Psalms 37:4 Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.
Psalms 37:23 The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when He delights in His way. 24 though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds His hand.
One of the biggest one hit wonders of the 70's was a rather cheesy song called Afternoon Delight. It was a light and lively little ditty, with overtones of sexual satisfaction In line with the tension as Song of Solomon.
Check it out:
Gonna find my baby, gonna hold her tight
gonna grab some afternoon delight.
My motto's always been; when it's right, it's right.
Why wait until the middle of a cold dark night.
When everything's a little clearer in the light of day.
And you know the night is always gonna be there any way.
Sky rockets in flight. Afternoon delight. Afternoon delight.
Thinkin' of you's workin' up my appetite
looking forward to a little afternoon delight.
Rubbin' sticks and stones together makes the sparks ingite
and the thought of rubbin' you is getting so exciting.
Sky rockets in flight. Afternoon delight. Afternoon delight.
Started out this morning feeling so polite
I always though a fish could not be caught who wouldn't bite
But you've got some bait a waitin' and I think I might try nibbling
a little afternoon delight.
Sky rockets in flight. Afternoon delight. Afternoon delight.
Please be waiting for me baby when I come around.
We could make a lot of lovin' 'for the sun goes down.
Obviously the song is about a sexual encounter in the afternoon, not about communing with God so lets get that out first. I do believe that God wants to redeem all things for his glory, so lets pull out nuggets to be redeemed. Notice the longing desire and deep emotional captivity that this coming delight has. A hunger, sparks igniting, tempting bait all paint a picture of butterflies in the stomach anticipation of the delight that lies ahead. There is a strong longing, positioned at the deepest level of the soul that we all have felt that trumps every other thought called desire to be delighted. The object of desire in the song is pretty straight forward and doesn't need a lot of explanation.
Take the thread of a deep desire for delight in a relationship and apply it back to Psalms 37. There is the same deep soul captivating delight, it is just a Holy longing for God, not a temporal sexual encounter. What we delight in and desire will drive our lives and actions, as it holds our attention and heartstrings. Much of what messed me up in life was a church life that was a prescribed routine devoid of passion and desire. It was almost like passion and desire were bad words. I knew what to do, I was just unable to go there deep in my soul as other things gave me a deeper delight than this routine I was supposed to play before God. Passion and desire will always overcome us. It is a war we all face. I now know that it is only when God's grace highlights the joyful satisfaction we find in living our lives in communion with Him that we are set free from the captivity of being controlled by sinful and wrong desires. Oh baby - what joy this brought to my soul. Delight and Christianity weren't two parallel paths that never touched, life in Christ occurs when God's hand of grace pulls us into deep satisfaction with Him.
God built us to be overcome by our passions and delights in Him. Sin has bent those desires towards other objects to lead us away from God. Religion becomes Redemption when the Heart of a man or woman finds a true delight in the Lord and starts to see the absence of satisfaction in the things of this sinful world.
So what is your personal relationship with God like? Is it a routine? A routine coated with good theology and Church activities? If your desire and delight is not weaved into your walk with God, then your heart is somewhere else and you know it. I lived in that miserable spot for about 30 years. Ask God for a delight in Him and strive towards His arms.
Each night I pray for God to give me and my family a stronger desire in Him as he draws us closer to Himself. A deep delight in the Lord anchored in the grace of Christ is the greatest, deepest delight and joy we can ever know. And unlike the "afternoon delight" It never ends.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Is Jesus Enough?
Hebrews 13:5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 6 So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear;what can man do to me?”
The pharma times reported today that more than 20% of the US population took some sort of mental health drug last year. For women that number is more like 1 in 4. 30% of Americans abuse alcohol and almost 1 in 10 are illegal drug users. The CDC reports that 1 in 3 Americans are obese.
