental shake of the head, with a sigh of "Hebrews 10:25!"
But, if you were to ask this person about their health and habits, perhaps you might be surprised. But I do meet together with other believers regularly, they may say, citing a weeknight Bible study or regularly occurring night of intentional fellowship. I travel weekends for my job, so traditional church is pretty impossible, they might say. There are many things they might say, many things that might remind us that a single suspicious tree might not be representative of the forest of someone's life.
Jesus said that everything we learned from the Law and from the Prophets could be summed up like this:
Love God.
Love other people.
This is the Forest. Everything else is merely a Tree within it.
If there is something in your life causing the Forest to suffer, only then can a problem be properly diagnosed (and, rest assured, if we ignore things like fellowship, worship or prayer for long enough those things will suffer). However, sometimes we get a little too focused on smaller things and forget about the bigger picture. We forget about the Forest, so preoccupied have we been on individual Trees.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Perhaps your individual Trees line up. But how is your Forest looking these days? A little too much like a Christmas tree farm? Rather than focusing on the good-Christian-checklist of your day, ask a trusted friend or mentor whether your life truly could be described as loving God and loving people unselfishly.
Further Reading
Luke 11:37
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Are You in the Belly of a Big Fish?
by Fred Alberti, Salem Web Network Director of Social Media
But the Lord provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights.
Jonah 1:17
Being a homeschool family we sometimes have some rather interesting experiments that we get to enjoy as a family. George is one such experiment. George is a goldfish whose bowl-mate sadly perished. My son's task was to teach the goldfish to come to the top of the bowl when he tapped on the glass. After several weeks of tapping and feeding and tapping and feeding the fish finally learned to come to the top of the bowl.
Big deal right? Right, that is until the fish started to do more. Anytime someone would walk by the bowl he would get all excited and start moving his mouth like he was yelling at whoever it was that was walking by the bowl. This became rather normal and we would just ignore him or comment that he was yelling at us in Spanish.
Then one day my kids were listening to an FFH song titled "Big Fish." It was then that George decided to really show off what he could do. When the song played George would begin to swim around like he was dancing in the water and would seemingly move his mouth to the words (move over Ashlee Simpson).
I particularly like the first verse of the song which goes like this:
Are you in the big fish
Are you sitting in the belly of a world gone mad
Have you turned your back in His wish
On His will for your life, have you made Him sad
Do you want to get out of the big fish
Listen to God and follow His plan
And you won't be part of the main dish
He'll spit you out on to dry land
I've sometimes felt like I was in the belly of a big fish. I had decided to do something my way instead of first seeking the Lord's guidance and leading.
You, whoever you are, God has a plan for your life. Maybe you feel like you are wasting your time at a dead-end job. Or perhaps you have no job but would desperately like one. Maybe you think you have the dream job but the Lord has been speaking to you in a still small voice to give it up for something else. Like Jonah, you may not particularly like the mission God has for you but He has the intention of making you ideally suited to carry that plan out.
Will you follow His plan or will you turn your back?
Maybe you've already chosen to turn your back and feel that there is no way out now. If that is the case I've got good news for you. The Bible has this to say about Jonah, "From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God" (Jonah 2:1). God is the God of second, third, and fourth chances.
Commit your way to the Lord today.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Buy a goldfish if you don't have one already. As you feed it remember that the Lord has a purpose and a plan for your life. Ask Him to reveal it to you daily.
Further Reading
Jonah Runs From God
Jonah and Me
Hebrews 13:20-21
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Is Suffering Inevitable?
by Shawn McEvoy, Managing Editor, Crosswalk.com
For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong.
1 Peter 3:17, NAS
Suffering. It's not standard daily devotional fare, because let's face it, usually we want to begin or end our day being uplifted, or even better, lifting up God, rather than focusing on our pains and problems.
But there's the rub... we all have pains and problems. Christian and non-Christian. Lifelong disciple and baby believer. Red and yellow, black and white. Everyone, from the moment he or she was born, has struggled, tried, failed, hurt, sinned, misunderstood, and reacted. Humanity shares a true brotherhood over suffering, one that we might understand a lot better if suffering weren't also so relative. By which I mean, one person's issues may sound simple, easy-to-solve, even petty to another. "That's nothing compared to what I've had to endure!"
But the fact is, your sorrows and difficulties are real to you. It's one reason why I'm no fan of when people say a certain place or time in their lives isn't "the real world," as if the spot they are currently tucked away at is immune from any degree of difficulty.
Suffering is very real, and there's certainly no reason any Christian would expect life to be otherwise. We purport to follow a "Suffering Savior." His stripes have healed us, and wow do we seem to feel them sometimes, which is as it should be, as we deserved them instead of Him. If we agree that no person but one - no matter where they lived or how easy or hard they had it - has escaped sin's corruption, then how much more must we agree that truly NO person has escaped suffering?
Look at what Peter suggests in today's verse: you can suffer for doing good, or you can suffer for doing bad. By extension, some of the problems in your life may be a result of your own rebellion, while other hurts may naturally result from walking so closely with Christ that you ache at the injustice and hardship around you, with the world despising and persecuting you.
In the classic allegory Hinds' Feet on High Places, Much-Afraid journeys with companions named Sorrow and Suffering, and these two assist her in her climb up the Injury Precipice, which is a part of her transformation into "Grace and Glory."
The same is true for you. Your sufferings have informed you, educated you, helped you along in your journey. You may despise them, but they are yours. And they will be with you whether you are doing right, or not. Of course, the nature of them will be quite different.
There may be one way, though, to avoid suffering. There's a third option, left out here by Peter, but not left out by John in the Revelation. It's the lukewarm response to life, the do-nothing approach. This is the approach that cocoons itself off from life and all of its pain. And make no mistake, "Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something," says that famous theologian the Man in Black in The Princess Bride.
You may not feel anything from inside a cocoon; in fact, it may be an abundance of pain and suffering that forced you in there. But remember, no creature that cocoons itself is intended to stay locked up forever. The point is to be rested, healed, matured, transformed. To become more beautiful, useful. Even the emerging process itself carries a degree of struggle, but one that, if the insect did not go through itself, would leave it too weak to fly.
So be lifted up in your suffering today.
It is a companion.
It is designed to transform you.
It gives you a share in the inheritance of Christ and the brotherhood of humanity.
And it gives you empathy, which gives you every excuse for ministry.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Make it your goal to partake, as much as possible, only of the brand of suffering that comes from doing what is right according to God's Word.
Further Reading
God's Undeserved Gift to the World: Christian Sufferers
Trusting God in the Darkness
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New Creations
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Culture Editor
"For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God." – 1 Peter 1:23
Have you ever done something embarrassing? I know I have. In fact you could say my entire childhood (and a good portion of my adult life) has been one long string of embarrassing moments. I am still haunted by the memory of when I threw up during my English final, or the time I tripped while skiing and caused a massive, ten-man pile-up in front of the ski lift. The worst part is you're brain never lets you forget it.
The difficult news is it's not just embarrassing moments we seem unable to forget, it's our mistakes. Many of us have done things in our lives that we regret. We've acted selfishly, or violently, and other people have been hurt because of it. The Devil loves to use our past mistakes against us; they are by far his favorite weapons. He will always wait until we're vulnerable, then take our dirty laundry and rub it in our face.
It's at moments like these that I always turn to 2 Corinthians 5:17-19 and reminded myself about the truth behind Christ's ministry.
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation." – 2 Corinthians 5: 17-19
When we choose to follow Christ, our slates are instantly wiped clean. All the mistakes we've made all the stupid things we've done, embarrassing or otherwise, no longer matter to God. We may still have to accept the consequences of our actions, but we can take comfort in knowing that it God's sight we are new creations. So do not allow Satan to guilt you with past mistakes, you are a child of God and he will never see you as anything less.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Take a moment to read your Bible and reflect on God's words.
Further Reading
2 Corinthians 5
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Keeping the Best Things First
by Katherine Britton
And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best... Philippians 1:9-11
How often do we resign ourselves to the "tyranny of the urgent"? If you're me, it's a daily struggle not to use that little phrase as an excuse for losing sight of the big picture. It's so much easier to take care of what's immediately in front of me instead of what should be first in my life.
I'm a task-oriented Martha, so concerned with getting the job done that I forget to focus on Him first. I can tell myself that I'm doing my work "as unto the Lord" as much as I want, but I don't serve anyone when I get harried. You probably know the feeling; you tell yourself that you're cooking a wholesome dinner as a supreme act of service and love for your family - if they only appreciated how many other things you have to do besides stand over a stove! - when little Anne asks if you'll help her find a favorite CD. Something boils over, and it's not the pot on the stove. In taking care of dinner, you've forgotten to feed a godly attitude of patience and love.
That's me to a fault. James makes it clear that faith is constantly looking for ways to serve; like Martha, however, we can get so busy that we forget why we're doing it. I often catch myself thinking that if I'm not busy, I'm not "doing enough" for God. But then the act becomes its own end, instead of an outworking of love. Imagine Martha in the kitchen, fluttering around and looking for that special recipe to serve Jesus, while Mary just sat, soaking up His words. Martha's response to this was probably well-intentioned - that is, from a human point of view. She was serving and wanted others to serve with her! But Jesus called her bluff. "Only one thing is needed," Christ said, "and Mary has chosen what is better" (Luke 10:42). Better? Lord, you mean that sitting at your feet and being quiet is better than my idea of being busy serving you? That's right.
I think I got a double-portion of Martha's spirit. Too often, I think that sitting and listening to Jesus is the same thing as sitting and doing nothing. I think it's laziness. Satan whispers that my time could be better spent doing than learning, and then the tyranny of the urgent takes over. But even Olympic acts of service are as nothing if not done in love (1 Corinthians 13), and only time at the feet of Jesus can teach me that.
Love leads to action, as Paul writes to the Philippian church, not the other way around. I can't "discern what is best" in my work and words unless I keep the very best in front of my eyes, like Mary. My prayer this week is that I will focus on Jesus and see how to love. Then the priorities will fall in line. Then I see what is best, because I see Jesus.
Intersection of Faith & Life: We have to preach the Gospel to ourselves daily, as Jerry Bridges writes, so we never lose sight of what is first and last in importance. Reevaluate your commitments and make sure that you've set aside time to sit at the feet of Jesus before anything else.
Further Reading:
1 Corinthians 13
The Authority of Intimacy
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Owned by Identity, Bought by a Savior
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor of BibleStudyTools.com
You are not your own, for you were bought with a price (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
Arguments about "identity" should end at this verse. For non-Christians, it's meaningless noise. For Christians, it's everything. We own nothing from our hair follicles to our toenails. Every drop of cytoplasm, every hormone, every spark of our synapses was paid for in full. Christ didn't die for the "good" parts or the parts we let Him have; He wanted all of us.
That's why it makes no sense for us to justify what's natural or what makes us happy or what satisfies us. To do so breaks us into pieces, compartmentalizing where we will and will not surrender, what we will and will not hand over to Christ. But the choice isn't ours. The price paid was for the whole shebang.
The heart loves to mass-produce idols, and identity works just as well as anything else. Deep inside, the hammers of what's just and fair and right beat in time with our resistance to surrender. We know who we are, and we can't change.
But the possibility of change is completely beside the point. Even if no change comes before the perfect does (1 Corinthians 1:10), even if the desires never stop, we have no room to act on them or justify them. We have no ownership in ourselves. Not even a partial vacation stake.
It all belongs to Jesus.
Christ urged us to follow Him with the heavy weight of lumber slung across our shoulders (Mark 8:34). That image is one of ownership. Why else would we take up humiliation and hardship to struggle after a bloodied Lamb? It isn't an image of coercion, but of willingness. Just as the Messiah surrendered Himself to be crucified, we crucify ourselves to admit surrender.
The arguments about orientations or ingrained needs or natural behaviors focus on one thing: us. They point to who we are and what we want. Put succinctly, such discussions are nothing more than navel-gazing. We're peering down at what makes us tick and letting that determine our course.
And ultimately, none of it matters. That navel we're peering so deeply into belongs to Christ. He bought it.
We've got genes. They're Christ's. We've got a past. It's Christ's. We've got failures and foibles and more twisted thoughts than we know what to do with. And they're hammered to the cross. The ownership of a Savior sidesteps any arguments about identity because our true identity starts and ends with who we are in Christ. It undercuts any passionate defense of "who I am" because who we are is His. Nothing should come between us—the purchased—and the One who took care of the bill.
We must not let the clanging of our idol-making heart drown out the call of Christ to follow how He leads.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Salvation is free, but following Jesus isn't. The cost isn't in wealth or doing enough good stuff. It's sacrifice—the willful surrender of even some of our most cherished beliefs about ourselves and what we need. When we come to Christ but refuse to surrender it all, we're like the rich man who couldn't bear the thought of empty pockets (Matthew 19:16). We're not all in.
However you identified yourself before you got blisters from hauling around your cross, that identity is now the old identity. You gave it up to the One who paid up. You're His. You're new.
For Further Reading
1 Corinthians 1:1
2 Corinthians 2:1
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Fits Any Niche
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.
Psalm 119:105
All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.
2 Timothy 3:16-17
As the editor responsible for all devotional content here at Crosswalk, one of the questions I'm asked most frequently by our beloved users goes something like this:
"Your devotional offerings are great, but could you please include one for cousins of divorcees with sleeping disorders who have befriended agnostic vegetarians? Because that would be really great."
Okay, that's an exaggeration (but only barely). And it's not like we dislike filling niches. We have devotionals for women, the workplace, weight loss and the list goes on. We're continually adding to the selection and have plans for a men's devotional, a children's devotional, a singles devotional, and more. To an extent, we're at the mercy of what's well-written, theologically sound, recognizable, and most of all, available.
But when I'm asked a question like, "My fiance and I are interested in a devotional for yet-to-be-married couples living in the mid-Atlantic from different church backgrounds who are both post-millenialists. What do you recommend for us?" my answer is always the same:
Just study the Word, man.
Whether you find it here or somewhere else, locate a ministry, author, preacher, or regular old Joe/JoAnn whom God has gifted with insight into his holy scriptures, and read their take regularly. Follow that up with your own deeper individual study. Take that into praying with a spouse, accountability partner, disciple, or mentor. Join a group Bible Study. And take notes during sermons.
It's not much more complicated than that. We sometimes make it so. We pigeonhole ourselves or our current life situation or level of belief, and so risk hindering the effective wholeness of the Word.
Besides, if there's one thing I've noticed through almost a biblical generation of life, it's that our specific situations are many times made more complex by our non-stop obsession with them, and are often made more simple by backing off and getting at them indirectly through solid study that may not at first seem related to what we are going through.
There's nothing wrong with wanting to hear which verses were blessings to folks who have gone through heartbreaks or challenges similar to what you are now experiencing. What I'm suggesting is that the Word of the Lord never returns void. And that there have been several topics I've tried to understand (and been disappointed in the lack of direct guidance the Bible appears to give on the subject), or several life situations I've wanted to study (and not known where to start or how to find others who have biblical wisdom to offer in the form of a devotional) that have been solved when I stepped away and just studied sound teaching with prayer.
One example is when, as a young man, I wanted to find everything the Bible said about the "big sins" our youth ministers were so concerned with keeping us from -- sex and drinking. I shortly exhausted all the verses that dealt directly with these topics. But it wasn't until I backed away from a focus on these issues and began more comprehensive studies of what God had to say about all things that the picture grew bigger and the reasons for abstinence, purity, sobriety, and not causing others to stumble became clear in the light of grace, righteousness, sacrifice, and ministry.
Another example is the time I was battling a crippling depression. I found few answers and little comfort in attacking the problem directly -- even if there didn't seem to be a lack of correlative verses or devos, which only would have reminded me double of the state I was in. What did help was reading other topics from the Bible, and books from established Christian authors and preachers about the Bible itself, about faith, about truth. Eventually the clouds lifted, and I was stronger for having gone through the darkness and for the overarching principles that brought me home.
Let me encourage you today not to wall yourself off from the full richness of the Word, but to seek out sound doctrine and study on general principles regularly that I promise will apply to your specifics, whether directly or indirectly, immediately or eventually.
Further Reading
A Plea to Use the Bible Every Day
How to Have a Meaningful Quiet Time
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Blessed are the Meek
by Sarah Phillips
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Mt 5: 5 (NIV)
I used to have a strong dislike for the word "meek." It brings me back more than a decade to a defining moment during my sophomore year of high school.
I was a shy teenager who had stepped outside of her comfort zone by enrolling in several theater classes, including a class on "behind the scenes" theater productions. This should have been the easiest of all the courses for my sensitive nature. But my instructor, while delegating roles for the Spring production of Peter Pan, proved me wrong when she voiced her choice of stage manager like this:
"I've chosen Melissa because I need someone with a strong personality - someone who isn't meek, like Sarah."
Of course, I only drove her point home when I didn't stick up for myself. I spent years after that scene developing assertiveness, determined to prove that Sarah was not meek. Like this teacher, I associated meekness with weakness and both were traits that needed to be eradicated if I was going to get anywhere in life.
At least that's what I thought until I found that dreaded word jumping off the pages of scripture at me in the Gospel of Matthew. There it was, one of the first things Jesus says in his famous Sermon on the Mount.
Our deacon offered some thoughts on this verse that helped put things in perspective for me. He shared that it's in the Sermon on the Mount where we see Jesus begin to expand on His true purpose - and to the disappointment of many, He was not going to be an earthly king bestowing power and prestige on His people, not just yet. Instead, God's plan for mankind included an interior transformation of souls for the sake of an eternal kingdom. To properly prepare us for this kingdom, God rejected earthly methods of acquiring power in favor of the healing that comes with merciful love.
It is God's mercy that changes our hearts from hearts of stone to hearts of flesh. It's Christ's humility, His lowliness, that beckons us into a relationship with Him. And ultimately, it was Christ's willingness to give up earthly glory that opened the door for us to share in His eternal glory.
Now, as much as I would like earthly power, He asks us to "learn from him." As our souls find rest in God, He can continue His redemptive work through us as we display these same "weaker" virtues to the world.
This isn't to say God lacks power or that Christians should throw out virtues like courage. I think sometimes cultivating traits like meekness and humility are trickier than learning boldness because we can easily tip the scales too far and become passive. It's a difficult balance, but a necessary one if we want to reflect Christ to a hurting world.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Is there a situation in your life right now that would benefit from a little meekness, humility, or gentleness on your part? Ask God to show you how to have a meek and humble heart like His - one that offers healing and restoration while maintaining your God-given dignity.
Further Reading:
Psalm 37: 11
Ephesians 4: 2
James 4: 10
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White Walls
by Meghan Kleppinger
Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, "Build houses and live {in them;} and plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and become the fathers of sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there and do not decrease. Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare."
Jeremiah 29:4-7
If we were playing the word association game and someone said, "Military life," I would answer "white walls."
Thanks to our travel agency, otherwise known as the U.S. Army, I moved with my family 13 times before I graduated from college. Many of our abodes were Army quarters (houses on army installations for military families). The walls were always white. I determined early on that when I moved out on my own there wouldn't be a single white wall in my home.
From the time I graduated college until now, I've continued to be in transition which has meant more white walls in my apartments. Well, I just bought my first house and, of course, I'm not thinking about the practical purchases that need to be made (like a washer and a dryer for example), I'm considering color! I'm thinking about the things that need to be done to help me feel settled and at home.
Eventually, I could move to a different town, or I could marry (this one gets my parents' vote), or a number of other things could happen that would require me to move out of this house. Will my probable future keep my belongings in their boxes or the paint in its can? Of course not! If there is one thing I learned as a military kid, it's to make home wherever I am for as long as I am there.
This world is not our permanent home and God tells us our days are like a breath (Psalms 144:4), but He has also given each of us the opportunity to unpack our boxes and make an impact while we are here.
Like the exiles in Babylon, God has put each of us where we are at this time for a reason. While we anticipate a "better country" (Hebrews 11:16), we are to live, enjoy the blessings God continues to give, and exhibit a life that tells others of His magnificent love.
Intersecting Faith & Life: In the words of missionary Jim Elliot, "Wherever you are, be all there." In other words, get a brush and paint some walls!
Further Reading
Called to Contentment: Living Happily, Here and Now
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I'm Happy for You... (Not)
by Kelly Givens, Editor, iBelieve.com
Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Romans 12:15
"Just installed our kitchen countertops! They're GOREGEOUS."
I rolled my eyes as I glanced at the pictures someone - no older than me - had just posted online. Picture after picture of their sparkly new kitchen, inside their custom built (custom built, I tell you!) house. I looked up from screen and into my own tiny apartment kitchen with its plain, generic countertops. Nothing custom-built in my place. I tried not to think about it, but it was too late - jealousy had flooded my heart. It's scary how natural it flowed in. All I wanted in that moment was to be OUT of my apartment and into some glamorous space of my own. Can you relate?
I love it when the Bible is black and white. There's no confusion surrounding Romans 12:15 - we're called to rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Pretty simple... except when it isn't. I bet most of us wouldn't have to think too hard to remember a time we failed pretty miserably at rejoicing over someone's joy, or weeping as another wept. Why do we have this challenge?
When we fail to rejoice with those who rejoice, there could be several reasons why, but here are some I thought of off the top of my head: insecurity, jealousy or envy, discontent, bitterness.
What about when we fail to weep with those who weep? Here are some reasons (excuses, really) that come to mind: lacking compassion, both generally in life or toward a certain individual; perhaps not taking the time to listen or really put yourself in the person's position; too busy to notice the suffering of others, distancing yourself emotionally from pain.
I've thought of some scenarios that may indicate we're failing at Romans 12:15:
Instead of rejoicing at someone's news, we immediately begin to compare how our circumstances measure up.
We're quick to say "Oh yes, that happened to me once, too" instead of silently listening and acknowledging the hurt of others.
We try to come to the rescue in every situation, rather than acknowledging that some suffering isn't solvable or explainable (think Job and his friends).
We brush off the pain of others because we think they are "taking things too hard."
We're quick to say, "Well at least you've never experienced this" (insert whatever horrible thing we've experienced).
We think they cheated their way to the blessings, just got lucky or don't deserve the good thing they received (their parents are totally paying for that custom-built house!).
So what's at the root of all of this? What's the "sin beneath the sin," so to speak?
I think central to our failure to rejoice and weep with others is a preoccupation with self. We can't step outside of ourselves long enough to truly step into both the blessings and sufferings of those around us. It's taken me a while, but I've tried to make a habit of acknowledging the joys and sufferings of others without immediately inserting myself into the situation. This isn't a natural inclination for me. Satan is the master of deception and loves to make us fall for one of the oldest tricks in the book: that everything is about us.
Ultimately, the key to mastering Romans 12:15 isn't just thinking about ourselves less. We've got to think about God more. People are most successful at eliminating bad behaviors or habits from their lives when they replace them with a good habit or behavior. So, I not only have to stop focusing on myself, but I have to replace all that time I spend thinking of myself with thinking of God. This is life transforming; this is the key to killing pride - not simply humbling yourself, but exalting God - who is the only thing worthy of our exaltation.
When I'm thinking about God, and not about myself, he reminds me of some powerful truths:
I've come from dust and I'll return to dust. Genesis 3:19 reminds me that no matter how much I get ahead in life, eventually I'm going to die. And nothing on this earth is worth coveting when I acknowledge that I can't take it with me.
I am beautifully and wonderfully made. Psalms 139 reminds me that God made me perfectly, intentionally, knowingly- so I need to stop comparing the body I have to others. He made me just right.
A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones. Proverbs 14:30 reminds me that envy is a crippling sin; I could literally waste my life away being envious of others. Contentment, on the other hand, brings life.
Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2 reminds me that our part of our calling as Christians is to care for those burdened and help carry the burdens of others. I don't get to "pass" on this part of my faith if it doesn't come naturally to me or if I feel inconvenienced or uncomfortable by it. I don't get to ignore the sufferings of others; I'm called to step into it.
After meditating on God's promises and blessings, I am able to recall all the wonderful things about our apartment (hello, cheap rent!) and the many, many ways God has blessed and provided for me. Proverbs 30:8 says, "Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread." As Christians, contentment in our own circumstances is the surest way to reflect the all satisfying power of Christ to those who may need to be reminded of where their joys and sufferings begin and end.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Do you struggle to rejoice with those rejoicing or weep with those weeping? Check yourself - what's stopping you? Pray that God would help uncover the "sin beneath the sin" - the ways you're focusing on yourself instead of focusing on Him.
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Understanding the Old Testament
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
The Almighty--we cannot find him; he is great in power; justice and abundant righteousness he will not violate. – Job 37:23
Like many Christians, when the New Year started I resolved to spend more time reading my Bible. I had already spent most of the previous year combing through the New Testament, so I decided to start at the very beginning and make my way through the Old Testament. Maybe it's a sign of how little I've read my Bible lately, but I had forgotten how brutal the Old Testament could be. In particular, I spent a lot of time going over the Old Testament laws and the punishments for breaking them. It baffled me that the smallest infraction on the most obscure law could often lead to exile, or even death.
If you're like me, you probably found yourself questioning these pages of the Old Testament. After all, how could a loving God condemn someone so harshly for eating pork or working on the Sabbath? This is a question I still struggle with, but a verse in Deuteronomy helped me toward understanding it more.
"Do not say in your heart, after the LORD your God has thrust them out before you, 'It is because of my righteousness that the LORD has brought me in to possess this land,' whereas it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD is driving them out before you. Not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart are you going in to possess their land, but because of the wickedness of these nations the LORD your God is driving them out from before you, and that he may confirm the word that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. "Know, therefore, that the LORD your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stubborn people." –Deuteronomy 9:4-6
I think our problem is that humanity likes to look at the Bible (and history) through rose-colored lenses. We forget that back then there was no electricity, no internet, no police, no hospitals, and the ruling governments weren't all that interested in things like free speech or trial by jury. The Old Testament law was a harsh and rigid guideline because the Israelites lived in a harsh and brutal world. God knew that telling the early Israelites to "turn the other cheek" would eventually lead to their destruction, so he took measures to protect them until the world was ready to receive the Gospel of Grace through his Son. The Old Testament will always be difficult to understand, but that does not make God's love for us any less true.
Intersecting Faith and Life: If there is something in scripture you do not understand, ask a pastor or bring it to your small group.
Further Reading
Job 38
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Anything and Everything
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Romans 8:32
When my children were but ages five and three, they already knew my weakness.
They recognized that it's not ice cream, baseball, or their mom's chili... or even a hug or puppy-dog eyes from them.
See, none of the above make me cry (although the chili almost did once). Yes, my children have seen their father cry. It's not something I wanted, or intended. I'm a man, after all. I go to work, show my strength. I coach, help, show, point, and guide. I communicate, discipline, and lead. I pray. I do not cry.
...Except when I read Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree, that is.
And like I said, my children, who are older now, have known this from early on. And oh, have they twisted that knife. We must own a couple hundred children's books, but if it's a night where Daddy is doing the bedtime reading rather than Mommy, what have they invariangly picked through the years? The Giving Tree of course!
I've been reading this book, first published in 1964, since I myself was a child, and no matter how many times I do, I am unable to de-sensitize. I mean, when I watch the movie Field of Dreams and Ray has a catch with his ghost-dad, that gets me. But if I see the scene over and over within a certain time frame? Nah. No sweat, no tears. But this blasted children's book... well... what's going on here?
First of all, you're probably wondering that very thing if you aren't familiar with the story. A tree and a boy are the best of friends during an idyllic childhood for the young man where he eats apples from the tree, climbs her trunk, swings from her branches, and rests in her shade. Then things change, as things do, and we see the boy approach the tree at all the various stages of his life, caught up - understandably, even - more in wanting and needing than in just being. Every time he has a "need," the tree obliges... and is happy for having done so. She doesn't have much, but gives all she has until eventually, she is nothing but a stump. At the end of all things, however, it turns out a stump is just what the old man needs - a quiet place to sit down and rest and reflect. "And the tree was happy. The end."
And I am undone... again.
Is it because I am reading the story to my children, and I know our stories will be very much like that of the tree and the boy, where they are my delight but eventually I must simply become provider as they go out into the world? Yes and no.
Is it because our family copy of the book - the one I read to the kids - carries an inscription from my wife on our first Christmas as husband and wife that says, "With God's help, may I love you like this"? Yes and no.
Is it because as my father lay dying I told him of the story (he wasn't familiar with it), and how he had been that tree for me? That's definitely part of it. My mother, I remember, commented that she didn't recall it being a "Christian" book. I didn't really have an answer to that, only to what I saw in it. Which is...
Complete love to the point of emptying. Unquestioning sacrifice, even for someone who isn't appreciating or understanding what they've been given. A desire only to have communion. An entering into final rest. In other words, a perfect example of the immensity of what Jesus did for me, desired from me, provides for me, and will carry me to.
That is why I always cry.
So every time I finish the story, eyes full of tears, my kids look at me wondering if I'm okay. My youngest used to ask, "Why you cry, Dad?" And every time I've explained, I think she has understood just the tiniest bit more. These are tears of being overwhelmed by the enormity of the Giver and the immensity of a gift to a person consumed with self-interest who has forgotten innocence. A short time ago these children opened their hearts to receive that gift. Now I pray that they won't miss the other lesson from the book: all our Giver really wants in return is our time, for us to come to Him as we did as children.
Intersecting Faith & Life: But can any of us actually hope to become more like the tree in the story? Parents know what it means to give every last ounce of everything they are to the betterment of their children. We have reason for doing so. Do you know anyone who empties themselves this way for those they don't have a familial reason to love? What steps can you take to emulate their Christ-like, unconditional love?
Further Reading
Giving is What Living is All About
2 Corinthians 8:3-12
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My Mother's Example
by Fred Alberti, Salem Web Network Director of Social Media
Listen, my son, to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching.
Proverbs 1:8
I'll never forget waking in the morning to get ready for school and finding my mother outside on the deck reading her Bible and praying. That scene has been burned into my mind so strongly that I now find myself also abiding with the Lord surrounded by His creation in the great outdoors.
Did my mother tell me that I must do this? No. Rather, she taught me this through example.
One thing I have learned through my career is that an online community tends to be the reflection of those who lead it. I think the same can be true for parenting. Our children are a reflection of us.
Do we habitually break the law by speeding? We can expect to see our children show the same respect to the law.
Do we habitually overeat? (By the way, this is called gluttony and is a sin). If so, we can expect to see our children also become plump when they adopt our own lifestyle.
Do we reject the notion of loving others? Yes, here too, our children will exhibit that same lack of compassion.
Do we contribute to the disintegration of the family by breaking our marriage vows? Yes, if we do not take seriously, "until death do us part" then we can expect our children to likewise adopt the false teaching that marriage vows are expendable and only good for as long as we are pleased with the relationship.
While children are charged with not forsaking their parents' teachings we have the higher responsibility. We are to train and raise a generation of people who are being ingrained with the concept that loving the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, body, and soul is of utmost importance.
How are we doing that today?
What teaching and instruction are our children learning through observing our Christian walk?
Intersecting Faith & Life: Work on consistently setting time aside to be with the Lord in a quiet setting. This can be outside under a tree or even a place in the house with a door that can lock (I've known many a mom that is forced to use the bathroom for such an endeavor). The important thing is that you make it a priority to be with the Lord and seek His guidance in your life.
Further Reading
My Mother Taught Me...
There's More to Mother's Day Than Flowers
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Are You Bearing Fruit?
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Culture Editor
"No one lights a lamp and hides it in a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he puts it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light." – Luke 8:16
One of the traditions my family had while I was growing up was that every fall we would go apple picking at a place called Edwards Orchard. It was a great place. There were barn animals for kids to feed, a maze that my siblings and I would always cheat to win, and a small kitchen that made the best apple doughnuts on this continent. Once we had exhausted ourselves on all the activities and eaten enough doughnuts to last us for days, our parents would load us up on the orchard's wagons, and we would go into the trees to pick apples.
Afterwards, we'd enjoy a long stretch of apple-related meals at home, and I was particularly fond of my mother's upside-down apple pie. Then one year, as we clambered out of our van like usual, we were met by an employee who informed us the orchard had closed that season. I don't remember exactly why -- I think a storm had damaged most of the trees -- but the absence of our usual Macintosh apples was pretty noticeable the following week. This was the memory that jumped to my mind a few days ago, as I was reading the book of Luke. Take a look at the following verses,
And he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. And he said to the vinedresser, 'Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down. Why should it use up the ground?' And he answered him, 'Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.'" – Luke 13:6-9
The simple truth is that there is not much use in a fruit tree that doesn't grow fruit, just like there isn't much use in a Christian that isn't living out Christ's teachings. God made us, the Church, to be people of growth and action. It is his desire that we constantly seek to mature in our faith, and the way we do that is by getting involved in the world around us. It doesn't have to be anything big. Become a greeter at your Church, make a small donation, or bring a meal to the couple that just had a baby. All that matters is if your heart is providing a harvest for God because you never know what he'll do with the spiritual fruit you create.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Find your own way to serve Christ's Kingdom, no matter how small.
Further Reading
Luke 14
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Tsunami of Emotion and Understanding
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
"Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!"
Job 2:9
This week, I came across a story that is all at once heartbreaking and hope-giving, tragic and uplifting, devastating and determined.
This excellent article by the International Mission Board's Shawn Hendricks chronicles what has happened to and through one Christian family on India's east coast since the tsunamis of late 2004. I encourage you to check it out. If you do, it will effectively function as your devotional for today much better than what I am about to write in response to it.
In a real-world account of events straight from the Book of Job, Paramesvaran and Choodamani lost all three of their children the day after Christmas that year. My heart breaks for families who lose one child, much less three. Imagine having lost one of them who was in your arms but who you were just not strong enough to hold on to against the crushing force of so much water.
Imagine being mocked by your friends and family for your faith while you are suffering such tragedy and burying your own offspring.
Imagine being so full of grief you discuss a suicide pact.
But then... eventually... the clouds lift, first for one spouse who is gifted by a word from the Lord about the blessing that her husband survived when so many others did not. Then, later, the husband feels the tugging of the Lord letting him know that his children are safe with Jesus, they're okay, they're full of praise and life.
The real, personable, meaningful faith in God pulls the couple up, and back together. They are blessed with two new children. But beyond that...
...the fact they are alive and together allows them to become adoptive parents to TWENTY orphaned children. Each of them has come to a saving relationship with Jesus, several helping their new father preach the gospel throughout the area.
The example of the family, assisted by donations of Christians around the world, has "brought the Good News into areas that were once unreceptive to Christianity."
The ends of things are truly never known until later. Purpose is often invisible until it isn't. Damaging floods can become cleansing baptisms through the passage of time and reflections from fresh perspectives.
Job refused to curse God and die. He instead decided ultimately to acknowledge that nothing he ever had was his, and that the only thing worth living for was the knowledge that God is awesome, powerful, and beyond our comprehension. And yet, loves us beyond measure.
His story is not just a fable or morality tale. It can seem that way to our modern ears, which are unaccustomed to the reality of THAT much tragedy. But that much tragedy occurs all too frequently around our globe, and when it does, it should not shock me to the extent it did when I read this story. I feel like I should nod knowingly about the cost and fragility of life on this big blue ball, and how despite all the shaking and quaking there can still be a steady security when I give up any notions that I am god, that I am in control, that my job is to do anything with my time here but praise and share, worship and help, live and move and be every minute that he allows.
Intersecting Faith & Life: May God continue to bless the ministry of Paramesvaran and Choodamani, and increase the strength in them that was built from climbing out of their tragic valley. May I not complain today about events that matter not. May I continue to see God's hand in everything as long as I have eyes to take it all in. And should I or my loved ones suffer anywhere close to this much, may we never forget this example of coming out the other side reborn, making ministry from the madness.
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Speak Well of Others
by Debbie Holloway, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
"The heart of the righteous weighs its answers, but the mouth of the wicked gushes evil" (Proverbs 15:28).
In this age of Internet and social media, gone are the days of the off-switch for dialogue. Time was, conversations ended. Then, with the birth of online discussion forums, they could continue indefinitely (with every word preserved for all to see). Now that we are chained to mobile devices, the debates and exchanges never even have to pause. We may start them at our computers, but we continue them in the elevator...in the car...during dinner. Even during real-life banter with friends and family, fingers fly over smartphones to contribute thoughts to the discourse of the Internet world.
It's hard to step back once you get used to it. I find it to be a very love-hate thing; bittersweet for several reasons. On the one hand, I am completely amazed and delighted by the ability to connect, share, grow, and learn that modern technology provides. On the other hand, the ability to tear apart an opponent with the stroke of a key makes certain biblical mandates that much harder to follow.
"Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger" (James 1:9).
"Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person" (Colossians 4:6).
I believe that graciousness of speech, speaking well of others (even my enemy or opponent) is something God requires of me. As someone who rarely shies away from conversation or confrontation, every day is a battle for me in this regard. I find myself asking,
Is this a hill to die on?
Is this going to change anyone's mind, anyway?
Is it even my job to change this person's mind?
Is this loving? Worth the fuss? Compassionate?
More times than not, recently, I've begun to type up a Facebook comment only to delete it before pressing "post." Not because I changed my stance or re-thought my opinion. Rather, because words don't die on the World Wide Web – and I have no second chance at a first impression. Perhaps the fewer cold, impersonal words I type into Facebook in the midst of an argument, the fewer tempers will be lost, fewer hearts will hurt, and fewer friends will feel annoyed, alone, or attacked. Perhaps the more I distance myself from the social media circus, the more I can pay attention to the flesh-and-blood conversations that might arise over the dinner table or on the train. Perhaps the less I scroll through Facebook, the more chances I'll have to look into people's faces and eyes.
"You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. "In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold" (Ephesians 4:22-27).
Intersecting Faith and Life: Before you post anything today on Twitter, Facebook, or Google +, weigh your words carefully. Do they provoke edifying discussion, or simply anger? Do your words match up with the fruits of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-23)?
Further Reading
Ephesians 4:17-32
Psalm 141
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Overcoming Disappointment
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Culture Editor
Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort. – 2 Corinthians 1:7
We've all been there. It's that letter from the college you wanted to attend, saying they are not able to admit you at this time. It's that person on the stage surrounded by people, announcing that first prize goes to the other contestant. It's watching all the time and effort you put into something crumble away in a matter of seconds. Sometimes disappointment can be more devastating than tragedy, because it requires you to have invested in the outcome first.
The Bible tells us that we should rejoice in our sufferings, but I'd be lying if I said that what I did every time I was disappointed. Most of the time I just want to crawl off and be alone, or I end up angry and resentful. Sometimes I even find myself arguing with God over what just happened. So, what are Christians supposed to respond when faced with disappointment? Personally, I think there's only one thing we can do: hope.
The early disciples faced their own share of letdowns. Paul in particular had his share of troubles in life, but look what he writes in Romans chapter 5,
Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. – Romans 5:2-6
Sometimes disappointment can't be overcome, only endured. In moments like that it's important to remember that we have hope on our side. Hope in Christ's love, hope for better days to come, the hope to maybe even try again. So when the storms of life come your way don't let yourself be troubled, instead pick yourself up and remember with God there will always be hope.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Whatever you may be going through remember to hope in the Lord.
Further Reading
Romans 15:13
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The Month of Love
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
Husbands, go all out in your love for your wives, exactly as Christ did for the church - a love marked by giving, not getting.
Ephesians 5:25, The Message
For once in my marriage, I really did something right.
My wife's name is Valerie - Val for short - so she's always held Valentine's Day in even higher esteem than most women. Not only that, but her birthday is March 15, so she's always believed (with a smile, of course) that February 14 though March 15 equals "The Month of Love" equals "it's all about her" for one-twelfth of the year.
One year, I decided to agree. Each morning for 31 days when she woke up, there was a small hand-made red envelope (amazing what useful skills one can learn watching children's programming) stuck on some wall of our house. Written in sparkly marker (chicks dig the sparklies) on the outside of the envelope was one of her top character qualities. Inside the envelope was a Bible memory verse related to that quality. Embedded in the memory verse was a clue to where a small hidden gift could be found in or around our home.
I just thought this could be a nice little way to tell her I love her. Boy was I short-sighted. I could have bought her the Taj Mahal and she wouldn't have appreciated it more, been more thoroughly impressed. "He went to Jared"? No way. He went to PBS and Hobby Lobby. But already Val is considering how to pass this story down to our grandchildren. She says I will never top myself. And she was saying these things before she even knew about the surprise at the end, where all the envelopes could be arranged so that the first letter of each character quality would spell out the grand prize: that she had her choice of a new wardrobe, upgraded wedding ring, or vacation, any of which would be shopped for together, 'cause she's big on that. Even so, she never took me up on the grand prize. I can't say I wasn't a little bit disappointed, but she was definitely exercising the wisdom of foresight. And anyway, to her, the biggest gift had already been received.
Valerie thinks this took me ages to dream up and hours to prepare, but it took me about 10 minutes per day, plus a weekly trip to the store to stock up on a few minor gifts. But the outcome net me - if not crowns in Heaven - at least major returns in this life. Anytime a group of gals gathers together and asks each other, "What the best gift you've ever received," that ends up being a fun day. Several times during the Month of Love itself I was told to take an evening to myself and go see a movie. And I learned something I thought I already knew - diamonds aren't a girl's best friend. Her husband is, if he even shows a rhinestone's-worth of interest in her.
Not every wife speaks the same "Love Language." I know some who truly would have preferred a simple one-time big purchase, while others would be thrilled to see him wash dishes and dust shelves. But this I can be fairly sure in saying about wives: what all of them really want is a husband that makes an effort to understand them and speak their language, whatever it is, without being told. Yeah, I know, and all one has to do to make millions in the majors is hit a curveball. But unlike the major leagues, in marriage, most of the time, simply making the effort is appreciated.
Intersecting Faith & Life: If you haven't already, read The Five Love Languages with your spouse. Once you learn what says, "I love you" to him or her, come up with a special way of saying so.
Further Reading
Hebrews 13:4
Languages of Love
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Give a Little Grace
by Debbie Holloway, Assistant Editor, Crosswalk.com
Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters (Romans 14:1).
Winter weather is pretty bipolar in the great Commonwealth of Virginia. One day it can be warm and sunny, and the next day you curse your bad luck for not wearing earmuffs and gloves when you walk out the door. However, when bad weather is forecast, local reactions are solidly predictable, specifically when it comes to "preparation" and driving in abnormal road conditions.
"Snow? SNOW? IT'S GOING TO SNOW?!"
People around here freak out and buy a lot of bread and milk when storms are predicted. If your significant other suggests, "hey, we're out of ____, can you stop by Wal-Mart?" on the evening a snowstorm is predicted to hit: forget about it; society is on crazy pills. Additionally, nobody around here can drive in the snow either. Obviously greater caution is called for with icy and slippery road conditions, but people see white stuff and generally throw out every rule they ever learned about How to Be a Good Driver.
Such reactions generate a lot of scorn from imported northerners. After all, children in Michigan attend school daily in the wintery months in upwards of a foot of snow. Why do Richmond kids get classes cancelled at the forecast of snow? There is definitely impatience and indignation – and no doubt it is well-deserved!
After doing a fair amount of grumbling during our recent snows, I thought, Hmm, this seems familiar... spiritually...
Isn't it easy to find ourselves being "northerners" when we find ourselves around those at different points in their spiritual walks? We find it easy to look down upon, mock, or judge people who have difficulty living with restraint, modesty, chastity, gentleness, or a host of other spiritual virtues. We roll our eyes at people unfamiliar with the Bible, who can't rattle off verses by memory as quickly as their ABCs.
Essentially, we are impatient with those who have less (or different) theological, spiritual, or biblical exposure and knowledge. But how is that fair? In reality, many people are ill-prepared simply because of their upbringing. Many come to Christ as adults, out of nonbelieving families. Many people don't have much time (or the inclination!) to devote to in-depth biblical or theological study. Many people grew up in a church where only the most basic of Gospel truths were touched on, and become paralyzed when more complex life situations rear their ugly heads.
Should all Christians have an intense drive to make themselves as knowledgeable and as spiritually "prepared" as possible? Well, yes. But we live in a busy, imperfect world full of busy, imperfect people. Everyone's experience is different; everyone is part of a unique story.
So when the "snowstorms" of life come, don't mock the "southerners" in your midst who freak out. Instead, be there for them. Extend grace, love, and friendship. Not everyone can be prepared for what seems like No Big Deal to you. Everyone's hard place deserves validation in a Kingdom of God marked by compassion, equality, forgiveness, and love.
Intersecting Faith and Life: The next time you hear someone complain about someone else (say, a crazy driver) – let it remind you that everyone's story is unique, and every situation has a context.
Further Reading
Romans 14:1
1 Corinthians 12:25
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Unhappiness: A Tempting Choice?
by Sarah Phillips
"And the disciples were continually filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit."
Acts 13: 52, NIV
"Always be happy. I see you out there with your solemn faces and hands folded like this, and perhaps you think this is holiness. This sad, solemn-ness is not really holiness. Always be happy wherever you go; God is good."
These are words spoken by a priest from India at a recent retreat. No doubt, this priest is well-versed in the theology of redemptive suffering, so his words gave me pause. What does he mean by this? Is it even possible to be happy like this?
Later, in a discussion with my father, he mentioned that family counselors like my stepmother often encounter challenging clients who are married to their unhappiness. In other words, these individuals are so comfortable with their misery and dysfunction (born out of very real hurts, no doubt) they don't even want to be happy anymore.
Pondering all this has rearranged some of my thinking on faith and happiness.
Perhaps you've heard this common saying in Christian circles: "God doesn't promise us happiness here on earth." From what I've encountered in my studies of the Bible and theology, the statement is factual.
I used to interpret this fact as an indication that God just doesn't have happiness in his plans for some (and I was likely one of those people, right?). But as I am reflecting on Fr. Andrew's words and my stepmother's clients, it hits me. Perhaps God doesn't promise happiness because it's not his place to give it. In other words, perhaps happiness is part of God's plan, but it's something we also must choose on our end.
Think about it. Have you ever met that person who "has everything" but isn't happy? I knew a person like that. He possessed uncommon intelligence. He had a loving family, wealth, and opportunity. But he seemed gifted at finding the dark side to everything. And I mean everything. He suffered from incredible cynicism and depression. Let's put the possibility of a chemical imbalance aside for a second and ponder this truth: God has the power to bless us, but it's up to us to be happy about it.
I don't say these things to cause pain or make anyone feel guilty for not feeling happy. Trust me, I've had plenty of dark periods where happiness seemed like a joke. I firmly believe it's okay to feel unhappy sometimes. Jesus didn't always feel good either, and it's safe to say there was nothing wrong with him.
Still, it's important to remember that there is a danger in wallowing in darkness for too long. There is a great temptation to become attached to our sadness, our victim-hood. Our cross, instead of drawing us closer to life in Christ, ends up bringing us closer to spiritual death when we do this.
In his book The Great Divorce, C.S. Lewis explores this idea that we can become too attached to our brokenness. He sets up a fictional scenario where souls in hell get a second chance at heaven. But they ultimately do not choose heaven - they can't even enjoy heaven - due to their excessive attachment to hell.
This seems downright crazy, but it's not any different than the clients my stepmom sees every week. And it's a very real trap we fall into every time we hold too tightly to our hurts and sorrows instead of releasing them to God.
Lewis warns, "If we insist on keeping Hell (or even earth) we shall not see Heaven: if we accept Heaven we shall not be able to retain even the smallest and most intimate souvenirs of Hell."
But then what do we do with all the bad things in life? Certainly, we will feel sorrow and loss - we should feel sorrow and loss when bad things happen. How then do we avoid getting trapped by tragedy? How do we let go of the comforts, the "intimate souvenirs," of life's little hells? Lewis has more to say about that, and I will end here to ponder his words:
"'Son,' he said, 'ye cannot in your present state understand eternity... That is what mortals misunderstand. They say of some temporal suffering, 'No future bliss can make up for it,' not knowing that Heaven, once attained, will work backwards and turn even that agony into a glory. And of some sinful pleasure they say 'Let me have but this and I'll take the consequences': little dreaming how damnation will spread back and back into their past and contaminate the pleasure of the sin. Both processes begin even before death. The good man's past begins to change so that his forgiven sins and remembered sorrows take on the quality of Heaven: the bad man's past already conforms to his badness and is filled only with dreariness. And that is why... the Blessed will say 'We have never lived anywhere except in Heaven,': and the Lost, 'We were always in Hell.' And both will speak truly."
Intersecting Faith & Life: Have you held on to unhappiness for too long? Is your sadness, guilt, anger, or bitterness tempting you to sin or obscuring your faith? Ask God to help you let go of destructive thoughts or behaviors.
Further Reading
1 Peter 1:8
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Wasting the Word
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
But the word of the Lord remains forever. And this word is the good news that was preached to you.
1 Peter 1:25
Not long ago, a friend sent me a funny message over Facebook that went something like this,
Question: If someone from the 1950's suddenly appeared before you, what would be the most difficult thing to explain to them about life today?
Answer: I possess a device, in my pocket, which is capable of accessing the eternity of information known to man. I use it to look at pictures of cats and get into arguments with strangers.
I can remember laughing after I read this. It really was true; I mostly used the internet to watch reruns of TV shows or recommend new music to friends, pretty trivial tasks for a device that contains all the world's knowledge. After I signed off however, I was struck by a sudden thought, "Am I wasting God's word the same way I waste the internet?" It was a sobering question. I picked my Bible up off the coffee table and for a few moments just stared at it.
Here in my hands was a book that recounted the days when the Immortal, Eternal God of all that was and will ever be walked the earth as a man and spoke to humans. How was I using this gift again? Last I could remember it was to find a prayer that would keep me from going bald. To tell the truth, I think all Christians (me included) have a serious problem with wasting the Gospel. Just look at how we've used it in the past:
To argue why one political party is better than another,
To tell divorcees, and homosexuals, and people from checkered backgrounds that they're not good enough for God,
To justify why we don't help the broken and the needy.
The Bible is a precious gift and a valuable resource; it should never be used lightly or frivolously. So the next time you sit down for a quiet time or look up a favorite verse, remember that what you see is more than words on a page. You possess, in your hand, a testament to God's love for humanity and his desire to be a part of our lives. Make sure you don't waste it.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Do not waste the Word of God. When you read the Bible, seek to apply it.
Further Reading
Matthew 13:33
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Celebrate Valentine's Day without Being Miserable
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
"I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil--this is the gift of God." – Ecclesiastes 3:12-13
I won't lie -- I was a little peeved when I discovered I'd be writing Crosswalk's Valentine's Day devotional. After all, I'm a single twenty-something in an office full of married co-workers, and for me Valentine's Day is less about the joy of love and more the glaring reminder of what I'm missing. You can probably relate if you're like me. Every wedding invitation, every perky TV rom-com, makes a small voice in your head ask, "What's wrong with me? It's not like I'm asking for some smoking hot individual to pull up at my door in a Mercedes; I just want to be happy."
I wish I had the answers to these questions. If I did, I wouldn't be single. What I can share with you however, is a lesson I learned from the book of Ecclesiastes.
"I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired men and women singers, and a harem as well -- the delights of the heart of man. I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me. I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun." – Ecclesiastes 2:8-11
I think one of the biggest challenges people struggle with (or at least one of the biggest ones I struggle with) is keeping "love" from becoming an idol. We keep telling ourselves that once we're in a relationship we'll be happy -- that it's only after we get married that life is truly fulfilling. Hate to tell you this, but that's not true. Just look at Solomon; he had everything a person could ever want.
Money? He had more than he knew what to do with. Success? He was King of Israel. Romance? Completely covered, and he wrote an entire book of love poetry! Yet despite all these things, when he wrote the book of Ecclesiastes, his message was, "I am unfulfilled." There is a God-shaped hole in all our hearts, and nothing in this world can fill that void.
So, what does that mean for us? Well, my advice if you're single is to keep your chin up and keep looking. You never know who God is going to send your way. More importantly though, don't let the joy God gives you be defined by your relationship status. God blesses us in a lot of different ways, but as long as we keep "love" on a pedestal, we will never be able to enjoy any of it. This Valentine's Day, whether you're married or single, take a moment to acknowledge and enjoy all that God has given you.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Have a happy Valentine's Day!
Further Reading
Ecclesiastes 1
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Love Your Neighbor as Yourself
by Kelly Givens, Editor, iBelieve.com
"And one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, 'Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?' And He said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. The second is like it, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' " -Matthew 22:35-39
I live in an apartment complex, and new tenants have recently moved into the rental directly below me. I haven't met them yet, but I do know one thing about them: they have an incredibly close relationship with their bass speakers. If you've ever had neighbors with a big sound system, you'll know why I'm frustrated. While other sound waves bounce off or are absorbed by the objects around them, bass sound travels right through. So while I can't hear the words of the song my neighbors are blasting, I can feel the floor vibrating to the irregular heart-beat like bumps of the bass. It's the kind of sound that even earplugs can't always drown out--which is especially annoying at 1 o'clock in the morning.
Situations like these tempt me to toss aside every sermon I've heard on patience, gentleness and self-control and start banging on the floor with a broom handle. But this is completely antithetical to what Christ demands. Jesus' message to "love your neighbor as yourself" is a verse that often gets thrown out there without a lot of thought. However, I'm starting to realize there are major implications of truly loving someone the way I love myself.
How do I love myself? Well, for starters, I'm always thinking about myself. I think about what I'm going to eat for breakfast, what I need to do at work, what I need to pick up from the store on the way home. I also love myself by making my needs top-priority. How I schedule my day revolves around the things I want or need to accomplish. Basically, my thoughts and my day are centered on me.
So when Jesus tells us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves, that's a tall order. He's saying we need to think about others as much as we think about ourselves. He means we should remember the needs of others like we remember our own. He means seeking the happiness, goodness, peace, security of others as much as we seek those things in our own lives.
How can we do this- especially to those who annoy us, hurt us, or perhaps even persecute us? When I think about loving my neighbors as sacrificially, as a priority number one, it seems impossible. I can't even say I do this fully for the people I love most. But then I remember the first part of Jesus' command- 'Love God with all your heart, soul and mind." There's my answer. When I focus all my love toward God, he takes my selfish heart and transforms it into a heart capable of loving others. I no longer need others to validate me, be kind or loving toward me in order to love them back. Christ's love is enough. He fills me up so I can pour out selfless love to others, even others with loud bass speakers.
This selfless love isn't something I'm good at- it's not even something I can say I regularly attempt. I'm more selfish than I realize. But God has been using my noisy neighbors to convict my selfish heart, to show me how much better I can be at putting the happiness and peace of others above my own. I know it's not going to be easy to start loving people as much as I love myself, but I know the first step: loving God above everything else.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Are you loving others as you love yourself? Without loving God first and fully, this is impossible to do. If there is someone in your life you're struggling to love, ask God to help you persevere in loving them - and in loving Him better, too.
Further reading
Matthew 5: 43-48
Leviticus 19:18
Romans 13: 9-10
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From Russia, with God's Love
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Culture Editor
The mind of man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps. – Proverbs 16:9
Last year, I set out to fulfill my longtime goal of traveling to Russia as part of an international missions' team. The organization I applied to was one I'd volunteered with in the past. Every December they would partner with Russian Christians and visit orphanages just outside of Moscow. Once there, they would spend the day handing out gifts, singing songs, and hopefully telling the children how God loved them. Now, I'd been on missions' trips before, but for some reason I knew this one was special.
Deep down, I sensed that God would do something truly amazing through this trip, and I wanted to be ready when it happened. In the months leading up to our team's departure, I did all I could to prepare for the work ahead. I picked up books on Russian history, volunteered in my Church's Sunday school, read my Bible and prayed heavily like never before. In my mind's eye, I saw myself rising up as a Christian leader who helped many lost souls encounter God. As you might expect, that's not how things played out.
The trip was by no means a failure, but it certainly wasn't the mountaintop experience I'd been expecting. For starters, the moment we touched down in Moscow I became utterly, painfully, violently Ill. My first two days in Russia were spent in a hotel bathroom, where I almost took the liberty of placing my headstone. After pulling myself together, I became overwhelmed with our constant travel and shifting schedules. I had trouble connecting with my teammates, with the children, even with God.
By the time I returned home, I was feeling very disillusioned. What had I done wrong? Was my pride to blame for everything that had happened? I fell back into old routines and life went on as it had before, except for one thing. Before departing for Russia I'd promised my church's Sunday school leader I would volunteer for six months, and I still had three months to go.
Fast forward a year later, and I am now a regular volunteer at my Church's Sunday school. I try not to speculate, but I think that may have been God's plan all along. After all, God works in mysterious ways, and sometimes our disappointments are merely detours to His purpose.
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." – Proverbs 3:5-6
Intersecting Faith and Life: Remember, sometimes God has to take us halfway around the world just to lead us next door.
Further Reading
James 2:14-17
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Spring Training for Christians
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
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.
2 Corinthians 5:16, The Message
You've probably heard that God loves baseball. After all, He began his holy book with the words, "In the big inning..." Everyone who loves baseball like the Lord does feels a tremendous rush this time of year with another set of words: "Pitchers and catchers report." For the uninitiated, this phrase signals the official start of spring training, which brings with it new hope, and knowledge that at least there's a thaw and green grass in some parts of our country.
In fact, the game I love, and the game of fantasy baseball off which it is based, are both so prevalent in my mind this week that as I sat down to write this I found my mind wandering. So, noticing that a good friend, fellow fantasy baseballer and pastor was active on his Instant Messenger, I began the following conversation:
Me: I'm sitting here trying to write this week's devotional, but I've got a screenful of stats in front of me, taunting me. Pastor Jay, is there any way I could combine the two? Does our league have any good devotional content?
