Archive for Follower Of Jesus
Why Everything?
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Imagine you have been searching for the perfect home. You finally find one you want to purchase and your offer is accepted! You are giddy with anticipation of moving in and decorating the new place with your preferences and personality.
As you walk into the realtor’s office to sign the papers, the seller’s agent greets you with three stipulations to the sale.
- The sellers would like to leave some of their belongings in the residence.
- The sellers would like to retain ownership and maintain the right to enter and use a portion of the property at will. Including one bedroom, two closets and the family room.
- The sellers would retain physical possession of this small portion of the home, but would like the buyers to provide all maintenance and pay all costs concerning mortgage and taxes and insurance.
Of course this would be the end of the sale! No one in their right mind would agree to such an arrangement!
Let’s ponder another scenario. Imagine you have made quite an impression on a boyfriend that you are dating and he proposes marriage. You accept the ring, but ask if he wouldn’t mind you maintaining a relationship with another boy who you are really having a lot of fun with. You tell your fiancé that you would love to marry him, but you just don’t feel you can be completely committed at this time. You would love to move into his home, and share his life…but you really are not quite ready to give up your current lifestyle.
Lastly, imagine a Military recruiter accepting the application of a recruit who only wanted to join the military if he could choose when and if he fought. Think about what kind of solder he would make if he could demand the ability to argue orders when he didn’t understand them, or be able to join only if he could come and go when he pleased. Better yet, imagine if the recruit wanted to remain as an active member of a terrorist organization part-time and also be an active solder in the military, because he liked the benefits!
As ridiculous as that sounds, many within our churches treat Salvation with this very same disrespect and partial commitment. They undervalue what it cost our Savior to provide our freedom! They have heard the gospel of, “Free Gift,” but have not bothered to learn of the conditional requirement… We must relinquish everything in order to receive it!
There are some people who just want to be able to go to heaven when they die, but still do as they please while they live here on earth. This does not bear witness to a life transformed by faith, but instead despises the grace given to rise above sin and its lifestyle. It says to the world that they would rather have the freedom to sin…and have Jesus pay the check when they are ready to leave the world.
This is a false gospel that embraces sin without any consequences. It portrays a weak god, in one of the many choices of religion, and in the end it glorifies self and all of its pleasures. No wonder the modern American church is such a confusing place!
Do we somehow feel that God is “lucky” that we acknowledge Him at all? Do we really believe that He is so desperate for our attention that He will settle for any part of ourselves that we are willing to give Him? Have we diminished His Sovereign authority in our minds and instead perceive Him as some low rent tenant that we might evict if He does not treat us the way we want Him too?
If we look for our answer in how the American culture does “church” it would seem so! If we allow this majority to rule our mindset, we may deceive ourselves into thinking that we have the right to be the gatekeepers to our Savior’s rightful possession of our souls. We will act as though we can lock Him out of whatever closet we want. We will believe we are able to invite Him in, or refuse Him access.
Within time, we will have no trouble calling Him Lord with our mouths, but feel we are under no obligation to submit to His Lordship wherever we are uncomfortable.
Could this be true? Many seem to believe so…or at least that is the outcome of much of their behavior. But before we judge others…let us look within our own hearts in order to judge ourselves…
This kind of partial commitment would never be tolerated in any other relationship. Why do we feel we can hand God the tattered and torn places in our lives but believe He will somehow ignore the rest? If He is truly Lord of everything… He will not settle for anything less than EVERYTHING!
This is scary for so many, yet it is such a great and joyous opportunity! God will not require us to surrender anything He will not replace from within His eternal storehouse!
We must release and empty ourselves in order to make room for what He intends for us!
What is the everything we are so afraid to let go of?
Is it…
Everything we struggle with?
Everything we hope for?
Everything we are ashamed of?
Everything we are proud of?
Everything we are hiding?
Everything we are displaying?
Why Everything?