Why? The answer underneath all of the effects is that we are not content with Jesus, as the author of Hebrews challenges us to be. I know that there are specific traumas in which specific meds maybe helpful for a specific time, but I meet people all of the time that appear to have everything that one could want (except Christ) and are turning to chemicals and alcohol for relief. I used to be one of them. People turning to alcohol, illegal drugs or over eating, are all looking for something to heal their soul and provide a divine contentment that the world's challenges can not remove. The text above challenges us to be deeply anchored into Christ and receive a peace and contentment that plow through fears, trials and challenges like an ice beaker. Only God working through His spirit can provide that for any of us including yours truly. Do you belief that Jesus is enough?
One of the primary reasons that we are scrambling for things other than God that provide a temporary chemical or metaphysical peace, is that our culture is buried in debt as we again have ignored God's revealed wisdom to "keep our life free from the love of money (and stuff by implication)". Recent studies show that around 80% of Americans are in debt to creditors, and that as a whole the American consumer base has borrowed 119% of their incomes. So as we blindly ignore God's word, and want and buy more and more stuff, we sink deeper into the quicksand of debt and our anxieties and depressions mount. The oh-so temporary great feeling about the new car, home or couch is soon replace by the reality of having to spend your life paying back banks and credit card companies. This debt enslavement is getting heavier for many Americans leading to depression and for some to even take their own life.
So let's examine our hearts to see how content we are with Jesus. If we are content in our identity with Him, our love for Him will trump our love for money and stuff that drive us deeper in debt. Once we see our resources as God's, to build His kingdom and not ours, we can experience the Joy of obedience financially and be freed from the yoke of debt that is choking us.
Their are some who are reading this that the Lord's spirit has touched by His word. How do you start to unwind this wicked blend of debt and depression/anxiety? Start with asking God to forgive your disobedience to Him, and ask Him to draw you nearer to His heart and provide a divine contentment with Him. Without that anchor and peace, your temporary efforts to find true freedom in Christ will look like someone trying to stop a raging forest fire with a water gun.
I want to be clear that there are times where borrowing done responsibly is clearly justified. I also know myself and others around me to know that the vast majority of stuff purchased in the US is a result of a lack of contentment in one's life. I pray that we all find that contentment in Christ alone as the Holy Spirit points us to through the author of Hebrews.
The pharma times reported today that more than 20% of the US population took some sort of mental health drug last year. For women that number is more like 1 in 4. 30% of Americans abuse alcohol and almost 1 in 10 are illegal drug users. The CDC reports that 1 in 3 Americans are obese.
Why? The answer underneath all of the effects is that we are not content with Jesus, as the author of Hebrews challenges us to be. I know that there are specific traumas in which specific meds maybe helpful for a specific time, but I meet people all of the time that appear to have everything that one could want (except Christ) and are turning to chemicals and alcohol for relief. I used to be one of them. People turning to alcohol, illegal drugs or over eating, are all looking for something to heal their soul and provide a divine contentment that the world's challenges can not remove. The text above challenges us to be deeply anchored into Christ and receive a peace and contentment that plow through fears, trials and challenges like an ice beaker. Only God working through His spirit can provide that for any of us including yours truly. Do you belief that Jesus is enough?
One of the primary reasons that we are scrambling for things other than God that provide a temporary chemical or metaphysical peace, is that our culture is buried in debt as we again have ignored God's revealed wisdom to "keep our life free from the love of money (and stuff by implication)". Recent studies show that around 80% of Americans are in debt to creditors, and that as a whole the American consumer base has borrowed 119% of their incomes. So as we blindly ignore God's word, and want and buy more and more stuff, we sink deeper into the quicksand of debt and our anxieties and depressions mount. The oh-so temporary great feeling about the new car, home or couch is soon replace by the reality of having to spend your life paying back banks and credit card companies. This debt enslavement is getting heavier for many Americans leading to depression and for some to even take their own life.
So let's examine our hearts to see how content we are with Jesus. If we are content in our identity with Him, our love for Him will trump our love for money and stuff that drive us deeper in debt. Once we see our resources as God's, to build His kingdom and not ours, we can experience the Joy of obedience financially and be freed from the yoke of debt that is choking us.
Their are some who are reading this that the Lord's spirit has touched by His word. How do you start to unwind this wicked blend of debt and depression/anxiety? Start with asking God to forgive your disobedience to Him, and ask Him to draw you nearer to His heart and provide a divine contentment with Him. Without that anchor and peace, your temporary efforts to find true freedom in Christ will look like someone trying to stop a raging forest fire with a water gun.
