Trophy of Glory

Psalms 115:1 Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness.

Alabama, the Heart of Dixie, is where I reside. College football is an obsession here. Just last week the University of Alabama unveiled a statue celebrating their head coach and his National Championship. At my alma mater Auburn University, they unveiled nine foot statues of the three Heisman trophy recipients. When you get to the point that you are making statutes to commemorate trophies, it is safe to say that pride runs deep. The truth is that people want to bring Glory to the things that give them an identity and statues and trophies for gridiron accomplishments seem to be of the utmost importance.

I have a question to ask you. Have you ever considered yourself a trophy of God's grace?

Psalms 115 kicks off with a plea for God to Give Gory to His name beacsue He is so awesome , ture and loving. Notice the writer goes out of Hsi way to exclude glory form himself as he says "Don't give glory to us". At first that seems a little starange doesn't it? Saying "God give yourself Glory becasue you deserve it" may seem odd when you first consider it, but it shouldn't. This line of thought is what the entire Christian faith is about. Reflecting the glory of God as a trophy of His grace. The heart of the Christian should beat rapidly with anticipation at the thought of His Glory shining through us.

1 John 2:12 makes this oh so clear: "I am writing you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for His name's sake." Did you pick that up? Your sins are forgiven so that you can shine brightly as a trophy of His grace and be proof that there is a King who has conquered death and brought you back to life. Living to bring glory to God is expressed roughly 50 times in the psalms alone. We are all prone to believe that God saves us to elevate our selves and bring ourselves glory, that theology is quite devilish.

So a challenge for you today (for those who are up for it): How do you show the World Jesus' love that He has shown you?

Have you folllowed a biblical model of showing the World that you are His in Baptism? If not, why not? All you are saying is that He has raised you to walk in the newness of Life for His name sake. You are saying in effect,"World look at me I am a Trophy of Christ!" Do you enjoy sharing the good news of Christ or is that saved for private conversations and Sunday school? Do you enjoy serving others in the name of Christ as a part of life and not just on an event basis?

I believe that many people have no idea how much joy they are depriving Christ, other people and themselves as they refuse be obedient to Christ. The one thing that will prevent any of us from submitting to becoming a trophy to His Glory is our desire for our own! Do not let your "old man" rob you of the joy of being a trophy of His Glory. It is what we are created for and remember Jesus extends mercy to helpless repentent people and not to ones who think they are doing just fine without it!

Enter the Kingdom

Luke 18:15-17 Now they were bringing infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. 16 But Jesus called them to hm, saying, "let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for such belongs the kingdom of God. 17 Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it".

Big eyes. Brains spinning. Smiles wide. Feet moving swiftly. This would decribe Cal and Alison as they approached the gates of Disneyworld's Magic Kingdom for the frst time. It was clear that they were being drawn with anticipation in to a place unlike any other that they had seen or been in before. I guess you could say that they "felt the magic". Even though I enjoy watching my children enjoy life, it is hard for me to feel much magic as money seems to evaporate and waiting in line is at the bottom of my favorite things to do list. I do it for them (actually for Evie).

Jesus clearly says to the disciples "Whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God like a little child shall not enter it". Now we have all heard good truths about what Jesus is after before. It is clear that He is saying:
>Children are dependent on others
>Children are more humble and likely to yield
>Children are more likely to follow as they do not see themselves as "self sufficient"
>Most children have no money pile to lean on for security
>Most children sense they need a leader and help