Jay: Oh, I'm sure we do. How about how we peak spiritually at age 27, like most hitters do?
Me: Goodness, I hope that's not true. How about our Spiritual Slugging Percentage... are we whomping our fair quota of sinners and unbelievers regularly?
Jay: Uh, right... How about how On-Base Percentage equals theological correctness/sound doctrine, and Slugging Percentage equals evangelism, the impact you're making for the Lord?
Me: You're on to something.
There are truly spiritual parallels everywhere.
But as is always the case, snippets of insight and truth are only valuable when applicable. The above only served to remind me that it's time to take a break from my analysis of the statistics of men who play a game, and check in on my own statistics, go through my own spring training of sorts.
Today's verse gives us a starting place for where to look, what kind of statistics are important in the Kingdom as opposed to the diamond. Things like height, weight, vertical leap, 40-yard-dash times, race, creed, color, gender... none of those matter. Here's the checklist we'll be using to see who's gonna make the team this season:
Measurables
On-Base Percentage - Like my buddy said, in our checklist this involves good theology and doctrine. Baseballers like to hear chatter out there on the infield. Are you talking the talk?
Slugging Percentage - Now you have to put the above theology to good use, and walk the walk. How much 'oomph' can you contribute to the goals of the team?
Batting Average - The most you can do is just put the bat on the ball. So many other factors determine if you're gonna get a safe hit or not, meaning you'll probably fail to connect or reach safely at least 70 percent of the time... and that's if you're one of the best. The rest is up to God.
Errors - Can't be avoided, even by the very best of us. What's important is that we don't grow complacent with making them. Biblical ignorance is not an acceptable excuse. Neither is yelling at your teammate for making an error.
Strikeouts and Walks - Both are fine. They reveal effort. The way you know you're off-track is when these become Walkouts and Strikes. I don't need to be leaving, boycotting, quitting, or checking out in the middle of a slump or when the other team is full of punks.
Sacrifices - When the coach calls for you to bunt another person into a more prominent position, will you obediently lay one down? When you can bring in a run by hitting a fly ball for an out will you gladly do so?
Intangibles
Coachability - I can't think of a single reason or supporting scripture for a me-first attitude on the Kingdom Conquerors.
Discipline - To what do you say yes, to what do you say no? What do you fail to do? What do you never fail to do?
Leadership - Look behind you. Is anyone following?
Performance Enhancers - Yes, please. I'm simply not good enough to compete in this game without them. No, not steroids, but the Holy Spirit, and regular Bible study and prayer times.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Watch a sporting event with a younger person this week, and see how many parallels and applications you can make together to our spiritual journey.
Further Reading
Opening Day for America
Finish Strong in the 9th Inning of Life
The Magic of Opening Day
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The Perverse Generation
by Sarah Phillips
"O unbelieving and perverse generation,"Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you and put up with you?" Luke 9:41
There is much written today about how the world has lost touch with God and morality. It's easy to view the past with rose-tinted glasses, to believe in "the good old days" or reminisce about a golden era. We do this in the Church all the time, often pointing to one practice that, if resurrected, would surely turn this generation around.
"If only the women still wore head coverings in church... "
"If only we sang ancient hymns... "
"If only young men and women got married earlier... "
Don't read me wrong here... these issues are important. But the stark reality is, every generation has fallen short of God's glory. Every generation has sinned. Does this sound familiar?
"The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers."
How often have I been tempted to mutter these words when encountering today's teenagers? But this quote is attributed to Socrates by Plato. Apparently teens weren't doing so well in the ancient world either. The fallen nature of man has followed us through the ages, plaguing the young and old alike. Our broken nature manifests itself in so many ways... from the darkest sins to our lack of basic manners and courtesy.
Jesus himself seemed to grow weary of the sins of his own day. I imagine the opening scripture was expressed with a mix of sadness and righteous anger. During Lent, which begins with Ash Wednesday, our church acknowledges God's just anger at the end of every service with this chant: Parce, Domine, parce populo tuo;/ ne in aeternum irascaris nobis which translates to: "Spare your people Lord: / Be not angry Lord with your people forever."
But what is the rest of the story? Even as his sinful followers surrounded him, Jesus healed the spiritual and physical afflictions of a possessed boy. We see here that going back to the "good old days" doesn't have the power to save us. It's the person of Jesus Christ who saves. This is the miracle of Easter: The incredible mercy of a God who would be justified in staying angry forever after the golden era of Eden went terribly wrong. He hears our cries for redemption - weak though they may be - and saves us.
Is the world worse today than it was yesterday? Does it matter? God's patience and mercy for our "perverse and unbelieving generation" reveal the depths of his divine love. And those forgiven the most sins have the greatest number of reasons to rejoice.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Have you ever felt so deeply ashamed of your sins that you thought no one could be as bad as you? Take heart. Some of the greatest saints were the worst of sinners. All sins can be forgiven when we call out to the Holy Spirit and ask for mercy. Rejoice in the second chances that come with Easter.
Further Reading
Luke 7: 47
Romans 3: 23
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Should I Fight or Be Still?
by Debbie Holloway, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently. Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes! (Psalms 119:4)
Do you often find yourself confused, unsure of how to best live according to God's will? This is a struggle for me. Should I speak or stay silent? Will this action offend or edify? Is this a time for action or inaction? Should I fight? Or should I stay still?
Though every situation is different and every person unique, the Bible paints both stillness and action as pleasing to the LORD, depending on the variables at hand.
One example is when the Israelites were fleeing from Pharaoh and the Egyptians. The LORD had fought for them in Egypt by displaying horrors and miracles through Aaron and Moses. Finally their oppressors relented and the Israelites were free – but not for long. Pharaoh changed his mind, and Exodus tells the account of their suspenseful chase after the newly freed slaves. "What have you done to us?" the people cried to Moses (Exodus 14:11). They knew there was nothing they could do to protect themselves from the mighty King of Egypt.
But then God made his will known through Moses. No, the Israelites would not be able to defeat Pharaoh.
But the LORD did not ask them to.
"The LORD will fight for you," Moses proclaimed. "You need only to be still."
But there are other times, are there not? Times when we have the choice to stretch out our hands to either right or wrong, and there is no in-between. Paul writes to Timothy,
"But you, man of God...pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith" (1 Timothy 6:11-12).
Sometimes we must fight. And make no mistake; this is not a direct call to fist-fights or military service. It is a direct command to use the Ephesians 6:10. We must fight to keep righteousness in our own lives, refusing choices which lead to sin and death. We must fight for love, which means making really hard choices and overcoming our natural selfish inclinations. We must fight for endurance, keeping promises, covenants, and our integrity in a way worthy of Christ Jesus.
Sometimes God calls us to fight, and sometimes he tells us to be still. How can we decipher it?
Sometimes it will be hard. But from these passages, I would risk saying that God knows when we are facing a foe that's too big for us. Sometimes we ache and long to fight, but we know the battle is beyond us, out of our hands. It is those times we must remember that God is a God of the weak, the poor, and the broken. The LORD will fight for you. You need only to be still.
Other times we can and must fight. When we are faced with injustice, and we have some measure of control, we must fight for the small ones. When we are faced with personal crises, we must fight for our children, parents, marriages, relationships, churches – not against them. We must use every weapon in our spiritual arsenals to build the Kingdom of God and protect it from the ever-watchful forces of darkness. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance. Fight the good fight.
Intersecting Faith and Life: What are you struggling with now in your life, or your walk with the LORD? Spend some time in prayer to see whether God wants you to fight, or lay down your weapons and give the battle to him.
Futher Reading:
Ephesians 6:10
Exodus 14:1
Hebrews 12:3
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Who Cares about Leviticus?
by Katherine Britton
"You are to be holy to me, because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own." – Leviticus 20:26
Like most evangelicals, I haven't devoted much time to parsing Leviticus. After all, we live under the new covenant ushered in by Christ's death and resurrection, and we're Gentiles to boot. Leviticus was written for a particular people at a particular time, and vast sections of the book have been demoted to historical curiosities at this point. The fledgling kingdom of Israel – really, a collection of tribes that had more in common with their pagan neighbors than today's Christian enclave – were on the other side of history's turning point. For this emerging nation the Lord dictated incredibly detailed ceremonial law that has since passed away, as we have a new and perfect high priest.
Still, the apostle Paul insists that "all Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching" (2 Timothy 3:15). Remember, this is Paul speaking, the same apostle who vilified the Judaizers for insisting the law must be upheld in its minutae to achieve salvation, and who wrote that "no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law." The resolution of the paradox might be a bit more apparent through the example of Park Street Church in Boston.
Pastor Daniel Harrell convinced 19 members of his congregation to join him in an experiment in "living Levitically," despite the drastic changes they had to make in their daily living. The group grew out their beards, kept kosher, cleaned their homes meticulously, observed the Sabbath, and even stopped wearing clothes made from blended materials. One of the few exceptions to the experiment was animal sacrifice, as the group intended not to break any U.S. laws while observing the ceremonial ones.
The group found it absolutely impossible to obey every tenet. But the Park Street Church says that wasn't the point. Seeing firsthand that they couldn't perfectly fulfill the law, they realized the need for grace in a whole new way. As Romans 5:20 explains it, "The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more."
Could it be that, in ignoring Leviticus as a whole, we forget how awesome grace is? True, not every ceremonial law (washing your feet? Wearing blended materials?) is also a moral law. But God still told the Israelites to keep it as his law. Reading about the church's example reminded me of a couple things:
First, God's people are supposed to be set apart. The Israelites were supposed to look different, act different, worship different, and spend their time in different ways than the nations around them. It was an integral part of their calling as God's people. The manifestations aren't quite the same, but Christians have the same calling today.
Second, we aren't set apart enough. As Park Street Church rediscovered, the law points out our insufficiencies. Even if the law were just a set of external rules, we still couldn't keep them perfectly. We just can't measure up to following the law or Christ's example.
Third, only in Christ can we find rest from the law and a new identity that really sets us apart. The writer of Hebrews notes that the law is "only a shadow of the good things that are coming." And yes, the law is a good thing – it makes us realize how much Christ had to atone for on our behalf. Not only that, God has adopted us as sons and daughters through Christ to really set us apart. And then he gives us the grace to live it. Sure, we'll still fall, and that will remind us to run to grace. But the power of the law is gone through Christ.
Intersecting Faith & Life: This week, take time to read Hebrews 10 Notice how beautifully Christ not only supersedes the law, but fulfills all of its demands. That ought to inspire the worship that God desires more than the Israelites' burnt offerings.
Further Reading:
Living Leviticus: Who Could Do It? Who Would Want To?
How to Use the Law – Lawfully to Bear Fruit for God
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The Wisdom of Gamaliel
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
In the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.
Acts 5:38-39
I mentioned previously that I intended to read through the Book of Acts. And I've been doing it. The best part is my son decided we could make that our bedtime reading each night. Talk about fun!
The other night we happened across the passage at the end of chapter five where the Pharisees are getting really tired of these disciples going around teaching and healing and collecting followers. People are bringing their sick into the streets in hopes that Peter's shadow might just fall upon them. Can't have that going on, now.
So it comes about that our heroes are summoned in, and about to face some serious flogging. At this point, a very respected Pharisee on the Sanhedrin requests that the disciples be sent out so he may address his brethren. His name is Gamaliel, and he proceeds to caution the Jews about how they deal with the Christian "threat." He cites two other recent examples of men who rose up, said some pleasant things, and led some people away, only to have their movements dwindle and die. Why did that happen? Obviously, reasons Gamaliel, they were human, and their quests were not of God.
He goes on to say that these followers of Jesus will go the same way... or maybe they won't. And if they don't, then anything the Sanhedrin would devise against them would fail anyway, because it would mean the movement was from God.
What an amazing way to look back on over 2,000 years of history since then. And sure enough, when I re-read this passage the other night, I remembered how our Western Civilization professor in college basically made the same statement Gamaliel did when he was explaining the historical spread of Christianity and the rise of the Church. He cited movement after movement that were "of men," and of which we no longer speak to this day. But Christianity? It remains alive, precious, self-sustaining, and powerful.
A few things that stand out about this story:
What's to worry about? We sure do still fret about things these days. No, I wouldn't dare suggest that everything we get up in arms about is actually a movement from above. Highly doubtful. But ultimately, the lesson is still the same - He's the one in control. His will be done.
As much as Gamaliel is the hero of this brief passage, it's still with the Christians, not the Council, where we can most relate. Why is this important? These Christians, our early brethren, were the ones who couldn't shut up about the good news, not the ones who were looking for things to rail against.
Our "religion" is one that is not of men. It is not a fad. It does not change. It has lasted. It will last until Christ returns.
Even with Gameliel's words ringing true, they didn't prevent the disciples from persecution. They were brought back into the room, and flogged. So their circumstances didn't really change much.
Even after a flogging, the disciples went their way grateful to have suffered as Christ suffered, and for His sake.
Even after being warned not to spread the gospel anymore, the disciples couldn't and wouldn't stop.
And don't forget...
Even a Pharisee can have a brilliant insight once in a while, thank goodness.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Think about other things that have happened in the world just since you have been born: fads, movements, cults, and so on. Then consider everything Christianity has outlasted, and will outlast. You and I serve a God who is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. What difference does that make in your life today?
Further Reading
The Secret to a Life of Impact
Acts 5:12-42
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Perfect Plans
by Anna Kuta
"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28).
When I graduated from college, I had no job – but no worries. Many of my business-major friends had known since the previous fall where they would be accepting a job, living and working, but that isn't the way the journalism industry works. I'd been advised by plenty of my journalism professors that the type of jobs I'd be looking for were the type that hired to fill positions immediately. So in the days after I moved back home and packed away my graduation robe and apartment furnishings, I confidently began applying to media-related jobs in the area, waiting for my dream job to come along any day.
Two weeks later, nothing. My best friend got hired and started work. I spent every day searching the Internet for job openings, attempting to network, and submitting applications left and right. Two months later, still nothing. It seemed like with each day that passed, someone else I knew accepted a job, but I just knew my moment was right around the corner.
But as July rolled into August, and still no prospects, I was starting to freak out big time. I began applying to every job I could find that was semi-related to anything that even sounded remotely interesting. I prayed for God to open a door where He wanted me, to bring along the right job at the right time, and to help me be patient and not stress out.
Then, suddenly, two opportunities arose. I was so sure this was the answer to my prayer. I held off on the first one to pursue the other, but when I went in for an informal interview, I was informed that the job actually didn't exist after all. I contacted the first job again, but that position had already been filled. Seriously? I asked God. All the grand plans I'd been making in my mind just crashed and burned.
A few days later I was moping around on the couch, and I decided to do another sweep of all the job search websites for the 400th time. Something caught my eye, a new job listing that wasn't there before. As I read the description, it was like someone had gotten inside my head and summarized everything I wanted in a job but had yet to actually verbalize. It sounded almost too good to be true. I applied, and before I knew it, I received a phone call to begin the interview process. And then, just a few weeks later, I screamed in excitement as I received a phone call with the job offer. You've probably figured by now I'm referring to my job here at Crosswalk, and you're right. It's been almost six months now, and I still refer to it to everybody as my "dream job."
Today, it could not be more obvious to me how God worked all the details together for me in my job search last summer, even when at times I wanted to despair. I ended up with the perfect job and I got to enjoy one last summer vacation. The timing of it all fell into perfect place with every other event happening in my life. I had great opportunities this summer to serve the Lord and grow in my faith, and most of all, I learned some of the most valuable lessons I've ever learned about trusting God and waiting for Him.
Romans 8:28 says that all things in the lives of those who love God and who have accepted Him will ultimately contribute to our good. It doesn't say everything in our lives will be good, but that everything will work together for an outcome in our lives that is pleasing to God. Notice Paul makes it very clear that it's something granted only to those who "love God and who are the called according to His purpose." We know from John 14:15 that we show our love for God by keeping his commandments – and being one of "the called" means making Him the Lord of every area of our lives when we accept His call of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
God absolutely cares about all the small details of our lives. Right now, you might be facing a situation that makes no sense. We live in a sinful world, and bad things happen. It may seem that your prayers are going unanswered. But God promises that he has a perfect plan for the lives of those who truly love and follow Him and who have received salvation through Jesus. You may not realize right this moment – or ever – why things happen just the way they do, but if you have accepted God's call of the gospel, you can trust that He is working everything in your life together for His ultimate purpose.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Looking back on your life, can you see times when God worked out all the details for good and situations that have shaped you and brought you closer to the Lord? What did He teach you through those times, and what is He teaching you through your current situation? Trust Him that He continues to do His perfect work in your life as you continue to follow Him.
Further Reading
Jeremiah 29:11
Proverbs 19:21
Proverbs 3:5-6
1 Corinthians 1:24
Philippians 3:14
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God's Will: So Simple it's Hard
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
Rejoice always;
pray without ceasing;
in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
"God's will for my life"... how often have you pondered that notion? Studied it? Read untold books about it? Know people who torture themselves trying to locate it?
Well, here we have an obvious chunk of it, even compact and useful just as we like things to be, tucked away at the close of Paul's first letter to the church at Thessalonica. "This is God's will for you...," it says.
Well, yes, it says that, and it sure is pretty - almost poetic - but is it deep enough? Shouldn't there be more? Is it practical?
Okay. Then let's go Old Testament. Prophetic. Action-oriented. Micah 6:8 says, "He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"
It's still simple, still bunched in a group of three, still indicating that there's no big mystery way far out there which must be solved before we know how to act or decide, or how God wants us to act or decide.
So why do we seek for more?
I think it's because the ridiculously simple, paradoxically enough, is ridiculously hard, and we know it. G.K. Chesterton famously said, "The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult and left untried."
We could spend a lot of time discussing the ins-and-outs of how easy or hard God's will is, and where else in His Word we can find snippets of it. One woman from my Bible fellowship class is fond of asking during our lessons, "What does that look like?" Let's ponder on that for a minute here.
The situation is this: you've been sent on a missionary journey via a clear calling from God. The resources were there, the people willing. You are leading your group through a city when you encounter a psychic who keeps taunting you. After a while, through calling on the name of Jesus you cast out the evil spirit within her. Hooray! Score one for the Lord, and your group! But alas, there is no praise here, because those who had been making some cash off the now-set-free woman's powers aren't happy with you. They drag your group before local law enforcement, have you beaten, and thrown into prison. Hey now!
At this point, I am saying, "God, this is NOT your will. YOU made it very clear we were to come on this trip, and we even did a miracle for you! Now we're injured, in jail... I don't even know how I'm going to get home much less continue to be effective for you from here! I want a telephone, I want a lawyer, and I want you to reveal your ACTUAL will, right now, and suffer no more discomfort while doing what you sent us to do!"
And with that, my missionary journey would come to a close. But not the Apostle Paul's, not as we have it recorded in Acts 16:16-40 which is one of my all-time favorite passages. Paul, who knew God's will better than I, and practiced it, knew to "rejoice always." And so, bloodied and with his feet in stocks, he sings. Seriously, he sings hymns of praise. He also knew to "pray without ceasing," and so, in verse 25, that's exactly what you find - Paul and Silas praying... at midnight, even.
The missionaries on this journey got out of God's way by doing the simple things that God had willed for them to do, so that God was free to let fly with His own big, complex, miraculous will for everyone else. An earthquake shakes open the prison, snapping chains in the process. Prisoners, however, stay where they are. A jailer, about to kill himself, holds his sword, and moments later accepts Jesus into his heart. Then his family joins the flock, all because those he had persecuted chose to "love kindness."
At every step of the journey, Paul, Silas, and their companions chose to walk humbly, give thanks, and do what was just (speaking of which, once officially released, Paul did have some words of justice regarding their citizenship and treatment for the magistrates).
It's absolutely amazing to me the ways that God plans to accomplish His Will (big "W") on earth. His will in my life has already been decided. It is my job to walk humbly, get out of the way, always be in prayer, always rejoicing no matter what situation I'm in. But how often do we come back to the same situation, sitting in my car, simple traffic jam, me needing to be somewhere, telling God, "Did you not ordain that I should do such and such today? Or get this amount of work done so I can spend this amount of time with my family? Then this is on you unless you make such-and-such happen now!"
Sigh... how many miracles have I missed?
No, God's will for my life isn't difficult to know. It's just frustratingly hard to do if self is at the center. And that's the crux of the very question itself, "What is God's will for MY life?"
Perhaps when we get out of the way, we shall see better.
Intersecting Faith & Life: How long will it take to learn the lesson that even if I know I am doing God's will it doesn't mean everything will appear to go smoothly along the way? That there are purposes I either don't know or am unwilling to consider could be a part of inconvenience? If you're like me, start learning today by making note of every story in the Bible that suffers a delay, interruption, inconvenience or other problem before God's promised payoff. (Hint: start with guys like Joseph, and Abraham...)
Further Reading
Acts 16
Micah 6:8
Stop Wrestling, Start Serving: The Non-Mystery of God's Will
:angel:
Jesus Wept
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. – Matthew 4:1-2
I once heard a story of a woman who lost her only daughter in a tragic accident. After the funeral she fell into deep despair, and many of her friends began to worry about her safety. In desperation, one of them asked their local priest if he would go to her house and speak with her, but the moment the woman saw him she flew into a rage.
"Get out!" She screamed, "I already know what you're going to say. You're going to tell me that everything happens for a reason, that this is God's will, and I don't want to hear that." The priest did not move. Eventually the woman began to calm down and started to sob. It was at that the priest spoke, quietly and gently.
"Listen," he told her, "I don't know why your daughter died, and I do not know why God allowed it to happen, but I do know that God understands what it is to lose a child, and that he is standing next to you, and that he cannot stop your suffering but that he loves you and he loves your daughter, and if you let him into your heart you will see her again."
What really struck me the first time I heard this story was that God really did understand the pain of losing someone. I realized that for a long time I'd had a false view of Jesus. I'd always pictured him as this tall, soft-spoken man who was completely serene no matter what the world threw at him. I didn't understand that when God became a man he embraced all human sensation, even the ones that hurt.
Jesus got hungry, just like us (Mark 11:12). He got frustrated, just like us (Mark 11:14). He got sad (John 11:35), and angry (John 2:16-17), and scared (Luke 22:44). Jesus probably laughed with his friends, and grew stern with the Pharisees. The Bible says that Jesus lived a sinless life, but that doesn't mean he wasn't human.
Some of you may be having a fairly nice day while reading this and some of you may be having a pretty miserable one. Regardless of what is happening to you, know that God understands how you feel, and that he will always love you.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Follow Christ through his years of ministry. Take note of the times when Christ displays his emotions.
Further Reading
Matthew 4:1-11
:angel:
Starved for Faith and Vision
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor of BibleStudyTools.com
"Son of man, what is this proverb you have in the land of Israel: 'The days go by and every vision comes to nothing'? Say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am going to put an end to this proverb, and they will no longer quote it in Israel.' Say to them, 'The days are near when every vision will be fulfilled." Ezekiel 12:22-23
For me, Dave was that boss. The guy could make every triumph into misery, every completed project into a diatribe for what didn't go right. Not chewing you out was his way of complimenting a job well done. And, no, I'm not joking. The guy would fire someone I worked with and then come to me the next day to say, "I fired your little friend."
And yet, for some reason I never understood, Dave liked me from the beginning. He would never have said that, of course, never admitted to not hating someone. But he did. Even as a lackey intern, he put me in charge of projects way above my pay grade. Even as the newbie, he'd let me in on the big stuff we'd be working on in a few months. My position was only supposed to last 30 days, but Dave kept me there for months by making excuses to his bosses about why I should stay.
To be honest, I hated the work. Here I was an English major who was supposed to be editing and writing and changing the world through prose. But I was afraid of trying for that world-changing job. Instead, I got pushed into IT project management for hospitals, which is really just a nice way of saying that I moved computers and loaded software. Over and over.
But it's funny what happens between a boss and a peon when you're wearing scrubs and snatching computers from the ICU. For Dave, those moments brought clarity. In a place where alarms signal dying, he'd tell me about his one-time plans to be an architect and the reasons why it couldn't happen. His rage would disappear with the code blues and rushing nurses. He dreamed for just a moment.
And then we'd be pushing our carts of equipment to a new wing of the hospital, and the sarcasm flooded in to cover the regret. He'd snap back to the snappiness as if the ICU never happened.
Maybe that's why Dave liked me. He knew I didn't want to be in those sterile halls either. He knew this detour felt more like a dead end. I was his earlier self.
When I finally quit, Dave didn't say goodbye. In fact, he avoided me for much of my two-week notice period. His only words about me were to berate the rest of the team with how the "only competent worker" was leaving.
With him, that meant he approved.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Dave was that boss—a curmudgeon God used to show me how important vision is, how necessary risk can be to following where God leads. He'd stayed in the safety of a career he despised because excuses were easier than fear and faith.
Part of what it means for Christians to let our lights shine is for us to live by faith. We know God can build bridges over chasms—even if we have no idea how. (Sometimes it's as if He purposefully waits until we're right on the edge.)
Vision and faith refresh and refill and renew. Those who have lost both need you to show them how to get them back once again.
For Further Reading
Ezekiel 37:1
Hebrews 11:1
:angel:
Kill Me Now
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
If this is how you are going to treat me, put me to death right now -- if I have found favor in your eyes -- and do not let me face my own ruin."
Numbers 11:15
...while he himself went a day's journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die."I have had enough, Lord," he said. "Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors."
1 Kings 19:4
Now, O Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.
Jonah 4:3
What kind of a person feels like this? A schmo like me, at times, sure. Maybe you, or people you know. Surely not the heroes of the Old Testament.
Well, truth is, even God's greatest leaders and prophets got to the point in their respective stories where, even after witnessing indescribable miracles and blessings, their circumstances were so overwhelming, impossible and undesirable their attitude was, "Just kill me now, Lord!" Exhausted in body, soul, and spirit, they cried out that they had had enough. They could go no longer in their own power.
The first quote above is from Moses, who had a People Problem. The wandering Israelites were hungry, and as usual, it fell to Moses to solve the problem. He cried out to the Lord, "Was it I who conceived these people? Was it I who brought them forth?" He looked around and couldn't figure out how to satisfy everyone.
The second quote is from Elijah, who had a Pity Problem. This was a prophet who had just called down fire from heaven, destroyed the prophets of Baal, and witnessed the end of a long drought. But just a few verses later, one vow from one wicked queen has him in such despair that he fears he can't go on like this.
The third quote is from Jonah, who had a Pouting Problem. He'd finally obeyed to the point of going to Nineveh and preaching repentance, but when the Lord relented and stayed his hand rather than destroying the city, Jonah wasn't happy. He folded his hands and "became angry" that the destruction he forecast never arrived.
Consider who these men were and what they had seen, what the Lord had done through them. Moses parted the Red Sea and led a people out of slavery. Elijah stood strong for Israel during a time of tremendous pagan influence, prayed down fire and rain, and actually never died (so chalk up at least one unanswered prayer!). Jonah is one of the first stories we tell our children, about how God provided a great fish to swallow him for such a period as he could learn about obedience and repentance.
Not only that, but these guys all show up in the Gospels, in one way or another. Moses and Elijah are present at Jesus' transfiguration (Mark 9). In Matthew 12:38-41, Jesus tells the Pharisees they won't get any sign from him other than the sign of Jonah, foreshadowing the three days He Himself would spend in the belly of the Earth.
But interestingly enough, Christ apparently never felt this way. He knew His destiny was to die, but even so prayed that such a cup might pass from Him. And let's not forget that He is our example, not Moses, not Elijah, and not Jonah, great as they were.
When we feel the way that these guys did, we need to realize that anyone wanting to die is under attack. And our enemy can bring that attack through people, pity, and pouting. It comes when our body is not healthy, our soul is not happy, and our spirit is not holy.
But conveniently enough, Paul shows us a prayer that covers all these bases. He writes in 1 Thessalonians 5, "Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass." (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24).
You aren't alone when you feel like you can't go on, or like you would be better off dead than standing strong in the face of the overwhelming task God has given you, especially when you are weak in body, soul, and spirit, and the enemy is on the attack. And truly, it is comforting to know that some of the Bible's greatest faith warriors and miracle workers shared these feelings. But it doesn't mean they were right. Let us not indulge hopelessness, for it may always be found. Instead, let us remember that we serve a God of hope and of miracles and we follow the One who never copped to people, pity, or pouting, but willingly laid His life down for others, not for Himself.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Develop a plan that gives you exercise and rest in proper amounts for your body, soul, and spirit, so that you will be less prone to attack.
:angel:
Burning Your Ships
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
"In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple." – Luke 14:33
Every now and then, when I've got some time to spare, I'll turn on the History Channel and let myself get lost in the past. Recently, I started watching a documentary on the Age of Exploration, when the kingdoms of Europe were sending out ships to explore the Americas. To the Europeans, the New World was a place of limitless promise but also great danger. Faced with new cultures, strange animals, and deadly plagues, many explorations returned home in failure.
Then in February 1519, an explorer named Hernando Cortez was commissioned by the Spanish Crown to sail to the Yucatan and conquer it in the name of Spain. Cortez and his army set out at once, and when they reached the shores of the Yucatan, Cortez turned to his men and said,
"Burn the boats."
Cortez refused to let turning back be an option. For the sake of his mission, it would be all or nothing. To many of us this may sound a bit extreme, but as it turns out, Jesus had the same principle when he started his ministry.
"As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." He said to another man, "Follow me." But the man replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God." Still another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-bye to my family." Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.'" – Luke 9:57-62
Being a true Christian is something bold and dangerous. We live in a world that loves compromises, and teaches us that we are free to pick and choose what parts of religion we want to follow. Christ is different. When we become his followers, he tells us to take up our crosses and never look back. To follow him is all or nothing. So take some time today and renew your relationship with Christ, because God never claims a victory until he finally gets it all.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Are you holding onto something that is keeping you from God? Take some time to consider.
Further Reading
Matthew 8
:angel:
Rejoicing in All Seasons
by Debbie Holloway, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
"The hope of the righteous brings joy" (Proverbs 10:28).
I'm currently in the process of moving – but only a few miles away. During the intense first weekend of driving back and forth constantly from the old house to the new apartment, I was always amused when I passed by one curious little house. We began moving in on Valentine's Day weekend, and this little brick house by the roadside was decked in red and white lights and glowing hearts dotting their lawn. During the daylight it was easy to miss the house, but come nightfall it stood out like a beacon of Valentine's Day glory.
A few days after Valentine's Day passed, however, the hue emanating from the house transformed from red to chipper Irish green as the occupants geared up for St. Patrick's day – complete with shamrocks instead of hearts. My initial reaction to this was something like, Wow. These folks really love their holidays.
As I would drive past the house over the following days and weeks, it got me thinking something else, though. Very few of us embrace change so exuberantly as these (I imagine) quaint little homeowners. Very few of us throw ourselves wholeheartedly into the season of right now. It's tempting for many of us to leave the Christmas lights up past New Years, simply because it's hard to let go of the nostalgia of that warm, fuzzy time. Many of us are picky about what we celebrate. Not these folks, though! They seem delighted just to be able to revel in the fact that we have holidays.
That's an attitude I could probably learn from. I think of Jesus turning water to wine, of all the celebrations, holidays and jubilees that God instituted for the Jews, and I think – God loves an excuse to have joy and celebration! If I can smile, rejoice, and bring attention to a thing of beauty and excitement, I think I should. Just like the people who use every holiday as an excuse to dress up their little house and share a little light with the neighbors.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Do you roll your eyes at the exuberance of others? Or do you take every opportunity to rejoice in the beauty of the world around us? Take a moment to celebrate something small.
Further Reading
Leviticus 25:8
:angel:
Seven Habits of Truly Effective Living
by Alex Crain, Editor, Christianity.com
The phrase, "begin with the end in mind" will be familiar to anyone who has read the life management book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen R. Covey).1 But if you aren't familiar with the phrase or the book, the general idea of "begin with the end in mind" is fairly straightforward.
Simply stated, before beginning any project, you should always ask the question "How do I want this to turn out?" Otherwise, you may end up climbing a ladder, but not find success because your ladder is leaning on the wrong wall.
While the advice in Covey's book can help sharpen focus and cultivate good work habits, something that's missing from the book is the God-sized perspective on life that we see in Psalm 92.
Stephen Covey invites his readers to the pathway of success by beginning with their own desires. In other words, "Imagine life as you want it to be." Naturally, the ideal life for most people is one surrounded by beauty, expensive things, favorite people, etc. We want plenty of leisure time and the health to enjoy these things. But without God, such a life is depicted in Scripture as empty and deceptive. It is a dream that springs from a heart tainted by sin. Frustration and disappointment results when our primary source of motivation is the self.
If we are to be truly effective at living, we must humbly begin with God's end in mind.
Psalm 92 paints a picture of the ideal life as that of a righteous person who bears good fruit, even to old age. He is "full of sap and very green." In other words, he is filled with spiritual vitality at the end of life when the temptation to grumble and express radical selfishness is often the strongest.
The roots for a strong, 'sap-filled' soul are found in Psalm 92. Here, the seven habits of truly effective living are unfolded for us:
#1 Seeing thankfulness and praise to God as something desirable, not as a duty (Psalms 92:1). Far from complaining, his lips are filled with praise—declaring that there is no unrighteousness in God, his Rock (Psalms 92:1).
#2 Focusing on God's lovingkindness in the morning and His faithfulness at night
(Psalms 92:1). For the righteous man, each day begins and ends with God. God is central in his thoughts throughout the entire day. 'Lovingkindness' refers to God's covenant loyal love, which assures salvation for His people.
The righteous person is not self-righteous. Rather, he looks to God's promises as the basis for his right standing before his Creator-Judge. Christ fulfilled these promises and delivers from a life of vain pursuits all who trust Him.
#3 Enjoying resounding music and singing for joy at God's great works (Psalms 92:1).
"You, O LORD, have made me glad by what You have done, I will sing for joy at the works of Your hands."
#4 Pondering the deep thoughts of God (Psalms 92:1)—not being characterized by a shallow, pragmatic view of God that sees Him merely as a means to get other things.
#5 Praising the transcendence of God—declaring that God is the "Most High" who is above all His creatures. The righteous one realizes that man is in no way equal to God. Thus, he can never legitimately view God with suspicion or call Him into judgment (Psalms 92:1).
#6 Resting securely in the fact that, in the end, God will have the final say on all matters. He will deal justice to the enemies of righteousness (Psalms 92:1).
#7 Depending continuously upon God for strength—for "fresh oil" (Psalms 92:1), knowing that yesterday's supply never carries over to today.
Perhaps you know an older believer who embodies these seven habits. My own 'eighty-something' grandmother is one such saint. We affectionately call her "Meme." Not long ago, Meme lay in a hospital bed with a serious health situation. I called her on the phone expecting to cheer her up, but she was the one who brought cheer to me.
Instead of complaining about her pain, she spoke with delight about truths she had just read that morning in her well-worn Bible. She told me of the various hymns and spiritual songs had been going through her mind throughout the day. She took time to ask me about my family and how things were going in ministry at our local church.
Her prayer at the close of our conversation was full of gratitude and praise to the Lord. The tone of her voice showed a deep awareness of God's presence right there with her. While I listened, I thought: This is Psalm 92 in action—here is someone who, throughout her life by God's grace, has learned and is still practicing the seven habits of truly effective living.
Intersecting Faith & Life: If these seven habits aren't part of your daily life, why not pause right now and ask God to make them so?
Further Reading:
Philippians 2:12
Numbers 14
:angel:
Seven Habits of Truly Effective Living
by Alex Crain, Editor, Christianity.com
The phrase, "begin with the end in mind" will be familiar to anyone who has read the life management book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen R. Covey).1 But if you aren't familiar with the phrase or the book, the general idea of "begin with the end in mind" is fairly straightforward.
Simply stated, before beginning any project, you should always ask the question "How do I want this to turn out?" Otherwise, you may end up climbing a ladder, but not find success because your ladder is leaning on the wrong wall.
While the advice in Covey's book can help sharpen focus and cultivate good work habits, something that's missing from the book is the God-sized perspective on life that we see in Psalm 92.
Stephen Covey invites his readers to the pathway of success by beginning with their own desires. In other words, "Imagine life as you want it to be." Naturally, the ideal life for most people is one surrounded by beauty, expensive things, favorite people, etc. We want plenty of leisure time and the health to enjoy these things. But without God, such a life is depicted in Scripture as empty and deceptive. It is a dream that springs from a heart tainted by sin. Frustration and disappointment results when our primary source of motivation is the self.
If we are to be truly effective at living, we must humbly begin with God's end in mind.
Psalm 92 paints a picture of the ideal life as that of a righteous person who bears good fruit, even to old age. He is "full of sap and very green." In other words, he is filled with spiritual vitality at the end of life when the temptation to grumble and express radical selfishness is often the strongest.
The roots for a strong, 'sap-filled' soul are found in Psalm 92. Here, the seven habits of truly effective living are unfolded for us:
#1 Seeing thankfulness and praise to God as something desirable, not as a duty (Psalms 92:1). Far from complaining, his lips are filled with praise—declaring that there is no unrighteousness in God, his Rock (Psalms 92:1).
#2 Focusing on God's lovingkindness in the morning and His faithfulness at night
(Psalms 92:1). For the righteous man, each day begins and ends with God. God is central in his thoughts throughout the entire day. 'Lovingkindness' refers to God's covenant loyal love, which assures salvation for His people.
The righteous person is not self-righteous. Rather, he looks to God's promises as the basis for his right standing before his Creator-Judge. Christ fulfilled these promises and delivers from a life of vain pursuits all who trust Him.
#3 Enjoying resounding music and singing for joy at God's great works (Psalms 92:1).
"You, O LORD, have made me glad by what You have done, I will sing for joy at the works of Your hands."
#4 Pondering the deep thoughts of God (Psalms 92:1)—not being characterized by a shallow, pragmatic view of God that sees Him merely as a means to get other things.
#5 Praising the transcendence of God—declaring that God is the "Most High" who is above all His creatures. The righteous one realizes that man is in no way equal to God. Thus, he can never legitimately view God with suspicion or call Him into judgment (Psalms 92:1).
#6 Resting securely in the fact that, in the end, God will have the final say on all matters. He will deal justice to the enemies of righteousness (Psalms 92:1).
#7 Depending continuously upon God for strength—for "fresh oil" (Psalms 92:1), knowing that yesterday's supply never carries over to today.
Perhaps you know an older believer who embodies these seven habits. My own 'eighty-something' grandmother is one such saint. We affectionately call her "Meme." Not long ago, Meme lay in a hospital bed with a serious health situation. I called her on the phone expecting to cheer her up, but she was the one who brought cheer to me.
Instead of complaining about her pain, she spoke with delight about truths she had just read that morning in her well-worn Bible. She told me of the various hymns and spiritual songs had been going through her mind throughout the day. She took time to ask me about my family and how things were going in ministry at our local church.
Her prayer at the close of our conversation was full of gratitude and praise to the Lord. The tone of her voice showed a deep awareness of God's presence right there with her. While I listened, I thought: This is Psalm 92 in action—here is someone who, throughout her life by God's grace, has learned and is still practicing the seven habits of truly effective living.
Intersecting Faith & Life: If these seven habits aren't part of your daily life, why not pause right now and ask God to make them so?
Further Reading:
Philippians 2:12
Numbers 14
:angel:
My Two Voices
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor of BibleStudyTools.com
"The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" Jeremiah 17:9
I never read the Bible alone. Instead, there's a squeaky voice tucked away in my head that likes to tag along. For the most part, it hums along in time with the steady cadence of Scripture, just waiting. But when something challenging pops up, something that pushes against the way I'm living, the tiny warble begins.
Brace yourselves because I'm taking you inside here.
Me: You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires
The Warbler: You don't need to worry about that. It says "old self." You're all brand-spanking new in here. Just ignore that.
Me: to be made new in the attitude of your minds
The Warbler: See. That's totally you—new times two. Nothing left in here but soapy clean suds.
Me: and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
The Warbler: Being like God? Yeah, right! That's impossible. Not what that verse means. You can only do what you can do. Don't worry about it. Next!
Me: Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body.
The Warbler: Oh, man! You're a truthfulness beast of awesome.
Me: Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
The Warbler: That doesn't mean you have to be nice all the time. Do you really want people stomping all over you? You've gotta push back and give them some smack when they need it.
Me: Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.
The Warbler: All? Pshaw! After the way you acted yesterday, that's obviously a ridiculous goal.
Me: Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
The Warbler: Eh, just focus on the Christ forgiving you part. It's all about you, right?
Okay, okay, that's probably a bit of an exaggeration. But from the conversations I've had, I don't think I'm the only one who has such a voice that "helps" interpret Scripture. We all come to the Bible with certain ingrained expectations about ourselves, the world, and God. But God's Word tends to sandpaper over them... a lot.
Not surprisingly, we push back. We justify trouble spots in our own lives and shift the tough passages to "worry about later" or "not about me" lists. I know I'm good at that.
Intersecting Faith & Life: You'll never turn off the voice of justification that warbles along as you read the Bible. We're sin-kissed creatures with hearts that like to dance the shuffle. But you can drown out that subtle whisper with prayers of confession. If nothing else, that little voice is good for telling you exactly where you need the help.
Here's a prayer that works for me: Father, your compassion makes my resistance seem so ridiculous. Give me the guts to accept the chastisement of your Word. Knock through my love-of-self and give me love-of-You instead. Weaken me so that I can be stronger in Christ. Amen.
For Further Reading:
Ephesians 4:1
James 1:1
:angel:
Born Blind
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
"Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life." – John 9:3
One of my favorite Bible stories appears in John 9, where Jesus heals a man born blind. Take a moment to read the following:
As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world." Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes. "Go," he told him, "wash in the Pool of Siloam"(this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing. – John 9:1-8
Every time I read this, I can't help but wonder what went through the mind of the blind man when he heard Jesus. All his life people have been telling him he's cursed, that his blindness is punishment for some sin his family committed. Then, in a single moment, Christ turns his world around. Not only does he absolve him of guilt in front of the disciples, he announces that God is going to display his glory through a blind man's life. Many people read this story and think it's all about how Jesus healed his sight, but I believe it's more about how Christ restored his soul.
Too often we Christians are like the Pharisees of old. We look at people, find something in their life that isn't quite perfect, and make a note of how much they "need God." What we're really saying is, "Look at how messed up this person is, you know it's because they've turned away from God." Just like the disciples did. If you ever find yourself tempted to think that, beware. While the story of John 9 ends with one man receiving sight, it also ends with some who are still blind.
"Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" "Who is he, sir?" the man asked. "Tell me so that I may believe in him." Jesus said, "You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you." Then the man said, "Lord, I believe," and he worshiped him. Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind." – John 9:35-39
Intersecting Faith and Life: "The gospel declares that no matter how dutiful or prayerful we are, we can't save ourselves. What Jesus did was sufficient." ~Brennan Manning
Further Reading
John 13:34-35
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Men & Christian Friendship: It Won't Just Happen on its Own
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need.
Proverbs 17:17, NLT
I own many books, but the ones I reference often I keep above my desk at work. One of these is a 1983 edition of David W. Smith's The Friendless American Male. It's a title that, sadly, has only grown more accurate in the last three decades, its content more applicable. Men, especially us hard-working, married-with-children types, are lacking in close biblical friendships. The reasons are varied and several, and it's not my intent in the space of a daily devotional to present or solve them all. Suffice to say that most men I talk with vouch for the lack of quality friendships in their life, even if they speak of different reasons for the condition.
It's something I worry about, something I marvel at when I consider some of the differences between myself and my own father. For example, back when my father was climbing the ladder in the Tucson Real Estate industry and had children the ages mine are now, his weekends were all his own. Tennis in the morning on both Saturday and Sunday. Soaking up sun at the pool or doing yardwork in the afternoons. Watching sports or even working in the evenings. A quarterly fishing trip. Several of these activities involved his friends and acquaintances. It must be pointed out that he didn't know or serve the Lord at this time in his life, but it's also important to note that, to the best of my recollection, we kids weren't starved for his attention or affection. It still seemed like we were close, and had plenty of time together. So, I merely use my father as the model I was shown for what men were expected (allowed?) to do and be socially in the 1970s.
At some point things changed, and yes, in most ways, for the better. Men began leaving their work at work. Being conscious about setting aside time for family activities. Reserving weekends for playing with their kids and going to soccer games rather than hitting the tennis court or the golf links or the lake. But technology, instead of saving us time, only seemed to create more ways in which we could spend it working. Where my father routinely met his buddies for a beverage after work, it's all I can do to rush home, swallow some food, and not leave my wife and kids feeling neglected before I log on for another couple hours of work and then an exhausted collapse into bed. Meeting another dude for a beer or coffee? Seriously, I don't want to laugh, but when? Even if I had a hole in my schedule, what makes me think the person I might invite (even if I knew someone well enough to want to spend time with him) would have time and desire, too? I was heavily involved in our Adult Bible Fellowship at our former church for years, and I can count on one hand the times I did something outside of church with any of the men in that group.
So, something is definitely missing. Somewhere, we went too far. I remember being single and having the privilege to work with two very close friends in our college admissions office, both of whom were newly married. Yet getting them to do anything social outside work was just about impossible. One of them wouldn't even go see a movie with me - one that I was offering to pay for - on the night his wife was busy studying for her nursing final exams. The other wouldn't even ask his wife whether he could put off lawn mowing for one more day to attend a minor league baseball game with a mutual friend who was in town for just one night. What was going on?
Sure, I was tempted to blame their wives for not letting their husbands out to play, but even if there was truth to that notion, it wasn't the issue. The issue was, and is, that men simply are not bonding much these days... that the Bible speaks about friendship and male leadership and iron sharpening iron... and we are either purposefully choosing or unwittingly failing to make bonding and sharpening a priority.
So what do we do?
The only answer I have is: something. For me, that something arrives every March. That's when I and 13 of my friends from college and camp get together for a long weekend of fishing, good food, fantasy baseball drafting, NCAA tournament watching, and most importantly, fellowship. We call it "Draftmas" because it's very much like a holiday for us, and it centers around our fantasy baseball draft and league as a device to draw us all together, give us common footing. But to a man, most would tell you that the baseball is not the point. So what is?
Let's refer back to The Friendless American Male: on page 52 Smith writes, "Close friendships don't just happen. They result from the application of principles recorded throughout the Word of God." He contrasts the kindness and affection that David and Jonathan shared with the "lack of sympathy" and "overt emotional harrassment and condemnation" Job experienced with his pals Zophar, Eliphaz, and Bildad. The difference, Smith says, can be found throughout the Bible in these six principles of male friendship:
1. God-Centered
2. Formation of a covenant
3. Faithfulness
4. Social involvement
5. Candor
6. Respect
Just as Amos 3:3 says, "Do two men walk together unless they have made an appointment?", so do we display an intentional commitment to this activity as central to who we are as men, to who we want to be the rest of the year for our families and each other. While having close friends who don't live near me (but whom I'm always in contact with) does, admittedly, sometimes hinder me making new friends locally, it also serves to remind me how making new friends is possible and necessary. And I can see Smith's principles at work in this treasured group: God is indeed at the center of each of our lives; we've formed an agreement to meet together and communicate together around something we all enjoy, and are faithful to that agreement, to God, and to each other. We all fill roles, and are active socially and economically with each other, lending a hand in often amazing ways when needs arise; we speak freely and candidly, and we respect the various issues everyone brings to the table.
Sometimes those issues are big ones: Joblessness. Crises of faith. Being overwhelmed. Economic hardship. Remarriage. Career decisions. Waiting on God. Loneliness. Recently-deceased parents. Autism. Health. I'm already wondering how different this gathering is going to be from past ones. But even when trials are shared, this is never a downer of a man-cation. In fact, I can't wait to get out of town to really bounce ideas and prayers off my friends, really seek out ways we can help each other, while at the same time catching more fish and outbidding them for Albert Pujols.
About five years ago, one of our group told me, "You know this is only going to get harder to keep up the older we get." I disagreed. Several of us are only finding it easier. For one thing, our wives have come to see the difference in their men when they spend this time with each other. Mine practically pushes me out the door even though the event is often close to her birthday weekend. It's not a perfect answer to what I'm missing and seeing so many other men miss in their lives, but it's a start, and even, I realize now, a model.
Intersecting Faith & Life: What common interest can you center a group of Christian men around? It should be an excuse, a starting point, a conversational diving board. While things like sports, fishing, golfing, and other stereotypical male things are good, bear in mind that no one man enjoys all of these activities or subjects, and often, it's a sore spot with him, one that might be the very thing that, deep down, has him feeling like not as much of a "man."
Wives, you can help "wake up" your listless man by hooking him up with his friends (not your friends' husbands on a grown-up play-date, mind you), letting him reconnect with those who share his memories and the activities he used to enjoy. Several healthy couples I know set aside one weekend every year for each person to spend a same-sex getaway with close friends, while also not feeling threatened by the idea of an evening here, an afternoon there causing any damage to the relationship. If anything, it'll make your marriage healthier, and bring you back together with things to talk about and pray for.
Further Reading
1 Samuel 18:1-4; 1 Samuel 19:1-10
The Making of a Friendship
Why Men Need Friends
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Cold Showers
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com
But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" (Luke 10:40)
Every morning for as long as he could, my grandfather slid out of bed before the sun rose and took a cold shower. Now, granted, he lived in the warm climes of southern Alabama, and the waves of heat there appear more like tsunamis of heat. But let me tell you, cold showers in the early morning of southern Alabama feel pretty much the same as cold showers anywhere else. They're cold.
Every evening, my grandfather came back to a house without air conditioning. He did prop a fan in the window, but that seemed more like a concession to his wimpy family than anything he needed. In a house he'd built himself that had little insulation and a tin roof, the fan pretty much blew hot air around.
But he just made it work. These inconveniences weren't a challenge; they were opportunities. No water heater? Take cold showers. Three channels on TV? Talk when nothing's on. No clothes dryer? Hang them up on a line. No phone? Go to your daughter's house and use hers (though I can't remember him ever doing so). Something breaks? Don't buy a new one; fix it.
When I pull myself away from my iPhone, I'm sometimes struck with how different my life is. There's never a drop of cold water anywhere near my shower. My first instinct is to buy what I need, never to make it. In the evenings, I have to force my mind to stay present on my family instead of drifting away to what "important" social media updates I'm missing.
But it's not really the technology differences that hit the hardest. You see, there was a depth to my grandfather that I've found much harder to emulate. I'm often too distracted to get there. He just moved and breathed faith; it naturally flowed from his character. Yet I struggle to stay afloat in an ocean of distractions.
Perhaps those cold showers really would do me some good.
Intersecting Faith and Life: My grandfather, much to the chagrin of his grandsons, loved to play twangy gospel music every weekend. Our peaceful morning slumber would melt away with steel guitars and nasally notes. But this wasn't something he did to annoy us. He just knew what was most important.
This isn't a call to jettison technology (honestly, I can be just as distracted by books and worries as I can by Netflix). Instead, what I think most about my grandfather is his resolve to remember what mattered most. He never cared about what he lacked because he knew what he had. He loved God and learned from His Word. And that satisfied him.
Too often, the busyness of my life keeps me from remembering what he taught.
For Further Reading:
Luke 10:38
Psalms 27:1
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Trapped in the Darkness
by Fred Alberti, Salem Web Network Director of Social Media
"...to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me."
Acts 26:18
As I was walking through my nature trail this week I, as I normally do, asked the Lord what I should write this week. As I passed through the chapel area of the trail the sun flashed through the leaves and caught my attention. Light. I had entered the darkness of the woods but that light caught my attention. I "filed" it away and continued my travels through the trail.
Later, I was reading through various news stories of earthquake survivors in China when one particular story jumped out at me and brought back to my mind my earlier encounter with the rising sun. The story was of a middle-aged man named Mr. Shen whose quick thinking to take cover in a doorway saved him from the fate experienced by many of his co-workers.
When interviewed, Mr. Shen recalled shouting to a co-worker to join him in the doorway when the room suddenly collapsed. The next thing he remembered was the sudden darkness that enveloped him.
What struck me in his interview was his statement, "Oh, the darkness, oh, the darkness all over. I didn't know when it was going to end."
There are people that we walk past every day that, without knowing it, are spiritually in the same condition as Mr. Shen; trapped in darkness under the weight of sin.
For Mr. Shen, the darkness crumpled under the hands of the rescuers. After 146 hours his encounter with complete and utter darkness came to an end. That darkness, however, will always leave a mark on his being.
Will you forget the darkness that seeks to crush the hope of those around you?
Intersecting Faith & Life: Find a place of complete and utter darkness and spend at least 15 minutes praying for people you know who have not accepted God's free gift of salvation.
Further Reading
Ephesians 5:8
John 12:46
1 Peter 2:9
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Your Dead Will Live
by Debbie Holloway, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
"Your dead will live; their corpses will rise. You who lie in the dust, awake and shout for joy" (Isaiah 26:19).
In Luke's account of Christ's resurrection, proclaim to the women: "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!" (24:5-6). This joyous news must have taken them off guard. After all, they came to Jesus' tomb bearing burial spices with which to anoint the lifeless body of their Lord. Instead, they find dazzling angels standing watch next to an empty tomb, and hear news that they will never find Christ in a place of death and darkness.
As Easter draws closer, have you considered which aspects of your life God wants to breathe life into?
Family
Many of us have strained familial relationships that seem only to worsen when we get together for meals and services around the holidays. Do you pray for the members of your family regularly? Are you willing to open up your heart to start loving them the way God loves each and every one of them? Remember,
"Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things" (1 Corinthians 13:7).
Friendships
If Christ's work on the cross teaches us anything about friendships, it's that forgiveness and grace trumps all. After all, mere hours before his gruesome death, Jesus was ignored, abandoned, denied, and betrayed by his closest friends. He could have equally been speaking of Peter, a man in his inner circle, when he begged on the cross, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34). Yet, even after being left alone and misunderstood, Christ still made the ultimate act of love for his friends (and the world).
"Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves" (Romans 12:10).
Work
Often our "good" side is saved for our friends and loved ones, while our places of work get the short (or grumpy) end of the stick. As you ponder the work Christ did on the cross, and the glory of his resurrection, remember that our work can be a beautiful echo of his perfect work, holy and pleasing to God.
"For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe. Command and teach these things. Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity" (1 Timothy 4:10-12).
Intersecting Faith and Life: What area of your life needs to come alive in honor of Easter? How can you seek Christ daily in your relationships and duties?
Further Reading
Book of Titus
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Give Thanks Today
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. – 1 Chronicles 16:8
I have a system for writing devotionals. First I start with a funny or emotional story about some event in my past. Next, I'll usually drop in a Bible reference that loosely coincides with my experience. Finally, I'll finish off with how I learned more about God as a result. Simple, effective, and clean.
I'd like to try something a little different with today's devotional. Instead of telling a story, I'd simply like to give thanks. I don't thank God enough for the things He has given me; usually I'm too busy asking for more. So today, as awkward as it might be, I'd like to publicly thank Him for all He has done, starting with my family. Thank you, God, for my family.
Thank you for my job.
Thank you for providing for me in more ways than one.
Thank you that I have food in my pantry.
Thank you that I have clean water to drink.
Thank you for giving me a place to sleep at night.
Thank you that I have clothes to wear.
Thank you that I have friends who care about me.
Thank you that I have a Church where I can freely worship.
Thank you that I have a copy of your Word available to read.
Thank you that I am healthy.
Thank you for the ability to see, hear, taste, touch, and smell.
Thank you for the sun, the moon, and the stars.
Thank you for the birds in the air.
Thank you for the fish in the sea.
Thank you for the animals all across the globe.
Thank you for your Grace, which I do not deserve.
Thank you for sending your Son, who died for my sins.
I could go on, there is so much more I'd like to list. Instead, I'd like to pass this spirit of gratitude on to you. Today, remember to give thanks for the ways God has blessed you, and think about all the things He has done. Big and small, meaningful or bizarre, write them out or say them aloud. I think the list will grow longer than you would believe.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Write out your blessings on a sheet of paper. See for yourself what God has done in your life.
Further Reading
Psalms 45
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A Springtime Mystery
by Katherine Britton
"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse."
Romans 1:20
When was the last time you wondered if spring would ever come? Not in the ironic sense - really wondered if winter might last forever, something like the 100 years of winter in Narnia. My guess is never. Most of America lives in the reality of four seasons, and we expect the Earth to naturally cycle from winter to spring to summer to fall. We expect trees to unfurl new leaves this time of year because they're supposed to.
But what if they didn't? What if the trees bloomed in winter when their new leaves would freeze, or what if their flowers matured into hornets' nests instead of apples? What if they didn't bloom at all?
In his autobiographical work, Orthodoxy, G. K. Chesterton remembers his journey from agnosticism to faith including such nonsensical questions. Before he became the great 20th century apologist, he was a man confined to the world of determinism, where the natural world was governed by impersonal laws or nothing. But observing spring outside his window, he was struck by the wonderful fact that for some reason, trees do indeed bloom into fruit.
"They [materialists/determinists] talked as if the fact that trees bear fruit were just as necessary as the fact that two and one trees make three. But it is not... You cannot imagine two and one not making three. But you can easily imagine trees not growing fruit..."