I want to be clear that there are times where borrowing done responsibly is clearly justified. I also know myself and others around me to know that the vast majority of stuff purchased in the US is a result of a lack of contentment in one's life. I pray that we all find that contentment in Christ alone as the Holy Spirit points us to through the author of Hebrews.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Credentials
Genesis 41:15 And pharaoh said to Joseph, " I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it. 16 Joseph answered Pharaoh, "It is not in me; God will give pharaoh a favorable answer"
We live in a society that is all about building a resume and gathering successful credentials. Whether it is the burning passion for kids to be the best at their activities, the brand name of the clothes we wear, or our street address and the status label it gives us we are all pretty good at puffing ourselves up in the eyes of others. We are masters of evaluation and separation of people based on performance and rewarding those who do best when it counts. Since our society seems to revolve around that axis, it seems that there is an unspoken rule of aggregating the things that we all do well and keep a running list of credentials that validate our employment, activities, roles and selves. When needed we can break this list out and tell the world how worthy we are to accomplish whatever it is that is being asked of us.
Contrast Joseph, a great man of faith, with our culture. In Genesis 41 above he is having a conversation with the most influential figure in the World at that time, Pharaoh. Pharaoh addresses Joseph as the interpreter of dreams and asks Joseph to clarify what his dreams mean. So at the time when Joseph can bring glory to himself and say "Why,yes, pharaoh I am the dream machine and I can indeed help you", he elects to do otherwise. His words are "it is not in me". Joseph is saying, "I can not do it". He then follows it up with " God will give pharaoh a favorable answer." He is simply being honest. It is when we are at this point in our ministries that we can be effective for Christ. If you take time to go through Hebrews chapter 11 and examine the lives of the faithful men and women listed there you will find that they all came to the ends of themselves before they were used in effective ministry. No one in Hebrews 11 believes that it is half God and half them, they have met Him and seems themselves clearly and therefore no better. This is the same as PAul in the New Testament saying , "I am chief among sinners".
In a day when we are productive achievers and believe deeply in our abilities to accomplish much, we must not ignore this biblical truth. We will be tempted at every turn to believe that we are essential, when we are not. God alone is essential and if the Devil can convince us that we are then he has us exactly where he wants us, imitating Him. We don't want others to assign worth to us, we want them to give glory and praise to Christ alone.
It is where we end and Christ begins that our faith becomes real and advances His Kingdom.
We live in a society that is all about building a resume and gathering successful credentials. Whether it is the burning passion for kids to be the best at their activities, the brand name of the clothes we wear, or our street address and the status label it gives us we are all pretty good at puffing ourselves up in the eyes of others. We are masters of evaluation and separation of people based on performance and rewarding those who do best when it counts. Since our society seems to revolve around that axis, it seems that there is an unspoken rule of aggregating the things that we all do well and keep a running list of credentials that validate our employment, activities, roles and selves. When needed we can break this list out and tell the world how worthy we are to accomplish whatever it is that is being asked of us.
Contrast Joseph, a great man of faith, with our culture. In Genesis 41 above he is having a conversation with the most influential figure in the World at that time, Pharaoh. Pharaoh addresses Joseph as the interpreter of dreams and asks Joseph to clarify what his dreams mean. So at the time when Joseph can bring glory to himself and say "Why,yes, pharaoh I am the dream machine and I can indeed help you", he elects to do otherwise. His words are "it is not in me". Joseph is saying, "I can not do it". He then follows it up with " God will give pharaoh a favorable answer." He is simply being honest. It is when we are at this point in our ministries that we can be effective for Christ. If you take time to go through Hebrews chapter 11 and examine the lives of the faithful men and women listed there you will find that they all came to the ends of themselves before they were used in effective ministry. No one in Hebrews 11 believes that it is half God and half them, they have met Him and seems themselves clearly and therefore no better. This is the same as PAul in the New Testament saying , "I am chief among sinners".