All of those statements are true. One thing that also must be true is that if we don't stand on the outside looking in at the beautiful amazing Kingdom of Christ with at least the same wonder fascination and anticipation as my kids outside Disney then we probably don't see Christ clearly. I am not making any suggestions that a life following Christ is like an entertainment park full of nothing but fun and candy as it is not. What I am saying is that a man created a "kingdom with a mouse as king" that has captured the thoughts and investments of many. Isn't it safe to assume then that Christ's heavenly Kingdom is infinitely more majestic? I think so. If we see Jesus for who He really is, and we see the majesty of His Kingdom, we will not drudgingly enter the gates of His Kingdom in misery. How can we? He saves us, feeds us, allows us to breathe. He heals us, Loves us and is the author of anything that is Good that we know including Life itself. He is worthy to be marvelled at. He is Holy enough to captivate our minds with the majesty of His divinity. When, by His grace, we can see these things, then we come into the Kingdom with hearts full of beaming joy like Cal and Alison looking,smelling, hearing and feeling the magnitude of a new "kingdom" that offers something entirely new. Christ's kingdom offers life, hope and all things that are beneficial. When we beg for mercy from Christ as our suffering savior and submit to Him as our coming King, then we get our "fast pass" if you will into His kingdom. (Sorry I had to use teh fast pass term, the fast pass is the only redeeming thing I personally see at Disney).

The one thing that God has clearly showed me over the past five years is that Jesus is my treasure and His magnitude is beyond titanic. For 34 years I sat outside the gates of His Kingdom thinking if I went in I would have to stop "having fun" and be like all of the people I knew that went to church who were mired in a miserable religious role. I was in Church all of these years going through the motions, but I never sensed the royal invite from my regal king to be engaged by and lost in His Glory.. For decades I lived in the kingdom of religion, Not the Kingdom of God.

The Glory of Christ is marvelous, majestic and divine. Have you ever sensed the exhiliration of running into the gates of His Kingdom?

This Easter, sense the Glory. Look up at the Cross. Worship the Christ!

Rope of Hope

Luke 19:47 And He was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priest and the scribes and the principal men of the people were seeking to destroy Him. 48 But they did not find anything they could do, for all of the people were hanging on His (Jesus') words.

The Zip Line! If you happen to go to Destin this summer, head over to Sandestin and visit The Baytown Wharf. Among the great places to eat and enjoy, is a zip line that crosses an 8 acre lake in the center of the plaza. The zip line is anchored by two large towers rising some 50 feet above the ground. For $8 you can zip all the way across the plaza and all the way back. My kids think it is super cool. As a parent it is a bit disturbing to watch your 8 & 9 year old clip on to this one rope and watch them dangle across this huge outdoor area as they zip along. Before I let my kids do it, I went up and checked out the equipment and safety precautions and they were all top notch. Even with the faith I had in the zip-line equipment, there is something a little concerning every time I watch one of them zip across in the air smiling and waving as the leave the safety of one tower and travel to another. It's interesting the different perspectives of this same event as well: Kids are having a ball and Dad is enjoying their joy, but also concerned about their safety.


It strikes me in Luke 19:27 above, that the people were hanging on Jesus' every word, quite literally. When you think about it, we all are in a very real sense as well. What do I mean? Well, if Christ is the extension form the Father to us, and he extends Himself by His words then we are hanging on for our lives by the word of God and it looks just like my kids on the zip line. When you go back and pray through the text, it really gives the picture of Jesus offering a rope of hope for his listeners (and in turn us as readers) to hang on to for dear life. I think that is a pretty good lens for us to look through when we consider the thought, "Why read the bible, pray and follow?" It is where we meet and learn to enjoy the treasure of our "Hope of Glory", Jesus Christ. It is where we learn that we need a lifeline as there is a real danger of real wrath from a real God as well.

If you are not connected to God through Jesus, it doesn't mean that you are not hanging over danger. It just means that you don't have any hope of falling into it. If you are connected life will be in many ways like my kids on a zip line. Full of dangers, trials and fear to overcome but with a joyful rest in Christ, the Hope (rope) of Glory! It will also be awesome one day as our rope of hope delivers us safely to the other side, the strong tower of refuge as we meet Christ face to face.

Are you ready? Do you have hope? Do you have rope? Or are you free falling trying your darndest to earn God's favor?

Engage them with the Bucket List

Psalms 43:4 Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy, and I will praise you with the lyre, O God , my God.