"I had always vaguely felt facts to be miracles in the sense that they were wonderful: now I began to think them miracles in the stricter sense that they were willful. I mean that they were, or might be, repeated exercises of some will. In short, I had always believed that the world involved magic: now I thought that perhaps it involved a magician." (Orthodoxy)
I owe Chesterton a great debt, because he taught me to be amazed at everyday grace. After all, how often do we marvel that the sky is blue (or grey) instead of orange or electric pink? Yet again, familiarity breeds contempt, and we forget what incredible world this "magician" made and keeps in order. Like children who see the same magic trick one too many times, we stop wondering "how did he do that?" and are bored until we see something new.
I use the term "magician" loosely - God is no mere conjurer of tricks, and Jesus didn't feed the 5,000 just to wow the crowd. But I wonder that we lose our wonder of this world, even in its fallen state. As Paul writes in Romans, the evidence of God's incredible, "eternal power" and transcendent, "divine nature" is right in front of our eyes. How do we forget a God so great that He makes trees bloom?
As Virginia turns to spring again, I can't help but look outside and be amazed. To paraphrase Chesterton, the fact that grass is really green - and so perfectly suited for springtime sports - truly is a miracle, a supernaturally guided fact. What an awesome God.
Intersecting Faith & Life: When was the last time you took a look outside? Consider that "the heavens declare the glory of God" (Psalm 8:1) and the Earth is the work of his hands. Are you properly inspired to worship their Creator?
Further Reading:
Psalms 8:1
Psalms 33:5
Genesis 8:22
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Easter: All That Matters vs. All I Live For
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
He has risen, just as He said.
Matthew 28:6, NIV
What would I ever do if someone I knew came back from the dead? Especially if he had said he would, and if he had spent a couple nights in a grave already?
Seriously, what would I do? What would you do? Wouldn't I blab to everyone I know - and most people I don't - about this miraculous event? Heck, I tell everyone when I'm feeling under the weather or when I saw a good movie.
Then factor in that the same guy was now telling us that because of what he had done, none of the rest of us would ever have to suffer death. What's more, simply by believing what we had seen, no matter our background, history, race, or education, we could restore our long-lost connection with the Almighty, and live forever.
Man... unfortunately, I'm having a hard time conceiving what I would do. Or, even if I can conceive it, I can't quite believe it, because honestly, I have seen this, I do believe this, and yet my daily reaction to it doesn't exactly line up with The Acts of the Apostles.
Has the news of a resurrected savior really become passe?
Why don't I want to read Acts?
What am I afraid of?
That I'll be rejected?
(He who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit (1 Thess. 4:8)).
That I won't be powerful enough?
(God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline (2 Tim. 1:7)).
That the good news isn't relevant enough?
Salvation and the message of the resurrection, the miracle of born again-ness, is a salve to all wounds.
This Easter I'll join choruses like "He's Alive" while pondering and praising the miracle, but when it comes time for the next day of my life to begin, a day and a life that means nothing if not lived for my Savior, it'll be all about me again and my troubles and making my way and who cut me off and what I have to get done and who I don't like and what can we complain about today.
Yuck.
I want this Easter to be real. Because I did see it happen (so to speak; the resulting spread of those who ran to the corners of the earth to tell the story with no regard for personal safety is traceable to this day), it is real, and I'm cheating life and people God loves if I'm not shouting those facts from every corner and rooftop I can find. Everything else is just window dressing; "Christian living" is often just how we pass all our extra time in this country where so many of our basic needs are so easily met, and where we can cordon ourselves off from each other. What matters in life?
That there is life, and...
how it came about that there might never be death, but...
there are still dead men walking.
Really, why else are we here if not to keep excitedly shouting the truth of the miracle as if we'd just experienced it with our own eyes yesterday?
Intersecting Faith & Life: For the longest time, I've felt a leading in my heart to launch out into a complete study of the book of Acts, something I've never fully done. For some reason, I continue to put it off. But in my quest this year to make Easter real, I'm beginning a study of what those who witnessed the resurrection couldn't keep themselves from going out and doing. Care to join me?
Further Reading
Acts 1:1
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Is Doubting a Sin?
by Debbie Holloway, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
And [Jesus] said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? (Luke 24:38)
There's no doubt about it: faith is a gift. To be more specific, faith is a gift... and not all of us are born with this gift. Many of us have been through trials and struggles that make blind faith and unwavering belief difficult, almost impossible. Have you ever been lied to by a trusted friend? Let down by a parent? Abused by someone who was meant to care for you? Chances are, the answer is yes. Chances are, doubting God is sometimes (or often) something with which you struggle.
Many of us grow up hearing the refrain from James, "the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind" (James 1:6). Many of us are told over and over again that there is no room for doubt or skepticism in the Kingdom of God. But is that truly the message portrayed in Scripture? Should we really feel the sting of shame over asking questions and expressing hesitation?
Jesus' response to doubt was often, why? He proposed neither a condemnation nor an accolade, but a dialogue. Jesus cared about the hearts, motives, and fears of those who questioned him, who struggled with unbelief. Practically everyone to whom Jesus ministered expressed genuine doubt or asked provoking questions. But Jesus healed them anyway. Jesus answered their questions (John 3:1). Jesus told them things about themselves, causing them to look at life in a new way (John 4:7). When extraordinary faith was shown (Luke 7:1) Jesus was astounded and overjoyed. But he certainly did not condemn all others of lesser faith. He knew that it takes time for people to overcome cultures of fear and questions.
God has big plans for us, plans to bless us richly through belief and faith. This is evidenced by what Jesus told Thomas:
"Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed" (John 20:29).
Christ doesn't deny Thomas' belief or turn him out on the street in penalty for his doubt. Rather, he stresses again the blessings that will be available to all men through the power of faith and belief. God has such rich things in store for us – but we cannot see them all yet. Jesus wanted to drill that into his followers since he knew he would not be with them physically for much longer.
Take heart and remember, doubting can be a step toward faith – it is not the opposite of faith. And remember also,
"Keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life. And have mercy on some, who are doubting" (Jude 1:21).
Intersecting Faith and Life: Are you struggling with doubts? Is a fellow brother or sister dealing with hard questions? Remember, God calls for mercy for the doubters, not judgment.
Further reading
Psalms 31:1
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He Defeated Death
by Sarah Phillips
Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast." Now none of the disciples dared ask him, "Who are you?" They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead. (John 21: 12 - 14)
Recently, my husband and I attended a forum to discuss the increasingly controversial issues surrounding end of life decisions. The event was intended to approach the topic from a Christian worldview, drawing on the Christian teachings of the dignity of human life.
Most of us came expecting experts to delve into the ways we can ethically preserve a person's life in a culture all too quick to promote what Pope John Paul II coined "the culture of death." This aspect of end-of-life issues is a very important one, and it was discussed at length. But before we got to those topics, a local trauma surgeon gave the first talk. And her words sunk in deeply with the entire room.
She highlighted the reality that death is part of human life, and when it's a person's time, it's okay to die. She offered ways families can come to recognize - and find peace - when that time comes.
I can't lie - these words were hard to hear even though we all, deep down, know we are mere mortals. Nobody wants to die. Nobody wants to think about death. It is strangely easier to discuss heavy issues such as battling diseases or unethical procedures than to discuss the need to accept natural death.
Undoubtedly, part of our hesitancy to discuss the topic is fueled by our own sense of self-preservation and fear of loss. But I also think the topic is difficult because as Christians we celebrate life - and rightly so. We are people of hope, people who cherish the gift of life and the blessings that come with it. For centuries, Christians have been among the first to defend life and promote the dignity of even the tiniest, most fragile person.
But the trauma surgeon's talk about preparing for natural death does not run contrary to being people of hope. She spoke these words in light of our true hope: Jesus Christ. She highlighted that while we should not prematurely end our earthly lives - because, yes this life is a gift - there is eternal life with Jesus Christ awaiting those who believe. Our time here is a time of preparation for the fullness of life in Christ. She said (to paraphrase), "Natural death of a loved one or even our own is the time we are called to put into practice that faith we've developed year after year as church attendees, deepening our relationship with the Lord."
During Easter week, we celebrate the resurrection of the risen Christ. Jesus Christ faced all the loneliness, pain, and fear that comes with death and conquered it. And as we read the Easter scriptures, we see that he did not disappear or abandon his disciples after the resurrection, but walked among them in his glorified state to offer further hope and instruction. So now, as we celebrate this profound moment in salvation history, we must ask ourselves: Do we truly believe He has conquered death and will never abandon us? As Christians, we can say yes with confidence.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Do you know someone who is ill or even grieving a loss? Find a way to be Christ's comforting presence for that person this week even if it's through a small gesture like a card.
Further Reading:
Acts 4: 1 - 12
John 21: 1 - 14
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Both / And
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Him who is the Head, that is, Christ.
Ephesians 4:15
Consider the following sets of words:
Compassionate, communicative, kind, fair, long-suffering, patient, accepting, gentle, merciful, understanding.
Honest, holy, set-apart, stand-taking, consistent, dedicated, mature, righteous, unyielding, just.
Which set best describes you?
Sometimes it feels like we Christians divide ourselves into these two camps. Camp A rightly believes that "God is love," and as such they do a fairly good job of not alienating those they meet and know and care for. Of course, with every strength there's a weak side, and sometimes our well-meaning Camp-A brethren can become wishy-washy and overly accepting, even false.
Camp B, on the other hand, rightly believes that "God is holy," and as such they do a fairly good job of reminding those they meet and know and care for that sin is sin, and God can not tolerate it. Of course, sometimes our well-meaning Camp-B brethren can end up sounding a lot like gongs and cymbals, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. People know we're here, but they wish we'd quiet down for a bit. Perhaps all the conflict between our own camps has torn at your heart and worn down your spirit, too.
Now consider... which set of words best describes Our Father? Think about it before answering. We'll come back to that thought in a minute.
I have a close friend, a youth minister, who has served many years at his current church. Recently, he was summoned to a meeting with the personnel committee and several parents. The gist of their message was that he was teaching the students too much about discipline and truth and knowing what the Bible says and so on. The criticism apparently was that there wasn't enough about love and compassion in his messages.
Reading between the lines, it was clear that fear was at work: fear that these students weren't being prepared for college and a world that is more about tolerance and acceptance and where Christian students who literally believe the Bible are ostracized. After all, who hopes for their child to face unpopularity, embarrassment, and harsh criticism while they're already struggling to get ahead in the world? My friend would point out that he's not opposed to compassion and love, not in the least. But what kind of foundation do you want to build in the youth?
It's sad. Because at the end of the day... why can't we have both?
I'm not talking about vacillating. I'm not talking about compromise. I don't want to be lukewarm.
I am talking about balance; checks and balances. I do wish to be balanced. A position of balance is a position of strength. A balanced person stumbles less often. How much fun is a teeter-totter where all the weight is pushed to one side?
I am also talking about paradox. A paradox is a seeming contradiction that nonetheless contains truth. A paradox says an object or person or idea is both this and that. Jesus is the world's greatest paradox, being both fully God and fully man. With Christ as the example and the cornerstone, one learns to see that the whole Bible is full of paradox, including the fact that we can and should "Speak truth." "In love." Both/and. Just like Jesus.
He didn't excuse sins. But He did forgive them.
He was equal with God. But He didn't consider equality with God a thing to be grasped.
He was sinless. But He refused to cast the first stone at the accused.
He demanded His followers take up a cross and follow Him unreservedly unfettered. But He was sad for those who weren't ready to do so.
Truth. In. Love. Both. And.
Don't forget, Campers, you have the Holy Spirit, which gives you wisdom, which instructs you as to which set of characteristics is needed in a given circumstance. Pull up the tent poles. Become nomadic. You can put on the armor of God, but if your feet aren't balanced beneath you? Ask any beginner student of martial arts what the result will be.
But even if you find yourself gravitating more towards one campsite or the other, that's okay. The same chapter that talks of the need to speak the truth in love also mentions, just a couple verses earlier, that, "It was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up."
We're on the same team. And the goal is a "built-up body." One that won't stand unless balanced, unless level, unless unified. What's the result? Refer back to our verse today. When we "speak truth in love," we will "grow up." Bottom line, Campers, our body needs to mature.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Simply ask yourself the next time you proclaim the Word: am I being loving? Are my motives pure? Likewise, the next time you get those warm feelings about how fair and open-minded and communicative you're being with unbelievers and sinners, ask, "Lord, what truth do they need to know?" Love enough to tell the truth. Be truthful enough to not misrepresent how your Lord meets broken people where they are. It can be scary to think about doing, but remember that "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and love, and discipline."
Further Reading
1 Corinthians 13
Discovering the Value of Your Personality
Education and Relation - or - Truth and Love
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God's Unseen Glory
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Culture Editor
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. – John 1:14
If I had to choose a favorite moment in the life of Christ, it would probably be the story of the blind man in John 9. Most Christians are familiar with the passage, it begins with Jesus walking through the temple with his disciples when they come across a man born blind.
"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 would be born blind?' Jesus answered, 'It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him." – John 9:1-3
For a long time I believed the "works" Jesus talked about meant healing the man's blindness. That's what the story was all about, wasn't it? Jesus performing a miracle to prove he was the Son of God? Actually, no. In fact, the real message of John 9 turned out to be something much different.
After receiving his sight, the man is brought before the Pharisees to be questioned. The religious leaders are torn: this Jesus performed a miracle, so he must be some kind of prophet, but he did so on the Sabbath, a true man of God wouldn't break the Sabbath. Eventually they just decide to pull rank (We are the Pharisees, We decide who gets credit for this miracle!) Listen to how the once-blind man responds,
"The man answered and said to them, 'Well, here is an amazing thing, that you do not know where He is from, and yet He opened my eyes. We know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing and does His will, He hears him. Since the beginning of time it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, He could do nothing.' They answered him, 'You were born entirely in sins, and are you teaching us?' So they put him out."
If Jesus had wanted to be recognized for his power he would have ridden into Jerusalem as the conquering hero the Jews expected him to be. Instead he came quietly, touching the lives of the lost and overlooked. His "works" were the restoring of hearts and souls, not just physical bodies. By doing so, he gave a blind man the ability to see truth, where the Pharisees became blind to it. Let us make sure the Church doesn't become blind as well.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Ask questions. Don't be like the Pharisees, who were so wrapped up in their legalism they failed to recognize God. Seek to grow your faith at every opportunity.
Further Reading
John 10
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Overcoming the Past
by Stephen Sanders, Audio/Video Editor at Salem Web Network
I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back.
Philippians 3:12-14
Last night, I went to a college basketball game with my wife and kids. For the first time in a really long time, I was overwhelmed with a sense of not fitting in with those around me. As we sat and waited for the game to begin, my discomfort level steadily increased with every college kid that filled that arena. The clothing trends, the blaring hip-hop music and the comradery between the students took me back to a place in time that I tend to block out. As I drove home, I couldn't help but ponder all the pressures of my teenage years.
Now don't get me wrong, I love to reminisce about the good ole days just as much as the next guy. I think we all have at least a few fond memories that cause us to close our eyes and think about the things that we really miss. For example, if you are anything like me, there will never be a better era for music than when I was in high school.
Grunge bands like Smashing Pumpkins, Soundgarden and Stone Temple Pilots were still cranking out mainstream hits. Bands like Incubus and Rage Against the Machine were at the forefront of what would soon be called the Nu Metal movement. And I was still faithfully rockin' that same green flannel shirt from middle school. Yep, those were the days...
The good memories are something that I revisit quite frequently at this point in my life. After all, I am in my 30s now, and I am getting a gray hair or two in the old beard. I even noticed the other day that I'm starting to make strange grunting noises when I sit down or stand up, like I'm in pain or something. What's up with that?!?! I also have a teenager living in my house, which never fails to take me back to all that teenage drama. My point is: it's fun to think about the fun stuff, but usually not so fun to relive the not-so-fun stuff.
For me, the not-so-fun side of high school was being the loner. Now I'm not talking about that super cool James Dean or even that Arthur Fonzarelli kind of loner/rebel. See, I was always the guy in high school who didn't really fit in with anyone; at least, I never felt like I did anyway.
It's funny because I don't tend to be that way anymore. Since I became a Christian in 2002, I feel like I've slowly become more confident in who I am. I don't tend to be so concerned about how other people perceive me, but rather try to understand that everyone has been created differently; that all we have control over is ourselves and how we choose to interact with the other 7 billion people on planet earth.
So, last night as I drove home from the game, I asked God to help me learn from what I was feeling. Why was I so uncomfortable and so bitter towards these strangers? What was it about this event that made me so judgmental towards people who I knew absolutely nothing about? It's funny because I didn't get a direct answer from God. All I can tell you is that I had a peace about what I was feeling. The sin within myself that had stunned me just a few hours prior had now been covered by the promise of my Savior. It was no more a part of my life than that hideous green flannel shirt my wife threw out years ago.
Intersecting Faith and Life: The difficult things in life, past, present of future, all pale in comparison to the joy we have found in Jesus Christ. In Philipians 4:11-13, Paul said, "...I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me."
Today, my hope is that, no matter how good or bad our circumstance is, that we choose to focus on the strength that is available to us in Christ.
For Further Reading
Philipians 3 & 4
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The Gifts of Easter
Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
"While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy." – Luke 24:51-52
My Grandfather has always been a generous man. Every Easter when I was young, he would go out to the local candy store and return with bags upon bags of candy for me and my cousins. Of course, we couldn't just eat the candy then and there. To make things more enjoyable, the children would all go into the basement to play while he and my Grandmother hid the candy in nooks and corners of the house for us to find throughout the day. The big prize in the game was always an enormous, solid chocolate bunny hidden somewhere in the house, and my grandfather loved to walk about giving vague hints as to where it might be.
To be honest though, what I loved most about my early Easters was actually what came afterward. You see, my Grandfather always bought so much candy that we kids couldn't find it all. So when our family came to visit a few weeks later, you might find a caramel egg while rummaging through the bookshelf or stumble on a bar of chocolate while playing in the study. These unexpected blessings always reminded me how much my Grandfather loved his grandchildren, and how he always spoke of God loving us. Looking back on it now, I can't help but see a resemblance between those unforeseen gifts and Christ's work through the resurrection.
Look at the verse below,
"On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, 'Peace be with you!' After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Again Jesus said, 'Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.' And with that he breathed on them and said, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.'" – John 20:19-23
One of the most amazing, wonderful messages of the gospel is that it's not over. Just like my old Easter-egg hunt, which didn't end with the capture of the giant bunny, Christ's work didn't end at the resurrection. Instead, he gave us the Holy Spirit. The unexpected gift, that continues to remind us how much he loves us, and the sacrifice he made so that we could be together again. So this year, celebrate Easter with a grateful heart, and remember the love Christ has for you.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Take a moment to meditate of Jesus life, death, and resurrection.
Further Reading
John 20
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Deconstructing David
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."
1 Samuel 16:7
The first time I read the story of King David, it was from a small, animated Bible my parents had bought me as a boy. As I flipped through the pages of that little book, I can remember looking on David as something of a superhero. Think about it: he defeated Goliath with nothing but a sling and five stones. After that, he became King of Israel, replacing Saul, who had done a pretty terrible job to begin with. He was referred to as a man after God's own heart, and nothing could touch him.
After a while, I began to see the life of David as more of a fairytale. I still believed it to be true, but a part of me resented God for showing David so much favor. Why had his life been so perfect when the rest of us had to struggle? Why did God allow so many people to suffer pain, but always seem to step up for David? It wasn't until I was a teenager that I stumbled onto this psalm written by David:
"Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me. I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God. Those who hate me without reason outnumber the hairs of my head; many are my enemies without cause, those who seek to destroy me. I am forced to restore what I did not steal. You know my folly, O God; my guilt is not hidden from you." – Psalms 69
Now that I'm older I realize David's life wasn't perfect; in a lot of ways it was actually pretty lousy. He was hounded by Saul for years, he lost loved ones to sickness and war, and he even committed some pretty serious sins. Being a man after God's own heart didn't mean David would be shielded from harm, and being a Christian doesn't guarantee us prosperity. The thing that made David a great man, and the thing that makes our lives as Christians meaningful, was that he never turned away from God. We will all experience trials and tribulations in our lives, but by trusting God we can overcome them.
That is how we become people after God's own heart, and in the end, that's all God really wants.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Take a moment to look past your troubles and consider what can bring you closer to God.
Further Reading
Psalm 69
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Being Quick to Listen in a World of Talk
by Mike Pohlman
Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness that God requires." –James 1:19-20
We live in a world of talk. Talk, talk, talk. Speak, speak, speak. Ours is the age of talk radio (news talk, sports talk, money talk, self-help talk, car talk, I-just-want-to-talk talk), podcasts and cell phones. Everyone, it seems, wants to be heard.
Speaking of cell phones, the other day I was in line at one of my local Starbucks and the gentleman in front of me was ordering a caramel macchiato while talking to a buddy on his iPhone. The barista was more than gracious as the customer stopped and started his order apparently not able to put his other conversation on hold (I like what one coffee house in Bellingham, Washington has done by posting a sign that says, "We'll serve you once you hang up the phone").
But it's not just at Starbucks. After arriving home recently from a business trip, I left Los Angeles International Airport in one of those shuttle vans. I shared it with seven other passengers that were making the 40 mile trip north. While most of us were quiet, preferring to read or look out the window at the sea of cars that had us moving at a crawl, there were two college-age men who had to talk. They made call after call on their cell phones to chat with friends about all the amazing things that must have happened during their several days away. I got to hear about the party later that night, the car that broke down, the lonely girlfriend and the overbearing parents. Let's just say they were conversations I didn't need to be a part of.
We have become a culture full of talking heads regardless of where we find ourselves. And the chatter is deafening.
Into this noise come the words of James: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak. This exhortation is almost unintelligible to a culture intent on talking. We have it backwards: we are quick to speak, slow to hear.
But God would be the primary voice heard in the universe. He is the One who has much to say. He speaks, in the Bible, of the riches of His mercy in Christ. He broadcasts His forgiveness and love. He heralds the wonder of redemption. He calls us to repent and beckons us to draw near.
Am I listening?
Do you remember the story of Martha and Mary in Luke 10:38-42? Luke offers us a helpful contrast in speaking and listening. Martha was frantically trying to make dinner preparations for Jesus and the disciples. I envision her running around the house uttering things under her breath like, "I can't believe Jesus is here on such short notice—not to mention all his disciples—and I have to pull this dinner together." And, "Why doesn't Mary get in here and help me?" Unlike Martha, Mary "sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching" (10:39).
Not surprisingly, Martha gets a bit frustrated at Mary's lack of effort with the event. So Martha does what we probably all would do under similar circumstances—she starts talking: "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me" (10:40). We are not left to wonder which course of action Jesus commends. We see it in his gentle rebuke: "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her."
Mary was quick to listen and slow to speak. She knew when to be quiet. In a culture full of chatter I want to learn the discipline of silence so I can hear what the Lord wants to teach me. He's speaking; am I listening?
Intersecting Faith & Life: What radical measures can you take to help you listen not only to God but to other people? What things in your life are blocking out the voice of God?
Further Reading
Psalms 46:10
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The Corinthian Man-Creed
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
Be on your guard, stand firm in faith, be men of courage, be strong; do everything in love.
1 Corinthians 16:13-14
Today's verse hangs on a board on the wall of my son. But years ago, long before my son was even an inkling, I came across that verse as I was sending my own father one of many letters I composed over the years to share with him the importance of salvation, and the value of life in Christ. My sister, mother, and I came to know the Lord in 1980, but it took another 17 years, seven months, and 26 days worth of praying, heart softening, and brokenness for Dan McEvoy to surrender.
And it wasn't this letter or the above verse that pushed him into it. No, this letter I was writing simply to tell him how blessed I was to have begun dating a woman (who eventually became my wife) for whom faith came first, and I was giving God all the glory and credit and all that good stuff, and probably telling him how God delights in blessing those who trust in Him.
With the letter I enclosed a quick-and-dirty page of graphic art involving the aforementioned verse from Corinthians in some fancy font, with a clip-art picture of a sailboat, kind of as a visual aid to my letter, indicating, I suppose, what it was like for the man of God to live in this world under the Captaincy of Christ.
Well, so. After he died in 2001, I found that letter and piece of "art" in my father's desk, looking as if it had been read and glanced at often. Something in me knew then that if I were ever to have a son, I'd commit to raising him to manhood under these same five principles:
Be on your guard. Be ready, be alert. Expect God to be involved, expect Satan to attack. Let the wonder of creation still catch your eye.
Stand firm in faith. Be unmoved because you know intimately that of which you believe in. Become biblically literate.
Be a man of courage. Fear is not from God (2 Timothy 1:7), so go your way boldly. The worst that can happen – even death – still ends in victory and glory for the Christian.
Be strong. Physically, yes, let's take care of ourselves, and present our bodies as holy. But remember that the Lord is the strength of the strong (Ephesians 6:10), and that "when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Corinthians 12:10).
Do everything in love. Here's your motivation, because he that doesn't love doesn't know God (1 John 4:8), and the world shall know you by your love (John 13:35).
So when Jordan was born, and we had the dedication service at our church, that's the verse we selected to have read. When he was about two-and-a-half, he started reciting it by memory and making up arm/hand motions to go with it. We call it our "Man-Creed."
But here's the secret: these couple verses from the closing of Paul's first letter to Corinth aren't first-and-foremost for Jordan... they're for me.
When I first realized that, it caught me, ironically enough, "off my guard." I had been more than happy to tell my own father how to "be a man," and was perfectly willing to raise my son to be one according to the Word. How, I wonder, did I intend to do so without living out the credo, making it my own?
The Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible comments upon the 1 Corinthians passage thusly: "[Paul] shows that they ought to make their hopes of salvation to depend not on Apollos or any other teacher; that it rests with themselves." Yes, and on how I am willing to live, or better, whether I am willing to let my life be of greater worth than my words.
I don't know about the other guys out there, but it definitely helps me to have something to live by, to recite, to write on my heart, ponder the meaning of, and connect to other scriptures as I strive to be a man after God's own heart. And it doesn't hurt that this creed I now try to follow is affecting its third generation in my family.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Allow me to recommend teaching your child – no matter how young – to recite Bible verses that reflect who they are and can be in Christ, and make it real in their lives. But while you're doing it, "be on your guard." One of them may just become your own credo.
Further Reading
Ephesians 6:10
Creed: More than Words
Why Memorize Scripture?
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Christianized Karma
by Katherine Britton
"...but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you..."– 1 Peter 3:15
Christians give really good hugs during trials and tragedy. As my own family has experienced recently, the body of Christ has long arms to embrace those in need, easing the burdens of bad times. The church at work offers silent – and strong – evidence of grace when we pick each other up off the ground.
Now, imagine for a moment that your community didn't provide any support during a trial. Imagine that instead of offering encouraging words and providing meals or other support after a tragedy, the whole community pulled away. Imagine if they acted like you were a disease they didn't want to catch while you shouldered the burden alone. And not only that -- they believed that your problems were your own fault, pure and simple.
That's karma at work. And it's a lonely road.
A missionary couple recently visited our church before heading to London, where they planned settle in an immigrant community that's mostly Hindu. The wife expressed her desire to see people set free from the bonds of karma. That caught my interest. I'd slipped into viewing karma through an Americanized lens, as a pseudo-Christian philosophy of reaping what you sow (Galatians 6:7). Faithfulness and selfishness often have their rewards in this life, after all, and good deeds are often repaid with a smile and expression of gratitude if nothing else. Karma may not be the full picture, but it seemed like an innocuous truism to me.
The missionary went on to describe the ugly side of karma, in which the community pulls away from its members who are suffering. Lose a job? It's a karmic effect – you must have cheated your employer or at least talked badly about him. Did you – heaven forbid – lose a child? Somehow, that's your fault too, as the universe balances out some evil you've done. If such horrible things are somehow your fault, it would also make sense for people to pull away. That's the bond of karma.
Christians rely on the promise that "all things work for the good of those who love God" (Romans 8:28). We fight to believe that, while "no discipline seems pleasant at the time... later on it produces a harvest of righteousness" (Hebrews 12:11). Like Job, we may never know the reason for our earthly suffering. But we know that, because of grace, suffering is not a quid-pro-quo retaliation for our sins. Even our suffering has been redeemed by God's grace through Christ's supreme act of love.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Unlike the Hindu system of karma and its effects, we know even our pain is used by a loving God. Because of that, we have real hope for tomorrow – because our future doesn't depend on us! No matter what trials we experience, we can rest in the knowledge that even when we are not good, God is. That's mercy, and that gives hope. Are you ready to give an answer for that hope?
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Keeping the Faith
by Carrie Dedrick, Editor, ChristianHeadlines.com
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22-23
To the left of my computer, there sits a purple heart-shaped rock inscripted with one simple word: Faith.
This rock is nothing out of the ordinary. My husband bought it for me from Ten Thousand Villages as a birthday gift. I believe it is intended to be a paper weight, though no paper lies beneath it. It is just a rock that takes up about two square inches of space on my desk at work.
Just a few months ago, I didn't have much of the Faith that my rock reminds me of. I was searching for a job, as many Americans are, and had given up that any worthwhile company wanted to hire a young adult with a lot of passion but little experience. I had sent applications complete with thoughtful cover letters and organized resumes to about 60 organizations, without a bite.
I had never faced rejection before; success had always come naturally to me and the change was hard.
Though I was still attending church, I hadn't realize my lifelong faith had gotten lost somewhere along the way.
Looking back, it does not seem strange that I didn't notice my faith was missing from my life until after the fact. It was like losing an old favorite t-shirt. I hadn't worn it in awhile and assumed it had made its way deep into the bottom of the laundry basket; when I finally went to look, it wasn't there.
During this time, I should have reached out to God for peace and solace. Instead, I buried my feelings of incompetence and my fear of failure until they overcame my mind and I broke down in sobs that could last for hours or I uncharacteristically lashed out at my husband.
It wasn't me and I knew it. There was a turning point around this time when I knew it was time to "get help," as they say. I discovered a local Christian counseling organization and I attended a few sessions with a counselor.
During one session, my counselor looked into my eyes with sadness in her own. "Carrie," she said, "Do you know how much God loves you?"
Such a straightforward, and yet incredibly deep question startled me.
Suddenly, I understood what I was missing. It was that moment when I looked for my lost t-shirt and realized it was really gone.
I thought I knew God loved me, but I didn't really know. I mean, I have been going to church since I was a baby. You learn that God made you and loves you when you are a little kid. I'm pretty John 3:16 was my first ever Sunday school memory verse.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
I've had that verse memorized for years, but when was the last time I truly thought about it?
God has such unconditional love for us that it is truly beyond our human comprehension. Do I now feel like I should have reached out to God when I was struggling? Yes. And for awhile, was I angry at myself for not seeing that God was right there with me the whole time? Definitely.
But God's love is so infinite that I should not feel like a failure as God's child because it took me awhile to see him there. I do not need to punish myself because Jesus already served as our ultimate sacrifice. Now no matter how many sins we commit in this life, God is always loving us, waiting for us to step back and realize that he never really left.
In time, I regained my faith. It was not painful or difficult to resume the relationship with my Lord that I had put on pause. Instead, it was like wrapping myself in the most warm, comfortable blanket imaginable, but I also had an overwhelming sensation of pure joy.
My whole world is changed.
Every once in awhile, I look to the left and see my purple rock. And when I do, I am reminded that every day, every hour, minute and second of my life, I am not alone. God is with me. Always. Forever. Amen.
Intersecting Faith and Life: When have you been so distracted by your life that you have forgotten that God gave you the gift of life? What can you do to renew your faith?
Further Reading
Romans 8:35-39
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High Infidelity
by Alex Crain, Editor, Christianity.com
"...you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God."
Romans 7:4 NASB
Usually, we think of "having faith" as simply "trusting, believing." And while that is true, it can be incomplete if we forget that, as Christians, we are also joined to Christ as our Bridegroom. In other words, there is a real relationship with Him—the living Christ—that is at stake. It is not just a matter of possessing correct content of what we believe about the person and work of Christ. And although we never have a legitimate cause to do so, we often break faith with and betray our faithful Bridegroom.
Francis Schaeffer talks about this in chapter seven of True Spirituality where we continue our journey with him this week. Citing the passage above, he notes that since we have been rescued from the tyranny of the devil and placed safely in the arms of the Lord Jesus Christ—we are now positioned to bring forth His fruit.
Schaeffer expands upon the simple, yet remarkably powerful word picture in Romans 7:1-4 to make the point plain:
"Imagine a married couple both of the one color of skin. Suddenly the wife brings forth a child clearly of another race [sic]. All the world would know that she has been unfaithful to her proper mate. So it is with us."
When we do not bring forth His fruit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (per Galatians 5:19)—but bring forth immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these (Galatians 5:19), it is because we have broken faith with Him and are in the state of infidelity of the highest order.
What generally causes us to distrust Christ and leads us to break faith with Him and run to the arms of another is the fact that we often think that we have a better way. We think that, somehow, God really doesn't have our best interests at heart. I know for me, personally, this happens mostly when I am "Law-minded" in a way that discounts or obscures the gospel. One writer, Milton Vincent, in his a gospel primer for christians provides a helpful counter to this erroneous and sinful way of thinking (p. 18):
"...when I begin my train of thought with the gospel, I realize that if God loved me enough to sacrifice His Son's life for me, then He must be guided by that same love when He speaks His commandments to me. Viewing God's commands and prohibitions in this light, I can see them for what they really are: friendly signposts from a heavenly Father who is seeking to love me through each directive, so that I might experience His very fullness forever." (see Deut. 5:29)
Not only are they friendly signposts, they are friendly love letters from our faithful Bridegroom who has done nothing to warrant our distrust. By His life-giving Spirit, He is actively seeking to love us and bring forth His fruit in us today. What is the state of your union with Him?
Intersecting Faith & Life: In light of today's devotional, contemplate afresh Schaeffer's summary of the life of faith: "The how of the Christian life is the power of the crucified and risen Lord, through the agency of the indwelling Holy Spirit, by faith moment by moment."
For Further Prayer & Study:
If repentance for spiritual infidelity is in order, reflect on Isaiah 30:15 "Thus the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, has said, 'In repentance and rest you will be saved, In quietness and trust is your strength.'" For further study, read Romans 6:1.
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Enough Already
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com
"The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 'Return home and tell how much God has done for you.' So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him." Luke 8:38-39
I knew I'd feel inadequate, but once they slapped the Journeyman mic on me and the congregation sauntered in, the word inadequate became inadequate. Over my head, crazy, off my rocker—those shot through my mind a time or two.
Yes, I had notes. Yes, I'd practiced. Yes, I'd taken public speaking courses. But none of those really prepares you to face a congregation on Sunday morning. Nothing gets you ready to reach into Scripture and yank out the good stuff. You're dealing with potent material here, the kind of thing you don't want to get wrong. And out there are the faces of those who may never come back through the door of a church again.
No pressure.
And that's how my first sermon started. Actually, I don't remember much of it. It just kind of started and then ended. If there weren't a recording, I don't think I'd even know what I said. But, alas, said recording does exist (no chance of being linked here), and the final verdict is... let's just say mixed. At least no one left, and given the size of the church, I would have noticed.
In many ways, I felt like that formerly demon-possessed man whom Jesus told to go tell it on the mountain. Jesus didn't give him much in the way of lessons or practice. He just sent the man home to talk about God healing him. And as far as we know, the man went and did just that. Since it made it into the gospel accounts, I'm chalking that up as a success. All the man needed to know was that Jesus healed him, and—boom—he started sharing the good news.
Too many times, I've been shut down by the notion that I need to know more before I can say more. I can't tell this person about Christ because I haven't finished my study on Galatians. I can't share how God changed me because I only spent 15 minutes in prayer this morning. I can't start a small group in my house because I'm not the perfect husband or dad.
It's hard for me to say, "Enough already." I know enough already to preach a sermon, even if I'll keep learning and growing for years. I know enough already to share that God wrenched me out of depression, even if I don't know how to answer every question about the Bible. I know enough already to share my home, even if I'm still working on keeping my smartphone off during family time.
After all, I know enough to know that Christ is the one who does the saving, not my faulty words.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Here's the secret. None of us will ever be adequate for sharing our faith, for discipling others, or for preaching God's Word. We just aren't. You could study your entire life and not be. So, shake that monkey off your spine and say, "Enough already!" You have enough to start.
You'll make mistakes; you'll blow it; you'll say dumb things. But it doesn't depend on you. You know enough because you know Christ. Keep growing and share from where you are.
For Further Reading
Luke 8:26
Colossians 2:1
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Live Like You Were Dating
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
Let marriage be held in honor among all..."
Hebrews 13:4
I heard the Tim McGraw song Live Like You Were Dying in the most unusual of places the other day - my head as I slept. Normally that's a huge annoyance, a song looping through my brain while I toss and turn. This time, however, I think I was so relieved it wasn't something by The Wiggles or VeggieTales that I went along for the ride.
Only thing is, I began to dream along with the music. As weird as that sounds, the dream varied just a bit from the theme of the song, which is: in order to make sure we don't take life for granted, we should check off that list of things we've always wanted to do, and do not go gently into that good night, but rather sit on top of angry bulls. Or something like that. Basically, you should act like you don't have much time left, because really you don't.
But the montage that played upon my closed eyelids wasn't about me, important moments, my death, or things I want to accomplish. Instead, I was treated to a slide show of moments from my courtship with Valerie. What fun life was then! The things we did, the places we went, the way we treasured each other and every moment together...
I awoke in a very good mood, even if I was confused about the connection between the song and the dream. On my drive to work some of the words from the song slapped me upside the head:
"... and I loved deeper, and I spoke sweeter, and I gave forgiveness I'd been denying..."
Ah, I see... that sentence sounded a lot like the guy I was when I was putting the moves on the tall, big-eyed, opinionated babe who liked my jokes. It did not sound so much like the ten-year married version of myself, who has been going through the motions.
Still I wondered: how can I live like I did then, when I have none of the freedoms afforded me during those years? Unless I'm mistaken, the very word "dating" implies occasionally going on a date...
I interrupt this devotional because at this point Valerie calls me from her cell phone saying she can't get the car to start. The ignition won't turn because the steering wheel is also locked, and she can't jiggle the keys or wheel enough to get either to turn. She's embarrassed, and I can hear her banging and straining away on the dashboard components. She thinks she's gonna be stuck in someone's driveway all day. I suggest looking in the owner's manual to see if there are suggestions. There aren't. We decide she'll have to call a Toyota dealer or Triple-A because I'm too far away to help. 10 minutes later I check in on her because I read online that she might want to use the parking break from now on to prevent this from happening again. Turns out that wasn't the problem. It was that she was trying to start her Camry with the key to my Corolla...
And so it occurs to me - not only can I count on my wife to spice up our life with a good laugh once in a while, but maybe our dating engine simply has to be redefined. It still exists, but it's not going to be started with the same set of keys that got it running 10 years ago. That doesn't mean it's not a reliable vehicle for shuttling us to all of life's events in a manner befitting our faith. If I could find a way to regularly appear as outwardly joyful as I inwardly feel whenever I reflect on how blessed I am to have such a mate, I'd go a long way towards helping fulfill the purpose for this marriage, which Valerie and I long ago decided was to be better for the Lord than we are apart. That felt easier when we were dating. So with a cue from Tim McGraw, here are some ideas...
Loving Deeper
"Love does not seek its own..." (1 Corinthians 13:5)
In Colossians 3:18-19, and again in Ephesians 5:24-25, we are quite simply told by Paul how this marriage thing is going to work. Unfortunately, I've heard the first half of those verse pairings - the "women submit" part - quoted and exercised far more often than the equally important "husbands love" portion. Remember how much easier those commands seemed back then? This was the most wonderful person in the world. They communicated well, never sought their own way; it would be so easy to submit to or actively display love for them. Then time, comfort, bad habits, and the daily grind got a hold of you both. Satan tossed clutter everywhere. Threw in some doubt. Sprayed super-green paint on your neighbor's lawn and spouse. Marriage, it turned out, was complicated. I'll be the first to attest to that, although the Bible doesn't really think it's so complex if you go by the fact that it's not dripping with verses on how to navigate the maze. You leave, you cleave, then you love/submit. Those simple instructions don't seem to get us very far down the path. In fact, they seem to take us happily up to the vows and leave us there. Perhaps that's the point. Perhaps there is no "trick" to loving deeper, you just need to get in touch with what it is you fell in love with this person for in the first place, and act on it, since it's not a feeling anyway.
Speaking Sweeter
"If I could speak in any language in heaven or on earth but didn't love others, I would only be making meaningless noise like a loud gong or a clanging cymbal..." (1 Corinthians 13:1)
This is where I need the most help, being gruff by nature. I'm pleasant enough to co-workers and strangers. I've even earned the nickname "Small-Talk" from one of my buddies, but for some reason, those I love the most are occasionally blessed with a symphony of grunts, groans, and snippy comments. Not only is that gruff nature part of the "former self," but I recall that it did not dare rear its head during our dating days. That's not just because I was trying to sell this woman on my finer qualities, but because I truly felt the love and respect for her that I was dishing out. I therefore gave no place to impatient or intellectually-superior speech. In the words of James, there were, when I was dating Valerie, precious few times when the same fountain sent out both fresh and bitter water. But gradually, as I failed to guard my tongue, I lazily allowed that small amount of bitterness to befoul the whole cistern. I don't want to give the impression that I stalk the grounds of my house grumpy and cursing when I'm actually a pretty decent husband and father, but this is where I need the most improvement in my relationships, and I know it. Harkening back to the days when I wrote poetry, quoted scripture, wooed from afar, and encouraged about the future has helped me to remember the importance of bridling my tongue. James says horses and great ships are steered by very small bits and rudders. Likewise, the direction of my marriage may be steered by brushing up on the language I spoke when dating.
Giving Forgiveness
"Love does not take into account a wrong suffered..." (1 Corinthians 13:5)
Do you often hear people saying, "I'll forgive, but I won't forget"? It's an especially popular thing to say with the camera in one's face on a reality TV program. Thank goodness that's not how the Lord defines forgiveness. He instead wipes out our transgressions, turns crimson to snow white (Isaiah 1:18), and divides us from sin as far as East is from West (Psalm 103:12). Which way is your marriage M.O. regarding wrongs done to you? Do you refuse to go to bed angry, do you grant mercy every morning, or do you have a little file drawer in the back of your brain that lists All the Stupid & Hurtful Things He's/She's Done to Me? Once again, think back to your courtship, and ask yourself how many little foibles, faux paus, and thoughtless words you let slide with little more than a tiny reprimand just because you were so in love.
We all get caught in those lulls in marriage where the wind isn't blowing, the air gets stale, and nothing new happens. And it's admittedly a tad trite to think living out some song lyrics is going to lift the doldrums, but it's worth a try. After all, one thing all married folks have in common is fond memories of meeting and dating our spouse; otherwise, hopefully, we never would have bound our lives to theirs in the first place. Looking back is a good way to appreciate all those things that led to the commitment.
Intersecting Faith & Life: If you've been married a while, try living like you were dating, even if actual dates are few and far between, and see if remembering your first love doesn't translate to renewing your first love.
Further Reading
Communication in Marriage
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I'm a Hypocrite
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com
"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full." Matthew 6:5
The college-me would call the current-me a hypocrite. That's what I did back then. Anyone claiming to be a Christian automatically earned that prestigious title. I could judge, after all, because I sat in my lofty seat in the college library and weighed such grave matters in my head and in my poetry. My pencil could strike down any Christ-follower with a witty rhyme. I knew they were all fake.
So, I had a lot to learn about love. But I was right about the hypocrisy thing. The current me is, in fact, a hypocrite.
Jesus warned us not to be like the hypocrites, those who put on a show but don't let the show touch their hearts. And when I'm honest, that's exactly what I do sometimes. My worship becomes a series of movements, a tentative toe-tap into the spiritual waters. All the while, my mind has drifted off to my bank account, my schedule, and my Instagram feed.
That type of worship isn't worship. It's a show put on for my own gratification, one that makes me feel better about doing the "Christian thing." In those moments, I'm exactly what my college self accused me of.
Hypocrite.
Thankfully, Jesus warned me about all this ahead of time. When my body and mind get out of sync, when my devotion becomes a demonstration, His warnings inevitably hit me in the chin. Matthew 6 cues up on my audio Bible, His admonitions pop up on someone's blog, or I just catch myself in the act. That's when I see just how much I'm simply going through the motions.
Unlike my college self, who judged to feel superior, God unmasks hypocrisy because He wants me to get real. His gentle (and not-so-gentle) nudges snap me out of my one-man show.
Intersecting Faith and Life: When Jesus warned His followers about hypocrisy, He knew they'd need the reminder. He knew we would need the reminder two thousand years later. Why? Because humans like to put on a good show and we don't always live what we believe. Our hearts skip off like sheep while our bodies do those "Christian duties."
Thankfully, God's in the shepherding business. He knows how to shear that acting junk right off.
For Further Reading
Matthew 6:1
Isaiah 29:1
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These Are the Fruit of the Spirit... Oh, Wait! I'm Missing One!
by Carrie Dedrick, Editor, ChristianHeadlines.com
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Galatians 5:22-23a
Patience is a virtue.
Unfortunately, I don't have it.
I try to be patient, I really do. But I am about as high-strung, Type-A as they come and planning comes about as naturally to me as jam-packing my days with work, chores, and fun.
I was recently in a time of waiting when I was unemployed and searching for the right position for me. For nearly six months, I looked for work in a variety of industries, stretching way outside my comfort zone of writing and journalism.
But you know what happened?
I didn't find a position on my time. I was on the Lord's time, and it wasn't until I stopped making this job search so much about me that the perfect job came to me.
In hindsight, I realize that Jeremiah 29:11 should have been my mantra during this time.
"For I know the plans I have you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
My husband and I are moving out of our apartment in two short months and we are faced with a decision: Do we move into another apartment? Do we rent a house? Do we buy a house? Can we even afford to do that? I suppose that is really several decisions.
I'm in a period of waiting again as we look into our options and determine what is best for us. But this time I'm going to do it right. My husband will face our decisions in prayer.
What I learned last time is that it's not all about me. I trust that God has a perfect plan for me; he already knows where I'm going to live.
It's not easy for an obsessive planner like me to let go and prayerfully urge God to take control of my situation. And yet, I believe that God has my best interests at heart. After all, I am God's child, and he is cares deeply about me. My Father will take care of my situation in his time because I have humbly presented him with my plight.
Tomorrow my husband and I will go look at a house a third of a mile from our church. The house is a foreclosure and just went on the market. To us, it seems felicitous.
Ordinarily, I would go into freak-out mode and obsess to the point of not sleeping. A house would be the largest purchase of my life and there is so much to consider.
However, I am completely calm today, though it goes against my typical personality. It puts me at peace to give my worries to God; I don't know why I didn't do it before.
This house may be the one, but if it isn't, that's still okay. It won't be the end of the world. Maybe there is another house for us that hasn't even been put up for sale yet. Maybe there is a perfect house for us to rent or perhaps we will move into another apartment.
No matter what the future holds, God is in control of the situation. Our Lord is always with us; we are not going to slip his mind.
Major or trivial, cast your burdens upon the Lord. Then be patient. Things have a way of working out, if not they way or the in the time frame we thought they would.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Look within and consider which fruit of the spirit you struggle with. Is it patience like me? Perhaps it is faith or self-control. Whichever fruit you are "missing," pray for the Lord's help as you work to strengthen it.
Further Reading: Colossians 3:12
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The King's Test
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Culture Editor
The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out. - Proverbs 10:9
There's an old folktale I'd like to share today if you don't mind.
Once upon a time, there lived a king who was beloved by all his subjects. Though he was a wise and just ruler he was also old, and had no heir to take his place when he died. The king decided to hold a contest so that he might choose a successor, and sent out a decree for all the kingdom's children to gather at his palace. Once the last boy and girl had arrived, the king placed them all in single file and gave to each of them a seed.
"Take these seeds and plant them in good soil." He commanded, "In one year's time, return to the palace with your flowers. I will examine how much they have grown and how well you have cared for them, the one who impresses me the most will become the new king."
So the children set off into the land and the kingdom waited eagerly for a year to pass. On the day of their return, a large crowd gathered at the palace to try and guess which shrub the king would choose. Some of the children appeared holding giant flowers with strong stalks, others had beautiful petals that gave off a sweet aroma. The king examined them all with great interest until he came upon a boy holding nothing but a jar of dirt.
"What have we here?" asked the king, "Didn't I say to go plant your seed and return with it in a year's time?"
"My king," the boy answered timidly, "I did everything you told me to do. I planted your seed in the best soil I could find. I gave it plenty of sunlight, and made sure it was watered every day, but it wouldn't grow no matter what I did! So I've brought you all I've managed to accomplish, please forgive me."
The king smiled broadly and raised his voice to address the crowed,
"The contest is over. This boy shall become my heir. The seeds I gave the children a year ago had been cooked and died, they could never have taken root or bloomed. Many children brought me beautiful plants today, but only one came with integrity, and for that he shall be rewarded."
We live in a world that puts a lot of value in how things appear, but God is looking for followers who speak honestly and live with integrity. When we live a lifestyle that honors truth, we're living a life that honors God.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Remember that God desires Christians to live their lives openly and without shame. Are you doing so?
Further Reading
Titus 2:1-14
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Easter: All That Matters vs. All I Live For
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
He has risen, just as He said.
Matthew 28:6, NIV
What would I ever do if someone I knew came back from the dead? Especially if he had said he would, and if he had spent a couple nights in a grave already?
Seriously, what would I do? What would you do? Wouldn't I blab to everyone I know - and most people I don't - about this miraculous event? Heck, I tell everyone when I'm feeling under the weather or when I saw a good movie.
Then factor in that the same guy was now telling us that because of what he had done, none of the rest of us would ever have to suffer death. What's more, simply by believing what we had seen, no matter our background, history, race, or education, we could restore our long-lost connection with the Almighty, and live forever.
Man... unfortunately, I'm having a hard time conceiving what I would do. Or, even if I can conceive it, I can't quite believe it, because honestly, I have seen this, I do believe this, and yet my daily reaction to it doesn't exactly line up with The Acts of the Apostles.
Has the news of a resurrected savior really become passe?
Why don't I want to read Acts?
What am I afraid of?
That I'll be rejected?
(He who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit (1 Thess. 4:8)).
That I won't be powerful enough?
(God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline (2 Tim. 1:7)).
That the good news isn't relevant enough?
Salvation and the message of the resurrection, the miracle of born again-ness, is a salve to all wounds.
This Easter I'll join choruses like "He's Alive" while pondering and praising the miracle, but when it comes time for the next day of my life to begin, a day and a life that means nothing if not lived for my Savior, it'll be all about me again and my troubles and making my way and who cut me off and what I have to get done and who I don't like and what can we complain about today.
Yuck.
I want this Easter to be real. Because I did see it happen (so to speak; the resulting spread of those who ran to the corners of the earth to tell the story with no regard for personal safety is traceable to this day), it is real, and I'm cheating life and people God loves if I'm not shouting those facts from every corner and rooftop I can find. Everything else is just window dressing; "Christian living" is often just how we pass all our extra time in this country where so many of our basic needs are so easily met, and where we can cordon ourselves off from each other. What matters in life?
That there is life, and...
how it came about that there might never be death, but...
there are still dead men walking.
Really, why else are we here if not to keep excitedly shouting the truth of the miracle as if we'd just experienced it with our own eyes yesterday?
Intersecting Faith & Life: For the longest time, I've felt a leading in my heart to launch out into a complete study of the book of Acts, something I've never fully done. For some reason, I continue to put it off. But in my quest this year to make Easter real, I'm beginning a study of what those who witnessed the resurrection couldn't keep themselves from going out and doing. Care to join me?
Further Reading
Acts 1:1
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Stinky Feet
by Laura MacCorkle
How deep the Father's love for us,
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure
"How Deep the Father's Love for Us"
Words & Music by Stuart Townend
Today is Thursday, the fifth day of Holy Week. And many Christians know it as Maundy Thursday.
The word maundy means "a new commandment" and is derived from the Latin word Mandatum in translating Jesus' commandment in John 13:34-35.
"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
Before he said that, Jesus had demonstrated his love that same evening during the Last Supper, as he humbled himself and washed his disciples' feet (John 13:4-5). This act perfectly illustrated his new command.
So he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
After reading this, I can only imagine what washing someone else's stinky feet must be like.
Think about where your feet have been—especially if you live in a back-to-nature, shoe-optional locale. This starts getting very up close and personal. And, depending on the individual and their hygiene habits or lack thereof, perhaps not too pleasant. Washing another's feet is not a glamorous act of service at all. But neither is anything related to the role of a servant, since it represents a position of humility and a mindset of putting others first.
In this day and age, I know there are certain churches that do have foot-washing services on Maundy Thursday to commemorate Christ's actions and his command. I have not participated in one like this, but I am sure it is a great object lesson to help all ages understand how to love one another.
Taking this a step further, The Bible Knowledge Commentary has this to say about foot-washing:
"Foot-washing was needed in Palestine. The streets were dusty and people wore sandals without socks or stockings. It was a mark of honor for a host to provide a servant to wash a guest's feet; it was a breach of hospitality not to provide for it. . . . [Jesus] had done a humble service for [the disciples]. Meeting others' needs self-sacrificially is what they ought to do too. . . . This passage emphasizes inner humility, not a physical rite. . . . Not to follow the example of Jesus is to exalt oneself above him and to live in pride. No servant is greater than his master (cf John 12:26)."
So when we humble ourselves and serve the Lord as he served us, it is he who lifts us up. When we love Christ, he changes our hearts and motivates us to love others. And if showing this love means washing some stinky feet or its modern-day equivalent, then every day should become like Maundy Thursday in our hearts.
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and keep my laws (Ezek. 36:26-27).
Intersecting Faith & Life: Who is God impressing upon your heart today? Is he calling you to show love to this person? Determine your course of action that will show a humble heart: make a phone call, send a note, lend a hand, speak a kind word or wash some feet. And then follow through as you love one another.
Further Reading:
Luke 10:27, MSG
John 15:13, NIV
"Oh How He Loves You and Me"
Words & Music by Kurt Kaiser
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I Am Pilate
by Katherine Britton
"What is truth?" Pilate asked.
John 19:38
This week I met one of the most understandable yet guilty figures in the Bible. This man desperately tried to convince himself that he could control his circumstances. He had a vague intuition for what was right, but he was constantly torn between catering to the crowd and bullying them to show his power. He was overwhelmed by material consequences and implications. And in three simple words, he revealed the heart of his stubborn weakness.
As I again read Pontius Pilate's interview Jesus, I wondered how a man could stare the Son of God in the face, find Him not guilty, and yet condemn Him to death. Each Gospel offers some perspective on why. In reading their accounts, I found that Pilate's deep flaws were eerily similar to those I see in myself.
You see, I think Pilate had a modern mind. As a Roman, he wasn't very "into" religion. Belief in the gods – and the emperor as a god – were vestiges of an older system by his time, now adopted as a form of patriotism. His real religion would have been in the glorious Roman Empire, the unconquerable empire-without-end. This thoroughly material belief would have dominated the thoughts of a Roman procurator such as Pilate. He had no room in his world for the supernatural.
All that was called into question when they brought in Jesus. At that point, Pilate's religion showed its consequences in his character.
Demand for Material Answers
From first to last, Pilate's questions to Jesus involve politics and facts. Jesus' answers were unintelligible, because Pilate was asking the wrong questions. Pilate couldn't understand supernatural answers because he was thoroughly material. He thought the world could be interpreted through distinct movements and verifiable facts. He couldn't accept any mystery in faith, and so he rejected the Messiah as another man.
False Sense of Power
Pilate's religion of materialism forced him to rely on position. He told Jesus, "Don't you know that I have the authority to release you and the authority to crucify you?" (John 19:10) I'm sure he fully believed that authority was his. Jesus corrected Pilate by telling him that his power was given "from above," which probably shook Pilate just a little. I think at that point Pilate realized that control was slipping away from him, and he did everything he could to regain it.
Blinded by Consequences
Pilate wanted to pretend that he wasn't really responsible for Jesus' death. He made a few feeble attempts to stick up for Jesus before the crowd, which probably counted as a good deed in Pilate's mind. But he ultimately backed down and washed his hands of Jesus' fate, because he "wished to satisfy the crowd." (Mark 15:22) He proclaimed the truth as "not dangerous" but chose not to intervene when it was attacked.
Refusal to See Truth
I think Pilate's most telling statement of all came right in the middle of the dialogue. Jesus says, "For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world – to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice." (John 18:37) I can just see Pilate throwing up his hands in exasperation and asking a rhetorical question: "What is truth!" Face to face with the reality of Jesus, the Son of God, Pilate chose to keep his relativism. The great empire with its power was enough for Pilate. And so he refused the Gospel.
I Am Pilate
How many times have I refused to believe a biblical promise because I don't see how it applies to my worldly situation? How often do I refuse to surrender my circumstances to God's plan for me, pretending I'm in control? How often have I made benign comments when the Gospel is attacked and then retreated? How many times have I refused to draw lines for what is right or to recognize sin for what it is in my life?
Ultimately, these "character flaws"—really, sins—tempt us to believe that Truth isn't Truth. We are tempted to deny that Christ had to die to free us from ourselves. I know that acknowledging the Gospel means my life has to change, and my human nature doesn't want that. But the glory of the cross is that we are changed, and thrown into a life far bigger than anything on this earth – Jesus' incredible love. That's what Pilate refused to see. That's what we can't afford to miss.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Christ went to the cross because of the sin of the world, including Pilate and you and me. How much pain do we bring Him when we refuse to believe? On this Good Friday, consider how often you respond like Pilate. Let's use this Easter opportunity to repent and start with a new framework.