In a day when we are productive achievers and believe deeply in our abilities to accomplish much, we must not ignore this biblical truth. We will be tempted at every turn to believe that we are essential, when we are not. God alone is essential and if the Devil can convince us that we are then he has us exactly where he wants us, imitating Him. We don't want others to assign worth to us, we want them to give glory and praise to Christ alone.
It is where we end and Christ begins that our faith becomes real and advances His Kingdom.
Monday, October 31, 2011
80 million acts of vengeance
Romans 12:17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to what is honorable in sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord."
Most surveys reveal that at least 80% of Americans consider themselves Christian. It should strike us as odd that there are 80 million lawsuits filed in America each year. We are only 4.6% of the world's population, yet we have 70% of the world's lawyers. The stats drive me to ponder the question why? If we are walking in Grace which is something we did not merit and were forgiven based on another's work then why are we so quick to sue? What about Christ's words about turning the other cheek? What about Paul's words above? To get to the core of the tension we must address this vital question: Is revealing Christ's grace more important than our stuff and money?
Paul is charging the church at Rome, and all Christians in turn, to walk as Christ walked in forgiveness. Why? It baffles people and makes them evaluate how in the world can this guy or gal just be done wrong and be content. As that unveils, our dialogue is in fact preaching the Gospel to them: I can forgive and go on in peace because I have a God that will provide and I know that He will square all debts and judge with perfect justice in the end. Paul says think of Christ on the Cross sacrificing His life for us rebels. That is the epicenter of Grace and our praise of Him will be the fuel for the fire of forgiveness. Vengeance will fuel an unforgiving heart and freeze it cold. Why then is America the epicenter of self preserving litigation when we should be the epicenter of Grace filled, praise fueled forgiveness?
So how do you walk today, even if you aren't suing someone? Do you walk focused on gain for yourself? Do you feel the need to fight for your stuff so that you can get what you deserve?
Christ fought for us brothers and sisters so that we in fact can get exactly what we DO NOT deserve! Let's pray that God would lead us to be change agents of Grace!
Most surveys reveal that at least 80% of Americans consider themselves Christian. It should strike us as odd that there are 80 million lawsuits filed in America each year. We are only 4.6% of the world's population, yet we have 70% of the world's lawyers. The stats drive me to ponder the question why? If we are walking in Grace which is something we did not merit and were forgiven based on another's work then why are we so quick to sue? What about Christ's words about turning the other cheek? What about Paul's words above? To get to the core of the tension we must address this vital question: Is revealing Christ's grace more important than our stuff and money?
Paul is charging the church at Rome, and all Christians in turn, to walk as Christ walked in forgiveness. Why? It baffles people and makes them evaluate how in the world can this guy or gal just be done wrong and be content. As that unveils, our dialogue is in fact preaching the Gospel to them: I can forgive and go on in peace because I have a God that will provide and I know that He will square all debts and judge with perfect justice in the end. Paul says think of Christ on the Cross sacrificing His life for us rebels. That is the epicenter of Grace and our praise of Him will be the fuel for the fire of forgiveness. Vengeance will fuel an unforgiving heart and freeze it cold. Why then is America the epicenter of self preserving litigation when we should be the epicenter of Grace filled, praise fueled forgiveness?
So how do you walk today, even if you aren't suing someone? Do you walk focused on gain for yourself? Do you feel the need to fight for your stuff so that you can get what you deserve?
Christ fought for us brothers and sisters so that we in fact can get exactly what we DO NOT deserve! Let's pray that God would lead us to be change agents of Grace!
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Mockery
Mark 15:16 And the soldiers led him away inside the palace (that is, the governor's headquarters), and they called together the whole battalion. 17 And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him. 18 And they began to salute him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 19 And they were striking his head with a reed and spitting on him and kneeling down in homage to him. 20 And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him.
What does it really mean to mock something? The dictionary says it means to ridicule, deride or imitate. From a broad perspective, mockery occurs when someone or something pretends to be something when it is not. Like a mockingbird. Mockingbirds earn their name as they steal songs from other birds and sing them as if they were that bird, yet they are not. When humans mock others, it is usually dripping with cynicism with an aim towards belittling other people. I am ashamed to say I have done this way too many times and hurt people.
