This morning I am contemplating some verses from John's first letter. As compared to the rest of the New Testament, these were likely written almost 60 years after Jesus' death and ascension. Thus, they provide some insight into the thoughts that were prevalent in the church, a few decades after its founding. I have read many of the early Apostolic fathers letters, trying to better understand the life and thought of the early church. In the same way that the Lord calls us back to our first love (first experiences of Him - see Rev. 2:4-5) I believe He calls us to make sure that our thinking and culture are aligned with what was originally put in place. The canon of scripture is so important for us to review and consider and compare our lives and experience to what they experienced, for it is meant to be a sort of measuring stick to which we compare our lives. This doesn't mean that there is no room for growth and maturation in the Body of Christ, but rather that we should constantly go back to these books and letters and compare ourselves to make sure we have not forgotten our founding principles and beliefs.
Going back to the verses from John, he is basically describing the core focus of the faith after 60 years of maturation within the church. Here are the verses - 1 John 3:16-18, 23-24 NIV:
[16] "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 and sisters. [17] If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? [18] Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth."
[23] "And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. [24] The one who keeps God's commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us."
These 5 verses summarize things quite nicely. First, we are called to believe in Jesus, and all that He did and proclaimed. Second we are called to love one another. Third, we are called to an intimate, indwelling relationship with God, through the Holy Spirit. Fourthly, our love for each other is active.
I was reading an article this weekend about a young women who had gone through an extensive search for truth, and had settled on the following definition for her faith, "Love God, love people. Love, period." (Reba Riley, KC Star Interview 8/30/2105). I find her summation of her faith pretty similar to what John lays out here. It seems to me that for many of us, our church experience is much more complicated. There are programs, and complex theologies, and arguments over specifics of eschatology, and the like, and we really could boil the basics down to a few simple things.
1) Love God and be in relationship with Him.
2) Love one another and do so actively, the way Jesus did.
Obviously there is much more that we can add to this, but I think these really are the two basic foundations for our faith. Jesus gave us a new command to Love one another (John 13:34) and said this is how people would know that we are His followers. Paul wrote later in his letter to the Galatians 5:14 NIV: "For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Both of these is predicated on the first foundation that we do this in response to our love for God, and relationship with Him.
I think we, members of the Body of Christ, would be well served to gather around those things that we hold in common, rather than allow ourselves to be divided by those things we can't come to agreement on. If we could learn to love one another the way Jesus loved us, we would find that the little and big disagreements are less important than one another! When we really lay down our lives for one another we begin to discover the significance and beauty of each other. When we love each other actively we experience and serve the true person, not some objectified individual that we have classified by belief or label. In the end, I believe this is the core of compassion, seeing each other for who we truly are, and in that, seeing one another's need for love and acceptance, mercy and forgiveness.
Lord, I pray that You will help me to love the way You loved! Help me to love my fellow brothers and sisters the way you loved me, in action. Help me to see the unique and significant value in everyone I meet, regardless of what they think, what they believe and what they think of me!
Monday, August 31, 2015
Saturday, August 29, 2015
Judgment and Humility
This morning I felt like I should read from the letter of James 4:4-12 NIV:
[4] "You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. [5] Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us ? [6] But he gives us more grace.
That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”
[7] Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. [8] Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. [9] Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. [10] Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
[11] Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. [12] There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you---who are you to judge your neighbor?"
It seems the theme the Lord has been expanding to me is judgment and acceptance. It is actually pretty interesting how often this whole topic is dealt with in the New Testament. The term is used 65 times in the New Testament, and at least half of those speak of the Day of Judgment. Jesus, Paul, Peter, James, Jude and the author of the letter to the Hebrews all write about judgment, so apparently it was a popular subject.
It is interesting the James includes statements about judgment immediately following his discussion of the need to be humble. Actually I think that makes perfect sense for the one who judges takes a place above the one they judge, as if they have authority. Putting ourselves above another, is really an indication of pride. I saw somewhere recently a statement that pride is the chief weapon of satan. It was clearly his main downfall, and makes sense that it is the chief tool he uses to cause us to sin. At the core of this sin is the idea that we know better, and are better than those around us, and that can include God.
When we take Jesus' place as judge over someone, are we not saying effectively that we are a better judge than He is? Maybe we don't believe that He is doing a good job judging them, or punishing them for their obvious sin. Maybe we think that He is taking too long, and that He shouldn't be as merciful as He is. Whatever the vague thoughts or feelings we have when we step into the position of judgment, we are effectively taking Jesus' place. Lord have mercy on us!
Another attitude that seems to be common is when we assume the motives of someone else. We look at their life and we think we know what they are thinking, and judge them accordingly. Again, who knows our every thought, and the secrets of our hearts, it certainly is no one besides God. For us to assume that we know, is once again taking the rightful place of the Lord. He is the only one who knows everything, who understands the persons life, thoughts, emotions, sins and obedience and even their future. He is the Lord of their life, and is fully capable of being their Lord. He really doesn't need our help!
Additionally, as Jesus put it so eloquently, we need to deal with the plank in our own eye before we deal with the speck of sawdust in someone else's (Matt 7:3-5). In other words we need to humbly review our own life, and submit ourselves to His Lordship first. If we humble ourselves, if we soberly view our own lives in comparison to Him, we will have a lifetime of opportunity to change ourselves. We will have so much to focus on (our plank) that we really will never need to review anyone else's life. If we think we have it all figured out, or that we are doing really well in an area, then we likely have the plank of pride to deal with. Every one of the Saints that I have read are convinced of their own sinfulness. In fact it seems that the closer they get to Christ, the more aware they are of their own sinfulness. I have yet to read of a Saint, who thought they were a Saint. Every one of them was very aware of their own plank.
Finally, our decisions to be friends with the world (meaning we embrace the spirit of the world, and worldly attitudes and thoughts) puts us at enmity with God - yikes! The word enmity means a deep and unfriendly feeling. The word has the same root as our word enemy. I don't think that is where I want to be in relationship with God. Jesus came to reveal the Father (Luke 10:21-22), to destroy the works of the enemy (1 John 3:8) and to establish the Kingdom of God (Luke 4:43), anything that is not inline with these works is effectively working against Him. The world would have us focus on our own initiatives, our own priorities, our own wants and needs. I hate to say it but the root of that type of focus is pride. We are saying that we know better how to live our life, and what we need.
The good news in all of this is that God knows each of us, our depravity, our cluelessness, our sin, and our efforts to do good. He sees us in our need and rather than judge us, He gives us more grace (James 4:6). As I have written before, grace is unmerited favor. In other words, lest we be prideful about this favor of God it is unmerited, or unearned, as in nothing we have done has earned us His favor. He loved us while we were still sinners. He loved us so much that He died for us, while we were still sinners. Nothing we did caused Him to extend this mercy, this forgiveness, this atoning sacrifice into our lives, yet He did. Praise God!
So, let us revel in His amazing grace, let us deal with our own planks and let us leave the judging and Lordship to Him. Amen and Amen!
[4] "You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. [5] Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us ? [6] But he gives us more grace.
That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”
[7] Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. [8] Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. [9] Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. [10] Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
[11] Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. [12] There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you---who are you to judge your neighbor?"
It seems the theme the Lord has been expanding to me is judgment and acceptance. It is actually pretty interesting how often this whole topic is dealt with in the New Testament. The term is used 65 times in the New Testament, and at least half of those speak of the Day of Judgment. Jesus, Paul, Peter, James, Jude and the author of the letter to the Hebrews all write about judgment, so apparently it was a popular subject.
It is interesting the James includes statements about judgment immediately following his discussion of the need to be humble. Actually I think that makes perfect sense for the one who judges takes a place above the one they judge, as if they have authority. Putting ourselves above another, is really an indication of pride. I saw somewhere recently a statement that pride is the chief weapon of satan. It was clearly his main downfall, and makes sense that it is the chief tool he uses to cause us to sin. At the core of this sin is the idea that we know better, and are better than those around us, and that can include God.
When we take Jesus' place as judge over someone, are we not saying effectively that we are a better judge than He is? Maybe we don't believe that He is doing a good job judging them, or punishing them for their obvious sin. Maybe we think that He is taking too long, and that He shouldn't be as merciful as He is. Whatever the vague thoughts or feelings we have when we step into the position of judgment, we are effectively taking Jesus' place. Lord have mercy on us!
Another attitude that seems to be common is when we assume the motives of someone else. We look at their life and we think we know what they are thinking, and judge them accordingly. Again, who knows our every thought, and the secrets of our hearts, it certainly is no one besides God. For us to assume that we know, is once again taking the rightful place of the Lord. He is the only one who knows everything, who understands the persons life, thoughts, emotions, sins and obedience and even their future. He is the Lord of their life, and is fully capable of being their Lord. He really doesn't need our help!
Additionally, as Jesus put it so eloquently, we need to deal with the plank in our own eye before we deal with the speck of sawdust in someone else's (Matt 7:3-5). In other words we need to humbly review our own life, and submit ourselves to His Lordship first. If we humble ourselves, if we soberly view our own lives in comparison to Him, we will have a lifetime of opportunity to change ourselves. We will have so much to focus on (our plank) that we really will never need to review anyone else's life. If we think we have it all figured out, or that we are doing really well in an area, then we likely have the plank of pride to deal with. Every one of the Saints that I have read are convinced of their own sinfulness. In fact it seems that the closer they get to Christ, the more aware they are of their own sinfulness. I have yet to read of a Saint, who thought they were a Saint. Every one of them was very aware of their own plank.
Finally, our decisions to be friends with the world (meaning we embrace the spirit of the world, and worldly attitudes and thoughts) puts us at enmity with God - yikes! The word enmity means a deep and unfriendly feeling. The word has the same root as our word enemy. I don't think that is where I want to be in relationship with God. Jesus came to reveal the Father (Luke 10:21-22), to destroy the works of the enemy (1 John 3:8) and to establish the Kingdom of God (Luke 4:43), anything that is not inline with these works is effectively working against Him. The world would have us focus on our own initiatives, our own priorities, our own wants and needs. I hate to say it but the root of that type of focus is pride. We are saying that we know better how to live our life, and what we need.
The good news in all of this is that God knows each of us, our depravity, our cluelessness, our sin, and our efforts to do good. He sees us in our need and rather than judge us, He gives us more grace (James 4:6). As I have written before, grace is unmerited favor. In other words, lest we be prideful about this favor of God it is unmerited, or unearned, as in nothing we have done has earned us His favor. He loved us while we were still sinners. He loved us so much that He died for us, while we were still sinners. Nothing we did caused Him to extend this mercy, this forgiveness, this atoning sacrifice into our lives, yet He did. Praise God!
So, let us revel in His amazing grace, let us deal with our own planks and let us leave the judging and Lordship to Him. Amen and Amen!
Thursday, August 27, 2015
He Is The Way, Demonstrates The Truth, and Invites Us to Share The Life.
This morning I opened up my Bible to John 14, which is where I was looking up a verse yesterday. Sometimes, as soon as I open the Bible it seems like it is exactly where and what the Lord would have me read, and that is how it felt this morning. Here are the verses for today - John 14:1-12 NIV:
[1] “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God ; believe also in me. [2] My Father's house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? [3] 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. [4] You know the way to the place where I am going.”
[5] Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
[6] Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. [7] If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”
[8] Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”
[9] Jesus answered: “Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? [10] Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. [11] Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. [12] Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father."
This set of verses contains some of the most quoted verses in all Scripture. As such, we can feel they are familiar and just pass on over without spending much time on them. I try to stop myself from doing that whenever possible, for they are significant for a reason.
Summarizing the first exchange - Jesus is going away, and He will come back and bring us with Him to the Father. He wants us to share in the life that He has with the Father, that is why He plans on bringing us to where He is. We already know the way (Him), but He is essential in the journey, for it through Him, through relationship with Him that we can come to the Father. I know I have devoted many entries to the core of our faith being relationships, and here we have a perfect example of why I focus on this theme.
Thomas was thinking that Jesus meant some specific place, somewhere that our actions could take us. Jesus corrected him and said quite simply that it was only through Him that we could come to the Father. If that is not a picture of relationship, I don't know what is? If I told you that I could introduce you to the Pope, or any other important person that you had no way of meeting on your own, it would be true that your relationship with me was your 'way' to meet this person. For this reason we believe that the way to the Father is only through Jesus, through relationship with Him. It is not through being a member of a church that worships Him, it is through relationship with Him, for He is not concerned with our membership in an organization, but rather is desirous of personal and interactive relationship. The Name of Jesus is not a secret password that gains you access to Heaven or to the Father, it is through knowing Him, as Jesus clearly says in verse 7.
The second exchange is also very significant, for in it Philip is asking for the introduction to the Father that Jesus describes in verses 1-7, and again Jesus provides clarification. Philip asks to see the Father, and Jesus clearly states that everything He does is exactly what the Father is doing. If we have seen Him, we have seen the Father. His words and His actions are from the Father. This is what Jesus came to do, to reveal the Father to us. When He is speaking or ministering, He is doing so at the direction of the Father. In fact, He is in the Father and the Father is in Him (verse 11).