Further Reading:
John 18:28-40
Luke 23:1-25
Mark 15:1-15
Matthew 27:11-31
Being Confident of God's Plan
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Resurrected
by Sarah Phillips
I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the LORD. The stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner. This is the LORD's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.
Psalms 118: 17, 22-23
Most of you celebrated the Lord's resurrection yesterday. For many, it was a glorious day of rejoicing in the miraculous. It was a day where you reflected not only on the event 2,000 years ago, but on the resurrections in your own life. The day you accepted Christ. The day a long-awaited prayer was answered. The day sickness was healed or sorrow wiped away.
For others, this day only served as a reminder of your cross. You felt like you got left at Good Friday, weeping, while the rest of the world moved on to Easter Sunday. You wish you could celebrate, but you don't know how. You may have even apologized to God for your somberness.
You're not alone, I assure you.
In the past few months I've watched several Good Friday's and Easters play out in the lives of those around me. Engagements and babies ushered in cries of rejoicing and praises to God. Yet, cancer, infidelity, and financial hardship occurred uncomfortably close to these joyful events.
Most of life is like this. Happiness, unmixed, is not easy to come by.
So how do we deal with this reality? How do we deal with Good Friday and Easter coexisting?
I think we start with recognizing that the first Easter, the real Easter, was not just one event in time that occurred long ago. Christ's resurrection spanned the ages and has eternal consequences. It applies to you and me today just as much as it did to Christ's followers on Easter morning. It also applies to the future. Our hope, no matter where we may be today, is in the transforming truth of Easter.
Secondly, I think we need to remember that true faith in God does not rely on our emotions. If you cried on Easter morning because life has been wearing you down, God still accepts you. In fact, he died and rose for you so that he could more closely walk with you through these hard times. He knows, more than anyone, the heaviness of the cross.
Third, I think we need to remember that as awe-struck as Christ's first followers felt after his resurrection, they still didn't know what it fully meant... for humanity or for their personal lives. While the resurrection brought their beloved Rabbi back to them, he was different now. The resurrection simultaneously healed some wounds while opening a new can of questions, insecurities, fears, and even pain - at least temporarily.
Ultimately, all Good Friday's will lead to joyful Easter mornings if we cling to Christ. Whether you are in a season of hardship, rejoicing, or a mix of both, the key is to keep walking in faith one step at a time. Only the risen Christ can guide us through the foggy path of life. And when our final Easter morning arrives, we'll finally see with clarity that the journey was worth it.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Reflect on the "little resurrections" in your life - the times God answered a prayer in a very tangible way, the blessings in your life, and the miracles you've witnessed. All these serve as reminders of the great work God will continue to do in your life.
Further Reading
Acts 2:14, 22-33
Psalm 16:1-2, 5, 7-11
Matthew 28:8-15
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Bread and Stones
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Culture Editor
I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. – John 16:33
I have always had trouble with the following verses in Matthew 7,
"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!"- Matthew 7:7-11
I first heard this verse when I was a little kid, and like most children, I tried to take full advantage of it. I prayed for toys, for snow days in winter, or that I'd get to watch an extra hour of TV that day. As you might expect, these prayers didn't always get positive results. As I got older, my prayers became a little more mature, only they still didn't always get answered. These weren't selfish prayers either.
I would pray that my friend's dad would find a job, or that sick members of our congregation would be healed. So why did my prayers go unanswered? Some groups would say that if you just have enough faith God will make your life perfect, and nothing bad will ever happen to you again. Well, if you look at the lives of the apostles, you'll see that philosophy doesn't hold water. They were Jesus' first disciples, and they spent their lives in prison, beaten by mobs, or facing execution under the Roman Empire.
So what does this mean for us? I think it means we live in a world full of Sin, and bad things are going to happen. It means that sometimes when God answers our prayers, what is needed turns out to be much different than what we wanted. Maybe you prayed that someone would find a job, but instead God asks you to be a friend in a tough time. Maybe you asked for an opportunity to serve abroad, but instead God tells you to serve the people next door. Sometimes we pray for healing, but what God gives us is a shoulder to cry on.
Life will always be hard. At times, we will be tempted to believe that God either doesn't exist or doesn't care. But though our ability to understand God's purposes is limited, we can take comfort in the knowledge that his love is limitless. God never abandon us, he is there for us in our times of joy and to help us in our times of pain, if we only let him.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Are there unanswered prayers weighing on your heart? Take a moment to reflect on Christ and know that he loves you.
Further Reading
Psalm 23
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Being Salty
by Debbie Holloway, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men (Matthew 5:13).
I think sometimes we get so used to our familiar metaphors, we fail to let their significance really sink in. What Christian hasn't proclaimed brightly: "We're salt and light!"? And yet, do we really think about the significance of that imagery? In a faith tradition where we have so many great metaphors and allegories, let's remember to ponder this one that Jesus coined.
What does it mean to be "the salt of the earth"?
Salt Enhances
As we know too-well in our sodium-filled modern world, salt makes things taste better. But condiment connoisseurs will make sure to explain that salt, when used properly, brings out the flavor already present in the food itself. Unlike pepper, which was used in ancient times to mask distasteful rotting and souring in foods such as meat, salt only enhances what's there.
As Christians, we aren't here to blot out the colors and flavors around us. We're not here to ignore or destroy what we see and replace it with something else. Rather, we are to be (tasty) ambassadors of Christ on a mission to draw out and display goodness. God made a good world, and, though fallen, it's still good! We still have the breath of life from God inside us. So let's remember to point to the truth and be the people who enhance and brighten wherever we go, not overpower our surroundings like too much pepper.
Salt Preserves
Before the age of refrigeration, how did people preserve perishable food? That's right: salt. Something about packing meat with salt slows down the process of decay, making it easier to store, transport, and save meat without it going rancid right away.
Likewise, let us as the salt of the earth remember to preserve what is good. In matters of justice and stewardship, Christians should be front and center to fight for what is right, what is safe, and what brings life to the world around us. Our homes, families, and communities should be solid and fresh, not rotting and fetid.
If we fail to protect and preserve, what good are we? If we fail to enhance the flavor of what's around us, there's nothing left for us "except to be thrown out" (so to speak).
Intersecting Faith and Life: Be a sweet taste and a force for good, and those around you will "praise your Father in Heaven" (Matthew 5:16).
Further Reading
Matthew 5
Colossians 4:6
Mark 9:50
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Altar-Call Christians?
by Debbie Holloway, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching" (John 14:23-24).
I've watched a lot of altar-calls in my day. The church in which I grew up routinely had altar-calls at the end of Sunday morning services. "If you've never asked Jesus into your heart, and you want to now, raise your hand. Come to the front. Pray this prayer..." Granted, not every church and every denomination does the whole altar-call thing. But it's a pretty recognizable event in the land of "Christianese."
And it's not baseless. After all, Paul wrote to the Romans:
"If you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9).
And,
"For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, 'Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame'" (Romans 10-11).
But I wonder sometimes if we grasp those verses a little too tightly, and forget about the kind of life that Jesus was calling us to live. Are we living like Christians – like those "belonging to Christ" or "members of Christ's household" – or are we simply living like people who prayed the Sinner's Prayer that one time?
Take a look at a few of these verses:
"You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person" (Matthew 5:38-39).
"If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me" (Luke 9:23).
"Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on" (Matthew 6:25).
"Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God" (John 3:20-21).
Jesus said those things. Jesus said to follow him. To give, make peace, feed the poor, and endlessly love.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Ask yourself... Are you walking in the footsteps of Jesus? Are you walking in the light? Or are you just someone who said the Sinner's Prayer one time, long ago?
Further Reading
John 14
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The King's Table
by Ryan Duncan, Entertainment Editor, Crosswalk.com
In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. – John 14:2
One of my favorite Bible stories is 2 Samuel 2:1. The story begins a few years after David has finally become King of Israel. Before this, his life had been an endless string of running, fighting, and hiding, as he was mercilessly pursed by Saul, who wanted nothing more than David's head on a spike. Now Saul was dead, and David would have been perfectly justified in dishing up some well-deserved payback on the royal family. Instead, he does something completely different.
David reaches out to Saul's last living grandson, a poor cripple named Mephibosheth. Despite being Saul's grandson, Mephibosheth's life hadn't been that great. His legs had been broken as a baby, both his parents were dead, and he was living alone in exile. When he heard David was coming, Mephiboseth probably assumed that was it for him. Just imagine his surprise at what followed,
"Don't be afraid," David said to him, "for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table." Mephibosheth bowed down and said, "What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?" Then the king summoned Ziba, Saul's servant, and said to him, "I have given your master's grandson everything that belonged to Saul and his family. You and your sons and your servants are to farm the land for him and bring in the crops, so that your master's grandson may be provided for. And Mephibosheth, grandson of your master, will always eat at my table." (Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.) Then Ziba said to the king, "Your servant will do whatever my lord the king commands his servant to do." So Mephibosheth ate at David's table like one of the king's sons. Mephibosheth had a young son named Mica, and all the members of Ziba's household were servants of Mephibosheth. And Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he always ate at the king's table, and he was crippled in both feet. – 2 Samuel 9:7-13
The Bible says that David was a man after God's own heart, and I think here we can see why. The story of David's compassion to Mephibosheth is in some ways a foreshadowing to God's compassion for all of us. We are all the broken children of Adam and Eve, people who turned their backs on God. Yet instead of abandoning us, God has made a place for us at his table. He has brought us out of exile and taken us home.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Whatever trials you may be facing, always remember that you have a place at God's table.
Further Reading
Luke 6:37-38
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You Find Out Who Your Friends Are
by Carrie Dedrick, Editor, ChristianHeadlines.com
You find out who your friends are
Somebody's gonna drop everything
Run out and crank up their car
Hit the gas, get there fast
Never stop to think
"What's in it for me?"
Or "It's way too far"
They just show on up
With their big ol' heart
You find out who your friends are
Does anyone know that Tracy Lawrence song? It's about those situations that we sometimes find ourselves in when we just need help.
We sometimes get stuck in unforeseen circumstances. Unpredictability is a part of life, but knowing that doesn't make it any easier to deal with.
This morning was one of those days for me.
My husband and I are the proud mom and dad of two rescued dogs, a pomeranian and a pomeranian-chihuahua, or as we call her, a pomhuahua. Today the dogs were scheduled to have their hair cut at the groomer so they will be more comfortable with warm weather approaching. The groomer would keep them for the rest of the day in the kennel until we could pick them up after work.
No problem, right?
Wrong.
I had barely sat down at my desk when I got a call from the groomer. She said that my dog suddenly got sick and they couldn't keep her for the rest of the day as planned; I needed to pick her up right away.
Remember those unforeseen circumstances I was talking about?
I did what I had to do. My manager was extremely gracious in the situation, and let me go pick up my sick puppy. He even went as far as to offer that I could take her to the vet if necessary.
But this story isn't really about the actual circumstance that interrupted my day. It's about what happened afterward.
First, there was the friend that allowed my dog to stay at his apartment for the day. I called him, and asked if he would take her in (it saved me a long trip home). There was no hesitation at all. Of course he would keep her. You find out who your friends are.
Then I got back to the office, thinking that I would have a lot of catching up to do after a morning "off." Not so. The other editors had finished almost all of my work for me upon my arrival. They certainly did not have to help me; they all have to pull plenty of weight at the company without the additional load. But they did. You find out who your friends are.
These generous people led me to think of the kind of friend that Jesus was. He was a friend to the lowest of the low, those that would be considered the societal outsiders of today. Jesus visited the house of Zacchaeus the tax collector Luke 19:1-10 and touched a man with leprosy Matthew 8:1-4.
God intended that we have relationships including families, spouses, and friends. We form bonds with one another because as it says in Ecclesiastes 4:9-12,
Two are better than one, because they have good return for their work. If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
It is interesting that the scripture says a cord of three strands. I take that to mean we should not only have friends physically on this earth, but a friend in our hearts as well. That friend is Jesus, the third strand, the strand that keeps the cord from unraveling.
In situations when we need a helping hand, you do truly find out who your friends are. So nurture your relationships. Give friends the love and attention they deserve, and they will reciprocate.
Your friendships need nourishment just as the farmer's crops did in the parable Jesus tells in Matthew 13:3-8. Plant your friendships in the good soil of consideration, thoughtfulness, and generosity. Those friendships will blossom into the best of all, the friends who you can call on in difficult times, the friends who genuinely care about you.
Intersecting Faith and Life: You can probably think of a friend that you have not spoken to in some time. Reach out to that person with a simple call or e-mail to catch up. Let that person know that you care about him or her.
Further Reading
John 13:34
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Only One Way to Achieve Patience
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride.
Ecclesiastes 7:8, NIV
Our senior pastor came into the room for a pre-arranged talk with all of us high school senior guys. He wanted to share something with us as we moved off into the next phases of our lives.
Out of all the applications and biblical wisdom at his disposal, what one topic was on his heart? What advice did he wish to impart above all?
He began by asking us to envision where we'd be in five, 10, 25 years. I'm just now coming up on that 25th year; I'm amazed at how differently some things have turned out, and how similar to my goals other things are. But that's not the point.
Our pastor next told us that the one thing we ought to pursue more than any other was... not holiness, not righteousness, not prayer... but patience. "Boys, raise your hand if you want to be a man of patience."
Okay, sure. Sounds good. Patience, yeah, that could be helpful to me. Hand up.
"Great. I'll tell you what, boys, can I pray with you now? But be aware, only agree with me in this prayer if you mean it, if you really want patience. Because do you know what it takes to develop patience? Problems. Only problems - and the way you react to them and trust God through them - can develop patience. Do you understand? So that's what I'm going to ask God for right now, that He'll bring you all problems. Are you ready?"
Sure. Why not?
Oh boy. Looking back, the last quarter century hasn't been hell on earth by any stretch, but its sure been full of its share of problems. As of this writing, I've got one that's forcing me to wait... and wait... and wait for an answer. I feel shamed when I go through a study about Abraham and how long he waited and waited for God to fulfill a direct promise, because I can't imagine waiting any longer than I already have. The only reason I continue to do so is because of the patience and wisdom I've built up having passed through earlier problems and trials, the outcomes of which inform me to keep waiting.
What's the moral here? Be careful what you pray for? Hmmm... maybe... but I think I prefer the lesson in today's verse, that patience (trusting God's way and waiting on His promise) is better than pride (my idea of the best way). To me, it's really eye-opening to think of those two concepts - patience and pride - as the opposites of each other. But that's exactly how this verse sets them up. It suggests patience is akin to humility, and pride the brother of instant gratification. And I guess that makes sense. But why is patience better? Especially in this day and age when so much is there for the taking? When the respected thing to do is reach out and go for it? What had my pastor so convinced that doing the opposite was the most important lesson to send young men out into the world?
Honestly I haven't completely figured that out yet. Appropriately, it's something I'm willing to be patient to gain the wisdom of. But I suspect it has something to do with that pesky old verse from James:
Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing (James 1:2-4).
Only problems can bring patience; only trials can test faith and make it real. Only endurance can lead to completion.
And when I am complete, I will lack nothing. At which time I apparently will have superceded even patience, as what would there be to wait for if I lack nothing?
It sounds almost mystical, almost unachievable, at least until the end of my life or when I meet God. Until then, I simply pray that the experience of each problem and the eventual result will steel me into calm, patient submission to God's perfect timing.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Are you willing to pray a problem into your life? Why or why not?
Further Reading
Afraid God Will Give You Patience?
The Temporary Non-Path of Patience
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The Day I Rolled Down the Window
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com
"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love." 1 John 4:18
The guy had no teeth on top. Sadly, I noticed that first. His cigarette dangled between gum and lip.
While my wife jogged into Walgreens, this guy passed up dozens of other open spaces to squeeze his red coupe between our Prius and a truck that stuck slightly over the white line. He glanced over at us for only a moment before his window stuttered down and a mud-and-oil stained mitt poked out of the window to wave at my daughters in the backseat.
I confess. I didn't exactly feel neighborly.
And then the guy began speaking and pointing to our car. I couldn't hear a word through the glass, but that didn't stop him from mumbling around his cigarette, which was probably 80% ash. Smiling from the silliness of it, I zipped the passenger-side window down and wondered what would compel him to speak to a complete stranger in a parking lot.
Gas mileage. Seriously.
This random guy in the parking lot of Walgreens wanted to compare gas mileage. At least, that's what opened the door for conversation. From there, I learned what he did (shoeing horses), found out how his work had hurt his back (bulging disk), saw a picture of his prized new jackdaw (I had no clue either), and realized how much you can love a guy with no upper teeth.
He was real. He had no pretensions, no conceit, no desire to be anything more than he was. You got the raw, muddy man. And, sadly, I would never have spoken to the guy on my own if he hadn't put his huge hand and ashy cigarette out the window. Sadly, I didn't want to get messy.
But, really, love is all about the uncomfortable mess—just as God revealed in my life. To Him, I once looked much worse than toothless, much dirtier than mud-covered. But Jesus didn't care. He saw something through all that muck He loved. And am I ever glad He did.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Love means getting close to people who are nothing like us. God may put people there for us to reach out to that don't fit our ideal image of people we want to be around. They could reek of smoke, have few teeth, or even champion political views we don't like. It's enough to make us squirm.
But there's one key here that we cannot forget: He loves them. Jesus touched the diseased, dirty, and destitute. He wasn't afraid of engaging with the unpopular and scandalous. Instead, He specifically sought out those that no one else would. His grace knew no social barrier.
We can't let being uncomfortable prevent us from sharing that love.
For Further Reading
1 John 1:1
James 2:1
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A White Bread Faith
By Ryan Duncan, Croswalk.com Entertainment Editor
This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.- 1 John 3:10
When I was still in high school my mother became a vegetarian. Now, I have nothing but respect for vegetarians, but as a guy who likes his steaks extra-rare, this created a few problems in our household. Suddenly our family was exploring what people called "organic" dishes. Tofu, quiche, we dined on whole-grain pastas sprinkled with nuts, strange cheeses, and enough broccoli to kill an entire fourth grade class. It wasn't all that bad actually; my mother was very gracious and still cooked meat for the carnivores in the house, but I suspect a soy based meat substitute found its way into our meals on more than one occasion.
The worst part though, was the bread. My family went from using your typical sleeve of wheat bread to buying those thick, iron cast loaves so brown they were almost black. I can remember sitting in the cafeteria during lunch, watching my classmates as they flagrantly devoured their delicious, white-bread PB&J's, while I chewed the same bite of sandwich over and over for almost an hour because chunks of grain were still floating around in it. Back then, I would have given anything for a sandwich made from white, Wonder Bread.
The thing is though, ask any nutritionist and they'll tell you white bread barely counts as grain at all. It tastes good, but that's because it's been almost entirely drained of nutrients. All the beneficial vitamins and minerals have been lost, and in the end we are left with a food that really isn't as healthy as we'd like to think it is.
How many of us Christians are looking for a "White Bread" relationship with God? We show up at Church on Sunday and pray before each meal, then tell ourselves that should be enough to help us grow in our faith. It's a sweet deal with all of the benefits and none of the drawbacks. Don't fool yourself; God wants to be so much more in our lives than our Sunday morning service. He is looking to make us lights of the world, to bring peace where there is strife, hope where there is despair, and grace where there is hate. You won't be very prepared for that if you just stick to the Sunday Sermons. Don't deny yourself a good, healthy, relationship with God. Read the Bible, get involved, and above all, be sure to make him a part of your daily life.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Find ways to get involved with you home church. Volunteer for events, or try mentoring some of the younger students. Parents, are your children involved in a youth group? Encourage them to give it a try.
Further Reading
Revelation 3:15-17
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Labeled
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com
After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church—for we are members of his body. Ephesians 5:29-30
Early in their marriage, Kate* discovered her husband, Jim, had a pornography addiction. She confronted him about it; they prayed; and he promised to change. For several months, Jim seemed to be doing just that by throwing himself into his ministry position. Their marriage returned to normal.
But the façade soon collapsed. Kate began suspecting something when she discovered Jim had been to a questionable restaurant several times with some of the other members of the church staff. She searched his computer and found hundreds of porn sites in the browser history. She also came across personal items belonging to another woman in his car.
When confronted, Jim begged for forgiveness. Kate moved out but agreed to counseling—if Jim would be serious this time. But he wasn't. He was late when he did show up for the counseling sessions. Mostly, he just didn't come.
Kate filed for divorce—and picked up a label. Many members of the church where Jim worked couldn't believe he would do anything. So, they blamed the divorce on Kate. They knew she had her eye on someone else for months. They knew why she really wanted a divorce.
And that label went with Kate. Thanks to the power of the Internet, the certainty of Kate's actions spread to other friends and family members. Jim, for his part, did nothing to dissuade the rumors, and Kate refused to slander Jim to the church—even if he'd hurt her, even if it meant wearing the label.
Kate eventually moved back to her hometown, but even there, enough people knew her past to keep the stories and "certainties" churning. They knew who she was and what she'd done. Jim stepped down from the church staff, ostensibly because of the turmoil, but picked up his own label: poor, discarded husband.
Years later, Kate still wears her label. She remarried, but for many people, she's still the woman who ran out on her husband, who didn't fight hard enough, who really had ulterior motives for leaving him. Even after Jim left ministry and church altogether, the reason behind his apostasy fell at her feet. She'd been labeled, and that was enough.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Church can be a scary place because the process of living life together is messy. Husbands and wives cheat. Doubts bubble up. Irrational fears overcome. We're joined together at our most vulnerable point: trust.
We're all tempted to categorize events and people, especially when something goes wrong. Categorizing makes it all seem safer, so different from us. But the purpose of the church isn't just for when things are going well; it's for when things mess up. Once we categorize and label, we've made things seem tidier in our heads, but that tidiness rarely exists in real life.
For Kate, healing took years—all because those she trusted fit her neatly into the box where they wanted her to be. And for Jim, labeling meant he never dealt with his sin.
For Further Reading
John 8:1
*Names changed.
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Run for Your Life
by Anna Kuta
"Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart" (2 Timothy 2:22).
Have you ever been at the beach in the summer and gotten in the ocean only to look up after a while and suddenly realize you've drifted way down from where you got in? It can be pretty scary sometimes, as you frantically try to find your way back to your spot amid crowds of people, umbrellas and towels that all seem to look the same. You thought you were just floating in the water, and it seemed like it, but the whole time the waves and the current were slowly carrying you down the shore.
You might have heard the saying that if you are not going forward in your Christian walk, you are going backwards – that if you are not actively progressing and growing, you are losing ground. It's similar to the way it works with the ocean. You might think you're staying in the same place, but you're losing ground without even realizing it.
Just as you have to continually keep swimming to keep the ocean from dragging you away from your place on the beach, growing in your faith and becoming more Christ-like is an active process, not a passive one. In 2 Timothy 2:22, Paul uses words with a connotation of intent and urgency to describe what we as Christians should do: flee youthful lusts, pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace. The word "flee" implies running as fast as you can away from something like you're afraid for your life, and that's exactly what Paul is saying we should do when confronted with "youthful lusts," or things that are not glorifying to God. Similarly, the word "pursue" implies following or chasing close behind something with the goal of catching it, like you're hot on its trail. This is the way God wants us to approach our relationship with Him – constantly striving to get to know Him more through His word, to follow His commands, to grow closer to Him, and to ultimately become more like Him.
The more we pursue godly desires and our relationship with Jesus, the faster we can flee those things that are not honoring to God. It is a one-or-the-other choice. I can't live a life that is glorifying to God if I'm continually dragged down by things that are detrimental to my spiritual growth. It's something that ultimately comes down to every little choice we make. With God's strength, though, we can deny wrong desires, and with His help, we can choose to do the right thing. Whatever you do, don't stand still – run for your life away from things that don't honor God and run equally fast toward Him.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Strive to learn more about Jesus through His word and grow closer to Him this year. Commit to pursuing your relationship with Him each day, and commit to asking Him to help you flee things in your life that are not glorifying to Him.
Further Reading
Jeremiah 29:13
Matthew 6:33
1 Timothy 6:11-12
Philippians 4:13
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Armor 'n Enemies
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel.
Ephesians 6:13
Six pieces of armor. Five primarily defensive, one primarily offensive. And yet...
Have you ever used the chest-bumper of righteousness on someone? How about the head-butter of salvation? The bludgeoner of faith? The shin-kicker of readiness or the gut-puncher of holiness?
Even the sword of the spirit has its proper purpose - to fight our enemies. Which are?
Other Christians? Unbelievers? Mean people?
While we humans can be so hard on each other, no. One verse earlier, Paul tells us what we're fighting:
our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil (v. 12).
Quite convicting, really. Not only do I clearly go into many days without getting completely dressed, even when I do I'm mis-using my equipment, fighting in the dark, swinging blindly, or wounding with friendly fire.
I don't know about you, but for me, the elemental bible verses I first learned as a youth (like today's verse) are the ones I need to continually reconsider, because they're the ones I tend to just believe without acting upon.
When times come - like these days we're in now - where there is fierce political thought and lines being drawn and opinions spouted as truth, including the opinion that there is no truth - it's just so easy to get drawn in before we remember to put on our armor or be trained in using it. When that happens, we tend to view our enemies as each other, and forget or deny that the war is still spiritual. And therefore more serious, more wearying, not less.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Get dressed this morning, and tomorrow morning. Once equipped, try emphasizing the defensive uses of most of the armor. Stand up for someone. Protect the reputation of another. Shelter someone in loving truth. Run quickly to someone in need. I pray you'll begin to survive your days much less scathed.
Further Reading
Romans 8:38
fight or flight? weighing your instincts against god's word
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Love You Forever
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. – 1 John 4:16
One of my mother's favorite books is Love You Forever by Robert Munsch. For those of you who haven't read it, the story begins with a young woman rocking her newborn baby to sleep as she sings this lullaby:
I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living,
My baby you'll be.
The book then jumps forward through various stages the child's life, from troublesome toddler, to stubborn adolescent, to crazy teenager. In each instance, the mother is left shouting "This kid is driving me CRAZY!" Yet, whenever her child is asleep, she always makes her way into the bedroom to sing:
I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living,
My baby you'll be.
It's amazing how such a small book can hold so much meaning. In only a few pages the author was able to capture the very essence of motherhood; its frustration, its unconditional love, and perhaps something more. Whether he intended to or not, I believe Munsch also created a perfect allegory for the gospel of Christ. How can we look at that messy, misbehaving child and not see ourselves? And how can we look at the mother and not see a reflection of God's love?
I sometimes wonder if God has ever shouted "These kids are driving me CRAZY!" Heaven knows we've done enough to earn that much. Yet no matter what we do, no matter how much we change, Christ is always there with outstretched arms, whispering over us:
I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living,
My baby you'll be.
Intersecting Faith and Life: This Mother's Day, thank your mom for all the amazing things she does.
Further Reading
Romans 8:31-39
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3 Ways My Mom Reminds Me of Jesus
"Her children rise up and call her blessed..." (Proverbs 31:28).
I've got a good family. And while I love all my family members so much that it hurts, and in vastly different ways, it's May, so I've been thinking a lot about my Mama. I have always known my mom was the actual greatest, but the older I grew, the more I began to recognize really concrete reasons for it. How much I had learned from her. How much her example has shown me about being a wife, or dealing with kids. How to keep a good face and a good heart when you're in uncomfortable or distasteful situations.
Some of the things she's imparted to me may seem small, or silly. When I'm outside and it's sunny, I always think about soaking up Vitamin D. I never let my students get away with using the phrase "the reason is because..." in their essays.
But more than those little things, my mom has made such a big impact on me because she reminds me of Jesus. Here are three Christ-like messages she has ingrained in me (whether by her words or simply her actions):
"You are Always Loved."
Of course my mom loves me. I suppose for most of us, that's a given. But it makes such a difference when she tells me that every time she sees me. No matter what mistake I make, no matter how grumpy I am, no matter how grumpy she is, I know that nobody will ever love me as much as my Mama loves me.
I have a unique relationship with my mom because I was her first daughter, and one she had wanted and prayed for many years before my birth. Whenever we've gone through a rough conversation, or even if I'm just feeling downtrodden, she's never hesitated to remind me that she has loved me and wanted me since before I was even born. And I know that my mom never stops praying and hoping for her children. This persistent, unrelenting love reminds me so much of Jesus' parable of the lost sheep in Luke 15:
"What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.'"
This portrait of God that Jesus paints is simple: God loves you so much that he will never give up on you. Likewise, my mom is a mom who never gives up on me.
"You Are Always Welcome."
I used to assume that all families pretty much work like this, but the older I get, the more I realize how rarely we exhibit true, pure, hospitality even to our closest family members. Growing up, outsiders were routinely welcome to join us for meals, for sleeping over, or for jam sessions. Every time I talk with my mom, she reminds me that I'm welcome to pop by, expected or not, anytime I want. If I ever need something, or even just need to talk, I know she's there for me.
But more than just welcoming me into her home, my mom welcomes me into her heart and life, totally unconditionally. Sure, she taught me manners and morals, and hopes and expects I'll live by them. But none of her children has turned out perfect. And she has never given me ultimatums on our relationship, or implied that I would be kicked out, unwelcome, or treated as an outside if I said certain things, dressed a certain way, hung out with certain people, or even believed certain things. She lets me live my life, and I know she'll always be a phone call away. She'll always leave the front door open when she knows I'm coming over.
Just like the Father in the parable of the prodigal son. The son had rejected his father, thought of nothing but instant gratification, chased empty pleasures, and eventually returned home broken. What was the father doing, all this while?
But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him... [And] the father said to his servants, 'Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found' (Luke 15: 20-24).
No conditions. No interrogations. Just a warm welcome home.
"You Will Always be Fed."
Does this one seem silly, or out of place? It doesn't to me. My mother was the first one who showed me what the ministry of feeding can look like. Sometimes a person just needs to be offered a hot meal, whether that person is your child, a guest in your home, or an underfed person standing on the street corner. This attitude of abundance and generosity is imprinted all over my childhood memories.
Food brings life to the body. Think about how often God worked on Israel's hearts through food! He gave them manna in the wilderness. The most sacred Jewish holiday, Passover, is a meal of bread and herbs, symbolizing the oppression of Egypt and the God who was big enough to free them from it.
And then the Lord's Supper.
Whoever eats of the bread and drinks of the cup proclaims the Lord's death until he comes.
Implemented in an upstairs chamber 2,000 years ago, it started off as a Passover meal, but was given fresh significance. We still practice this new sacrament of bread and wine in churches, every month, every Sunday, every day – to remind ourselves that God sustains. God provides. Jesus fed thousands with loaves and fish, and God feeds us with his Spirit. And one day, we will join him at the greatest bridal feast of all.
Where we will be fed.
We will be welcome.
And we will be loved.
That's what I see reflected in the life of my sweet mother. That's why she reminds me of Jesus.
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Seventy-Seven
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. – Romans 12:17-18
In a perfect world, Christians would be people without any disagreements. Unfortunately this isn't a perfect world, it's a fallen one, and even the Church sees its share of conflict between members. Pastors argue, Churches split, and professed Christians hold grudges against their brothers and sisters. This last one is something I particularly struggle with. A few years ago I was in a really bad place; I was feeling hurt and angry because of something some other Christians had said to me.
When I finally confided this to one of my friends, I can remember saying,
"I just hate them so much."
It wasn't until later that I learned the disciple Peter had been in a similar situation. Look at what Jesus said to him,
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?" Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. – Matthew 18:21-22
But Jesus didn't stop there, he continued by telling the parable of the Servant and the Master. It begins with a kind man who dismisses his servant's enormous debt,
"But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. 'Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded. "His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.' "But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened. "Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. "This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart." – Matthew 18:28-35
As Christians, we are commanded to forgive those who wrong us. Not just because God wants us to love one another, but because he first loved us.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Is there anyone in your life you are struggling to forgive? Remember the parable of the King and his servant.
Further Reading
Luke 17:3
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Pharisees on Facebook
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. – John 13:34-35
I have a friend who loves starting debates. Every once in a while he'll post an article or question on his Facebook page, then send out a request asking people to share their thoughts. These questions can cover every topic from politics to pop-culture, and typically generate good discussion. There was one post however, where things got pretty grim. It all started when my friend posted an article about a group of Christians who went to a Gay Pride parade holding signs that read "We're sorry for how the Church has treated you." Personally, I was pretty touched at the article, but as you might expect on such a hot button issue, not everyone felt the same way.
It didn't take long before the whole discussion exploded into a big honking argument and I remember leaving the thread in disgust, both by what others had written and how I had responded. The most unnerving part however, happened three days later when I picked up my Bible and read a passage where the Pharisees interrogated a man Jesus had just healed.
Then they asked him, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?" He answered, "I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?" Then they hurled insults at him and said, "You are this fellow's disciple! We are disciples of Moses! We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don't even know where he comes from." The man answered, "Now that is remarkable! You don't know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will. Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing." To this they replied, "You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!" And they threw him out. – John 9:26-34
We like to think we are different from the Pharisees, but the truth is we're not. The Pharisees were the religious elite of the day, but they were so full of pride at their own self-righteousness, they could not even see the work of Christ when it was literally standing right in front of them. Instead, they argued and hurled insults at their enemy, a man who had done them no harm at all. I hate to say it, but that sounds a lot like me sometimes.
As Christians, we must remember that everything we say and everything we do reflects the presence of God in our lives. If we respond to others with cruelty, should we be surprised when their perception of Jesus is twisted? But if we respond in love, than perhaps they'll begin to understand how Christ sees them. So ask yourself, how does the world see Christ when they look at you?
Intersecting Faith and Life: Are you loving others the way Christ has loved you? Consider your actions.
Further Reading
John 9
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Who Determines Your Identity?
by Kelly Givens, Editor, iBelieve.com
Last year, in between jobs, I worked as a temporary administrative assistant at a financial planning firm... during tax season. It was as challenging as you might imagine. I had no experience in taxes but suddenly found myself surrounded by tax forms, calculators and clients who expected me to have the answers to all of their tax issues. I might as well have been in a foreign country trying to communicate in a language I barely understood.
I started with grand ambitions: I told myself that I would learn all about taxes; I took an incredibly challenging online tax course, learned a ton about deductions and exemptions, and strove to be cheerful and helpful to my colleagues and our clients. Things were going great - I was exhausted but felt helpful, felt like my boss appreciated me and thought my coworkers were glad to have me around. Until the worst imaginable thing happened.
A customer claimed to have dropped off his taxes to be done, but his paperwork was nowhere to be found. All of the most important documents he owned and had trusted to us had somehow vanished. Worst of all, I had been the person handling the coming and going of most of the client's paperwork the day it went missing, so the blame fell on me.
I was nauseous with anxiety. I felt the cold condemnation of my coworkers as they repeatedly asked me what I had done with this man's documents. All I could say over and over was, "I don't know. I don't remember taking his paperwork. I am so sorry." I listened as they whispered accusations behind my back. I felt them watching me like a hawk, seeing if I would make any more careless mistakes. Worst of all, my boss was totally stressed out and I felt the weight of everything on me.
I went home that night and cried my eyes out. I prayed fervently that God would somehow miraculously make the documents appear. I prayed for the strength I needed to face work the next day. I truly felt as David did in Psalms 55 when he prayed,
Fear and trembling have beset me;
horror has overwhelmed me.
Oh, that I had wings of a dove!
I would flee far away and stay in the desert.
All I wanted was to run away and never face my coworkers again. And I couldn't even think about what the client would say when he found out that all of his tax information was gone.
My husband and I went to Bible study that night, and together our small group prayed over the situation, prayed that the missing documents would be recovered, and prayed for my peace. One person's prayer in particular stuck out to me:
Father, I pray that Kelly knows her identity is not in what she does or doesn't do, but in what you have done for her. I pray she knows that no amount of mistakes could make her any less your daughter.
Those words were a balm to my wounded spirit. I pictured Jesus holding me, reminding me of his great love for me and that even though I had messed up, my mistakes didn't define me, he did.
I am a daughter of the King. Being reminded that my identity rests not in my success but in Christ's sacrifice gave me the courage I needed to face another work day. I realized I had been finding my identity in what other people thought of me and in a job well done, instead of resting in the knowledge that no matter what, I am a beloved, redeemed child of God.
The next day at work, the missing files were found. The client had dropped them off in our overnight drop-off box, and the documents were wedged at the top of the chute. While having my name cleared was a relief, I look back and am more thankful for the lesson God taught me. When it comes to my identity, it's not what I do or don't do that defines me, it's what Christ has done for me.
"He ransoms me unharmed from the battle waged against me." -Psalm 55:18
Intersecting Faith and Life: Where do you find your identity, in the knowledge that you're a child of God, or in the things you do or don't do? Remember, the thing that separates Christianity from all other world religions is that it's not what we do that saves us, it's what Christ has done for us. You're a child of God! Celebrate this today instead of focusing on your successes and failures.
Further Reading:
Psalm 55
John 15
Romans 8:1
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Are You Reciting the Gospel by Yourself?
by Alex Crain, Editor, Christianity.com
"...with Him... Moses and Elijah, who, appearing in glory, were speaking
of His departure which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem."
Luke 9:27 NASB
It's good to see that the idea of 'preaching the gospel to yourself everyday' is becoming more popular. At least that's how it seems to me. Things that point to the gospel are popping up in all kinds of places and ways, not only in big and new movements but in short videos, articles and Twitter messages ("gospel tweets"). A caution in the way we think about the gospel was brought to my attention recently in chapter two of True Spirituality. If you're not following along in our weekly journey through this important and helpful work by Francis Schaeffer, I invite you to join us.
In chapter two, Schaeffer mentions our Scripture passage today (above) where we see Moses and Elijah speaking with Jesus at the Mount of Transfiguration about His impending departure—His death.
It's subtle, but notice that they're not just making a passing mention of the fact. Rather, they were actively and continuously speaking about it. They were dwelling on the gospel; at least the substitutionary atonement part of it. And with the Object of their redemption (Christ) standing right there, no doubt there must have been more than just theological accuracy in their conversation. Probably more like amazement and deep gratitude. As they thought of all that Christ was about to endure for their sin, I'm sure they had correct thoughts about the gospel. But Christ's own presence energized their orthodox theology.
At times, there can a detached, tearless way that we think about the gospel. When I have well-articulated and familiar facts about Christ's life/death/resurrection/ascension, and they are just empty echoes down the icy corridors of my thoughts, the diagnosis is simple: I have broken fellowship with Christ. It's evidence of unconfessed sin.
Schaeffer reminds us that when we rehearse the gospel, we must do so in the presence of the Living Christ; in humble worship of Him. He is not a distant figment of man's imagination. He is the God Who is there. Just as Moses and Elijah were "with Him"... in His presence, so we too must continuously rehearse the gospel while recognizing that we are in the presence of the God Who is there. The Christian life flows from the constant spring of dwelling on the gospel with the Redeemer Himself.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Remember this paraphrase of john piper: the gospel is like blood, it's supposed to course through your veins not be carried in a bucket.
John Owen, (a 1600s Puritan) often prayed, "Lord, may I commune with You in the doctrines I espouse." Make this your prayer and experience today.
Further Reading
John 15:1
The Gospel in Six Minutes (John Piper, video)
"While all that borrows life from Thee is ever in Thy care;
And everywhere that man can be, Thou, God art present there."
From the hymn, "I Sing the Mighty Power of God" by Isaac Watts
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Editor's Note: This devotional was originally published in 2008. We're re-running it today in honor of Keeper, whose earthly journey came to an end peacefully May 19, 2014.
Keeper Lessons
by Meghan Kleppinger
I will say to the LORD, "My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!"
Psalms 91:2
Everyone loves those "dog movies." You know the ones – like Homeward Bound and My Dog Skip, and Benji, and Lassie. Actually, I can't watch those movies because I crumble to pieces whenever I see an animal in harm's way, or treated with cruelty. Yes, I know they're fictional and special effects are used, but it started with Old Yeller when I was five... and please don't ask me to explain the rest of that story!
Well, these days, I feel as though I'm living out one of those dog story movies.
I adopted a 5-year-old collie mix last November that had been rescued by an animal society on the day she was to be euthanized. I was told she was friendly but hand-shy and that she had been abandoned and probably abused. I quickly found this to be true and it nearly drove me to tears each time I would go to pet her and she would flinch.
About two weeks after the adoption, my dog started having seizures. I can't begin to explain the fear that consumed me. It was nothing compared to the terrified and confused look in my pup's eyes. The vet told me that she will have to be on epilepsy meds for life and that whoever gave her up probably did so because they didn't think she was worth the effort and cost.
I love this dog and I'm committed to keeping her healthy and safe, but I've had the most difficult time communicating this with her. I even named her Keeper as a reminder that she has found her forever home and that she is, indeed, a keeper.
The other day while I was walking her, a huge black dog jumped out of nowhere and attempted to attack her. I don't know how to explain my reaction when this happened. In mamma bear fashion, I didn't think, I reacted. I started screaming at this dog, "Get off of her!" and threw myself between the two of them. Eventually, I managed to pull out and then walk away, a little shaken, but unscathed. I saw two wet saliva spots on her skin - attempted bite marks - and realized how fortunate we were.
God started to impress some things upon me as we walked home. Here I had this dog that was abused, abandoned, unwanted, and considered worthless by someone. She has trust issues but at the same time wants so badly to please me.
It made me think of us humans. We have trust issues. We have hurts and pains that we don't understand and don't want to revisit. Sometimes it's hard for those of us who have been hurt to obey God's call to trust Him.
What God reminded me of was that He doesn't just tell us we can trust Him, or command us to do so, but through scripture and through circumstances in our lives He shows us over and over again that we can trust Him.
I took my dog out for a walk again the same day as the earlier attack and I nearly had a nervous breakdown as I saw two huskies approaching us. I knew them to be friendly dogs, but the last thing I wanted was for Keeper to go into her Alpha-dog "I'll protect you and myself" mode. She doesn't initiate attacks, but she doesn't shy away from them either.
Anyway, rather than showing her teeth or barking, like she normally does, she hid behind me.
I had spent months petting, hugging, grooming and feeding her, and telling her that she was "my girl," but it never seemed to be enough to gain her full trust. On the day of the attack, something happened. Something clicked. She saw by my actions that I cared for her and that in turn, she could trust me.
God reminded me that Jesus stepped in and, knowing the cost, paid the ultimate sacrifice for us. Though others may think us worthless, He thought we were worth being saved to the point of death. He has proven that He cares for us and can be trusted.
Why then, do we so often try by ourselves to fight those battles that threaten us each day? Why do we go into alpha-dog mode when He has told us that He will go before us and fight for us?
Keeper ran behind me when we saw those two huskies because she knew I would protect her. Most of all, what God taught me through my dog that day is that I need to do the same... I need to seek His protective covering and let Him take care of me.
Intersecting Faith & Life: As Proverbs 3 says, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."
Further Reading
Psalms 20:7
2 Chronicles 20:17
Why God Can be Trusted: Letter to the Hebrews
Learn How and When to Trust in a World of Betrayal
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Trials of Prosperity
by Alex Crain, Editor, Christianity.com
"...for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me."
Philippians 4:11-13
A friend of mine who lives in another part of the country (let's call him Joe) works as a recruiter. He specializes in finding jobs for lawyers, consultants, and accountants. When Joe places someone in a job, the hiring firm pays him a percentage based on the annual salary. A few years ago, when housing prices began taking a nose dive and the job market dried up, my friend nearly lost everything.
Every week, Joe and I would talk on the phone and pray together. We asked God to provide for our families and help us not get consumed with worry. God faithfully met our needs and the answers to prayer for Joe's finances came in small quantities, until just recently when the floodgates opened.
Last year, Joe made a couple of moderate placements while he tapped away at something he called his "needle in a haystack." A law firm in Asia was seeking a senior partner whose starting annual salary would be around $3 million. The bonus for Joe would be the biggest in his career if he could land it. Well, Joe's candidate eventually got the job. When Joe called me to share the news, we rejoiced and praised God together.
Then, because this less-than-joyful bit of news was fresh on my mind at the time, I shared with Joe (anonymously) about an acquaintance who was no longer living for God. He had inherited a good amount of money around the same time Joe's income had dried up to a trickle. The inheritance money fueled secret vices that eventually led him to the point of abandoning his wife and six young children for another woman. My wife and I stayed in this family's home just a few years ago. We still can't believe it.
Joe and I still pray on the phone and ask God to bless his business and keep him close to God as he tastes financial success. In light of the tragic break up of this other family, we've become more aware what a blessing it is to just have daily bread. The temptation to forget God in times of abundance is strong. When God allows trials of prosperity in our lives, we need to depend on Him even more.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Though it might sound cliché, Satan will destroy us if he can. As Luther's hymn says: 'His craft and power are great, and armed with cruel hate.' No matter our circumstances, God wants us to trust Him, not piles of money.
Further Reading:
8 Things Contentment Opposes, by Tim Challies
Philippians 4:1
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What Hath Worldview to Do with Memorial Day?
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"...let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness..."
Genesis 1:26 NASB
Begun as a ritual after the American Civil War to honor fallen soldiers, Memorial Day seems to have broadened in recent years. Many people view it as a day to remember deceased friends and loved ones, regardless of military service. The propriety of this phenomenon is not so much the focus of this devotional. What is of interest, however, is the fact that there even exists a universal human urge to honor the dead. Thinking worldview-ishly—what perspective besides the Christian's is able to provide a consistent and satisfying explanation for this?
Take atheistic evolution, for example. 1How do invisible realities like love, honor, and dignity evolve by random processes in a purely material universe? These are enduring aspects of human personality. Each is non-material, but each is very real. Deep down, we all know that they exist. Yet atheistic evolution, which says that these things can be nothing more than the product of chemical reactions in our brains, renders them meaningless. (Somehow, that little factoid gets swept under the rug in biology class though, doesn't it?)
At a fundamental level, we know that these ideals aren't just the product of chemical reactions in our brains. Oh, someone might protest that they are just chemical reactions. But if you could follow that person home and observe him for a while among his friends and loved ones, you'd see a different story played out.
The image of God is something which humans cannot contain or fully eradicate. Sooner or later it pokes out and finds expression. In an unguarded moment, the God-denier looks into the eyes of his beloved, or cradles a child or grandchild in his arms and knows deeply that the love he's experiencing is not a mere product of bio-chemistry. In The God Who Is There, author Francis Schaeffer said it this way:
"Though your system may say love does not exist, your own experience shows that it does." (chap. 2, conclusion)
We humans have an insuppressible knowledge that love is real and that there is something eternal and significant about us. We may not be able to put our finger on it or explain it precisely, but the Bible says that the living God has made mankind in His image. At the very least what that means is that we are distinct from animals. The ability to reflect on ourselves and write an essay about it (or read one), sets us apart from every other species. This is a function of the image of God at work.
God specially created us as rational and moral creatures possessing complex, intangible elements of personality. We are self-conscious; we reflect on memories of ourselves and others; we experience love—on and on. These are distinctly human qualities. We are unique in our "mannishness" as Schaeffer called it. Elsewhere, he wrote concerning this, saying:
God thinks and we think. The world of thoughts is that which distinguishes me as a man.
[Therefore,]...the battle for people is centrally in the world of thought.
(True Spirituality, chap. 9: conclusion)
Granted, people don't always live in full awareness of these deep truths. But a so-called "non-religious" holiday like Memorial Day can help shock the awareness back, if we pause to consider it.
As Christians, we are right to observe Memorial Day. Honoring the dead is something completely consistent with our worldview. We might also observe Memorial Day by looking for opportunities to graciously challenge others to think about where their worldview leads them, and why they do what they do.
Intersecting Faith & Life: When a non-Christian friend, neighbor, or family member brings up the subject of Memorial Day, ask them why they think humans honor their dead. Seize the occasion to start a conversation that points others to their Creator whose image they bear.
Further Reading:
Colossians 3:1 (esp. 3:10)
The Myth of Neutrality (a worldview & apologetics study by Greg Bahnsen)
How to Know Truth and Evaluate Competing Worldviews, by Chris Daniel
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1The deficiencies of other worldviews are demonstrable re: honoring the dead. However, for the sake of brevity, the discussion is being limited here to atheistic evolution.
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Traveling Mercies
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
You will not be afraid of the terror by night, Or of the arrow that flies by day.
Psalms 91:1
With Memorial Day weekend's arrival, summer travel season is upon us (well, for those who haven't been grounded by the economy, anyway), so I've been reminiscing upon all the times the Lord has watched out for me on the road through all my journeys. Here are just a few examples:
When I helped my wife - before she was my wife - move from Columbia, South Carolina to Farmville, Virginia, we rented an auto transport to trail her car behind the U-Haul so that we could both ride together in the truck. I had helped load her car onto the transport before we left. We decided to get out of town and onto the interstate before we gassed up. We'd traveled up and down hills, across several railroad tracks, on the interstate, in stop-and-go traffic... and it was raining. You'll understand the reason I tell you all that momentarily.
When we pulled into the gas station, we realized we didn't have Valerie's key chain. It held the keys to her car, her new home, her old home, and several expensive keys to the University of South Carolina. Neither of us had any idea where they could be. I got out of the truck to think... and I spotted them, there on one of the two-inch thick beams of the auto transport. I yelled for Valerie, who came to look. I carefully touched the keys with my fingertips... and they dropped to the ground. Neither of us could believe our eyes, or that those keys had remained there of their own accord over the route we had driven. It had to be the Lord. If not, well, He got the praise and glory anyway.
Another time, when I was just a boy, my mother's station wagon had a flat tire on a remote stretch of road outside Tucson. My sister and I were in the car as my mother struggled to get the hubcap off. In those days, on that model, a special tool was required to be able to get to the lugnuts. We didn't have the tool. Just then, a guy rode up on a bike. He happened to have the tool. He handed it to my mother, who to this day swears he was an angel. I'm not sure I can argue with her.
At other times there have been individuals who showed up with just the right help during blowouts, or - believe it or not - airline personnel who actually made my trip better than it could have gone. The most memorable of these instances, truly, have come during times I prayed, read my Bible, and had decided in advance not to get bent out of shape about delays or other problems. One such cross-country trip resulted in an out-of-nowhere upgrade to first class from Philadelphia to Seattle, where I also ended up in position to calmly solve a dispute between passengers. Indeed, the Lord has been gracious to me in travel.
My wife's family has a tradition before every trip they take to read Psalms 91. It reminds them that God is their refuge as they go, wherever they go. And of course before every trip we take, my family prays for safety, and mercy... and the opportunity to minister, even if it is an inconvenience to our plans.
One way or another, this prayer is always answered. Still, it's hard to remind myself of goodness and opportunity in delay. Sometimes I still feel that the trip, the vacation, is my time... that whatever gets in the way shows that the Lord does not care, or did not "bless" our travels. That's when I remember Paul's travels. I am certain the Apostle didn't think shipwrecks and imprisonment were helps toward spreading the Gospel. But in the end, they were. Are our travels - no matter what purpose we think they hold - any different?
Jesus told a story about a traveler who had been robbed, beaten, and left for dead on the road. Those who passed him by had in mind only their own agendas and their desire not to be inconvenienced, even if they were priests by vocation. What would you do? Would you have the time, yearning, and empathy to interrupt your travels to do as the Samaritan did?
Understand that I am not discounting that the Lord must lay on your heart the decision to stop and help, especially in these troubled and dangerous times. But do be open to it. So few times anymore do we venture outside our home or neighborhood. Those times we do should not merely be restful, but ministerial. Pray that God would give you opportunities to serve him - and yes, to see His glory in watching over you! - as you go.
Intersecting Faith & Life: This summer especially, be on the lookout for fellow travelers who are stranded. Rising gas costs could cause some motorists to run out of fuel. Consider taking along a spare gas container and can of fix-a-flat to assist stranded folks who might be in need of genuine help (and the gospel message).
Further Reading
Luke 10:25-37
Psalms 91
5 Trips to Make Memorial Day Memorable
A Father's Summer Trip Road Rules
Tips to Keep Your Family Vacation Affordable and Fun
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A Letter to America
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com
Even though you can't stand my exclusive cries for true freedom; even though you'd rather I show more toleration with my mouth shut; even though you hear my sermons as an assault upon the things you hold sacred; even though you'd haul me to court to make me fall in line; even though your movies typecast me as the blundering hypocritical monster; even though you'd dig in your nails to stop other people from hearing my prayers in the name of a man who died 2,000 years ago; even with all of that, I can't stop loving you.
Even though you've been charmed into believing that the sexual revolution was somehow liberating; even though you've given yourself at the altar of instant gratification; even though your body shows the scars of lovers torn from your arms; even though you feel the sting and hot anger over being cast aside and sing those radio songs with grit; even though you cry when no one can see how empty you feel in a roomful of friends; even though you've gone numb from rivers of meaningless promises; even with all that, I can't stop loving you.
Even though you parade through the streets with banners rejecting the ancient chains of a book you detest; even though you throw yourself into the endless revels of the night; even though you churn out words meant to destroy; even though you suck, inhale, inject, consume fire into your veins and visions in your head; even though you scream and rage against the light; even though you hate the very One who longs to make you see; even though you refuse peace inside; even though you discard Truth in your search for meaning; even with all that, I can't stop loving you.
Even though you defame the boundaries of what God joined together; even though you explore every dark corner of human connections; even though you raise equality as your golden calf; even though you brand those who disagree with spiteful epithets; even though you push the faithful from your midst; even from out there, I can't stop loving you.
Even though you call the life growing inside nothing more than tissue; even though you reject the divine spark created in your womb; even though you tear out limbs and snip spinal cords; even though you spit on those who fight to save your child; even though you suffer the labor pains of regret for the rest of your life; even then, I can't stop loving you.
Even though you hate me, I can't stop loving your sin-soiled skin. I can't stop loving your blinded eyes. I can't stop loving your idol-worshiping hands.
He died for you, and that makes you lovely.
For Further Reading:
Hosea
Romans 1-2
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How I Came to Enjoy Raisins
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. -- 1 John 2:10
Worst advertising slogan ever: "Two scoops of raisins in Kellogg's Raisin Bran." Blech. But apparently it worked on my mother, who bought the stuff like it was going out of style, while referring to delicious breakfast desserts such as Lucky Charms and Crunchberries as "cardboard." So unfair. So there I sat, choking down my raisin bran, or even oatmeal cookies with raisins in them, always suffering the same horrible fate: the bran or cookie part would be chewed and swallowed before the gooey chewy raisins, leaving me a mouthful of not-nearly-as-tasty goop.
I despised raisins. Thought about writing Kellogg's and telling them that backing off to one scoop would be plenty (nothing like getting to the bottom of the bowl and finding no flakes, only 10 little black things. Ew).
Flash-forward a quarter century. I'm having a similar issue to the raisin problem with people. Specifically, I'm loathe to admit, some Christian people. No, I haven't been eating them, but sometimes, I do find us hard to swallow. Part of the problem, ironically, is my job! Here at Crosswalk we often receive angry emails from fellow Christians who don't like the movie we reviewed, the way we said something, the ad we ran, or the author we allowed to appear on the site. Criticism's fine, even justified; I just have a hard time when it comes with a "You call yourself Christian?" or a "Have you even read the Bible?" punch to the gut. Sometimes it feels as if we Christians are concerned more with hammering home truth no matter how bluntly, or railing against _(fill in the blank)_ than genuinely loving people and meeting needs. Of course, the obvious irony here is that I then, looking in the mirror, find myself in short supply on genuine love myself. Which is not where Christ wants any of us to be. In fact, in Revelation 12:10, the title "Accuser of the Brethren" is given to our enemy Satan at his judgment. Do I really want to claim that monicker for myself?
So what does this have to do with raisins? Well, recently I discovered I kinda like the shriveled little things! I pack 'em for snacks, and eat them with the kids. I like the nutritional value, the fiber, the chewiness. What's changed? My tastes? No. The raisins? No. Not the packaging, not the flavor, not even my effort (I'm not choking them down because they're good for me, I genuinely like them). I realized that what has changed is my perspective. It didn't happen overnight, but about the time "Craisins" (dried Cranberries) came on the scene, I began enjoying all sorts of dried fruits. And here's what I noticed: I like cranberries, ergo I like dried cranberries. I like apricots, therefore I like dried apricots. I love grapes, so obviously I... hate raisins? That didn't seem to make logical sense. Maybe it was time to give raisins another try. Maybe I shouldn't even think of them as raisins. Maybe I should just think of them as "dried grapes!"
That may sound extremely silly... but it worked! I felt like I had come into the light. The texture was suddenly different. The way I savored them changed... everything. And a fun new world of food possibilities has re-opened to me, simply thanks to a different way of looking at something.
1 John chapter 2 talks about Light, who it comes from, what it helps us do, and what it shows about us when we walk in it. Light is a perspective-changer. It reveals the true nature of hidden or darkened things. It doesn't change them, but it can and does change how they appear, how they are perceived, and the details we notice. Our verse today says, "Whoever loves his brother lives in the light," and I think it also works backwards: "Whoever lives in the light loves his brother." It's not going to be easy for me to see fellow redeemed sinners - especially the angry ones - as Jesus does, but it's clearly possible, and commanded, and in the raisin example it wasn't about my efforts anyway - just turning on a light.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Who's got your goat? Have you ever tried seeing that individual, group, or faceless internet personage in a different light, from a different perspective, or even as God sees them? Have you considered how you might look different to others in a new light? Try filling these blanks in for yourself: "I like ____(x)_____, therefore I like even __________ _____(x)_____."