When I look at the account of the soldiers mocking Jesus in Mark 15, my thoughts go immediately to the images of brutality burned in my brain of the physical mistreatment of Christ that I have seen in movies. The harsh reality is graphic and heavy. It often leaves me wondering, "How could people really do that to Jesus?". Two days ago God challenged me in my quiet time with a new perspective on these verses. The soldiers were unknowingly playing their role in God's plan of redemption by sinfully abusing him and mocking the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. They dressed Him up in royal robes, as they made fun of Him and put a crown of thorns on His head as if to say, "yeah, you are a king alright", just before they spit on Him with disgust and abused him physically. They even cynically mocked Him by kneeling down and paid fake homage to Him having fun tearing Christ down. It is one of the most striking displays of gross sinfulness as rebels cut down the Messiah that came to redeem them from the sin that was driving their evil actions.
Now obviously I wasn't there, and neither were you physically when all of this went on, but before we sit back and throw stones at these soldiers we need to a heart check. Did Jesus pay for your sins on the Cross? If so, let's not miss the fact that even though God willed it, our need of a savior to redeem us from sinful rebellion had a part in Jesus death on the Cross as our sin was atoned for. None of us are innocent from this scene. If we were, the scene would have been unnecessary. The Cross is quite necessary.
We also need to stop and see how we interact with King Jesus. Do our lives deny His Kingship over them just like the actions of the soldiers? Do we know His commands and obey them as we aim to be satisfied by delighting the Father's heart? Do we obey the King as we walk out the Great commission while over 2 billion have never heard of Christ, or do we ignore Him? Does our heart break for what breaks His to the extent that we sacrifice for His sake as we serve others? Do we nourish the physically and spiritually impoverished? Do we care? Do we defend the 100 million + helpless orphans as he gracefully instructed? Do we care?
Do we love justice, seek mercy and walk Humbly? Do we love Him with all of our strength mind and soul? Do we obey him when he says don't fall in love with stuff- you don't need it, I am enough for you? or do we just keep on shopping and working ourselves to death in capitalistic pursuit?
Honestly there are times when I fail here. I know grace and mercy are extended to cover my faithlessness, but let's not miss the fact that Grace and Mercy are extended to those who walk with Him as Lord. So as you examine your hearts, does the testimony of your life mock or honor Christ the King and his commands? We are all too quick to measure our "goodness" against those around us and rationalize ourselves and actions so please don't do this. Ask yourself this question: Is Christ my King directing my life or am I my own King driving my own ship and simply dressing up Jesus as I like just like the Roman soldiers. There is a heaviness in my Heart friends. This is serious business. In Matthew 7:21 Jesus tells us "Not everyone who says to me Lord Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father in heaven." This is a Holy, heavy word. Doing His will displays the Lordship over our lives and is evidence of His redemption of our souls. We can not work our way towards His will outside of His Grace. It just happens. When you fall passionately in love with someone you trust, you joyfully want to delight their heart.
Our words are cheap. Pray through the words of Christ and examine your soul openly.
What does it really mean to mock something? The dictionary says it means to ridicule, deride or imitate. From a broad perspective, mockery occurs when someone or something pretends to be something when it is not. Like a mockingbird. Mockingbirds earn their name as they steal songs from other birds and sing them as if they were that bird, yet they are not. When humans mock others, it is usually dripping with cynicism with an aim towards belittling other people. I am ashamed to say I have done this way too many times and hurt people.
When I look at the account of the soldiers mocking Jesus in Mark 15, my thoughts go immediately to the images of brutality burned in my brain of the physical mistreatment of Christ that I have seen in movies. The harsh reality is graphic and heavy. It often leaves me wondering, "How could people really do that to Jesus?". Two days ago God challenged me in my quiet time with a new perspective on these verses. The soldiers were unknowingly playing their role in God's plan of redemption by sinfully abusing him and mocking the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. They dressed Him up in royal robes, as they made fun of Him and put a crown of thorns on His head as if to say, "yeah, you are a king alright", just before they spit on Him with disgust and abused him physically. They even cynically mocked Him by kneeling down and paid fake homage to Him having fun tearing Christ down. It is one of the most striking displays of gross sinfulness as rebels cut down the Messiah that came to redeem them from the sin that was driving their evil actions.