This is so significant, for Jesus was not some prophet speaking for God, nor was He some good and wise teacher speaking with better insight or more truth. He was and is the Son of God the Father, speaking the very words of God the Father, living in unity with God the Father, doing exactly what God the Father would do and is doing. He is the truth! We cannot just gloss over Jesus as being a nice man, who we might like or might think highly of, He was the exact representation of the Father (Heb 1:3) and He says so Himself right here. That fact alone should cause us to stop and think about our relationship with Him.
Finally, the other really important theme is that Jesus didn't just say these words, but He proved the truth of these words! It was through the healings, miracles, signs and wonders that He proved He was who He said He was! Not only that, but He will continue to prove that He is present with the Father, and continuing to be active in our lives through enabling us to do the very same things (healings, miracles, signs and wonders) that He did (verse 12). We are not meant to be just bearers of good words, or even the Good News, we are meant to be able to prove the truth of these words, through the same and greater things! Wow!
Paul understood this truth, and when he ministered, he made sure he removed his towering intellect from the equation, and instead relied on the power of Holy Spirit to present evidence. He said in 1 Corinthians 2:4-5 NIV: "My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God's power."
This morning I am encouraged to press in further, into relationship with Jesus. I am encouraged to pursue knowing Him, and in knowing Him, knowing the Father. I am encouraged to press into His life that He shares with the Father, for that is His invitation. Finally, I am encouraged to continue to believe that we are called to present the same proof that He did, proving that He is with the Father, and He is the way, the truth and the life that we all seek.
Amen!
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Relationship Over Rules
This morning I felt like I should read from John's Gospel, chapter nine. I am quite familiar with this chapter, so I was wondering if the Lord was wanting to review one of the main topics in this chapter. Instead I fond myself wondering about the Sabbath regulations, for that is what the Pharisees were all upset about concerning Jesus' healing, for he had made mud on the Sabbath.
Here are the verses from John 9:1-7, 13-16 NIV:
[1] "As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. [2] His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
[3] “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. [4] As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. [5] While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
[6] After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes. [7] “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.
[13] They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. [14] Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man's eyes was a Sabbath. [15] Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. “He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied, “and I washed, and now I see.”
[16] Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs?” So they were divided."
Apparently the Sabbath regulations were very limiting and the Pharisees were the ones who judged behavior and compared it to the book of Jewish law (Talmud). This book was based on the original scriptures (Torah), but then added clarity and additional refinement of the laws. Much of it is composed of questions and then discussions about the question. So at some point after reading the original verses from Exodus concerning the Sabbath, someone asked the question, 'what exactly is work?' Here is the original verse - Exodus 20:10 NIV: ..."but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns."
Thus, when Jesus made mud, He must have been doing something that was forbidden according to the Talmud, after they had thoroughly defined work to include making mud. One can almost appreciate the concern of the Pharisees, for many of these extended laws had existed for centuries, and were widely held and embraced by the people. When Jesus comes doing amazing miracles, but doing some of them on the Sabbath, they were in a serious conundrum.
This whole situation causes one to wonder about the original intent of God, and the modification of that intent by man, expanding it and modifying it as it made sense to them. One wonders how much of today's Christian walk is comprised of similar expansions of God's original intent. This is a very slippery slope to walk upon, for the Holy Spirit clearly brought about new revelation after Jesus ascended for that is His job, as described by Jesus (John 16:13), so we can't limit ourselves to just what Jesus said, and what is in the Old Testament. Neither can we just limit ourselves to that which is in the New Testament, for clearly not everything is covered, especially in this modern age. How do we discern God's intent and embrace the freedom that Jesus purchased for us (Gal 5:1)?
There are a couple of important things to consider. First, Jesus fulfilled the requirements of the Law so that we don't need to, and He has set us free from the Law (Rom 8:2). His blood purchased forgiveness for every sin under the law (Heb 9:15). Second, Jesus established a New Covenant (Luke 22:20) and gave us a new commandment (John 13:34). It seems the New Testament understanding of fulfilling the law was based on this "new" command - as Paul wrote - Galatians 5:14 NIV: "For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” So when we read about the Law in the Old Testament, they really don't apply to us anymore, as Jesus has freed us from them.
Jesus in His famous "Sermon on the Mount" (Matt 5:3 - 7:28) made it clear that the Father was more concerned about our hearts and minds than about external obedience. He was speaking for the Father (John 12:49), and describing for us the heart and intent of the Father. It is possible to perfect in works (Old Covenant), but completely lost in heart and mind, and that is what Jesus was addressing during this extended description of God's perspective. The Father is after our hearts, and desirous of our affection. He sent Jesus to demonstrate His character and heart - and when we see Jesus, we see the Father (John 14:9).
Jesus was doing exactly what the Father told Him to do when He healed the man born blind. He made mud because that is what the Father said to do. The Father was the author of the original Ten Commandments, and He knew exactly what He meant. He wanted the people to stop their work and rest and consider God's love and provision. What greater show of love and provision than to provide new eyes and a new life to one who had been born blind? The Sabbath was about honoring God, not about refraining from work, and that is where we so often get it wrong. We look at things from a 'don't do this perspective', rather than embracing a positive perspective change about God's love, faithfulness and provision.
I can almost see God trying to tell the people about His love and faithfulness, His mercy and compassion, and all the people wanted to know was what they couldn't do. They were more worried about the rules then they were about relationship. Thus the new command was all about relationship - "love one another".
Thus, I am encouraged today to look at my heart and mind and see if I have missed the intent of God. Am I more concerned about obedience to rules, than I am about relationship? Am I pursuing relationship with God first? In our church, are we more concerned about programs than we are about people? Are we more focused on liturgy than on love for one another? Are we leading with love and relationship, or leading with rules and requirements?
Lord help me to focus on that which You are focused on. I want to have my heart in line with Your heart. I want to live my life fulfilling Your intent, and revealing Your intent to those around me. You are love, and so often we miss that because of our concern for the rules.
Here are the verses from John 9:1-7, 13-16 NIV:
[1] "As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. [2] His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
[3] “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. [4] As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. [5] While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
[6] After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes. [7] “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.
[13] They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. [14] Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man's eyes was a Sabbath. [15] Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. “He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied, “and I washed, and now I see.”
[16] Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs?” So they were divided."
Apparently the Sabbath regulations were very limiting and the Pharisees were the ones who judged behavior and compared it to the book of Jewish law (Talmud). This book was based on the original scriptures (Torah), but then added clarity and additional refinement of the laws. Much of it is composed of questions and then discussions about the question. So at some point after reading the original verses from Exodus concerning the Sabbath, someone asked the question, 'what exactly is work?' Here is the original verse - Exodus 20:10 NIV: ..."but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns."
Thus, when Jesus made mud, He must have been doing something that was forbidden according to the Talmud, after they had thoroughly defined work to include making mud. One can almost appreciate the concern of the Pharisees, for many of these extended laws had existed for centuries, and were widely held and embraced by the people. When Jesus comes doing amazing miracles, but doing some of them on the Sabbath, they were in a serious conundrum.
This whole situation causes one to wonder about the original intent of God, and the modification of that intent by man, expanding it and modifying it as it made sense to them. One wonders how much of today's Christian walk is comprised of similar expansions of God's original intent. This is a very slippery slope to walk upon, for the Holy Spirit clearly brought about new revelation after Jesus ascended for that is His job, as described by Jesus (John 16:13), so we can't limit ourselves to just what Jesus said, and what is in the Old Testament. Neither can we just limit ourselves to that which is in the New Testament, for clearly not everything is covered, especially in this modern age. How do we discern God's intent and embrace the freedom that Jesus purchased for us (Gal 5:1)?
There are a couple of important things to consider. First, Jesus fulfilled the requirements of the Law so that we don't need to, and He has set us free from the Law (Rom 8:2). His blood purchased forgiveness for every sin under the law (Heb 9:15). Second, Jesus established a New Covenant (Luke 22:20) and gave us a new commandment (John 13:34). It seems the New Testament understanding of fulfilling the law was based on this "new" command - as Paul wrote - Galatians 5:14 NIV: "For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” So when we read about the Law in the Old Testament, they really don't apply to us anymore, as Jesus has freed us from them.
Jesus in His famous "Sermon on the Mount" (Matt 5:3 - 7:28) made it clear that the Father was more concerned about our hearts and minds than about external obedience. He was speaking for the Father (John 12:49), and describing for us the heart and intent of the Father. It is possible to perfect in works (Old Covenant), but completely lost in heart and mind, and that is what Jesus was addressing during this extended description of God's perspective. The Father is after our hearts, and desirous of our affection. He sent Jesus to demonstrate His character and heart - and when we see Jesus, we see the Father (John 14:9).
Jesus was doing exactly what the Father told Him to do when He healed the man born blind. He made mud because that is what the Father said to do. The Father was the author of the original Ten Commandments, and He knew exactly what He meant. He wanted the people to stop their work and rest and consider God's love and provision. What greater show of love and provision than to provide new eyes and a new life to one who had been born blind? The Sabbath was about honoring God, not about refraining from work, and that is where we so often get it wrong. We look at things from a 'don't do this perspective', rather than embracing a positive perspective change about God's love, faithfulness and provision.
I can almost see God trying to tell the people about His love and faithfulness, His mercy and compassion, and all the people wanted to know was what they couldn't do. They were more worried about the rules then they were about relationship. Thus the new command was all about relationship - "love one another".
Thus, I am encouraged today to look at my heart and mind and see if I have missed the intent of God. Am I more concerned about obedience to rules, than I am about relationship? Am I pursuing relationship with God first? In our church, are we more concerned about programs than we are about people? Are we more focused on liturgy than on love for one another? Are we leading with love and relationship, or leading with rules and requirements?
Lord help me to focus on that which You are focused on. I want to have my heart in line with Your heart. I want to live my life fulfilling Your intent, and revealing Your intent to those around me. You are love, and so often we miss that because of our concern for the rules.
Accept One Another, As Christ Accepted You
I am reading from Paul's letter to the Romans this evening. I started reading in chapter 14, and although there was good stuff there, I didn't feel the Spirit quickening anything to me. I turned the page and started on chapter 15 and immediately knew these were the verses I was being directed to. Here are the verses I am focusing on - Romans 15:1-7 NIV:
[1] "We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. [2] Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up. [3] For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.” [4] For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.
[5] May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, [6] so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
[7] Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God."
Recently my wife and I were discussing the need to see people as God sees them, and these verses from Paul are a perfect follow-on to that conversation. Focusing in on verses 5 and 7, we see Paul praying for the Romans that they might have the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus [had towards them]. In other words, he is encouraging them to look at each other the way Jesus looks at them. Jesus died for them while they were still sinners, because of His love for them - that is the attitude Paul is encouraging. What a radical, self-sacrificing love!!
Paul takes it one step further and tells them to "accept one another, just as Christ accepted you..." It is important to note once again that Jesus accepted us while we were sinners. He came to call sinners, and that is what He expects. Paul is encouraging us to do the same, to expect that when we meet people that they are sinners, and to not be put off by them when they are found to be so. I love the conversation of Brother Lawrence, who when he was confessing his sin to the Lord said something to the effect of, "I am sorry for sinning, but what do you expect, I am a sinner." There is such an honest assessment in his statement that would be beneficial to us all.
Now he is writing to the church in Rome, so one must believe that most of them were believers, but Paul's statements still are applicable even if someone was not a believer. Earlier in chapter 14 Paul was writing about not judging those who are weaker in their faith (Rom 14:1-13) and I think we could replace the phrase "weaker in their faith" just as easily with "younger in their faith". I am always amazed at the way some mature Christians expect new converts to immediately embrace all the things that took them years to learn. We can have such a judgmental attitude towards new believers, and I think that is part of what Paul is discussing here. We must learn to look at people the way the Lord looks at people.
When the Lord looks at us, He sees us as He created us, all the potential, all the gifts, every day of our life, and every thought and deed. He sees all the potential and all the goodness. When we entrust ourselves to His salvation, through faith, we become hidden in Him, and His gifts and character become the lenses through which He sees us. Imagine if we saw in each other what He sees in us. Wouldn't that be glorious?! Imagine if when we looked at people, every person we encounter, we saw them the way Jesus sees them. That is Paul's prayer for the Romans and for the whole church, which includes us.
Finally Paul says that we should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up. I think nothing pleases people more than when people see them for who they are, appreciate their talents, gifts and uniqueness. We have incredible blessings in our lives, and it is right to recognize them! Let us endeavor to be a church that sees people as Christ sees them, recognizing their value and worth to Him. Let us not just see them that way, but let us learn to treat them the way we see them. Jesus laid down His life for the joy that was set before Him (I think that was all of us) and we are called to lay down our lives for one another, through Love. Let us embrace, welcome and accept one another the way that Christ Jesus accepted us, while we were still sinners.
Amen!