Further Reading
John 1: 4-11
Light and the Nature of God, by Regis Nicoll
How to Deal with Angry People, by Gary Chapman
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Silence is Golden
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. – Psalms 37:7
Recently, while vacationing in Ireland, I managed to visit an old monastery in a place called Glendalough. According to legend, the monastery was originally founded by Saint Kevin, a 6th century priest renowned for his wisdom and piety. Kevin's fame as Holy had begun to interfere with his Christian walk, so he withdrew to Glendalough in order to pray and meditate in peace. The small monastery was built later by disciples who followed him, hoping the secluded valley would allow them to pray to God without distraction. Tucked away in a small valley, surrounded by mountains and a tiny lake, the silence in Glendalough was almost palpable.
It didn't strike me until later how unfamiliar that silence was. After all, we live in a world that is filled with distractions: iPads, iPods, TV, Internet, movies... there are so many things demanding our time and attention, often at the expense of our time with Christ. Saint Kevin knew the value of silence, just like Christ,
Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. – Luke 5:15-16
Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. On reaching the place, he said to them, "Pray that you will not fall into temptation." – Luke 22:39
After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. –Matthew 17:1
The world is filled with so much noise, so much distraction, how often do we really get the chance to listen to God? I don't know about you, but this is something I struggle with on a daily basis. Don't allow the toys of this world to distract you from your Heavenly Father. Instead, the next time you pray, turn off your cell phone and find a place far away from your computer. Pray to God in the silence and listen to his reply.
Intersecting Faith and Life: When was the last time you found a quiet place to be with God? Take an hour to unplug from the world and spend time with Christ.
Further Reading
Matthew 4
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Here Be Leaders
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com
You wouldn't know it from the outside, but this place is full of leaders. Sure, the boarded up windows and sloppy graffiti might be cause for concern. And the challenging glares of those crossing the street might make you want to drive faster. But make no mistake: church leaders, pastors, elders, and missionaries make their home here, amid the squalor, amid the sun-creased faces.
I drive this way every day, up a side road that leads out of the heart of Richmond, Virginia. With all the potholes and missing concrete, you can be sure it hasn't been paved in years. This path is no shortcut, but it takes almost twice as long to get onto the interstate through the rush-hour snarl. I'll take the potholes, thank you very much.
I don't know the history of this area, but my guess is that it's similar to most other places that get bypassed by the major highways. Interest moved with the roads and left a fading beauty in its wake—local restaurants filled in for chains, corner stores staggered in with bars over the windows, grays and browns spread from house to house. The only touch of modernity is a sleek courthouse and expanding police station on the corner.
In any case, this isn't the type of place where you want to have a flat tire. And that may be the very reason I had one... right there... right in the middle of the smoke-damaged houses and shattered windows. After pushing aside a broken bottle under my feet, I wrestled with the jack, which I'd never had to manhandle before. I confess that a bit of anxiety did reach my fingers and perhaps that's what made the process take so long.
No one stopped to help, and I was fine with that. I just wanted to be finished without having to explain how I'd opened a huge gash in my tire.
But I wasn't completely alone. A young man strutted up the sidewalk and stopped to watch for a moment. Then, he strutted closer.
I'd seen this movie; it never ended well. Instead of terror, though, a wave of calm smacked into me. Even when the guy said he'd just gotten out of jail and needed to call his ride, the expected panic didn't come. Peace... that dreadful peace wouldn't leave. So, I handed over my phone. And, yes, that's a dumb move, but listening to his call showed me more in a minute about the nature of this place than a hundred trips through this section of the city ever did.
The bravado masked uncertainty; the swagger plastered over need. And me giving him my phone to use was probably one of the few acts of charity this guy had ever experienced. "Good news" to him was me simply getting out of my car and seeing him as a person and not a potential road hazard on the way home.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Changing demographics—from quaint corner of the city to neglected side route—don't change the need. As long as people are there, the need for the gospel is there. I don't suggest you get a flat in a scary part of town, but I do think it's easy to focus only on the places where we're comfortable. We feel safer with what's familiar.
That's not what Jesus did, though. He went to the places least expected to find leaders. He dusted off the despised and neglected, and he gave them a new role as fishers of people. He made crooked IRS agents into evangelists. He made prostitutes into pillars of the church. He made swearing fishermen into saintly bishops.
Here be leaders... if we're only willing to look.
For Further Reading:
John 13
How Much Do You Have to Hate Someone to Not Proselytize?
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The Christian Faith is Not a Leap in the Dark
by Alex Crain, Editor, Christianity.com
"...we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal."
2 Corinthians 2:18 NASB
We can divide the universe into two categories of reality: the material and the non-material; or that which is seen and that which is not seen. In talking about unseen reality, I'm obviously not talking about things that must be relegated to fantasy or pure imagination. Rather, I'm talking about unseen (yet real) fixed concepts which our world operates by constantly. Take, for example...
Moral absolutes (e.g. Child abuse is wrong.)
The uniformity of nature (e.g. We live on the assumption that planets and stars move in a predictable fashion. On this assumption we plan trips not only to grandma's house, but to the moon and beyond.)
Universal Laws of Thought* (e.g. The principle of contradiction: a maxim stated by Aristotle as: "contradictory propositions are not true simultaneously." [cf. aristotle's metaphysics, 1011b13-14]) avicenna is said to have put it more colorfully, "Anyone who denies the law of non-contradiction should be beaten and burned until he admits that to be beaten is not the same as not to be beaten, and to be burned is not the same as not to be burned.
These are all things that are real, yet are unseen. Laws of thought and moral absolutes may not be able to be weighed, measured or stored in a cupboard, but we count on them and live by them every day just the same.
From what I've observed, both children and adults in Christian circles struggle at times with the things they are called to believe in. God seems like a distant idea. Doctrine seems far removed from day-to-day life. At times, you or someone you love may be tempted with the thought, "I wonder if God, salvation, heaven and hell is all just a made up fairy tale."
At that point you should take a step back and remember that everyone has a faith in their particular view of the world. Worldviews need to be evaluated by whether or not they account for the unseen realities mentioned above. Fortunately, biblical Christianity (not to be confused with tainted, politicized, or hypocritical forms of Christianity that bear no resemblance to the life and message of Jesus Christ) is a worldview that is well able to account for these unseen realities. The biblical God (note well, not just general theism) capably undergirds all unseen moral absolutes, natural constants and universals. Other competing worldviews are weighed in the balance and found wanting.
When we are called on to believe in the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 2:5), we should recognize that this is another unseen reality. The truths of Galatians 2:20 belong in the category of the unseen as well...
"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me." (Gal. 2:20)
Let's not gloss over the fact that we are called to believe in unseen things. But at the same time let's not jump to the wrong conclusion that Christ asks us to take an idiotic leap in the dark. We all believe in well-founded unseen things everyday.
This week in chapter four of Francis Schaeffer's True Spirituality (I'm reading through the works of Schaeffer and posting about it regularly here at Crosswalk the Devotional), he calls our attention to this biblical view of truth by underscoring that there are "two streams, two strands of space-time reality—one in the seen, and one in the unseen..."
"[God] is not asking us merely to act on some psychological motivation, but on what really is... there is a Holy Spirit who has been given to us to make service possible.
"The Christian dead, including my loved ones, are already with Christ now, and Christ really lives in the Christian. Christ lives in me.
"Here is true Christian mysticism—not based on content-less experience, but on historic, space-time reality—on propositional truth. Christian mysticism is communion with Christ. It is Christ bringing forth fruit through me, the Christian, with no loss of personality.
"He is the Christ who has died, whose work is finished, who is raised, who is ascended, who is glorified. It is this Christ. Not simply an idea. It is the Christ who was seen after the resurrection... by Stephen, by Paul, by John."
Let's walk on today, confidently believing in these unseen realities—Christ was not raised mythically; Jesus, the apostles and the Christian martyrs were not liars; and "the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who is given unto us" (Romans 5:5).
Intersecting Faith & Life: Are you at a loss for words when asked why you believe in unseen things? Learn how to converse with others in terms of their own beliefs in unseen things (like moral absolutes, etc.), and help them discover the worldview that is charged with the majesty and grandeur of God.
For Further Study:
What is a Worldview? Dr. James Sire
Introduction to Worldviews (series of lectures) Dr. Greg Bahnsen
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Habits of Happy People
by Debbie Holloway, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
Today I stumbled across a list someone had pulled together and put online, entitled "22 Habits of Happy People." Inspired, I decided to write a few down on post-it notes and stick them up around my (already post-it laden) cubicle. Then I got to thinking about Scriptural wisdom to back up the catchy phrases. Here's what I found for the first few.
1. Let go of grudges
This piece of wisdom is undoubtedly biblical. In fact, the ideas of forgiveness and leaving vengeance up to God can be found in many places throughout the Old and New testaments. Levitical Law states,
"You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord" (Lev. 19:18).
Jesus also speaks of the necessity of forgiving each other and letting go of grudges – especially if we desire for God to dismiss our own sins.
"And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses" (Matt. 11:35).
2. Treat everyone with kindness
This is a beautiful, simple phrase that cuts to the heart of the golden rule. Jesus cautions,
"So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you" (Matt. 7:12).
God, through commands to his early followers and through his revelation in Christ, clearly values acts and attitudes of kindness and compassion. Believers are consistently exhorted to give, respect, honor, and show humility toward those around us. Perhaps the best model for kindness would, of course, be God himself. Instead of allowing humanity to perish in sin, God pursued us throughout centuries, sent his Son to walk among us, and offers salvation and reconciliation to all freely.
3. Regard Your Problems as Challenges
According to Paul,
"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it" (1 Cor. 10:13).
Truthfully, life is full of problems. And not all problems can be solved. But I like the idea of regarding problems as challenges, because it's a wonderful reminder that we have been given the power to do something. God didn't make us fearful or incapable. He gave us a spirit of power and of sound mind (1 Tim. 1:7). If we looked at our problems more like challenges, perhaps we would be more hopeful about the future.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Have you been holding grudges? Have you been less than kind to others? Have you let yourself become overwhelmed by your daily problems? Consider developing some "habits of happy people!"
Further Reading
A Fine Line: Happiness vs. Joy
Proverbs 16:20
Ecclesiastes 3
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Homesickness is Not Just for Kids
by Carrie Dedrick, Editor, ChristianHeadlines.com
I was the kid at church camp who was homesick.
But I don't think that word really does those emotions a justice. "Homesick" just kind of sounds like a kid who is feeling a little lonely in a new place.
In reality, my childhood homesickness was extreme. I cried hysterically and hyperventilated to the point that my counselors called the camp nurse. She almost called an ambulance because no one could calm me down. I wanted to go home with such desperation, I could not breathe or behave rationally.
I'm 24 now, and still struggle with it at times.
Immediately after college, I followed my now-husband to the city. I had grown up in the country and went to college in the country, though in a different state. The culture shock of city living sparked those familiar feelings of homesickness almost immediately.
I realized that my parents were three hours away and I knew almost no one. I hated the city; It was a scary place for me full of foreign sights, sounds, and people.
That was two years ago.
Since the big move to the city, I have learned to like it. Where I live has so much to offer with events and festivals; rarely do my husband and I have a weekend with nothing planned and I like it that way. I have a job that I love coming to everyday and a wonderful church family, but it seems that I will never stop missing my family.
Of course, I have my husband with me. He has been at my side through many tears and tantrums as I wrestle with my feelings of loneliness and isolation. He has calmed me with comforting words, even when I would prefer not to listen.
In Matthew 19:4-6, Jesus tells the Pharisees, "Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said 'Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh?' So they are no longer two but one flesh. What God has joined together, let not man separate."
Man (or woman) shall leave his father and mother.
That's what we did. And it's hard.
Leaving my family and moving to an unfamiliar place has been unspeakably difficult for me. But I believe that I am here in this city for a reason. So far, I have become active in my church and accepted a job where I can do what I love (write) and share the love of Jesus at the same time. And this is only the beginning. There are endless ways to minister in a city; I just need to listen to God's call to find out how he wants my talents to be used.
1 Peter 4:10 says, "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms."
God has given us all many gifts. It is our responsibility to use our talents to glorify him.
If you are in a new place in your life, whether literally or metaphorically, I would encourage you to sit down and consider what your talents are and how you can use them to God's glory. Find a cause that you believe in and answer God's call for action.
I've found that my homesickness symptoms are less severe when I am immersed in something. As a former summer camp counselor (at the same camp I went to as a kid), I know that when a homesick child is in your care, you have to keep that child busy. If the kid gets lost in an arts and crafts project or pool time, the feelings of sadness seem miles away. I apply the same concept to myself now, even though I am grown up.
When I am involved in a writing piece like this or an event with my church, I don't feel so lonely. I feel blessed that God would allow me to take part in something that glorifies his name and spreads the good news.
Remember that old saying about idle hands being the devil's workshop? Well, it's kind of true. During a six-month period of unemployment, I had a lot of time. And while I didn't spend that time gallavanting in sin or gossip like the idle "busybodies" do in 1 Timothy 5:13, I did allow those negative feelings and loneliness to take over. I'm certain that was Satan's work, for the Lord loves me and wants me to be happy.
But I've found that I am at peace with my new city when I am not idle, but doing something to glorify my God.
God wants you to be happy too.
It may be a constant battle, but I the moments that I struggle with homesickness seem to be hitting less often and with more time between.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Perhaps you too have moved away from family or a hometown. Or maybe you simply feel lonely. I would recommend that you remember one thing when that depressing feel of isolation arises: God is with you always. You are never truly alone.
Further reading:
Deuteronomy 31:6
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It's Not About Who's Right Or Who's Wrong
by Stephen Sanders, Audio/Video Editor for Salem Web Network
It's not about who's right or who's wrong. It is about glorifying God no matter who's doing what.
In my role here at Salem Web Network, I have the privilege of being able to see the best (and worse) the Body of Christ has to offer. Unfortunately, it is probably more bad than good in a lot of cases. But I guess it makes sense when you think about what Jesus said: Matthew 7:12
This variety in the Body of Christ has been an ongoing struggle for me since the work environment I'd been in for the 5 years prior was very sheltered. I was working at a church, so I only saw that perspective on the Christian walk. But now I'm exposed to what seems to be millions of different outlooks on what it means to be a Christian.
A recent google search revealed to me that there are approximately 38,000 denominations of the Christian faith. I suppose you could probably lump a lot of those together into a few hundred general categories if you wanted to, or even protestant/catholic if you really, really wanted to. But the point is...even if it was 380 instead of 38,000...that is A LOT. But back to the perspectives...
With these 10's of thousands of denominations come even more views on what is right and what is wrong. What is "Christian" behavior and what isn't and so forth and so on. It is (and has been for me) a very easy thing to get caught up in if one isn't careful. In a recent devotional I wrote titled, "don't let foolishness get the best of you" I shared how easy it has become for Christians to share their voice more boldly online. It's been over 2 months since I published that article and I'm still processing this whole ordeal; trying to find my place in all of this chaos.
Yesterday I think I finally came to a conclusion: No one is totally right. (Brilliant, I know) No matter how confident we may sound when we claim that, "__________ is what the Bible says about _________," none of us are right. How could we be? We still live in a sin-cursed world, we all still make mistakes, all still fall short of perfection that only God possesses.
Some of us sound really smart with our proclamations and it can be very easy for someone like myself to become mesmerized with a specific stance on certain matters. But what happens is that these perspectives, once taken to a certain level, become idols of our worship. And that goes for disagreeing with the perspectives just as much as showing allegiance. Let me give you an example.
Pastor _______ writes a book on ______ perspective on ________. Some agree with his refreshing insight while others accuse him of blasphemy. 1000's of people chime in and before you know it, it has become a bigger topic amongst Christian circles than the Gospel itself. Isn't that more evil than good? Isn't that behavior exalting the flesh and not the Spirit?
It becomes even more disturbing when it becomes more personal.
A first time visitor walks into a church sanctuary or youth group that is more about the issues than it is the Gospel message. They develop a perspective of what Jesus is like from these encounters. After all, that's why people come to church. To hear about Jesus, right? Will they leave confused not knowing what they've just witnessed? Perhaps worse, will they become fascinated and faithfully follow a "man of god" who isn't Gospel-centered in his preaching.
Galatians 5:16-26 says, "...walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. Now the works of the flesh are evident: ...enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger,rivalries, dissensions, divisions...and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love...peace, patience, kindness...gentleness, self-control. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another."
So, realizing the harm I've witnessed first hand on such matters, I've come to the conclusion that humility is key. As a Christian, I must never make certain things "sins" that the Bible doesn't claim to be sin. I must never make certain spiritual gifts bigger than they actually are. I must never become so involved in perspectives that I lose sight of how the Bible tells me to conduct myself. I must never make definitive statements about anything other than Jesus being God and the only way to eternal life. Because when I do that, it becomes more about me and less about Him.
Intersecting Faith and Life: I've been forcing myself to not become a part of such matters, not because I'm so fantastic, but because I think about how this causes others to perceive our faith. What must it look like to people who don't believe in Jesus when we act like this? Is this something you'd want to be a part of? Analyze your walk with me today and ask God if there are stances you are taking that overshadow Him.
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Living in a Dream World
by Stephen Sanders, Audio/Video Editor for Salem Web Network
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. Psalms 23:1
A life with no challenges would be awesome, wouldn't it? Always making the right decision, never running out of money, your kids always doing what they are supposed to do, never biting off more than you can chew... circumstances just magically falling into place so that we can effortlessly waltz through life in a state of constant enjoyment. Man, that sure would be nice...
Let's just close our eyes for a few seconds and imagine what that would be like...
I'm 32, and I have 3 daughters. One of them just turned 13. The other is 7. The youngest is 2. They are all very, very different. I cannot begin to tell you how overwhelming this can be sometimes.
The baby is absolutely the cutest little thing ever. However, she has turned out to be the "stubborn child." She writes on everything no matter how many times we tell her to stop. She refuses to use the potty. She will do a halfway-pee in her diaper, hold it and wait for you to change it, then pee in the fresh one immediately. It's not like we don't discipline her because we do!
But she's cute, and she's little and can only really get into so much trouble, so she doesn't stress me out too much...
The middle child is fairly drama free these days. She recently got 1st and 2nd semester honor roll and citizenship awards at school with pretty much zero supervision. But a couple years ago she was the bane of her K4 teacher's existence. I got called to the office, seriously, almost every single day that school year for her bad behavior. The principal felt like our daughter might have psychological problems. The teacher broke down in tears in the middle of multiple conversations. We had no answers.
The very next year my daughter was the teacher's pet. But, at the time, we blamed ourselves for these issues because we were her parents. Now we don't feel like such failures.
My oldest is actually my stepdaughter, and this relationship comes with obvious trials. She's also a very attractive 13-year old; this poses even more issues. And if that wasn't enough already, there are the unexpected things that happen. They are like dreams you hoped would never happen but did. Then they rear their ugly heads and taunt you like a nightmare you swear you've had before...
...they cause you to wake earlier than you want to type a devotional at 4am...
I remember living in a dream world when I was her age. I knew everything. Everyone else was wrong and stupid. I know that will change. What I don't know is what scares me. Will she get involved in the wrong crowd at school? Will she make one bad decision and end up pregnant before she graduates? Will she grow up and want to live a life that is pleasing to God or pleasing to her? These are new questions that have started popping into my head recently.
I try so hard. I desire more than anything for her to grow up and have a perfect life; a life where she always makes the right decisions. A life where she never runs out of money. A life where... yeah...
I begin to realize that my expectations for her life are unrealistic. She is going to make bad decisions. I just need to be here to listen, to guide and to comfort her. Let her fail. In those things, listen to her worries and hurts and remind her why we need Jesus in the first place.
He isn't our God for our benefit... even though our relationship with Him does benefit us. He isn't our God because He will make us rich and healthy and free from the pain and difficulties of this world we live in. But He is here with us through these trials.
Intersecting Faith and Life: I recently started studying the Book of Psalms; a part of the Bible I've always neglected to see the true value in. I suppose God must have inspired them for times when His people were having times like I'm having right now. It's only by God's grace that I am as content as I am these days. I honestly don't stress too much about the things that are going on in my life. Even when I do begin to stress, God brings others to my attention, like homeless people, and I realize things could be so much worse. Or maybe the material things I deem so important actually cause me more stress... who knows.
All I know is that God continues to teach me how to be more like Him. My kids will be OK. My family will grow and become everything they are supposed to be. I just have to have faith in God and know that He has a plan that is so much greater than I could ever predict -- that this crazy world I live in isn't going to change. I will probably have a few more sleepless nights because of it; some nightmares may actually come true, but He is with me to provide peace and restoration and comfort.
For Further Study
Psalms 1:1
"In the House of God, Forever" by Jon Foreman
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The How of the Christian Life
Alex Crain, Editor, Christianity.com
"...be it unto me according to Your word."
Luke 1:38
"How It's Made," the Science Channel's hit show, regularly makes the most of people's curiosity about how household items like gummie candy, aluminum cans, and flavored bacon actually go from raw materials to finished product. It's easy to become mesmerized when cameras are leading you behind the scenes into the inner workings of factories making a few of your favorite things. By the end of each segment, the mists of your own vague ideas about process and production have been utterly dispersed.
This week's reading in chapter four of Francis Schaeffer's True Spirituality is a bit like "How It's Made" in that he delves into the secret of how the Christian life is effectively lived. While many of us know this secret in theory, the daily mist of our own residual fallen nature makes it necessary to review the blazing truth so that we might see ourselves (and God) accurately and live out our faith practically.
Moving forward from last week's teaching in chapter four about the normality of believing in unseen things, Schaeffer issues the biblical call this week to engage in what he terms "active passivity" when living the life of faith.
Schaeffer points out that belief in the Holy Spirit is one thing. Now what do we do with that belief? 2 Corinthians 2:14 says that "the communion of the Holy Spirit" is to be with all true believers. We are to rely fully and constantly on Christ's promise to send us the Holy Spirit. He is the agent of the power and Person of the glorified Christ.
"There is not enough strength in ourselves, but placed before us is the power and work of the glorified Christ through the agency of the Holy Spirit. Surely this is exactly what Christ meant when he said, 'I will not leave you as orphans.'"
(John 14:18)
"As we look at the book of Acts, we find in the early church not a group of strong men laboring together, but the work of the Holy Spirit bringing to them the power of the crucified and glorified Christ. It must be so for us also."
"As with Mary in the virgin birth when she gave herself with her body to God in response to His promise, so we are in the same situation in [a certain sense] that we have these great and thrilling promises we have been considering, and we are neither to think of ourselves as totally passive, as though we had no part in this; nor are we to think we can do it ourselves."
"If we are to bring forth this fruit through us by the agency of the Holy Spirit, there must be a constant act of faith, of thinking: 'Upon the basis of Your promises I am looking for You to fulfill them... bring forth Your fruit through me into this poor world.'"
"We do not have to beat ourselves or be dejected, [but simply say]"Be it unto me according to Thy Word." This is what I mean by active passivity. This is the how, and there is no other."
Finally, as if to say "this is really how it's done!" Schaeffer reemphasizes that this is not just theoretical access to the power of the crucified, risen, glorified Christ. This is access that we have in reality—in the here and now.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Are you depending on your own energy, cleverness, persistence, charisma and talents to present the Christian life as attractive to your lost friends and family members? By faith (Hebrews 11:6), gaze upon Christ—His atonement, perfections and promises. Respond with active passivity: "Be it unto me according to Thy Word."
For Further Study:
Romans 6:1
The Wind of the Holy Ghost Blowing upon the Dry Bones in the Valley of Vision, by Ebenezer Erskine
John Owen on the Spirit in the Life of Christ, Dr. Sinclair Ferguson
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Free Radicals
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
"Woe to you when all men speak well of you..."
Luke 6:26
The biggest reason I've not yet written the book I've got jangling around in my brain is that deep down I still actually believe a complete impossibility: that hidden between my mind and my keyboard are the magic, just-right words that will get everyone to agree. On everything. Or at least, on everything as I have interpreted it. The words that will get Christians to start treating sinners as they treat themselves, and sinners to stop sinning. Phrases that will be so beautifully turned that neither liberal nor conservative will have aught to say about them. A book that will bring everyone together, and that, most importantly, will not cause anyone to write me nasty letters, claim I am deluded, or call me an idiot.
The irony, of course, is that my goal is already shot. The idea itself is delusional, and pure idiocy. And as the saying goes, if you want everyone to like you, nobody will.
So what should be the goal? Well, truth, sure. And being obedient to simply be the vehicle through which God wants to impart a particular take on His Truth.
But why is that so hard?
I think it could be that we continually re-invent Jesus, who is both uncomplicated and difficult to parse, who already lived here before me, whose words are already recorded for anyone to read. The Lord called Himself 'the Truth' while giving us a version of how to walk on this planet that is so contrary, so impractical, so frustratingly (if I hope to be honest about it) radical.
Referring back to what I already admitted at the top of this devotional, bear with me as I turn Christ's Great Sermon from Luke 6 into something of a dialogue...
Jesus (vs. 26): Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for in the same way their fathers used to treat the false prophets.
Me: Ew. Cut to the chase about what I'm going through, why don't you? So I've set myself on the path of the false prophet, have I? Swell; I knew I couldn't trust myself. But Lord, anything else I say or write or do is going to lead to having enemies, people who are upset with me. What do I do about that?
Jesus (vs. 27-28): Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
Me: Oh... so it's an action thing instead of an avoidance thing. Pretty mind-boggling concepts. I can't help but notice you didn't say, "bash those jerks' heads in with rightness." Because that feels more natural, Lord. But assuming you're on to something, what does that look like in practice?
Jesus (vs. 29-30): Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either. Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back.
Me: Ooh, yeah, ya see, the thing is, Lord... there's a lot of people who might take advantage of that. And what in the world are you saying: there might be people who want to hit me in the face?! Is that what I signed up for in following you? I gotta be honest, it doesn't sound like a very comfortable, or practical, way of living in this day and age, this country, this world. Can't you simplify it for me?
Jesus (vs. 31-33): Just as you want people to treat you, treat them in the same way. And if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.
Me: Wow, that just blows my mind, Lord. Of course you're right... what is there to separate me at all from anyone else, even the most vile of unrepentant sinners, except how I react to situations and treat people? But don't you know how hard this would be? What am I saying... of course you do..., but... please forgive me for saying so, it just feels like giving some bully my coat, shirt, or other cheek is somehow crazier, tougher, more insane in 21st-century America than first-century Jerusalem. I hate asking, but if I'm gonna commit to this, I gotta know... what's in it for me?
Jesus (vs. 35, 37-38): Love your enemies and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men... Do not judge and you will not be judged... pardon, and you will be pardoned... Give, and it will be given to you.
Me: Man... and here I was thinking that I was the one who needed to come up with the words that helped us treat sinners as ourselves, and to what ends. You truly have covered all things and lived all things, Lord. Now, I just wonder if I can really do this, Lord, even for the rewards you promise.
Jesus (vs. 46): Why do you call me, "Lord, Lord" and do not do what I say?
Me: Because it's so contrary, upside-down, and radical that it's seriously hard to trust... even to trust you, Lord. Although, if it were easy I guess it wouldn't be called 'trust.' It just seems like there's so much to lose. Help me to be free. Help me to take this risk, to think not of myself, my safety, my comfort first, to love people as you love them. If I may be so bold, it's almost like you were... blessed to be unattached and to have no place to lay your head? Still, despite my handicaps, I want to try, Lord... I want to try.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Now here's a challenge -- but it's straight from the mouth of Christ: the next time you are wronged, hurt, or had something taken from you... can you give the person responsible even more of what they took? And believe you'll somehow be blessed for it? And if not, why not?
Further Reading
John 12:25
Radical Gratitude: Grateful in Tough Times
Someone Worth Losing Everything For
Are You a Radical?
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Bravery
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You. In God, whose word I praise, In God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me? – Psalms 56:3-4
Lately, I've been thinking a lot about what it means to be brave. The Bible certainly doesn't lack for courageous leaders like Moses or fearless warriors like David, but what about those people who showed simple bravery? Esther never led anyone into battle, and as a woman in the ancient world her ability to lead was limited, but when you take the time to study her life you realize how much inner strength she must have had. As a young woman she was taken from her home and thrust into an unfamiliar environment. Later, she was forced to intercede in a murder plot at the risk of her life and the life of her cousin.
Her greatest challenge, however, was when the King's advisor Haman sought to massacre the Jewish people. Their only hope of survival lay with Esther's ability to confront the King, an action that could easily get her killed. After all, this was a man who had deposed his old wife on a whim, what would he do to a woman who openly challenged his authority? Reading the verses in chapter 4, I can only imagin how shaken Esther must have been.
Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, "Go, assemble all the Jews who are found in Susa, and fast for me; do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maidens also will fast in the same way. And thus I will go in to the king, which is not according to the law; and if I perish, I perish." – Esther 4:15-16
We all know how the story ends, the King receives Esther and the Jews are saved from death, but the story of Esther's courage has remained relevant after all these years. I believe God calls Christians to simple acts of bravery every day of our lives. Whether it's standing up for someone else, or having the courage to speak out for what we believe, these simple acts have the power to change the world. Don't be afraid, and don't be downcast, for God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but one of courage.
Intersecting Faith and Life: "Courage is not simply one of the virtues but the form of every virtue at the testing point, which means at the point of highest reality." – C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters
Further Reading
2 Timothy 1:7
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Father's Day: Gone Fishing
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
Hear, my son, your father's instruction (Prov. 1:8).
The first time my father took me fishing I was twelve years old. I suppose this statement could sound misleading, since before that we had certainly played at fishing together. Normally he would take me to a small stream or pond filled with minnows and the occasional catfish, then smile as I reeled one in with my toy fishing pole. This was different; this time he took me north to the boundary waters of Minnesota, to a place called Basswood Lake. The moment I set eyes on that vast track of wilderness, a small part of me knew I was about to grow up.
Basswood itself looked endless, a maze of islands covered in far-reaching green forests. Even by motorboat it took us over an hour to reach our campsite, and once we settled in I became aware of a deep, resounding silence. For several days all we did was fish on that deep blue lake. We made shore lunch out of whatever we caught that day and at night ate s'mores while watching for shooting stars. I hated every minute of it.
What can I say? I was a doughy, twelve-year-old boy who wanted a warm bed and his Super Nintendo. I had never particularly liked fishing anyway, and sitting in a boat for hours was pure agony for me. With my attitude, I'm a little surprised my dad didn't chuck me overboard and be done with it. Instead, he bore it all patiently, and taught me things he'd learned about fishing, cooking, camping, and God.
It's not easy teaching a boy how to become a man, but somehow my dad found a way. It may take gentle coaxing, it may involve some kicking and screaming, but in the end, I believe teaching a son how to grow is both the greatest blessing and challenge God can give a father. My dad taught me so much during those times at Basswood, and looking back on it now I realize how much of it I took for granted. In these ways, and so many more, my dad helped me understand my Heavenly Father.
With Father's Day almost upon us, I wanted to take a moment to write down all things for which I was grateful to my own dad, but God isn't one to pass up a teaching opportunity. The more I reflected on how great a father my dad has been to me, the more I began to understand how great a God our Heavenly Father is to us. Because even when we take him for granted, even when we make terrible mistakes, God's love never changes, just like my dad's love and patience didn't change for the grumpy kid in the boat. He will always be there, firm but with arms open to say, "I love you. I will always love you. Learn from this."
Intersecting Faith & Life: May this Father's Day bring you many blessings and remind you of the many you already possess.
For Further Reading
Fathers Leave Lasting Impressions
Crosswalk.com's Humorous Tribute to Dads
What Does It Mean to be a Christian Father?
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Heavenly Father
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Culture Editor
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? - Matthew 6:26
There are a lot of great stories I could tell about my father, but today I'd like to share something that happened when I was barely four years old. My sister and I were both due to get our vaccinations, and my father ended up taking us to the doctor by himself (an action that speaks volumes about my father's selflessness and my mother's foresight). As we sat in the waiting room, my sister and I began to get nervous. We'd been told the shots would hurt, so my dad spent several minutes patiently soothing us and promising it would be no more than a pinch. Finally, one of the nurses called us into a small back room where a smiling doctor waited to greet us.
She assured us both this would be over in no time, and after selecting my sister as her first victim patient, she asked if we'd seen her new kitten poster. As soon as my sister turned to look, the doctor lunged forward like Captain Ahab trying to harpoon Moby Dick. Madness ensued. My sister was screaming and crying and I did the only thing any four-year-old could think to do: I ran. I bolted straight out of that room and down the hallway.
My father had to chase me down and restrain me while the nurse administered the shot and took a blood sample (actually two samples, I might have kicked her while she was getting the first one). All in all, it probably wasn't the best day for everybody involved. Still, when I look back on that event all these years later, I don't just see a funny story, I see examples of God's love in the actions of my father. For starters, God is loving, He walks with us into places of fear and pain. God is comforting, when we're afraid He reminds us that He will always be there.
Finally, God relentlessly pursues us. At four years old I didn't understand that I needed these shots to stay healthy, but my father did. He chased me down and made me experience pain because he loved me, and he knew it would give me a better future. In the same way, God sometimes has to chase us through life, then drag us through all kinds of hurt and hardship, because He loves us and knows we will be better for it. This Father's Day, I want to encourage Christians everywhere to remember just how important fathers are to us all.
May you find reflections of your Heavenly Father in our Earthly parents.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Happy Father's Day, Dad!
Further Reading
Psalm 103:3
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Beach Lessons
by Katherine Britton
Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven – for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little." –Luke 7:47, ESV
How do you explain to a child that's never been to the ocean what waves are like? You might fill a bathtub with water and splash it back and forth. That could teach action of waves – but what about the look? You might take the child to a nearby river with a few rapids, and show them how the foam collects at the bottom of a fall "like on top of a wave." You might show them a 4x6 inch photograph. You might try to show them what waves sound like with a conch shell. But what about their vast dimensions along the shore? What about their unending nature? What about the undercurrent of a wave going back to sea?
No substitute can convey the scale and true nature of waves continually breaking on the shore. No analogies or to-scale models prepare children for their first trip to the beach. They can't grasp the greatness until they've seen it for themselves.
Have you seen the greatness of God's forgiveness yet?
No measure of teaching, preaching, and analogizing can make us really grasp what God's forgiveness means. Even after we reach adulthood, we're still creatures of experience. It takes a firsthand experience – recognition of how vast our sins really are – before we can appreciate how vast God's mercy is to cover them.
Jesus gave Simon the Pharisee the example of two men who owed another money – one owed him five hundred days' wages, one owing him fifty. The moneylender forgives both debts, but, as Simon empathizes, the one forgiven the larger sum has a greater reason to love the one who cancelled his debt. But all Simon heard were the Jesus's words. He failed to realize what a vast stretch of sand he stood on, and what a great tide it would take to overtake all of those grains of sand. As a result, it's the woman Jesus recognizes for her great love of her Savior.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Is it possible that we can extend love and forgiveness if we don't understand how much Christ has shown us? Take your own "beach trip" and survey the vastness of God's incredible forgiveness that covers incredible sin.
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'I Thank God for You'
by Anna Kuta
"I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:3-6).
We all know people who are a blessing to us. Whether it's a family member, your lifelong best friend, a coworker, the sweet lady who sits in the pew behind you every Sunday, or an old friend you can always pick right back up with no matter how many months it's been, each of us has people in our lives that we are so thankful for.
We get so caught up in day-to-day busyness sometimes that we forget to thank God for all the things He has blessed us with. Instead of focusing on the goodness the Lord has shown us, we complain about the minor thing that goes wrong. Instead of being grateful for the multitude of people who encourage us and make us smile, we get so hung up on the one person who did us wrong that it sours our whole outlook. I'll be the first to admit I'm guilty of this all too often – especially when it comes to taking for granted all the wonderful people who have impacted my life.
Here at the beginning of his letter to the church at Philippi, Paul presents a great example for us to follow when it comes to the people in our lives who are special to us. "I thank my God upon every remembrance of you," Paul begins. He goes on to tell the recipients of his letter how he prays for them, and then gives an encouraging word about God's work in them. How often do we take the time to tell people how much they mean to us – especially fellow Christians with whom we share, as Paul says, "fellowship in the gospel"? I know I don't do that nearly as often as I should. As Paul models here, we should let the people we thank God for know that we do. And what better way to do that than by telling them today?
Intersecting Faith & Life: Right now, thank God for several people you know who are a blessing to you. Ask the Lord to bless them and encourage them – and then take a minute to let them know personally.
Further Reading
Romans 1:8
Psalm 13:6
Hebrews 13:15
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Strangely Dim
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com
Four crumbling stairs leading up the hill from the rock-encrusted sidewalk—that's all that's left. If you drove by today, you wouldn't know that I once smashed honey bees on the driveway with a shovel, or that I did so barefooted until one got a squishy revenge. You also wouldn't know about the loft in the garage where my brothers would hide away or the window in my room that thieves peeked through before they stole our bikes. You'd never see the stairs leading out the back door where my mom would sit while we brought her giant grasshoppers to examine or plums from the fruit trees.
You see, I had this idea that one day, when I got the chance, I'd take my wife and girls to Marion, Alabama. I'd show them the house where I spent the first five years of my life, regaling them with stories about the giant heating grate in the middle of the hall that my brother used as a bathroom while sleepwalking, and the stove fire that sent my dad to the hospital, and the small square pond with goldfish that our landlady's cat loved to eat.
But I can't—at least, not the way I intended. My oldest brother dashed this plan by posting a Google Street View image. The two neighboring houses still stand. Ours is gone. Completely. Considering the size of the trees that now play the stand-in role, I'm guessing the house disappeared years ago (given our experience with electrical issues there, probably in a blaze of glory).
I've been told by movies and books that I can't go home again, and this sad image of an empty lot does make a pretty good case for that. But that house—no matter the memories of watching PBS in the living room or music blaring from my brothers' stereo—that house was never my home, not really. Nor is the house where I spent most of my youth, nor is the place I live now.
Seeing an empty lot reminded me how easily the things here on earth disappear. One moment you're settling into a comfortable Alabama life; the next you're suddenly uprooted for Tennessee. And when you look back, all that's left is in your head.
Intersecting Faith & Life: When I saw the empty lot in Marion, it reminded me of an old song that I've never really liked. I know I'm supposed to because it's a classic and all. But I don't. I do admit that it makes a ton of sense:
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.
We can try to cling to all the stuff around us—our family, our house, our money—but it all disappears. That's why our foundation is so important. Building on the Rock of Christ isn't just a happy-happy phrase that we can post on our fridge and feel good about. It's a necessity. If we build on anything else, even without realizing it, we might look down someday to find our foundation and discover it's gone.
For Further Reading
Matthew 7
Luke 6
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Freedom Fried
Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
So now, come back to your God! Act on the principles of love and justice, and always live in confident dependence on your God. ~ Hosea 12:6, NLT
The 'Fourth of July' devotional.
It fell to me this year.
And whoa if I didn't have a firecracker of a time coming up with what to write.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not riding on the trendy bandwagon of American self-loathing. I love my country. I dig personal and religious freedom. Without a free press I'd be out of a job, and without free speech I'd be locked up somewhere. But not here!
So why the long face on red-white-and-blue, take-a-day-off, fire-up-the-grill day?
Because Christianity has so little yet too much to do with the American Dream.
Because I get sad when I consider the evolution 'Freedom' has undertaken just in my lifetime – from "allowed to act responsibly" to "if it feels good do it" to "absolutely anything goes and don't even try to suggest otherwise, or we might just take away your freedom."
Because "Independence Day" is a disconnect for me, devotionally speaking, from things I know to be true: that independence has never served me well where family or friends or work colleagues or the Church or the Lord are concerned.
And so, left without the trite and tried-but-true for today's devotional, I settled on the short, bittersweet, and eternal...
Neither politics nor religion nor any mixing of the two will save me.
Some things are really messed up. Most things are really not mess-up-able. A few things that are require only repentance or the granting of forgiveness to restore.
It's never wrong or out-of-style to be thankful, to express gratitude.
You can pledge your allegiance to the flag every day and admit your own and your country's independence, but "when you bow down before the Lord and admit your dependence on him, he will lift you up and give you honor" (James 4:10, NLT).
Have a safe and blessed holiday, everyone.
:angel:
Just Keep Swimming!"
by Katherine Britton
"Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." – Hebrews 12:1
On Saturday night, I let myself go limp in front of the TV. The blur of activity, newness, and ridiculously hot weather the week before had exhausted me, so a complete mind/body check-out seemed in order. I don't have cable and I didn't bother to turn on instant streaming, so my viewing selection was pretty limited. I soon found myself watching Finding Nemo.
Remember the part where the all-important scuba mask slips down, down, down into the dark gorge? Marlin panics and goes after it, only to swim frantically back out of the darkness. Then the crazy blue fish with a short term memory problem frolics her way into that same blackness with nary a care. A moment later Dory comes back to encourage Marlin. "Hey, Mr. Grumpy Gills," she says, "When life gets you down, you know whatcha gotta do?" "No, I don't want to know watcha gotta do." "Just keep swimming! Just keep swimming! Just keep swimming!"
Not that I'm taking lessons from a digitized blue fish, but Dory's attitude reminded me what perseverance should look like. It's not that sitting on the couch and taking a break was evil in itself, but my can't-go-any-farther attitude was. That attitude indicated that I was slogging away in my own strength and had run out of energy without looking to the Lord for supernatural help. At points like that, even though I know the answer, "I don't want to know watcha gotta do" to keep pursuing what God has called me to do. Wallowing in my exhaustion seems so much easier.
Sunday evening, someone reminded me that, "when life gets you down" and you're exhausted, God's faithfulness has the chance to shine through. The end of my rope is the beginning of grace made evident in my life, providing the strength to "keep swimming" even though I'm exhausted. And He gets the praise, because I know that strength is no longer something in me. His mercies are "new every morning" (Lam. 3:23) and enough to keep me moving in the direction that He encourages me to go. My responsibilities are just one more way to bring me to my knees and let the Lord refresh me with His grace. After that, I can keep going in His mercy, and even sing while I'm at it. His faithfulness never ends.
Intersection of Faith & Life: The Bible is full of reminders of God's faithfulness to believers, and the stories all end with God being glorified for their reliance on Him. In the end, it's when we are weak that He makes us strong (2 Cor. 12:10).
Further Reading:
Philippians 1:4-6
1 Corinthians 9:24
How to Pray on the Go
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Blowing up the Fourth of July
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com
I nearly blew up Fourth of July. Well, not the holiday, just the block party we had when I was a kid. For a couple years when I was young, the residents of our neighborhood would congregate at an open lot on the corner. Many of the families would bring bags and boxes of giant bottle rockets, roman candles, sparklers, fountains, and other color-shooting fare. They'd dump them on a ratty blanket and sit in the grass. Most of them took turns launching the flaming orbs into the air, littering the ground with the paper and cardboard of spent fireworks, and filling the night with acrid smoke.
It was glorious, and I wanted to make a huge splash (cue the dramatic music).
Before descending upon the second—and last—of our block parties, I scanned the aisles of the fireworks tent not far from our house. Just shooting flaming balls or seeing a pretty sparkly pop in the sky wasn't enough. I wanted to go big. There'd be nothing mundane for my moment of greatness this year.
And that's when I found the perfect Chinese-made, powder-stuffed wonder. I have no idea what it was called, but it was a green plastic tube longer than my hand with fins sticking out from either end. The packaging promised showers of sparks as it rose into the sky, a loud report (code for explosion), and an unforgettable display of color. Some might say spending three bucks on one moment of awesome is a bit excessive. I just saw it as a small price to pay for a green wonder.
When we arrived at the party, I plopped that bad boy on the blanket and waited. The dozen or so puny pops and whistles made me all the more eager to get to my pièce de résistance. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the lightshow, but they didn't know what real excitement awaited them.
Finally, my time came, my moment of triumph. Although I was too young to do the lighting (so said my parents), I marched with my firework contraption to the middle of the road and placed it exactly in the center. This green wonder needed the perfect launching pad, after all.
I hurried away when the host of the party lit the fuse. To this day, I have no idea what happened exactly. I followed the instructions on the wrapper, and yet the green wonder's shower of sparks weren't enough to get it off the ground. Instead, it limped across the road with a pathetic whimper and shot toward the blanket full of fireworks.
Neighbors scattered. People screamed. God had mercy. At least, that's the best way I can explain how a shower of sparks and flame didn't set off any of the other fireworks or burn anyone.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Too often, I'm just like I was back then on that Fourth of July: I want my service, my gift, my moment to be more awesome than anyone else's. I compare what I'm doing with what you're doing or he's doing or she's doing to see how I stack up. That's exactly the point where things go boom.
But freedom in Christ begins with a humbling. We're meant to keep our eyes on Him, so much so that we aren't able to compare ourselves with others. One person may preach the gospel to an entire nation, and another may work with gospel-saturated hands in a tiny community. One may write books that sell millions of copies, and another may have a blog that ten people read.
We don't need green wonders to make a big splash. We need surrender to the One who made us. That's what sets us free.
For Further Reading
Romans 9
1 Corinthians 3
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Sifted
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com
"Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers." Luke 22:31-32
Every so often, I'm overcome with the urge. I tromp my way into the kitchen, raid my wife's Pinterest boards, and load up the most ridiculously awesome dessert I can find (as long as it has ingredients I can pronounce). Why? I have no idea, but cooking is an itch that has to be scratched every so often. And if I'm going to cook, then let it be dessert (or something grilled, but dessert works better year round).
Now, I'm not the most faithful of recipe followers. I never measure vanilla extract; I eschew mixer etiquette (like the speed really matters); and I don't sift flour. In fact, I'm convinced that a sifter was invented by kitchen accessory companies as a way to squeeze more money out of wannabe chefs: "Sure, your flour is fluffy, but is it sifted fluffy?"
Okay, okay... a real chef, which I am not, will tell you the importance of sifting. They'll go into a long spiel about why it makes the dish better. They're right, I'm sure, but that doesn't mean I'm willing to go through with the process. I'd rather live my fantasy about why sifting flour isn't important because it makes the dessert easier.
In fact, that's exactly the same reaction I have with my life being sifted. I much prefer the easy, slapdash method of getting to where God wants me to be. My desire is that He take me from messed up to fixed in the rough areas of my life without having to go through the tough work of restoration. Throw in the fix, and I'm good to go.
But it doesn't work that way, and there's a good reason why: being sifted leaves a mark that instant fixes don't. We need the scars to remind us.
Notice how Jesus explains this to Peter. First, He tells Peter that Satan has asked to sift the disciple. Asked... as in requesting permission from God to test Peter. Second, Satan gets permission. Jesus doesn't say the request was denied. He says only that He prayed for Peter's faith not to fail. In other words, Jesus holds the disciple together, but He doesn't stop the testing. Finally, it's only after the sifting and restoration that Peter can strengthen his brothers.
That's the key here. Peter gets sifted (through his denial of Jesus), but because he's sifted, he can restore his brothers. His faith gets a huge boost, and the post-sifting Peter becomes a rock-steady man of God (couldn't resist the pun).
Intersecting Faith & Life: Sifting stinks, and we'd all prefer that God would just snap His mighty fingers and make us the man or woman He wants us to be. But if He did, we would miss the blessing that comes from being refined in the fire. Yes, I said "blessing," a big, fat blessing—even if it doesn't feel that way at the time.
For Further Reading
Luke 22
John 21
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Dentists and Coca-Cola
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
"If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it." – Genesis 4:7
I really like drinking Coca-Cola. The habit started when I went overseas my junior year of college. None of us could drink the water because we might get parasites, so I ended up drinking Coke with most of my meals. I thought I'd kick the habit once I got back to the United States, but if anything it only made my addiction worse. I suddenly became aware of how easy it was to find a nice, cold Coke.
They were so cheap and so accessible that I barely needed an excuse to buy one. Sure, I knew drinking too much was bad for me, but I figured as long as I exercised and brushed my teeth there wasn't any harm in having one a day. Then I had my dentist appointment. I think most people would agree that going to the dentist would not be the highlight of their week. Well, imagine going to the dentist and being told you have three cavities that will require fillings. Sure, on the upside I did get to chat with a cute receptionist, but when the dentist began jabbing around in my mouth trying to find a good place to inject the Novocain, it dawned on me that maybe I should start watching how much I drank.
All joking aside, I think sin works in the same fashion. Each day we are tempted, and it's remarkably easy to find an excuse to justify our behavior. We tell ourselves it's not that bad, that as long as we read our Bible and go to church we'll be balancing the scales, but that's not how it works. Sin will slowly corrode your character until one day you'll find yourself with a serious problem. Because of the cross, we have received the grace of Jesus and are now free from sin, but the battle is not over.
Every day we will be tempted, and every day Jesus will call us to turn from sin and live a life according to his word. There cannot be any compromises with sin; it will only devour us.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Take a moment to consider where you are being tempted.
Further Reading
John 8:34
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Give Me Fruit, or Give Me Death
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com
"And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God." Philippians 1:9-11
For the last several years, my wife and I have dabbled in gardening. I say "dabbled" because each year has brought more frustration than juicy cucumbers. First, we realized the importance of finding a spot that gets enough sunlight. Then, we discovered the joys of unfit or exhausted soils. Most recently, we've found how much deer like to nibble on just-about-to-bloom plants.
Master gardeners we are not. All those visions of vegetables and fruits dancing in our freezer have met the brown reality of stunted corn and shriveled peas.
You see, we come at this with some serious deficiencies. Namely, we have no idea what we're doing. Everything we've learned about clays and fertilizer and propping up pumpkin vines has come from a book I picked up at Tractor Supply and various YouTube videos. We've cut back the weeds on our ignorance page by page because neither of our families really did much in the way of horticulture (unless you count cutting the grass).
But that doesn't mean we've been completely unsuccessful. In fact, every time we pick something from our garden that's actually edible, it's pretty much a party. "We have beans. Who wants to do the bean dance?" I have no shame when it comes to herbal success.
Perhaps that's because my spiritual growth has come pretty much the same way. Everything I've learned about God, salvation, faith, and love has come from the Bible I picked up in 2003 (and all the others since then) and the examples of Christians I've met along the way. I stumbled along for years, trying to figure out my newfound freedom in Christ, trying to grasp what it means to be an effective ambassador for Him.
Over and over, I kept trying to make things grow. I'd rush to this fad for spiritual success, dig into this surefire method to overcome my sin nature, and pluck up whatever Christian book that had the answers. Surely the next one would help me be fruitful. Surely this pastor/writer/author/blogger has the best answers for how I can really do what God wants.
The whole time, I missed what Paul said to the Philippians: "the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ." The fruit comes from Him. God prepared the works for us (Ephesians 2:10), and He provides the growth (1 Corinthians 3:6). Those other sources of wisdom are fine, but they were never any substitute for Christ being formed in me (Galatians 4:19).
It takes time (and will take much, much more), but I wouldn't trade it for all the juicy cucumbers and plump peaches in the world, even the ones in my own little garden.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Being fruitful takes time. It's easy to think that some expert has the answer you need to get where you want to be, to overcome the challenges you face. But they probably don't. While most of those books and conferences can be useful, they're no substitute for good, old fashioned growth in Christ. Time, prayer, and Word—there's no getting around how much we need them. They produce the true "organic" fruit.
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Is Satan Spamming You?
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
Then Jesus said to him, "Go, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship The Lord your God, and serve Him only.'"
Matthew 4:10
"This stock is about to take off!" ... "You won't believe this Miracle Pill!" ... "Hello, I am a Nigerian Prince" ... These are only a few of the emails that have ended up in my spam folder. We've all received them, those obnoxious messages that try to trick you into sending money or personal information to some unknown source. All spam email follows the same design. First, they open up by preying on a person's fear, insecurity, or general discontent. After that, they propose a simple solution, an easy win for the reader, which convinces the reader to put their trust in something very untrustworthy.
Thankfully, most computers now come with software to filter out the phony emails. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for everyday life. I've found Satan often uses the same tactics as these spam mails whenever he wants to attack a human being. First, he takes advantage of your worry, your self-image, or something else in your life. Then he offers you something that might fix the problem, but in truth, only makes things worse. These temptations will always be present in life, but Jesus offers us a powerful reassurance in Matthew 6 that equips us to defend ourselves.
"For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these." Matthew 6:25-29
Many people have taken this verse to mean that as long as we trust in God, nothing bad will happen. Not so. We live in a fallen world, and bad things are always going to happen. What this verse does promise is that no matter what we face in life, God will always be there. Sometimes in the healing we desperately prayed for, other times in the shoulder we cry on.
Whatever roads our lives take, Christ is there to provide for us. Don't allow Satan to fool you with the offer of an easy fix, don't let fear and despair dictate your actions. God is there, and he will help you.
Intersecting Faith and Life: As a Christian, you are not alone in your struggles. Find support in a small group or an accountability partner.
Further Reading
Zephaniah 3:17
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Go Ahead. Shine.
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com
"Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life" Philippians 2:14-16a
The quick burning desire to be an astronomer came during year 3 of my college experience. That was after philosopher, writer (the first time), and English professor, but before anthropologist, high school teacher, and writer (the second time). You can't blame a guy for wanting to wring every cent out of his scholarships.
So, in year 3, I became convinced that I would study space because... well... because I loved planets and stuff. With the same gusto that had carried me through my philosophy phase, I charged into star charts and calculated orbits with fury and fine-tipped lead pencils. I pored over research on black holes and quasars and stared intently into the night sky trying to figure out how in the world someone could think that a certain cluster of stars could look anything like a person or a goat or whatever.
Then, reality hit in the way of astrophysics. The funny thing about studying the stars is that you have to be able to calculate distances, luminosity, parallaxes, and more fancy terms. I could crunch equations just fine, but that doesn't mean I found it more satisfying than, say, ripping off a bandage from my legs.
Before I came to know Christ, all that nadir gazing did produce one substantial result in me: deep, deep emptiness. You can't help but feel how small you are when you peer into the infinite-seeming inkiness of space. The more you see how incomprehensibly expansive everything really is, the more you feel speck-like in the cosmic order. The weight of eternity came crushing in on me.
And in that darkness, I needed light. This "crooked and depraved" man groped about for anything that would shine, some embers of hope. Not finding them in philosophy or books or even astronomy, the pressure just got worse. I kept feeling my way through the darkness into whatever classes the university offered, but through each of my potential career paths, I found nothing that could illuminate the road around me.
Of course, I wouldn't have put it in those terms back then. At that point, I just knew something was messed up, and I couldn't figure out what. I needed the "word of life." But I didn't know I needed it, and I didn't know where to find it.
Intersecting Faith & Life: That's where we come in as Christians. People like the old me don't always even know what gnaws at them. Some have so subverted the pain that it plays out in pursuits of passion: They mute it with noise, clutter, medicine, or flesh. They prefer to find ways to ignore the crushing weight.
And then they see the stars. At least, they should see the stars. I don't necessarily mean the stars in the night, since city lights drown them out for most of us now days. I mean, they need to see the stars around them who shine through their Jesus-emulating behavior. That light has the power to both expose their blindness and help them see.
So, shine. People like the old me are counting on it.
For Further Reading
Philippians 2
Matthew 5
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What is True Spirituality?
by Alex Crain, Editor, Christianity.com
"When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate."
Genesis 3:6 NASB
It seems clear to me that the root of all human sin is unbelief. Doubt. I've heard people argue that the most basic sin is pride, and well, I suppose that's somewhere lurking on the other side of the coin. But if we start at the beginning of the bible, the Genesis 3 account shows that Eve first doubted God. That was her sin. After her unbelief came the outward act of disobedience.
Francis Schaeffer, commenting on this, said: "By her doubting she called God a liar. Eve doubted... mankind in revolt doubts God" (chapter seven, True Spirituality).
On the contrary, the person who is at peace with God does not doubt Him. Rather, he/she trusts God. Schaeffer says this is the simplest way to describe true spirituality: it is believing God.
But it is more than just believing God at one isolated point in life. It is believing God and having ongoing belief in Him. There must be moment-by-moment personal communion with Him.
God created us to be relational, not mechanical. Healthy relationships depend on good communication. But communication is an always-in-flux, moment-by-moment kind of thing. That is why all our mechanical efforts at the Christian life fail. It's not about reading a set number of chapters of the Bible each day. It's not about praying for so long.
No. What is needed first, and what inspires trust is, throughout the day, seeing before us the most basic teachings of the Bible:
God exists and He is personal.
God is holy and sin will be judged, but Christ's atonement removes the guilt of sinners.
We are saved from condemnation by the finished work of Christ, and we are brought into a proper relationship with God in a personal way.
We are joined to Christ spiritually.
We can enjoy communication with the Creator on the basis of what Christ has done. (1 John 1:5)
These truths don't change, regardless of how I feel at any given moment.
The rediscovery of believing God and these truths moment-by-moment is what lifted Francis Schaeffer out of a long, dark season and re-energized his life.
In our lives, what generally causes us to distrust Christ and run elsewhere is that we often think that we have a better way. We think that, somehow, God really doesn't have our best interests at heart. Like Eve, we think that God is withholding something good from us.
Intersecting Faith & Life: The rediscovery of believing God and these truths moment-by-moment is what lifted Francis Schaeffer out of a long, dark season and re-energized his life. If you've come to see that God doesn't deserve our suspicion, seek His aid to maintain this moment-by-moment walk of faith with Him.
For Further Study: Isaiah 30:15 "Thus the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, has said, 'In repentance and rest you will be saved, In quietness and trust is your strength.'"