Now obviously I wasn't there, and neither were you physically when all of this went on, but before we sit back and throw stones at these soldiers we need to a heart check. Did Jesus pay for your sins on the Cross? If so, let's not miss the fact that even though God willed it, our need of a savior to redeem us from sinful rebellion had a part in Jesus death on the Cross as our sin was atoned for. None of us are innocent from this scene. If we were, the scene would have been unnecessary. The Cross is quite necessary.
We also need to stop and see how we interact with King Jesus. Do our lives deny His Kingship over them just like the actions of the soldiers? Do we know His commands and obey them as we aim to be satisfied by delighting the Father's heart? Do we obey the King as we walk out the Great commission while over 2 billion have never heard of Christ, or do we ignore Him? Does our heart break for what breaks His to the extent that we sacrifice for His sake as we serve others? Do we nourish the physically and spiritually impoverished? Do we care? Do we defend the 100 million + helpless orphans as he gracefully instructed? Do we care?
Do we love justice, seek mercy and walk Humbly? Do we love Him with all of our strength mind and soul? Do we obey him when he says don't fall in love with stuff- you don't need it, I am enough for you? or do we just keep on shopping and working ourselves to death in capitalistic pursuit?
Honestly there are times when I fail here. I know grace and mercy are extended to cover my faithlessness, but let's not miss the fact that Grace and Mercy are extended to those who walk with Him as Lord. So as you examine your hearts, does the testimony of your life mock or honor Christ the King and his commands? We are all too quick to measure our "goodness" against those around us and rationalize ourselves and actions so please don't do this. Ask yourself this question: Is Christ my King directing my life or am I my own King driving my own ship and simply dressing up Jesus as I like just like the Roman soldiers. There is a heaviness in my Heart friends. This is serious business. In Matthew 7:21 Jesus tells us "Not everyone who says to me Lord Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father in heaven." This is a Holy, heavy word. Doing His will displays the Lordship over our lives and is evidence of His redemption of our souls. We can not work our way towards His will outside of His Grace. It just happens. When you fall passionately in love with someone you trust, you joyfully want to delight their heart.
Our words are cheap. Pray through the words of Christ and examine your soul openly.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Couch Coaches
Mark 7:1 Now when the pharisees gathered to Him, with some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem, 2 they saw that some of the disciples ate with hands that were defiled, that is unwashed 5 and they pharisees and scribes asked Him, Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of elders but eat with defiled hands?
It is fall in the heart of Dixie. That means football is front and center of media airwaves and supper table conversations. I always think it is funny when people who have never played one snap of football try to give advice to coaches who not only played, but obsessively study techniques and their players to make a living. These folks who have all the right theories, at least in their minds, can be rather convincing in their advice as they opine on the airwaves, blogs or columns. What these "coaches from the couch" don't have is actual experience, true involvement in the team's practice, and the advantage of knowing each player intimately and therefore understanding the reality of their capacity. These couch coaches only have ideas, theory and their perception of what happened in the last game. In other words, they have nothing to offer except unproven and untrained opinions. A.k.a. Hot air.
When you look at the Pharisees, they look a lot like couch coaches as they try to help Jesus "get it right". Jesus has just returned from a place called Gennesaret where He has poured himself out 24/7 doing the Father's will as He preached the Gospel, healed the sick, and cast out demons. All Jesus knew how to do was joyfully obey the father's will as he walked through the messiness of life. Upon His return, He sits down to eat with some of His disciples and the Pharisees, who by the way haven't been doing anything about the poor, the needy nor the Advance of Yahweh's kingdom try to "correct" Jesus' efforts. They literally ask "why aren't you following the tradition of men". Jesus rather sternly replies, " I didn't come here to obey rules and traditions of men. I came to obey my father and you guys should give that a whirl" (paraphrased).