Sunday, August 23, 2015
Changing Our Mindset - A Great Challenge
This morning I am continuing my meditation that started yesterday morning. I am reading from Paul's letter to the Philippians. I am quite familiar with this book, so sometimes it takes a bit of rereading to make it fresh and alive. This morning I saw something in the second chapter that is worth thinking about some more. Here are the verses, which are bookends to a thought Paul had - Philippians 2:1-5, 19-22 NIV:
[1] "Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, [2] then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. [3] Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, [4] not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
[5] In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
[19] I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you. [20] I have no one else like him, who will show genuine concern for your welfare. [21] For everyone looks out for their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. [22] But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel."
As I was reading this chapter, Paul's use of the phrase "own interests" in verse 4 and verse 21 is what caught my attention. I believe that we could replace that phrase with a more modern term "selfishness" which Paul uses in verse 3. In fact, as I look at the verses I have quoted, it is clear that we can have three areas of concern, for ourselves, for others and for Christ. Paul clearly encourages us to embrace concern for the latter two, while rejecting the first, self concern.
This is a very unpopular theme in our modern day of self focus and pursuit of pleasure. We are bombarded with marketing and sales pitches that appeal to our selfishness. One of my wife's favorite clothes catalogs has the following theme boldly proclaimed on its front cover, "my time. my place. my self." It is actually a nice catalog filled with beautiful clothes, but the message is very clear. They are appealing to the selfishness inherent in their audience. Burger King's sales pitch used to be "Have it your way". These are just a couple of examples of a widely used approach and Paul would tell us to reject them with our whole heart and with our whole mind.
Instead, he encourages us to "value others above ourselves" and "not looking to our own interests but each of you to the interests of others". I don't think this was an encouragement to watch reality TV or gossip, but rather an encouragement to change the way we think, to change our mindset. This is not a simple thing to do for our natural selfish instinct is alive and well at an early age. All we need to do is observe a couple of 2 year-olds and it will be clear that their concept of "mine" is already well developed.
So how do we go about changing our mindset, especially one that is so well established at an early age? I believe the answer is love. In fact, I would say it is love and relationship. I know in my life the single greatest change in my selfish perspective came when I got married. I had lived in a large family and had great relationships with my siblings and parents, but my self-focus was still alive and well. However, when I got married, I really had the opportunity to change the way I thought, and I am glad to say that I embraced that opportunity. I think that in the greater number of failed marriages, one of the biggest reasons for failure is selfishness. I am no expert in marriage or counseling, so this is based on observation, but I know our success in marriage so far is related to our ability to consider one another's interests as equal or of more value than our own. It is in laying down our own lives for each other that we become one.
In the same way, it is in loving one another the way Christ loved us (John 13:34), laying down our lives for one another (1 John 3:16) that we become like-minded, "being one in spirit and of one mind". It is impossible to be unified if we are unwilling to lay down our lives, for this is not about everyone becoming like me. In the same way, our call is to follow Christ to daily lay down our lives (Matt 16:24). We are called to become like Him, not the other way around.
While I was thinking more about this, I felt like the Lord said that part of laying down one's life is being transparent with one another. We tend to resist full disclosure of our lives because we fear rejection if we do. We hold back, and in doing so we limit the depth of our relationships. In our churches we tend to put on our "Sunday best" our attitudes and images of having our lives together, of living right, of being holy, etc. If we only reveal that image to others, then our relationships will only be that deep, and based on that lie. As an example, I was talking with a pastor friend and He was bemoaning the fact that he can never have a real conversation with anyone in his church, because everyone is trying to keep up appearances. I find that statement completely accurate. It is only in the place of sharing life and walking together through good and bad, exciting and challenging, sickness and health, that we really know others. We are called to this in marriage, the best example of unity and oneness that we have, and we, I believe, are called to this same type of transparency in our relationships with our brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ.
I think that is probably one of the most personally challenging things I have ever written, for it goes against my strongly held desire for self preservation. My fear of man causes me to believe that if I share who I am, I will be rejected and judged and the image I have projected will be destroyed. In thinking about that, I find it very interesting, for even the thought of destruction of the image I have projected comes against my desire for self-preservation, yet it is the destruction of something that is false. I think the root of this is pride and fear. We are unwilling to show our weakness, our need, our true self, and we do so to maintain a false image of ourselves to others. We want others to believe we are better than we are, thus we put on airs, we puff our-selves up, we act holy, all of which are focused on our self, and thus are defined as prideful. All the while we do this, we fear that someone will discover the truth, and know us as we really are, and reject us.
It is only in the context of love, that I believe we can break free of this false-image projecting life-style. I have plenty of relationships with people, some I work with, some I know through other means, and I would be hard challenged to lay-down my life for any of those people. They aren't bad or anything, it is just that I don't love them. Now, on the other hand, I wouldn't hesitate to lay down my life for my family or for my close friends, and the difference is the context of love. This is why it is so important to have both in the Body of Christ, relationships and love. That is why the Lord commands us to love one another as He has loved us (John 13:34). It is in the context of love, connected by love, trusting in love, that we are able to become one, even as He and the Father are one (John 17:21).
This is the path we must tread if we desire to change our mindset, to look to the concerns of others, to become "one in spirit and of one mind." In this, we become like Christ, and we take on His interests and concerns as well, for this is His prayer and His desire. Jesus prayed the following, [20]“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, [21] that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. [22] I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one--- [23] I in them and you in me---so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." (John 17:20-23NIV)
In summary, I am greatly challenged this morning to love one another, to lay down my life, to be transparent with those people the Lord has given me relationship within the Body of Christ. I am greatly challenged to desire a changed mindset, a new way of thinking that is in stark contrast to the selfishness that is holed-up in my inner being.
Lord help me! It is only in You, in the safety of my identity in You, that I will ever have the courage and strength to truly lay down my life.
[1] "Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, [2] then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. [3] Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, [4] not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
[5] In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
[19] I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you. [20] I have no one else like him, who will show genuine concern for your welfare. [21] For everyone looks out for their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. [22] But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel."
As I was reading this chapter, Paul's use of the phrase "own interests" in verse 4 and verse 21 is what caught my attention. I believe that we could replace that phrase with a more modern term "selfishness" which Paul uses in verse 3. In fact, as I look at the verses I have quoted, it is clear that we can have three areas of concern, for ourselves, for others and for Christ. Paul clearly encourages us to embrace concern for the latter two, while rejecting the first, self concern.
This is a very unpopular theme in our modern day of self focus and pursuit of pleasure. We are bombarded with marketing and sales pitches that appeal to our selfishness. One of my wife's favorite clothes catalogs has the following theme boldly proclaimed on its front cover, "my time. my place. my self." It is actually a nice catalog filled with beautiful clothes, but the message is very clear. They are appealing to the selfishness inherent in their audience. Burger King's sales pitch used to be "Have it your way". These are just a couple of examples of a widely used approach and Paul would tell us to reject them with our whole heart and with our whole mind.
Instead, he encourages us to "value others above ourselves" and "not looking to our own interests but each of you to the interests of others". I don't think this was an encouragement to watch reality TV or gossip, but rather an encouragement to change the way we think, to change our mindset. This is not a simple thing to do for our natural selfish instinct is alive and well at an early age. All we need to do is observe a couple of 2 year-olds and it will be clear that their concept of "mine" is already well developed.
So how do we go about changing our mindset, especially one that is so well established at an early age? I believe the answer is love. In fact, I would say it is love and relationship. I know in my life the single greatest change in my selfish perspective came when I got married. I had lived in a large family and had great relationships with my siblings and parents, but my self-focus was still alive and well. However, when I got married, I really had the opportunity to change the way I thought, and I am glad to say that I embraced that opportunity. I think that in the greater number of failed marriages, one of the biggest reasons for failure is selfishness. I am no expert in marriage or counseling, so this is based on observation, but I know our success in marriage so far is related to our ability to consider one another's interests as equal or of more value than our own. It is in laying down our own lives for each other that we become one.
In the same way, it is in loving one another the way Christ loved us (John 13:34), laying down our lives for one another (1 John 3:16) that we become like-minded, "being one in spirit and of one mind". It is impossible to be unified if we are unwilling to lay down our lives, for this is not about everyone becoming like me. In the same way, our call is to follow Christ to daily lay down our lives (Matt 16:24). We are called to become like Him, not the other way around.
While I was thinking more about this, I felt like the Lord said that part of laying down one's life is being transparent with one another. We tend to resist full disclosure of our lives because we fear rejection if we do. We hold back, and in doing so we limit the depth of our relationships. In our churches we tend to put on our "Sunday best" our attitudes and images of having our lives together, of living right, of being holy, etc. If we only reveal that image to others, then our relationships will only be that deep, and based on that lie. As an example, I was talking with a pastor friend and He was bemoaning the fact that he can never have a real conversation with anyone in his church, because everyone is trying to keep up appearances. I find that statement completely accurate. It is only in the place of sharing life and walking together through good and bad, exciting and challenging, sickness and health, that we really know others. We are called to this in marriage, the best example of unity and oneness that we have, and we, I believe, are called to this same type of transparency in our relationships with our brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ.
I think that is probably one of the most personally challenging things I have ever written, for it goes against my strongly held desire for self preservation. My fear of man causes me to believe that if I share who I am, I will be rejected and judged and the image I have projected will be destroyed. In thinking about that, I find it very interesting, for even the thought of destruction of the image I have projected comes against my desire for self-preservation, yet it is the destruction of something that is false. I think the root of this is pride and fear. We are unwilling to show our weakness, our need, our true self, and we do so to maintain a false image of ourselves to others. We want others to believe we are better than we are, thus we put on airs, we puff our-selves up, we act holy, all of which are focused on our self, and thus are defined as prideful. All the while we do this, we fear that someone will discover the truth, and know us as we really are, and reject us.
It is only in the context of love, that I believe we can break free of this false-image projecting life-style. I have plenty of relationships with people, some I work with, some I know through other means, and I would be hard challenged to lay-down my life for any of those people. They aren't bad or anything, it is just that I don't love them. Now, on the other hand, I wouldn't hesitate to lay down my life for my family or for my close friends, and the difference is the context of love. This is why it is so important to have both in the Body of Christ, relationships and love. That is why the Lord commands us to love one another as He has loved us (John 13:34). It is in the context of love, connected by love, trusting in love, that we are able to become one, even as He and the Father are one (John 17:21).
This is the path we must tread if we desire to change our mindset, to look to the concerns of others, to become "one in spirit and of one mind." In this, we become like Christ, and we take on His interests and concerns as well, for this is His prayer and His desire. Jesus prayed the following, [20]“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, [21] that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. [22] I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one--- [23] I in them and you in me---so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." (John 17:20-23NIV)
In summary, I am greatly challenged this morning to love one another, to lay down my life, to be transparent with those people the Lord has given me relationship within the Body of Christ. I am greatly challenged to desire a changed mindset, a new way of thinking that is in stark contrast to the selfishness that is holed-up in my inner being.
Lord help me! It is only in You, in the safety of my identity in You, that I will ever have the courage and strength to truly lay down my life.
Friday, August 21, 2015
Knowledge vs. Love
This morning I am reflecting on an interesting set of verses from Paul's first letter to the 1 Corinthians 8:1-3 NIV:
[1] "Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that “We all possess knowledge.” But knowledge puffs up while love builds up. [2] Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know. [3] But whoever loves God is known by God."
I am not focusing on Paul's commentary concerning food sacrificed to Idols, but on his statement concerning knowledge and love. Although this is a bit of a generalization, I think there is much truth in what Paul writes, especially concerning God. We can spend our entire life trying to know God, and never come to an end of new revelation, for He is unfathomable. God speaks of this prophetically through the prophet Isaiah when He says, “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)
Paul's statement that "those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know" is saying exactly the same thing. Even when we think we know God, we don't really know Him fully. We are all on a journey of discovery, and He is infinite and Eternal, and we will never come to an end of Him. To think we know Him well enough is prideful, or puffing oneself up. In my thirty-plus years of following God, I fell like I am just starting to know Him, so I must agree with Paul. It is fine to recognize that we know Him, but we should never think we are an expert. :-)
Love, in contrast, is more constructive, or as Paul says, it "builds up". This could also be translated as edifies, and the sense is that it adds to, as in building a house. Paul says that knowledge puffs up, as in inflating a balloon. I think this is a good word picture, one builds a permanent addition, the other has the image of increase but very limited substance. Paul says that those who love God are known by God, and one could say the opposite is also true, they know God.
I think what Paul is speaking about here is relationship versus head knowledge. When someone is in relationship with someone, they know them in a way that all the studying of the facts concerning them, and reading their writings can never reveal. Part of that understanding comes from the dynamic exchange that occurs within a relationship. In real relationships there is action and reaction, thoughts that generate responses, creative exchanges of ideas and thoughts, all of which are spontaneous, and new. Knowledge is based on past experiences, relationship has that but much more.
For example, I have been married to my sweetheart for 29+ years. I know her very well, yet I am am constantly learning about her. When we talk, I gain insight and understanding, adding to my already extensive collection, but there is always something new, refreshing and alive about our conversations and discussions. In these exchanges, I am learning about her, she is learning about me, and I am growing in my love for her! If I had stopped learning about her after 10 years of marriage, Paul's statement about knowledge would have been very accurate, 'I think I know her, but I don't know her as I ought to know her' for clearly there was much more.
