1 Corinthians 13: 1-3 And now I will show you the most excellent way. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophesy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I posses to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
Paul is stating that love must be the foundation of all our actions. His words refocus our attention to the teachings of our Lord in Matthew 5: 43-48, 22:37-40 and John 15: 9-17. It was and is a radical message that draws us completely out of ourselves.
It's hard to love someone when they aren't doing what I want. Often in this situation, my actions are much more about putting them in their place or letting them know how much trouble they are being than about loving them. Sometimes the glorification of Hugh takes precedent over love. People need to know what an impressive guy I am, right? There are also times when others have chosen a path that is destructive to themselves and others and they have no intention of changing what they are doing. I can't just do nothing, but is my action based in love of God and the people involved? Some problems can just be ignored. Is that love? Christ called me to love...period. Love God and love my neighbor. Every thought and response I have should be born of this love. Wow, I am so not there! I so want to be though. Life would be an entirely different experience if I loved enough to trust in the provision God has made for me and spend my efforts looking out for the welfare of others. I would be God's provision for them! He would give me whatever I asked in Christ name, not because I wanted it but because love required it. Until I have that trust and love, my actions are going to be tainted to some degree by self interest. That leaves my self interest competing with everyone else's and that's pretty much the world we live in now. Am I willing to do the hard work of trust in God and self forgetting? Will I call on Christ to get me through the pain of strangling out my old self to make way for a new creation? Am I willing to walk through fear and into the Kingdom of God? The task is colossal, nothing short of a death struggle really. The reward is untold joy. This is Christ's call to each of us.
Father God, Grant that I might love and trust You enough to truly love my neighbor. Lead me through the death of my will that stands in the way of Your Kingdom. Amen.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Who's Big?
Job 38: 12-13 Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn it's place, that it might take the earth by the edges and shake the wicked out of it?
The Lord is addressing Job and asking him if he can do the things that God can do.
To catch a glimpse of God's greatness causes a crushing realization of our own meager existence. This sounds like a horrible, depressing thing but it isn't. It is our existence viewed in proper perspective. The point isn't that we are unworthy worms, it is that God is unthinkably, unspeakably, unfathomably great. He is all love, all power, all beauty, all justice, all things. It also clears up who is and isn't God, who knows best and who knows little. When confronted with the glory of the Lord, Job had no argument left in him. His question instantly became, "Who am I to question God?" To defend his situation no longer seemed applicable, the only thing to do was to humbly trust the Lord. It is always the only thing to do. Many of us have had experiences with His glory. My life was changed forever when He chose to reveal Himself to me. I haven't had a similar experience since but He does maintain contact through His gift of the Holy Spirit. It is up to me to follow His leading and continuously seek Him if I am to maintain conscious contact with my Lord. That makes it sound like maintaining our relationship is all up to me now, but it really isn't. He revealed Himself to me because He loves me and wants me to be part of the family. In reality I'm probably something like a toddler now; getting around on my own but never out of my loving mothers sight; trying to be a big boy but needing a lot of guidance from bigger hands. That's alright though. In a reality where the only applicable thing to do is to humbly walk with our Lord, it's good to know who's big and who's little.
Father God, grant that I might always remember how great You are, how dependant I am, and how very much love You have shown me. Amen.
The Lord is addressing Job and asking him if he can do the things that God can do.