The religious tradition of men will always be to try and use worship of God to consolidate and leverage power to elevate yourself. Religion without truth and spirit will never be messy, it will be pristine with a polished appearance. The problem is, just like the couch coach who isn't experiencing the reality of the football game, people like the Pharisees aren't experiencing a relationship with God. Their religion is limited to theory and intellectual ascent, other people's opinions and a desire to fit in with "good people".
The truth is that carrying the cross is a messy endeavor. God never allows us to map out exact plans on when and where we can expand His Kingdom. He moves at His pace, not ours. The end game of what He is after is not our polished appearance, participation on certain committees or simply our tithes. God is after exactly what Jesus was demonstrating that the Pharisees missed. Joyful obedience to the will of the Father that sprang out of Joyful communion with His Dad. Jesus experience with God lit up and radiated the Holiness of God outwards from Him and it looked awkward to those who where simply trying to "play church".
So where are you? Are you in the game? Do you enjoy experiencing God in communion? Do you enjoy being obedient to the will of God? Or are you a couch coach, a Pharisee, who doesn't serve others but would rather debate over little issues while the needy and the lost of the world waste away?
God wants you to enjoy Him as Lord, Savior and Treasure. The Cross is proof thereof.
It is fall in the heart of Dixie. That means football is front and center of media airwaves and supper table conversations. I always think it is funny when people who have never played one snap of football try to give advice to coaches who not only played, but obsessively study techniques and their players to make a living. These folks who have all the right theories, at least in their minds, can be rather convincing in their advice as they opine on the airwaves, blogs or columns. What these "coaches from the couch" don't have is actual experience, true involvement in the team's practice, and the advantage of knowing each player intimately and therefore understanding the reality of their capacity. These couch coaches only have ideas, theory and their perception of what happened in the last game. In other words, they have nothing to offer except unproven and untrained opinions. A.k.a. Hot air.
When you look at the Pharisees, they look a lot like couch coaches as they try to help Jesus "get it right". Jesus has just returned from a place called Gennesaret where He has poured himself out 24/7 doing the Father's will as He preached the Gospel, healed the sick, and cast out demons. All Jesus knew how to do was joyfully obey the father's will as he walked through the messiness of life. Upon His return, He sits down to eat with some of His disciples and the Pharisees, who by the way haven't been doing anything about the poor, the needy nor the Advance of Yahweh's kingdom try to "correct" Jesus' efforts. They literally ask "why aren't you following the tradition of men". Jesus rather sternly replies, " I didn't come here to obey rules and traditions of men. I came to obey my father and you guys should give that a whirl" (paraphrased).
The religious tradition of men will always be to try and use worship of God to consolidate and leverage power to elevate yourself. Religion without truth and spirit will never be messy, it will be pristine with a polished appearance. The problem is, just like the couch coach who isn't experiencing the reality of the football game, people like the Pharisees aren't experiencing a relationship with God. Their religion is limited to theory and intellectual ascent, other people's opinions and a desire to fit in with "good people".
The truth is that carrying the cross is a messy endeavor. God never allows us to map out exact plans on when and where we can expand His Kingdom. He moves at His pace, not ours. The end game of what He is after is not our polished appearance, participation on certain committees or simply our tithes. God is after exactly what Jesus was demonstrating that the Pharisees missed. Joyful obedience to the will of the Father that sprang out of Joyful communion with His Dad. Jesus experience with God lit up and radiated the Holiness of God outwards from Him and it looked awkward to those who where simply trying to "play church".
So where are you? Are you in the game? Do you enjoy experiencing God in communion? Do you enjoy being obedient to the will of God? Or are you a couch coach, a Pharisee, who doesn't serve others but would rather debate over little issues while the needy and the lost of the world waste away?