So my encouragement this morning is to continue to press into relationship with God, into loving Him, and conversing with Him. I will never come to a place of knowing Him fully, but I can always be learning and expanding, building on what I have learned. He is equally desirous of relationship with me, and in that I take comfort, for relationship with Him is thus attainable.
[1] "Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that “We all possess knowledge.” But knowledge puffs up while love builds up. [2] Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know. [3] But whoever loves God is known by God."
I am not focusing on Paul's commentary concerning food sacrificed to Idols, but on his statement concerning knowledge and love. Although this is a bit of a generalization, I think there is much truth in what Paul writes, especially concerning God. We can spend our entire life trying to know God, and never come to an end of new revelation, for He is unfathomable. God speaks of this prophetically through the prophet Isaiah when He says, “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)
Paul's statement that "those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know" is saying exactly the same thing. Even when we think we know God, we don't really know Him fully. We are all on a journey of discovery, and He is infinite and Eternal, and we will never come to an end of Him. To think we know Him well enough is prideful, or puffing oneself up. In my thirty-plus years of following God, I fell like I am just starting to know Him, so I must agree with Paul. It is fine to recognize that we know Him, but we should never think we are an expert. :-)
Love, in contrast, is more constructive, or as Paul says, it "builds up". This could also be translated as edifies, and the sense is that it adds to, as in building a house. Paul says that knowledge puffs up, as in inflating a balloon. I think this is a good word picture, one builds a permanent addition, the other has the image of increase but very limited substance. Paul says that those who love God are known by God, and one could say the opposite is also true, they know God.
I think what Paul is speaking about here is relationship versus head knowledge. When someone is in relationship with someone, they know them in a way that all the studying of the facts concerning them, and reading their writings can never reveal. Part of that understanding comes from the dynamic exchange that occurs within a relationship. In real relationships there is action and reaction, thoughts that generate responses, creative exchanges of ideas and thoughts, all of which are spontaneous, and new. Knowledge is based on past experiences, relationship has that but much more.
For example, I have been married to my sweetheart for 29+ years. I know her very well, yet I am am constantly learning about her. When we talk, I gain insight and understanding, adding to my already extensive collection, but there is always something new, refreshing and alive about our conversations and discussions. In these exchanges, I am learning about her, she is learning about me, and I am growing in my love for her! If I had stopped learning about her after 10 years of marriage, Paul's statement about knowledge would have been very accurate, 'I think I know her, but I don't know her as I ought to know her' for clearly there was much more.
So my encouragement this morning is to continue to press into relationship with God, into loving Him, and conversing with Him. I will never come to a place of knowing Him fully, but I can always be learning and expanding, building on what I have learned. He is equally desirous of relationship with me, and in that I take comfort, for relationship with Him is thus attainable.
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Extending Mercy
This morning I felt like reading about mercy, and the following verses are quite an interesting study in the subject of mercy.
Matthew 9:9-13 NIV:
[9] "As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.
[10] While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. [11] When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
[12] On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. [13] But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
This is Jesus' second statement about mercy, the first was during His sermon on the mount (Matt. 5:7). However, in this statement He adds some clarity that is good for us to think on. He equates mercy with reaching out to sinners, to those who are lost. In fact, the word is often times translated as compassion and Jesus expressed compassion when He saw the crowds of the lost (see Matt 9:36 or Matt 14:14).
When I read the word mercy I tend to think of doing something nice to someone who is down on their luck, or not treating someone as their behaviors deserve. I thought it would be interesting to take a look at a comparison of the original Greek compared to the English translation.
When we read the English word mercy, we would generally apply the following definition (Webster's Dictionary):
1 a : compassion or forbearance shown especially to an offender or to one subject to one's power; also : lenient or compassionate treatment
b : imprisonment rather than death imposed as penalty for first-degree murder
2 a : a blessing that is an act of divine favor or compassion
b : a fortunate circumstance
3 : compassionate treatment of those in distress
In the original Greek, the word that was translated mercy is Eleos.
Definition
1) mercy: kindness or good will towards the miserable and the afflicted, joined with a desire to help them
2) of men towards men: to exercise the virtue of mercy, show one's self merciful
3) of God towards men: in general providence; the mercy and clemency of God in providing and offering to men salvation by Christ
4) the mercy of Christ, whereby at his return to judgment he will bless true Christians with eternal life
While the two definitions are similar, there is one major difference, as I read them, and that is the offer of salvation, through Christ Jesus. This is help for the soul, not just help for the physical needs.
The idea I think that Jesus is pressing into here is that mercy, from the Father's perspective, means the opportunity to receive salvation, and enter into relationship with Him. He does not just understand the sinners situation, but has a desire to help them, and thus He sent His Son Jesus, not to just help them, but to know them as well. He is not after our sacrifices, or religious acts, but rather desirous of our extending His mercy and invitation to relationship to those we meet, to the lost and lonely, wounded and worried, the sinner, the rejected, the down-trodden.
I find it interesting that Jesus extends an invitation to Matthew, to follow Himself, and the first thing we see that He does is go eat dinner at Matthew's house. We don't know what Jesus said to Matthew in between the invitation and the dinner party, but the pursuit of relationship is evident. In fact, Jesus didn't just want to get to know Matthew, but wanted to know his whole family, and his friends. He operates in the same way in our lives, desiring to know us and enter into every area of our life.
Finally the original Greek word translated "sick" in verse 12, is the word Kakos, and this means miserable, to be ill or improperly, wrongly. I think the fuller meaning is more appropriate, as Matthew and his friends were not physically ill, but rather were thinking about themselves improperly or wrongly, and their souls were sick. Jesus was not after right action (sacrifice) but right identity and relationship, which when embraced brings health, healing and salvation. Jesus does not look down on them for having a wrong perspective of their identity, as the Pharisees would have, instead He comes into their lives and through interaction and relationship brings revelation and ultimately salvation.
In summary, we are invited and called to offer the same mercy to those around us who are in need. He is our source of power and stirs our hearts to have compassion, even as He is compassionate. Let us embrace His mercy in our own lives, and extend it to those around us, our family and friends.
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
To Know God = Eternal Life
This morning I am reading from John 17:1-5 NIV:
[1] "After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:
“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. [2] For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. [3] Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. [4] I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. [5] And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began."
I love these verses, because I think they explain the very core of eternal life, knowing God, as in relationship with God. The Greek work John used here is
Ginosko. Its definition is as follows:
1) to learn to know, come to know, get a knowledge of perceive, feel
a) to become known
2) to know, understand, perceive, have knowledge of
a) to understand
3) to knowJewish idiom for sexual intercourse between a man and a woman
4) to become acquainted with, to know
John's choice of a word is indicative of relationship, both knowing about, but also understanding and intimacy. This is what eternal life is all about. This is why we can experience this life here on earth. This is why Jesus taught the disciples to pray, "...your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." (Matt 6:10). It is possible to experience this eternal life here on earth! Awesome!
Secondly, this is the result of Jesus becoming the perfect sacrifice, and by His death making a way for us to have relationship with God. In His death, He caused the way to become open to the Father, that we might experience His presence. The author of the Letter to the Hebrews wrote it this way. [19] "Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, [20] by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body,..." (Heb. 10:19-20).
This eternal life is something Jesus has given us, for the Father has given us all to Him (John 10:2), and given Him authority over all things, including us (Matt 28:18). This is the great gift, the great treasure, the pearl of great price (Matt 13:44-46). This gift comes in the form of a person, the Holy Spirit who takes up residence in our bodies (1 Cor 6:19). Not only the Holy Spirit, but since God is the Trinity, the Father and the Son are with us as well. Jesus said it this way, [22] "I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one--- [23] I in them and you in me---so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." (John 17:22-23).
Finally, if this is the great gift, and its available even now, then it must be possible to experience and enjoy. His full intention is that we have the ability to be in relationship with Him, thus He must make it possible for us to experience this in our lives here, not just in heaven. I have written this many times, but it is no less true, if God wants us to be in relationship with Him, then He will make it possible. He does not hold back, stay on His Holy and Glorious throne in Heaven, but He wants to be involved in our lives, here and now, allowing us to know Him, and be in relationship with Him. He desires so much more for us, and desires to reveal Himself to us. Our choice defines our experience, for if we are satisfied with a surfacey, once a week polite visit with God, He will allow us to walk in that level of relationship. However, we can not expect Him, who died for us and who gave His very life and blood for us, to be satisfied with us if that is our approach to Him. As Jesus said in parables about the great treasure and the pearl of great price, the fullness of intimacy with God comes through pursuit of God, a pressing into Him to know Him and understand Him. That is His encouragement and call to us, to press into Him, even as He is drawing us and loving us.
So let us decide this morning to press into God, to seek Him, to run after Him that we might have a dynamic, life-filled ,intimate relationship with Him. Let us not settle for anything less than eternal life in the here and now! God Loves us and wants us!
Amen!
[1] "After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:
“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. [2] For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. [3] Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. [4] I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. [5] And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began."
I love these verses, because I think they explain the very core of eternal life, knowing God, as in relationship with God. The Greek work John used here is
Ginosko. Its definition is as follows:
1) to learn to know, come to know, get a knowledge of perceive, feel
a) to become known
2) to know, understand, perceive, have knowledge of
a) to understand
3) to knowJewish idiom for sexual intercourse between a man and a woman
4) to become acquainted with, to know
John's choice of a word is indicative of relationship, both knowing about, but also understanding and intimacy. This is what eternal life is all about. This is why we can experience this life here on earth. This is why Jesus taught the disciples to pray, "...your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." (Matt 6:10). It is possible to experience this eternal life here on earth! Awesome!
Secondly, this is the result of Jesus becoming the perfect sacrifice, and by His death making a way for us to have relationship with God. In His death, He caused the way to become open to the Father, that we might experience His presence. The author of the Letter to the Hebrews wrote it this way. [19] "Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, [20] by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body,..." (Heb. 10:19-20).
This eternal life is something Jesus has given us, for the Father has given us all to Him (John 10:2), and given Him authority over all things, including us (Matt 28:18). This is the great gift, the great treasure, the pearl of great price (Matt 13:44-46). This gift comes in the form of a person, the Holy Spirit who takes up residence in our bodies (1 Cor 6:19). Not only the Holy Spirit, but since God is the Trinity, the Father and the Son are with us as well. Jesus said it this way, [22] "I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one--- [23] I in them and you in me---so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." (John 17:22-23).
Finally, if this is the great gift, and its available even now, then it must be possible to experience and enjoy. His full intention is that we have the ability to be in relationship with Him, thus He must make it possible for us to experience this in our lives here, not just in heaven. I have written this many times, but it is no less true, if God wants us to be in relationship with Him, then He will make it possible. He does not hold back, stay on His Holy and Glorious throne in Heaven, but He wants to be involved in our lives, here and now, allowing us to know Him, and be in relationship with Him. He desires so much more for us, and desires to reveal Himself to us. Our choice defines our experience, for if we are satisfied with a surfacey, once a week polite visit with God, He will allow us to walk in that level of relationship. However, we can not expect Him, who died for us and who gave His very life and blood for us, to be satisfied with us if that is our approach to Him. As Jesus said in parables about the great treasure and the pearl of great price, the fullness of intimacy with God comes through pursuit of God, a pressing into Him to know Him and understand Him. That is His encouragement and call to us, to press into Him, even as He is drawing us and loving us.
So let us decide this morning to press into God, to seek Him, to run after Him that we might have a dynamic, life-filled ,intimate relationship with Him. Let us not settle for anything less than eternal life in the here and now! God Loves us and wants us!
Amen!
Monday, August 17, 2015
Being the Lord's Bethany
This morning I am reading from John 11:1-3 NIV:
[1] "Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. [2] (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) [3] So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”
Now one would think that in reading from this chapter that my thoughts would be on Lazarus, and how Jesus raised him from the dead, instead I find myself thinking about Bethany, and how it came to be special to Jesus. Sometimes it is interesting to dig into unusual themes, as the Lord did nothing that was trivial in His ministry.
There were a few significant things about Bethany, first it was from Bethany that Jesus traveled into Jerusalem (Mark 11:1) when He was acclaimed King (we celebrate this on Palm Sunday). When He cleansed the temple, he went back to Bethany (Matt 27:17). Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, so it appears that this became Jesus' base of operations from where He ministered into Jerusalem.
Secondly, it was just outside of Bethany that Jesus ascended into Heaven (Luke 24:50-51).
Third, Jesus was anointed for burial when Mary (John 11:2) had poured the expensive perfume on His head (Mark 14:3), while he was at dinner at the home of Simon the Leper, who had obviously been healed, otherwise He would have been an outcast from society.
Fourth, He stayed with Martha and Mary previously (Luke 10:38-42) and clearly knew the family well. He obviously had spent some considerable time there, for John describes them again, as one who walked with the Lord, as loved by Jesus (John 11:5).
