Hammerhead

Proverbs 14:27 The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death. His eye was about the size of an orange. A big one. His dorsal fin proudly shot straight up in the water, like a rooster shooting out his chest, as he was letting everything that had breath and eyes know that this was his territory. He swam straight through our bait spread without even glancing at the display of fresh fish to eat. He wasn't hungry. He was just checking out what we were doing in his area above the reef off the shore of Islamorada, Fl. The huge Hammerhead swam about 15 feet off the stern of our boat with that one cold, black eye seemingly staring into the bottom of my soul. The most conservative and educated guess was that he was about 14.5 feet long. It didn't take any guess work to figure out who was the King of that patch of water, and none of us would have dared to jump in that water with him. Fear is often a life preserving thing. Fear that keeps us from death is a helpful fear indeed. And fear was screaming from within side me, "backup from leaning over the stern" as he swam past us. A healthy fear of the Lord is a fountain of life that will save you from death says Solomon in proverbs 14:27. What does that mean? I didn't think we were supposed to fear you might be thinking. So which is it: to fear or not to fear? Both. Just as none of us would have dared approach that shark out of God given natural fear, none of us in our flesh would ever dare to approach a Holy God. Certain, sudden death would absolutely positively occur as the Holiness of God purifies and sanctifies the stains of sin by a refining fire. Our sinful self, in frightening fear of our due judgement before the Lord, is what Solomon is saying is a fountain of life. Fear of the Lord keeps us humble and gives us a right disposition of ourselves which keeps us dependent on His mercy and grace. When we truly see ourselves as a "dead man walking before God", we are able to call on Christ as savior. It amazes me how many people claimed to have been saved, but can't tell you from what they were saved or why they need to be saved. They have no fear of the Lord, just a desire to fit into a Christian culture. We are saved from ourselves. A right, reverent fear of God instills in us a deep understanding of our deserved judgement of death. This in turn yields a need to be made right before God by a mode that He has deemed appropriate. When he finally gets us past our false sense that we can "be right" in our own strength, Christ becomes the only answer. The deeper fear we have of our sinful self and our due judgement before God, the more fuel we will have to praise Christ and experience the comfort of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit that is not afraid of anything as it has total dominion over all things created. This is what Paul is alluding to in 2 Timothy 1:8 when He says "God did not give us a spirit of fear but of power and love and self control." Even after we are saved, a reverent fear of God enables our obedience which portrays His glory and righteousness to the world. If you have no true fear of the God who spoke creation into existence and sacrifices His son so that rebels could be loved, you will miss the comfort He provides from that fear in the form of His Holy Spirit. The fountain of life is simply enjoying Him as we joyfully and obediently walk through this life in anticipation of being with him forever. Have you any true fear if Him? If no, that would explain why you might lack comfort from Him as well. They go hand in hand.

Eyetraps

Proverbs 6:24 to preserve you from the evil woman, from the smooth tongue of the adulteress. 25 Do not desire her beauty in your heart, and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes; 26 for the price of a prostitute is only a loaf of bread, but a married woman hunts down a precious life. 27 Can a man carry fire next to his chest and his clothes not be burned? 28 Or can one walk on hot coals and his feet not be scorched? I was in the checkout line at Publix the other day and was caught off guard. The rows of magazines that were staring me in the face were rather risque. The pictures and the words on the cover whispered "come inside and take a deeper whiff of sex". I honestly came to buy some Powerade, and found myself locked in spiritual battle praying for God to guard my heart as sinful desire was tugging deep at my soul. I walked away thanking my God for His strength in not being captured by lust and moving on. My thoughts then raced towards the moral and spiritual state of our culture. I wasn't in a strip club or bar battling for sexual purity. I was in the local grocery store and what was laid out in plain view where eyetraps designed to capture my money and soul. Proverbs six above is talking about being captured by the lust of an adulteress woman. A real woman. Our tendency will always be to dismiss our own battle with lust as "its just a men's health magazine, not a real woman". As we downplay the possible effects of our soul being captivated by scantily clad, near perfect thanks to plastic surgery images, as we walk into the trap Solomon is warning us about. He asks, "can you carry fire next to your chest and not burn your clothes?" Well, neither can you carry the fire of lust inside your soul and not be scorched by the danger of its flames. We would all do well to listen to Solomon's warning : "Do not let her capture you with her eyelashes". He is obviously not talking about being caught physically by her eyelashes, but something much deeper. Burning lust captures the souls of men and women that is a much deeper hold. Lustful desire snuffs out our worship and love for Christ and our spouses. Its trap is to leave us wanting more than what we have, and in turn feeling unsatisfied with the blessings God has given us. If we continue down that path being unsatisfied with God and our marriages our even God's designed singleness, we are firmly caught in a trap with sin scorching our souls from the inside out. The sad reality is our culture is sunk deeply into the trap as a whole and our only hope is for Christ to heal our souls and guard our eyes and hearts. Think I am wrong? Maybe just a little to serious? In the US, the Pornography market is about $10 billion per year and prostitution is estimated at about $11 billion. The plastic surgery market is estimated at almost $2 billion, most of which is vanity induced. That's $23 billion for those counting at home and that doesn't count much of what our lust drives us to that just happens not to be rated x. It doesn't count what is spent on non- taxed prostitution, cost of affairs, divorce attorney's as a result of affairs. It also doesn't include the cost for psychiatrists, pills and treatment for all of the mental and spiritual collateral damage that occur in the wake of lust's power. I'm afraid to add all of that up, but it is very safe to say that the "Lust Market" easily crests the $30-%40 billion dollar market in the US. All because we are captured by the flesh, not our God. In a country that claims to be predominately Christian, it leaves plenty of room for speculation as to who or what truly has us captivated, and in turn is our God. Just as a baseline for comparison, the IMB (international mission board) budget is $324 million this year and they are by far the largest sending agency in the US. This fact begs the question: "What mission are you personally on?". God's Glory is shining brightly through Christ's Cross, are you captivated by that? Or are you caught in an eyetrap?

