The Pledge of allegiance

Isaiah 45:22 “Turn to me and be saved,all the ends of the earth!
For I am God, and there is no other. 23 By myself I have sworn;
from my mouth has gone out in righteousness a word that shall not return:
‘To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance.’
24 “Only in the Lord, it shall be said of me, are righteousness and strength;
to him shall come and be ashamed all who were incensed against him.
25 In the Lord all the offspring of Israel shall be justified and shall glory.”

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the Untied States of America,
and to the Republic for which its stands,
one nation, under God, indivisible,
with liberty and justice for all.

I remember the intercom cranking up all the way back in 1976 in my first grade class as we would all stand to recite the pledge of allegiance. I can still feel the weight of what I was doing in pledging allegiance as I knew that both God and America were much bigger than myself. When you scan back through these words, it is clear that God anchors the justice and liberty that is allowed all of us, and that the US was designed to be an agent for Him. I know that the words," under God" were added in 1954, but I believe they were unquestionably assumed before that so the addition was to clarify the initial intent, not change it. What puzzles me now is that my generation in particular fights for the conservative "right" for the kids to say this pledge in public, yet fights against the pledge in action. What do I mean? We are way more concerned with getting to say it right, than walking it out. If we break the speed limits consistently,cheat on taxes, bad mouth the US and assassinate the character of every president elected, even though he was elected by due process within the republic's law, then our life speaks AGAINST the very "pledge" we hold so dear. The weird thing is that every body is so busy, we can't even see our own hypocrisy in the matter because we are to busy discussing how hypocritical politicians are. News flash: the politicians are simply a reflection and a product of our society. They have just learned to play the game a little better.

I do agree that the fight to keep "under God" in the pledge has extreme merit as it is the backbone of the pledge and a surgical removal of it leaves nothing but a bag of bones. I think that it is perhaps more critical for us all to access how we stand in allegiance to God, before we can apply that to our nation. We place way to much value on our words, but what does your heart, soul and actions testify when God says to us "You will bow before me".as He does in Isaiah 45 above? Pride immediately sends us to seek a "more educated" translation that will read "acknowledge". Why? Pride seeks to elevate us as we serve ourselves. We don't want to be controlled, whether it is a government telling you to drive 55 mph, or if it is a true God clarifying what is sin and what is holy. Christ came to invite us into a holy, joyful submission unto the Father. Unlike the politicians who have altered the US, God remains an unchanging anchor of all things good, including my ability to right this and not get thrown in jail as I live in the US, not in a gospel-adverse country.

So examine your life. Do you rant and rave about others actions while ignoring your own need for Christ to lead you into joyful submission? Have you sworn allegiance to God and America, and then acted against that pledge?

God is not asleep on the throne. He knows the root of our hearts. He clearly understands if we truly have trusted Christ to the point of placing our entire life in His hands by faith alone, or if we simply just talk bout it.

It is only when our lives are in His hands that we experience the justice and glory that is found in Christ alone (verse 25). Submission to Him is healthy, joyful and a delight. So let us pledge allegiance, Yes. But let us, by Faith, live it to testify to the world how great our God is!

Your Song

Isaiah 12:1 You will say in that day: "I will give thanks to you, O lord, for you were angry with me, your anger turned away, that you might comfort me.2 "behold, God is my salvation: I will trust, and I will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation 3 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. 4 And you will say in that day: Give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name, make known his deeds among the peoples, proclaim that His name is exalted. Sing praises to the Lord, for He has done gloriously; let this be known in all of the earth. Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion. For great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel."

Certain songs make my heart smile. Elton John's "your song" is one of those that does because it is a humble and passionate expression of tender love. My favorite lines are:

It's a little bit funny this feeling inside
I'm not one of those who can easily hide
I don't have much money but boy if I did
I'd buy a big house where we both could live
If I was a sculptor, but then again, no
Or a man who makes potions in a travelling show
I know it's not much but it's the best I can do
My gift is my song and this one's for you

Its then followed up with the chorus:

I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind, That I put down in words
How wonderful life is, while your in the World"

Now to all you borderline legalists in the house, I am not condoning His lifestyle, I am pointing out the Joy of His heart pouring out in His song sung to another, that in turn brings joy in the heart of others. Or at least mine. The reason? It is the picture described in Isaiah above of How we should live "unto the Lord" as we follow Christ. Isaiah is prophesying about Jesus coming 700 years before he comes (that is pretty cool in itself that, huh?). The text above is Isaiah prophesying reactions of the redeemed to the ONE who is righteous and faithful, Jesus.