Fifth, this was where he raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11:1-44)
Finally, it was from Bethany that He entered into Jerusalem for the Last Supper (Luke 19: 29).
Thus, Bethany was a place Jesus knew well, a place where He stayed regularly, it was where He entered Jerusalem from, where He went to after cleansing the temple, where he entered Jerusalem from for the Last supper and where He entered Heaven from on the day of His ascension. I guess we could say that Bethany was quite significant.
My question is this, why Bethany? I can think of a few reasons, first it was somewhere that Jesus was welcomed over and over. He was so welcomed that it apparently became a regular stopping point. He was able to establish real relationships with Martha, Mary and Lazarus, and that was clearly part of His being welcomed. Finally, it was the stepping off place for really significant moments in Jesus ministry and life, and afterlife.
I think my reflection is this - if He is welcomed in a house, He will come and will establish significant relationship! He desires relationship and Jesus' life, which is an exact reflection of the Father (Heb 1:3), demonstrates this in having a lasting relationship with the three. One could make a case that Jesus stayed with them every time He was in town, and thus knew them and loved them deeply. I want my house to be such a place, where Jesus is welcomed regularly, and where relationship with Him runs deep. I want my house to be the base of His operations in this area! I want to see Him glorified (Palm Sunday), be a part of the sending and receiving back those in His ministry, and be a place where people can sit at His feet and learn from Him. I want my house to be a place where He is worshiped and adored, and His presence is welcomed always.
Additionally, Bethany literally means "house of figs" in Aramaic, so one would expect that Figs were plentiful there. It is interesting that it was from Bethany that Jesus was walking and came upon the fig tree that had no fruit, and thus cursed the tree. Although it was not the season for figs (Mark 11:12-14), Jesus was expecting fruit. I want my house to be known as a place of fruitfulness regardless of the season of life we are in.
Lastly, in dream language, one's house is symbolic of their life. In the same way that I would want my house to be a place where Jesus is welcomed, it actually starts with my life. He is after relationship with me, and my house in many ways just represents me. I want my life to be a place where Jesus is welcomed regularly, where He is free to minister from, and where He is constantly present.
Lord, You are welcome in my life, and my house, and I desire relationship with You. May this place be Your Bethany!
Amen!
[1] "Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. [2] (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) [3] So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”
Now one would think that in reading from this chapter that my thoughts would be on Lazarus, and how Jesus raised him from the dead, instead I find myself thinking about Bethany, and how it came to be special to Jesus. Sometimes it is interesting to dig into unusual themes, as the Lord did nothing that was trivial in His ministry.
There were a few significant things about Bethany, first it was from Bethany that Jesus traveled into Jerusalem (Mark 11:1) when He was acclaimed King (we celebrate this on Palm Sunday). When He cleansed the temple, he went back to Bethany (Matt 27:17). Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, so it appears that this became Jesus' base of operations from where He ministered into Jerusalem.
Secondly, it was just outside of Bethany that Jesus ascended into Heaven (Luke 24:50-51).
Third, Jesus was anointed for burial when Mary (John 11:2) had poured the expensive perfume on His head (Mark 14:3), while he was at dinner at the home of Simon the Leper, who had obviously been healed, otherwise He would have been an outcast from society.
Fourth, He stayed with Martha and Mary previously (Luke 10:38-42) and clearly knew the family well. He obviously had spent some considerable time there, for John describes them again, as one who walked with the Lord, as loved by Jesus (John 11:5).
Fifth, this was where he raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11:1-44)
Finally, it was from Bethany that He entered into Jerusalem for the Last Supper (Luke 19: 29).
Thus, Bethany was a place Jesus knew well, a place where He stayed regularly, it was where He entered Jerusalem from, where He went to after cleansing the temple, where he entered Jerusalem from for the Last supper and where He entered Heaven from on the day of His ascension. I guess we could say that Bethany was quite significant.
My question is this, why Bethany? I can think of a few reasons, first it was somewhere that Jesus was welcomed over and over. He was so welcomed that it apparently became a regular stopping point. He was able to establish real relationships with Martha, Mary and Lazarus, and that was clearly part of His being welcomed. Finally, it was the stepping off place for really significant moments in Jesus ministry and life, and afterlife.
I think my reflection is this - if He is welcomed in a house, He will come and will establish significant relationship! He desires relationship and Jesus' life, which is an exact reflection of the Father (Heb 1:3), demonstrates this in having a lasting relationship with the three. One could make a case that Jesus stayed with them every time He was in town, and thus knew them and loved them deeply. I want my house to be such a place, where Jesus is welcomed regularly, and where relationship with Him runs deep. I want my house to be the base of His operations in this area! I want to see Him glorified (Palm Sunday), be a part of the sending and receiving back those in His ministry, and be a place where people can sit at His feet and learn from Him. I want my house to be a place where He is worshiped and adored, and His presence is welcomed always.
Additionally, Bethany literally means "house of figs" in Aramaic, so one would expect that Figs were plentiful there. It is interesting that it was from Bethany that Jesus was walking and came upon the fig tree that had no fruit, and thus cursed the tree. Although it was not the season for figs (Mark 11:12-14), Jesus was expecting fruit. I want my house to be known as a place of fruitfulness regardless of the season of life we are in.
Lastly, in dream language, one's house is symbolic of their life. In the same way that I would want my house to be a place where Jesus is welcomed, it actually starts with my life. He is after relationship with me, and my house in many ways just represents me. I want my life to be a place where Jesus is welcomed regularly, where He is free to minister from, and where He is constantly present.
Lord, You are welcome in my life, and my house, and I desire relationship with You. May this place be Your Bethany!
Amen!
Sunday, August 16, 2015
When The King Comes...He Cleans and Restores!
This morning I felt led to start reading from the Gospel of Mark, chapter 11, which is where he describes Jesus' coming to Jerusalem. As I was reading that, I realized I had read the parallel verses in Luke's Gospel. Here are the verses from Luke 19:28, 36-38, 45-46 NIV:
[28] "After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.
[36] As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road. [37] When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:
[38] “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
[45] When Jesus entered the temple courts, he began to drive out those who were selling. [46] “It is written,” he said to them, “ 'My house will be a house of prayer' ; but you have made it 'a den of robbers.' ”
In both Gospel's Jesus enters Jerusalem, acclaimed as King, which He never allowed previously. Secondly, in both cases, His first real action in Jerusalem was to cleanse the temple courts, and drive out the money changers and those selling. He proclaimed that the purpose of that place was prayer!
I was intrigued by the fact that the first official act He did, after being proclaimed as King, was to cleanse the temple and restore it to its proper function, that of interacting with God. Since I read the same basic verses 2 days in a row, I felt like there was something the Lord was trying to say to me, as I find that He repeats Himself sometimes when I miss what He was saying the first time.
Without getting all dramatic, I would simply say this - I believe the Lord is saying that He is coming to restore the Church to her rightful focus and function! I don't think I need to be any clearer, as the Lord knows what that will look like, but we need to take his sovereignty seriously! It is His church, not ours, and I think that there is going to be some serious cleansing that will occur.
Finally, as I was reading these verses and thinking through them, I was reminded of Graham Cooke's comments around learning to manifest our spirit and faith through proclamation of God's sovereignty. There is something about shouting praises to God that causes us to enter into a place of real spiritual engagement. We want to engage our spirits and this is one of the ways we can do this. I know in my life that when I have stepped into that place during worship, it was a completely different experience and encounter with the Lord.
I am encouraged today to pray that the Lord would be held up as our King, within the church. I am praying that He will cleanse and restore His church to its proper function. I pray that He would teach us all to interact with Him in His house, and proclaim His identity on the streets and in our lives.
Amen Lord!
Saturday, August 15, 2015
A Good Return on His Investment
This morning I am reading from Luke's Gospel. I love it when I find something I hadn't really noticed before, as it gives me an opportunity to look at familiar scriptures with a new perspective. The verses I am looking at this morning are the following - Luke 19:11-27 NIV:
[11] While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once. [12] He said: “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return. [13] So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. 'Put this money to work,' he said, 'until I come back.'
[14] “But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, 'We don't want this man to be our king.'
[15] “He was made king, however, and returned home. Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it.
[16] “The first one came and said, 'Sir, your mina has earned ten more.'
[17] “ 'Well done, my good servant!' his master replied. 'Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.'
[18] “The second came and said, 'Sir, your mina has earned five more.'
[19] “His master answered, 'You take charge of five cities.'
[20] “Then another servant came and said, 'Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. [21] I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.'
[22] “His master replied, 'I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow? [23] Why then didn't you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?'
[24] “Then he said to those standing by, 'Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.'
[25] “ 'Sir,' they said, 'he already has ten!'
[26] “He replied, 'I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what they have will be taken away. [27] But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them---bring them here and kill them in front of me.' ”
Most people who read this story, myself included, will remember the theme of the 10 Minas, but what I find interesting is that it actually about a man of noble birth who becomes King, for that is what the opening and closing line is about. The middle section is about what happens while waiting for the man who becomes King to return, but the real story is that the man goes away for a while, and then returns as the King.
So, in light of that fact, should we change our perspective about the meaning of the Minas and the servants responses? I think that Jesus is clearly speaking about the age of the Church, for he is clearly the man who is going away and returning (Matt 24:27-31). If that is the case, then the Jesus' command to his 10 servants to, "put this money to work, until I come back" is aimed at the Church, and more specifically His disciples, for they were His followers. A good question would be - what is the money Jesus is talking about? I look at what He actually left the church, and that is the Holy Spirit (John 14:16-21).
Following the logic just outlined, then what does it look like to "put this money to work"? Also, in this version, note that He never says that He gives the servants any more than anyone else, they just earn more with it. Also, of interest, He gave the money to 10 of His servants, but only talks about 3 in this example.
Anyway, I have thought about this before and the favor of the Lord is amazing towards the faithful servants, the one servant who returns 10 minas is given charge over 10 cities, which is a significant upgrade in authority and relationship. In the Lord's eyes, being "trustworthy in a very small manner" is very important! Again, what is the small matter that has been entrusted to this servant (following my logic)? Again, I believe it is the Holy Spirit, and specifically the gifts of the Holy Spirit. If this is the Mina or the small matter, than what we do with what the Lord has put in us, how open we are to the moving of the Holy Spirit, and how well we allow Him to guide and direct us, and operate through us is essential!
As a church, we probably should be very concerned with what culture we have put in place for the working out and exercising and investment of the gifts of the Holy Spirit! Do we allow for the investment and growth in gifts of the Holy Spirit? Are we allowing people to understand their gifts and callings and giving them ample opportunity to grow and mature in these gifts?
Secondly, if we look at the succession of the faithful servants, they go from individual responsibility to governmental responsibility. This is clearly at the direction of the King, and follows His return, so if I was totally inline with the guidelines of this story, this would only relate to what happens after the return of the Lord, and the Day of Judgment, for that appears to be the meaning of verse 27. However, Jesus did already return as King, after His resurrection, and we live in the time of His Kingdom established here on earth, even in our midst. So is there applicability of verses 17 and 19 now? I would say yes, and I believe that the Lord does care greatly about our trustworthiness. He is looking for us to bear fruit in our lives, to return on the investment of the Holy Spirit that He has placed into us. So, we should make a sober review of our lives and look at our fruit. We are not called to hold onto what we have been given and just protect that one gift, but we are called to open up our lives and return to the Lord on His investment in us.
Again, as the church, we need to make room for this in the lives of our brothers and sisters. We need to see in our investing in others lives, our investments from the Lord are multiplied. If anyone has ever studied network marketing, this is a perfect example. Those who invest early, and invest into others that are multiplying their investments, experience huge returns on their initial investments. Rather than making it all about having a "Big" church with hundreds or thousands of members, I would think we would rather have tens of churches, birthing hundreds of churches, which in turn birth thousands of churches. That is real multiplication. Secondly the opportunity for real return on the investment of the Holy Spirit in peoples lives is much easier to accomplish in smaller churches, so the quality of the return is much higher, and multi-generational.
Wow, who would have thought this parable was about a church growth and investment strategy in the gifts of the Holy Spirit! At least that is what I think.
Lord, I pray that You would help me to make a good return on that which You put in me! Help me to multiply that which You have placed in my care, and help me to release others into fruitfulness as well.
Amen!
[11] While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once. [12] He said: “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return. [13] So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. 'Put this money to work,' he said, 'until I come back.'
[14] “But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, 'We don't want this man to be our king.'
[15] “He was made king, however, and returned home. Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it.
[16] “The first one came and said, 'Sir, your mina has earned ten more.'
[17] “ 'Well done, my good servant!' his master replied. 'Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.'
[18] “The second came and said, 'Sir, your mina has earned five more.'
[19] “His master answered, 'You take charge of five cities.'
[20] “Then another servant came and said, 'Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. [21] I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.'
[22] “His master replied, 'I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow? [23] Why then didn't you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?'
[24] “Then he said to those standing by, 'Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.'
[25] “ 'Sir,' they said, 'he already has ten!'
