about hell and judgment

A good friend wrote to me,

Alright the following is pretty radical, so give me your feedback. Jesus tells two parables that confuse my ideas of God's unconditional love.The seven wise and seven foolish virgins and the judgment seat with the sheep and the goats. What if people are not split into categories of sheep and goats or foolish and wise, but we are all both sheep and goats, foolish and wise. The parables are not to show us what might happen if we do not take Jesus seriously, but they tell us that though we are goats he treats us as sheep; though we are foolish, He treats us as if we are wise? This makes such sense in the light of Luke 6 where Jesus says that the Father is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.Furthermore, when we think about how could we both sheep and goats? it makes so much sense. What person do we know that has not done things in Jesus' name and still been an empty tomb and a white washed grave? I know I have. Alright, let me know what you think.

I wrote back,

I think its probably both. I think the principles you are seeing are valid, but not necessarily THE correct interpretation for these passages. Most passages of scripture have one primary message, but often the Holy Spirit will teach us other valid principles out of that same passage. On our journey through this life, we are at times foolish, and at times wise. Sometimes we act like sheep, sometimes we act like goats. However, the primary message of both of these lessons has to do with a final judgment. Matthew 24 and 25 should be taken together, and it was Jesus' major discourse on eschatology. He talks about literal signs of the times that we are to be looking for, and then he begins a series of stories and parables that instruct us about how to live in preparation for His return, and the ultimate consequences of walking in obedience or disobedience to His instruction. To take your interpretation as the correct interpretation would require us to say that it doesn't mean what it clearly says. I am always leery of interpretations of any scripture that require us to deny the most clear and straightforward reading.

Mat 25:10 And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut.
Mat 25:11 Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, lord, open to us.'
Mat 25:12 But he answered, 'Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.'
Mat 25:13 Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

The foolish virgins were not ready when the bridegroom came, and the door was shut. He didn't appear willing to reopen it. The Lord is telling us that there will come a time when there will be no more second chances. He will finish His redemptive purposes, and those who have refused Him will be cut off from Him forever. The wild thing about this parable is that it seems to be referring to christians. All the characters in the story are virgins; they are all aware that the Bridegroom will be coming. Some are ready, others are not. Its a pretty sobering exhortation actually. But then again, the end of time is a pretty sobering idea.

As to the sheep and goats, He is even clearer. The last verse of the passage says,


Mat 25:46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.


Its pretty clear. There is a final judgment coming. And its serious. The interesting thing about that lesson is that He is much clearer about the terms of the judgment. The virgin story is much more open to interpretation. What is oil? What is your lamp? How do you get the oil? Mike Bickle teaches some really good stuff on this, and I mostly agree with it, but its still an interpretation of symbolic language. When He gets to the sheep and goats, He is much clearer. How did you live your life? Did you demonstrate His kingdom in the way you lived? Did you care for the stranger, the naked, the sick, and the prisoner? Did your faith translate into works of righteousness? Not works done to earn righteousness, but works that naturally flow from a grateful heart that has been set free from the kingdom of darkness and is walking in the light. Paul says we were created for good works that God prepared for us. Think of James teaching on faith and works. Again, I understand and agree with the principle that you are seeing in terms of our journey. Some days I look like Jesus, and some days I look like Judas. I wish it wasn't that way, but maturity is a process. And we are in a war. Its a battle every day.

Annnnnnnyway, I think the idea of judgment is difficult to swallow in modern western culture. We want to believe there is a better way than something that sounds so harsh. How could a God of love send anyone to hell? It sounds like a contradiction, but I don't think it is. He has perfect wisdom and insight into the hearts of men, and what is best for all of His creation. Sin is innately and absolutely destructive. In His love, He has to take whatever steps are necessary to stand against it. God allowing sin would be like parents allowing their toddlers to play on the freeway in rush hour. When God gives us His law, He is not simply laying down arbitrary rules that He requires us to follow. He is stating what is true and essential about the nature of our relationships. The love He calls us to is the only way that we can experience the life He created us for. Selfishness, which is the essence of sin, will always result in destruction and pain and suffering. He simply cannot allow sin.

What is the result of the final judgment? What is hell? The bottom line is that it is complete separation from God. Is the fire literal? I don't know. Does the devil have a pitchfork? Probably not. Will hell be a miserable place? Ohhhhhhhhhhh yea. Picture a place totally devoid of goodness. Unrestrained selfishness and evil. We live in a fallen world, but evil is restrained. God is present and at work to redeem all who will respond to His overtures. The Holy Spirit is constantly working to persuade us to turn our hearts to the Lord. The whole world lies in the power of the Evil One, but he is still restrained by God. No such restraint in hell. All God has to do to make it the most miserable place in the universe is to lock the door and withdraw His Presence completely. A loveless place of total and complete moral darkness. Your choices for president are Hitler, Stalin, and Pol Pot. Its not a torture chamber. Its simple separation from God and all that is good. Its eternal. Its a place for people who don't want to live in a loving relationship with their Creator. Its horrible, but its not necessary for anyone. In Ezekiel, the Lord says, "I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked." His heart is for redemption and salvation for every single person. And He looks at our hearts. If He sees that a heart can be won, He will. Even if it doesn't look "winnable", He will still try. Its perfect love.

HE is perfect love.

You and I find it nearly impossible to imagine refusing God. How could anyone do that? Its a nonsensical idea. But some do. They simply want to run their own lives. They refuse to trust Him, to submit themselves to His wisdom and goodness. Hell is simply a corner of the universe set aside for those who have made that decision in their hearts. And in His final judgment of things, God won't make a single mistake. He will save everyone who can possibly be saved.

Long answer. All over the map. I am sure you are not surprised. Ha.

Have a great week!

the ravished heart

Song of Solomon 4:9

You have captivated my heart, my sister, my bride; you have captivated my heart with one glance of your eyes,

These are Jesus' words to His bride. That's us. The heart of God is captivated with love for us. The love of God is not just some theological truth about Jesus dying on the cross to save us from our sins so we wouldn't have to go to hell. At the physical center of the book, the Bible, there is this incredible love song about a bride and a Bridegroom. And at the center of that song, that Bridegroom tells that bride that she has captivated His heart.

Some versions say, "You have ravished my heart..."

His heart is ravished for you and me. Its captivated in love.

This is God we are talking about.

Now I know why Paul was always praying for the church that they would have a deeper revelation of God's love.

I see it dimly. I know its true. I want my heart to be captivated too.

Help Lord. Open my eyes.

So Mickey, how are you feeling today?

From Reuters: Alzheimer's vaccine works on mice: Japan scientist

"Japanese scientists have developed an oral vaccine for Alzheimer's disease that has proven effective and safe in mice, the director of a research institute behind the project said on Thursday."

So tell me, how exactly did they come to this conclusion? "Safe" I can understand. It didn't kill them.

Effective?? Really??? So I guess the mouse stopped asking, "Who moved my cheese?"

I am trying to be more sensitive, so I am just gonna leave this alone, but Leno would have a lot of fun with it.

another glimpse of His heart

Is Ephraim my dear son? Is he my darling child? For as often as I speak against him, I do remember him still. Therefore my heart yearns for him; I will surely have mercy on him, declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 31:20

I have always loved this passage. I believe in God's goodness. I am convinced that at the center of His heart is a desire for a deep, intimate relationship with me. Its the reason He made me. Its the reason He went through everything He did to redeem me from my sin and rebellion. He calls us His Bride. His goodness is one of those ideas that is simply settled in my heart. It gets questioned and tested, but its one of those things that I just know is true. I can't prove it to you. Its not a product of my profound deductive reasoning. I don't "believe" it simply because "the Bible says so." Its just true. He is good. When I see or hear something that brings his goodness to question, I go back to a place that says, "There is more going on here than meets the eye." God is infinite. The universe is finite, but expansive beyond our comprehension. Every time scientists think they are seeing the edge of the universe, they develop some new technology that enables them to see whole galaxies that we never knew were there. I will never understand all the mysteries of life. I will never have enough understanding to figure it all out.