Singing praises to Christ of His greatness, fueled by the strength of the Joy of the Lord, multiplies grace in our Hearts and allows the unredeemed to perhaps hear and sense the divine true Love of God. God wants to drench us in Love, Spirit and Truth in a way that our souls sing and praise our way through thick and thin, victory and failure, all because we know we can trust the permanancy of the Eternal One's work and Reign. It not only gives God the Glory he deserves, it satisfies our desires and leaves those outside of relation to God to wonder "How is this person able to handle all of these challenges and still be at peace and have joy?" That is real evidence of our faith, not as fabrication, but simply an overflow of the power Christ through us that will change the World.

So when was the last time you sang to Jesus in spontaneous, unscripted Joy? Have you ever told, or sung, to Him out loud how Glorious you think He is or how madly in Love with Him you are?

Where is Your Song for Him?

We need an ax man

Isaiah 10:15 Shall the ax boast over Him who hews with it, or the saw magnify itself against him who wields it?

I have been reviewing some resumes lately as we are looking for some additional creative support at blu. It is interesting when you read resumes, as everyone does their best to bring forth what they have accomplished in a way that strikes a perfect balance between more-than-capable and not-so-cocky. Its basically a polished way of saying, "look what I have done and what I can do for you". It's kind of the way we all think if we are honest. We all see the good we've done and the great asset we can be for our present or future employer, and the better asset we can prove ourselves the more dinero comes our way.

In Isaiah 10 above, God is talking directly to the king of Assyria. God has allowed him and propelled him to victory over many nations including Syria, Israel and Judah. (actually at this point he is prophesying through Isaiah that this will happen and of course it does later.) The victories that occurred under the King of Assyrias's headship, ultimately occurred under God's. The King of Assyria was only able to see his own power and greatness at work, and not God's. That would prove to be a deadly mistake as God would wipe Him and His kingdom out in righteous judgement of this prideful nation.

It is so easy for us reading this to say to ourselves," What an idiot that guy was, can't he see that God was there". We would be misleading ourselves if we are unable to translate this thread of learning into our own lives. Sin is hard at work trying to tempt us to take credit for what God has done in our lives. Sin wants us to be elevated as a great businessperson, parent, athlete, looker, friend, child, professional, church member, volunteer or anything else we throw our hat in the ring to do. We, just like the King, can convince ourselves that our success is ours and not God's. We can become deceived that the credit for our accomplishments is entirely ours, and not God's. God says to you and me, "that's like the ax saying 'look at the tree I cut down' to the axman who actually wielded the ax".

Think through God's sovereign orchestration and design in your life. The people we meet, the opportunities we get, the environment we were born in, simply being an American are God's doing, not ours. It is so tempting and status quote for us to assume wrongly that we are a great accomplisher of things and take the credit for God's hand at work. At the end of the day, taking credit for the work of God is a path of rebellion that we have all strolled down and we need to turn and walk back down the path of elevating Him and giving Him his due credit.

So consider this a call to all of the axes out there. Without a divine ax man wielding you, you are only capable of sitting in a tool closet collecting dust while talking about how sharp you are.

I want to talk about Me

2 Corinthians 5:15 "and he (Jesus) died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.

If you know my oldest son, Cal, you will notice three things about him: 1) he is loud, 2) he is high energy 3) his memory is excellent. At the age of two he could sing entire songs, while most of his peers sucked their pacifiers and looked at him like "What is up with this kid?". Cal also demanded a lot of attention back in those days, and his choice of songs to sing were ironic. His favorite was Toby Keith's, "I want to talk about me." I can vividly remember driving down the road with Cal all of 22 months singing the chorus:

"I want to talk about me, want to talk about I, want to talk about number one, oh my me my, what I think what I want what I see" and then bringing it home with some cranked up "I want to talk bout me!". It still puts a smile on my face as I think back on how much He, and life, has changed in the Stubbs' house. Cal is growing into a jewel of a young man.

When you dig into what could of been called the theme song of Cal's toddler years, it presents a truth for us all to wrestle with. From deep on the inside, there is something in me that wants to talk about and elevate me! We might not say it out loud, but we all think we are worthy to be treated better and known more broadly. Most people think that is just a healthy part of life. But is it? Paul, in 2 corinthians 5:15 above, clearly defines those who live (i.e. - Christ followers) don't live for themselves any more, but rather they live for Christ. I think it safe to say that living for yourself is a pretty good definition of sin and that living to honor and elevate Jesus is what God is after in us. This issue is the multi-millenia battle that has taken place in the souls of men and women of all skin colors and pay grades. Living for yourself is the path of least resistance and comes quite natural as our sin nature and culture can quickly teach us how to manipulate others and God (at least we think) to get what we want. Our sin nature craves for others to serve us. Jesus offers us a chance to see the selfish evil in that and serve Him and others. The walk with Christ includes a repurposed life indeed as we don't need to "talk about me" as we have some one much better to talk about - Jesus!