[26] “He replied, 'I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what they have will be taken away. [27] But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them---bring them here and kill them in front of me.' ”
Most people who read this story, myself included, will remember the theme of the 10 Minas, but what I find interesting is that it actually about a man of noble birth who becomes King, for that is what the opening and closing line is about. The middle section is about what happens while waiting for the man who becomes King to return, but the real story is that the man goes away for a while, and then returns as the King.
So, in light of that fact, should we change our perspective about the meaning of the Minas and the servants responses? I think that Jesus is clearly speaking about the age of the Church, for he is clearly the man who is going away and returning (Matt 24:27-31). If that is the case, then the Jesus' command to his 10 servants to, "put this money to work, until I come back" is aimed at the Church, and more specifically His disciples, for they were His followers. A good question would be - what is the money Jesus is talking about? I look at what He actually left the church, and that is the Holy Spirit (John 14:16-21).
Following the logic just outlined, then what does it look like to "put this money to work"? Also, in this version, note that He never says that He gives the servants any more than anyone else, they just earn more with it. Also, of interest, He gave the money to 10 of His servants, but only talks about 3 in this example.
Anyway, I have thought about this before and the favor of the Lord is amazing towards the faithful servants, the one servant who returns 10 minas is given charge over 10 cities, which is a significant upgrade in authority and relationship. In the Lord's eyes, being "trustworthy in a very small manner" is very important! Again, what is the small matter that has been entrusted to this servant (following my logic)? Again, I believe it is the Holy Spirit, and specifically the gifts of the Holy Spirit. If this is the Mina or the small matter, than what we do with what the Lord has put in us, how open we are to the moving of the Holy Spirit, and how well we allow Him to guide and direct us, and operate through us is essential!
As a church, we probably should be very concerned with what culture we have put in place for the working out and exercising and investment of the gifts of the Holy Spirit! Do we allow for the investment and growth in gifts of the Holy Spirit? Are we allowing people to understand their gifts and callings and giving them ample opportunity to grow and mature in these gifts?
Secondly, if we look at the succession of the faithful servants, they go from individual responsibility to governmental responsibility. This is clearly at the direction of the King, and follows His return, so if I was totally inline with the guidelines of this story, this would only relate to what happens after the return of the Lord, and the Day of Judgment, for that appears to be the meaning of verse 27. However, Jesus did already return as King, after His resurrection, and we live in the time of His Kingdom established here on earth, even in our midst. So is there applicability of verses 17 and 19 now? I would say yes, and I believe that the Lord does care greatly about our trustworthiness. He is looking for us to bear fruit in our lives, to return on the investment of the Holy Spirit that He has placed into us. So, we should make a sober review of our lives and look at our fruit. We are not called to hold onto what we have been given and just protect that one gift, but we are called to open up our lives and return to the Lord on His investment in us.
Again, as the church, we need to make room for this in the lives of our brothers and sisters. We need to see in our investing in others lives, our investments from the Lord are multiplied. If anyone has ever studied network marketing, this is a perfect example. Those who invest early, and invest into others that are multiplying their investments, experience huge returns on their initial investments. Rather than making it all about having a "Big" church with hundreds or thousands of members, I would think we would rather have tens of churches, birthing hundreds of churches, which in turn birth thousands of churches. That is real multiplication. Secondly the opportunity for real return on the investment of the Holy Spirit in peoples lives is much easier to accomplish in smaller churches, so the quality of the return is much higher, and multi-generational.
Wow, who would have thought this parable was about a church growth and investment strategy in the gifts of the Holy Spirit! At least that is what I think.
Lord, I pray that You would help me to make a good return on that which You put in me! Help me to multiply that which You have placed in my care, and help me to release others into fruitfulness as well.
Amen!
Thursday, August 13, 2015
An Introduction That Is Life Changing
This morning I felt like I should read from Mark's Gospel. I like his concise story telling and and descriptions. In light of some of the reflection I have been doing concerning the value the Lord demonstrates He has for us, I thought this story of the deaf and mute man interesting. Here are the verses - Mark 7:31-37 NIV:
[31] "Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis. [32] There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged Jesus to place his hand on him.
[33] After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man's ears. Then he spit and touched the man's tongue. [34] He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means “Be opened!”). [35] At this, the man's ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.
[36] Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. [37] People were overwhelmed with amazement. “He has done everything well,” they said. “He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”
The reason I liked this story upon my first reading is that Jesus took the man aside, away from the crowd. Although the healings were spectacular, Jesus wasn't looking to cause a spectacle. He cared more for the individual, spending time directly with Him, than He did for the elation of the crowd. Jesus wanted some time alone with the man! The Son of God wanted some time alone with Him! The same is true for us all; He desires alone time with us!
Obviously the man was cared for by others for they brought him to Jesus. If we care for the hurt and lonely, the wandering or the wondering, the sick or wounded, the best thing we can do is bring them to Jesus. He is the one who loves them, who cares for them, who can heal them, and who values them greatly! Introducing someone to Jesus is as simple as talking about what He has done, or what we know He is like. Jesus cares so much for each of us and all of us that we can introduce Him and trust Him fully to take it from there! He knows the thoughts and heart condition of each of us, and He is infinitely gentle and loving. As the people exclaimed, "He has done everything well!"
So, let us be encouraged today to introduce those who don't know the Lord to Him. Let us not be afraid to talk about Him, His character, our relationships with Him, for in this way our friends and acquaintances will come to meet the one who loves them perfectly and the one who is just waiting for the introduction! This is one introduction that will change every life!
[31] "Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis. [32] There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged Jesus to place his hand on him.
[33] After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man's ears. Then he spit and touched the man's tongue. [34] He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means “Be opened!”). [35] At this, the man's ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.
[36] Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. [37] People were overwhelmed with amazement. “He has done everything well,” they said. “He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”
The reason I liked this story upon my first reading is that Jesus took the man aside, away from the crowd. Although the healings were spectacular, Jesus wasn't looking to cause a spectacle. He cared more for the individual, spending time directly with Him, than He did for the elation of the crowd. Jesus wanted some time alone with the man! The Son of God wanted some time alone with Him! The same is true for us all; He desires alone time with us!
Obviously the man was cared for by others for they brought him to Jesus. If we care for the hurt and lonely, the wandering or the wondering, the sick or wounded, the best thing we can do is bring them to Jesus. He is the one who loves them, who cares for them, who can heal them, and who values them greatly! Introducing someone to Jesus is as simple as talking about what He has done, or what we know He is like. Jesus cares so much for each of us and all of us that we can introduce Him and trust Him fully to take it from there! He knows the thoughts and heart condition of each of us, and He is infinitely gentle and loving. As the people exclaimed, "He has done everything well!"
So, let us be encouraged today to introduce those who don't know the Lord to Him. Let us not be afraid to talk about Him, His character, our relationships with Him, for in this way our friends and acquaintances will come to meet the one who loves them perfectly and the one who is just waiting for the introduction! This is one introduction that will change every life!
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
Filled With Compassion, Pouring Forth Love
I was just reading back through my last reflection on living a live of love, and knowing that I am loved. Thank You Lord for such a rich reflection! The last few weeks have been so personally insightful. I pray that You would help me to embrace and assimilate the depth of understanding into my life, and live in such a way that I am representing You to everyone I meet, all day long!
This morning I felt like I should read through Matthew's Gospel, chapter 9. This is such a rich chapter, it was hard to know where to start. When I run into this situation I just read through the text and see what catches my attention the most. Another way to say that is that some verses resonate in my spirit, and internally they are amplified and move me. This is one way I have found of discerning what the Lord is saying to me. This morning the verses in chapter 9 that my spirit responded most too were the following verses - Matthew 9:35-38 NIV:
[35] "Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. [36] When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. [37] Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. [38] Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
These verses always pluck my heart-string, and they are especially poignant considering my reflection from yesterday concerning God's love for everyone, and the value that He has placed on us all. When I read these verses, I imagine Jesus as a one-man wrecking ball destroying unbelief and the lies of the enemy everywhere He traveled. He came representing the Father, establishing the Kingdom, proclaiming and demonstrating the reality of the Father's love, and reaching out to all He saw and encountered.
He was moved with compassion when He saw the crowds, and the language here means that He was moved deeply in His very depths. The Greek word used by Matthew is Splagchnizomai.
Definition:
1) to be moved as to one's bowels, hence to be moved with compassion, have compassion (for the bowels were thought to be the seat of love and pity)
It is my opinion that this description of Jesus' emotional response was from the observation of others, not from Jesus' statement about His feelings. I believe when it says in scripture that Jesus had compassion, or was moved with compassion, it was because people could literally see His compassion, see Him moved to His very depths.
If I read this section backwards, in verse 36 it says that Jesus had compassion on the crowds when He saw them. In verse 35, it says that He proclaimed the Good News of the Kingdom and healed every disease and sickness. I think that is part of His expressing compassion, when He encountered anyone who was sick or needed healing He stopped and touched them, each and every one! He didn't walk by those with colds, those with headaches, so he could just minister to the really needy, He went to each and every person who was suffering and touched them. He expressed God's love for them all, one person at a time!
He saw the overwhelming need and desperate spiritual condition of the crowds and He was moved, just as the Father is moved. He told the disciples to ask the Father to send more workers into the harvest field, and that, my friends, is us. We are both the harvest field and the workers. We need to know God's love and compassion, and we need to be those that bring that message to those around us that are still "harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd".
Lord, I pray that You would waken my heart, that You would fill me with compassion for Your children who are wandering around lost and hungry, wondering if they have any value or worth, starving for love and thirsting for relationship. Help me to represent You and be the instrument of the outflow of Your compassion! I want to be filled with Your compassion! I want Your love to flow out of me to all I meet.
Amen!
Tuesday, August 11, 2015
How Should I Live If He Loves Me? (Part 4)
I am thinking of continuing my meditation on the theme "How should I live if I believe that God loves me?" I guess in hind-sight this is not some amazing revelation, but I know for me it's been a very healthy reflection. God's love for me should affect the way I live, and should be foundational for everything else. My thought yesterday was related to the example of Jesus, as God's Son, living a life of favor and relationship with the Father, and how His life experience should be a model for me.
Today I want to spend some time thinking about the ramifications of this being true in everyone's life - that God loves everyone! It is wonderful that I start to comprehend this truth for my own life, but equally important that I be a bearer of this message to everyone else. I am not to just be a bearer of the message, but also demonstrating this truth through my life. When I look at Jesus' I see Him doing exactly that, demonstrating to everyone their worth and value and the Father's affection for them. He was confident in the Father's love, and that enabled Him to perfectly express the Father's love to everyone else.
When I read through the Gospels I see Jesus interacting with each person individually. He was willing to stop and listen and interact with the lowliest person, the crippled and sick, the social outcasts, all the sinners. His perspective was that each was valued and worthy of His attention. I mean think about that, He is the Son of God, here to reveal the Father's love and defeat the works of the enemy, the most important person to ever walk the earth, and He stops and touches the leper, raises the widow's son back to life, gives sight to the blind and on and on. He took time from His precious three years of ministry to touch each of these people's lives, and in that we see the value that is given to them.
We have a saying that time is money, or maybe it would be better to say that time has value. So what is the value of 5 minutes of the Son of God's time? There are people that have bid millions of dollars to have lunch with Warren Buffet, I can't imagine the value of lunch with Jesus.
So if Jesus is expressing the value of the individuals He encountered, as a perfect representation of the Father's heart, should we not do the same? If our Father says all the people we encounter in our lives are valuable to Him and loved by Him, should we not treat them as such? If Jesus is the firstborn among many brothers and sisters (Rom 8:29) shouldn't we be treating those around us as our brothers and sisters? Jesus was demonstrating a lifestyle of loving service. Loving those who are loved by the Father and helping them to understand and experience the Father's love for them was a key part of Jesus' ministry. When I think back over the Gospels, I can't think of a time where Jesus wasn't operating in this mode.
I was thinking of some of the teachings of Jesus that are difficult to put into practice such as these verses from Matthew 5:16, 43-48 NIV:
[43] "In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. [43] “You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' [44] But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, [45] that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. [46] If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?[47] And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? [48] Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."
When I think about these verses in light of my meditation, it makes sense that Jesus is teaching this, for that is exactly the Father's heart. He loves each of us, and desires each of us to understand His love for us. Jesus encourages us to be perfect as the Father is perfect, but what He was talking about was the Father loving everyone. We could rewrite verse 44 and 45 as follows, "But I tell you Love your enemies and love your neighbors, and pray for those who persecute you as well as those that you love, that you may all be children of Your Father in heaven." I don't think that is stretching His meaning too far at all. In this we begin to see the Father's heart, and represent His heart to those who don't know Him yet.
When I reflect on Jesus' example in all of this, I realize I have tons of room for growth and improvement. I am so quick to judge, so quick to form judgments, so quick to assume I know what a person is like before I ever even speak to them. I am quick to judge someone's motivation, their thinking and even their looks, and in this Jesus' example calls me to be more like the Father. He loved and ministered to them all, the lowliest and the rejected as well as the high and mighty, for He knew how much they were valued, treasured and loved, each and every one of them.