1 John 1:4 And we are writing these things (the Gospel of Christ) so that our joy may be complete (as we pass Christ to you).

If you care to look for it, there are props for Christ in every situation. Take movies for example. One of my favorites over the past decade was The Bucket List, starring Morgan Freeman (as Carter Chambers) and Jack Nicholson ( as Edward Cole). The movie is about two older men who are checking off their bucket list of the things they really want to do before they die. Freeman's role as Carter, is one of common mechanic, who is overly wise and has a family. Nicholson's character, Edward Cole, is an eclectic, rich, grumpy sort whose flush with cash but quite empty on joy, friends, family and peace. One of the things on their bucket list is to see the Egyptian pyramids. While standing on top of the pyramids Carter in a subtle way reels off his trivial knowledge about Egyptian culture as he questions Edward. "The Ancient Egyptians believed that when you crossed over from this life you were asked two questions: 1) Did you find joy in this life? 2) Did your life bring joy to others?" He poses these questions to Edward and forces him to answer them. Edward awkwardly rambles through the misery of his financially prosperous, yet empty life and kind of skirts the true questions. He ends with the emphatic statement that kind of goes like this: "I am not sure about getting and giving joy, but I would do it all over again and if that keeps me out of Egyptian heaven then so be it". With a smug smile he ends the dialogue.

Now as a Christian, we have three choices in what to do with this:
1) Never watch any movie made in Hollywood and try to enforce that policy on others
2) Watch movies with care and any time we here a heresy like "Egyptian Heaven", tell everyone how idiotic that is
3) Identify the strands of the Gospel that are available in the Movie, and use that as a Evangelical lever

I want to be careful, as I am not recommending watching smut. What I am saying is that lost people are lost in a cultural world that is filled with Gospel levers, and if we want to help them we must use the tools that God has made available.

So when someone brings up The bucket list, instead of condemning their spend of $8 on a worthless movie and applying guilt that they could have given that money to a starving kid. Why not expect lost people to act lost, and introduce them to Christ? The threads of the Gospel are abundant here in this scene. So instead of bashing their viewing habits, why not say : "The Ancient Egyptians were on to something. They were just looking in the wrong place. As a Christian I believe that you will enter Heaven if you have found Joy in Christ and have reproduced that joy in Christ in the World." That approach will allow for a dialogue that you can pull in the Word of God and your testimony. Clearly the verses above shout "Christ as Joy to be enjoyed and shared". The bible is filled with this imagery as Christ as a treasure to draw from. If the dialogue continued, and you were prepared to show off your treasure (Christ), you could begin to tell them about the blessed Trinity and the fruits of the Spirit, where the joy of Christ bubbles over and produces joyous fruit". In short you can use the story in the movie as a platform to share the true Gospel of Christ. These opportunities are all over the landscape of our lives. Seeing them requires a Kingdom vision and focus.

Jesus engaged people where they were. If we are going to evangelize the lost, we must recognize that we are in this world, but not of it, and use the secular props available to show them our Treasure as we exalt Christ! We are truly preaching between two worlds. We should not expect the lost to esteem the integrity of the Holy scriptures higher than worldly wisdom any more than my dog appreciates a Filet Mignon more than week old bologna. It is only as God ordains the seeds of the Gospel to take root in a soul, that they will be guided by scripture. We are called to plant those seeds, and God has rigged this world with seeds to be planted. People are born with a hole in their soul that is longing for God. They just need to see the reality of their situation and the Offer of Love that Christ extends them to fulfill them and their desires.

The beauty of it all is that God has ordained what our cultural reality is. He has woven the threads of Himself all throughout everything we are able to see, touch, feel, smell or hear. He has this whole thing rigged for His Glory!

Can you sense it? Can you leverage it?

Naturally Gifted

1 Corinthians 15:22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.

There are only two words to describe Alison as you watch her with her softball bat: "naturally gifted". We hear this all the time, but what does it mean? Just what is says. Swinging a bat comes easy for her, it is like she was born to do it. Without any prior experience or coaching, she can out hit many of the girls that have been playing and practicing for 2 or 3 years.