Because keeping anything from the grace and purpose of God, makes it nothing but a stumbling block. It only becomes something valuable when it is offered up to Him!
It is only when we surrender all, that we are ready to be filled with all that God has prepared for us. Our deepest trust and faith is revealed at the moment we are asked to surrender…
Are you holding anything back today?
Greetings in the Name of our Precious Savior Jesus Christ!
Posted by: | CommentsI am burdened to write this letter concerning our current common affliction. We are facing an unprecedented time of urgency, yet I am afraid the focus of our attention has been misplaced upon our circumstantial situation rather than our most obvious resource. I am amazed at the calls I have received in utter panic as to what we should be doing right now. Because of this I have decided to share my heart with you all.
It is said that crisis never develops character–it only reveals whatever character has already been established. The word, “established” is particularly relevant here because it means “to put into place or practice something that is permanent in motion.” Said another way, this particular moment in our history is only revealing habits and lifestyles, as well as what we truly believe in our heart-of-hearts. So we must ask ourselves: As we are being squeezed…is it faith or fear that is being expressed?
If it is fear, be honest! Praise God for His divine interruption in your life! He is able to transform fear into faith. The problem with human nature is that we would sometimes rather hide in our fear, and deny its severity. But the truth is, when we do not confront our truest selves in the presence of God in order to deal honestly with our fear, we are likely to take in its children…Disobedience and Unbelief as well!
Fear at its very core is mistrusting God’s goodness, His love and His capacity to work on our behalf. If we do not tackle this head-on, we are apt to try and solve our own problems in our own wisdom, and in our own strength. This is not wise; and definitely not a good testimony for those outside.
I have heard that there are those among us who profess to be of the household of faith, yet are living as though there is no Provider! This should not be so! The current financial situation can not be countered by hoarding and stockpiling, or taking extravagant measures in ensuring security! The Word of God tells us that when we do such things we are in danger of losing even what we think we have! (Luke 12:16-21, Luke 12:33, James 1:27, Matthew 25:14-30) There are principles governing prosperity that are given by the mouth of God. (Malachi 2:8-12) Tithing, stewardship, and generosity are a way that the heart can learn to trust Him and the hand can be disciplined in order to distribute His wealth. Remember it is all His anyway! I promise, we will not be put to shame if we trust God on this point. We will not be seen begging bread either. (Psalm 37:35-26)
Yes, some of us are losing homes, or jobs. (Remember Job, Daniel, Joseph, and John to name a few who suffered likewise) For some of us, this is a course correction, for others it is something else. However, if we are willing, either way we will see God’s provision in the midst of our greatest need. Remember, our stories are still being written! God is after our wholeness, and He is relentless. He is not pacified with half-hearted followers who serve Him as is convenient. He desires All-in, no plan B disciples who are yielded to the transformation process. If we are truly His, we must remember He will not settle until we are wholly His.
Often times we really have no idea what we are lacking until the time of our testing. Many of us have faced these trials in previous times and can boldly testify to the goodness of God that we experienced. (Luke 21: 10-19, Psalm 139:23-24) Do not lose heart! Do not lose faith! God sees. God is still with us! His plan is being perfected even as we speak.
These are serious times, but they should not be taking us by surprise. There are hard decisions to be made, but we, who have been so richly blessed, should also be amply equipped. Why are we living as though we were never going to be tested? As I have already said… what we are experiencing is a common affliction. It is found in all places; it is global, nondenominational, interracial, secular and sacred. It is a real situation with real consequences. However the principles for a faithful covenant with our Creator still apply!
If we claim that Jesus is all we need, but have peace only in the absence of conflict– what difference is there between us and the world? And if we only experience joy in the abundance of our provision and comfort, why would the world stop to ask us what the hope is within us? I am sorry if this is brand new information…but suffering is a part of the “Life-on-Earth-package!” Anyone who tells you otherwise is lying to you. These are not my words, but His Word. We will all suffer…either we will suffer justly—or unjustly. (1 Peter 4:12-19)
The “Serenity Prayer” is a beautiful example of learning to discern between the parts of life we are responsible for, and what part we need to trust God for. “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” Oh how I wish this were a common exercise! It is said that 100% of Life can be divided into two parts: 10% is the “stuff” that happens to us-and the remaining 90% is how we handle the 10%! We are not responsible for the 10% what happens to us…but we will certainly be held accountable for the 90% of how we respond!