"When I consider the heavens..."

Darkness, or some guy you start talking to at Starbucks, will always come and ask the age old question, "Well if God is good then how come ____________." (Fill in the blank. Usually it has to do with pain and suffering and evil in the world.) And from the guy at Starbucks, its usually an honest question. I don't despise it. In fact, if you have never asked that question, well... I just can't imagine that. But, for me, its so settled inside, that the question usually turns into, "What am I missing here?" If I had all the facts, if I could see the big picture, I would see His goodness. Does that mean I think that everything that happens is good? Tsunamis, war, aids, the child sex trade? No... not at all. We live in a war zone. The world is a complex place. Its under a curse, brought on by mankind's rebellion that started in the garden. The cosmos are far more complex than I could ever comprehend, let alone explain. Man's free will, invisible spiritual forces, the inter-connectedness of all things. Too much for my pea brain. And I am okay with that. I have a core conviction that says God is good, in all His ways.

When it doesn't look that way, I understand that I just don't fully understand.

"Therefore my heart yearns for him..." His heart yearns for me? The eternal, uncreated creator of the universe yearns for me? He knows what I am really like, to the deepest, darkest corner of my heart, and He yearns for me.

Yet another way in which I understand that I dont fully understand. Not even close.

You are good, Lord. In all your ways.

His mercy... again

Jesus was waiting for me in my office this morning. He had a few things to show me. He wasn’t mad. He just wanted to show me a little more of my heart, and some mistakes I had made recently.

I have little or no patience with bad attitudes. That in itself is a little inconsistent, but hey, that’s the way it is right now. I ran across a guy here in blogdom that I found really annoying. I agree with what he sees, for the most part, but also really hate the way he expresses it much of the time. Not always, but often. I am just being honest. He "sees" things in the church that are not good. Actually, its not uncommon for him to have some pretty deep insights. (in my not so humble opinion) And he tells everyone about those problems he sees. That’s where my problem came in. The way he does it often bugs the heck out of me, and I had let it get under my skin. Now, he is not the only one out there that does this. The internet is loaded with "prophets". You could spend your whole day reading their analyses of the church’s problems. My annoyance with many of them and their "bad attitudes" had been building over time, and I guess I crossed some line in my own heart a week or so ago, and decided to say something. I had written posts about the subject on my own blog, but now I took it a step further, and confronted this one particular guy. When I say "confronted", its not like I blasted him with my own prophetic indictment. "Thus saith the Lord, stop judging!!!." No, I took a more subtle approach. I wrote up a "gentle" and "soft-spoken" comment that in a general way spoke out against judging. I think psychologists would probably call it sort of a passive/aggressive approach. As far as I understand things right now, I still believe in the ideas that I wrote, but I shouldn’t have done it. There were things going on in my heart that I was blind to, and that is what the Lord wanted to talk to me about this morning.

I responded to what I perceived as judgment and a "bad attitude" with more judgment. If you read my words, they were measured and respectful, without any direct accusation. But they were motivated by judgment and a critical spirit rather than love. I didn’t think so at the time, but its pretty clear to me right now. And he was justifiably offended. Proverbs tells us that "the spirit of man knows the spirit of man", and that a brother offended is harder to win than a city with high walls around it. He called me on it, and I responded with more blatant sarcastic judgment. Great. Oh, I knew I was wrong, and I even apologized at the end of my reply, but I did it with a sneer in my spirit. How easily we are deceived. I look back now and see the self-righteousness of my heart, and I am pretty disappointed in myself, but hey, that is how this whole process of change takes place. We screw up, God shows us how we screwed up, we try to open our hearts to Him to let him change that thing He is showing us, and then we get up and get back in the race.

Probably I will do it again. I don’t want to, but the chances are that I will. This kind of change is usually a long slow process. At least for me it is. I am a very black and white person by nature. That in itself is not a bad thing, if your heart is motivated by love. And you have to have the necessary humility to recognize that your definitions of "black" and "white" may not always be correct. Jesus was pretty black and white at times. Read the sermon on the mount. He took the typical outward, behavioral approach to black and white, and pushed it deeper to the heart level. He took a lustful look and called it adultery. He took a harsh word, and called it murder. The thing is, He was always motivated by love. Always. My black and white thinking can be very susceptible to that judgment thing when I am not paying attention to the Spirit, and what I know of my own heart.

I so appreciate the mercy and patience of God. More than words can say.

And I am sorry to any who were offended by my foolishness. Really sorry.

Life and death are in the power of the tongue. I want to give life. Always. Even if it is necessary to confront someone. That will probably happen sometime. That’s why I need to listen to the Spirit, rather than my own internal agitation.

Paul told the Corinthians, "Let all that you do be done in love."

I want to live that way.

Help, Lord.

on meekness

Mat 5:5 Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Psa 45:1 My heart overflows with a pleasing theme; I address my verses to the king; my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe.
Psa 45:2 You are the most handsome of the sons of men; grace is poured upon your lips; therefore God has blessed you forever.
Psa 45:3 Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one, in your splendor and majesty!
Psa 45:4 In your majesty ride out victoriously for the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness; let your right hand teach you awesome deeds!

2Co 10:1 I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ--I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away!--

Col 3:3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
Col 3:12 Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,
Col 3:13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
Col 3:14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
Col 3:15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.
Col 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
Col 3:17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Jam 1:21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
Jam 1:22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

anger

Jam 1:19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;

Jam 1:20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness that God requires.

Jam 1:21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

Jam 1:22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

Jam 1:23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror.

Jam 1:24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.

Jam 1:25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

Jam 1:26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless.

Jam 1:27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

I want reality...

blessed

Mat 5:3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Mat 5:4 "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Mat 5:5 "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Mat 5:6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Mat 5:7 "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

Mat 5:8 "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Mat 5:9 "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Mat 5:10 "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Mat 5:11 "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.

Mat 5:12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

restoration

Gal 6:1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.

Gal 6:2 Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

Gal 6:3 For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

Gal 6:4 But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor.

Gal 6:5 For each will have to bear his own load.

Don't be stupid

Proverbs 26:17 Like one who takes a dog by the ears is he who passes by and meddles with strife not belonging to him.

kingdom of love

One quick thought, and then off to bed...

I was chastised recently for using the phrase "kingdom of love". Its seems that this is not found in the Bible. Hmm... let me see. "God is love." I think that John wrote that. So thats in the Bible. And "the kingdom of God" is in there all over the place. In my mind, that would make the kingdom of God a kingdom of love. And Paul wrote to Timothy, "The goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith." So I am thinking Paul would be cool with it.

It would seem that "kingdom of love" probably falls within the bounds of generally accepted orthodoxy, but I will try to remember to always clarify when I use it that it is not a strictly biblical phrase.

hmmm...

I am processing some interesting stuff right now. All I have are a few scriptures.


Pro 4:23 Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.

Pro 16:21 The wise of heart is called discerning, and sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness.

Pro 22:11 He who loves purity of heart, and whose speech is gracious, will have the king as his friend.

Eph 4:29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
Eph 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
Eph 4:31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.
Eph 4:32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Eph 5:1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.
Eph 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Truly... thank you, Lord...