Lord, help me to live my life like You love me, and like You love those around me!
Amen!
Today I want to spend some time thinking about the ramifications of this being true in everyone's life - that God loves everyone! It is wonderful that I start to comprehend this truth for my own life, but equally important that I be a bearer of this message to everyone else. I am not to just be a bearer of the message, but also demonstrating this truth through my life. When I look at Jesus' I see Him doing exactly that, demonstrating to everyone their worth and value and the Father's affection for them. He was confident in the Father's love, and that enabled Him to perfectly express the Father's love to everyone else.
When I read through the Gospels I see Jesus interacting with each person individually. He was willing to stop and listen and interact with the lowliest person, the crippled and sick, the social outcasts, all the sinners. His perspective was that each was valued and worthy of His attention. I mean think about that, He is the Son of God, here to reveal the Father's love and defeat the works of the enemy, the most important person to ever walk the earth, and He stops and touches the leper, raises the widow's son back to life, gives sight to the blind and on and on. He took time from His precious three years of ministry to touch each of these people's lives, and in that we see the value that is given to them.
We have a saying that time is money, or maybe it would be better to say that time has value. So what is the value of 5 minutes of the Son of God's time? There are people that have bid millions of dollars to have lunch with Warren Buffet, I can't imagine the value of lunch with Jesus.
So if Jesus is expressing the value of the individuals He encountered, as a perfect representation of the Father's heart, should we not do the same? If our Father says all the people we encounter in our lives are valuable to Him and loved by Him, should we not treat them as such? If Jesus is the firstborn among many brothers and sisters (Rom 8:29) shouldn't we be treating those around us as our brothers and sisters? Jesus was demonstrating a lifestyle of loving service. Loving those who are loved by the Father and helping them to understand and experience the Father's love for them was a key part of Jesus' ministry. When I think back over the Gospels, I can't think of a time where Jesus wasn't operating in this mode.
I was thinking of some of the teachings of Jesus that are difficult to put into practice such as these verses from Matthew 5:16, 43-48 NIV:
[43] "In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. [43] “You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' [44] But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, [45] that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. [46] If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?[47] And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? [48] Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."
When I think about these verses in light of my meditation, it makes sense that Jesus is teaching this, for that is exactly the Father's heart. He loves each of us, and desires each of us to understand His love for us. Jesus encourages us to be perfect as the Father is perfect, but what He was talking about was the Father loving everyone. We could rewrite verse 44 and 45 as follows, "But I tell you Love your enemies and love your neighbors, and pray for those who persecute you as well as those that you love, that you may all be children of Your Father in heaven." I don't think that is stretching His meaning too far at all. In this we begin to see the Father's heart, and represent His heart to those who don't know Him yet.
When I reflect on Jesus' example in all of this, I realize I have tons of room for growth and improvement. I am so quick to judge, so quick to form judgments, so quick to assume I know what a person is like before I ever even speak to them. I am quick to judge someone's motivation, their thinking and even their looks, and in this Jesus' example calls me to be more like the Father. He loved and ministered to them all, the lowliest and the rejected as well as the high and mighty, for He knew how much they were valued, treasured and loved, each and every one of them.
Lord, help me to live my life like You love me, and like You love those around me!
Amen!
Monday, August 10, 2015
How Should I Live If He Loves Me? (Part 3)
As I was waking up and preparing to come downstairs to pray, I was starting to think about my most recent topic - "How should I live if I believe God loves me?" The first thought that popped into my head was the fact that God loved Jesus, and said that very clearly at the beginning of His ministry, as recorded in Matthew 3:16-17 NIV:
[16] "As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. [17] And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
This same thing is true for each of us, God loves us and is well pleased with us! That is and should be an amazing reality! What that means to me is that Jesus' life of favor from God is a model for the type of life God the Father would have me live! Jesus' life was lived as a man, fully obedient to the Father, in intimate relationship with the Father, but still fully man. His life is meant to be an example of Kingdom life, of the reality that is available to each of us.
Jesus came to reveal the Father to us and one of the primary things He revealed was that the Father loves! In His famous line recorded by John, Jesus refers to God's love as the primary motivation for His coming to earth - John 3:16-17 NIV:
[16] "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. [17] For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."
Love is and always has been God's primary motivation in relating to man. His desire is for relationship, and His expression is love. His love brings with it His provision and blessing, His interaction and His guidance. God never intended for us to live outside of the knowledge of His love, and desires for each of us to discover His abounding love. Once we discover His love, He desires us to walk in His love, in relationship with Him.
Jesus said it this way in John 17:20-23, 26 NIV:
[20] “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, [21] that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. [22] I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one--- [23] I in them and you in me---so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me."
[26] "I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”
Did you get that, verse 23, that the Father loves us even as He loved Jesus and demonstrated that to the world? He desires the same for us that He might be in us, and that He might give us His glory, and that in that way the world would see and believe! Jesus' life is meant to be an example to us, and we are supposed to live in a similar way, that is the Father's desire! Paul wrote the following - Romans 8:28-29 NIV:
[28] "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. [29] For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters."
We are predestined to be conformed to the image (example) of Jesus, and He is the firstborn of many brothers and sisters, in other words we are called to be just like Him! Amazing!
So my meditation this morning is that my life, in light of God's love for me, should take on conformity to the life of Jesus. I should love others like Jesus loved, I should serve others like Jesus served, and I should have a relationship with the Father like Jesus demonstrated. His healings, miracles and signs and wonders were all accomplished through the empowering of the Holy Spirit, in obedience to the Father through intimate relationship, and were meant to be a sign of God's love and desire to be known. We are invited into that same reality, because He loves us even as He loved Jesus. He loves each of us, even as He loved Jesus. His interaction and indwelling Holy Spirit is supposed to be our normal life experience. I am reminded of John 14:9-13 NIV:
[9] "Jesus answered: “Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? [10] Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. [11] Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. [12] Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. [13] And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son."
This morning I am encouraged to press into this life, this example of how my life should be. I am encouraged and confident because I know that God loves me, even as He loved Jesus. I am encouraged and confident in His ability to work in and through my life, because of His love. I am encouraged to press into the more that is available in His love, to not settle for simple head knowledge, but to press into experiential knowledge of His love and awesome power.
Lord, I desire more, and I know You want me to experience more!
[16] "As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. [17] And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
This same thing is true for each of us, God loves us and is well pleased with us! That is and should be an amazing reality! What that means to me is that Jesus' life of favor from God is a model for the type of life God the Father would have me live! Jesus' life was lived as a man, fully obedient to the Father, in intimate relationship with the Father, but still fully man. His life is meant to be an example of Kingdom life, of the reality that is available to each of us.
Jesus came to reveal the Father to us and one of the primary things He revealed was that the Father loves! In His famous line recorded by John, Jesus refers to God's love as the primary motivation for His coming to earth - John 3:16-17 NIV:
[16] "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. [17] For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."
Love is and always has been God's primary motivation in relating to man. His desire is for relationship, and His expression is love. His love brings with it His provision and blessing, His interaction and His guidance. God never intended for us to live outside of the knowledge of His love, and desires for each of us to discover His abounding love. Once we discover His love, He desires us to walk in His love, in relationship with Him.
Jesus said it this way in John 17:20-23, 26 NIV:
[20] “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, [21] that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. [22] I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one--- [23] I in them and you in me---so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me."
[26] "I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”
Did you get that, verse 23, that the Father loves us even as He loved Jesus and demonstrated that to the world? He desires the same for us that He might be in us, and that He might give us His glory, and that in that way the world would see and believe! Jesus' life is meant to be an example to us, and we are supposed to live in a similar way, that is the Father's desire! Paul wrote the following - Romans 8:28-29 NIV:
[28] "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. [29] For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters."
We are predestined to be conformed to the image (example) of Jesus, and He is the firstborn of many brothers and sisters, in other words we are called to be just like Him! Amazing!
So my meditation this morning is that my life, in light of God's love for me, should take on conformity to the life of Jesus. I should love others like Jesus loved, I should serve others like Jesus served, and I should have a relationship with the Father like Jesus demonstrated. His healings, miracles and signs and wonders were all accomplished through the empowering of the Holy Spirit, in obedience to the Father through intimate relationship, and were meant to be a sign of God's love and desire to be known. We are invited into that same reality, because He loves us even as He loved Jesus. He loves each of us, even as He loved Jesus. His interaction and indwelling Holy Spirit is supposed to be our normal life experience. I am reminded of John 14:9-13 NIV:
[9] "Jesus answered: “Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? [10] Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. [11] Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. [12] Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. [13] And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son."
This morning I am encouraged to press into this life, this example of how my life should be. I am encouraged and confident because I know that God loves me, even as He loved Jesus. I am encouraged and confident in His ability to work in and through my life, because of His love. I am encouraged to press into the more that is available in His love, to not settle for simple head knowledge, but to press into experiential knowledge of His love and awesome power.
Lord, I desire more, and I know You want me to experience more!
Saturday, August 8, 2015
How Should I Live If He Loves Me? (Part 2)
This past week I have been spending time reflecting on how I should live my life, if I really believe that God loves me. This is definitely one of those multiple day reflections, as it really should last the rest of my life. :-)
Today I wanted to spend some time thinking about my life attitude, if I believe that God loves me. I believe our heart attitude and mindset are key to our fulfillment and happiness, for they affect how I perceive things and approach things in my life. For Example, one of my favorite authors Graham Cooke says we should try to approach problems as possibilities, possibilities for God to show us His love and favor. although that is a very simple suggestion, imagine if we actually started practicing that change of perspective in our daily life. Every problem that we encountered, we would stop and say to ourselves that this is possibility for God to move in my life, to show me His love and favor. It is a possibility to grow personally, and become more like Jesus. If I started thinking that way, I believe I would see life quite differently.
My tendency is to complain when bad things happen. I don't like hardship or difficulty and so my likely response is to feel sorry for myself and complain to God about how bad I have it. I might slide into listening to the accusations of the enemy, accusing God of not paying attention to me, not caring for me, being angry with me, punishing me for something I did wrong. None of those things is true, and certainly wouldn't be true if God loved me. This type of reaction exposes my real beliefs about God. If I want to hold onto the belief that God loves me, then I need to learn how to recognize the lies of the enemy, and reject them with the truth!
The truth is that God Loves me, has a plan for me, has a good plan for me, and He never makes a mistake or is caught unawares or unprepared. All of my life is an opportunity to experience His love and interaction, every single day.
Another issue that many of us have is our earthly mindset. We are completely focused on this world around us, our stuff and possessions and tend to relate everything to this material realm. In our western understanding of reality, we do not think much about the spiritual realm, unless it is for horror stories and the like. We spend very little time thinking about eternity or spiritual realities that exist all around us. We spend most of our time focused on the here and now. God's desire is that we change our mindset.
I find, after paying attention to my thoughts this week, that much of my thought life does not line up with a belief that God Loves me. There appear to be decades old patterns of thought which are not Godly, which I find myself traversing regularly. These represent mindsets that need to change. I find that for some they are my default thought pattern. I absolutely need to change these to align myself with the truth.
In Romans Paul says the following about our mindsets -
Romans 12:1-3 NIV:
[1] "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God---this is your true and proper worship. [2] Do not conform 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."
[3] "For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you."
It is interesting that Paul says this renewing of our mind, precedes, at least in part, the transforming of our lives. I can definitely see that at work in my life. Our thoughts and thought patterns affect our actions and behaviors. They affect how we perceive and understand things. One author that I read quite a while ago calls this our grid of understanding, through which we filter everything we experience. For instance if we think that people don't like us, we perceive their actions in light of that thought. If we walk into a room and people are talking in a low voice, we immediately think they are talking about us, because they don't like us. If I don't think my father likes me, I will perceive his lack of attention, which might be caused by something at work, as proof that he doesn't like me. Our though life is critical in guiding and directing our attitudes and behaviours, and is thus critical to address in order for me to live my live in accordance with the truth that God loves me.
The other point of significance is that Paul lays the renewing of the mind in our laps. We actually can decide to be willing to change or not. We may not know how to change, but the first step is being willing. Paul starts that line of thinking by urging us to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, this includes our thoughts. Surrendering our thoughts and thinking to God is the first step in transforming our minds.
I have been asking God for help in the arena for some years, and find that He gives me very practical help. He has indicated that what I choose to fill my mind with greatly affects my thinking - which makes perfect sense. I love to read and the Lord has encouraged me to read things that will continue to build upon the truth, things that will encourage me in my walk with Him. I used to read for entertainment, almost all the time, now I read to build myself up in the truth. What I watch on TV also can affect my thought patterns, and I find myself watching less and less TV, due to the content of much of it. This is in small ways choosing to offer my life to Him, and it does affect the way I think.
Lord I know that Your truth needs to invade and to be established in every area of my life. I want my mindset, my thoughts, and thus my attitudes and behaviours to be transformed. Help me to renew my mind completely. As Bill Johnson says, "I cannot afford to have a thought in my head that is not in His (Gods)." Lord, I want to live my life that way, thinking the way You think, perceiving things the way You perceive them, and trusting in Your love, faithfulness and goodness.