For more, read Romans 6:1 and 1 John 1:5
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The Forgotten Vital Organ
by Katherine Britton
The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.
Proverbs 18:21
I have decided that many, many medical textbooks are wrong. Each and every one of them has actually left out a vital organ. Yes, they've remembered the heart and the brain and even that strange thing called a pancreas (I know it's important, I just forget why sometimes). But look through the books all you want, and you'll find not one mention of the most obvious vital organ of all: the tongue.
Then again, I myself often choose to ignore the importance of the tongue. I'd rather not believe it has "the power of life and death." I'd like to pretend my tongue is more like an appendix or a gall bladder - easy to forget about because it's not that important - but that's just not the case. Snapping at my family when I'm tired, nagging, and complaining all release a poison from my tongue that works its way through my whole being (James 3:6). Not only that, I infect others with my attitudes and motivations. I begin to spread a disease.
Contrast that with the "words of the wise," as Proverbs says many times. Their words heal and strengthen as they spread encouragement, wisdom, peace, and the Gospel message. Oh, and - get this - the wise actually use their tongues less than other people. The more powerful the tongue, the less it needs to be used. It's like the heart of a well-trained athlete - when someone is really in shape, the beats per minute actually decrease as the heart becomes more and more efficient. In the same way, why don't I condition my tongue to speak fewer words with more meaning?
In Genesis 1, God spoke into the darkness, and there was light. Those "mere words" created something from nothing, showing the power of speaking out. My pastor in college told us that this verse had meaning for us, too, since we are created in God's image. We are meant to speak out and bring light from the darkness as He did. That's the power of the tongue in a crazy world. The question is whether we choose to speak light or just add to the darkness.
That little muscle called the tongue holds the power of life and death. That's no small matter. So let's be careful how we exercise it.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Grab a concordance and look up the words "mouth" and "tongue." The reference lists are extensive. It gets even bigger if you include the words "speak" and words." Then, take a seven day challenge to "tame the tongue" in just one way. Perhaps try encouraging instead of complaining. Even taming just that one area is like trying to control a wildfire (James 3:5). Don't get discouraged, but take each opportunity to thank God for the "new song" that He has given you to sing (Psalm 40:3).
Further Reading
Christians and Cussin'
Prayer or Gossip?
The Tongue: Life or Death in Our Marriage?
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Sex, God, and a Lasting Love
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
An excellent wife, who can find? For her worth is far above jewels. – Proverbs 31:10
We live in a culture obsessed with sex, but that shouldn't surprise anyone. From the moment we get up in the morning, to the second we fall back asleep, we are bombarded with images and slogans designed to generate our physical desires. Like many Christians, I grew up listening to sermons about the sin of premarital sex. Over and over I heard pastors talk about the sanctity of marriage, the spread of diseases through casual encounters, the risks of unwanted pregnancies, etc. While I took these warnings to heart and stayed celibate, another part of me was too embarrassed to admit that I just didn't get it.
To me, most of the sermons just sounded like fear-mongering. As long as both people were careful and consenting adults, was it really that bad? For a long time I chose to ignore my questions, hoping the answers would eventually just come to me, and ironically enough, they did. I was working part-time at an amusement park with a bunch of other teens when I overheard a co-worker boasting about a girl he'd hooked up with the previous week. I was beginning to tune him out when a realization suddenly struck me.
He didn't care about this girl; and odds were she didn't care about him either. They didn't know each other's hopes and fears, or the character traits that defined their identities. They had both just used each other for their own gratification. To each other, they were both a disposable pleasure.
But look now at how the first marriage is described in Genesis 2,
"So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. The LORD God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. The man said, "This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man." For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed." – Genesis 2:21
God created sex, physical intimacy, to be a lasting love. Its purpose was to be the greatest connection between two people who knew one another, loved one another, and were loved in return. What our world offers in comparison is nothing more than a cheap knock-off. Be careful to guard your hearts and minds, and don't allow lust to gain a foothold in your life. Remember, God made us to be more than a disposable pleasure.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Consider your own heart and mind, are you pursing a lasting relationship?
Further Reading
Song of Solomon 7:1-13
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The Level Ground
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Culture Editor
For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God – Romans 3:23
I've always felt parables are the best resource anyone has for studying the gospel. The stories Jesus used to teach his followers are timeless and many Christians, including myself, are prone to forgetting their lessons. The parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector is one such lesson,
"And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt. Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other people, swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week ; I pay tithes of all that I get.' But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, the sinner !' I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted." – Luke 18:9-14
Reading this section of scripture, I tried to picture what this story would look like if it was played out on a modern stage. The Pharisee would look the model Christian: He grew up in a Christian home, attended youth group as a teen, participated in a dozen missions trips, as an adult he runs a respectable business, and has a godly wife and three well behaved children. And the tax collector, who would he be? I tried to come up with a fictional description, but instead something else happened. I started seeing the faces of all the Christians who had ever been honest with me about their struggles.
Friends who had struggles with addiction, others who had confessed to adultery, I saw myself confiding in them about my own sins and realized, in that moment, we are all tax collectors. As Romans 3:23 says, we have all fallen short of God's glory. The moment we start to believe ourselves saved by our own worth is the day we become Pharisees. It's an old moral, I know, but sometimes the hardest lessons to learn are the ones we think we already know.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Who do you most resemble, the Pharisee or the Tax collector?
Further Reading
Matthew 7:1-3
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Will They Know Us By Our Love?
by Debbie Holloway, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
"By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:35).
Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and it not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things (1 Corinthians 13:4-7).
These two passages are arguably the most famous Bible verses about love. Love is a concept promoted
by Christians, Jews, Buddhists and Muslims. It is a thing acknowledged by atheists and agnostics.
Something every man, woman, and child strives to obtain every day. Love is something we all know
about and all desire. But so often it seems to be the most difficult thing for us to practice.
As Christians, we have no excuse for not knowing what love is. 1st Corinthians chapter 13 tells us in no
uncertain terms. And Christ tells us in John 13 that the world will know that we belong to Jesus if we
practice this love. But how often do we truly think of those two scriptures as one command? How often
do we piece together the "how?" and the "what?" of love in our own lives?
The ramifications of doing so present a clearly defined, but difficult life. If we combine 1 st Corinthians 13
and John 13, what would our lives look like? How would people come to recognize Christians?
Well, they would know us by our patience. They would know that we are Christians by our
contentment, modesty, and humility. They would recognize us, for we would not be rude. We would
seek the best for others, be difficult to make angry, and refuse to keep count of how many times we've
been hurt. They would know us because evil makes us sad, and truth makes us happy. They would
know us because we protect the defenseless and we do not live in suspicion of others.
They would know us by our hope. They would know us by our perseverance.
That is what love looks like. Those should be the marks of Christ's disciples.
Oftentimes when the world hears "Christian" – they do not think of this love. They think Patriotic. They
think of rules. They think of stingy, bad-tippers, who blindly vote Republican and will judge you if you
drink beer or use four-letter words. And that might not be fair. That might not be you. But it's still your
responsibility to change what the world thinks of Christians. It's still your responsibility to demonstrate
that radical love Paul described to the Corinthians.
Because then, one by one, people might start to know Jesus a little better. Because then, one by one, we
could really reach the world with this radical, biblical, Christ-like love.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Find one relationship or duty in your life that lacks love. And change it.
Further reading
1 John 1:5
Romans 13:8
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The Wonderful Gift of... Suffering?
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com
"For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have." (Philippians 1:29-30)
Philippians 1:29 is one of those verses that makes me stop and shake my head in disbelief. Paul tells the readers of this letter that suffering has been granted to them. Granted? Really? As in, "Here you go. Here's a big ol' heaping helping of suffering"?
If you dig into the Greek behind that phrase, you'll uncover the word charizomai. This word usually implies something that's freely given for someone else's benefit. In fact, Paul uses this same word to talk about how God forgave our sins (Colossians 2:13; Ephesians 4:32); how we are to forgive others freely (2 Corinthians 2:7, 10); and how God bestows gifts or titles because of His love and power (as in Philippians 2:9). In Luke 7:21, the same word shows how Jesus gave sight to the blind. Free, beneficial gifts.
All those are well and good. So, why would Paul add something crazy like suffering to these other good things? Surely, he has to see that suffering doesn't fit in the same category as healing the blind and forgiving sin. They don't even share the same zip code. Right?
Well, Paul's example shows us that they do. Right near the end of Acts (chapter 27), Paul gets stuck with a stubborn centurion who can't wait to get to Rome and a ship's pilot who's happy to oblige. Paul warns that such a trip will end badly. They ignore him (word to the wise: never ignore Paul). When they run into a storm, things look really, really bad. People are throwing supplies overboard, faces are green, and hope goes buh-bye.
About that time, Paul gets to give his "I told you so" speech, and in that speech, he uses our old friend charizomai. An angel had appeared to Paul and told him, "God has granted you all those who are sailing with you" (Acts 27:24). God had granted him seasick sailors (who wanted to kill the prisoners, mind you) and a stubborn centurion who refused to listen to sense. What kind of gift is that? God could have granted him a miraculous trip to a nearby island—perhaps somewhere warm and not so stormy.
But if that had been the case, Paul wouldn't have done the other part of this verse: "you must stand before Caesar." If Paul had been whisked away, in fact, we wouldn't have the books of Acts or Luke (that chapter is filled with "we" from our good doctor friend who also survived the storm); the sailors and centurion wouldn't have seen God's mighty act to save every single one of them; and Paul wouldn't have taken the gospel to the most important city in the Roman Empire. God gave Paul the gift of their lives so that the gospel would bulldoze on.
And that brings up back to Paul's suggestion that suffering is granted—a gift. Quite likely, Paul wrote his letter to the Philippians not long after being smashed into the rocks. Despite the messy trip (or perhaps precisely because of it), the message of Christ spread throughout the royal guard and people all over Rome. Other Christians got some backbone to speak more boldly (Philippians 1:13-14). Things went boom all over.
Intersecting Faith & Life: The gift of suffering, for Paul and for us, doesn't seem much like a gift—at first. But the vantage point makes all the difference. Suffering that comes for the sake of Christ always produces a harvest of awesome. That's because, in addition to the suffering, God also grants us the strength to endure and the chance to see the gospel take root.
And that's why Paul can truthfully say, "What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things" (Philippians 3:8). That's not empty boasting from a beaten down man. That's the triumphant cry of someone who sees what lies ahead.
For Further Reading
Acts 27-28
Philippians 1 (Read the whole thing; it's short and concentrated.)
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Words, Words, Words!
by Katherine Britton
In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."
John 3:3
American English uses hundreds of idioms, both helpful and just plain ridiculous. It's entirely possible to slink through a whole day without expressing a single original phrase, if we try hard enough. It's not rocket science, I mean. You can blow your top, or go overboard, or feel like you're an emotional rollercoaster, or wind up between a rock and a hard place, or hit the wall. Maybe it's a cloud nine day, and you're walking on air. And no, I'm not pulling your leg. There's a method to my madness.
You can probably think of a dozen more idioms that I omitted. Nowadays, we use overuse all those phrases and stick them into our conversation as a substitute for original thought. But once upon a time, all those things we call clichés resonated with meaning. Consider just a few:
That's a load of hogwash – This wholesome little phrase comes straight from the farm, where "hogwash" designates a concrete mess of garbage and refuse that's only fit for the pigs. The good-for-nothing stuff certainly isn't a compliment; in fact, it's downright nasty.
Catch-22 – We use it now for any situation with a lose-lose outcome, but the original phrase actually comes from a 1961 novel by the same name. The plot highlights the result of bureaucratic regulations that take their validity from each other but can't stand alone. The bewildering, circular logic keeps characters from any good outcomes, thanks to the nonsense to which they're subject.
"The lady doth protest too much, methinks." – Shakespeare would probably roll over in his grave if he could hear us butcher this one so royally. The phrase actually comes from the lips of Queen Gertrude, who rather hastily marries her husband's brother after her husband dies. Gertrude was actually sneering at the faithful promises – the protestations – of the queen in a play, who promised eternal love and faith to only one man. And so, her inconstant character announces itself to Hamlet and the audience.
Your John Hancock – As president of the Continental Congress, Hancock's name appeared before all others on the first copy of the Declaration of Independence. By that action, Hancock marked himself among the primary traitors if the War for Independence failed. He risked his life, his fortune, and indeed, his sacred honor. Is that what you think of every time you sign a credit receipt?
We all use language, and it's a hop, skip, and a jump from a meaningful metaphor for a dull catchphrase. After that, real meaning gets lost in the hubbub of "words, words, words," as Hamlet would say.
I mention these cultural amusements for a simple purpose.
Do you remember how totally radically it is to be "born again"?
Christians – myself included – so easily wear down the language of grace into simple catchphrases. When Jesus told
Nicodemus that he "must be born again," he was conveying a radical idea, and Nicodemus knew that much. "How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!" (John 3:4) Jesus goes on to explain the obvious changes that come from being born again of the Spirit, so that a person changes completely. "Born again" meant so much more than a hidden identity. As my pastor pointed out Sunday, you might as well ask, "Is that baby new?" as ask, "Are you born again?" The answer should be obvious to all. Is it?
Intersecting Faith & Life: The slip from authentic faith to rote "Christianese" is sometimes nothing more than a wandering mind, and sometimes as much as complete forgery. As you pray and read the Bible this week, take time to meditate on what simple phrases like "mercy," "born again," "repent," genuinely mean. Find names or attributes of God that you don't usually use and meditate on them. As Jesus said to his disciples (ironically, right before he gave them the Lord's Prayer, which far too many of us utter by rote), "And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words." (Matthew 6:7) The fight against complacent muttering finds success when it's joined by a genuinely appreciative heart, so let's skip the babbling and get down to praising God for the radical way He has saved us!
Further Reading:
Luke 18:9
Zephaniah 3:14-18
Top 10 Irritating Phrases
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It Looked Better in My Head
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com
"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others." Philippians 2:3-4
Your calling looks better in your head than in real life. Inside, safely tucked away in your synapses, the visions of what God wants to do through you come with puppies, double rainbows, and guilt-free cheesecake. It's amazing how perfectly our brains can sand down the obstacles ahead, plaster over the voices of dissent, and generally build a future much like the highlights from someone else's life.
With such a build-up, it's easy to see why we get disappointed. After all, stories like these are all over:
· The country preacher has a vision to reach rural America with the gospel, to burn so brightly that a whole community is changed. But the church never grows. He sees nothing dramatic happen and finally moves on.
· A woman faithfully loves and serves her unsaved coworkers for years. She pours hours of prayer into the thing, hoping that at least one will really absorb what she's been sharing with them. But all she seems to take with her when she retires are the pictures from her cubicle.
· A Christian missionary community, after years of serving the poorest in their adopted country, finally has a breakthrough when a local leader professes faith in Jesus. Days later, militants attack the area and murder the new convert, his family, and many of the missionaries.
And maybe something like that has hijacked your calling, too. You started out strong, pushing forward even when turbulence hit. You just knew God would work all things together for your good, and you had that verse, Romans 8:28, firmly planted in your noggin (and maybe scribbled on a Post-It Note on your mirror—just to be sure).
But along the way, the future you had imagined became more and more distant from the slog-it-out reality. You doubt that God was ever really in the thing to begin with, and, so, you try to forget that something ever happened, that something got you excited and charged up in the first place.
Don't write off your calling just yet.
The thing about God is that He's big, really big. And He sees much farther, clearer, and better than us. From our perspective, we can't always see progress. But usually that's because we're trying to see the land ahead from a valley.
Intersecting Faith & Life: The truth is that we may not see progress in the short-term, maybe not even in our lifetime. But we've been called to faithfully serve where Christ puts us. We get bogged down when we imagine that all our service and work should produce results that we can experience. Our joy comes from seeing things happen, and not so much the serving.
But God never promises that we'll see what He's up to—at least, not while we're camping here on earth. He's called us to look out "for the interest of others," both believers and the unchurched. Whether we see something happen or not.
For Further Reading
1 Corinthians 12
Ephesians 4
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Yard Sale Christianity
by Stephen Sanders, A/V Editor for Salem Web Network
As many of you know, summer is prime time yard sale time and you can't drive anywhere in the south on a Saturday without passing at least a few. This past Saturday, we stopped at one not far from our house.
In the past when I've been with my wife to these things, I seldom find anything that I get REALLY excited about. I usually just look for old books because that's the only thing I can find for a buck that I might actually use. But this past Saturday, as I dug through a box of old CDs, I found something that I couldn't pass up.
When I look back at my childhood and think about music, two names come to mind: Michael Jackson and the Beastie Boys. The very 1st album that my mom ever bought me was "Thriller." The first album that I ever bought with my own money was "Licensed to Ill" at a Kmart in Mason, Ohio with my cousin Mark. I can still vividly remember driving home that weekend with my parents in our '78 Chrysler New Yorker bumping "Fight For Your Right To Party." We had the cassette adapter for the 8-track player that was in there. I guess this was probably about 1986-87. This tape stayed in my silver boom box until it broke a couple years later.
During my middle school years, I developed a second wind of musical enlightenment. This was when hip-hop was at its peak in the early 90's. I'd picked up this interest from my good friend Chad, who bought me an NWA tape in 1992. This was, of course, followed by Dr. Dre's "The Chronic" in 1993...then "Enter the 36 Chambers" by Wu-Tang Clan later that year...
The Beastie Boys released "Check Your Head" in 1993 also. They were still just as relevant then as they had been in the 80's even though the style had changed a bit. They'd evolved from a party rap trio to a 3-piece jam band in what seemed like no time...but it had been 7 years. I loved this CD.
My love for hip-hop slowly but surely vanished as grunge slowly gained my affection and carried me through my high school years. The Nu Metal genre developed as I entered my college years; a movement that was pretty much over almost as soon as it started. I picked up a bass guitar my freshman year at SECC and my love for hip-hop officially died. But my love for the Beastie's never did...
In 2002, on a couch at a friend's house, I discovered "Paul's Boutique" by the Beastie Boys. This album was released in 1989; many consider this to be their finest work. This album soon became my "favorite album to listen to while I played video games with Eddie." And even still, the Beastie's were just as relevant in 2002 as they were in 1986... and 1989... and 1993...
Now, flash-forward to 2011... I look into a box of CDs at a yard sale and find "Check Your Head" and "Paul's Boutique" in perfect condition... for $5. SOLD! As I walked away, all I could think about were the good times I'd had with my cousin Mark, Chad, Eddie; some of the best times of my life. I couldn't wait to listen to them when I got home.
I got home, went upstairs, turned on my computer to do my homework and hit play...and immediately realized how much Christ has changed me as an individual. It's not so much the music itself, because it is still just as creative and impressive as it ever was. It's the message behind the music that causes a separation. It's just not the same anymore.
Jesus and Paul talked a lot about this sort of thing in the Bible. You know, the difference between who we were before accepting Christ into our hearts versus the new man who has surrendered his life to Jesus. I don't think I've ever seen this played out in my life in such a real way until this episode. There is simply nothing I can gain from this music at this point in my life without turning my back on Christ.
Now let me make a bit of a clarification before I go any further. I'm not talking about legalism here. I'm not saying that, "Christians cannot listen to secular music because it is sinful." If that had been the case, I never would have bought these CDs to begin with. Now, the Stephen from 5 years ago with his sheltered, legalistic, judgmental Christian mindset would have been outraged at the idea of a believer being excited about a secular CD or movie or anything else that wasn't "Christian." I'd been taught that everything was a black or white issue. If it wasn't "Christian" then it was sin.
But in recent years, with a change of logic and a new church environment, I've realized that my old mindset was a very self-serving mindset to have. In reality, not everything in the real world is a black or white issue. Not all "Christian music" is godly and not all "secular music" is sinful. When I used to believe this way, I would make my walk with God a lot easier, while making it more difficult for everyone else I came in contact with.
What I'm talking about is true relationship with Christ where He deals with me personally while I only focus on how God views me, not those around me.
Believe me when I say that I really wanted to enjoy these CDs when I got home. But there was something inside of me that no longer desired or could allow me to digest them. I fully believe that this is what Christ does to our lives. He draws us close to Him by his Spirit and these desires just naturally fall off. They happen in His timing, not our timing and not in the timing that other believers feel they should happen in our lives.
It's experiences like these that let me know that I am certainly not who I used to be. Fleshly desires that I used to have simply do not exist anymore. I don't have to beat down my flesh and force myself to exhibit Christian behavior anymore. Christ's desires just naturally become mine. True freedom in Christ started when I stopped trying to achieve the unachievable: being a perfect Christian.
Intersecting Faith and Life: We all have our individual walks with God that we have to experience. So many of us try so hard to make things automatically sinful for the sake of comfort. We attempt to force our religion on others around us, instead of simply sharing the Gospel. But that's not what we, as Christians, are called to do. We are simply called to love God and love others. Love doesn't cause me to push myself on anyone. It subtracts from me and adds to the world around me.
For Further Study
1 Corinthians 10:13-33
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That Boy Dating Your Daughter is More Than a Nuisance
by Shawn McEvoy, Managing Editor, Crosswalk.com
Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts...
Psalms 95:7-8
My little girl will turn eight in a week, and believe it or not... I'm looking forward to the day she starts bringing boys home.
Oh, believe me, there's no rush. I'm happy to remain Numero Uno in little Lauren's eyes as long as possible. All I'm really saying here is that I believe in her, in how she's being raised, in how she's taking after her mother. Whoever she brings home - I'm confident saying - is not going to be a person without redeeming qualities.
So what has me so primed for this experience that I don't sound like the typical dad at the door with a sneer and a shotgun? What else? The experience of having been valued and trusted myself.
Twenty-three years ago I didn't know it, but I became part of a family. The McGriffs were a very unique family. When I met their eldest daughter, Dick and Susan had just remarried each other after having divorced each other. I never knew all the details, only that this was their first example to me of it never being too late, of recognizing wrongs and repenting.
They took to me right away, but don't get the impression that they didn't lay down the law or have rules. It was the way they imposed them - agreeably, fairly, seriously - that made so much of a difference. It's not even that they didn't try to "change" me - to be perfectly honest they did try: suggesting Christian alternatives to my secular music, suggesting viewed-at-their-home Cary Grant movies to the ones I would have preferred taking their daughter to the theater to see, giving us five minutes after a date to say goodnight before the front lights would be flicked on and off signaling that, okay, that's enough now.
I dated Malia for four-and-a-half years, off and on. During that time I built memories, house-sat for their family, came to cherish younger sisters Michelle and Amy like they were my own. Oh, like most young couples our relationship wasn't perfect; we would fight and make things more difficult than they had to be, just as I continue to do. But from her folks there was always instruction, encouragement, solidity. Laughs and firm handshakes. Always trust regardless.
Thanks to Facebook, I've regained contact with these three sisters, observed how their family has grown, and chuckled at the way they continue to interact despite living all over the country (Malia in particular had the most amazing talent for taking tense situations and making them laughable, one I'm told she still has, one that is a story for another time). I sent them the following email:
Just wanna say... You three are still some of my favorite people I've ever met, especially for a trio of sisters. I love how life has worked out for all of you, and how large that family has grown, and how involved your folks are in visiting. You have fantastic men who seem to get you and treat you well.
You're all three beautiful examples of Christian motherhood and of being distinctly individual yet connected. It was transformative to grow up as a semi-adopted part of your clan, and it's a blessing to see your joy - and how you've dealt with the pains - today.
You gals rock!
And from each I received back a distinctive, meaningful, heartfelt response. And I traced it all to the commitments, re-commitments, and never-give-up attitudes their parents made so obvious without being annoying. And shoot, even if they were ever annoying, I love them the more for it now.
There are opportunities everywhere. And yes, there are dangers. And times are different, and believe me - I know guys and what is on their minds. But I was politely welcomed and discipled as more than the sum of my convertible sportscar + raging hormones, and in so many ways, that made as much difference as several lessons my own parents modeled for me.
Thanks again, McGriff family.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Are you nervous about your daughter starting to date? Why or why not? Have you taken an active role in helping her decide in advance what choices are better than others? Will you be able to understand or tolerate failings? Are you able to be firm while smiling and maintaining a sense of humor or gentility? Willing to be labeled as old-fashioned but resolute in knowing your ways are good ways? You never know who or what that boy is going to become, but you have a chance to help ensure it's something good.
Further Reading
Proverbs 22:6
1 Corinthians 2:5
Raise a Godly Daughter in an Ungodly World
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Freedom from the Bonds of Sin
by Alex Crain, Editor, Christianity.com
"...if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live." Romans 8:13
While reading this week in chapter eight of Francis Schaeffer's True Spirituality where he is speaking about freedom from the bonds of sin, I was reminded of the story of an experienced, 27 year-old rock climber named Aron Ralston. One beautiful spring morning in 2003, he jumped into his truck with just enough food and water for the day. He took off by himself and drove a hundred and fifty miles south of Salt Lake City to his favorite spot—a remote canyon area that used to be the hideout for wild-west outlaws Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
By afternoon, he was suspended seventy-five feet high off the canyon floor—climbing in a crevice that was just a few feet wide. It was a perfect day. But then without warning, a boulder suddenly broke loose from the rock wall above him, hurtled down and trapped Ralston's right arm against the wall, completely crushing his hand. At that instant, Aron's hand—one of his greatest assets—had now become his greatest liability.
Five whole days passed as he tried various ways to free himself—all to no avail. His efforts to chip away at the boulder with a pocket knife only made a small dent. Rigging up a pulley system to move the boulder proved fruitless.
Finally, a moment of decisive clarity came. The thoughts came fast and furious: he could break his forearm, cut through the muscle with his dirty pocket knife, detach his arm, and use a piece of rope as a tourniquet.
Aron explains that he was driven by "some sort of autopilot" as he went about the gruesome task of amputating his own right arm just below the elbow. After he was finished, Aron lowered himself down and began trudging slowly in the direction of his truck. Later, he stumbled across two hikers who used a mobile phone to call in a rescue helicopter. Amputating his right arm was a radical act, but it was one that saved his life and reunited him with his family.
God calls us to deal with sin in our life in a way that is surprisingly similar. The Bible doesn't offer a laid-back, live-and-let-live approach at all. It's so radical, that we don't really like hearing about it or talking about it. Recall what Jesus said in Matthew 5:30, "If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell." While Jesus was not literally talking about physical amputation, He was saying that sin's deadly effects call for extreme measures. Even though it hurts, we must rid sin from our lives. In fact, our eternal destiny hinges on how we deal with sin.
Really? Well, why else would Jesus talk about hell in the same breath that He talks about how we are to deal with sin if He didn't mean to teach that our eternal destiny hangs in the balance? Clearly, it's a matter of preferring one destiny over the other. Outward behavior indicates what the heart primarily loves. If Aron Ralston had stayed there on the canyon wall with his hand pinned down by the boulder, he would have died. But because he was willing to kill his hand, his life was saved.
The same goes with us as we deal with sin. It really comes down to what we value most. Colossians 3:5 says, "Put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry." The world may tell us to laugh about sin, to lighten up about it, to tolerate it, and just let it be... that it's not idolatry; it's not an issue of worship. God says the opposite is true.
Intersecting Faith & Life: What is robbing you of the blessings of peace with God?
What is keeping you from treasuring the Lord Jesus Christ above all other things?
Pray for grace to heed God's radical call to amputate sin from your life in His strength.
Further Reading
Romans 8:10
"Is Christianity Just a Bunch of Rules for How to Live?" (by John Piper, desiringgod.org)
Between a Rock and a Hard Place (by Aron Ralston, © 2004 Simon & Schuster)
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Sick on the Scenic Route
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com
"Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own." Philippians 3:12
On my way home from North Carolina, I followed my impulse to jump on the Blue Ridge Parkway that meanders along the spine of the Appalachian Mountains. Late spring had hit, and the trees on that slithering byway had burst into color. And if you know me, you know I can't resist a scenic detour in spring... or summer... or anytime I'm sure my car won't get stuck for some reason.
If you've ever had the chance to sling along the Blue Ridge, you'll find it hard to keep your eyes on the road. Gasp-worthy valley vistas pretty much assault you wherever you turn with their seductive greens and purples and blues. The only problem with a wandering gaze, however, is that many of the turns on that road completely bend back on themselves. So, you're constantly looking out in awe—and then whipping the car back on the road before you become part of that valley view.
In fact, those stomach-churning curves nearly got the better of me. Never before or since have I suffered from motion sickness while driving. But that road, with all its flipping and flopping, beat me up. By the time I finally escaped that tangled beast of a road, I was actually happy to see the interstate and all its rush-hour traffic (well, for the most part). At least those bumper-to-bumper shenanigans meant I'd be going straight.
For many of us, our pursuit of Christ swings us around in much the same way. We whip around curves that seem to take us the long way round, nearly bumble off the road because something shiny catches our eyes, and let the cares along the way nauseate us. It's a circuitous route, this Christian life, and one that doesn't move us from start to finish quickly.
But it's a path paved by the One who made us His own.
Each bend, each switchback curve, brings us closer to the goal He made possible. His mountain climbing 2000 years ago means we can follow Him all the way, no matter how far away the goal may seem. We're His, and He's calling us home.
Intersecting Faith & Life: We belong to Christ. He made us His own by dying on a tree. That's not some partial investment or a half-hearted venture; that's some serious business. He paid our price in full.
He intends to lead you around the bends, past the vistas, through the gulches, by still waters, and, finally, home. He'll calm you, guard you, and shield you. But what He won't do is leave you stranded. (There are no guarantees against nausea, though.)
For Further Reading
Just go ahead and read (or reread) Philippians.
Psalm 119
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A Hedge of Clichés
by Katherine Britton
And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. - Matthew 6:7
A Bible study friend recently encouraged me to rewrite the famous passage on Proverbs 31 woman in my own words, with application to my own life. I took her up on the challenge, thinking the task wouldn't be too hard for someone who writes for a career.
Crafting a modern application took an hour—much longer than I figured. Getting away from verbatim repetition to explore specific application required much more of my time and energy than I would typically spend journaling on a passage. Stepping back from the verse-by-verse analysis, though, I thought I saw the Proverbs 31 woman's characteristics a bit more clearly. Rewriting the passage didn't destroy the original language for me—on the contrary. The "words, words, words" seemed fresh and clear from my new vantage point.
Unfortunately, reading and "hiding Scripture in our hearts" quickly slips into rote recitation for me. It's like Tim Hawkin's hedge of protection comedy sketch; the words have power, but we start spouting them off without much thought. Pretty soon, I'm sitting in church and halfway through a hymn before I realize that I'm singing. My heart gets left behind too when my mind is disengaged. Pretty soon, I'm praying a "hedge of protection" for somebody, partially because the phrase sounds good without making me think too carefully about their specific needs.
The Pharisee Jesus described in Luke 18:9-13 had mastered the art of hiding insincerity behind the right phrases. He knew the turn of phrase that would convey holy devotion, regardless of the filth in his heart. "Words, words, words" became meaningless, as Hamlet saw them in the dead books - they became a socially acceptable key to avoid the real attitudes.
Contrast this to the tax collector. He understood that social niceties wouldn't veil his sins before God, and he didn't continue with a recitation the way the Pharisee did. His simple prayer was, "God, have mercy on me, a sinner." That was it. He knew the impact of his simple phrase far better than the Pharisee did. He didn't need to "babble" to impress God or those around him; he simply spoke his heart, knowing that ability to pray is itself a mercy.
The beautiful language of Scripture is best adorned with sincerity of heart, not how many words we can string together in holy sentences. After all, consider how simple the Lord's Prayer is written - and how difficult and miraculous it is to proclaim "Your will be done."
Intersecting Faith and Life: There's not a "holy attitude" that we put on at "holy times" - we are called to be holy all the time, in our joking with friends as well as our prayers. We need to speak simply, truly, and to God's glory all the time. This week, practice this by eliminating Christian catch phrases from your prayers, instead journaling your prayers to bring a fresh application.
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What are You Drunk On?
Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
And they all continued in amazement and great perplexity, saying to one another, "What does this mean?" But others were mocking and saying, "They are full of sweet wine."
Acts 2:12-13
"These men are not drunk, as you suppose," Peter told the bewildered crowd at Pentecost. "This is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel." The Holy Spirit had been poured out, and I've always found it fascinating that its effects could be mistaken for the pouring out of, shall we say, less holier spirits.
To be sure, the Bible instructs Christ-followers to be "sober-minded" (Titus 2:6, 1 Corinthians 15:34). And there's honor and maturity in a steadfast, stoic reaction to life's trials. But then there's this fantastic scene in Acts that just fills me with tiny bubbles of delight. There's so much joy and power and overflowing involved with the Holy Spirit that, sometimes, well, we Christians just seem a little bit crazy. Flipped-out. Punch-drunk. Downright giddy.
And who wouldn't like to see more of that side of us these days?
Reflecting on this kind of Spirit-trusting, God-leaning fun reminds me of my three summers as a Christian youth camp counselor. The labor was hard but not in vain. The purpose was evident. The craziness was everywhere. "Go nutso-picasso," our Director would say, and show these kids that being a Christian isn't some droll, fun-killing existence, but something real, life-giving, sustaining, and joyous.
And indeed it was, and is. My closest friends and I had an odd high school experience, in that we had a hard time understanding why our peers found it so fun and/or necessary to involve alcohol - illegally - in their weekend plans. We were having more laughs and fun than we could imagine without any drugs. What were we filled with? Why didn't we need anything else?
Later, when I worked at camp, one of the things we would do is create a video of each week for the students to take home with them. One of the features on each week's video was a "blurb" from one of the counselors, an off-the-cuff, from-the-heart snippet of encouragement. I recently found the videotape from the week I was interviewed, and my response reminded me so much of what today's verse means to me, what real life under the guidance and excitement of the Holy Spirit is about. Here's what I said:
I think so many times in our youth groups back home we get tired of hearing the same things: don't drink, don't do drugs, don't have sex. And that's good advice to be sure, but why? So many kids here at camp and the ones I knew growing up weren't doing these things anyway; don't we have any more to offer them? Do we have any explanation for what is filling them, and what they can do with it? It just seems to me that those I've come across who are involved in these so-called "greater sins" are often engaging in them just to fill a void caused by, maybe, disobedience to parents, rebellion, lying, or a poor self-image. So what I like to do is show them that Jesus has given them everything they need to be content, secure, high on real life. And it takes a lot of energy to do that, but I find that the energy is there when I need it, and anyway, if it means leading a young person to the Lord or just reconciling someone to their parents, hey, that's worth it.
That's healing through a Holy infectiousness. Won't you take a sip and pass it on?
Intersecting Faith & Life: Are you in a prolonged stupor, or are you tipsy on the outpourings of the Holy Spirit in your life? What's holding this back? Is there a dam keeping the river from flowing forth out of you, keeping it fresh and alive? Take the first step to remove it by looking back to a time when you were first saved or relying entirely on God to do work in His Kingdom.
Further Reading
1 Corinthians 14:23
Acts 7:51
Expect the Holy Spirit to Work in Your Life
7 Lessons from Summer Camp
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I Want Answers Now!
by Laura MacCorkle
In his heart, a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps. Proverbs 16:9, NIV
Living in the Information Age, we're so used to getting what we want as soon as we want it.
We're becoming more and more accustomed to not having to wait for anything, as instant gratification is the norm in many areas of our lives.
A gourmet, meat-and-three meal ready in less than three minutes from the microwave. Check.
Instant text messages sent directly to our handheld communication devices. Check.
Mobile phone reception and extensive coverage wherever we may travel. Check.
Wireless Internet access so we can log on whenever and wherever we want. Check.
A new group of "friends" in an online social network who we don't have to spend face-time with in order to call friends. Check.
Can you relate? God forbid that we should ever have to wait on something, because that's when the real whining and the complaining kick in. I should know.
I've been struggling with an ongoing life situation that has got me journaling and praying and reading and discussing up a storm. I don't understand what God is doing, and I want answers and a flowchart of how this will all be worked out. Right now.
I want to plan my course and make something happen—move the situation along, if I can, and get the results that I think should be had and on my time schedule.
Not long after I have a mental outburst such as this, I am immediately convicted. And I know that this is not the right way to respond. How must God interpret this type of thinking? Does he lovingly shake his head and murmur, "Oh, sweet child. Someday she'll learn." Or perhaps I disappoint him because I cannot trust in him without struggling with my desire to first know all the steps he's planning for me to get from Point A to Point Z.
While flipping through my Bible this week, I found that the words of Psalm 145: 3-7 have helped me to see this struggle in a different light:
Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
His greatness no one can fathom.
One generation will commend your works to another;
They will tell of your mighty acts.
They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty,
and I will meditate on your wonderful works,
and I will proclaim your great deeds.
They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.
After reading this passage, I was reminded that it doesn't matter that I understand what is going on in the world. It doesn't matter that I can't control what is or isn't happening. What matters is that I know and profess that God is great, and that he is good. Period.
Why even struggle with trying to understand the ways of a sovereign God? He alone is worthy of our praise and adoration. Why not just immediately respond with celebration for who he is? Why not just surrender and rest in him? For his answers for our lives are never late and always arrive at just the right time.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Are you wrestling with God, as Jacob did at Peniel (Gen. 32)? It is God—not you—who holds your destiny in his hands. Ask him to help you take one day at a time as you trust in him and his plan and timetable for your life.
Further Reading:
Isaiah 55:8-9, NIV
Romans 8:28, NIV
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Sinners Gonna Sin
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com
"For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things." Philippians 3:18-19
We should never be surprised by sin. Humans run to it, fill their hands with the dripping filth, and smear it over their bodies. From birth. From conception (Psalm 51:5). It's the natural state of what it means to be a fallen Homo sapiens.
Often, though, it's easy to forget our own dip into the slop. Years of following Jesus can make that mud bath indistinct and alien in our memories. We were, but are no longer (Romans 6:6). The times we plunged headfirst into sin no longer seem real. We forget how arduous the road has been that's brought us here—the struggles, the temptations, the urges to turn around and dive back in. We forget that each victory came with wounds. We forget why we have the scars.
With that newness of rebirth comes the temptation to compare everything and everyone with where we are now. Our filth cleansed, we see clearly. And what we see are those pitiful figures still flailing in the dirt, still covering themselves with sin.
It's easy to be disgusted. The mud seems much dirtier now than it was when we were in it, more putrid to our nostrils. Certainly we would never do what they do—those still wallowing, those whose god is their every whim and desire. There's nothing very attractive in the mess.
But when you think of what will become of those who blindly grope in the sludge, when you consider the destiny of those who glory in their own shame, you start to see something else. God looked into just such filth to find a struggling wretch—one that looked just like you. His love wasn't deterred by all your caked-on grime. His compassion wasn't stopped by the junk that clung to you. He yanked you from the pit and put your feet on the rock. Then, He washed you clean.
Sin comes naturally to humanity. But love that looks past the grime to share the hope of the gospel? That's the hard thing. That's the thing worth doing.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Those who are enemies of the cross, as Paul describes them, will sin. They'll do so in small ways, and they'll do so blatantly and defiantly. And from outside the mud bath, it's easy for us to wrinkle our noses in disgust. "Sure, we all sin," we might tell ourselves, "but they're reveling in the stuff."
But compassion, the kind that rolls through 1 Corinthians 13, peers ahead to the future destiny of those writhing in the filth and peels back the layers of grime. There, we see humans destined for destruction. They may not want help, but they need it. And you're called to offer it to them.
For Further Reading
1 Corinthians 13
Romans 2
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Finish the Race
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. – 2 Timothy 4:7
The other day I was flipping through videos of old Olympic events when I came across one you might be familiar with. It followed the 1992 men's 400 meter track semi-final in Barcelona. The race started out like any other Olympic event. The runners took their mark, and at the sound of the starters pistol took off at lightning speed.
Halfway around the track though, a runner named Derek Redmond suddenly stumbled and fell. For several seconds he didn't move. Then to the audience horror, Redmond got up and began to limp his way around the track. Instantly coaches and medics ran onto the field and tried to get Redmond off his feet, but the runner only pushed them off and kept going. Suddenly a man broke through security and came running to Redmond's side, it was his father.
Taking his son by the hand, the older man held Redmond up as the two of them half walked; half stumbled their way across the finish line. Sometimes, there are things in this world that point more strongly to God than any Bible verse we can memorize, and I believe the story of Redmond and his father is one of them. Life is not a race we are going to win. At some point, whether because of this fallen world or our own sin nature, all of us will stumble and fall. Many people believe that these times of tragedy prove God either does not exist, or simply does not care what happens to us, but they are wrong.
True Christian grace is that in those moments of pain and defeat, God takes us by the hand, holds us up, and says, "Let's finish together."
Intersecting Faith and Life: Take ten minutes to pray, read scripture, or simply spend some time alone with our Heavenly Father.
Further Reading
Isaiah 40:31
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Helping Kids See the Gospel
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com
"What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me--practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you." Philippians 4:9
First, I want to blow up a common misconception. You've probably heard that Francis of Assisi, that saint of old, said something along the lines of: "Share the gospel. If necessary, use words." He did, but his story and evangelistic career don't end so abruptly in a manner that suggests we never speak our faith. When you study Francis's life, you find that he spoke the gospel... a lot. He preached on haystacks and street corners and pretty much anywhere people were. He preached to peasants and nobles, lepers and prisoners. So, it's safe to say that he believed in the concept that "faith comes by hearing."
But Francis did back up his preaching with some pretty amazing examples of the gospel. He demonstrated the sacrifice of Christ in ways that the people around him could see and touch. You could say that his life of poverty served as a parable for Christ giving up the riches of heaven (Philippians 2). Given the culture (which wasn't too different), a rich man's son choosing rags over raging parties does send a pretty potent message (it'd be like Paris Hilton choosing a monastery over Malibu Beach houses).
So, Francis and his famous quip and his demonstrations of the gospel have given me something to think about. Namely, as a father, how do I make what Christ did real to my girls? How can I show them what I teach with my words and through the Bible? Since I can't exactly forsake all my possessions and provide for them at the same time, I've learned to think on a bit smaller scale.
The Exchange: I admit it. This seems kind of hokey. But I've found that simply exchanging something dirty for something clean (with a gospel explanation) has made quite the impact. For example, my oldest daughter hates for any two items on her plate to touch. Even a microscopic amount of mashed potatoes befouling her green beans is enough to make her queasy. So, instead of fighting about the silliness of it, I recently just traded one of my un-besmirched beans for hers. When I did so, I pointed out that this is similar to what Jesus did for us. He took our dirtiness of sin and gave us His cleanness (2 Corinthians 5:21). She studied the bean with squinty eyes and then ate it.
The Takeaway: This isn't something I do often—just so we're clear. But every once in a while, when my girls do something that deserves some "reflection time" in the "reflection chair," I take away the punishment completely. That only works if I know they're truly repentant about what they've done (and if they know it's uncommon). I point out that they deserved punishment—according to our if/then Scripture chart—but they aren't getting what they deserve (1 Thessalonians 5:9).
The Substitute: This isn't one I've used just yet because I want them to be a little older. But my wife and I have planned something we hope will really drive home the point. When they mess up, I'm going to take the punishment they deserved. I'm going to lose the privilege they should have lost, to suffer the consequences of their failures. I want them to see that Jesus did just that for us (Isaiah 53).
Intersecting Faith & Life: No earthly example can truly capture what Jesus did—not Francis, not my dinner table exchanges. His sacrifice is just too ridiculously huge. But that doesn't mean we can't try. Be intentional with your teachable moments. A tangible example of what you preach with your lips can reach people in ways that words alone cannot.
For Further Reading
Saint Francis by Robert West
Philippians
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3 Things I've Learned about Work
by Debbie Holloway, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
"Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval" (John 6:27).
Since I've been old enough to babysit, I've always been working at something, whether a project for school, a part-time restaurant gig, or my current office job. And over the years I've come to learn many lessons about work. For example, work can become a joy and a passion if it's something you truly love and you're surrounded by like-minded partners. Or, on the other hand, even a job you like can become a drudge if you can't see eye-to-eye with your co-workers.
As I prepare to celebrate a day off work this upcoming Labor Day, I've been pondering three things that God has been teaching me about work in the past year or so.
1. A Christian never clocks out
It's easy and refreshing to hop in the elevator at 5 p.m. and not worry about work until the next day. But as a follower of Christ, I recognize that I'm called to carry his banner 24/7. When I'm grumpy? Yep. When I've been out all day and come home to a messy house? Absolutely. When I'm on Facebook and somehow everything in my feed is making me frustrated and irritable? Even then. Perhaps that's why we call ourselves "soliders" in God's army. Everything's a battle... one we must remember to fight with love and peace!
2. God is the boss, not me
As easy as it is to judge another person's work (or seeming lack-therof) I've had to be reminded a lot lately that it's simply not my job to critique other people's lives. Just as my supervisor has given me tasks to complete, and that's between the two of us – so God has a personal relationship with every single one of us, and he hasn't asked us to poke our noses into each other's to-do lists. And boy, don't we all have plenty of thoughts on the matter?
Why do they go to THAT church? Why is that woman constantly panhandling on that same streetcorner? Why doesn't he just get a spine and break off that harmful relationship?
If only I ruled the world. But I don't – and thank God I don't. Someday we'll all stand before The Boss and our choices will be evaluated. But for now, it's my job to do MY job, to love people where they're at, and to remember that life sometimes looks really different inside someone else's shoes.
3. Your work does make a difference
It's common for me to feel small and powerless. Maybe you feel that way too. But when small people like us put our minds to something, amazing things truly do happen. Even something as small as a smile or a word of encouragement can make all the difference in someone's day...maybe even in someone's life. So whether you teach, write, or clean up trash; whether you sit in a cube crunching numbers or you bag groceries – God wants to use your work to not only bless others, but grow you closer to him.
Intersecting Faith and Life: This Labor Day, try reading a few passages about work in the Bible (I've linked to some below). What kind of worker does God want you to be?
Further Reading
Why Your Work Matters... and Why it Doesn't
1 Thessalonians 4:11
Luke 10
Deuteronomy 15:1-18
1 Corinthians 15:58
Matthew 25:14-30
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You're Right!
Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
"I've laid down a pattern for you. What I've done, you do.
I'm only pointing out the obvious...
If you understand what I'm telling you, act like it - and live a blessed life."
John 13:15-17, The Message
I was very close to my father. He was the best man in my wedding, and growing up, when a lot of my peers were spending their weekend nights partying, I was usually happier to spend an evening with my dad watching a movie over ice cream.
One of the reasons I loved spending time with him was because I knew the Lord in a personal way... and he didn't. Sure, he was raised a "cultural Catholic," and was even an altar boy, but he'd definitely fallen away from any semblance of faith, and we all knew that he'd never been saved.
For several years, Dad was pretty much my pet project. I was always sharing with him when I could, always witnessing, always loving on him. I was continually lifting up prayers to God for his salvation, always trusting and somehow knowing it would eventually come to pass. And it did, 17 years after it had for me, and four years before he died. It's one reason his death - even though he was only 57 - wasn't nearly as devastating as it might have been to me.
He passed away in August of 2001. I stayed with my mom for a few weeks to help out before flying home on the evening of September 10 - yep, the night before a whole lot more stuff changed for a whole lot of us. I was in graduate school at the time, though I ended up taking a semester off to deal with all that had happened. So that Fall was a very strange time for me.
But then, as is so often true, there was Christmas...
We were at my in-laws' house that year. Somewhere in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve I was awoken, not by reindeer on the roof, but by a rainbow in my mind. It came to me in a dream, out of the darkness, but as if I were awake. One minute there was an immense, black screen before my eyes. Then, just like in a cartoon, someone pushed a section of the blackness out of the way, revealing just a square inch of the most amazing colors. It was my dad.
He was young, tan, and radiant, and he was wearing a smile bigger than any he'd smiled on earth. He didn't linger long. He simply said, "Shawn! Shawn-o! You were right! You were right about all this! But you're not living like it!"
Intersecting Faith & Life: The rest of this story is mine, and for the most part, I'm blessed to say I'm "living like it" a lot more since then, a few bumps in the road excepted. Ask yourself: if it were confirmed to you that everything you believe from the Word of God, and everything you've preached was true, right, and absolute, what would you do? What would you no longer waste time doing? With whom would you share, and how would your purpose and daily life change? Because guess what... it is true! You're right!
Further Reading
Live Today in Light of Heaven
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3 Simple Steps to Surmounting the September Slump
by Stephen Sanders. A/V Editor at Salem Web Network
You observe days and months and seasons and years.
Galatians 4:10 (NASV)
Yeah, so it's that time of year again... September. Or as I like to call it: the month where nothing happens.
Think about it. What happens in September?
OK... Labor Day and that's pretty much it. Some of us get a paid holiday for Labor Day, which is awesome.
Well, that and some retail stores use Labor Day as an excuse to have "the best sale ever."
But let's face it... that's the only 2 reasons why most of us even know that Labor Day exists. Other than that one meaningless holiday, September is easily the most uneventful month we have.
On the flip side, isn't it ironic that one of the greatest dance songs ever is called "September?" I mean nothing gets the party started like some Earth, Wind and Fire, am I right? They make September sound like so much fun! Magical even!
But they deceive us. September isn't magical. It's dull. And it's right in the middle of this insane monotony that I begin to feel restless... like I need to do more with my life.
We've just gotten back from vacation. Summer is ending. The kids have just started a brand new school year. So naturally, it's time to take things up a notch, right? Am I the only one?
"I should really read my Bible more."
" I should do _________ less frequently."
"Christmas will be here before you know it."
Usually, I have to admit, these feelings tend to overwhelm me a bit. But this year, I've decided to break the monotony of September by doing a few very basic things that, between you and me, I should be doing anyway:
1. Read a Proverb a Day: Yes, I know there are 31 Proverbs and only 30 days in September. We can blame September for that. Besides, most of the people who are reading or listening to this devotional are pretty familiar with most of Proverbs 31 anyway. The point is: it's an easy goal with a big payoff. Not only are the Proverbs applicable to our daily lives, they are quite challenging.
2. Start a Prayer List: It's hard to deny the importance of praying for others. For one thing, it takes the focus off our problems. Secondly, you will discover that there is no shortage in the amount of prayer requests you will receive once you let people know you are starting a prayer list. You'll find the key to this exercise is to, not only compile a prayer a list, but to also actually pray for people once you create it.
3. Random Acts of Kindness: I love this one for so many reasons. For one, it's almost always something totally spontaneous. It can be as simple as picking up that piece of trash that you walk by or as complex as taking 30 minutes out of your day to be there for that annoying someone that you'd normally make excuses to avoid. Like the Proverbs challenge, you could settle for a "one a day" quota, but I usually find that once I get started it becomes quite contagious.
Intersecting Faith and Life: There you go. Three simple things you can do to feel like you aren't being a slacker in September. All three take very little time and just a little stick-to-itiveness. And, most importantly, all three are sure to bring you closer to your beloved Creator.
For Further Study
Proverbs 1:1
Earth, Wind and Fire – "September"
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The Happiest Place on Earth
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. – John 14:2
When I was in the fourth grade, my parents decided it was time for that rite of passage all families must one day undertake. On Friday morning, as my sisters and I prepared for school, they informed us that we would be leaving class an hour early today. Naturally, my sisters and I were excited to get a jump start on the weekend, but we also couldn't help but wonder why.
"It's a surprise," was all my parents would say. That gave us pause. In my family, a "surprise" could mean anything from a baseball game, to getting our Hepatitis B shots at the doctor's office. So it was with more than a little trepidation that we entered our family van that afternoon and began speeding toward the city. After about forty minutes of driving, my Dad pulled off the road into a crowded parking lot.
"Where do you think we're going?" he asked with a huge grin on his face. We looked around at the city, the solid concrete parking lot, and the planes soaring overhead.
"Camping?" guessed one of my sisters. My mother reached into her pocket and produced several tickets that all bore the unmistakable image of Mickey Mouse. That's when it hit us, WE WERE GOING TO DISNEYWORLD! Normally I avoid talking about Heaven, I feel like it distracts Christians from living in the here and now, but I can't help seeing a glimpse of our final home in that old vacation. There was so much awe, wonder, and sheer joy at just being a child in Disneyworld.
Best of all, we had no idea what was waiting for us. We all knew of Disneyworld, but we had never experienced anything like it until that trip. In much the same way, Jesus has prepared a place for us in a world we cannot begin to comprehend. Just look at this verse from Revelation,
"No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. The angel said to me, 'These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place.'" - Revelation 22:3-7
I'm going to restrain myself from using a "Whole New World" joke. Rather, I'll simply close with this message: This world is not our home. God made us to be a part of this world, but it is not where we truly belong. One day we will go home, and when that day comes, it will be quite the adventure.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Live for God in the here and now, but remember it is not where our story ends.
Further Reading
John 14:27-31
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Toys into Tools
Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. Luke 12:48
With the start of football season this month, I've heard the phrase, "to whom much is given, much is required" used a lot... and that's a good thing. A great thing. Athletes, profiled on sports shows, have been given chances to explain how they are using their celebrity and money to help mankind, or even spread the gospel.
One prominent football player was interviewed about wanting to use what he's been given as a platform to further the Kingdom of God. His goals were reminiscent of the parable Jesus told about the difference between faithful and unfaithful servants, stewards of the kingdom. Faithful servants are to be about their master's will, not doing their own thing, not squandering what they've been given. They realize how much they've been granted, and understand there are punishments awaiting those who knowingly disobey (and even for those - albeit less severely - who unknowingly disobey. Seem harsh?).
I enjoy verses like our main verse today, where a concept is repeated synonymously for effect. The Bible's wisdom literature is ripe with this structure, and Jesus makes use of it here. The phrase "Everyone who has been given much" is echoed by "the one who has been entrusted with much," and "much will be demanded" becomes synonymous with "much more will be asked." It drives the point home.
We often hear the first part of this verse quoted, and it works fine by itself: "To whom much is given, much is required." That concept even works well in the secular world, so much so that non-Christians quote it, perhaps without even knowing it's biblical in origin, and superhero movies use it as a thematic element.
But this week, after seeing and reading those profiles of Christian athletes, I re-read the verse in its entirety, and it opened up a new level of meaning for me.
Generally, when I think of things I've been "given," or "gifts," I tend to think of presents, possessions... toys, even. Things that are mine. Things I can hoard, break, forget about, get tired of, use for personal gain, waste, sell, or lose. Some things we are "given" include salvation, spiritual gifts, genetic gifts, talents, financial blessing, testimonies, family, forgiveness, love, and more.
Now, does your perspective shift at all if you think of those things not merely as "things given," but as "things you are entrusted with"?
For me, the ante gets upped. There's a new level of seriousness. The steward who has faith must, by definition, be faithful.
My toys, as I grow up, must become my tools - the things the Master has given that He expects will be used to build and further His Kingdom.
Intersecting Faith & Life: What gift have you been entrusted with that you are still just playing with? Or hiding? Or wasting? Knowing the Master's will, decide what you would say if He returned today to find you not busy at Kingdom work. Then decide one way you can use what you have been entrusted with to edify others this week. You may not have the platform of a professional athlete, but you've been given all the requirements necessary to do the job assigned to you.
Further Reading
James 2:14-18
1 Corinthians 4:2
Envisioning Your 'God-Sized' Calling
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Unfulfilled Desire
by Sarah Phillips
"I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4: 12 - 13
"For a long time I have not belonged to myself since I delivered myself totally to Jesus, and He is therefore free to do with me as He pleases." ~ St. Therese of Lisieux
Do you have unrealized desires? They have a way of burning up our insides, don't they? Perhaps you wish to be married, but year after year remain single. Or you wish for children, but remain childless. Or maybe you want to write books, but never make any headway.
Confusion and despair over unrealized desires feel the most intense when they seem natural and God-honoring. Doesn't the Lord want me to be married? Didn't He place in me this desire to be a pastor? Didn't God give me these gifts? So why do all the doors remain closed?
I've been noticing a theme lately in the stories of revered Christian heroes. Most of them had personal desires that were put on hold or even went completely unfulfilled - at least from the outside observer's perspective. Some of these desires seemed especially holy.
Take St. Martin of Tours for example. From an early age, this Christian convert's sole desire was to be a monk. But the laws in 4th century Rome required him be a soldier - an occupation that did not suite him well. Even after the military finally released Martin, his plan to dedicate his life to solitary prayer never played out as he hoped. Martin's unique spiritual wisdom drew crowds to him and ultimately, the beloved monk was ordained a Bishop against his wishes.
St. Therese of Lisieux is another example. This French beauty from the 19th century longed to be a Carmelite nun and a missionary. While Therese's first desire came true at the early age of 15, her second never did. At 22, tuberculosis limited her to her French convent.
Why does God allow some desires to go unfulfilled? There's no simple answer to that question, however, I think it's fair to say that when good desires lay dormant, God does important work through us that might not otherwise have been possible. Paul articulates this when he is torn between two holy desires: a desire for heaven and a desire to continue to build up the Church on earth. Through eyes of faith, he sees how God can work through both outcomes.
I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith Philippians 1: 23 - 25
The same peace we see in Paul can be found in the stories of countless Christians who set their personal preferences aside.
In her autobiography Story of a Soul, St. Therese reflected, "God cannot inspire unrealizable desires. I can, then, in spite of my littleness aspire to holiness." Therese recognized that her earthly desires really boiled down to a desire for God, and while her personal limitations frustrated her, they did not limit God's work in her life. Therese spent her remaining two years on earth "in the mission fields" by praying for and corresponding with missionary priests who drew much strength from her support.