Its what's in your heart that counts

I was reading another guy's blog tonight, and he provoked me to think. He was writing about those awful churches that teach people to "embrace right living" as though that were some sort of erroneous teaching. I think he was trying to point out the error of trying to earn our righteousness by behaving properly, but it almost sounded like he was throwing out the baby with the bathwater. We are called to a life of loving obedience to God's ways. Its an expression of faith and gratitude and worship. No honest reading of the scriptures can bring us to any other conclusion. But what does that really mean? This was my comment on his blog entry:

Its all about motives. "Man looks on the outward appearances, but God looks on the heart." He is looking for a heart that truly desires to know Him, and to walk in friendship with Him. That will be a life of grateful obedience to His ways. There is no way to read the whole NT and deny that, (not that you would). The point, though, is the motive. You can obey out of a heart of loving devotion, or you can obey out of a desire to win God's approval and acceptance. The two can look just alike. One is a sweet aroma to Him; the other is worthless, even a stench in His nostrils. The challenging thing for us humans is that we can't see into people's hearts. God can, but we can't. Its one of those really important differences between Him and us. One day He will bring everything into the light. In the meantime, we just seek Him, and try to let Him have His way in our hearts. And we allow others the freedom to do the same. God will sort it all out. He lets the tares grow right there with the wheat. He's amazing like that. He knows who all the jerks are in the church. The real jerks. The ones with jerk hearts. And yet he patiently lets the jerks live right there among the sincere. It wont always be that way, but for now that seems to be His good pleasure. And for now He tells us to love our enemies. I am guessing that this would include those awful hypocrites in the church down the street. The jerks. Those people used to drive me crazy. They made me mad. They were dishonoring God with their unloving hypocrisy. I was filled with righteous indignation. Then He showed me my own heart, and He called me to love without judgment.

"Love your enemies, and pray for those who despitefully use you."

"Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

"Blessed are the peacemakers."

God can clean up the mess in "the church" when He is ready. One or two Ananias and Sapphira episodes and He will have everyone's attention. He wants those of us who think we know better to demonstrate the meekness of His kingdom of love, so that He has something to point at when He gets ready to show them what He wants them to be.

The current revolution against dead religious tradition is good. I am all for breaking out of man's philosophical structures and really seeking to know and live in the truth. But that truth is rooted and grounded in love. Love can be tough, but it still places supreme value on the one toward whom it is directed. Ranting about how screwed up the church is can be just as screwed up as the problems the rant is pointing out if its not motivated by a redemptive heart of compassion. That isn't always apparent in a lot of the "angry prophet" blogs out there. I am not saying its not there. I am not God, and I can't see their hearts. Sometimes, though, the love is difficult to discern.

But God will take care of that too. I just want to bless their passion, and trust that Jesus will continue to take them deeper with Him.

His goal

In Ephesians, chapter 2, it says

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us … made us alive together with Christ… so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

I love scriptures that reveal the purposes of God's heart. To the extent that my little pea-brain can handle it, I want to understand why God does what He does. Some would read that sentence and just say, "Duh. God is love, and therefore everything He does is motivated by love." I get that. Its a pretty simple idea. I just love those places in His word where He elaborates a little on the concept. And this is one of my favorites.

The second chapter of Ephesians is about as "loaded" with theological truth as any chapter in the Bible. If they were going to take away my Bible, and I could keep one chapter, this would be one of the finalists in my list of choices. And verse 7 is probably my favorite in the chapter. What it says to me is one of the most overwhelming statements of God's love in the entirety of scripture.

The first part of the chapter is pretty straightforward about the mess we were in. We were dead. Spiritually dead. Cut off from God. Then Paul talks about God's great mercy, grace, and love in saving us. Awesome. But then he takes it a step further, and tells us why God did it. The first time I read that part of the passage and received just a tiny bit of understanding of it, I was stopped cold. I just had to sit there and let it sink in. And it stunned me again today.

Why did God save us? Why did Jesus leave the beauty and glory of heaven to take on flesh and blood? Why did he live a simple life amongst a poor people under the domination of a powerful human empire? He did it specifically for the purpose of suffering His gruesome death on the cross, but why? Paul tells us in verse 7.

… so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Just stop and think about that phrase for a minute. He paid that massive price so that He might bring us back to a position where he could bless us. When we were "following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, ... live(ing) in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind..." we were not in a place where He could freely share His love with us in the way He wants to. We had turned our backs on Him, living in rebellion against His wise and loving ways, and all He wanted to do was bless us. In the coming ages He wants to shower us with the riches of His grace. He wants to share with us all the infinite kindness in His heart. He has gone to unbelievable lengths to reconcile us back to Himself, just so He could pour out His love in our lives.

That's an amazing love. Absolutely amazing.

His desire

Song of Solomon, chapter 7, verse 10...

I am my beloved's, and his desire is for me.

For whoever might stumble across my humble words, I urge you to take some time, find a quiet place, and ask the Lord to give you a glimpse of the reality of this passage. Think about it and maybe pray it in the first person.

"I am my beloved's..." I am His. I belong to Him. I am loved beyond understanding. The Creator of the Universe has called me His own.

In another place in the Song, the Bride says, "I am my beloved's and He is mine." Its like a couple who stand and look at each other, and hear the preacher speak those words, "I now pronounce you man and wife." They have given themselves to one another. Its what we were created for.

He is hers. She is his.

We are His.

"...and His desire is for me." This is where speechlessness starts to set in. His desires, the longing affections of the heart of God, are for me... and you.

I am in awe.

He is good.

He is so very, very good.

I want to take this and just soak in it. I want to pray it every day, believing for just a little more depth of understanding each time. I want the truth of it to captivate my heart in a way that will set me free to give my self to Him fully and completely, as He deserves. I want to give Him the kind of love and devotion of which He is worthy.

Open our eyes, Lord. Show us the height and depth and breadth and length of your great love. Let that love be poured out in our hearts to be given back to you, and to all of those around us.

Called to victory

Okay... there is another blogger out there now that probably thinks I am a bit of a jerk. I stumbled across his site this evening, and one of his early statements pushed one of my theological buttons, so I wrote a rather lengthy reply in his comment section. He was sharing his thoughts about our struggle with sin, and he made this comment:

We don't just *commit* sins we *ARE* sinners.

Now, I realize that for the committed Calvinists out there, this is a no-brainer. Its a main point in that whole tulip thing. The problem is, like several other petals on that flower, it just doesn't jive with scripture. Here is what I wrote in his comment section.

I don't know, Robert. That's a popular refrain of the tulip people, but I think the scriptures say that when we are born again we become a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, all things are made new. Peter says we are given everything pertaining to life and godliness. Jesus, Paul, Peter... they all challenge us to a life of victory and loving obedience to the ways of God.

In his letter to Titus, Paul said,

"Tit 2:11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you.

and a little bit later he continues,

Tit 3:3 For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life."

The true grace of God doesn't just change our position before God. It changes our hearts and empowers us to to walk in victory over sin. Sinless perfection? No. Consistent and growing victory over the world, the flesh, and the devil? Yes.

I apologize for seeming to be argumentative here in your blog. I just get weary of our calvinized American version of Christianity that seems more focused on our "total depravity" than His total victory. He came to set us free from our sin, not just the guilt of our sin. The Spirit of the living God lives inside us. We forget that Romans 7 is immediately followed by Romans 8. I don't want to get into a debate. I just encourage you to focus on His strength in you rather than your weakness in your flesh.

How do you see yourself? Are you a sinner who struggles to love God? Or are you a lover of God who struggles with sin? Those are hugely different perspectives. I believe that God wants us to walk in the latter. As I read back over your blog entry, I think you do walk in this. I just want to encourage you to let the Holy Spirit fill your heart with the knowledge of His desire and power to lead you into all that He has for you.

I haven't achieved this by any stretch of the imagination, but with Paul, "I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own... I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

Obviously, from the title of your blog, you are reaching for the same.

Blessings.

I am sorry, but I get tired of hearing, "I'm just a sinner saved by grace," as an excuse for a carnal self-centered religion masquerading as the salvation Jesus shed his blood to provide. I am not accusing Robert of this, but its a common malady in the church. And its a deception, and an affront to God. He wants to give us victory, but He also tells us to crucify the flesh. I struggle with sin. I am more thankful every day for the grace and mercy of God. If not for His incredible, incomprehensible patience and love, I would be in a whole heap of trouble. But He has called me to love Him with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. "It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me." Salvation is not a free pass out of hell. Its a restored relationship with the Creator and Lover of our souls. If we don't see that, we wont give Him the kind of love, and devotion, and worship of which He is worthy.