Amen!
Monday, August 3, 2015
How Should I Live If He Loves Me? - Part 1
This morning I am going to continuing my reflection on the question the Lord asked me yesterday, "If you know that I love you, how then should you live?"
Yesterday I spent most of my time thinking about the first part of that statement, do I believe that God loves me? This is such an important question, and really a key component to the Gospel for without the motivation of Love, nothing that Jesus did makes sense. Personally I am convinced of His love for me, and I know that I have come no where near full comprehension of what that means.
Yesterday at church we were talking about the Good News and one of our friends was talking about the fact that the ransom that is paid provides an understanding of the value of the individual that has been kidnapped. What the family of the kidnap victim is willing to sacrifice, and willing to pay shows the value to them of the person that is held prisoner. God showed our value to Him by allowing Jesus to come to earth, as our ransom. In other words we are as valuable to God the Father, as His Son Jesus! His love for us was so great that He was willing to sacrifice Jesus. That statement is really unfathomable, but we get a sense of the incredible value that the Father has put on our lives. This value is based on His love for us.
We also talked about the love a parent has for their child. I remember the first time I held both of my children, an overwhelming love for them just filled my heart! They hadn't done anything, were barely minutes old, and yet my love for them was so strong that i would have gladly given my life for them! It was amazing to experience, and I think that is just a small picture of what the Lord feels for each of us!
So, since I am convinced of His love for me, how should I live my life? That is a great questions, and one that is deeper than apparent at a first glance. The fact that I am loved by God is supposed to be one of the foundational principles in my life. A.W. Tozer says that most important thing we think is about God, and I would agree. Our understanding of God affects every other area of our life. If I really believe that God loves me than I need to believe a few other things about God:
1) I need to believe that God loves me, and even that He likes me, for He created me.
2) I need to believe that God has a plan for me, for He created me with purpose.
3) I need to believe that He will help me to fulfill this purpose, for His Glory and my greatest fulfillment.
4) I need to believe that His promises are true, and His help is real, and the Holy Spirit is available.
5) I need to believe that He is involved in my life, and He is intimately aware of my situation, and desirous of relationship with me.
6) I need to believe that He has already paid for my sins, and thus my sins do not affect His love for me.
There are probably several more things I need to add to this list, but these are a good start. So the first thing I need to do is believe that the rest of the list is true too, for God does not love us from afar, and leave us as loved people who have to figure things out on our own. He is constantly reaching out to us and desirous of intimate relationship. Since relationship is a two-way endeavour, I think the second thing I need to do is learn how to be in relationship with the Lord.
Relationships, while unique to the individuals, all generally include the following components, conversation and communication, affection of some sort, shared history, and common or similar interests. Generally we don't say we have relationships with people we don't like, for relationships are mutually embraced. We have relationships with those people that we desire to spend time with, that we enjoy and that we receive encouragement and care from in return. Being in a relationship requires interaction and conversation - for that is the primary language of relationship. So for me to be in relationship with the Lord, I must be in conversation with Him, and conversation must be possible. In my life, I spend time every morning in conversation with the Lord, both speaking and listening. I spend time throughout the day reflecting, questioning, praying, and trying to stay in regular communication. I find that as I do so, I have begun to grow in my understanding of the Lord, His heart, His way of thinking, and His affection for me. It really is the same as it is for any other relationship.
In my life, I found that church attendance and listening to the sermons on Sunday was nowhere near enough time or interaction to effectively build a relationship with the Lord. In the same way that we could not have a real and meaningful relationship with someone that we only meet every Sunday in the lobby of the church, we can't have a deep relationship with God if that is the only time we talk, or we listen to Him. If we met someone we wanted to get to know we would likely decide to spend more time with them, maybe over lunch or dinner, visiting one another's house, etc. In the same way we must invite the Lord into our lives. Regular times of prayer and conversation with the Lord have worked the best for me. Over the last 35+ years I have tried to carve out time daily, usually in the morning before I get started into the business of the day. This required a willingness to sacrifice some of my sleep, or in my case going to bed a bit earlier so that I could spend time with God. I had to work to make it happen. I am reminded of several people that I have an ongoing intention to get together but we never do, because neither of us actually follows through on our intentions.
The Lord will meet with us anytime and anywhere, but we must be intentional in turning our minds and hearts to Him. He has been present to me while mowing the yard, while driving my car, in the shower, when I first woke up, out in the woods while I was walking, but the most consistent time we have is in the morning, sitting on the couch and sharing a cup of coffee and conversation. I am amazed at His ability to always have something to talk about! I often start through reading scripture, but very quickly that turns into the Lord expounding on those scripture and making them real in my life, applying them directly to me. Sometimes it is a little painful, as He gently points out areas I am failing or misunderstanding His word, or believing wrongly, but always He is very encouraging, gentle, humorous, enlightening, merciful, compassionate, kind and loving. My time with the Lord is always interesting, always personal and enlivening to me.
As I have grown in my relationship with Him, I have found that as I get to know Him more, I am better able to talk about Him to the rest of my friends and acquaintances, for that is what we often do in any other relationship. I have friends from different circles in y life who know all about other friends of mine that they have never met yet, because I share about them. My wife knows about many of my co-workers, but has met very few of them over the years, but when she does she already has a foundational understanding of who they are and what they are like, because of what I have shared. Isn't that the basis of evangelism? I imagine that when the Apostles and disciples walked around after Jesus ascended, they were constantly talking about Jesus, what He was like, what He said, telling stories of their interactions with Him and recounting stories of Him. That is exactly what was the basis of the Gospels, the teaching and stories of the Apostles. In that same way, as we get to know Jesus and have life experiences with Him, we are invited to do the same as the Apostles, to share about our relationship with Him.
I think that for many of us, we shy away from evangelism because we have limited experience and relationship with the Lord. It is hard to introduce someone to our friends that we barely know. The good news is that Jesus is not afraid of crappy introductions. He is fully capable of interacting with each of us, and given an opportunity, He will make Himself known and real in our friend's lives. I know I need to grow in this area of my life, for I tend to shy away from conversations of depth and meaning. I am more comfortable in talking about the KC Royals than I am sharing my recent God stories, but through friendships and relationships with other believers, I am learning to become more free in my sharing of my relationship with God.
I am clearly just getting warmed up this topic of how I live my life if I believe God loves me! I will continue the reflection tomorrow. For today, I am encouraged to continue to believe and work on areas of unbelief, to invest in relationship with the Lord, and to share about that relationship with others.
Lord, I pray that You will help me to grow and mature in my relationship with You. I pray that You will help me explore the riches of Your love and the fellowship of relationship.
Amen!
Yesterday I spent most of my time thinking about the first part of that statement, do I believe that God loves me? This is such an important question, and really a key component to the Gospel for without the motivation of Love, nothing that Jesus did makes sense. Personally I am convinced of His love for me, and I know that I have come no where near full comprehension of what that means.
Yesterday at church we were talking about the Good News and one of our friends was talking about the fact that the ransom that is paid provides an understanding of the value of the individual that has been kidnapped. What the family of the kidnap victim is willing to sacrifice, and willing to pay shows the value to them of the person that is held prisoner. God showed our value to Him by allowing Jesus to come to earth, as our ransom. In other words we are as valuable to God the Father, as His Son Jesus! His love for us was so great that He was willing to sacrifice Jesus. That statement is really unfathomable, but we get a sense of the incredible value that the Father has put on our lives. This value is based on His love for us.
We also talked about the love a parent has for their child. I remember the first time I held both of my children, an overwhelming love for them just filled my heart! They hadn't done anything, were barely minutes old, and yet my love for them was so strong that i would have gladly given my life for them! It was amazing to experience, and I think that is just a small picture of what the Lord feels for each of us!
So, since I am convinced of His love for me, how should I live my life? That is a great questions, and one that is deeper than apparent at a first glance. The fact that I am loved by God is supposed to be one of the foundational principles in my life. A.W. Tozer says that most important thing we think is about God, and I would agree. Our understanding of God affects every other area of our life. If I really believe that God loves me than I need to believe a few other things about God:
1) I need to believe that God loves me, and even that He likes me, for He created me.
2) I need to believe that God has a plan for me, for He created me with purpose.
3) I need to believe that He will help me to fulfill this purpose, for His Glory and my greatest fulfillment.
4) I need to believe that His promises are true, and His help is real, and the Holy Spirit is available.
5) I need to believe that He is involved in my life, and He is intimately aware of my situation, and desirous of relationship with me.
6) I need to believe that He has already paid for my sins, and thus my sins do not affect His love for me.
There are probably several more things I need to add to this list, but these are a good start. So the first thing I need to do is believe that the rest of the list is true too, for God does not love us from afar, and leave us as loved people who have to figure things out on our own. He is constantly reaching out to us and desirous of intimate relationship. Since relationship is a two-way endeavour, I think the second thing I need to do is learn how to be in relationship with the Lord.
Relationships, while unique to the individuals, all generally include the following components, conversation and communication, affection of some sort, shared history, and common or similar interests. Generally we don't say we have relationships with people we don't like, for relationships are mutually embraced. We have relationships with those people that we desire to spend time with, that we enjoy and that we receive encouragement and care from in return. Being in a relationship requires interaction and conversation - for that is the primary language of relationship. So for me to be in relationship with the Lord, I must be in conversation with Him, and conversation must be possible. In my life, I spend time every morning in conversation with the Lord, both speaking and listening. I spend time throughout the day reflecting, questioning, praying, and trying to stay in regular communication. I find that as I do so, I have begun to grow in my understanding of the Lord, His heart, His way of thinking, and His affection for me. It really is the same as it is for any other relationship.
In my life, I found that church attendance and listening to the sermons on Sunday was nowhere near enough time or interaction to effectively build a relationship with the Lord. In the same way that we could not have a real and meaningful relationship with someone that we only meet every Sunday in the lobby of the church, we can't have a deep relationship with God if that is the only time we talk, or we listen to Him. If we met someone we wanted to get to know we would likely decide to spend more time with them, maybe over lunch or dinner, visiting one another's house, etc. In the same way we must invite the Lord into our lives. Regular times of prayer and conversation with the Lord have worked the best for me. Over the last 35+ years I have tried to carve out time daily, usually in the morning before I get started into the business of the day. This required a willingness to sacrifice some of my sleep, or in my case going to bed a bit earlier so that I could spend time with God. I had to work to make it happen. I am reminded of several people that I have an ongoing intention to get together but we never do, because neither of us actually follows through on our intentions.
The Lord will meet with us anytime and anywhere, but we must be intentional in turning our minds and hearts to Him. He has been present to me while mowing the yard, while driving my car, in the shower, when I first woke up, out in the woods while I was walking, but the most consistent time we have is in the morning, sitting on the couch and sharing a cup of coffee and conversation. I am amazed at His ability to always have something to talk about! I often start through reading scripture, but very quickly that turns into the Lord expounding on those scripture and making them real in my life, applying them directly to me. Sometimes it is a little painful, as He gently points out areas I am failing or misunderstanding His word, or believing wrongly, but always He is very encouraging, gentle, humorous, enlightening, merciful, compassionate, kind and loving. My time with the Lord is always interesting, always personal and enlivening to me.
As I have grown in my relationship with Him, I have found that as I get to know Him more, I am better able to talk about Him to the rest of my friends and acquaintances, for that is what we often do in any other relationship. I have friends from different circles in y life who know all about other friends of mine that they have never met yet, because I share about them. My wife knows about many of my co-workers, but has met very few of them over the years, but when she does she already has a foundational understanding of who they are and what they are like, because of what I have shared. Isn't that the basis of evangelism? I imagine that when the Apostles and disciples walked around after Jesus ascended, they were constantly talking about Jesus, what He was like, what He said, telling stories of their interactions with Him and recounting stories of Him. That is exactly what was the basis of the Gospels, the teaching and stories of the Apostles. In that same way, as we get to know Jesus and have life experiences with Him, we are invited to do the same as the Apostles, to share about our relationship with Him.
I think that for many of us, we shy away from evangelism because we have limited experience and relationship with the Lord. It is hard to introduce someone to our friends that we barely know. The good news is that Jesus is not afraid of crappy introductions. He is fully capable of interacting with each of us, and given an opportunity, He will make Himself known and real in our friend's lives. I know I need to grow in this area of my life, for I tend to shy away from conversations of depth and meaning. I am more comfortable in talking about the KC Royals than I am sharing my recent God stories, but through friendships and relationships with other believers, I am learning to become more free in my sharing of my relationship with God.
I am clearly just getting warmed up this topic of how I live my life if I believe God loves me! I will continue the reflection tomorrow. For today, I am encouraged to continue to believe and work on areas of unbelief, to invest in relationship with the Lord, and to share about that relationship with others.
Lord, I pray that You will help me to grow and mature in my relationship with You. I pray that You will help me explore the riches of Your love and the fellowship of relationship.
Amen!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)