To catch a glimpse of God's greatness causes a crushing realization of our own meager existence. This sounds like a horrible, depressing thing but it isn't. It is our existence viewed in proper perspective. The point isn't that we are unworthy worms, it is that God is unthinkably, unspeakably, unfathomably great. He is all love, all power, all beauty, all justice, all things. It also clears up who is and isn't God, who knows best and who knows little. When confronted with the glory of the Lord, Job had no argument left in him. His question instantly became, "Who am I to question God?" To defend his situation no longer seemed applicable, the only thing to do was to humbly trust the Lord. It is always the only thing to do. Many of us have had experiences with His glory. My life was changed forever when He chose to reveal Himself to me. I haven't had a similar experience since but He does maintain contact through His gift of the Holy Spirit. It is up to me to follow His leading and continuously seek Him if I am to maintain conscious contact with my Lord. That makes it sound like maintaining our relationship is all up to me now, but it really isn't. He revealed Himself to me because He loves me and wants me to be part of the family. In reality I'm probably something like a toddler now; getting around on my own but never out of my loving mothers sight; trying to be a big boy but needing a lot of guidance from bigger hands. That's alright though. In a reality where the only applicable thing to do is to humbly walk with our Lord, it's good to know who's big and who's little.
Father God, grant that I might always remember how great You are, how dependant I am, and how very much love You have shown me. Amen.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Ascetic Inclinations
1 Corinthians 9:25-27, 10:12-13 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified from the prize... So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
In this scripture, Paul speaks of rigorous self denial and self discipline. He indicates that these free us from slavery to our own appetites and urges and allow us to hold a righteous line under the strongest of temptations.
Those who lead an ascetic lifestyle have always intrigued me. I remember reading that Gen. Stonewall Jackson once ate bread with butter on it. He liked it so well that he never had it again. A very deeply religious man, he didn't want to take too much pleasure from things of this world. This is something of a lost sentiment among Christians in this generation. I am wondering if I am being pulled in this direction though. My appetite for pleasure, comfort and ego fulfillment have dominated most of my adult life. (probably my childhood too) The call to break free of these false gods has whispered in my ear for a while now. The discipline of fasting has interested me. I have done it, with some success, but to say that I understand it would be a lie. Recently I said to Kristy that I might like to try to make fasting part of my routine. It seems likely that if I give up something (food) in a search for God, He will place something before me. Jesus fasted. It's probably a good idea. There are those characters too, like John of Antioch, who made sheer misery a way of life. He ruined his health by years of constant standing and fasting. He also castrated himself. While this seems pretty extreme, he didn't do it because there was no reward in his discipline. It got results. John was among the most powerful preachers of the early church. His devotion intrigues me. The call to follow Christ has led scores of Christians to reject material society and the norm through the years. Maybe I am simply being called to be more self disciplined but it feels like there might be more. Does my answering Gods call in my life mean that my values should be visibly different from those of my past and society's in general? Is that where He is leading me? Perhaps....
Father God, please develop in me the faith to follow your call. Shape me into a vessel that is pleasing to you. Crush all my false gods. By all means, use me to reach those who need you. Amen
In this scripture, Paul speaks of rigorous self denial and self discipline. He indicates that these free us from slavery to our own appetites and urges and allow us to hold a righteous line under the strongest of temptations.
Those who lead an ascetic lifestyle have always intrigued me. I remember reading that Gen. Stonewall Jackson once ate bread with butter on it. He liked it so well that he never had it again. A very deeply religious man, he didn't want to take too much pleasure from things of this world. This is something of a lost sentiment among Christians in this generation. I am wondering if I am being pulled in this direction though. My appetite for pleasure, comfort and ego fulfillment have dominated most of my adult life. (probably my childhood too) The call to break free of these false gods has whispered in my ear for a while now. The discipline of fasting has interested me. I have done it, with some success, but to say that I understand it would be a lie. Recently I said to Kristy that I might like to try to make fasting part of my routine. It seems likely that if I give up something (food) in a search for God, He will place something before me. Jesus fasted. It's probably a good idea. There are those characters too, like John of Antioch, who made sheer misery a way of life. He ruined his health by years of constant standing and fasting. He also castrated himself. While this seems pretty extreme, he didn't do it because there was no reward in his discipline. It got results. John was among the most powerful preachers of the early church. His devotion intrigues me. The call to follow Christ has led scores of Christians to reject material society and the norm through the years. Maybe I am simply being called to be more self disciplined but it feels like there might be more. Does my answering Gods call in my life mean that my values should be visibly different from those of my past and society's in general? Is that where He is leading me? Perhaps....