"This is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God..." Jesus

I want that. More than anything. To know Him... deeply, intimately. And I want everyone to know that this is what He desires for them to have. His Spirit, living inside of them. This is the good news we are commissioned to take to the ends of the earth. He offers us the gift of righteousness, but He calls us to humbly bow before Him in full surrender. Its the only way that He can have His good way fully in us.

This sort of writing aggravates a lot of folks. American christianity is committed to avoiding any feelings of discomfort or guilt at all costs. We go to great lengths to construct theological systems that make us feel good no matter how we are living. As long as we think we are "going to heaven", then evvvvverything is okay.

Religious lies are the most powerful tools of the kingdom of darkness.

I am going to stop... for now.

About the Newt

I guess I have been "out of the loop" in the Christian news world. Apparently James Dobson's interview of Newt Gingrich is causing quite the stir. I was reading a friend's blog about it, and the comments that followed, and then threw in my two bits, which follow.

Newt is simply a broken man, and probably not much different than the rest of us. We have no idea if he even really knows the Lord. The real problem is the illegitimate marriage of the church and politics. Whether its James Dobson on the right, or Jim Wallis on the left, its a mistake. Politics is about earthly government and controlling people's behaviour. The kingdom is about changed hearts and living like the heroes of Hebrews 11.

"These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city."

Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world."

Most of American Christianity wants all that this world has to offer, and heaven for dessert. Newt is not the problem. Our self-centered, carnal religious system posing as the faith of the Bible is our problem.

That was my comment. I am not against being politically aware, or even politically active as a Christian. Jesus calls people to be His body in every walk of life. I do have serious concerns, though, about the corporate church becoming a player in the political realm. Even a cursory survey of history will tell us that this usually turns out really bad. We will end up representing God as either Republican or Democrat, and I don't think He would run as either party's candidate.

"My kingdom is not of this world."

He really said that.

priorities

Luke 5:15-16 But now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities. But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray.

How many of us would do that. We are experiencing the power of God to heal the sick. People are coming from all over the place to be touched by that power. Good things are happening! The Kingdom is going forward! Then Jesus does the strangest thing. He leaves. He takes off into the wilderness to pray. Why? We aren't told specifically. We are told in a number of places that this was a regular habit with Him. And we see Him do it at critical times in His life. Jesus didn't just come to the earth with a plan and set out to execute it while His Father sat back on the throne with a bag of popcorn and watched the show. "Get 'em Jesus! Whip that devil!" This was a team effort, a joint labor of love. Jesus took on flesh and blood, the Holy Spirit empowered Him to demonstrate the supernatural love that brought him here, and the Father ruled with His divine wisdom from the throne. I am quite sure that Jesus knew how to "walk in the Spirit" while He went about teaching and doing the works of His kingdom. I am sure that He was mindful of the Father at all times. But He still took time on a regular basis to put everything else aside and go spend time alone with the other members of the Godhead. And He would do that right in the middle of really good things happening. I am not sure He "needed" to do that. I cant think of anywhere that it says He "needed" to get alone and pray. But He did it. Regularly. Consistently. Whether He needed it, or simply wanted it, or the Father would call Him to it, He did it. Time alone with the Father was a priority to Him. As His disciples, as His followers, I am thinking it should be a priority to us also. Prayer and meditation in His word; these need to be a regular part of our daily lives.

Pretty simple. Not particularly profound. Absolutely critical.

The question is, do I do it, or just talk about it? Americans in the 21st century may possibly be the busiest people that have ever lived on the planet. The demands on our time, the multitudes of options and choices we are faced with each day, it can be overwhelming. Good intentions about seeking God can be genuine and yet never experienced as the reality of life. He has wonderful truths and understanding of His ways that He wants to show us. He has a love beyond words that He wants to reveal to us and pour out into our hearts. The Creator of the universe wants to share the intimacy of friendship, and a father-child relationship with us. Do we give Him the opportunity? Or are we too busy chasing the American dream and all this world has to offer? When we look at how we spend our time and money, what does it reveal about the true desires of our hearts?

Jer 9:23 Thus says the LORD: "Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD."

Jer 33:3 Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.

Lord, give me a heart to seek your face.

Words of wisdom

When you get ready to go into the dentist office, take a minute, go to a mirror, and check your nose.

I won't elaborate.

Duh...

"Pot eases pain for HIV patients, study says"

I saw this title for an article on MSNBC, and I am thinking to myself, "You could take that title and insert almost ANY disease known to mankind and this would pretty much be true." Paranoid schizophrenia might be an exception.

I guess we have once again proved that the human race, on average, only uses about 25% of our brains.

And again... duh.

Why is it...

Why is it that being "radical" for Jesus is so often seen as being cynical, sarcastic, and judgmental toward "the church"? There is no shortage of blogs out there that have this hateful, self-righteous attitude that just breaks my heart when I read it. More than likely these people have been hurt by "the church" or someone else significant in their life, and now they hide their pain by pointing out the failings of others.

"Look at me. I am so smart. And everyone else is sooooooooo screwed up!"

Its sad.

Don't get me wrong. I am one of the more "black and white" people I know. Just ask anyone who knows me well. But it has softened and mellowed with age. I don't think its compromise. I think that I just realize more each day how little I know. But I don't think I ever had that sarcastic, condescending attitude that seems so prevalent here in blogdom. I hope not. (Some of my friends would probably chuckle and think, "Are you kidding me????")

Anyway, when I read some of these, I wish I could just sit down with the person, hand them a cup of coffee, and ask, "Why are you so angry? Do you really think that Jesus would handle things the same way?" And then they would probably remind me of how he made a whip and cleansed the temple, and called the Pharisees a bunch of snakes. Jesus wasn't wishy washy. He wasn't afraid to step on a few toes. But everything He did was motivated by love.

And sometimes when I read these folks, I don't feel the love.

The prophet Jeremiah spoke some pretty strong stuff against Israel. And he wept for his people. Isaiah said some scary things. And he made some of the most profound declarations of God's love and care for His people that are found in all of scripture. Jesus called the religious leaders "white washed tombs full of dead men's bones." Sweet. And then he laid down his life in the ultimate act of love for those people.

I guess I just think we need to make sure our hearts are filled with His love before we put on our John the Baptist hat. Ridiculing and mocking people probably wont bring them to a change of heart.

We don't want to walk in compromise, but we do want to walk in a love that is pure and free from judgment, anger, and pride.

Help, Lord.

Let us run

Song of Solomon 1:4 Draw me after You; let us run.

Jesus told a parable about a sower. If you have walked with the Lord for any length of time, you are very familiar with it. He compared the message of the gospel to seed sown in various types of soil. Based on His interpretation to His disciples, most people don't end up bearing the sort of fruit that He intends for us to have in our lives. He explains several reasons for this. Spiritual warfare and lack of depth in those initial encounters with the truth are mentioned first. Then He gives the one that I most often battle with myself.

"As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful."

The cares of the world. It is so easy to get buried with the cares of the world. Life is so busy, and there is so much to deal with. We jump out of bed in the morning, run off to work, compete with co-workers for job security and that promotion we "need", compete with other companies for market share, and then fight the traffic to get home, inhale some dinner, rush off to a soccer game, or a band concert, or a board meeting, or a bowling league, or any of a million other things. If we do happen to stay home for the evening, we typically settle in front of the television, where we are bombarded by "entertainment" that glorifies sin about 95% of the time. In between segments the commercials tell us how unhappy and inadequate our lives are without a shiny new car, or a Caribbean cruise, or the newest drug to enhance sexual performance. So, when we sit down to "relax", we are still driven by the spirit of this world. We finally go to bed exhausted, and wake up the next morning a little tired, and climb back on the treadmill. This is no great profound insight. Thousands of books have been written over the past few decades on "the rat race", and how to get out of it. But most of us don't. Its not as easy as the books make it sound. This world system is addictive. I want out. I want to run after something deeper and better. I don't want to run after things that are destined to perish.