Man vs. God

Psalms 8:4 What is man that you are mindful of Him? Emerson Hall, home of Harvard's philosophy department, proudly displays the quote from Psalms 8 above. Ironically, some of the most brilliant and dogmatic atheist is the US have spewed corrupting philosophy into the minds of thousands in that very building. The department itself requested that "Man is the measure of all things" be put on the building which more accurately reflects their world- view, back when it was constructed. It is unclear whether the brick mason or the school president over-ruled that request, but Psalm 8:4 is what is displayed as a facade to a building where the question is often reversed by the lecturers inside. "Who is God that you are mindful of Him"? they ask. The irony is as thick as overcooked oatmeal. At the heart of David's psalm to God is a fragile, humble and thankful praise to a Cosmic King expressing sincere thanks for real grace. David finds it unreal that a God so good and pure would even be willing to care so much for a man like himself. It is a statement of puzzled, yet precious, faith by a man who knew his place before God and was baffled that his creator was so intimately merciful and loving. Modern man, much like the faculty teaching in Emerson Hall, seems bent on having a one hundred and eighty degree world view from King David. A view that sees us as the center of the universe and believes that God's character is up for evaluation and His words are subject to our cross examination. The irony of Harvard's Emerson Hall is truly a microcosm of our country and sin's pull at our own souls. "Be your own God" satan whispers into Eve's ear and mine and yours. The adversary knows that if he can keep us questioning God's character, position and clear revelation of Himself in His Word then all we have to look at is ourselves and other people for answers. That is exactly where He wants each of us. Trapped in our own struggle to be our own God building our identity. Christ came to remove us from this trap and to show a vibrant display of what David felt in His Heart: God's goodness and our evil insignifigance apart from Him. In Christ, God again amazes us being willing to be murdered for those who have all fallen short of the glory of God without Christ. That would be you and me. So where are you today before your maker, judge, king and savior? Questioning His authority over your finances, schedule and will? Do you really know His Word and in turn Himself? Or does your schedule of modern entertainment and stuff leave know time? I fear there are many people who are a mirror image of Emerson hall confessing with their mouths "Jesus is my Savior", but their heart's disposition on the inside is not bent to Him as King. We all need His grace daily! Repent and turn to Christ!

How 'bout a hug?

Luke 23:33 And when they came to the place that is called the skull, they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on His right and one on His left. 34 And Jesus said, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do". And they cast lots for His garments.

Eli and Luke are now in the habit of taking showers with me in the morning as they are early risers along with their old man. I love it! The only bad part is that I have to share my coffee with them now that they have joined the tradition of java in the shower with daddio. Part of our routine is me holding them and praying for them and blessing their day. It is powerful. Yesterday morning Eli turned to Luke and said with arms wide open, "Luke hug me, I want to hold you". Luke, being a bit of a stinker these days, rejected the offer of a loving embrace, walking away from a disheartened Eli. What a picture of man's natural reaction to the Gospel of Christ! Jesus with arms wide open on the Cross being murdered by evil men so that he could save them, and them being preoccupied by their gambling for His clothes.

It takes two to hug. Salvation and following Christ is much the same way. The triune God has fixed in eternity their part of the "hugging embrace" if you will. the question is: Have you embraced His forgiveness, rule over your life and control over your life's purpose?" All of this is led by the spirit, but simply knowing what Christ did is no marker of Salvation. Many people have misinterpreted the passage above to mean that "Everyone is simply forgiven- no matter what". That theology doesn't require anything from man except a slight nod of acknowledgement of the Cross. That theology doesn't even put you on even footing with the devil and demons themselves as they have a terrifying fear of Christ. That theology is also contrary to the redemptive history of mankind found in the bible where the faithful are always a fractional remnant. Jesus himself says "Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those that enter it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those that find it are few.(Matthew 7:13-14) That should give us all pause and force us to take a step back to evaluate our souls disposition to Jesus offer of salvation from the Cross with open arms.