St. Martin of Tours also accepted God's calling with peace in his heart. He made an excellent Bishop in spite of his introverted ways. The key to his contentment? His love for God enabled him to love needy souls more than his solitary lifestyle.
While it's hard to accept that our personal desires sometimes have to be put on hold, it's also incredibly freeing. I think if you had a chance to speak with Paul, Therese, or Martin they'd all agree that life is much more fulfilling when the Creator of the Universe is in control instead of our little selves. What desires can you hand over to Him today?
Intersecting Faith & Life: What dreams have been put on hold in your life? Think of ways God has worked for good in your waiting. Write down one (or more) blessings you may not have received had your original dreams come true.
Further Reading
James 4: 1
Psalm 37: 4
Realizing Your Dreams
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That Verse Before
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com
"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." Philippians 4:12
I'd rather live a Philippians 4:13 type life. But that verse before it always gets me. I'd rather jump right into the "doing all things through him who gives me strength" without slogging through the "content in any and every situation" part. The second verse makes for such great posters, but now, when I read it, all I can think is "whether living in plenty or in want."
Talk about a buzzkill.
But God's plans come in a larger size than my earthly satisfaction. He wants my sanctification, my being-made-more-like-Jesus-ness. He wants me to see that His riches don't come with dour-looking presidents or expiration dates or limited warranties. They aren't earned by the sweat of my brow. Instead, His riches come pouring down in my contentment.
Paul told Timothy that "godliness with contentment is great gain" (1 Timothy 6:6), and he's driving at the same thing here in Philippians. "Strength," according to the world, boils down to laying claim to the most stuff—power, model spouses (emphasis on the plural), houses, and influence. But those who think that way can never be content no matter the situation. When their "strength" disappears, they wilt. Some do whatever it takes to get back to where they were; some end up in rehab; and some see no reason to live. Some strength, huh?
Jesus doesn't play by our rules, though. His Beatitude bunker busters make that pretty clear (see Matthew 5). The weak, the poor, the hungry—those are the ones who receive the treasures. You see, Jesus does want us to get to Philippians 4:13, but to do that, He has to demolish our strongholds by taking us through Philippians 4:12. We're strong through Him only when we've learned to clear the detritus of what we think we need in this world and see Him for the all-sufficient treasure that He really is (Colossians 2:3).
We can do all things through Him who strengthens us. But to get to that point, we have to learn satisfaction in His "all things," the plans He has for us. That's because it's His strength, not ours.
Intersecting Faith & Life: God's plans for us don't always send us down the paths we might choose. Okay, they rarely do. That's why true contentment becomes so vital for the Christ follower. And the only way we can get there is to die and die and die. Every day we die to the things that supposedly make us strong in this world. Every day we kill the need to have more, to be more. Every day we die for Him.
You are strong—right where your contentment in Christ begins.
For Further Reading
Matthew 5
You Cannot "Do All Things" through Christ
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I Hate You, But with Love
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. – James 1:26
I once heard a story of a certain churchwoman who loved to criticize others. Whether by gossiping, or by simply stating things up front, she had a reputation for being extremely hurtful. What made it worse though, was that she always disguised her remarks as helpful suggestions. She claimed to be speaking out of love, but all her words did were hurt and discourage. I bring this up because I feel that hurtful speech has become all too common in the Church.
Now that the internet has provided people with an easy way to speak while avoiding accountability, some Christians have taken the opportunity to post bitter messages and spiteful blogs online. Ironically, after spending an entire paragraph detailing why certain persons are going to Hell, many Christians finish up by saying "I'm just speaking the truth with love." Popular writer Jon Acuff wrote an article about this two years ago on the CNN website, where he encouraged his Christian brothers and sisters to remember what Jesus told his disciples in Matthew 22,
"Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 'Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?' Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.'" – Matthew 24:34-40
Jesus called these two "The Greatest Commandments", and it seems like they should be pretty easy to follow since you can't love God if you're not loving other people. It doesn't stop there however, the gospel is overflowing with verses telling us how the only way to know God is by loving others, even our enemies.
"We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother." – 1 John 4:19-21
"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal." – 1 Corinthians 13:1
Even the famous verse John 3:16 speaks of God's compassion for everyone,
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
Notice the verse says "the world" and not "certain Christians". The wonderful, beautiful, message of the gospel is that God loves us and asks us to love in return. There is no room in the body of Christ for a cruel tongue, so guard your words, search your thoughts, and the truth really will be spoken with love.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Carefully examine your words (both online and off), are you truly speaking with love?
Further Reading
Matthew 5:43-48
:angel:
Take Me at My Word
by Debbie Holloway, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
"[Love] always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres" (1 Corinthians 13:7).
It's hard to be "wise as serpents" and "gentle as doves" at the same time, isn't it? We know we should assume the best about people, but we're also taught by our parents to be skeptics so that we won't be hoodwinked by evildoers and manipulators. Sometimes, though, I suspect healthy skepticism takes a turn toward an unhealthy suspicion.
For example, there was that one time I didn't want an engagement ring.
(Yes, you read that right.)
When my now-husband and I began to date pretty seriously, we naturally started discussing wedding and marriage plans. I don't remember which of us brought it up, but at one point I told him definitively, "Just so you know, I don't want an engagement ring." Knowing me well, he was unsurprised and told me that he had suspected as much. We chatted about it briefly, and decided we liked the idea of getting simple wedding bands for ourselves and not bothering about a diamond.
In my mind, it was a simple decision. I'd never been a big jewelry-wearer, and I hadn't any personal desire to break that trend with a rock weighing down my left hand (especially when I'd be getting another ring at the altar). I'm also a thrifty person – vastly more interested in putting that hundreds (or thousands!) of dollars toward paying off my student loans than toward a ring. Sure, it's uncommon these days for an engaged girl to sport a naked left hand. But jewelry companies created the idea of an engagement ring anyway, so who cares? I'm no material girl.
But some time later, after a visit with his family, my then-boyfriend hesitantly brought up the subject again.
"So...when I told my family that you didn't want an engagement ring, they laughed. They said you really did, and you were just saying that you didn't."
A little miffed, I shot down any lingering doubt and then we chuckled. It was an excusable offense, as they didn't know me very well at the time. But a little thread of sorrow wormed its way into my heart: we are so quick to judge out of skepticism and stereotypes that we often mistrust even the word or judgment of those closest to us!
Do you ever find yourself mistrusting others without discernable cause? Do you live in fear of being mistrusted? Jesus had a few thoughts on how community should work among God's children:
"Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.' But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God's throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one."
This side of paradise we'll never reach a perfectly honest and trustworthy society...but are you doing what you can to bring Heaven to Earth today in your relationships and dealings with others?
For many of us this mistrust stems back even further. So often we are tempted to attribute to God our own failings and faults: we subconsciously think of him as capricious, floundering, and fallible. Let's try to remember to follow the example of the Psalmist,
"What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me" (Psalm 56:3).
And remember the words of Paul,
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:13).
Intersecting Faith and Life: What goodness has God done in your life to earn your trust? Take some time to reflect on his work in your life. Remember to trust him when days look bleak, just as you did when skies were sunny!
Further Reading
Matthew 5
Job 31:24
Psalm 18:2
1 Corinthians 4:2
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When Sin Bubbles Up
by Kelly Givens, Editor, iBelieve.com
"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of Life has set me free from the law of sin and death." Romans 8: 1-2
A few weeks ago, after realizing I had somehow missed reading this children's classic as a child, I found myself speeding through the entire Anne of Green Gables series. The books captivated me, and for good reason. Written in the early twentieth century by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery, the series chronicles the life of red-headed Anne Shirley, an orphan adopted by a brother and sister pair who really wanted a little boy to help on their farm. Eventually, they learn to love the little girl brought to them, as do all readers of Montgomery's classic. Anne is a true literary heroine. We identify with her weaknesses: her spiritedness, quick-temper and vanity, and we strive for her strengths: bravery, generosity, and a heart overflowing with love for life and people.
As I read through the books, I was struck with the number of times Montgomery used Anne's character to illustrate deep truths about the human condition. There were many examples, but one stood out in particular to me. After being picked up from the train station by Matthew, Anne begins describing her life in the orphanage. Realizing she was exaggerating just how badly things were, Anne apologizes, saying, "It's so easy to be wicked without knowing it, isn't it?"
Indeed, it is. Throughout the Green Gables series, Anne repeatedly found herself unexpected moments of "wickedness," forced to repent to neighbors, family and friends for some fiery retort, vain action or other impulsive sin. We can all relate to Anne- I know there are days I have to apologize over and over for the same sin- it just somehow keeps "bubbling up" in me.
The Apostle Paul dealt with this too. In his letter to the church in Rome, he wrote "For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing" (Romans 7:19). What causes us to do the very things we don't want to do? Why does our sin seem to bubble up in us—overflowing like a pot of boiling water? Paul understood: it is our indwelling, sinful nature fighting against our desire to do what is good. He goes on to say:
"For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?"
Thankfully, Paul's question is rhetorical; he knows the answer. "Thanks be to God - through Jesus Christ our Lord!" After acknowledging God to be our ultimate rescuer from sin, he writes some of the most encouraging verses of scripture found in the Bible, reminding us that through Christ's death on the cross we have all we need to fight the wickedness that bubbles up in us.
"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." Praise God! Our sinful nature is no match for the redemptive power of the cross. Yes, as Anne said, it is easy to be wicked- in fact, it's unavoidable. Thankfully, Christ has already taken the punishment for our wickedness, and even more- he has credited his righteousness to us, giving us all the means we need to conqueror the sin in our lives.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Are you like me and Anne, feeling the weight of your sin and maybe a little powerless to stop it? Then cling to the encouragement that Paul gives us in Romans - through Christ's sacrifice on the cross we are justified and are being sanctified from our sin.
Further Reading:
Romans 7-8
Galatians 5: 13-18
Timothy 1: 12-17
:angel:
Beyond the Chariots
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com
"For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." Colossians 1:13-14
If you've heard of Eric Liddell, you probably know him as the Chariots of Fire guy. The Scottish Olympian famously turned down what most people thought was his best chance at a gold medal, the 100-meter dash. He did so because the trials for the race fell on a Sunday and he wouldn't budge on this matter of faith. Instead, he entered the 400-meter event, qualified, and then stormed to the finish line with a new world record. Although the theme from the movie wasn't playing back in 1924, the whole thing makes you think it should have been as he rounded the turns with his flailing gait.
Credits roll, end of story... right? Hold your chariots. Liddell's faith carried him far beyond a single Parisian race. After the Olympics, Eric gave up running completely—at least the type of running done on a racetrack. Instead, he focused on a much greater race. A year after standing on the platform in triumph, he arrived in China as a missionary and, later, as a pastor. No endorsements or bling, just an impoverished country and a chance to share the good news.
During the worst days of World War II, Liddell chose to stay in Japanese-controlled China to serve the people he'd come to love. However, after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, the Japanese military became more and more suspicious of foreigners and forbade them to preach or teach. In 1943, the Japanese sent Eric and many others to an internment camp in Weihsien. Even there, though, the preacher continued leading others in worship and being "Uncle Eric" to dozens of orphaned children.
He also made an incredible sacrifice.
During the war, Japan and Britain made a prisoner exchange deal, a deal that included the famous Scottish runner. Liddell had a wife and children waiting for him in Canada. He had every reason to go. But instead, he gave up his spot for a pregnant woman—a fact unknown even to his family until the Chinese government revealed it over 60 years later. Eric himself would never tell either because he died of a brain tumor in 1945, not long before the war ended. His friends at the camp didn't remember him as the Olympian; they remembered him as someone who did what God called him to do.
Liddell realized that this world has nothing on the kingdom of the Son. We can win accolades, money, fame here, but none of it can touch the far, far greater rewards of Christ. In Him, redemption makes earthly recognition nothing more than dust. In Him, forgiveness makes even the greatest fortunes seem empty.
Intersecting Faith & Life: As Christians, our address has changed—and with that changes our whole way of putting value on things. If there's nothing beyond this world, then by all means we should live to pile up accolades and plaudits. We have nothing else to live for. But if we're focused on Christ and His kingdom, everything else just fades out. We're no longer running for the things we can see.
For Further Reading
7 Men: And the Secret of Their Success by Eric Metaxas (I'm indebted to this book for the bio)
Colossians 1
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Mini-Miracles
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
So they all ate and were filled. Mark 6:42
The title of my devotional today strikes me as oxymoronic. Miracles, after all, are defined as acts of God, amazing and marvelous events, and "seals of a divine mission" (Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary). Generally speaking, there's nothing small about them.
What I'm talking about, then, are instances of heavenly intervention in the lives of believers that impact what we would consider "minor" areas of our existence, the things that cause us to make statements like: "It showed me that God cares about even the small things in our lives," always as if that's a profoundly shocking proclamation. Nobody ever responds by saying, "Well, duh..."
I think that's because it never stops being a mind-blowing concept - the Creator of the universe, who hears the prayers and praises of billions simultaneously and loves each one the same, provided, perhaps, just the right amount of money for a struggling single mom to buy her child a pair of shoes. It's not the parting of the Red Sea to preserve for Himself a people, or the resurrection of His son to purchase the redemption of humanity. It's, for lack of a better term, a mini-miracle.
I remember one time in our Adult Bible Fellowship class my friend Karen stepped in to teach our continuing series in Mark's gospel. We were in Chapter Six, focusing primarily on the Feeding of the 5,000. As she began her lesson, Karen admitted that she'd never quite been able to visualize this scene, or understand exactly what the miracle was meant to show. I mean, there is the lesson of provision, but the human body can go without food for quite some time. Jesus Himself fasted in the wilderness for 40 days (Matthew 4:1-4). So it's not like life and death were hanging in the balance if the people who had followed Him to this "desolate place" went without dinner that night.
It could be, Karen suggested, that Jesus just didn't want the people to go away; He had just suffered the death of His cousin John the Baptist, and recently endured the "amazing unbelief" (Mark 6:6) of those from His hometown of Nazareth. It could be Jesus took immense delight in this multitude foregoing their bodily needs to attend to His Word. It very well could be our Lord simply wanted to do something "just for them."
Maybe, Karen said, that's why she always tended to overlook this miracle a little bit. "You know how sometimes when God does something that you know was 'just for you,' and you tell someone else about it, and they're like, 'That's cool and all,' but it just doesn't carry the same meaning for them?"
I knew exactly what that was like, and I liked where she was going. I could see an even greater personalization in mini-miracles, in God drawing delight from blessing our socks off in ways that speak to our individual hearts. The idea also gave me greater permission to attribute to the Lord all sorts of transpirings that I had chalked up to my own efforts, happenstance, or even worse, had gone without noticing.
If, for instance, I told you about the time we thought we'd lost my wife's keys - including several costly ones - only to find them sitting precariously on a single steel beam of the auto transport behind our moving van, maybe you'd respond the way my friend Scott did: "You got lucky, dude." Yeah, well, I guess that's why Karen says sometimes these events are "just for us." I saw those keys, I knew the bumpy route and wet weather we had traveled, I was astounded, I was humbled. I decided that giving credit to the Lord for things that bless you is never wrong, as suggested by James 1:17.
I just don't do it enough.
I wonder how many mini-miracles I've missed out on by being impatient, angry, or inattentive. In his book Blue Like Jazz, Donald Miller imagines Moses telling those worshipping the golden calf, "Your problem is not that God is not fulfilling, your problem is that you are spoiled" (92). Romans 1:20 would seem to indicate that the Lord's hand is evident everywhere - "people can clearly see His invisible qualities." I like that verse very much, because I like to think of myself as on the lookout for God.
But that brings me to the other ways to miss miracles - by not accepting them or expecting them, by resenting them or wanting to earn them. I quote from Blue Like Jazz again, where Miller admits, "I love to give to charity, but I don't want to be charity. This is why I have so much trouble with grace" (84).
Can we get past the affront of accepting a free gift? If we can, we might see the Lord trying to say through the Feeding of the 5,000 and even today, "Here I Am, stay here, spend more time, no need to go away, please accept this, put yourself in My hands, keep your eyes open, I love you."
After all, says Matthew 7:11, "If you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him?" Mini-miracles are the treats God brings home to His kids, those who seek him with childlike faith, those who consider themselves "the little things in life." Well, duh...
Intersecting Faith & Life: Try bringing something small home to a loved one today to remind yourself of how much joy the Lord gets from giving.
:angel:
How Breaking My Phone Destroyed My Personal Idol
by Carrie Dedrick, Editor, ChristianHeadlines.com
Exodus 20:1-10 ESV
And God spoke all these words, saying, "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. "You shall have no other gods before me. "You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God...
Recently, I broke the screen of my smartphone. I was soaking up some of the last summer rays at the river when I took my phone out to take a picture (always a bad idea, I know) and BAM! Just like that, it fell, hit a rock and the screen shattered. It even landed in a shallow pool of river water.
And it was the best thing that could have happened to me.
My phone had too strong of a hold on my life. I was not addicted to my phone; I did not check my e-mail or Facebook every two minutes, or spend a dinner with my husband with my eyes glued to the screen. But my phone did have an influence on me. It was almost always by my side. If I accidentally left it at home, I would feel a little bit uneasy and incomplete. But not anymore.
The phone still works, but it doesn't look pretty. There are now tiny cracks the sprawl across the bottom left corner like a spiderweb. But I believe this is a good thing. It reminds me that my smartphone is a material object. It was not made by God. It is just plastic and metal, with a computer chip inside that can hold photos and music. When I look at it, I can now see its imperfection. The cracks serve as a visual reminder that my phone is a flawed object, and I should be putting my focus on other things.
My phone was a distraction from God and God's plans for me. It was an idol. No, I did not bow down to my phone in worship like the people bowed down to Baal. I did not physically worship my phone, but perhaps I did mentally by putting it above other things. I am guilty of spending far too much time surfing the web on the phone, time that I could have used in God's word or in service to the Lord.
Modern-day idol worship looks different than it did in Bible times. Instead of kings forcing citizens to bow down and worship idols or face death, Christians face other idols. In addition to smartphones, Christians today can be distracted with work, relationships, hobbies, TV, work, money, pornography, drugs, alcohol and a myriad of other things. Some of these are good and some of these are obviously bad, but every one of these things can evolve into a toxic idol. God is telling us to recognize the idols in our lives and push them out! He is the only God and said, "You shall have no other gods before me."
Intersecting Faith and Life: What are the idols that have been placed in your path? Recognize them, and find a way to put them under God on your list of priorities, never above. If your personal idol also happens to be a sin such as lust, greed or envy, reach out to a pastor or counselor for help. God knows when you are truly trying to obey him, but you must push forth with your strongest effort to defeat Satan's idols.
Further Reading: Daniel 3
:angel:
Bring Oil
Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
Then the angel said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!' " And he added, "These are the true words of God." - Revelation 19:9
For the second time this year, I had the privilege to be part of a friend's wedding. I was one of the groomsman, and I was honored. Being a groomsman is a tough gig though. While supposedly there was a list of duties I needed to perform, I soon realized my main job was making sure the groom didn't spontaneously implode from stress. This was crucial because if anything happened to the groom the bride would probably strangle everyone with her own wedding veil. Luckily, my fellow groomsmen and I managed to play our parts with no major errors.
My only slip up happened during the rehearsal dinner, when I excused myself to go look for a bathroom. I was probably gone for only a few minutes, but when I came back I found the groom's father was in the middle of the dinner toast. I didn't want to be rude, so I stood outside the room for about fifteen minutes waiting as everyone toasted the bride and groom. All in all, it wasn't that big of a deal, but as I stood out there and watched the celebration from behind the door, I remembered a parable Jesus had once told his disciples.
"At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. "At midnight the cry rang out: 'Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!' "Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.' " 'No,' they replied, 'there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.' "But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. "Later the others also came. 'Sir! Sir!' they said. 'Open the door for us!' "But he replied, 'I tell you the truth, I don't know you.' "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour." (Matthew 25:1-13)
Sometimes I think we underestimate the parable of the virgins. We were always told it represented Jesus return, and our duty to be ready, but I think there's more to it. We are, in a sense, the wedding party for Christ's marriage to the Church. Like the bridesmaids and groomsmen, it's our responsibility to help prepare the celebration by following Christ and working to serve him. It also means we'll have to endure a long night filled with uncertainty, and our faith, like the lamp oil, must constantly be replenished. It's going to be a lot of hard work, but when the groom arrives and the celebration begins, there's no doubt it will all have been worth it.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Take some time to read Jesus' parables and reflect on their meanings.
Further Reading
Matthew 13:44
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Not What You Wanted?
by Alex Crain, Editor, Christianity.com
"What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you?"
James 4:1
A holiday edition of the TV show "America's Funniest Home Videos" showed various children opening their presents on Christmas morning. Apparently, it's hard for many kids to see humor in getting an unwanted gift. Most of their reactions were, well... downright childish.
When the ribbons and paper were torn off, one child pulled out a new pair of socks, threw her head back and erupted in an angry sob. A matching outfit given to another child produced a tantrum across the floor followed by stomping footsteps up the stairs. Other children glowered with frowns and snarls. One even screamed at the parent holding the video camera, then hurled the unwanted gift back in his face. Not exactly the funniest home videos.
In contrast to all the immaturity and ingratitude came a bright ray of hope at the end of the montage as a little brown-haired girl in pink pajamas ecstatically jumped up and down with glee. She held in her hands a tiny chestnut and spun around to the camera exclaiming, "A nut! A nut! I got a nut! I don't know what kind it is, but I got a nut!"
James 4:1-6 says that sinful responses erupt from hearts that are controlled by overwhelming desires. They don't have to be sinful desires necessarily. The degree to which "harmless" desires become sinful is shown by what happens when things don't turn out as you hoped or expected. Whether it is irritability, or an angry tantrum or a sulking frown; sinful responses show that something in the heart has replaced God.
Notice verse 1 where James asks the question (paraphrasing), "Why are you so upset? What's the real problem in your heart?" And then he answers with divine wisdom, "I'll tell you what the matter is: it's your pleasures—your desires—that are waging war within you. And the result is sinful fights and quarrels."
Certainly, there's nothing inherently sinful about simply having desires in life. God created us to have desires. There are many good things to desire in life: having adequate food, clothing and shelter, having a happy marriage, getting a promotion at work, buying a nice car. There is nothing wrong with these kinds of desires... nothing inherently wrong, that is.
The problems come when, in our hearts, those desires turn into something else. The word translated as "lust" in verse 2 is actually "desire" with the added element of "strong craving." Epithumeo is not a word that necessarily means "lust" in the sexual sense. The idea conveyed in the original text is "you are controlled by desire." In other words, some desire—perhaps, even for a good thing—has gotten so wrapped around your heart, that it has become more important than God to you.
Whenever this happens, the result is sinful behavior. And the sin of the heart that must be confessed first in cases like this is no less than the sin of idolatry. False worship occurs whenever worship of the true God is replaced with the god of "my way."
What a peaceful contrast is painted in verse 6. God gives grace to the humble. That is, those who humbly submit their desires to God and trust Him as the sovereign provider of needs are given grace. Grace here is the desire and ability to obey God and respond in a way that pleases Him. Such recipients of grace are able, then, to deal with whatever happens—whether the present under the tree is a pair of socks, a cool skateboard, the keys to a new car, or a tiny chestnut.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Does your situation today resemble what you expected or wanted in life? What is your response to this?
Think back to a recent outburst of anger, or incident in which you showed irritability. Trace it back to the unfulfilled desire that had control of your heart. What was it that you wanted?
Ask God to reveal any desires seeking to control your heart so that you can humbly submit them to Him and release them to His sovereign care. Repent of any lingering idolatry. Ask Him for grace to deal with whatever happens. Trust Him to provide for your needs.
Further Reading & Listening
Isaiah 40:12
Listen to an Example of What Humility Sounds Like Here
(Indelible Grace Acoustic "By Thy Mercy")
Thomas Watson, The Lord's Prayer
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What You Should Do
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com
And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. (Colossians 1:10-12)
Hundreds of times I've found myself bemoaning some predicament or difficult decision. Often, I'm on the floor and staring up at the ceiling. Although the words may vary somewhat, they all pretty much amount to this:
"God, can't you just tell me what to do?"
I'm a planner. So, what I really mean is this: "If You could just spell out every step for the next few months—or years—that'd be great. Maybe a detailed list?"
What I keep forgetting is that God already did that. He even put it all in a list for me in Colossians. Sure, it isn't exactly a step-by-step guide, but close enough. His planner for our daily life goes like this:
Bearing fruit in every good work: Since He's prepared good works for us to do (Ephesians 2:10), that makes this one even more straightforward. But how can we identify these? By...
Growing in the knowledge of God: He's the one who prepared these good works. So, He's the one we should cozy up to and learn from through His Word and consistent communication. And when we do, we get some boom to go with it...
Being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might: God is radioactive. As we walk in those good works by getting to know Him, His power rubs off. True, we don't get the X-Men glowing face like Moses, but we can still put on quite the light show (Matthew 5:16). You get that power...
So that you may have great endurance and patience: When good works flow from our knowledge of God and His strength, we suddenly care a lot less about those worries that used to drag us down. We can endure because God's Kingdom is present in our life right now (Matthew 6:33). With such a focus, that means we should be...
Joyfully giving thanks to the Father: Rolling in those pre-prepared good works with God-strength and God-focus makes us want to do the God-is-good electric slide (your results and dance moves may vary). We just can't keep our mouths shut because He...
Has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light: In fact, that's the biggest, boldest thing on our God-given to-do list. We do the good works He's planned with His strength and our eyes on Him, all because He qualified us.
Intersecting Faith & Life: So many times I want God to spell things out for me each step of the way. And sometimes He does. But most often, He points me—gently or not so gently—back to Colossians. I've been given instructions for the day-to-day race that will one day end with Him. Faith means leaving the details in His hands.
Further Reading
Matthew 6
How God Uses Stress for Our Good and His Glory
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The Older Son
Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
"But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal." – Matthew 6:20
Most Christians have heard the story of the Prodigal Son. For those of us who grew up in the Church, the story probably conjures up memories of Sunday school, when the teacher would reenact the parable on one of those crazy felt boards. The Prodigal Son really is a perfect description of God's relationship with us, his children. I don't know about you, but I've done more than enough stupid stuff in my life to qualify as a prodigal. Lately though, I've found myself relating more and more to the older son in the story, the one most people tend to forget about.
"Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing.So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on.'Your brother has come,' he replied, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.' "The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!' " 'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' " – Luke 15: 25-32
It's almost unsettling how easily we Christians can become the Older Son. Maybe you're having a bad month, or maybe it seems like someone else is getting all the rewards you desire. In those moments it's so tempting to turn on God and yell, "I've followed all the rules. I've done everything right! Would it kill you to throw me a bone once in a while?" But God isn't Santa Claus; he doesn't keep a list of whose good and bad then parcel things out accordingly.
For all his mistakes, the younger brother understood that anything he got from his Father would be out of grace, and for all his good work, the older brother let his anger blind him to the many blessings he already had. A friend of mine once told me, "Being a Christian doesn't mean you have to dance happily in bad situations" and it's true. Being a Christian means that we are saved by Christ through grace, and good times or bad, his blessings are still there even if we don't see them.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Take a moment to count your blessings.
Further Reading
Luke 15: 1-7
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My Alien Brain
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com
"And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him" Colossians 1:21-22
The first migraine hit me in middle school. While wrapping up some pre-algebra problems, a fuzzy, white spot kept covering up the numbers. I'd blink and rub my eyes and try to work around it, but the spot hovered there for most of the class. Being the well-reasoned adolescent that I was, I naturally assumed what seemed logical: I was about to die of a massive stroke.
I obviously didn't die. But when the spot finally did go away, I wished it had stayed.
Stomach-curling, fist-clenching, world-bending pain plopped down into my cranium and threw some sort of headache party. After an hour or so, I couldn't take it anymore. I told the skeptical school nurse that I thought I had a "migration headache," which didn't ease her skepticism. Still, she let me go home.
Just to complete the headache humiliation, I got sick right outside the school (so that all the classes on that side of the building could watch), fell asleep as soon as I got home, and woke up with a throbbing head. Migraines don't like to go without a fight. They kick and scream into that good night.
My own head revolted against me for several years after that. If I didn't get enough sleep or got hit with too much stress, the spot would make a comeback. I did learn to lessen the pain sometimes by closing my eyes as soon as the fuzz sprang into view, but that didn't always work.
Truthfully, the migraines were the least of my problems. My un-reconciled brain, the one that had no understanding of Christ, had revolted from God. Instead of fuzzy spots as warning signs, there were evil deeds, as Paul calls them. I played on others' emotions to get my way, used girlfriends as my personal trophy case, spent hours and hours on the kinds of websites that wouldn't make it through a work Internet filter, and generally wasted my gifts. The pain that resulted from those "spots" wasn't just inwardly focused—it left quite the burning trail in its wake.
My alien brain knew nothing else then. It wanted nothing better. It was pretty much dead.
That's exactly the reason Christ's reconciling, restoring death still astounds me. This gray matter, so unresponsive to anything spiritual, came to life with God's preceding grace. He kept hitting me and kept hitting me until I finally gave up, followed His Son, and stopped being an alien.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Before Christ, nothing works the way it should. Like the migraines that plagued me, our brains revolt against their Creator, and pain inevitably comes. Take some time to look back and who you were before Jesus pumped life into your body—not to turn around or go back, but to be continually blown away by how much He changed you.
Further Reading
Hezekiah: Spiritual Renewal
Ephesians 2
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Is Your Soul Healthy?
by Sarah Phillips
His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness... For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:3-8)
When I first became a believer, I was like the woman with the alabaster jar (Matthew 26:7). I loved much because I had been forgiven much. But as the years slipped by something happened in my life that happens to many believers: my gratefulness towards God's mercy transformed into frustration at my lingering sinful nature. I understood why I failed so greatly before knowing Christ, but it was difficult to accept my failings when I felt I should know better.
It's easy to beat yourself up, even run from God, when you fall. Out of frustration and shame, I have begged God to rid me of my sinful tendencies. Of course, God didn't instantly heal me with a lightning bolt, but answered me with a different kind of grace. The answer to my prayer came in the form of a Sunday school lesson on "holy habits," more traditionally known as virtues.
Practicing virtue is a lot like lifting weights – it's exercise that builds health in your soul. There are many virtues, but as we learned in class that day, the foundation of all virtues can be found in the four natural virtues or cardinal virtues. These were first articulated by Plato but hardly belong to Plato. They are part of what theologians call "natural law" – God's design for humanity woven into our beings since the beginning of creation. When a person cultivates these virtues in his or her life, they are cooperating with the Creator's design for the human soul.
It's important to note here that pursuing a virtuous life is not the same as trying to earn salvation. Our salvation is a gift that flows from God's grace. But in our Christian journey, it's important to do our part to improve our character so that we can grow in character and more accurately reflect Christ's goodness to the world. Now let's take a closer look at each cardinal virtue:
1. Wisdom: For wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her. (Proverbs 8:11). You've probably known people with book smarts who lack common sense. Or perhaps you know someone with street smarts who lacks knowledge. A person who has cultivated the virtue of wisdom can not only discern truth but has the ability to implement their insights appropriately in any given situation. According to scripture, characteristics of wise people include those who prepare properly for hard times (Proverbs 21:20), those who humbly heed instruction and correction (Proverbs 8:9), those who hold their tongues from saying foolish things (Proverbs 10:19), and those who fear the Lord (Proverbs 14:16-35). Because wisdom allows us to discern right from wrong, this virtue sets us up to practice all other virtues.
2. Justice: Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed (Isaiah 1:17). Most of us have some sense of justice from a very early age when we yell, "It's not fair!" A just or righteous person gives to others what is deserved, keeps his word, and acts fairly even when no one is looking. According to scripture, a just person favors the innocent over the wicked (Proverbs 18:5), never accepts bribes (Proverbs 17:23), aids the poor, fatherless, and widows (Proverbs 29:7, Isaiah 1:17), and experiences joy (Proverbs 21:15).
3. Courage: In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence (Proverbs 14:26). While most of us associate courage with lack of fear, courage has more to do with fear put in proper perspective. A courageous person chooses right even when a decision is frightening or comes with personal cost. Among many traits, the courageous person exalts Christ (Philippians 1:20), holds on to God's promises (Acts 27:25), and gives an effective witness for Christ (Acts 4:13). A person can not exercise any virtue for long without courage because sin often appears easier or more attractive than virtue.
4. Temperance: Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control (Proverbs 25:28). Temperance is an old-fashioned word for moderation. A temperate person exercises self-control, building a wall against unhealthy, sinful extremes. Among many qualities, scripture tells us that a temperate person does not gossip (1 Timothy 3:11), does not vent anger (Proverbs 29:11) is respectable and able to take on leadership roles (1 Timothy 3:2), and is sexually pure (1 Thessalonians 4:2-5).
So, are any of these virtues lacking in your life? I can see some areas where I am still weak. Thankfully, with God's grace and a few good decisions, we can grow in our effectiveness and productiveness for Christ.
Identify which cardinal virtue you struggle most with. Ask God for the grace to grow and make one positive change in your behavior this week that will help you develop this "holy habit."
Further Reading:
Matthew 25:23
Ref: Kreeft, Peter. "Justice, Wisdom, Courage, and Moderation: The Four Cardinal Virtues". (c) 1986 Ignatius Press.
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God is Not Judge Judy
by Kelly Givens, Editor, iBelieve.com
"But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere." - James 3:17
Last month I found myself in a situation that needed a good dose of wisdom. I had to make a decision and felt unsure what course of action was best, so over those next few days I prayed for wisdom on what I should do. I also looked for verses in the Bible that talk about wisdom, and was surprised by what I found.
When I think of wisdom, usually the first thing that pops in my head is King Solomon and that poor baby. You probably know the story- God had given Solomon an incredible amount of wisdom, so much so that people from all over were coming to him with their questions and disputes. In this recorded case, two prostitutes came before the king, both claiming to be the mother of the same baby boy, both insisting that the other had stolen the infant after the death of the other's child. This was obviously before DNA testing, so what could be done? Well, Solomon had a sword brought to him and decided to settle things by cutting the baby in half! Now, that doesn't seem like a very compassionate king! It sounds more like something Judge Judy would do.
Judge Judy doesn't want to hear your sob story. Her Honor gets right to the facts, lays down her decision and moves on to the next case, end of story. I realized I was asking God to be the" Judge Judy" of my life- I would present my problem and "ask for wisdom," but what I really wanted was for God to give me a definite answer that didn't leave any lingering questions. Obviously, God is not Judge Judy, and this is not the kind of wisdom he gives. So how should we think of wisdom? Let's go back to Solomon- who really wasn't like Judge Judy at all.
While it may have seemed bizarre that Solomon was going to cut a baby in half, the king had wisely discerned that the true mother would care more about the safety of the child than her possession of him. And so it was- the mother cried out for the boy's life to be spared, and Solomon declared her the rightful parent. In doing this, he spared both the child and the women further pain. But this is more than Solomon just being cunning or smart. There's compassion to this decision too- an essential part of wisdom.
When Solomon asked God for wisdom, God didn't just fill his head with the right answer to every problem that would ever come up. No- he filled him with "wisdom" as James describes it- he filled him full of consideration, peacefulness, mercy, goodness, impartiality and sincerity. King Solomon wasn't wise because he knew the law book forwards and backwards, or because he was particularly clever or a good problem solver. He was wise because his decisions flowed from a heart and mind focused on values that are essential to the Kingdom of God. He didn't bother punishing the one woman for stealing a baby or stoning both women for being prostitutes (which the law would have demanded). His wisdom was compassionate, merciful, and just: it was true wisdom from above.
Intersecting Faith and Life: What problems in your life are you seeking wisdom in? Approach those problems in light of James 3:17 and trust that God will equip you with the wisdom you need for the challenges you face.
Further Reading:
Psalm 37:30
James 1:5
1 Corinthians 1: 19-29
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Feeding the Fire
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always. - 1 Chronicles 16:11
Earlier this year I went fishing with my family up in the boundary waters of Minnesota. Ironically, the first day we pushed out onto the lake in are canoes, the weather was ideal. The sun was shining, the sky was clear, and it was warm but with a nice breeze to take the edge off. Then, like something out of a Calvin and Hobbes cartoon, the weather made a sudden shift. The next morning we got up to find a cloud had descended over the lake.
It wasn't raining per say, it was more like all the moisture in the area had gotten together and decided to smother our campsite. It was cold, it was damp, and all we could really do was huddle together for warmth. Finally I couldn't stand it any longer, I was going to build a fire. We had all tried earlier that morning, but the damp wood was nearly impossible to burn. With no lighter fluid and only a couple of matches, I realized I was going to have to do this the hard way.
First I started off with small kindling, pine needles, leaves, twigs. Then I moved on to sticks and paper. It took a long time, but at last I got a decent sized flame that would burn the big logs despite the fact that they were damp. You can be sure, now that we finally had a roaring fire there was no way we were going to let it go out. I bring this up because I believe the concept of building a fire is similar to building a relationship with God.
When a friend of mine recently said he didn't want to lose "the fire" God had given his spirit, I couldn't help but remember that could morning in Minnesota. The Holy Spirit will give us the passion and endurance to live Godly lives, but like a campfire, it will eventually burn down to embers if not supplemented by our own actions. It can be hard work at times. You'll need to start with kindling like daily prayer and scripture reading, follow up with something bigger like volunteering at Church, and then maybe apply a large commitment like ministry. It won't be easy, and there will be times when it all seems useless, but in the end the Holy Spirit will burn all brighter.
Remember the words of Matthew,
"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." – Matthew 5:14-16
Intersecting Faith and Life: Look for ways to build up your faith in daily life. What actions can you take to make a difference?
Further Reading
1 Corinthians 12
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Who Wants a Free Gift?
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. – Hebrews 4:16
"Who wants a free gift?" I don't know about you, but that's a statement that often gives me pause. The reason why is because almost every day I'm bombarded with offers to receive a "free gift" that isn't really free. You probably know what I'm talking about. Credit card companies offer me "free rewards" if I spend more that eighteen thousand dollars with one of their cards. Airlines say they'll give me "free miles" if I book a trip to China right now, and then there are those pesky infomercials that offer me "free" steak knives if I buy their grease cooker for only $19.99!
As a Christian living in a world where there's no such thing as a free lunch, it's sometimes hard to understand the meaning of grace, and even harder to teach it to others. So when my father was asked to teach a group of middle school students about grace, I admit I had no idea how he was going to pull it off. But my father is a pretty shrewd guy (you're welcome Dad), and as soon as he got the lesson he went out, bought a Hershey bar the size of a laptop computer and covered it in wrapping paper. On Sunday morning he walked to the front of the room, held up the present, a said "Who wants a free gift?" No one moved.
Finally, one brave kid got up and ran forward to take the present from my father's hand. It's that simple. Every day God calls to us, offering the free gift of his grace, and all we need to do is accept it. Grace doesn't require a down payment, it doesn't ask you to do something first, and it's never a bonus for something you've already accomplished. Grace is a gift, the only thing in this world that is truly free.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Do you want to receive a free gift? Take a moment during your day to reconnect with Christ.
Further Reading
Ephesians 2:8
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There's a Title for That
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com
"He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy." Colossians 1:17-18
Sometimes, we just need to be reminded of who Jesus is:
· The Word: He pitched His tent with us and put flesh on God's promises (John 1)
· Son of God: He's got the whole world in His hands (Matthew 16:16)
· Son of Man: He knows our sorrows up close and personal (Matthew 17:12)
· Son of David: He loved His people, even if they didn't recognize Him (Matthew 1:1; John 1)
· Teacher: He tells us exactly what we need, even if it's not what we want to hear (John 3:2)
· Prophet: He told us what would and will happen (Deuteronomy 18:15; Matthew 13:57)
· Provider: He can make a little go a long way (Mark 6:30-44)
· Mediator: He's right in the middle of our struggles and pleading our case (1 Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 9:15)
· Suffering Servant: He got busted up for us (Isaiah 53)
· Lamb of God: He put sin in a full-nelson and made death cry uncle (John 1:29)
· Lion of Judah: He can take care of His enemies with just His roar (Revelation 5:5, 19:21)
· Counselor: He's the cure for our addictions and struggles (Isaiah 9:6)
· Prince of Peace: He signed—in blood—the peace treaty between God and us (Isaiah 9:6)
· Immanuel: He never gets tired of being with us (Isaiah 7:14)
· King of Kings: He's got the power (Revelation 17:14)
· The Way: He ain't got no time for wishy-washy "all roads" arguments; He's it (John 14:6)
· The Truth: He puts the lie in our "true for you" follies (John 14:6)
· The Life: He resuscitates hearts that were hardened by sin (John 14:6, 20:31)
· Good Shepherd: He patiently and lovingly tracks down His runaways (Luke 15:4; John 10:11)
· True Vine: He nurtures us to fruitfulness (John 15:4-5; Romans 7:4)
· Friend of Sinners: He offers grace to those stumbling around in darkness (Matthew 11:9)
· Balm of Gilead: He binds up our wounds by the scars on His back (Jeremiah 8:22; Isaiah 53:5; 1 Peter 2:24)
· Giver of the Spirit: He sent the One who makes the journey alongside us and leads us into truth (John 14)
· Light of the World: He sends photons to those who've been blinded by the god of this age (Luke 2:32; Acts 13:47; 2 Corinthians 4:4)
· Intercessor: He never stops praying for us (Isaiah 53:12; John 17)
· Great High Priest: He took care of all the Temple work (Hebrews 7)
· The Bread/Water of Life: He's our daily nutritional requirement for a spiritually balanced life (John 6; Revelation 21:6)
· Alpha and Omega: He gets the first and last word... always (Revelation 22:13)
· Lord of Glory: He makes angels belt out never-ending praises (Psalm 24, 103:20; James 2:1)
· Firstborn among the Dead: He paved the path that leads to His place (Colossians 1:18)
Intersecting Faith and Life: Jesus has so many titles because He fulfills all our needs. Wherever you are in life, whatever you need, He's got it covered. As my father-in-law sometimes says, "Jesus picked up His cross and said, 'Hang on to Me. We're going through.'"
With Him, you will make it out alive.
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Theocratic Bilateral Dispensationalism
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. – 1 Corinthians 3:11
The immortal bard, Dave Barry, once wrote "The problem with writing about religion is that you run the risk of offending sincerely religious people, and then they come after you with machetes." All humor aside, I can't help but agree with Mr. Barry, especially where Christians are concerned. You see, we Christians have a habit of tangling our faith in things other than Jesus Christ. As a kid, I can remember my initial confusion when words like "Baptist", "Catholic", or "Calvinist" where added alongside "Christian". This didn't bother me much, they still meant Christian after all, but it surprised me how these words sometimes caused tension between believers.
Soon, other words started finding their way into the term "Christian". Words like Republican, Democrat, Moderate, occasionally Communist, Egalitarian, Complementarian, Theocrat, or Dispensationalist. Aside from being really confusing and hard to spell, these words caused more than one disagreement among Christians. The first disciples saw their fair share of division too. In fact, Paul dedicated most of 1st Corinthians to calling for unity within the Church.
I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. My brothers, some from Chloe's household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, "I follow Paul"; another, "I follow Apollos"; another, "I follow Cephas "; still another, "I follow Christ." Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul? I am thankful that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, so no one can say that you were baptized into my name. (Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don't remember if I baptized anyone else.) For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel--not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. – 1 Corinthians 10 – 17
I can just imagine Paul madly shaking some ancient Christian and yelling "DON'T YOU GET IT! IT DOESN'T MATTER! CHRIST IS ALL THAT MATTERS!" and he's right. As Christians, it is important that we be on our guard against false teachings, but it is equally important that we do not let ourselves become divided. God never meant for his children to become separated, and when we allow issues like denominations or political leanings to cause strife between us, the message of the Cross becomes obscured.
We were meant to be one body, one family, unified, as brothers and sisters. In his infinite grace, Christ called us to be Christians.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Are you letting political or personal issue keep you from loving fellow Christians? Read 1 Corinthians and reflect on Paul's words.
Further Reading
Psalm 133
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Wisdom from Above
by Debbie Holloway, Family Editor, Crosswalk.com
Recently I participated in a small group discussion of Christ-like humility. Our discussion leader had pulled up several Scripture passages for us to reflect upon, and one of them has been racing around in my brain ever since:
But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy (James 3:17).
Christ (such as in Mark 1:35) always sought wisdom from above before speaking and acting. Thus, as Christians (Christ-followers) we should be constantly seeking this godly wisdom and applying it to our lives and relationships. But that verse is a big verse. What does it look like to have this wisdom from above?
1. It is first of all pure. Our motives for doing anything should reflect a desire to live like Christ and be in right relationship with God. If our earthly "wisdom" tells us to approach a situation with impure motives such as greed, selfishness, or pride – that is not wisdom from above.
2. It is peaceable. Sometimes we get preoccupied with the imagery of Spiritual Armor and treat everyone we meet like an enemy solider. We must remember that Ephesians 6:10 says this battle is "not against flesh and blood." Our Lord is a Prince of Peace, and we have a duty to act as citizens of peace.
3. It is gentle. Proverbs 15:1. If we speak gently, others are more likely to accept and understand God's work and wisdom. But gentleness is not just about tone of voice. Remember the gentleness and patience with which Jesus dealt with children, sinners, and his apostles. Gentleness is a way of life.
4. It is reasonable. Another translation of this reads "willing to yield to others" – and both are absolutely crucial elements of wisdom. It may seem impossible to live a pure lifestyle while being reasonable and willing to yield, but the Bible says we must. We were given an astounding level of intellect and reason – let us use it! We mustn't buy in to the lie that "reason is the enemy of faith." It is necessary to yield to God daily with every decision we make. But it is also possible (and necessary, and wise) to yield to others. Whether it's a matter of selfless giving or resisting the urge to have angry, theological debates, we are called to yield.
5. It is full of mercy. That parent who abused their authority? That government leader who makes you cringe? That blogger who sounds heretical? Wisdom from above tells us to look on them with mercy. After all, has not God shown us the greatest mercy of all?
6. It is full of good fruits. I'm sure many of us can list Galatians 5:22 of the Lord's Spirit. When we use godly wisdom to discern what we should do, we will consider the fruits of our choices. Do we strive to make choices that result in the fruits of the Spirit manifested in our lives?
7. It is unwavering. Perhaps it might be strange to think that wisdom from above can be both "willing to yield" and "unwavering." But don't think of them as opposites. Perhaps think of it like a marriage or a friendship. Each person in the relationship must listen to reason and be willing to yield to the other. But the relationship itself must be unwavering. We must be bold enough to live unwaveringly as followers of Christ and good stewards of the earth, no matter the opposition.
8. It is without hypocrisy. If something seems like wisdom to you but causes you to be double-minded or deceitful, it cannot be wisdom from above. What we believe must match what we say. What we say must match how we behave. Otherwise, we misrepresent Jesus and the lifestyle we claim to live.
Intersecting Faith and Life: The next time you're faced with a decision, take a moment to match up your actions with "wisdom from above."
Further Reading
Ephesians 6:10
Galatians 5:22
Psalms 111:10
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Mixed Metaphors
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com
"Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving." Colossians 2:6-7
If you grew up in America, you probably heard somewhere along the line that sentences should never end with prepositions, infinitives should never be split, passive voice is taboo, and metaphors should never be mixed. We have those rules, for the most part, to preserve clarity as writers learn the craft. But sometimes grammar rules need to be broken, just as Paul does here by cramming metaphors right up against each other—and for good reason.
So walk in Him: It all begins with a walk. Jesus put splinters in His back to stumble up a hill, and He expects no less of us (Matthew 16:24). We sometimes struggle over the rocky ground, and obstacles define the journey as much as the path itself (Psalm 37:24). But God laid out the lines (Psalm 16:11), emblazoned the roadway with clear markers (Psalm 119:35), and provided a Helper to go alongside us (John 16:13). To get to the goal, we have to shake off the things that wrap around our legs and hold us back (Hebrews 12:1).
Rooted [in Him]: All the while, we're connected to the True Vine (John 15:1). He sends the sustenance we need to not only survive, but thrive in a barren world (John 10:10). God wants us to be fruitful—to the point that He actually prepared fruit beforehand for us (Ephesians 2:10). Sometimes He has to prune us a bit but that's only so we'll break forth in more fruit later (John 15:2).
Built up in Him and established in faith: But we need structure to make all this happen, a steady trellis. Christians—walking, fruitful Christians—rely on a sure foundation (Isaiah 33:6), a rock-solid Cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20), and the living walls of fellow believers (1 Peter 2:5). Apart, we're just a piece of drywall, but, together, we're an impressive, if imperfect, house (Hebrews 3:6).
So, in one sentence, Paul makes us out to be walkers on a journey, plants with deep roots, and a living building. He would never have passed a modern writing course, but he gets the point across just the same: We move and grow and have our being in Christ (see Acts 17:28).
Intersecting Faith & Life: Word pictures in the Bible are imperfect physical descriptions of spiritual realities. Sometimes, you just need a bunch of them to get to the deeper truth—many broad strokes of the brush to nail down what's meant (see what I did there?). When you come to them, stop and try to imagine the picture being painted. You'll be amazed how much God can teach us through mixed metaphors.
For Further Reading
How to Walk with God
Colossians 2
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The Failure of History
John UpChurch, Senior Editor of BibleStudyTools.com
For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. (Romans 5:6)
To their credit, my two little girls sat patiently as the Cherokee peace chief explained his slit ears, metal breastplate, and high-heeled shoes. On the table in front of him sat a rifle, swan feathers, a clay mug, and other shards of the past. This is exactly what I love to do on a Saturday morning.
You see, I love the way history feels because I'm something of a nostalgia junky. The narratives that draw together people, locations, and wars latch onto me. The connections that run through mountains, rivers, and small towns dig under my skin. The history of grace absorbs me.
I have to be careful, though. Otherwise, I'd spend too much time living back there and not paying attention to grace here and now.
There's something in history that we often overlook. Sure, learning about the past supposedly keeps people from repeating mistakes (though I've yet to see that be the case). And we need to see where we've come from, to understand the ebbs and cycles in the story of civilization. But it's more than that.
History—much more than just a learning tool—is the story of human failure. If that sounds morbid, it is. The big picture of our history is how humans have failed to love, failed to live up to God's standards. There are tiny currents that push back against the raging waters of failure (and those are some great stories to focus on), but the overall direction has been clear.
What we learn, if we care to glance back, is that humanity has no chance—that is, no chance apart from grace. Our history lays bare the need for a raw, relentless love. We've stumbled and scrambled, fought and exiled. And yet no amount of human effort has ever satisfied the searching, the wanderlust. We've pushed on, pressed on, killed on. And never reached our goal.
But always there is God. The history we have points to the sparks He created in the darkness, the fires He kindled in the tragedies. Always there is God, appearing where you least expect. Always there is God, breaking through.
I love history because God's there in the midst of our failures. He never lets go; He never disappears.
Intersecting Faith & Life: One reason I always challenge others to keep a journal or a blog is because it gives us all a place to record our own histories. It's a place where we can see the pursuing love of God as He picks us up from our failures and loves us anyway. It's a place to learn from past mistakes. Take a moment today to capture your own story and keep at it. You'll always be amazed at the grace that shimmers through.
Further Reading
Romans 5
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Cold Soup
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. – Mark 12:30
A while back, some friends and I went out to lunch at a nearby restaurant. Now, I'm not much of an adventurous eater, but that day I decided to try something new and ordered a soup called, "Vichyssoise." I now know that Vichyssoise is a thick soup made of puréed leeks, onions, potatoes, cream, and chicken stock. Also, it's traditionally served cold. Maybe I'm just not cultured enough to appreciate this unique delicacy, but in my opinion cold soup tastes horrible.
After one spoonful I was trying to find a creative way to spit it out without my friends noticing. The meal did make me think though, about what the Bible says about cold and lukewarm Christians.
I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth. - Revelation 3:15-16
It's funny how a bowl of soup can make you reflect on your life as a Christian. As I mulled over my actions in the past year, I realized how far away from God I had really moved. I had let my faith become a daily routine, like brushing my teeth or doing laundry, I had let my passion grow cold. God wants us to change the world, if only in our own small ways. Keep your heart and mind centered on Christ, don't let yourself grow cold.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Have you let your passion for Christ grow cold? Take some time to consider.
Further Reading
Habakkuk 3:19
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Maybe Those Words Mattered
by Debbie Holloway, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
"Maybe those words never really mattered at all/
But lately those words run with me wherever I go..."
Those lyrics are from a Keane song that I'm currently listening to as I write. Do you ever reflect on the power of words? Words have so much influence, even when we don't intend for them to. I'm currently dealing with a rocky relationship, and words have played a key role in the hurt and confusion. "Rocky" probably isn't the best description...frayed, torn, broken, sporadic, and unraveling might be more accurate – but you get the idea.
The worst part honestly just might be that I have no idea how to deal with it.
I don't envy people who've always had to deal with crazy drama, but I envy their preparation and their ability to keep it together after years of practice. I don't have a background in Dealing With Crazy. I don't think I've ever had a heated, angry, yelling-type fight with anyone outside my immediate family. And in dealing with family, all arguments have always ended with jam sessions or forgiveness or just a resolve to move on.
So when a relationship I thought was secure starts pumping venom in my direction, I sort of lose it. I'm an ugly crier, too. And my times of panic are bewildered, because I'm not usually a panicked person. To boot, I was often told growing up "you should be a lawyer" because of my passion for rightness and justice. So when my sense of "how the world is meant to work" gets thrown back at me in a situation I can't control.... well... it's hard. I have a soft and fierce heart.
This season has helped me grow in ways, though. It's helped me think twice about judgments I make on people when I don't know their story. It's helped me remember to measure my own words. It's helped me realize that I have no control over what someone will do with my words once they leave my lips. It's helped me remember that love and loyalty must be kept up like a well-trimmed garden. Leaving relationships to take care of themselves sometimes results in a beautiful, out-of-control wisteria vine... but too often, it results in chaos, decay, and weeds choking out the flowers.
James writes,
"No human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison" (3:8).
No human can tame the tongue. But God can. Give your words over to God before they pass through your lips, and let God reign in taming your tongue. It's a daily struggle for me, but even in my weakness, he is perfectly strong.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Do rash words get you in trouble? Start meditating on the Word, and give your impulses to God. Are rash words from others hurting your heart? Remember, you are only master of your own tongue. Behave as one bearing the standard of Christ.
Further Reading
James 3
Say It Ain't So: The Power of Words
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The First Fruit of the Gospel
by Alex Crain, Editor, Christianity.com
"For whosoever shall be ashamed of Me and My words, of him shall the Son of Man
be ashamed, when He shall come in His own glory..."
Luke 9:26 NASB
Nothing—not good works, religious rituals, not anything can add merit to Christ's perfect work of atonement.
Still, virtue does flow from the work of Christ in our lives.
One virtue that is the necessary result of the gospel in our lives is the habit of dying daily. Francis Schaeffer, in his book True Spirituality, insightfully takes us to Luke 9:22 about this where Christ is telling His disciples the certain order of events that would soon occur to Him... that He would be rejected, slain, then raised.
Jesus immediately relates this order—rejected, slain, raised—to the christian life as well.
In Luke 9:23-24, Jesus says, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it."
Schaeffer points out that,
"Jesus is talking here about our death by choice in the present life. He applies it to a specific situation to make it more concrete. "For whosoever shall be ashamed of Me and My words, of him shall the Son of Man be ashamed, when He shall come in His own glory..." (Luke 9:26)
"The Bible is not speaking of some romantic feeling, some idealization, some abstraction. Jesus carries this concept of facing the rejection, being slain, down to a very practical situation: facing an alien world. It is the saying "no" to self when our natural selves would desire acceptance by the alien world—a world in revolt against its Creator and our Lord.
"...this command of Christ is not limited to one situation; it is that which is to be the whole mentality and outlook of the Christian's life.
"As Christ's rejection and death are the first steps in the order of redemption, so our rejection and death are the first steps in the order of true and growing spirituality.
"As there could be no next step in the order of Christ's redemption until the step was taken, so in the Christian there can be no further step until these first two steps—rejected, slain—are faced; not in theory only, but at least in some partial practice."
Intersecting Faith & Life: Is the gospel bearing fruit in your life in this way? Put another way, do you increasingly treasure Christ so that things and self receive less and less of your time, attention and resources?
Ask God for grace to live before the watching world in a way that others would see the blessings of a resurrected life in you.
Further Reading:
Philippians 1:1
The Expulsive Power of a New Affection
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Is the Aim of Your Life to Please the Lord?
by Anna Kuta
Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him (2 Corinthians 5:9).
My pastor mentioned today's verse in a sermon several weeks ago, and it has stuck with me since then, convicting me.
Basically, this verse is telling us that if our ambition is something other than being pleasing to the Lord, we need to reevaluate. Too often I find myself going through life with a totally different aim, whether it be to please others, to be perceived a certain way or to please myself. But this verse has me thinking, and it is something we all need to consider. How can I claim to put the Lord first in my life while continuing to do things I know are not pleasing to Him? Do I even claim to put Him first in my life? And if I continue in sin, what message does that send to unbelievers with whom I am trying to share the gospel message?
The Bible is our complete manual to following the Lord and living for Him. Though we are all sinful people, the process of the Christian life should be one of sanctification and becoming more Christlike – and we can find in the pages of God's word everything we need to grow in our faith and knowledge of the Lord. As Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 4:1: "Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort you in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God; for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus."