Father God, please develop in me the faith to follow your call. Shape me into a vessel that is pleasing to you. Crush all my false gods. By all means, use me to reach those who need you. Amen
Monday, November 9, 2009
What Are We In It For?
Job 34: 11-12 He repays a man for what he has done; he brings upon him what his conduct deserves. It is unthinkable that God would do wrong, that the Almighty would pervert justice.
Elihu and his companions felt that Job had brought his troubles upon himself. In this scripture he states his belief that God simply would not let bad things happen to righteous people. He see God as unswerving justice.
The book of Job is pretty darn interesting. There is no indication that Job was ever anything but the most righteous of men, but God did allow calamity to befall him. His friends simply weren't able to believe that Job was not responsible for his lot, despite his argument. But there were things going on in a higher plane that none of them knew anything about. God reserves the right to use each of us as He will for His purpose. It might not appear to be just in our limited comprehension so if justice is our aim, we might be in for a nasty shock. Romans 9 states that God has plans that override our actions and sense of justice. If we are to give ourselves to God and His plan we must simply trust. It's not that I think God is unjust, it's just that He sees things on such a broader scope than we can. Our view of justice hinges on the here and now, His extends into eternity. To trust Him in harsh times is a test but there are clear examples in scripture that righteous people, being obedient to Him, sometimes have brutal experiences. All of Christ's disciples, save John, died at the hands of men, just as their Lord had. It doesn't mean God forsake them, only that their deaths served His perfect plan. Are we willing to give ourselves to God even if it means that things might not get better? Will we follow Him if it makes us appear to others that we are the losers? If it means we stay poor or single? If we are to take up our cross, we must only trust and follow. Where is not guaranteed.
Lord God, Please nurture my faith so that I may trust You enough to follow where You would have me go. Amen.
Elihu and his companions felt that Job had brought his troubles upon himself. In this scripture he states his belief that God simply would not let bad things happen to righteous people. He see God as unswerving justice.
The book of Job is pretty darn interesting. There is no indication that Job was ever anything but the most righteous of men, but God did allow calamity to befall him. His friends simply weren't able to believe that Job was not responsible for his lot, despite his argument. But there were things going on in a higher plane that none of them knew anything about. God reserves the right to use each of us as He will for His purpose. It might not appear to be just in our limited comprehension so if justice is our aim, we might be in for a nasty shock. Romans 9 states that God has plans that override our actions and sense of justice. If we are to give ourselves to God and His plan we must simply trust. It's not that I think God is unjust, it's just that He sees things on such a broader scope than we can. Our view of justice hinges on the here and now, His extends into eternity. To trust Him in harsh times is a test but there are clear examples in scripture that righteous people, being obedient to Him, sometimes have brutal experiences. All of Christ's disciples, save John, died at the hands of men, just as their Lord had. It doesn't mean God forsake them, only that their deaths served His perfect plan. Are we willing to give ourselves to God even if it means that things might not get better? Will we follow Him if it makes us appear to others that we are the losers? If it means we stay poor or single? If we are to take up our cross, we must only trust and follow. Where is not guaranteed.
Lord God, Please nurture my faith so that I may trust You enough to follow where You would have me go. Amen.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Slavery by Deception
Galatians 4: 8-9 Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to beings that by nature are not gods. Now, however, that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and beggarly elemental spirits? How can you want to be enslaved to them again?
Paul was arguing against false teachings that were urging a return to adherence to Jewish laws and customs as the way to attain righteousness.