I want to run after Him. I want to live like the faithful of Hebrews 11. The writer describes the faithfulness of several; Noah, Abraham, and Sarah. And then he says this about them.

Hebrews 11:13-16
All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.

I want to run with Him. Its not a type of running that is driven. Its not running to avoid missing the bus. Its not running in fear of coming up short. Its running to get somewhere because you just cant wait for something to happen. You have seen it at the airport. He is pacing back and forth, looking at his watch every few minutes, and then staring out the window. When is that plane going to land? He walks down to check the departure/arrival schedule. Its still on time. The waiting is killing him. Then the plane lands, and still he has to wait. He scans the faces of the people coming up the ramp. Was she sitting in the very back seat? Did she miss her flight? What is taking so long? Then he sees her. And he starts to run. He cant help it. He just wants to feel her in his arms once again. He is running, and nothing will stop him until he reaches her.

Its like that. I want Him. I want His purposes. I want that life He created us for. I want to live in that "city" He has prepared for us. I don't want to settle for the "passing pleasures of sin". I want to run with Him.

I want to run with Him.

The Song of Songs

Song of songs 1:2-3

For your love is better than wine; your anointing oils are fragrant; your name is oil poured out; therefore virgins love you.

How have I missed the beauty of this book for so long? Oh, I have read it before, numerous times. Except for the Old Testament genealogies, I have read most of the scriptures numerous times. That just happens when you read the same book for over thirty years. But I have never before touched the revelation of His great love that we find in the Song of Solomon. Writing about it brings frustration though. This is not truth that you wrestle with and grasp with the mind, and then wax eloquent over coffee with a friend. No, this is truth you want to experience. This book, tucked away in the middle of the Bible, is like a window into the Kingdom. You meet Him there, you look into His eyes, you are touched by the love. You worship. I hesitate to write about it. I don't want to sound like I am trying to impress anyone with my spirituality. At the same time, I want to encourage anyone who would wander across this writing as they surf through blogdom, to take time to wait before the Lord in this wonderful little portion of the scriptures. Allow the Lord to refresh your heart with His presence and the revealing of His love for you.

Psalm 27:4 One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple.

Lord, give me the heart of David. Give me a heart that sees that "your love is better than wine".

Amazing love

Song of Solomon 1:4 says

The king has brought me into his chambers.

That is one of the most amazing sentences in the Bible. Once again, I am almost hesitant to even try to share what that truth is doing in my heart right now. Its like Moses, when the Lord told him to take off his sandals.

The King of all kings, the Creator of the universe, has invited us into His chambers. We are His bride. He wants to share with us the most intimate things in His heart.

Will we make His chambers our resting place? The enemies of our soul will do everything possible to keep us so busy and distracted that we never quite find the time to go there.

Help, Lord.

Good intentions

I ran across a well-intentioned blog entry tonight about saving energy. This person was reacting to a European government hassling people for leaving on electrical appliances that go into a standby mode, and therefore are using energy even when you are not actively using them. Computer equipment, and dvd players are examples. This was my comment on his post:

There is more to conservation than energy consumption. Electronics for example. If you leave your computer on, in standby or sleep mode, it may last twice as long as it would if you turn it on and off every night. Heating up and cooling down, (turning on and turning off) are major factors in the eventual death of electronic components. So... the question is, which is more wasteful? Cutting the life of your computer in half, or using a very small amount of electricity to keep it on and warm all night? I don't know the answer, but its a question that needs to be asked. When the government tells us we have to turn things off to save energy, I would seriously question whether any actual studies have been done to consider the collateral damage. But, they can proudly say that they are passing laws to save the environment, and consequently should be re-elected.

So many good intentions get wasted on plans that are not well thought out. This seems to be especially true when it comes to government. Good intentions and wisdom do not necessarily walk hand in hand.

I am tired. Enough profundity for now.

that's a joke.

He is worthy

Rev 5:11-14 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne... the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!" And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!" And the four living creatures said, "Amen!" and the elders fell down and worshiped.

Sometimes it almost seems sacrilegious to comment on what the scripture already says. Sometimes it seems vain to try to find words to express what that truth does in your heart. He is worthy of more love and devotion and worship than we could ever begin to give. We want to question Him every time things don't go just the way we think they should, but we take for granted the riches of His goodness in our lives every day. We are surrounded by objects of wonder. This very body we live in is magnificent beyond words. The beauty of the land, the sky, the sea... they are all so awesome. And it all works together. All of creation is this grand system that is interwoven like a beautiful symphony. I reach for words, for a picture, and I just cant quite get it right. Maybe its my limited abilities of communication, or maybe words just can't do it all justice. I am reminded again of the words of Leonard Ravenhill. "The highest form of worship is speechless adoration."

But I want to share that wonder, that awe, that worship. I want to share it with anyone who cares to see and know and experience the greatness of our God. And that is part of the wonder. His love poured into our hearts.

Lord... you are so good.

Its hip to be angry

Spent some time blog-surfing this evening. Man, it is so easy to "waste" a few hours that way. I love seeing what people think, and how they express it. I love "meeting" new people, and some blogs are real and honest enough to let you see who that person really is. I think my blog may have started that way, but mostly now I just preach. Its honest. I try to say what I really think and feel, but I don't often talk about my day, or how my cat died. Usually, if I take time to do this, I am trying to share something I just experienced in the scriptures. I guess that's just who I am. As crazy as it sounds, I really do enjoy reading the bible, and trying to "hear" the voice of God there. Not trying to sound all "spiritual", just being real. To me, that book is like a window into another world. The Spirit uses it to help us understand what this life is all about. Who is God? Who am I? Why are things are the way they are, and what are They planning to do to fix it? There are lots of questions, but I think those are some of the biggies.

Annnyway... I ran across a blog tonight where the guy was ranting about how a pastor at his church had hurt one of his friends. This guy was mad, and was venting his anger on behalf of his wounded friend. I added this comment to his blog entry:

The church is made up of broken people. This includes those who end up in leadership. We are in a process of being perfected in love. A vital part of that process is learning humility as we love people who don't really "deserve" it. Does this excuse bad behavior on anyone's part? Of course not. But the key question for me , and you, and all the rest, is "How did we respond to being mistreated?" Did we let it work deeper brokenness and humility in our own hearts, thus enabling us to love more genuinely ourselves? Or, did we take matters into our own hands? Did we lash out in anger, even if only in the privacy of our own hearts and minds? When we respond that way, when we give in to that very natural urge, we lose. We become part of the darkness. Jesus said to turn the other cheek. Jesus said to give them our coat. Jesus said to go the second mile. He said to look for the log in our own eye before trying to remove the splinter from the eye of our "enemy".

I know you were only venting on behalf of your friend. Been there, done that. It feels good. Standing up to "the man". The problem is, it doesn't do any good. It feels good now, but it wounds your soul. "Life and death are in the power of the tongue (and pen... or keyboard)." Its hip right now to lash out at religion. It can be good to confess our wounds. But an ongoing stream of anger and bitterness neither solves the problems, nor heals your soul. If I have cancer, a good dose of morphine will make my evening tolerable. When I wake up in the morning, the pain is still there, and I am still dying. I am not condemning you or coming down on you in any way. I am only encouraging you to take your pain, and your creativity, and put them to better use. "Love your enemies... bless and curse not..."