WAKE UP! Christians! There has never been a greater time to get real with God! He is so patient with us. His grace and mercy are ready to make our miserable mistakes into majestic masterpieces! But we need to be honest with where we really are right now. Let this crisis shine the light brightly on the true state of our relationship with Him…and with others.
REPENT! If need be. Things are not going to get better with a change directive from any political system. It is our God who is Sovereign! He is setting the stage for a change so swift and certain; it is likened to the coming of a thief in the night. (2 Peter 3:10-18, Matthew 24:36-51, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11, Revelation 3:3) But we, who are His, do not need to be taken so unawares…we should experience this unstoppable event more like the pregnant woman in labor, than as the thief in the night. (1 Thessalonians 5:3) A pregnant woman knows her time is soon to come. She is ready. She is prepared.
RESPOND! My encouragement, and my hope, is found solely in the Word of God. These Scriptures I have listed for you are life! I am praying more fervently than ever for the household of faith. We are in a very critical time! (Luke 21:34-36, 2Thessalonians 2:1-12) We need to watch and pray lest we fall into the same temptations towards sin and self, as the world. The comfort and convenience of compromise is always just one decision away. Keep company with those who will hold up truth like a mirror. We need the wounds of a true friend more than the flattery of pretense.
Those who claim they do not need to self-examine their own hearts are easily deceived by their own confidence. The Word provokes us to continually test our own hearts to see if we are in the faith. (2 Corinthians 13:5-7, 2 Corinthians2:9, 2Corinthians8:8, 1Corinthians3:13, Romans 12:2. James 4:1, Galatians 6:4, 1 Thessalonians 5:21) It is not a matter of “loosing our salvation,” It is a matter of obedience which verifies our love is genuine. (John 14:15-18)
I am writing to you who are living all across this great country where our freedoms have given us both a license to sin…as well as the liberty to worship our God as we choose. The time is now passed to keep private our personal belief system. This is spiritual Spring Cleaning! Get rid of the snares that stumble and the thorns that choke out the truth! Be ready! Be watchful! Be available to live out what God had poured in!
And if by chance you find yourself standing with a very shiny, (but empty) oil lamp….( Matthew 25:1-13) Praise God the call has not yet sounded that the Bridegroom has come! So go! Go out and buy what is real, what is pure and what is genuine, that the day will not take you unawares.
Read the Word. Not for memorization—but transformation! Let the Word of God pour into your heart, mind and soul. Obey what you hear. There are no shortcuts to holiness. It is hard, but keep pressing on. Pray! Nothing is too big, or too little! It is the communion with our Father that pleases Him. He is with you…will you be with Him?
No matter what—We Are In This Together!!!!!!!! We may stand alone in our decisions, but we stand together in the household of faith. Remember the community suffers alongside us. We really do need each other to be genuine and transparent. It is scary to be vulnerable, but the consequence of self-protection is just too high.
I am being vulnerable in sending this out, but the conviction in my soul must also trust God with how this is received. I am not perfect, and I struggle too, but I know as sure as I live and breathe, we had better raise the standard we see displayed before us to a lost and dying world. Will you stand with me?
Christian Faith in Action
Posted by: | CommentsThe other night, my husband and I were sitting in the living room watching a news program. The announcer was talking about the solders in Iraq and the hardship it placed on those left behind. Then he said something that spurred on a lengthy discussion. He said, “Our thoughts and warm wishes are with you all.”
My husband, being the practical man that he is, said, “What does that really mean? How do you send warm wishes anyway? Does anyone really feel better knowing our “thoughts” are with them?”