If you have a problem with the statement made by Paul above that we are all born to die because of our sin, think about your natural giftings morally and ethically.

Did you have to go to a seminar to learn how to lust after that "hot" bodied person? Did you struggle to enjoy keg parties and self serving sex? Are you going through a huge learning curve to learn to focus more on yourself with your money, time and efforts? Do you have to get a college degree in craving more money and rich foods?

While we all battle different temptings, but let's be honest and say that our natural giftings reflect our sin nature. We come by it naturally, as we inherited it from Adam our father. Our nature is to sin and to die.

Christ came to offer you new birth and a new nature, His. It is only when we are born again in Christ and sealed with the Holy Spirit that our giftings will be from life and producing life. If that doesn't occur, they will be of death and producing more of it.

Sin is not a myth. It is a fact and we all are born with it in abundance. The question then is: have you truly been born again in Christ? The answer will become clear as you examine what you do naturally. Is your nature Adam's, or are worshipping Christ as you are walking in His Nature?

Thing about what you do naturally and compare that to this list found in Galatians 5.

Natural things (verses 20 and 21): sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, and orgies

Things of the Spirit (Christ's nature) verse 22 &23: love, joy, peace, patience, gkindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control

Missing the big picture

Mark 12:15 But, knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why put me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” 16 And they brought one. And he said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said to him, “Caesar's.” 17 Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” And they marveled at him.

Have you ever remembered the humor of a commercial, but were totally unable to recall whose commercial it was. This happens to me a lot. There is a series of insurance commercials running right now that are hilarious, but I cannot remember whose commercial it is! I think that I have missed the point of the commercial (actually they have, but that is another story).

Look at the conversation above, where the Herodians and Pharisees miss the point entirely. They are trying to trap Jesus. They come to Him trying to trap him about paying taxes to the Roman emporer, Caesar. I love how Jesus does evangelism. They approach Him, trying to trap and trick Him so they can get rid of Him and He is trying to Save them even as He knows their evil intent. They are banking on Him saying "no" and thus have some ammo against Him.

As they lay the trap "should we pay taxes to Caesar?", Jesus actually uses their prop of a denarius (a roman coin) to draw them to Himself. He says, "Whose likeness and inscription is on the coin?". They say Caesar. He says in effect, "your right so render the things that are Caesar's to Caesar (material money)." Jesus knows that the only reason Caesar is in power is because God had ordained it and had actually given Caesar the authority he has to impose taxes. Jesus knows that God uses all types of highly sinful people to accomplish His will. So he "deflates their balloon" as He does not fall in to their trap, and He does not yield His claim to authoity either. They thought they were going to match up a power struggle: Jesus verses Caesar. The trap was laid so Jesus would either have to yield power, or provide the ammunition to do away with Him if he would break laws by saying "don't pay the tax". Either way they were going to get rid of Him and retain what they wanted: their power, pride and self laid plans. Or so they thought.

Jesus totally flips the table on them, and they don't even see it. He reinforces Caesar's power to extract taxes because God has ordained it. He also reinforces His own authority. Look deeply. He uses the coin to say render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's. Then check out the next line, "and to God the things that are God's". It really doesn't seem to fit the dialogue until you think deeply into why Jesus came to Earth. He is showing that just as the denarius is the "likeness and inscription of Caesar", He is the "likeness and inscription of God". They are trying to trap Him. He is trying to free them from the trap they are in, but can't see it. They are resting smuggly in a false sense of self righteousness, He is offering a chance to rest in His rock solid righteousness. They are trying to please God by earning their way, He is lovingly showing them He is the only way. They are worshipping themselves, He offers a salvation by worshipping Him!