There is a lot of anger out there at the church. There are a lot of young people who were pushed into molds to fulfill Mom and Dad's best wishes and intentions. In the zeal of their youth, these kids like to go off on the church. One blog entry after another, ranting and raving about the church, often in the most colorful of language. I understand their frustration. Many times I have to agree with their perceptions. I just pray that the Lord will raise up voices of reason and healing to allow them to process their pain, and then to move on. A never ending rant can only end up in a bitter hardened heart.

And that is a terrible waste...

A view to the future

I guess its only fitting to be looking to the future a few minutes before midnight on New Year's Eve. I was doing some research a little earlier, and ran across this passage of scripture.

And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him. (Heb. 9:27-28)

This is reality. This is life in the big picture. Eternity. The life we live in this age is so short. You know how they make fun of small towns sometimes? "Yep... this town is so small, if you blink your eyes you might just miss it." Our life on earth is like that. If you blink your eyes... you just might miss it. Or, if you get caught up in the pursuit of the concerns and pleasures of this present dark world, you might not be alert to the gifts and callings of God in you for His kingdom. You just might miss out on the eternal rewards that were in God's heart for you.

"Christ... will appear a second time... to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him."

Living with eternity in mind. Living with our hearts set on seeing Him some day. "Eagerly waiting." Are we eagerly waiting for Him? Do we long for His return? Do we recognize that we live on a battlefield, that the majority of those around us are oblivious to Him, under the authority of the kingdom of darkness, and destined to be separated from God forever? Do we live each day as "steward of the mysteries of God"? Or are we simply consumed in the perpetual pursuit of more, bigger, and better? God has more, bigger, and better for us, but its not necessarily cars, and houses, and toys. He wants to put His love in our hearts in a way that causes us to value the things that He values. Jesus suffered "for the joy set before Him". He wants to reveal that joy to us, and allow us to share it in our heart. He wants to give us the grace to give of ourselves in the same way that He did. He wants to live His life in us and through us, but He did a really crazy thing. He left the final decision to us. Oh... He is drawing us to Himself every day. His Spirit is constantly working to persuade us to see things His way. But in the end, He wants us to freely choose to lock arms with Him in His loving purposes.

Its up to you and me. We can't do it in our own strength, but when we say "Yes" in our hearts, He will give us the grace to go forward. He is faithful.

Lord, give us eyes to see, ears to hear, and the heart to follow.

wow...

I read an old story this morning. We usually call it "the prodigal son". Its pretty simple, and yet loaded with meaning. The son asks for his inheritance early, the father gives it to him, the son blows it all living the party life, and finally finds himself flat broke, and living like a bum. Pretty sad story so far. Of course, some people wouldn't call it sad. They would use words like pathetic. They would say the son was a loser, and only reaping what he had sown. He had gotten what he deserved. That would be sort of the "conservative" point of view you might hear if you listen much to talk radio. There is some truth in that perspective. Not much mercy, though. The boy got what he deserved. Most of us don't usually want to get what we deserve. We do, however, like to point it out when others do. Annnnnnyway... the son really had made a mess of his life. And then the story starts to take an amazing turn.

"Then he came to his senses and ... got up and went to his father. While he was still far away, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, threw his arms around him, and kissed him affectionately."

While he was still far away, his father saw him... Its as though the Father was always watching the horizon, hoping to see His son's form off in the distance. When we are struggling with sin, He is always watching. But He is not looking for the perfect opportunity to swing the hammer of heaven and wipe us out. He is watching to see when our heart will turn back to Him.

The Father was "filled with compassion". He could easily have judged his son, and would have been right in his judgment...but He didn't. He doesn't. No matter how foolishly we have wasted our inheritance, His heart is always ready to show compassion if we return to Him.

He ran to his son... He didn't just wait for the son to finally make his way to Him. When he saw His son returning, He ran to him.

He embraced him and "kissed him affectionately". The son's foolishness had done nothing to diminish the passions of his Father's heart. That is amazing. Its not the way our human relationships typically work. Our love is usually much more conditional. "Do unto others as they have done unto you" is usually the way things happen. God's love for us is entirely different. It is the kind of love that sent Jesus to earth, to die on a cross. Its the kind of love that is always ready to take us back when we blow it. All we have to do is "come to our senses" and return to our Father. When we come to Him with a repentant heart, He is always ready to embrace us, and welcome us back to the safety and comfort of His house.

Amazing love.

He is good

I had breakfast with a bunch of guys this morning. Actually, we do it almost every Saturday. I look forward to this every week. It not an official "meeting". We just enjoy being together. It strengthens me. Being together with other guys who are trying to follow Jesus, and facing the same battles I face every day myself... it just strengthens my heart. We need each other. The life of a follower of Jesus was never meant to be solitary. The kingdom of God, by its very nature, is meant to be experienced by individuals sharing their lives together. We need to be able to stand alone with Him, but that is not supposed to be the norm. We can love God alone on a mountaintop, but we cant really love our neighbor that way. Oh, we can pray for them, but that is just the beginning. A central part of His purpose in creation was that we would share in His goodness and love together. "Where two or three are gathered... He is there." I am so thankful for that reality.

He is good...

unplanned

A short ramble of encouragement.

His Word is a light in the darkness.

Luk 21:5 And while some were speaking of the temple,
how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings, he
said, "As for these things that you see, the days
will come when there will not be left here one stone
upon another that will not be thrown down." And they
asked him, "Teacher, when will these things be, and what
will be the sign when these things are about to take place?"
And he said, "See that you are not led astray...

Luk 21:16 You will be delivered up even by parents
and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of
you they will put to death. You will be hated by all
for my name's sake. But not a hair of your head will perish.

"some of you they will put to death...But not a hair
of your head will perish."

wow... the eternal perspective at its best...

As I was looking at Luke 21 a few minutes ago, my
heart was challenged by this next verse.

Luk 21:28 Now when these things begin to take place,
straighten up and raise your heads, because your
redemption is drawing near."

The context is one of final judgement and tribulation.
In the midst of that, Jesus tells us to lift our
heads, and be looking for Him. When this world is
shaken to its very foundations, our hope is drawing
near.

That is not a natural way to think.

I want a heart that cries, "Come Lord!"

I want that heart that Paul spoke of, that would
rather go be with Him, but will stay here for the
sake of serving His purpose on the earth.

I want a heart that is free from loving this world.

Jam 1:27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before
God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows
in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained
from the world.

Jam 4:4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that
friendship with the world is enmity with God?
Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world
makes himself an enemy of God.

1Jo 2:15 Do not love the world or the things in the
world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the
Father is not in him. For all that is in the world--
the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes
and pride in possessions--is not from the Father but
is from the world. And the world is passing away along
with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides
forever.

Help Lord.

I know He will.

Thankful

Well... how clever. A post about thankfulness on Thanksgiving! I'd bet I am the only one doing that today. But I just cant help it. I am freshly reminded this morning of how much I have to be thankful for. No... its not a list of all the stuff I have. And no, its not my family, and our good health. Its not my business, or that I live in the most prosperous nation in the history of the world. Of course I am thankful for all those things. Deeply thankful, although I often forget just how blessed I am. No, today I am thinking of the love of God. I felt impressed to read from Romans 4 this morning.

Rom 4:3 For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness." Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but trusts him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:

"Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin."

If someone stumbles across this who is not a follower of Jesus, that first part about Abraham will be gobbledygook. In fact, the last part about our blessedness wont mean much either. It might even offend them. "Lawless deeds? How dare you! Who are you to judge me???" I don't judge. Its not my job, and I am ill-equipped to do so. God judges the heart, and only he can see into it. But reality is this, we have all sinned. And we know it. We try our best to rid ourselves of the guilt. We deny the existence of God. We trace our ancestry back billions of years to our great great Uncle Amoeba. We try our best to philosophize away our inner sense of right and wrong. But at the end of the day, when we lay on our beds, we know. He is there. Watching. Waiting. Calling. "Come to Me." God called to Abraham and He called him His friend. He wants to do the same with each of us. Even greater than that, He calls us to be His sons and daughters.