Of course he was finding the humor in the moment, but for me, it began stirring up this haunting question… “Do people really believe that prayer is just a warm wish carried away by a well meaning thought!” Even Christians are heard saying with good intention, “Our thoughts and prayers are with you.” What does that mean? And more importantly, I guess, what do I mean when I say that myself?
Just like the internet is the access into the World Wide Web, prayer is the access into the will and way of God Himself. Prayer does not reveal circumstances to God as much as it provides the opportunity for us to see that situation from His perspective. Prayer is our invitation to come alongside God and to join Him in what He is about to do.
Prayer is God’s language. He understands every intelligible moan; and can distinguish it from every emotion and intention of the heart it proceeds from. And yet He does not bend to conform His will to ours. But instead, He draws us into a relationship of trust whereby we can actually accept His will…even if it does not comply with what we might have hoped for.
Although it is true that prayer often changes circumstances… more importantly, it changes us! Prayer is the place where we can learn to speak God’s language if we can be taught to listen as well as we speak!
When we enter by prayer into the mindset of God, we are as royal children coming into the courts of our Father the King. We begin to cry out our petition to the One we know has the ability to deliver on our request, but something even more astounding begins to take place.
Instead of issuing a decree to end hunger…He breaks the bread of Hi s provision and gives it to us to distribute. Instead of proclaiming an end to all wars and contentions, we are given His authority to speak restoration and reconciliation in His name!
In His presence we are discipled and mentored in order to bear His image and reflect His heart. We perceive His compassion so we may offer His love more authentically. We tap into His patience so we may bear one another’s burdens. And we receive His discernment so that we know what thing…is really the important thing.
As I (warmly) began to think about those solders in Iraq, and their families, I turned those thoughts towards my heavenly Father in prayer.
“Father,
Please love those men when they feel alone...”
“Yes, child, I will touch them where you cannot reach.”
“Father, please provide for their families while they are away…”
My child, you bear My hands and feet. What will you do to show my love to those who you are able to reach?”
Yes, Lord, may Your burden be my burden, so that Your will may be accomplished through me…In Jesus Name Amen!”
In the end…Our warm wishes to feed the hungry or clothe the naked do very little without putting those thoughts to action. That is what we are called to do as servants of the Most High King. However, the Lord Himself is at work in all things, even where we are not. That is the sovereignty of God. May prayer be the place where we engage the needs we become aware of, with ample supply of his riches and glory. Both there…and here! Amen!
You Are Loved
Posted by: | CommentsI am writing this letter to tell you that you are loved.
You may be a friend, a family member, a fellow worker in the ministry, or a mere acquaintance, but this letter has come into your hands because throughout this year I have thought of you and prayed for you.
I do not care too much for the traditional Christmas letters where we silently compete for the better story; often hiding the truth of our lives behind whatever highlights we can exaggerate to impress. So this will not be a list of our children’s accomplishments, nor will it be a dramatization of our family’s failures. But I pray this letter `will come at exactly the right moment when the gift of its intention is most needed. The gift that I speak of is “belonging”.
Some of us feel very disconnected during the holidays. Maybe even especially at this time. We are busy, to be sure, but much of our busyness seems to distract us from the very things we say mean the most to us.
Have you ever had the experience of walking into a store the day after Halloween and were surprised to see Christmas in full swing? This year I just stood there wondering. “What happened to Thanksgiving”? The anxiety that there are only 54 shopping days until Christmas can overwhelm us while we are still buying ½ off Halloween candy… we might not have even put away our patio furniture yet! Somehow, we seem to allow all of the deadlines and wish lists and invitations to keep us moving at full speed ahead, while our hearts might be stuck in neutral.
This year, as I stood there wondering how ironic it is that the same America that established the holy day of giving thanks, had eradicated it from retail history, I decided I was going to make every day from November 1st to December 24th, Thanksgiving. And somewhere in that space of time I decided to let the people who I care about, know that they are loved…that they matter, and that I am thankful for their influence in my life.