So look at your calendar and actions form yesterday and today- who did you talk about? Who will you? Whom will you work to elevate? It truly is either Christ or us.

The encouraging thing is that when we elevate Him, his love and grace saturate us and satisfy us like a rain in the desert and it replaces the wrong desires we have with a satisfaction in God!

Exposure

John 3:19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.

The greatest source of light that we naturally see is the sun. Its brilliant light is a must have for us to live. Think about it. Imagine trying to live without any sun light ever. Does the word depressing come to mind? Light makes it possible for us to see things around us as we are unable to see clearly in the dark. That's not all light does though. Exposure to the sun's light changes things in a very real way. Think of spring just around the corner and all of the blooms of the floral world that will greet us as they reach out to the sun's light. Think about the times at the beach when you forgot to apply sunscreen , especially that time when you forgot about your feet. Ouch! Exposure to the sun's light caused a real change.

God's word is clear that the light provided in the Glory of God has the same effects when we are exposed to it. No, we don't need aloe vera, but Christ is the light that enables us to see truth and He changes us when we are exposed to Him in very real ways. Think of the Apostle Paul on the road to Damascus, he was blinded by the light of Christ. Think of John in Revelation one, falling face down in fear as Christ in His brilliant glory puts a hand on him and says "Don't be afraid". What beautiful pictures of Light providing truth, heart change and true worship in spirit and truth.

Do you love the Light of the Gospel which burns bright in intimate worship of Christ, and is found in His Word which reveals Himself to us? If you find yourself hiding form the Word and time with Christ gut check yourself. Your love of darkness is blinding you and preventing the healing of Christ in the deepest regions of your soul. Exposure to the Light of Christ is the very thing that you need. Do you love your wickedness more than the freedom that lies on the other side of being exposed?

UFO

The Great Commission Matthew 28:19-20 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

Growing up, my brother and I were infatuated with UFOs. Area 51, government cover ups, and accounts of visitors from another world captured our imagination and at times instilled some fear. From E.T. to V., and all points in between, we were intrigued by U.F.Os and other things that may be true , but are just on the fringe of being a proven reality. I believe the reason Chris and I were so intrigued, is that we all love being able to invent a perceived reality using our imagination, and things like UFOs present a hint of reality, but leave enough room for us to create our own. In the end, UFOs are still Unidentifiable Flying Objects for a reason, they are not a proven reality that has passed examination. Mysteriously living in an altar world of "maybe true", yet unproven, UFOs will continue to live in minds of people and not in reality for years to come.

There is a real UFO issue going on in the US, its a condition of people claiming to have a King and Lord named Jesus who are Usually Fighting Obedience (UFO). Despite a clear biblical reality of Christ followers enjoying submission to this gracious king marked by a joy of the Cross putting their flesh and self image to death as they glorify Christ. Its almost like somewhere along the way a new option was created where one can claim to be a Christian, but only opt-in for a savior missing Christ as treasure and King. These UFOs will call themselves Christians, but fight obedience at the basic commands like "baptize yourselves so that you will be marked out from the World as mine", or go and make disciples of all nations so Christ can receive more praise. Many of these UFOs have capitulated on tithing, or at least some level of giving, but mostly out of some guilt ridden emotion and a fear that God will strip them of their luxuries. I know because I was a UFO that called himself a Christian for 28 years, before God showed me that was not an option in reality, but only in my imagination, just like the space ships and aliens.

Following Christ is marked with a joyful "bearing fruit in keeping with repentance" instead of trying to invent new more "refined and enlightened understandings" of what God really meant to say and self-prescribing a path to salvation. Knowing Him as treasure captivates your imagination and heart, and knowing Him as King allows you to finally fold your self identity and will into His which leads to His glory and your deepest satisfaction.

A.W. Tozer said it best when he said "the idea that God would let a rebel into heaven who has not quit his rebellion is not only unbiblical, it lacks common sense". The devil does not want God to receive glory and us to give up our identity, so he tempts us with "You don't need to get dunked in a pool of water to profess and praise Christ, your good- what will people think about you?". He doesn't want Christ praised as Savior and king from the lips of His Children around the world, including your own, so the devil whispers into our souls "this disciple making stuff and missions are for other people, not you, your busy with other stuff and God understands". When you defy obedience it is to save and elevate your own identity and that is the quickest path of being like Lucifer. It is only when we truly know that God is good and are ready to turn our backs on our sin and self-identity, and run to Christ in joyful obedience, that we quit being a UFO, and become a follower of Jesus Christ.