This scripture has always spoken to the alcoholic in me. In recovery it is common to see people fall back into their addiction after enjoying a period of sobriety. I spent 12 years struggling with sobriety and falling back into the arms of the god of my choosing, alcohol. For a person who recognizes the great gift of freedom that Christ has given us, to watch someone choose anything else is baffling. Unfortunately it is not uncommon in the world outside of recovery either. There are all kinds of pitfalls that are covered over with false promises of freedom, ease, pleasure, success and control. These lies lure us into a lives of confusion, competition and fear. If we are to win the prize it must come at the expense of others, or even ourselves. We settle into meaningless lives that range from mediocre to tragic. This is all done by design by the same force that initially lured us out of trust and freedom and into slavery. The serpent has bait other than a shiny apple these days, so if anything leads us away from the trust and love of faith in Jesus Christ, it has a hook in it.
Father God, please lead me to trust in You no matter what. Amen.
Paul was arguing against false teachings that were urging a return to adherence to Jewish laws and customs as the way to attain righteousness.
This scripture has always spoken to the alcoholic in me. In recovery it is common to see people fall back into their addiction after enjoying a period of sobriety. I spent 12 years struggling with sobriety and falling back into the arms of the god of my choosing, alcohol. For a person who recognizes the great gift of freedom that Christ has given us, to watch someone choose anything else is baffling. Unfortunately it is not uncommon in the world outside of recovery either. There are all kinds of pitfalls that are covered over with false promises of freedom, ease, pleasure, success and control. These lies lure us into a lives of confusion, competition and fear. If we are to win the prize it must come at the expense of others, or even ourselves. We settle into meaningless lives that range from mediocre to tragic. This is all done by design by the same force that initially lured us out of trust and freedom and into slavery. The serpent has bait other than a shiny apple these days, so if anything leads us away from the trust and love of faith in Jesus Christ, it has a hook in it.
Father God, please lead me to trust in You no matter what. Amen.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Fourteen Years?
Galatians 2:1 Then after fourteen years I went again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me.
Paul is recounting his second trip to Jerusalem.
My mind plays a lot of tricks on me and I am beginning to suspect that I'm not very smart. For whatever reason, my mind condenses down the time it took for the events in the bible to take place. The book of Acts tells of events that took place over at least a thirty year span of time. In my mind however, it took about a year. No one told me that, that's just the way I want to see it. The result is that I see the Church growing like wildfire and Paul rushing about the Mediterranean like Elijah in 1 Kings 18: 46, which is a really funny picture to me. And this is the standard I hold myself and all of you to as well. We must do a lifetime of work in a few days. Simply put, I'm impatient. I can't understand why The Bridge isn't a mega-church after meeting a couple of years. After preaching a hand full of times over a couple of years, it seems to me that I should have started a global revival. Things should be happening faster! To see Paul reference fourteen years brings me back into reality a little. Even though I don't like to give them time, things take time. God is eternal and infinite, He is not in as big a rush as Hugh is. There is probably an ego issue working here as well. I want to hurry up and get done so people can see what a good job I did. Anyway, there is certainly a lesson for me in this. I grew up watching TV and in those shows things always work out in 30 minutes or an hour. It's not that way in the real world. If I am to humbly walk with my Lord, I must travel at His pace and have no agenda of my own. In my experience, when I have done this He never wastes time, I just don't always understand what He is doing.
Lord God, please grant that I might learn to follow You, doing the next right thing over and over, in no hurry to be anywhere other than in Your grace. Amen.
Paul is recounting his second trip to Jerusalem.
My mind plays a lot of tricks on me and I am beginning to suspect that I'm not very smart. For whatever reason, my mind condenses down the time it took for the events in the bible to take place. The book of Acts tells of events that took place over at least a thirty year span of time. In my mind however, it took about a year. No one told me that, that's just the way I want to see it. The result is that I see the Church growing like wildfire and Paul rushing about the Mediterranean like Elijah in 1 Kings 18: 46, which is a really funny picture to me. And this is the standard I hold myself and all of you to as well. We must do a lifetime of work in a few days. Simply put, I'm impatient. I can't understand why The Bridge isn't a mega-church after meeting a couple of years. After preaching a hand full of times over a couple of years, it seems to me that I should have started a global revival. Things should be happening faster! To see Paul reference fourteen years brings me back into reality a little. Even though I don't like to give them time, things take time. God is eternal and infinite, He is not in as big a rush as Hugh is. There is probably an ego issue working here as well. I want to hurry up and get done so people can see what a good job I did. Anyway, there is certainly a lesson for me in this. I grew up watching TV and in those shows things always work out in 30 minutes or an hour. It's not that way in the real world. If I am to humbly walk with my Lord, I must travel at His pace and have no agenda of my own. In my experience, when I have done this He never wastes time, I just don't always understand what He is doing.