The one true gift that I believe every one of us wants… is to really belong to someone else. Single girls want a husband to call their own. Childless couples desire a baby to take up the emptiness in their cradled arms. We want the space between us filled, and not just physically. We want, dare I say, we need to be loved and to have our love received. Most of us who have had our arms filled while our souls still feel empty, know that human love, no matter how sincere, is dreadfully limited. We still find ourselves yearning for more.
The season we are entering into is supposed to be a joyous rest in the blessings we have received, the hope of a better future, and the fellowship of friends and family. Even in the worst of trial and tribulation this joy can be found and experienced. But it won’t be found on any store shelf, nor can it be purchased at any price. Sadly, this treasure can be missed easily in the hustle and bustle of tinsel and toys. It can also be misplaced in the routine of religious pageantry if we are not careful.
Love, the greatest gift, came as a baby, lived as an example, died as a hero, and rose as a King. God Himself took up the space that was between us and became “Emmanuel” God is with us. Think about that! God…is with…us! We are not alone. We belong to Him. And because of that—-we belong to each other. Through the sacrificial love of Christ, we now have the great opportunity to love one another with a word or a deed that will actually touch another soul with the reality of eternal belonging! What a precious privilege!
I wanted to send this before we all get caught up in the frenzy of what the world calls “the holiday spirit.” I am hoping we will instead be lead by the gentle and patient Holy Spirit”! I pray that all of you know and experience the depth of the Abiding Love of Christ. He is forever near us. And in that, He brings us closer to one another… Let our light so shine in these days so dark!
May the Lord Comfort you in your sorrow, bringing you friends who are faithful. May He provide for your needs and delight you with His goodness. May you end this year content, with hopeful expectations for the year to come. May your heart not rest on the kingdoms of this world, but on the eternal promise of God’s unchanging Word.
May you open the gift of His love… and may His love, open up the gift that is you!
Our Part—His Part
Posted by: | CommentsOne of the most productive and profound prayers I have found is this:
God,
Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change
The courage to change the things I can
And the wisdom to know the difference
This is the condensed version of a beautiful prayer by theologian Reinhold Niebuhr. The reason I love this prayer so much is that is contains the three absolute and essential components of an unhindered prayer.
The first is that there are things we cannot change.
Many of us waste so much time and heap upon ourselves stress and heartache because of situations that we are never going to be able to control. These are what I call the “free will” categories. (Love, salvation, surrender, commitment etc.) God, it seems, will not alter our free will choices and we cannot push past what God won’t do Himself. We may get someone to say a “sinner’s prayer” but we cannot get them saved. We can force an apology, but we cannot force repentance. Those are heart issues we cannot touch. Those belong to the Lord.
May God give us His peace when we surrender our free will to attempt to change what is not in our power to do.
The second… is there are things we can change.
Unfortunately, even though this is the place where we actually have the most power and influence, it is usually the place we are least likely to want to focus on. I may pray for a gentler and quieter spirit in general…but I won’t take authority over my own thoughts and tongue. We ask for the accomplishment of the bigger picture, while not taking up the responsibility for the building blocks that get us there.
May God give us courage to fight the battles He actually gives us to win.
And the third, is that without godly discernment, we are going to have trouble understanding which part is ours to work on, and which part is Gods.
Prayer is a partnership. Not because God needs us to accomplish His desire…but because He delights in having us join Him in His work! That is amazing to me! When we allow God to impart the wisdom to discern between what is His and what is ours, we discover more about who God is! It is no longer as important to see what He can do. We are no longer trying to force His hand, but learning to see the plan unfold and rejoicing in the part we were given to play.
The Serenity prayer was adopted and made famous by the Alcoholics Anonymous organization. But it is not just a prayer for those with an addiction; it is for all of us who acknowledge our utter dependence on God! Let us reclaim the beauty of this prayerful inspiration!