Is your life marked by obedience to God's will? Is elevating the Glory of Christ a necessity in your life, or are you more worried about saving your own image of yourself?

UFOs are indeed an invention of imagination, both in the sky and in the Church. It is perhaps the most serious issue I see on a daily basis. If these words are triggering a desire to kick against these truths, it might be that God is trying to bring you into the reality of a relationship with Him. Are you going to continue to rebel in disobedience?

The right time

Romans 5:6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.

It was 1976, and we were visiting my aunt Dora in Orlando, Fl. The day had started out with a bang with my first visit to Disney World. It was sensory and sugar overload pushed to a new level with rides, characters and candy. Somewhere in Frontierland, my brother Chris and I picked our the one toy we could buy with our allowance, pop gun rifles. The minute we got back to my aunt's apartment, we begged our parents to let us go out and play "hide and seek shoot out", where we tried to out flank the and "shoot" each other. Finally they relented with the words "be careful" and "stay close".

We were having a ball running, ducking and shooting at each other like the actors we saw in Frontierland for quite a while. Then something weird happened. I went to hide in a new place expecting my brother to move along the same direction for our next showdown, he just never showed. I waited for a while, but Chris was no where to be found. Then it started getting dark. It was at that point that I looked around to realize that I had no idea where I was. The fun and bravado of the shootout was replaced with weakness and fear. I was six years old, in a city I had never set foot, with no clue which way to go. So I do what all boys do in that spot. Wander around and cry. This went on for what seemed like hours, but was only about 30 minutes in reality. Groups of kids that lived in the apartments would just look at me wandering and crying, and quickly move off or go back to their games. It was now pitch black and quite scary. I didn't know my aunt's address, phone number or anything except she had a blue Kharmann Ghia, lived on the second floor and there was a spot of bubble gum about 2" around smashed into the concrete, on the stoop near her door.

By the grace of God, at the perfect time, one of the older teenage girls that lived there, ad compassion on me and came and asked me why I was crying. Thankfully she took me to the lady who ran the apartment complex who knew everyone who lived there. The lady asked me who my aunt was and I kept saying "Dora Quarles" over and over and it wasn't ringing any bells. As it turned out, I had wandered across a busy road and into another apartment complex. The lady figured it out, and offered to drive me through the complex to see if I could recognize anything. Immediately as we entered the complex, I started recognizing landmarks and the fear ebbed a bit. Then I spotted the baby blue VW and joy struck my heart. The lady took me up to the door, and as we approached, I saw the bubble gum blob and knew I had been rescued. We knocked but no one answered. Uh oh. As we turned to go down the stairs, my parents, brother and Aunt drove up as they had been out searching for me. My mom hugged me in deep relief. After a tongue lashing about wandering off, we went up to Dora's apartment and ate some supper. I am thankful that God put that teenager and lady in the right spot, at the right time.

Paul, in Romans five above, has that same emotional praise for Christ when he says, " at the right time Christ died for the ungodly". The whole Old Testament clearly painted the picture of man's need for a Messiah to save men from their sin. The Old testament revealed God's Holiness, man's sin, and the need of sacrifice to satisfy the wrath of a God who demanded Justice. There was a clear gap between God and His creation that needed bridging. Prophets for hundreds of years painted pictures of the coming conquering King and suffering savior. Then perfectly at the right time, in Gods' redemptive timeline, Jesus shows up with the whole world on His shoulders as a baby born in a barn. He lived a righteous life and committed that life of faithfulness to God on the Cross. That perfect life serves as the atoning sacrifice for all who submit to His loving reign in our lives. What a God we serve!

Jesus has pursued each of us that call him Lord, Savior, and Treasure at the right time and place as well. Sealed with the Spirit, we are able to approach God as Daddy. As we get closer to Him we start seeing the markers of Christ all around us that draw us closer to Him, just like the bubble gum spot and the baby blue Kharmann Ghia drew me closer back to Dora's house. Take time this Thanksgiving day to praise God for his pursuit of all men at the perfect time on the cross, and you individually as he pulled you into the sheepfold. As we enjoy mounds of food and fellowship, let us not forget to intercede in prayer and deed for others who are starving in their stomachs and souls for the Grace of God. Pray that God would lead you to specific people and places, so that he might use you just like he used that teenage girl in my life as a part of His divine plan of redemption.