God wants you to enjoy Him as Lord, Savior and Treasure. The Cross is proof thereof.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Smooth
Isaiah 30:9 For they are a rebellious people, lying children, children unwilling to hear the instruction of the Lord; 10 who say to the seers, "Do not see," and to the prophets, "Do not prophesy to us what is right; speak to us smooth things, prophesy illusions, 11 leave the way, turn aside from the path, let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel"
Smooth. Easy. Comfortable. That is the way we like it. Smooth skin, whiskey or whatever it maybe, we as Americans don't like to be frustrated, ruffled or corrected. We don't like brash truth that tells us bad news. We like and aim for a smooth life of material blessing and comfort. News flash for us all: that robs us of real learning from God and feeds our flesh. The sanctification process runs counter to that, it kills the flesh and builds our faith in the Triune God. They are battling against each other and they both can not be nurtured by the same thing. The things of this world nurtures our flesh. The things of God, like His Word and Spirit frustrate our flesh so that we will submit and praise Him. When we see and hear about the Holiness of God and his desire to draw us back to that Holiness, it clearly shows our sinful nature and our helplesness without Him. That is not something we want to hear. We aren't used to being told those things.
Isaiah is prophesying about Israel about 2,700 years ago, but His words are wise to consider today. The Israelites didn't want to hear what God was tryng to say to His people because he was trying to get them to repent from their wrongdoings and that made them uncomfortable. It made them feel like they were out of control. He was trying to share truth of their straying from Him, and His desire to heal them, but they just thought God was messing up their lavish, comfortable lifestyle. So you know what they did? They just didn't listen to what God said, and brought fourth some speakers who would speak "smooth" words to them so they could feel good about themselves.
Now without question the Gospel of Christ bring peace to the soul. But it only truly does it to the soul who has been totally brought to the end of its self and begs for a savior. As we walk deeper with Christ, we still need the truth of God's word to shape us. I meet many people who don't understand that they were born enemies of God, slaves to sin and controlled by the devil (all biblical hard truths). If we never hear these hard words and understand our natural position as children of wrath, then what are we saved from? This is the tension that the gospel relieves. Do you feel this tension in your life? Do you celebrate Christ as the reliever of this tension? This is the fuel for worship. This is the driver of Praise for Christ and we never get there without some not so "smooth" words.
So Yes appreciate the smooth words that heal, but listen eagerly to the hard words that shape us as well. Hard truths are good for the soul.
Smooth. Easy. Comfortable. That is the way we like it. Smooth skin, whiskey or whatever it maybe, we as Americans don't like to be frustrated, ruffled or corrected. We don't like brash truth that tells us bad news. We like and aim for a smooth life of material blessing and comfort. News flash for us all: that robs us of real learning from God and feeds our flesh. The sanctification process runs counter to that, it kills the flesh and builds our faith in the Triune God. They are battling against each other and they both can not be nurtured by the same thing. The things of this world nurtures our flesh. The things of God, like His Word and Spirit frustrate our flesh so that we will submit and praise Him. When we see and hear about the Holiness of God and his desire to draw us back to that Holiness, it clearly shows our sinful nature and our helplesness without Him. That is not something we want to hear. We aren't used to being told those things.
Isaiah is prophesying about Israel about 2,700 years ago, but His words are wise to consider today. The Israelites didn't want to hear what God was tryng to say to His people because he was trying to get them to repent from their wrongdoings and that made them uncomfortable. It made them feel like they were out of control. He was trying to share truth of their straying from Him, and His desire to heal them, but they just thought God was messing up their lavish, comfortable lifestyle. So you know what they did? They just didn't listen to what God said, and brought fourth some speakers who would speak "smooth" words to them so they could feel good about themselves.
Now without question the Gospel of Christ bring peace to the soul. But it only truly does it to the soul who has been totally brought to the end of its self and begs for a savior. As we walk deeper with Christ, we still need the truth of God's word to shape us. I meet many people who don't understand that they were born enemies of God, slaves to sin and controlled by the devil (all biblical hard truths). If we never hear these hard words and understand our natural position as children of wrath, then what are we saved from? This is the tension that the gospel relieves. Do you feel this tension in your life? Do you celebrate Christ as the reliever of this tension? This is the fuel for worship. This is the driver of Praise for Christ and we never get there without some not so "smooth" words.
So Yes appreciate the smooth words that heal, but listen eagerly to the hard words that shape us as well. Hard truths are good for the soul.
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