As Paul says in Colossians 1:15 "he is the image of the invisible God" and they missed the big picture entirely. I do believe there is solid application in each of our lives from this episode. Are you resting in Christ's righteousness or are you desperately trying to figure out another way to sooth that burning conscious that is sending you warning signals that something is wrong with religion and or rebellion?

Are you rendering the things to God that are His? That would be your Life, Soul and Praise!

Lookout: False soul food buffet is open.

2 Peter 1:20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
2 Peter 2:1 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3In their greed these teachers will exploit you with the stories they have made up. their condemnation has been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.

Look around. Listen. What Peter is addressing in the verses above is in full effect in our day here in the USA. Peter is saying watch out for teachers who teach things like:
>Scripture is not the divine word of God - it is up for debate
>Surely there is another way to God -Christ is one of a few options
>Stories about their viewpoint, instead of teaching the Word of God
>Their teaching exalts and draws attention to themselves, not Christ

He says beware of these teachers, they will take you to hell with them. There are teachers sprinkled throughout denominations doing just what he is warning will come. Huh- imagine that! Gods' Word predicting future truth and it happening!

When you look and listen, these "so-called" Christian teachers will of course pull in the name of Christ when needed to keep the charade in tact. They will give him props kind of like muslims do saying, " he is a wonderful man, a prophet in which we should follow his moral code". They intuitively know they have to work him into their teachings. They believe that their stories and thoughts are more important than God's breathed out Word so their "sermons" are rambling stories about their lives and thoughts, not God's. In the process, they eliminate the Gospel (a divine work) and trap you in religion (man's work). The Gospel is "Good news" about a historical fact that Jesus has pleased God, you can't, and your only chance is to beg that He may become your treasure. "Cultural Christianity" which includes Jesus' name, but only as a moral compass in a religious path in which you must please God, is no different than what Muslims and even some Hindus believe. They believe Jesus was a great prophet, performed miracles, and sets the tone for morals, they Just deny His virgin birth, sinless life, crucifixion as a one time atoning sacrifice, and reserrection from the dead. In doing so, they and false teachers here, present Christ as an additive to help your efforts at reaching God. In the process of stripping His deity, they strip the deity of the Word of God with it and "help it with their own thoughts".

Make no mistake about it. He is definitely a moral compass to be followed as these false teachers will say, but they are only giving you half truth as they eliminate His deity. If they give you only half truth, the other half is a lie. Jesus is God, He elected to be fully God and fully man for a season so that He could be exalted in prayer by those who follow and Worship Him as they walk down a narrow Holy path paved with His blood and righteousness. He offers and exchange: His Life for yours. His death for yours. You can only have His life, when you die to yourself. The Blood of deity and mankind can not co-mingle except in , through and by Jesus.

So what are you being fed? Add Jesus and try harder? That ain't it !

The Gospel is that Jesus did it all and He did it for the Joy of the Cross set before Him. The son delighted to do the will of the Father. It pleased the Father to crush the Son on the Cross (Isaih 53:10). It is a sacrificial, triune love affair as the Spirit enters the Hearts of men that want to bring forth the treasure of this "Good News", that Jesus has done what you can't do so abide in Him.

Our only chance is to rest in the Work of Christ, so that we can be mobilized for His work by His strength for His Glory! Be careful who gets to instruct your soul. Maybe your pastor or teacher fits some of the warnings above. Maybe he needs to hear the Gospel, as he is in a bad season but yet truly a Christian. You will be able to tell who is the center of his life only when confronted with The divine Word of God. If he is the center of his life, he will reject the authority of God over him. If God is the center He will do what all Christians do and break and repent under the mighty hand of a Loving, yet wrathful God.

RSVP Required

Mark 2:14 And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.

Luke has an ear infection. No matter how much grape flavoring, momma's sweet coaxing or daddy's stern brow is applied there are times when he does not want to take the medicine. We are trying to help him. Heal him. He is only two I know, but sometimes it takes some wrestling moves to break his resistance to help. He needs the very thing we are trying to give him to heal him, yet he refuses it violently.