Lord God, please grant that I might learn to follow You, doing the next right thing over and over, in no hurry to be anywhere other than in Your grace. Amen.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Righteous Indignation!!!>:-(
Mark 11: 15-16 Then they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling and those who were buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves; and he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple.
This is our only glimpse of Jesus being physically violent. He is taking the strongest of action against a corrupt enterprise that was allowed to exist within the temple.
I've heard this scripture preached on a number of times but have never really made peace with it. The fact that Jesus reacted this way indicates that there is a time and place for this kind of behavior even though I have never found it. Not that I haven't thrown several nasty temper tantrums in my time! Oh, I have. They were never constructive or righteous though and I always wished I could have a re-do when it was all said and done. In the last couple of years I have felt a desire to rage against mediocrity and the status quo within the church but have decided to put that on hold for awhile. It was something that Shane Claibourne said in his book, The Irresistible Revolution: Life as an Ordinary Radical, that changed my thinking. I can't quote him exactly since I can't find my copy right now but the gist of his comment was that as Christians we can't just rage against things. Our rage and actions have to be based in the love of God and our fellows.(See Mark 12: 28-31) That's pretty heavy stuff. It more or less takes rage off of my plate. I have been told that justifiable anger and righteous indignation are better left to other people and, in my case, I agree. There are lots of situations where I am not happy with the way other people are behaving but I'm not sure that whacking the tar out of some silly sinner has ever been the best way for me to let the love of Christ shine through. Maybe someday, but for now I am struggling with freshman level love and service classes. I really don't mean to make light of this story from the life of Jesus Christ. I do however, feel that after considering all of His teachings, we should weigh any inclination to rage against Christ's commandment to love one another.
Almighty Lord God, please lead me to love You by loving my neighbor, even when that is a terribly difficult thing to do. Amen.
This is our only glimpse of Jesus being physically violent. He is taking the strongest of action against a corrupt enterprise that was allowed to exist within the temple.
I've heard this scripture preached on a number of times but have never really made peace with it. The fact that Jesus reacted this way indicates that there is a time and place for this kind of behavior even though I have never found it. Not that I haven't thrown several nasty temper tantrums in my time! Oh, I have. They were never constructive or righteous though and I always wished I could have a re-do when it was all said and done. In the last couple of years I have felt a desire to rage against mediocrity and the status quo within the church but have decided to put that on hold for awhile. It was something that Shane Claibourne said in his book, The Irresistible Revolution: Life as an Ordinary Radical, that changed my thinking. I can't quote him exactly since I can't find my copy right now but the gist of his comment was that as Christians we can't just rage against things. Our rage and actions have to be based in the love of God and our fellows.(See Mark 12: 28-31) That's pretty heavy stuff. It more or less takes rage off of my plate. I have been told that justifiable anger and righteous indignation are better left to other people and, in my case, I agree. There are lots of situations where I am not happy with the way other people are behaving but I'm not sure that whacking the tar out of some silly sinner has ever been the best way for me to let the love of Christ shine through. Maybe someday, but for now I am struggling with freshman level love and service classes. I really don't mean to make light of this story from the life of Jesus Christ. I do however, feel that after considering all of His teachings, we should weigh any inclination to rage against Christ's commandment to love one another.
Almighty Lord God, please lead me to love You by loving my neighbor, even when that is a terribly difficult thing to do. Amen.
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