He whispers, "Look around you." We see the beauty of the world we live in. The vastness, and yet the order. This is no accident. We look within. We ask questions. Why? There are so many whys. The questions tell me that there are answers. The questions tell me there is One who has those answers. The beauty around me tells me He is good. Sure, there is also ugliness and brokeness. War, poverty, hatred. The inevitable results of the creature telling the Creator to "take a hike". "What about sickness and disease?" I don't have a definitive answer for the questioning mind. I have answers that satisfy me, but they don't necessarily work for the unbelieving. Sometimes they are not very helpful for the believer either. I do know that evil is the exception, and not the rule. Mostly, I am in awe of the beauty and order. I know that the brokeness all goes back to mankind's rebellion against the wisdom of God. I know that when its all said and done, we will understand. We will see things through His eyes. We will know perfect peace. We will be embraced in perfect Love. We will find our Resting Place.

For now, I am in grateful awe of the mercy and kindness of God. Sin is unspeakably horrible and evil. It has brought thousands of years of suffering and darkness to mankind, and all of creation. It has brought incomprehensible pain to the heart of God. And yet... He loves us. He made a way to justly forgive our rebellion. He made a way to reconcile us back to Himself. We lived as His enemies, and He pursued us anyway. He laid down His life for us. And then He drew us to Himself, persuaded us to turn from our selfishness, to put our trust in Him, and to walk with Him as His children and friends.

I am thankful this morning. Far beyond these weak words...

First love

2Cor 5:6-11 ...we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others.

The fear of the Lord. I can't escape the idea lately. Its not about being afraid of God. Its about really seeing Who it is that we have encountered. I love that I can call Him "Abba". I love that I am encouraged to "come boldly before the throne of grace". It's unspeakably awesome that He calls me "friend". But He is still God. Infinite, uncreated Creator of the universe. And we are told that we will stand before that throne as a judgment seat. We are told that our works will be judged. How we live our lives each day matters... it really matters. There is a perversion of the gospel that is rampant in our land. It says that our works are of no consequence. "Its all under grace." No accountability. It relies on a few passages of scripture taken out of context, and ignores many clear passages that tell us that God is after reality in our lives. Grace provides forgiveness of sin, and the opportunity for restoration of relationship. But we must have a repentant heart. We must have a sincere desire to have that relationship restored. "Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord." He calls us to be set apart, holy, unto Him. Our life is no longer our own. Before we meet Him, we are independent beings, doing our own thing. After we are born again, we are sons and daughters of God, servants of the King. We submit ourselves to His loving leadership. Modern American christianity often presents salvation as receiving a "Do not go to hell" pass. We still get to live our selfish, pleasure-seeking, materialistic lives. But now we get to go to heaven when its over. Heck of a deal. I am not standing back in judgment on people who have believed that message. My heart is grieved that people are being sold a bill of goods. I bought it myself for a number of years. I heard the true gospel when I was young, and embraced it for about ten years. Then the cares of this world took root in my heart, and slowly I gave in to compromise and willful sin. It didn't happen overnight. It was a little bit at a time. Drifting away. I allowed my beliefs to subtly shift to justify the deception that was taking over. Outwardly I still did all the right things. Church, small groups, avoiding all the really big sins. But my heart was growing cold and hard. I wanted more stuff, more and bigger and better. I wanted security. I wanted to make enough money to prevent me from ever having to trust God. Saving is good, but that savings can become an idol. It can become that thing in which I put my trust. The list of idols in American culture is almost endless.

So now I find myself crying out to God to renew my heart. I want my first love. I want to serve Him in the way in which He deserves. Its His grace and mercy once again that I find that cry rising in my heart. I wouldn't even know I was becoming blind if He didn't open my eyes to see it. But how will I respond? When I hear Him calling to me, will I follow after Him? Or will I just think about, and maybe talk about it over coffee with friends? Will I rise up and seek Him with all my heart? Its the most important question in my life.

Help Lord...

The kindness of God

Rom 2:3-8 So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on those who practice these things and then do them yourself, do you think you will escape God's judgment? Or do you think so little of the riches of his kindness, forbearance, and patience, not realizing that it is God's kindness that is leading you to repentance? But because of your stubborn and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath, when God's righteous judgment will be revealed. For he will repay everyone according to what that person has done: eternal life to those who strive for glory, honor, and immortality by patiently doing good; but wrath and fury for those who in their selfish pride refuse to believe the truth and practice wickedness instead.

Its late, so I will leave this for your own meditation.

"...do you think so little of the riches of his kindness, forbearance, and patience, not realizing that it is God's kindness that is leading you to repentance?" Ouch. The implications of that question are enormous, especially to contemporary American christianity. Especially to my life. More and more, I realize that my spirit has been dulled by cares of this world, and the natural temptation to turn the grace of God into an excuse for sin.

Sobering.

a psalm we all should know

We all have those times when the darkness is overwhelming. I love the Psalms, because we see the honest and real interactions of a man with his God. David had dark and difficult times like the rest of us, and we can learn from him how to pray when we find ourselves there.

Psa 143

Hear my prayer, O LORD; give ear to my pleas for mercy! In your faithfulness answer me, in your righteousness!
Enter not into judgment with your servant, for no one living is righteous before you.
For the enemy has pursued my soul; he has crushed my life to the ground; he has made me sit in darkness like those long dead.
Therefore my spirit faints within me; my heart within me is appalled.

I remember the days of old; I meditate on all that you have done; I ponder the work of your hands.
I stretch out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land.

Answer me quickly, O LORD! My spirit fails! Hide not your face from me, lest I be like those who go down to the pit.
Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.
Deliver me from my enemies, O LORD! I have fled to you for refuge!

Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!
For your name's sake, O LORD, preserve my life! In your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble!
And in your steadfast love you will cut off my enemies, and you will destroy all the adversaries of my soul, for I am your servant.

Thank you, Lord...

Testing

Deu 13:1-4 "If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, 'Let us go after other gods,' which you have not known, 'and let us serve them,' you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For the LORD your God is testing you, to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him.

So... the Lord allows false teachers in order to test us. And what is He looking for when watching our response to the test? He wants to see whether we love Him with all our heart and soul. And how does he know that about us? He looks to see whether we "fear Him and keep His commandments and obey His voice." "But that's Old Testament!" you say. "Legalism!" We have to remember what Paul wrote to Timothy when he was leading the church in Ephesus.

2Ti 3:16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

When he wrote that, the New Testament didn't exist. He was talking about the Torah. He was thinking of the Law and the prophets. Now we understand that Paul wasn't talking about keeping the Law as a means of attaining salvation. He makes that abundantly clear in all of His writings. But he also understood the "Old Testament" as the Word of God. It was the place where we would learn the ways of God, and as disciples of Jesus that is one of our goals in life. We want to understand His ways, and walk in them. The purpose of grace is to restore us to fellowship with God, and if we are truly in loving relationship with Him, our heart's desire will be to bring joy to His heart by walking with Him in His ways.

2Co 5:9 ...we make it our aim to please him.


Lord, give me a heart to please you and bless you in all my ways.

Wisdom

Deu 12:28 Be careful to obey all these words that I command you, that it may go well with you and with your children after you forever, when you do what is good and right in the sight of the LORD your God.