I think that in many ways, man's rejection to the Gospel of Jesus looks just like Luke'e rejection of medicine. Jesus offers a wide mercy in offering all the invitation "Follow Me!", many reject that offer. I believe that it is healthy to examine both what Jesus is offering and our internal reaction to the offer.

Jesus is offering Himself to become our treasure as we agree to become refined into Holiness through trials, struggles and victories. In His offer to follow, we must agree to leave behind desires for other treasures and agree to "pick up our crosses" and daily watch an instrument of death kill the natural man in us all. The offer is to deny our selves from being filled with worldly stuff so that we can be filled with Him and His Holiness. As we follow we trade our treasures, learn to wait until He leads and learn to savor trials and suffering as he presses us into Himself. Later in Mark 2, in verse 17, Jesus makes the statement of, " I realize that this offer will only be accepted by those who are sick. The doctor is here to heal all. Not all are willing to take the medicine of my lavish presence. I know that there are some people whose self made wellness and righteous has them feeling healthy and happy and in no need of me. It isn't that they aren't sick, they are just taking the wrong diagnostic test to define health. They have money, morals and power so their gut tells them things are good. They aren't. They just need to take the right diagnostic test". We all do as well. It is this:

When Jesus extends the offer to follow Him into spiritual restoration of right worship and delight in Him, knowing your healing will come by Him killing your wrong desires, self esteem, and wicked delight in sin and replacing that with Holiness, what is the reastion of your Heart and Soul?

Are you like Luke wrestling Him at every turn, Not submitting and fighting His offer as you truly treasure things of this world more than the Riches of Glory found in Christ Jesus?

Are you more like the pharisees who heard the offer but saw themselves as justified without Him. Do you at the core of truth in your soul feel like you are worthy of standing in the presence of a Holy God?

The first we call rebellion. The second we call religion. Both of them keep men from Following Christ into eternity. I believe for the majority of people reading this religion is the danger. I do not think it is coincidence that the man who accepted Christ's offer in this verse is named Levi. The Levites were at the epicenter of Old Testament worship in the temple perfoming the "inner circle" operations of the sacrifices and temple upkeep. I think God planned all of that to foreshadow the fact that there will be those who slave in religion to come to His grace. I am one of them. If you have been in Church all of your life, yet have never experienced the richness of Grace in a Holy walk of following Christ, may this verse and picture of a man with a righteous name of Levi, who was actually buried in sin and seperated from God seep deep into your soul and activate faith in Christ. Maybe you are outwardly referred to as a Christian in name, but inside are an empty shell. He wants you to follow Him.

Following Christ frustrates the flesh, yet raises the Holy Spirit within. Following Christ will guarantee that trials and struggles will force you to your knees to praise Him more, as you realize that He is exalted in your weakness. What is even better is that His Grace is so rich that you learn to see these as gifts of growth.

If you are following Him, you will learn to appreciate the tension of the Gospel which squeezes the self esteem out of you to replace it with Christ. if you are not then you will be hard at work at building your self esteem either through self righteous acts of religion or be pacifying the tension with rebellious things that provide escape like sex, drugs, power, and pleasure. Maybe you were like me and chose the combo. I believe that is actually where many who might acknowledge the name of Jesus walk. That is not the path following Christ.

Religion and Rebellion are the same in God's eyes. They both say no thanks to the only true medicine for our sin and actually keep us from seeing our need for Christ. It looks just like Luke kicking and screaming as he resists. Maybe for someone reading this God has lovingly placed you in a submissive hold and He is pinning you down by orchestrating life events that have you paralized. Maybe, like me putting Luke in a full nelson to give him medicine, The Father is applying so much loving tension in your life in an effort to forces submission to follow so that healing can begin. If so, stop resisting and simply close your eyes, get on your knees and do what Levi did and say, "I will follow you Jesus". Gaze into the Glory of Christ as you worship a the foot of the Cross. Take your medicine- Jesus brings warm healing to the soul!