We can't live to please God unless we know who He is and what He commands – and we can't know that unless we read His word. As Romans 10:17 says, "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." As Christians, our aim should be constantly striving to better know the Lord, to follow Him – and to please Him.
What is your aim?
Intersecting Faith & Life: Are you living in a manner "well pleasing" to the Lord? If you do not read your Bible every day, commit to set aside a few minutes. Ask the Lord to open your eyes to His directions as you read His word. Pray that He will help you live a life pleasing to Him.
Further Reading
Colossians 1:10
Colossians 3:16
Hebrews 4:12
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Fill 'er Up
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com
"Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness—the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints." Colossians 1:24-26
Right after I got married, I gave up computer software updates and PC troubleshooting for something a bit more... down to earth, you could say. I needed work in my new hometown, and since employers weren't tracking me down and forcing jobs on me, I gravitated toward the only available option: construction. With a booming housing market at the time, finding enough to do wasn't a problem.
But finding motivation was a problem. Going from a specialized, higher paying job in computers, where I mostly sat at my desk all day, to cleaning up cinder blocks, wrestling with insulation, and scrubbing windows—that was quite the humbling thing. Honestly, I'd never had to do any real manual labor in my life before that (yes, I was coddled). The heat and pain and bloodied hands were all new to me.
The first few weeks, after a particularly arduous day of gophering around the jobsites, I'd come home and crash on the living room floor. My muscles weren't used to the beating they took, and they made sure I knew about it.
Slowly, however, with all the wood slinging and nail pounding and putty slapping, things changed. The nights of carpet collapses became less frequent, and my hands didn't split open nearly as often (unless you count the numerous times I stabbed myself with a chisel). In fact, I came to enjoy the process of seeing something come together, seeing a house take shape.
My spiritual growth has come in a similar fashion—just without the splinters. At first, the failures dragged me down and beat me up. The rejections when I tried to share my newfound faith stung. The transformation cut deep. But as I grew and as God worked in me, something changed. The pain still stings and the transformation still cuts (that never stops), yet I began to see the pain as an important part of the overall process. Christ is building something in me—and in His Church.
As humans, we all suffer. But as Christians, we fill up on suffering. Sounds bad, but the point is that instead of us letting the suffering go to waste, God uses it for the good of other believers (and our own). He takes the pain and makes it passion, passion that spills out as love for our brothers and sisters.
Intersecting Faith & Life: We each serve as a breathing example of the gospel played out in real life. Our pain and restoration make us a family like nothing else can.
Further Reading
1 Corinthians 12
Ephesians 3
Build in Layers
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Elbows & Ears
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
I will redeem you with an outstretched arm.
Exodus 6:6
Be merciful to me and hear my prayer.
Psalm 4:1
Once, when my son was just shy of three, he informed his mother he was drawing a picture of God.
"Oh... What does God look like?" she asked.
"Well, I put some elbows and some ears," he replied, and he went back to his work.
I was told that story when I came home from work. Cute, I thought. Not exactly as awe-inspiring as Ezekiel's vision, but sounds like a weird picture. I mean, where is the face?
"The face of the Lord is not one you could look upon" (Exodus 33:12-23), came the voice inside my head.
Where are the hands and feet?
That's you.
Oh yeah, that's true...
So... elbows and ears, huh?
Well, I guess God does reach us, and move us, and nudge us, and hold up the light to our paths. As Wayne Watson sang, "No one in this world can slip beyond the reaches of the long arm of the Lord."
And I know he hears us. He created us for fellowship. He desires praise and prayer. He's absolutely listening. He can even hear things we don't even know we're saying. As Steven Curtis Chapman sang, "The cross should have been mine, But His love broke through time, And heard my heart's cry."
So in one statement about one drawing by one child, I had digested a complete meditation on the nature of God, who He is and what He does, even what He leaves for us to do. As Casting Crowns sang, "If we are the body... Why aren't His hands healing... Why aren't His feet going?"
Intersecting Faith & Life: Consider today what part of the body you are playing, and what other parts (eyes, mouth, shoulders, etc.) describe what you know about the character of your God.
Further Reading
Video: "Proof" Most of us have thought how much easier it would be to follow God if we could just see Him once. The truth, though, is that He is all around us...
Matthew 5:8
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"What Will Your Legacy Be?"
Debbie Holloway, Family Editor at Crosswalk.com
One of the most spiritually provocative songs I've ever heard is called War Sweater by the band Wakey!Wakey!.
"New York is dangerous, littered with thieves
We've no morals here, we just do as we please..."
...sings the narrator in the opening lines. He continues:
"But I don't want to go home where they all stare at me
'Cause I'm tattooed and fired up and drunk and obscene."
I'm sure many of us can picture a similar "wayward" family member or friend. But why exactly does this narrator feel so uncomfortable with this scrutiny? He explains in the following chorus:
"You wear your religion like a War Sweater
You ask for the truth, but you know you could do so much better
And you sat on your fences, and you've screamed "no retreat!"
...So what will your legacy be?"
Every time the singer repeats that phrase, "what will your legacy be?" I get knots in my stomach. Because I know my actions and my words will create whatever legacy I leave behind. Reputations are not created by beliefs – rather they come about by observed behavior. No one will remember me simply for getting all my doctrine right or wrong.
They will remember, though, if I wear my religion like a War Sweater. If I thrash my faith about like a flag and scream in the faces of unbelievers. Sadly, many Christians have created such legacies for themselves. Emperor Constantine created the legacy of Christianity's ties to the government. The Crusaders connected Christianity with war. Even today there are self-professing Christians who stand on street corners and picket funerals, wearing their religion like a War Sweater.
But my faith, my religion, informs me of something better. My religion tells me to do what the Word says, not merely listen to it (James 1:22). My religion does not allow me to sit on a pedestal and judge; it says to to serve one another in love (Galatians 5:13). My religion tells me (Psalms 149:4) that salvation cannot come through pride. My religion does not stand for violently demanding all people bow to my standards; rather, it tells me that, "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone" (Romans 12:18).
So take a look at the words you speak, at the people you mock, at the bumper stickers adorning your car.
Are you wearing your religion like a War Sweater?
What will your legacy be?
Intersecting Faith and Life: When confronted with a hard situation today, see how you can leave a legacy of Christ's love.
Further reading
Matthew 5:9
John 16:33
2 Corinthians 2:11
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Inoculated with Faith/Hope/Love
by Shawn McEvoy, Managing Editor, Crosswalk.com
So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love (1 Corinthians 13:13).
On the Wednesday morning following the 2012 presidential election, I found myself musing peacefully about what's important in life. I was finding out, through realizing how little the outcome affected me, how little stock I'd had in the result personally. I was neither dancing in the streets nor cursing the fates. How was that? Apathy? Ignorance? Internal focus? Eternal security? Just a really easy morning sending the kids off to school?
Then it hit me. It was the theological virtues. I began to compose what became a Facebook status:
"...I do find Faith and Hope such interesting concepts. They're so powerful. They allow so many to get on with their lives. They inform our decisions and give us empathy for others. They point us towards purpose, toward wrongs to be righted and away from what would harm us. They seem to be in short supply sometimes, even among those who proclaim them while venting frustrations and fears they'd not utter to your face, but they shine brightest in tough times if you let them. And they're most famously tied to Love. They are still here this day, even if it doesn't sound like it, for they are the virtues that 'abide.'
"So I ask regardless of political persuasion: Do you have Faith to loan to the one today who has lost his, or placed it in something temporal and disappointing? Can you spare Hope for one who doesn't understand that Despair is the only place hope functions?
"These virtues are superior inoculations against whatever goes on around us, the very infusions that make possible a mission of bringing joy, mercy and laughter into the world every day, that elevate 'I can endure all things' above a mere platitude. They task one with a job that'll get you up in the morning, any morning. They bring to our eyes opportunity: chances for justice and charity, and the exercise of freedom. And, good news for me, Faith-Hope-Love is beautifying, for I can think of none who ever saw the application of these virtues - call it Grace - in action and said, 'Ugly.'"
It wasn't long before I was tasked with the charge I had just set before others. A forlorn friend messaged me.
"I honestly need prayer. I am sincerely requesting it. I do not feel love, I do not feel any desire to "get past it and heal and show love more now than ever." ...I am disheartened to the point of despair. ...I don't want to feel this way but I do. And it's been getting worse all day. Please pray for me. ...Considering your FB post earlier, I came to you with my request because I thought that at the least you'd understand."
After a moment of prayer I responded:
"I have already been praying for you ever since waking early and noting that you were 'heart sick.' It can start to feel like a lonely place but you are not alone. I won't try to talk you off the ledge politically because the timing's not right and there's no point in anyone else's opinion when what's killing you and eating at you so bad is how 'uninformed and wrong' all the opinions out there seem to you. I only hope you can get to the bottom of why it gets to you so bad.
"In microcosm, it reminds me of a HORRIBLE flight to Newark I shared with two of my co-workers back in April. I was convinced that nasty flight was going down. I even posted ugly things about it publicly. I was SO MAD that while I was holding on for dear life while the plane bounced (yes, bounced!) around the sky, none of the other passengers seemed to mind. At least not much. I wanted to scream, 'Come on, people! This isn't right! Why did they put us on this plane in these conditions, and why are you taking this jostling?'
"On the other hand, my friend [and Christianity.com editor] Alex really couldn't understand why I would fret at all. After all, what is the worst that can happen to the believer? Death has no victory, so it's not that. And fear? What is fear except that from which we've already been delivered (death, sin, destruction, loss)? And sovereignty - what does my angry fretting reveal about what I believe about the nature of God?
"Hey, I think it's quite possible, biblically speaking, and regardless of the results of this particular vote, that things will happen in this country that are 'undesirable.' But I also know that through them and despite them I will cherish every moment with my family, try not to hold too tightly to anything eaten by moth or rust, and look for opportunities to help, and to live out my faith, purpose, and morality individually.
"I have no doubt you will be out of this slump at some point. But it may take a while. I daresay you may even want to talk to a counselor about it (I say this as someone who's done it).
"In the meantime, the simplest (yes, I know that can mean 'most naive') thing is to consider experience a good teacher. Nothing yet political, economic or electorial has befallen you or this country that killed either of you. In your 40 years, you have amassed great blessings; do not forget them, or Job 3:25. If you could erase everything in your mind and wake up today to discover the life you have, would your sky be nearly so dark right now?
"Rejoice! Get out of town. Go for a drive in the country with the top down. Go ahead, tell God he'd better know what he's doing allowing for the kings and counselors of the earth which he has ordained. And then leave it alone for a while. Go the indirect route. Study/read/pray about something else. Help someone else, even by just sending a note or letter to someone you know.
"These are the things that help me when I'm down, when I start hating my own people.
"Speaking of which, I sent friend requests to both ______ and ______ today. I figure it's time I stopped damming what would flow from my own heart. So please let me encourage you not to start. Much love!"
Intersecting Faith and Life: These words helped my friend, a little. This letter gave me a chance to be the hope to one person I'd challenged others to be. This day of lost faith for some became an opportunity for so many others to talk about theirs. And you know what? Today is no different. The same needs and chances are there. Apply the theological virtues with Grace in a specific way (a mere note, gift, hand-on-shoulder can suffice) before you go to bed.
Further Reading
Philippians 1:21-25
Philippians 4:13
My Day at the Beach That Wasn't any Such Thing
The Thrill of Hope
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Turn with Me to Your Next Prayer
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com
According to Hollywood, most funerals should include the pastor intoning the morbid notes of the twenty-third Psalm. All the black around the pastor makes it seem that much more depressing. Usually, there's rain.
But there are two things about this that strike me as odd. First, Psalm 23 isn't depressing. Yes, it mentions the "shadow of death," but it's chock full of hope and paths of righteousness ... and oil pouring over heads. You can't be depressed when oil's dripping down your nose ... at least in biblical terms.
Second, I don't really hear people pray from the Bible. Sure, they toss in a verse or two about being "more than conquerors" or "God working all things for our good." But I've never seen a pastor reach for Psalm 23 or any Psalm for that matter when praying in public.
Now, don't get me wrong. I've heard plenty of great prayers from pastors and other believers. Some of them have hit home hard. But it seems as if Evangelicals especially are averse to anything that isn't somehow unique when it comes to praying. It's as if we think that just praying from the Bible isn't quite spiritual enough. We have to say something original.
Honestly, that's too bad. Because the Bible is crammed with better prayers than I could ever come up with—ones that fit almost every situation. And, really, that makes sense. After all, God inspired Scripture. These are His prayers to us; they're gifts of His grace.
In the Psalms alone, there are prayers for depression, loss, fear, moments when you just gotta praise ... it's like an encyclopedia of prayers. Just dial up a Psalm, and you've got a template for expressing what may have seemed inexpressible a few moments earlier.
Now, I'm not saying we should reject all original prayer-making. I'm just saying that there's no reason to ignore the Bible as a source for some pretty great prayers. We don't always have to come up with something original when God gave us His own Word to pray from. These prayers are creative for you creative types; passionate for those who like passion; and orderly for those of you who like things with three main points.
Just make sure that you aren't praying the Psalms like those pastors in the movies. Put some heart behind it.
Intersecting Faith & Life: God's interest in our prayer is that we spend time giving Him everything we've got. It's easy to think that we have to have the right words—or that prayer is a test of our creativity. But it's really a test of our hearts.
There are no original words ... nothing new under the sun. Using the Bible as a prayer manual isn't a cop out; it's brilliant. Who better to teach us how to pray than God? Start there and see how well God's Word fits the problems you face. Then, if you still need to wax poetic, you can do that, too.
:angel:
Our Love Should Be Ridiculous
by Stephen Sanders, Salem Web A/V Editor
Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Romans 12:10
Every once in a while, you meet a Christian who just flat out makes you feel good about life in general. It doesn't happen probably as much as it should, but nonetheless, it's always nice to see. Even though it may just be a brief encounter, you leave that conversation feeling important, hopeful and restored. Sometimes, it's even so powerful that it inspires you to become a better person.
I recently had an encounter with a certain pastor who just flat out blew me away with the way he carried himself. This was actually my 2nd time meeting him, and I just can't describe the attitude of this man. His love for God and love for people was simply contagious. Everyone in the room was just so peaceful and complimentary after he left. I found myself wanting to be more like that because, well, I'm not.
Showing "brotherly affection" towards others is not something that comes naturally for me. I tend to make a lot of excuses when it comes to being more outgoing and more loving. After all, it's much safer to just ignore people I don't know or have things in common with. That makes perfect sense, right? It's wiser to just let someone else share God's love with them; someone who can "minister to them more effectively than I."
God continues to deal with me about this on a daily basis. Not only is displaying love towards one another one of the chief commands of the Christian faith, but it's the core of who Jesus Christ was while he was on earth in the flesh. It's easy to assume that Jesus would have gotten along easier with the "church folks," but He actually spent all of His time with tax collectors, prostitutes and such; people who He had absolutely zero in common with.
The religious people of that day mocked Jesus for loving the way He did. Jesus' love was ridiculous.
I've been studying the heck out of the book of Romans lately. It's been great because I've begun to see this continuing contrast between the "church folks" and the "actual church" that Paul was ministering to in those days. The "church folks" were so proud of the list of regulations that defined who they were and set them apart from the society in which they lived. The "actual church" simply grabbed hold of the free gift of Christ and displayed it openly to that same society. The "church folks" disqualified others from becoming God's Chosen because of what they were unwilling to do. But the "actual church" made no assumptions about who could and could not be "saved."
The early church let the good news of the cross speak for itself... and they would scream this truth to everyone... everywhere... even if it meant dying a gruesome death. Their love was ridiculous.
In today's culture, self-sacrificial love to the point of death sounds just as extreme as it did back then. So many of us make excuses as to why we don't need to love like that. Christians and church doctrines manage to create unwritten laws that shield us from having to actually love like the Spirit of Christ so desperately wants us to. We take specific scriptures and turn them into shield for our own protection. Take Romans 12:1-2 for example:
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Until recently, I'd only recognized this scripture as an instruction to "beware of society and it's influences." And it's true that the world does things way differently than the Holy Spirit does. But I've always overlooked the importance of "test and discern what is the will of God." You see, we cannot "test the will of God" if we are so far removed from society that we are out of touch. The same "enemy society" that we are to not become influenced by is also the same exact place where God has strategically placed us to seek His will for our lives and display the gifts and talents He has placed in us.
Sound impossible? It's really not... it just takes a ridiculous love for this lifestyle to be functional.
In actuality, it may appear to many as being very dysfunctional. But that's okay! This Christian walk was never meant to be something that caused us to take ourselves more seriously than we ought to anyway. To tell you the truth, Jesus said that the "actual church" would "confound the wise and shame the strong." So don't be afraid to be excessively full of life, hopeful, positive and patient when others try to make that difficult to do. Look for excuses to just randomly meet the needs of others... especially your enemies! That's love... that's the sort of thing that everyone, Christians and non-Christians, long for deep down inside. That's what the love of Christ is all about.
I'm challenging myself (and you) to reach out in some way to someone every single day... starting today. God has radically changed our lives. He has given us something that is more valuable than anything. It's time we share it, not from a soapbox or inside our church walls, but in the every day hustle and bustle of where we already exist...
...and be proactive because, chances are, if you don't then no one else will.
For further study, read Romans 12:1.
:angel:
Ambition
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor
Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands.
1 Thessalonians 4:11
Quaint, right?
Be honest; read today's verse and then try telling your children that such is all they should aspire to; that, essentially, unheralded blue collar work should be their ambition. Aim high? Sounds more like settling for anonymity.
What could Paul be getting at? Sure there are times we all grow tired of the rat race and perhaps dream about a scenario where we forsake the city and a high-pressure job for a more pastoral setting, crafting furniture and knick-knacks, living in harmony. Is that what this verse is getting at?
Let's look deeper.
The Greek word philotim means to labor, endeavor, strive, study to become. It is used in three places in the New Testament. The first is quoted above, regarding ambition, which sounds not much like what we typically imagine when we think of things to be ambitious about.
Another place the word appears is Romans 15:20, where Paul writes, "And thus I aspired to preach the gospel..."
In 2 Corinthians 5:9 we read, "We have as our ambition... to be pleasing to Him."
Contrast these goals with the first defitinion under "ambition" on Dictionary.com:
1. an earnest desire for some type of achievement or distinction, as power, honor, fame, or wealth, and the willingness to strive for its attainment.
I thought so. The more I study, the more I philotim to know God, the more I understand how different the Word and the world really are. Perhaps folks who live in other parts of the globe are less shocked to learn such lessons. For me, born, raised, working, and raising children in these United States, the lesson is always one of dichotomy, paradox, and sadly wondering if I'm handicapped beyond repair from truly following.
One of my bosses is fond of saying that in business, it's crucial to determine early on whether a person you are dealing with is a "make me rich" or a "make me famous" person. Everyone, the story goes, is either one or the other at heart. And truly, according to the world's definition of ambition, that makes sense. We all have something we want that drives us.
Lately I've been wondering a lot at where this has gotten me. Everything I have done, accomplished, purposed, learned, studied (i.e. "philotim-ed") in life has led to... what, exactly? What goal? When I pray that the Lord would make my life useful and provide for me and let me know His will and keep me safe it's all so... what? So I can watch my TV programs every night without acid in my stomach and with an easy feeling in my chest? As opposed to having to really live by faith?
Today I read this quote by the English poet Samuel Johnson: "To be happy at home is the ultimate result of all ambition." Instantly my face fell. I knew that feeling all too well. All my aspirations only lead to the place of comfort, happiness, the path of least resistance. What's wrong with that? It quickly becomes a place that feels too far from God, too self-centered, too out of the loop, too far removed to be making a real difference.
So what then is the ambition of the Christ-follower?
Lead a quiet life
Attend to your own business
Work with your hands
Preach the gospel
Be pleasing to Him
In other words, don't stress yourself with fame, or getting and spending, always climbing, making more more more. Don't bother with being a busy-body or a gossip. Be creative; let God work through you. Tell others about Him. And live by faith.
It's so simple, almost too simple. Ambition isn't something far out there, some unabashed worldly success beyond our dreams, though that's where God may take us. It all goes back to the very reason God made man in the first place - to have someone to know Him.
And there's just not anything quaint about that.
Intersecting Faith & Life: The bulleted points above might sound too easy, too simple. And they can be. But when was the last time you made any or all of these your ambition? Pick one and practice it today, perhaps preaching the gospel to someone, perhaps seeking God's pleasure more than your own in any decisions you make.
Further Reading
What Motivates You?
Romans 15:20
2 Corinthians 5:9-31
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Meant for More
Kelly Givens, Editor, iBelieve.com
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"
-2 Corinthians 5:17
The other day I watched a video on YouTube that totally pulled at my heart. It showed two dozen ducks being introduced to a pond for the first time; the ducks had been "pets" of a hoarder who had kept them in pens all their lives. After being rescued and brought to a pond, the frightened ducks kept their distance from the water, unwilling to go in. The rescue workers herded them into the pond, but the ducks immediately got out. Finally, the workers gently tossed them in one at a time. That seemed to do the trick- they began tentatively swimming, then diving under and splashing themselves in the cool water. Eventually they were all vigorously grooming themselves- probably feeling more refreshed, clean, more like ducks than they had ever felt before.
I wonder what thoughts the ducks might have had while they were in those pens. Did they ever wonder - "Why do I have these wings- what are they for? And why are my feet so awkward?" The joy they must have felt when their webbed feet first glided through water and their wings spread out with room and air to soar, when those unnamed desires- to swim, to fly- were first named and fulfilled. And then I think of how much they resisted getting in the water in the first place.
We are so similar to these ducks. We too have unnamed longings, unanswered questions about our lives here on earth. The world doesn't satisfy us, it lets us down, but we don't know where to look for more. We see this in the football champion who wakes up after the biggest game of his life and all he feels an empty, "What's next?" Or in the young executive who climbs the corporate ladder, believing the next job title will finally make him significant. We see it in the teen who does harder and harder drugs on a never ending quest to reach a high that will erase all the lows of her life. We all have an emptiness inside we want to fill, a purpose in life we want to find, questions we want someone to answer.
The Christian narrative gives us these answers. Christ fills us up, he gives us purpose- but we have to be willing to "get in the water"- believe in him- to experience these things. We yearn for more because we were created for more- for eternal life in the presence of our Lord and Savior. Through faith in Jesus, we're given purpose for today and in the days to come, and satisfying joy when we live for God's glory and not our own. Sadly, we resist believing this good news because we think the world can give us what we yearn for. To think this way is pointless, a "chasing after the wind." (Ecc. 1:14)
C.S. Lewis wrote about our longings for more so exquisitely. My favorite of his writings comes from the Chronicles of Narnia, in the Last Battle, when those who have faithfully fought for Aslan and Narnia are finally entering the "New Narnia," Lewis' version of the new heavens and new earth. The Unicorn summed it up beautifully: "I have come home at last! This is my real country! I belong here. This is the land I have been looking for all my life, though I never knew it till now. The reason why we loved the old Narnia is that is sometimes looked a little like this. Bree-hee-hee! Come further up, come further in!"
Intersecting Faith and Life: Do you wish for more out of life? Do you have unnamed desires that you can't seem to satisfy? Lewis wrote, "If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world." Stop standing on the edge, "get in the water" with Jesus and experience the all-satisfying joy and life he promises those who know and put their trust in him.
Further Reading:
Mere Christianity, by C.S. Lewis
Ecclesiastes 2:10-11
2 Corinthians 5: 1-5
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Why Paul Wasn't a Zombie
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com
"We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me." Colossians 1:28-29
Worn out. Exhausted. Please oh please oh please be Friday. Those words probably describe many of our weeks—often by Monday afternoon. The surge of the weekday tide sucks us under and spins us around and strips away our energy by making us swim to the surface over and over again. Gasp. Bills. Gasp. Long meeting. Gasp. Kids biting each other.
What more can we give than that? What else can God expect from us than just trying to keep from drowning in the mess of life?
Paul says everything and more. Yep, you read that right. We're supposed to slap down every last ounce of ourselves to the cause of Christ. We're supposed to surrender every modicum of ourselves to the purpose of "proclaiming Him" with our joy-filled words and our peace-in-the-midst-of-this-hurricane-called-life actions.
Everything. Every single bit. For Him.
Feeling tired yet? I hope you don't. You see, there's something in here that we too often overlook. It does take energy—loads of it—to live a life of surrender. We wouldn't expect anything less from being a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1). That means using all that we are to make all that He is known to all. But even with all those alls, you won't be using up your energy.
Look again at what Paul says here: "To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me." He doesn't say, "I did it all myself until I burned out and crashed into the dirt and hated my life and decided it was just too hard to do anything and wanted to move to Alaska forever and hide in a cave." Instead, he tells us that the source of his oomph is Christ.
Christ didn't save us so that we could barely keep going, dragging our way like zombies down the road of life. Instead, we're operating with power—His. He jumpstarted our lives with a spirit of power (2 Timothy 1:7), cranking up the juice through the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8). After all, like Paul, we're wrestling with the tasks God's called us to do. We aren't supposed to do this by tapping into our own reserves. God takes these fragile clay pots that we are and supplies His power so that He gets the glory (2 Corinthians 4:7). He adds the zing, and His zing is potent.
Intersecting Faith & Life: When you try to make it all work on your own guts and grit, you'll eventually drain down and sputter out. Instead, take Him up on His "by my Spirit" (Zechariah 4:6) thing—that is, not your own strength. That doesn't mean you'll never get tired or weary. You will. But you can be sure that He specializes in renewing the worn out and exhausted (Isaiah 40:30-31).
For Further Reading
The Lord of Hosts Who Conquers Through Pots of Clay
Isaiah 40
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Let Me Take Care of That for You
by Debbie Holloway, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28).
I recently had a bit of a three-ring-circus to deal with trying to pay a toll. Our lovely Richmond, VA is indeed a beautiful city, but we sure do have some tolls. In fact, depending on where you're going and from where you're coming, you may have to pay 3 or 4 tolls in one trip. That happened to me a few weeks ago. As I left the office (right in the middle of the city) and headed southside to visit a friend, I realized too late that I didn't have enough cash to pay the final toll. With a sigh, I asked for a receipt from the toll booth and went on my way.
I won't bore you with the details, but let's just say I talked to far too many people on the phone, hand-delivered my toll payment in some city office, and still got a "Toll Violation" notice in the mail. This resulted in mild deflation of my spirits. My family said, "Debbie, don't worry. Just call them and explain." I tried to, but was informed that not only was there no record of my payment, but that I would be forced to pay an extra \$13 (on a 70 cent toll!) for a vague "Administration" fee.
Come on, I kept thinking. I'm just trying to live my life and pay my toll.
In one last valiant move to get some help, I walked back to the aforementioned office on my lunch break the next afternoon. As it so happened, a high ranking administrator happened to be there right when I was. As I explained the situation, he made a copy of my toll notice and immediately got someone on the phone.
"I can dismiss this for you," he said.
"What do I need to do?" I asked, skeptical. "Who do I need to call and follow up with?"
"Nope. Nothing," he said. "Here's my card. If you get another notice, just call me."
I left the office that day with a spring in my step and a burden off my shoulders. I was no longer going to be hounded by the toll agencies!
"See, we told you," my family said. "You shouldn't have worried."
Isn't our relationship with Christ a lot like that, sometimes? I feel like I have worried and fretted about so many things, only to realize in retrospect that God was trying to tell me, "Baby, let me take care of that for you."
Jesus told his disciples,
"Look at the birds of the air: they neither reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?" (Matthew 6:26)
Intersecting Faith and Life
When you're dealing with a frustration, no matter how small, remember that God is asking you to stop worrying and let him carry you.
Further Reading
Philippians 1:6
Matthew 5:1-12
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A Crown without Jewels
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor
Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.– Hebrews 4:16
Like most kids who grew up in the church, I was enrolled in Awana the moment I had the ability to memorize John 3:16. Not that I'm complaining, I enjoyed the evenings of games and Bible stories. However, like every Bible club for small children, Awana had its share of speed bumps. One such bump appeared during a lesson where a young woman was sharing her testimony. She had just finished telling everyone the story of how her grandfather accepted Christ on his deathbed when a hand shot up in the back of the audience.
"Does this mean we can do whatever we want as long as we say sorry before we die?" asked the child. I can vaguely remember the look of panic that came into the woman's eyes when she discovered her class was trying to cheat the system. Torn between theology and a group of minors, she opted for the easiest answer.
"Well, yes, God will forgive you if you ask him," then reaching down to her jacket, she pulled out the tiny crown pin reserved only for the best children in the club, "but it also means you will have fewer jewels in your crown when you get to heaven." I'm not bothered that our leader chose to use this explanation; it's hard to describe the grace of God to a room full of third graders hopped up on gummy bears. What does bother me is the number of adult Christians who still believe this idea to be true.
"I grew up in a Christian household."
"I accepted Christ when I was only seven."
Many Christians will take these statements and present them as proof of their superiority. Proof that the person who just gave their life to Christ is somehow "Second Class." Thankfully, Jesus didn't see it that way, and said as much in the parable of the vineyard
"So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 'These men who were hired last worked only one hour,' they said, 'and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.' But he answered one of them, 'Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?' So the last will be first, and the first will be last." – Matthew 20:10-16
It does not matter if you spend your entire life ignoring God or trying to build a stairway to heaven, we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of Christ. But when we accept him as our savior that all changes, regardless of how old we are or how we've spent our past. The whole, wonderful point of grace is that it cannot be earned. How else could it be called grace?
Intersecting Faith and Life: Remember to be humble and show understanding to others. We are all on a journey to know God, so love others as he would love them.
Further Reading
Romans 6:14
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Honoring All Souls
by Sarah Phillips
Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. And even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you." Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?" She said to him, "Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, he who is coming into the world." John 11: 17 - 27
Most of us who've been around for more than a couple decades have experienced the death of a loved one. I remember when a close family friend died while I was in high school.
"Uncle" Ed was only in his 40's, a tough looking, bearded guy with a jolly sense of humor. I remember the day he called my mom, a seasoned ICU nurse, with some unusual symptoms. My stomach felt uneasy as I overheard my mother tell Ed he needed medical attention as soon as possible.
My sisters and I would only see Ed a couple more times after that call. Once, just before he was admitted for a bone marrow transplant to treat the rare disease attacking his body. He was wearing his regular clothes and looked like the Ed we always knew.
The second time was in the hospital after his transplant. He looked weak and bald, and that scared me a bit. It was the day before prom, and mom urged me and my twin sister to tell him about the prom dresses we designed. Ed listened to our descriptions as if our dresses were the most important topic in the world. A few weeks later, I got a phone call from my mom telling me Ed passed away.
One of the saddest aspects of Ed's untimely death was that he never fulfilled his long-held dream to marry and have children of his own. That stuck with me. But another thing that stuck with me was Ed's memorial service. I was not a Christian, and to my surprise, Ed's Lutheran funeral was filled with one story after another describing his devotion to Christ and his lengthy trips into the mission fields. Ed's death played an instrumental role in bringing me to faith in Christ a few years later.
I know many of you have similar stories. Life was going along swimmingly, and suddenly the phone rang and nothing was ever the same. I also know many of you have encouraging stories of how God worked through the death of someone in a special way.
Some of the most encouraging reflections on death and eternity I've read can be found in a book published by former hospice nurse, Trudy Harris, titled Glimpses of Heaven (Revell, 2008). Harris collected stories of her dying patients to offer comfort to those who have experienced loss, and also to share the profound spiritual insights she has gleaned from those getting ready to pass into heaven. Having observed God's tender care for her patients time and again, Harris says, "Those who have allowed themselves the luxury of being present with patients as they are dying come away realizing in a whole new way that there is only one Divine Physician, and it is He alone who sets the timetables of our lives."
While death is always a tragedy, Harris confirms what Christianity teaches – that even death has merit when doused with God's grace. Harris writes that many of her patients could sense – even see -- God's presence in ways most of us can't right now. She notes her patients, who endured painful illness, were anxious to give hope, comfort, and wisdom to the living before they passed on. Some even died with so much grace, they wore a gentle smile.
Of course, we can look to our Savior, who did not avoid death even when He could have, to see two truths: God works through the dying process to draw each of us closer to Him, and death – no matter how horrible - does not have the final word.
While it can be difficult for those of us here to bear the weight of losing a loved one, like Martha we can find peace in knowing God does not abandon us or our loved ones even in the darkest moments of death. And while we don't yet have the privilege of seeing God in all His glory, we can faithfully entrust our futures and the futures of our loved ones' to the merciful love of Christ.
Intersecting Faith & Life: While many of our loved ones are not famous Saints like Augustine or Aquinas, they are just as precious to us and to God. Nov. 2 is the Feast of All Souls – the day when Christians officially remember all who have gone before us, like Ed. Thank God for the blessings of the time you had with your loved ones, and perform some little act of kindness in their memory
Further Reading
Romans 5: 5 - 11
John 10: 9 -10
1 John 3: 1 – 3
Living -- and Dying -- Well
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Child-Like Trust in the Lord
by Shawn McEvoy, Managing Editor, Crosswalk.com
O Lord, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty;
Nor do I involve myself in great matters, or in things too difficult for me.
Surely I have composed and quieted my soul;
Like a weaned child rests against his mother,
My soul is like a weaned child within me.
Psalm 131:1-2, NAS
This song, like most of the Psalms, was written by David - the man who would be Israel's greatest king. Is David who comes to mind when you think of someone "not involved in great matters" (kingdom conflicts, maybe)? Or unbothered by "things too difficult" (slaying a giant, anyone)? No, to me, this doesn't really sound like David. Doesn't really sound like me most of the time either.
Let's take a quick look at three things that stand out about this little Psalm:
1) Attitude. David's "heart" - his inner being, his spirit, is not proud... of things he's done, of where he's been and where he's going... but neither is he beating himself up. He is just... content.
2) Appetite. David's "eyes" - his senses - are not haughty. He's not seeking to please them. He doesn't have the look of arrogance. He knows Whose he is, and that his needs are met not of himself. He is not restless to feed like an infant, he is not stalking around asking to eat out of boredom like my 2-year-old.
3) Aptitude. David places the responsibility for this peaceful state upon himself. Not circumstances, not achievements, not even on God. "Surely I have quieted my soul," he says.
Taken all together, this shows us what trust looks like, and helps us understand why trusting God brings such soothing peace. Jesus said we must have faith like children to come to Him. Apparently, trust is also best exemplified in little ones.
David's "talk" is of not being proud; his "walk" then backs it up by what he "involves" (or doesn't involve) himself in. This doesn't mean God hasn't given him - or you - important stuff to get done, just that David has "declared himself free from excessive ambition" (Ryrie study notes).
To sing not of self, to seek not to fill the senses, to seek the will only to be quiet before God - that is trust. A "weaned child" knows instinctively where to find trust. By extension, and through the example of "the man after God's own heart," so do we.
Intersecting Faith & Life: "Involve" yourself in a small, humble matter today - perhaps a child's squabble, creating a meal, or going for a walk - and see if you can compose your soul.
Further Reading
Matthew 18:4-5
When Old Men Trust, by Calvin Miller
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The "Whys" of Life
by Kelly Givens, Editor, iBelieve.com
"He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." -Revelation 21:4
Towards the end of work some weeks ago, our office was informed that a few cars in our parking deck had been broken into. The vandalism and robberies had been contained to Level 2—the level I had parked my car. Thankfully, my car had been left untouched. The SUV directly across from me, however, hadn't fared so well- the shattered glass on the ground evidenced the vandals' quick and effective work. As I began my drive home I prayed God would give the owners of the busted up cars a measure of his peace, mercy and patience.
Nearing my exit, I noticed cars slowing down, and around the bend in the road I saw why. A cop was getting out of his car; he had been called for a minor fender bender and traffic was slowing to accommodate. I inched past, glancing at the guy in truck that had been hit. He had his head in his hand and was looking up at the sky in exasperation. You could tell he was thinking, "I can't believe this happened. Why me?! What did I do to deserve this?!" I thought back to the owners of the cars in the parking deck, knowing they would be asking those same questions when they discovered their vehicles had been broken into.
The "whys" of life point us to a story larger than our own. When we ask why bad things happen, we're acknowledging that the way life is right now is not how it ought to be. Why is that significant? It's significant because, in a world which wants us to believe we were created at random and have lived on through survival of the fittest or just good luck, our souls actually cry out against randomness and unjust advantage. We crave order, justice, and mercy, and we feel angry and sad when a seemingly arbitrary, awful thing in life happens. There's a disconnect between what we believe should happen and what really does happen. I find it interesting that my friends who believe in a random, chance creation still feel indignant when apparently random, chance events work against their lives. Their heads may believe one thing, but their hearts believe something else. As Christians, our heads and hearts are more aligned.
At the beginning of Creation, we're told "God saw all he had made, and it was very good" (Gen. 1:31). You were created to live in a perfect world, where the question of why bad things happen was never supposed to exist. But then man sinned and the world was corrupted (Gen. 3: 6-7). Adam and Eve immediately recognized sin for what it was, and in their guilt hid from God (Gen. 3:10). In the same way, we recognize evil as evil because it goes against the very nature of our intended existence. We cry out against suffering because we were never meant to suffer. We get overwhelming distraught over death because no one was ever supposed to die. As believers, we can take encouragement from this gut reaction to pain and suffering. It reminds us we were created for a world absent of these things, and we can look forward to the day when Jesus comes back and takes away our tears and frustrations. We will never utter "Why me?" again. Everything good that can be, will be. Everything evil will be undone. That is such good news; it fills me with joy and hope to think on it.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Are you experiencing seemingly random suffering and sorrow in your life? Cling to the comforting truth of your faith - all suffering is temporary, it is not random, and Jesus is coming soon to restore this world and everything in it - including you - to perfection.
Further Reading:
Isaiah 25:6-9
Romans 8:18-39
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How Are You Spending Your Time?
by Debbie Holloway, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands (1 Thess. 4:11).
Sometimes on my way home from work I drive under a highway overpass and see large posterboard signs and flags being waved about, which read, "IMPEACH OBAMA." I suppose there is a very dedicated group of people near the area who have made it their mission to share their dislike of our President with everyone commuting out of the city. And while I certainly think it's any citizen's prerogative to disagree with, dislike, or even desire impeachment of any political leader... seeing those banners and signs always sends a frown to my face, and a wave of disappointment over my heart. I think to myself, "Instead of doing anything creative or productive, these no-doubt passionate and hardworking folks are spending hours and hours of their time... trying to get someone else fired."
In a world of endless Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter streams, sometimes we feel we have to shout louder and be bolder just to get noticed at all. It seems to be true especially in the political arena; normally only the wealthiest, well-funded, and over-advertised of those running for office are able to get their names on the ballot. But in such a frenzied atmosphere of opinions and beliefs and convictions and anger, it seems that Christians might need to take a step back, take a deep breath, and learn to live a little more quietly.
Likewise, the Teacher from Ecclesiastes muses:
"No one can comprehend what goes on under the sun. Despite all his efforts to search it out, man cannot discover its meaning. Even if a wise man claims he knows, he cannot really comprehend it" (8:17).
The further we go along in life, the more we recognize that our toil and striving is chasing after the wind; that our supposed "wisdom" really just shows us how little we actually know. Especially when it comes to divisive matters (matters over which families have torn apart and nations have fought wars) it behooves followers of Christ to live with humility and gentleness in our convictions.
"It is foolish to belittle a neighbor; a person with good sense remains silent" (Proverbs 11:12).
Intersecting Faith and Life: When you look back on your life years from now, how will you feel about the way you chose to spend your time, and the words you chose to speak? Will you be pleased with your choices, or will you find yourself echoing the words from Ecclesiastes: "Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few" (5:2).
Further Reading
Ecclesiastes 3:12
Philippians 2:5-8
1 Peter 5:5
Video: How Ought Christians Most Effectively Use Their Time to Shape Culture?
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Seasons of Hope
by Sarah Phillips
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance..."
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
It's the time of year when nature inspires a sense of awe in us. As leaves die, they give forth one final burst of color brighter than the paint on an artist's palette. The sky takes on an unusually crisp blueness and the sun's low, golden rays cast whimsical shadows. We feel energized as autumn breezes stir up the color around us and chase away the dense summer air.
For me, Autumn has always been a "second Spring." A playful time, promising us that life, although soon to be hidden in the dead of winter, will only be invisible for a short while. When the days are gray, cold, and hard, I remember that only a few short weeks ago, the world was light and lively and in only a few weeks more, color will return.
As the author of Ecclesiastes reminds us, God designed life to run in cycles or seasons. Yet how often do we approach this life with expectations of perpetual summer, only to struggle with anxiety and disappointment when winter inevitably interrupts? I know I am guilty of this.
I spent time with my twin sister over this beautiful Fall weekend, and in the course of conversation, she revealed to me how approaching life as a series of seasons gives her perspective as a young wife and mom. "I've seen couples apply much pressure to their family life, expecting every week to live to the standard of the last, just as happy or productive, just as evenly paced. I think it takes a lot of burden off when you accept that this week will not necessarily look like last week, and that some seasons of life will be better than others."
Knowing there is a natural rhythm, a "time to weep and a time to laugh," gives us permission to let go of perfectionist expectations of our lives. It lightens our burdens by giving us hope for the future in the midst of trial and prepares us for times of struggle – until the day comes when there will be no more winter and no more tears.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Are you currently experiencing a scorching summer or a frigid winter? How can you embrace this time as a fruitful season even if it's not your ideal? Are you reveling in a season of joy right now? Give thanks to God for His outpouring of blessings, knowing all goodness comes from His extravagant love.
Further Reading
Psalm 30:4-5,
Revelation 21:1-4
Embrace Your Season
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The Top of the Waterfall
by Katherine Britton
"My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you."
– Isaiah 26:9
As I looked up the path – and up, and up – I couldn't even see the head of the waterfall. The last cataract foamed in front of me, but the first was far up on mountain, where the sunlight hit the summit. I wanted to see more.
The trail was relatively easy, but I was huffing and puffing before long thanks to the incline. The trail snaked back and forth across the mountain, taking us up a fifty feet with each turn. The second, third, and fourth cataracts appeared, and we clambered onward after each one, still intent on seeing that first drop. In the words of C. S. Lewis, the lure of "further in and further up" kept us going, as beauty upon beauty made us eager to see even more.
The view didn't disappoint us. The autumn panorama spread over the surrounding hills, contrasted in highlight and shadows from the afternoon sun. Everyone at the summit was smiling and taking pictures. Nobody sat with their back against the view. To our right, the head of the waterfall rushed on, flowing over the first drop. Nothing in the suburbs compares with what we saw.
What is it about a waterfall – or anything natural wonder – that makes us stop and stare? What is it about a rainbow that keeps us looking for the next one? Why is Niagara Falls so famous? Why does the human soul dream of places so far from what we normally experience? Why do we keep following the path until we see the greatest beauty of all?
I think such scenes are part of God's mercy to the whole world, because they teach us what it means to hunger for more. They give us a glimpse of the time when we can drink so deeply that our thirst will be quenched. Like in the Narnia books, they shadow the real thing, when we will be in God's eternal presence. Do we hunger for that?
Scripture is full of references to this kind of longing. In 1 Corinthians 13:12, Paul writes of "seeing dimly, as in a mirror," as he waits to see the true nature of love revealed. Roman 8:18-27 empathizes with all of creation's "groaning" as it waits to see the full glory of God revealed. After all, "who hopes for what he already has?"
As I remember that panorama – and how I want to go back – I consider those verses of longing after God. The more I know and see of God's character, the more I should be amazed and want to see even more. Someday, every Christian will experience the joy of seeing the fullness of the Lord displayed, but until then, we see one beauty at a time as we keep going. Are you satisfied with the small glimpses, or does the summit beckon you?
Intersecting Faith & Life: While each cataract on the way up the falls had a beauty all its own, I didn't want to stop until I had seen it all. This week, I want to ask myself daily: am I content with my faith journey, stopping before I should? Or does each new sight give me a thrill that spurs me on to see even greater heights? Let's encourage each other to keep going, and to seek to know our God more each day.
:angel:
Flying Lessons
by Meghan Kleppinger
"For I know the plans that I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope."
Jeremiah 29:11, NAS
While traveling to Chattanooga, TN a few years ago, I read the autobiography, Dorie: The Girl Nobody Loved, by Dorie Van Stone. The book retraces the past of a deeply wounded child transformed into a woman with heart on fire for the God who loves her.
As a child, Dorie was rejected and abandoned by her mother, and abused by orphanage workers, foster parents, and relatives. In the midst of a horrendous childhood filled with daily mistreatment, Dorie was introduced to the One who did love her and would never abandon her. Her life is now one that reflects not her past, but her Savior.
As I finished reading the final chapter on the plane, I shared with the Lord that I wanted to meet Dorie, give her a huge hug, and thank her for writing the book.
During my layover in Atlanta, I saw a woman resembling Dorie in one of the airport stores. I pulled the book out of my bag to compare the woman in the store with the photo on the back cover. I shook off the possibility and thought the same thing you are thinking now, "There is no way!" I proceeded to my gate promising myself if I saw her again I would I ask if she was, in fact, "Dorie."
I'm not proud to admit that when she appeared at my departure gate, I was a complete wimp and did not approach her. She sat two seats behind me on the plane, and still I said nothing. In Chattanooga's airport she kept popping up, but I continued to come up with excuses for not asking a simple question. Finally, while waiting for my baggage, I heard someone say, "Mrs. Van Stone."
I turned to her and finally asked, "Are you Dorie Van Stone?" She answered "yes" (of course). "Oh my!" was my intelligent response. I continued with, "I just finished your book on the plane."
"What did you think?" She asked, smiling.
"It was wonderful!" I managed to gurgle out. "I promised myself that if I ever met you I would give you a big hug!"
Without hesitation, she dropped her bags and gave me the biggest bear hug imaginable. I thanked her for writing the book and we quickly embraced again before going our separate ways.
I was amazed by the marvelous gift God gave me in meeting Dorie Van Stone. My adrenaline high was cut short with the reality that I could have spent a lot more time talking with her, but was too afraid. God was prompting me, but I ignored Him. Instead of listening, I waited until it was safe to ask. To this day, I regret the lost time I could have spent with Dorie.
I committed to never again allow fear to guide my decisions.
Every day, in little ways, God asks us to step out and trust Him. Sometimes He is asking us to share the gospel or help someone in need ... and sometimes He is answering a prayer or simply asking us to receive a gift. Isn't it easy to make excuses or justify saying "no?" We cheat ourselves when we respond this way. He offers us His goodness, shows us His glory, invites to be part of His work, and all we have to do is sensitive to His prompting and say "yes."
Intersecting Faith & Life: Remember what I learned that day: when God asks you to do something that is a little challenging or out of your comfort zone, He's not asking you to blindly jump off a bridge to your death, He's offering you a chance to fly! So, prepare for flight, find comfort in the shadow of His wings (Psalms 36:7), and experience His goodness and love.
Further Reading
2 Timothy: 1:7
Your Ordinary Life Can be Extraordinary
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Sweet Frog
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Culture Editor
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. - Jeremiah 29:11
One Presidents Day weekend, my father and sister drove from Illinois to visit me in Virginia. It was a great weekend, one of the best I'd had in a while. We toured Richmond city, ate at some of the best local restaurants, saw two movies, and spent our time as a family.
On their last day in Richmond, the three of us traveled to a small part of the city known as Cary Town where we stopped for frozen yogurt in a neon-colored shop named "Sweet Frog." That's when it happened. I should have known, should have seen it coming. The brightly colored walls, quaint setup, even the concept -- frozen yogurt -- how could I have missed it? But no, I was totally blindsided when my dad leaned over to me and said,
"You know, Ryan, this would be the perfect place to take a girl on a date."
To be fair, I love my Dad and giving good advice is what Dads do, but I am more than aware of how painfully single I am.
Jon Acuff, author of Stuff Christians Like, once wrote an article about what happens when young, twenty-something guys are asked if they're dating.
"If you answer 'yes', I imagine fireworks go off, confetti cannons fire and you get a ribbon that says "1st place" but when you answer 'no,' three things happen:
My friend's mom brings up my last High School girlfriend, a prom date, or "that one girl your mom was telling me about at school" and proceeds to ask, "what happened with 'that'?" Then I awkwardly explain why those relationships didn't wind up with me being on one knee, pledging my life to that female. A generic cliché like, "Life was just taking us in different directions" usually gets the job done.
My friend's dad hears I am single, which causes him to give me an abundance of "Dad's trying to be cool" fist pounds and references to me being a single man and "free." Once the high fives stop, he gives me a ten-step action plan on how to meet women based on what he did to meet his wife.
But the worst, no question, is the little old ladies at church. Being 22 and single is something they absolutely cannot fathom. They often explain how they had been married for 5 years at this point in their life and had two kids and one on the way. Nothing you say to justify your state in life appeases their grief that you are not married."- (Stuff Christians Like # 955)
Funny as this is, in all honesty, I was worried. Since college, three of my best friends had gotten engaged. Two others were in serious relationships. I was just, well, single. I am not good at dating; I never have been. What if I never meet someone? What if I never start my own family? What if God's plan for my life is to stay single?
As I sat there, stewing in my own anger and self pity, my sister pointed toward the wall. "Hey, look at the acronym they made." I turned my head. The store had decorated the walls with shirts bearing their name and logo. On one shirt, beneath the Frog in "Sweet Frog" someone had printed the words, "Fully. Rely. On. God." It's strange to think that God would speak to someone in a neon-pink frozen yogurt store, but honestly, I think he did.
God does have a plan for our lives. We can spend our time worrying about what the future holds, or we can trust him, and take each day as the gift it was made to be. It doesn't mean life is going to be easy, far from it, but we can be reassured with the knowledge that our Heavenly Father knows what he is doing.
Intersecting Faith and Life:
Are you single and worried about your future? Get involved with openings at your church, and give some of your time to God.
Further Reading
Proverbs 3:5
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Those Who Serve
by Laura MacCorkle
Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13, NIV
Today, on Veterans Day, we honor all of those who serve in the United States Armed Forces.
This morning, at the Arlington National Cemetery, a Veterans Day National Ceremony will take place where a wreath is placed at the Tomb of the Unknowns by a color guard made up of members from each of the military services.
While those who have passed away are certainly remembered on this day, Veterans Day is primarily intended to thank those Veterans who are still living for their time in service to America. In fact, it is said that today there are over 24 million Veterans who have served and reintegrated back into society. And I hope for both of us, if we know one of these men or women, that we will thank them today.
Veterans are probably some of the first people we think of when considering those who serve others or have jobs that cause them to sacrifice in some way in their lives. I also think many of us would agree that you could count firefighters, teachers and missionaries in that category as well.
But perhaps we should also consider others who serve today—the ones behind the scenes and the unsung heroes of our lives, if you will.
I'm sure you know of someone in your life who has greatly impacted you with his or her selfless acts of kindness and service. Perhaps it's a parent or a friend, a neighbor or someone at your workplace. Whoever they are, they stand out to you because they don't call attention to themselves. Their actions are what speak loudest, because they are living for something—and for Someone—greater than themselves.
Two women in Scripture who exemplify these kind of "undercover" people who serve are Lois and Eunice, who were Timothy's grandmother and mother respectively. Paul acknowledges them for their significant work in Timothy's life in his letter to Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:5:
I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.
And then later on in chapter 3, verses 14 and 15 he also says to Timothy:
But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
We don't often call out Lois and Eunice as great heroes of the faith when we talk about examples from Scripture, do we? But these few verses point to the very important sacrifices they made in their lives to make sure that Timothy was taught the Word. They were faithful in service to God, as they gave what had been entrusted to them—the gift of God's Word—to Timothy, so he would, in turn, be equipped to share the Truth in service to God and others.
On the surface, this sounds like an easy way to serve. But when was the last time you sat down with someone, day after day, month after month, year after year and worked with them in their spiritual growth and development? It's a sobering thought. Because it requires the sacrifice of our time, our desires and our very lives.
Veterans or not, those who serve are all around us today. So let's give thanks for them all and for the difference God has made in our lives through those who he has led to serve.
Intersecting Faith & Life: As you give thanks for those who have served America today, take inventory of how you are serving others. What sacrifices is God asking you to make so that you can demonstrate his love and make an eternal difference in the life of someone else?
Further Reading:
John 21:15-17, NIV
Romans 12:10-13, NIV
1 John 4:19, NIV
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Rotten Fruit
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Culture Editor
Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. – Matthew 7:1-2
During my time in college, I met another student who considered himself a very devout Christian. In terms of practice, this student couldn't be criticized for his dedication. He read the Bible each morning, attended chapel like clockwork, and never broke a rule during his time at the university. In terms of spirit though, he represented the worst Christianity had to offer. He was proud and judgmental, always calling out others on what he considered to be "sins".
When guys got together to play a game of Halo, he accused them of putting videogames before God. Once, when a guy kissed his girlfriend goodbye on the cheek, he railed for an hour about sexual immorality. When one girl stood up to him and told him to mind his own business, he called her "deaf to the Holy Spirit." Things finally hit a major low one night at a Bible Study where, after being ignored by some of the other members, he declared that a prophet like himself was wasting his time with these reprobates. He left the university shortly after, and no one was sad to see him go.
Now, the reason I'm writing this isn't to shame him, God knows I've done plenty of stupid things in my time too. What bothered me though was the fact that, despite much evidence to the contrary, this student was certain he was doing the right thing. In fact, there are many so-called Christians who do and say terrible things, all in the name of God. In cases like these, it's vital to remember what Matthew wrote about bearing fruit.
"By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'" – Matthew 7:15-23
At some point, every Christian needs to look at their life and examine the fruit they've been harvesting. Are there bushels full of harsh words, proud actions, and vindictive thoughts, or does their bounty include selfless gestures and a gracious heart? Remember, God will judge us by what we sow in the hearts of others, be careful you're fruit isn't rotten.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Take a moment to examine how you have been treating others. Are you truly approaching them as Christ would?
Further Reading
Luke 6:31
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Scripture to Comfort
by Meghan Kleppinger
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Matthew 5:4, NAS
If you have ever suffered a broken relationship and/or heart, the loss of a loved one, or any number of other devastations, than you know about "that" pain.
It's that pain that originates in the bottom of your stomach and initially feels like a big numb ball. Later it develops into a raw gnawing that can only be equated to burning stabs of fire. It makes it way up through the intestines and finally settles in the throat, choking out all attempted spoken words and creating such an excruciating sensation that tears are sure to follow.
Like any other person who has spent more than a few days on this planet, I know "that" pain well. It comes quickly and when it does, it's difficult to believe that it will ever go away. It brings about sorrow, grief, and as it eventually begins to fade away, it brings guilt.
This has been a tough year for my family. We've lost friends and recently, just a few short weeks ago, my grandfather. I know I'm not an anomaly and that people all over the world are suffering a similar pain, so as I began to pray about what I should write about for this week, I started thinking about what has really been helpful for me during these times.
Friends and family have been great, but most of all, scripture has been comforting me. My hope is that the scripture I share with you will be beneficial to you as you grieve or that you can use it to minister to others who are suffering.
"Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful." (John 14:27)
"And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us." (Romans 5:5)
"The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed n spirit." (Psalm 34:18)
"The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever." (1 John 2:17)
"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." (Psalm 147:3)
"And He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away." (Revelation 21:4)
And finally...
"For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words." (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)
Intersecting Faith & Life: Go to the Word of God for comfort. In the words of Matthew Henry, ""The Word of God gives us great help in attaining the peace we need. It is living, very lively and active in seizing the conscience of the sinner, in cutting him to the heart, and in comforting him and binding up the wounds of the soul. It is powerful. It convinces powerfully, converts powerfully, and comforts powerfully.""
Further Reading
Revelation 21:3-5
Why Does God Comfort Those Who Mourn?
Learning True Comfort
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A Thankful Tomorrow
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Culture Editor
"How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you, which you bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in you." – Psalms 31:19
I've always really enjoyed Thanksgiving. Sure, the family can be pretty crazy at times, and I usually end up on dish duty after the meal, but Thanksgiving has always been a time for me to stop and realize how blessed I am. Friends, family, a warm meal, there are many simple things in this life that are easy to take for granted, so it's good to have a day that reminds us to be thankful for all God has given us. The problem is that's usually how long it lasts, a day. After the food has been eaten and prayers have been said, many people wake up the next morning and jump head first into the madness of Black Friday.
I can only remember shopping twice on Black Friday, and I regretted it both times. It's complete chaos, with people running, screaming, and sometimes even fighting each other over things they want to buy. I've never had any crazy experiences myself, but my brother-in-law remembers a particularly strange incident that happened while he was in college. One year, while he and my sister were still dating, he drove up to visit her on the Friday after Thanksgiving. He had left his house at 3am with hopes of avoiding the holiday rush and was making good time on the freeway when suddenly, out of nowhere, a long line of traffic appeared in the distance.
At first he thought there had been an accident, but as he got closer he realized that the stalled traffic was due to cars making complete stops on the freeway so their passengers could get out, jump the guard rails, and climb a small hill to a nearby outlet mall. It's ironic, and a little sad, that a day which celebrates American greed happens after the holiday about being thankful. At times like these, it's important that as Christians realize we cannot live Christ-centered lives when we leapfrog between God and possessions.
"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money." (Matthew 6:24)
So don't throw out your thankfulness with the evening leftovers, but hold onto it as the Advent season begins. Remember the blessings Christ has given us and use them to prepare yourself for Christmas, when we celebrate the birth of Christ, the greatest gift of all.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Don't let the crazy shopping season distract you from what's really important.
Further Reading
1 Timothy 4:4
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