Overflow

Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Eli and Luke are five and three respectively, and they are sweet kids even though their sin nature is clearly evident. One of their favorite things to do is to take a bubble bath in their mom’s garden tub in our bathroom. It’s bigger than their tub is so more bubbles, power rangers, and now avengers can fit into their agenda of supposed cleaning. It’s amazing how easy it is to get them to bathe when the tub is the option, as fun looms large. It usually doesn’t end up so well for them though. Despite warnings and discipline, water tends to overflow onto our floor on a consistent basis. A five alarm clean-up of a soaked floor before the hardwoods nearby get drenched and ruined, is not exactly what we as parents are looking for at the end of a long day, but the boys are definitely worth it (every once in a while). I love Paul’s description of the work of Christ in our hearts above in Romans 15:13. He uses the word overflow to describe how Christians will affect the Church and the World. Just as the volume of our bathtub must reach a capacity before it overflows and spills onto the floor, so it is in the Christian life. Paul desires that the Church in Rome experience Christ is such a way that they will be filled with Hope, Joy and Peace to the extent that they simply overflow with these God given gifts that change Christians and non-Christians alike. Now we have got to back up for a moment and realize this statement is at the end of an ultra challenging letter unless we think we can just say “oh yeah, I got this precept” and move on. The hope, joy and love are a product of a deep walk in Christ for the Church, which includes trials and persecution. Paul has made it clear through deep doctrinal clarity that we are saved and sanctified through faith alone through Christ alone and our works of the flesh desire to derail God’s work. He dives deep into the paradox of faith where in back to back verses he describes believers as “sheep to be slaughtered” and then turns around and says “we are more than conquerors”) 8:36-37. Romans 7 is a detailed look at the post salvation fight for sanctification against the lingering remnant of sin in the life of a believer and it is a raging war. Romans 9 can frustrate your mind and flesh like few chapters in the bible until you give into the fact that God is God and he does what he wants. And just about when you are about to be paralyzed with immobility by the deep doctrine of election in chapter 9, Romans 10 paints a picture of beautiful feet that go and preach the Gospel and people are saved by hearing the Gospel from other people. Romans 11 keeps the Church humble and thankful as Paul reminds them that they are grafted into God’s work of the remnant of Israel. Then the faith hurdles seem to get even harder to jump over as Paul tells us to submit to all authorities (as long as they don’t directly violate your faith) and even pay taxes to Governments like Rome who used their authority to execute Christ and later Paul himself. Paul forges on and reminds the Church that though they have freedom they shouldn’t use that freedom to eat, drink and do things if it hurts someone else’s faith. Anyone’s brain hurting yet? The hope, joy and peace are only a mirage in the desert of your mind unless you truly have a deep, abiding life in Christ that has been engrained into your soul as you faithfully endure the trials of this world. Without Christ recreating himself in us, none of the things Paul lays out will make any sense. So while understanding the analogy of an overflow may be easy and clean the actuality of it happening requires war, sacrifice and the blood of Christ. So imagine yourself as the tub. Are you truly saturated in Christ? Are you overflowing with living water and the fruit of the spirit? Do people meet the God of the universe as they bump into you in life? When you overflow into the world, and you will, what actually comes out? Christ or flesh? When someone around you is hurting what do you offer him or her? An invitation to church? A good book on the subject? Or does the fountain of living water simply and supernaturally flow from God’s throne through you and overflow onto others? In this world peace, hope and joy of the divine and lasting variety only descend form on high. Let us pray that God will grow us by whatever means necessary so that the fount of many blessings flows in and through us!

Worms and Hammers

Isaiah 41:14-15 Fear not, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel! I am the one who helps you, declares the LORD; your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel. Behold, I make of you a threshing sledge, new, sharp, and having teeth; you shall thresh the mountains and crush them,and you shall make the hills like chaff; I laced up my new Asics for an early morning jog and headed outside to the tune of early morning sprinklers and songbirds. Walking along the sidewalk, something glistened and caught my eye. I glanced down and saw two of the biggest Night crawlers I have ever seen in my life. These 6-inch worms were as black as the Alabama soil they lived in and were trying to head back underground before they fell victim to the rising sun or the birds singing above. I stood over them for a minute, watching them kind of wiggle around aimlessly on the concrete sidewalk. They didn’t look like they had a plan and were as exposed as a three legged wilderbeast in a lion’s den. I don’t know why, but I decided to help them back in the ground. Not with my hands of course! Way too much slime and grime involved in that. Using my new kicks, I gently guided them back to the wet ground and they quickly disappeared into the dark, wet dirt. As I started to run, I remembered the verses above from Isaiah 41. God actually calls Jacob, the men of Israel, worms. He is trying to get them to see that they are helpless and exposed without His sovereign hand and strength. Just like the night crawlers on my street, slowly dehydrating and aimlessly squiggling around, the Israelites had wandered from God and were outside of His purpose and love. They thought they had strength and they thought they had wisdom and righteousness, but they didn’t. Through the mouth of Isaiah he is calling them back with love. God makes it clear that He is the power source of Holy Glory that shapes and changes humans so that they can change the world. Can God transform men and women from worm to a threshing sledge that can destroy mountains? That is exactly what He says. Quite a change I’d say. From vulnerable slimy worm to a sharp-tooth threshing sledge that is crushing mountains. That is the power of God’s transforming Spirit working in people. Could God be saying the same thing to us? Would he look at us in our well educated sophistication and think of us as Worms as we wander off from Him? It is not fun to consider ourselves worms is it? Lets stop and do it for just a minute though. Stop and look at your impact on the World. Is God changing it as He works through you, or do you scurry off in safety-seeking flight when times get tough? Ready to climb back in the worm hole yet? Aren’t we supposed to be refined, brilliant and equipped? Simple answer- only in Jesus. The boldness of a threshing hammer, or a world changer, is only given as a gift from God. We can’t foolishly think we can muster up this type of strength on our own. It is a divine gift. This side of the Cross, it is clearer to us than even to Isaiah that gift is wrapped in the blood and flesh of Jesus Christ. Have the fingers of your soul unwrapped the beauty of Christ? Has your soul been so deeply satisfied in Him that you are able to face the World in His bold strength? If so then look out mountains!

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.