Obedience. That is what Jesus calls us to. Not as an arrogant dictator, but as a loving father. When my children were young, I required complete obedience. When I said, "Don't play in the street," I wasn't out to deny them their rightful enjoyment of the superior pleasure of playing on asphalt rather than the grass in our yard. I was protecting them from danger they couldn't fully comprehend. Our life before God is like that. In his infinite wisdom and understanding, He knows what is best for us. His laws are not the unfair, restrictive rules of an almighty control freak. They are an expression of His love for us. Do we trust Him in that? Do we believe that everything He asks of us is His divine wisdom of what is best for us? Do we have faith in that? This kind of faith in His goodness and love will produce heartfelt and grateful obedience. Not the kind of obedience that is trying to get Him to like you. No, its the kind of obedience that flows out of confidence in His care over our lives. Its trusting that He is smarter than we are, and that if we obey Him, even when we don't really feel like it, things will "go well with you and your children after you forever." True faith will produce a life of restful obedience. It wont always be easy in the beginning, though. There will be those times when we really do think we know better than God what will make us happy and secure. There will be those times when everything in us cries out for some kind of pleasure that He has called us to say no to. There will be those times when we have to deny our own thoughts and desires, and simply trust Him by obeying His commands. When we do, He will always show Himself to be faithful and true. It may not be apparent in the first five minutes. It may take days or weeks or months, or sometimes even years for the truth to play itself out. But that's the life of faith. We have decided that He can be trusted, and therefore that obedience to His ways is always the right thing to do. Always.

Joh 14:15 "If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

Lord, help me to walk in that kind of faith.

Ruthless

Deu 12:1-9 "These are the statutes and rules that you shall be careful to do in the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess, all the days that you live on the earth. You shall surely destroy all the places where the nations whom you shall dispossess served their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree. You shall tear down their altars and dash in pieces their pillars and burn their Asherim with fire. You shall chop down the carved images of their gods and destroy their name out of that place. You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way. But you shall seek the place that the LORD your God will choose out of all your tribes to put his name and make his habitation there. There you shall go, and there you shall bring your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and the contribution that you present, your vow offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock. And there you shall eat before the LORD your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your households, in all that you undertake, in which the LORD your God has blessed you. "You shall not do according to all that we are doing here today, everyone doing whatever is right in his own eyes, for you have not as yet come to the rest and to the inheritance that the LORD your God is giving you.

I know... thats a long passage. Its just hard to pull out one or two sentences. God, through Moses, called His people to be ruthless with idolatry. He called them to pursue Him and His ways with all their heart. He called them to the place of obedience, and to turn away from "everyone doing whatever is right in his own eyes."

"For you have not as yet come to the rest and to the inheritance that the Lord your God is giving you." Have we truly entered into that rest? Have we come into the inheritance He has prepared for us? We are called to rest from our own works, and to trust completely in "the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith". Jesus completed that work, and made a way for us to be reconciled back to God. But have we truly entered that rest? Have we torn down the altars, repented of our idolatry, and turned our hearts completely back to Him? "Repent and believe." Thats the message of Jesus, and Peter, and Paul. "He died so that we who live should no longer live for ourselves, but for Him who died and rose again on our behalf." No amount of good works will atone for our sins. He took care of that. He made a way to justly forgive our sins, and provide a way of restoring the broken relationship between God and the people He created. But its up to us to respond to the Holy Spirit's call to our heart. Grace doesn't give us the freedom to sin. It teaches us not to.

Tit 2:11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

Has the passion of our God created a passion in our hearts to tear down the altars of sin and idolatry, and enter into all that He has in His heart for us?

"...one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

Lord... have your way.

Following Him

Mat 16:24-27 Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what shall a man give in return for his life? For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.

Where is the fear of the Lord today? We ask people if they would like to go to heaven instead of hell, then pray a short, shallow prayer "accepting Jesus as their saviour", and then assure them that they now have a free pass into an eternity of bliss. Where exactly in the scriptures did we come up with this message?

Lord, have mercy. Open our eyes....

evolution

I ran across an article on Yahoo the other day about the potential disappearance from the planet of the Mexican garter snake. Below is a copy of my input to the discussion on the article. I don't really have time for this sort of thing, but random stuff pushes my buttons sometimes.

OH NO!!!! What will we do without Mexican garter snakes??? You know, its funny. The same people who freak out every time "natural selection" eliminates a species are the ones who are convinced that it is absolutely unquestionable science that their great great great great grandfather is an amoeba. If there is no ultimate purpose in life, then why the panic when a snake disappears? In a billion years "evolution" will have produced several new species to replace it. And besides, if there is no grand purpose to existence, who cares anyway? And isn't man's existence and influence on the environment just part of that never-ending evolutionary process? Why does man have to build his entire existence around not interfering with the lifestyles of snakes and owls and wolves? If there is no God, why does it matter? We are all just meaningless accidents in the cosmos. What difference does it make if we turn the planet into a wasteland? Now please understand... these are not my true opinions. These are simply the logical questions that follow the embrace of evolution as the source of life and meaning.

Again this morning I read a "letter to the editor" in our local newspaper about how the "theory" of evolution is hardcore proven science, and I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. How can anyone possibly look around them, and think this is all an accident? I just don't understand it...

Lord, have mercy.

Completely?

1Th 5:23-24 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and
body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will
surely do it.

I was reading in 1 Thes. this morning, and when I got
to this verse it just stopped me in my tracks.
Vision, hope, questions. Paul believes that God's
purpose is to sanctify us completely. Our entire
being and life set aside for and to Him. Sounds like
there is more to this deal than heaven and hell. "And
may" your whole being be kept blameless at the coming
of our Lord. The fact that he uses the phrases "Now
may" and "And may" would seem to indicate that this
isnt a done deal. We are in a process... on a journey.
And its not over until we cross the finish line. "He
who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it."
Thats our hope. His faithfulness. If we will
persevere and keep our hearts open to Him, He will
"complete the work He has begun in us."

Gal 1:3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our
sins to deliver us from the present evil age,
according to the will of our God and Father,

2Ti 4:18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed
and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him
be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

The priority of love

I recently read a post on another blog about some online sparring between two other bloggers about speaking in tongues. So this post is a blog about a blog about some other blogs. Hmmm... Too much time on our hands?

Anyway... I replied to the guy that I read, and thought I would include it here.

Sam,

I enjoyed your thoughts on tongues. Good stuff. I
also looked at the other blogs you mentioned. I have read both
before, but I can only take so much. I think most of
what is out there in the blogosphere grieves the heart
of God. I am not judging the individuals. In fact, I
would lean toward believing the best regarding their
intentions. But, I cant believe we waste valuable
time and bandwidth arguing about tongues. And, as you
well know, its not just tongues. Name your pet
theological position. Somebody out there will be
ready to fight you about it. We will fight to the
death to prove we are right, and destroy our brother
along the way. All the while, inner city children are
growing up in Kansas City and Chicago and Mobile
without any positive parental influence in their
lives. One day they will join a gang to find a sense
of belonging. They will probably have to do some sort
of serious crime to attain full membership. "Wow....
that's really horrible. I suppose I should do
something. But I am really sort of busy. I have this
blog, you see. And I have to make sure that everyone
in the world knows that speaking in tongues is of the
devil" ... or that its not.

Outside of the church, many see us as irrelevant. I can't imagine why.

In I Corinthians 13, Paul reminds us of our priorities.

1Co 13:8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. I believe he is talking about perfect love.

Lord, help us stop nit-picking each other, so we can show the world your perfect love.

where do I begin?

Its been a while. These are intense times. The world is in turmoil. The war in Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Hezbollah. Spiritually, it seems that everyone I know is being dealt with in deep, penetrating ways. The Lord seems to be going for our hearts in ways that are more challenging than I can remember for a long time. Issues we have "put up with" for a long time are being exposed and called to account. Its not a time for religious games. This is a time for reality with God. We must let the Holy Spirit have His way with us. He wants to set our hearts free to serve our Father in love, and walk with Him in integrity. No more "pet sins" we coddle and hang on to.

No... I am not talking about some heavy-handed legal religion.

Just... reality. Honesty. Surrender to Jesus. Loving Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Giving Him "the reward of His suffering."

Lord, grant us a spirit of humility and repentance. You are worthy that we would live lives where, "it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me." Show me how to let you live more fully in and through me.

You are worthy.