Have you turned from your sin and leaped into His arms not only as Savior, but as God over your life? Can you see the pain that your sin has dealt Him on an intimately personal level? Do you see the goodness in His reign and control over your life? Do you praise the Glory of Him recreating Christ in you?

Do not glance this over. The story of man proves most people are just like the guards at the foot of the Cross, too busy with life's details to turn and embrace His offer of Savior King. We need God's grace to even see what Christ is truly offering us as our sin nature aims to deceive us to see what the offer of Embracing Christ truly means. Go embrace the Savior King on His terms, for His Glory and Your Satisfaction.

Self Esteem

Nehemiah 6:15 So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. 16 And when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem, for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God.

Be the best you can be! You need to feel and look good! Billions of dollars are spent each year on self esteem books, enhancement surgeries, gym memberships, feel good pills, diet plans and food, and many other things to build self esteem of individuals. It almost seems that the number one agenda in our country is trying to make everyone feel confident in who they are, regardless of what they are. Is that a good thing? A God thing?

Throughout redemptive history, God is intent on bringing an end to our sinful self esteem, and gracefully replacing it with an esteem for Himself that in turn brings a lasting recreation of Himself that is unshakable. Paul calls enhancing ourselves "the works of the flesh" and we all know what that means. The weird thing about it all is this: until we come to the end of our selves and bow the knee to God in a submissive plea for His mercy, we will always have a fragile self esteem no matter how confident it appears to the world. Why? There is a God who is in heaven who will judge evil men who spend their lives trying to convince themselves they are good, and he will do that very thing.

When you dive into Nehemiah 6 above, you see that very thing happening. Earlier in Nehemiah, his enemies were confident and condescending to Nehemiah and the Jews. They looked at Jerusalem and the rag tag band of "rebuilders", compared the Jews collective resources to their own and felt really, really good about themselves and their chances to control Nehemiah's efforts. They had one major miscalculation though, they left God out of the picture.

When God shows up, all of the self esteem books and tips in the world fade into a transparent facade and our weakness is made clear. Nehemiah fueled by an esteem for God, anchored in the strength of God, was unflappable because His God was and still is. I love what the word says of His enemies, "they were afraid and fell in their own esteem". What a picture this is of us all trying to be our own god as we elevate our selves and then the reality of God striking that down.

Is your esteem based on Christ in you? If so you will see yourself as helpless and in need of Him desperately. If you are confidently strutting through this life based on your works and self esteem, you can be assured that will change. The deadliest place to be is in a religious routine that applies Holy precepts to strengthen our own self esteem as we feel better about ourselves. I know, I was there, and when you are it is almost impossible to see and beg for the mercy you need, because you can't see that you need it.

Their is a Savior worthy of all esteem and he wants to recreate Himself in His creation. That would be you and me.

Grace in vain

2 Corinthians 6:1 As God's fellow workers we urge you not to receive God's grace in vain.

As a parent, few things give my blood pressure a lift like one of my kids receiving a gift in vain. That is, without appreciation of the work, thought, love and sacrifice that the gift required and represents. If you are a parent you know exactly what I mean. There is nothing worse than a spoiled rotten kid who thinks he is more worthy than even the gifts he or she receives, so there is no genuine appreciation for the gift. This is exactly what Paul is urging the Corinthian Church to be aware in themselves, in terms of the Gospel.

Paul is aware that the flesh is constantly battling God's desire for us to truly appraise and appreciate the Glory of Christ and His gift of grace. Think I am lying? Right now where you are, how awed are you of God? Did you wake up this morning with an anticipation to worship Him with the same anticipation you feel before a big sporting event, Christmas, or special vacation to an exotic spot?

Its hard, but I must admit that it is far too easy to undervalue the Gift of Christ. We are far to content to memorize the Sunday School material and go and pour our passions into work, sports, recreation and Hobbies. Paul says look out. He writes this one verse after one of the most awe inspiring verses in the bible 2 Corinthians 5:21 - He who knew no sin, became sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God. Did you hear that? A Holy God not only paid sin debts, but Christ momentarily volunteered to become the thing he hated most, sin. On the cross he became the object of wrath of Father and suffered immensely, even far beyond the physical brutality. Paul is encouraging us to never lose our awe of this fact. Its divine. Its a mystery. Its Holy.

As we approach Easter we need to examine our motives, thoughts and actions. What exactly dominates your thoughts this week? Grocery lists for family meals? Dying Eater eggs? Getting baskets prepared? Travel plans and work schedules?

All of this when Christ is at the Father's right hand desiring your full and deserving awe?

Let's not receive God's grace in vain....