Perspective for a New Year

2018 IS HERE!!! The long anticipated New Year is upon us (whether we are ready for it or not). It is my hope and prayer that each of us will experience all the goodness that this year will allow. What follows are some thoughts and hopefully a positive perspective for a new year.

This picture holds one of my favorite Brennan Manning quotes. A reminder to have a proper perspective about myself before I can truly perceive anyone or anything else. Before I dive into thoughts and perspectives allow me to throw out a disclaimer: I'm still working on all of these.

1) ROOT OUT INSECURITY
Honestly, if we can start here then a lot of the hard work is behind us. I cannot tell you the root of your insecurities anymore than I can identify my own at times. However, the reality is that it's there and we have to deal with it.
The longer we allow ourselves to be wrapped up in our own insecurities, the more warped our perception becomes of the things around us. NOTHING IS SAFE! Relationships, self-care, faith, and whatever else that may come our way are all susceptible. See insecurity for what it is. It's not a good defense mechanism. It's not the true self. It's a hindrance to the abundant life of Christ flowing through you.

2) KILL FEAR
Insecurity has a partner in crime and it is fear. Fear is the soil that when cultivated allows our insecurities to grow beyond our imagination. The antidote for fear is love. Read the Scriptures. "There is no fear in love..." The reality is that the more we are able to define ourselves as one who is radically loved by God, part of the beloved, the more we will be able to snuff out fear completely. The Bible also says in 1 John that the "one who fears has not been made perfect in love." Why would we ever allow fear to live and roam freely in our lives. Let's kill it.

3) CHANGE YOUR LENS
It may go without saying, but this is important. Scripture reminds us that WE ARE TRANSFORMED by the RENEWING OF OUR MIND. The more we allow our thought life to be dominated by the false self (the self that is created outside of relationship with the Father) the more difficult it becomes to live from the true self in Christ.
Take the time to equip yourself with verses and phrases from the Bible that speak to your identity as a son/daughter of God. Confess (say the same thing) about yourself that the Father has spoken through the men who penned the words of Scripture. See yourself through this lens.

4) LIVE FROM INSTEAD
I hear people often describe themselves from these feelings of inadequacy, insecurity, fear, and the like. Always negative about themselves. Always choosing to see and feel the worst. What if you lived from the instead? You know...Instead of that you are really this? In other words, rather than live from the negative you choose INSTEAD to live from the positive? That you allow yourself the freedom to let go of the negativity that tends to dominate the way we see life. Choosing, instead, to use the proper lens along with the proper vocabulary to describe yourself. So many have quotes Romans 3 "we are all sinners" INSTEAD of quoting "we are all justified" which follows. See the difference? You have a choice.

5) ENJOY THE JOURNEY
I know you were waiting for it. This has become my hashtag, my own way of seeing things, my choice to find the joy in life.
To enjoy something means to "take delight or pleasure in..." It also means to "possess and benefit from."
Can you imagine that? Imagine possessing and benefiting from life. Allowing every turn in the road, every mountain we cross, every struggle we go through to sow something good in us.
While everything we experience isn't joyful, what we get from these experiences can be. Discipline isn't enjoyable (Scripture teaches this), but what it creates in us is something valuable.

Do yourself a favor in 2018:
Be wrapped up in the love of God.
Allow the peace of God to surpass all understanding.
Never give insecurity authority in the way you think and/or speak.
#enjoythejourney

Happy Thanksgiving

Recapturing Hope

Romans 15:13, "I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit." NLT

This blessing prayed by the Apostle Paul over the church of Rome is incredibly valuable to us today. A reminder that even in the darkest of days that we have inexhaustible hope from our Heavenly Father who is the source. The greater our ability to trust in Him, the greater our ability to walk in hope. Then, according to Paul, we will overflow with confident hope through the power of Holy Spirit. It is my prayer that this hope return to each and every one of us.

I've given this topic a lot of thought over the last few days. To the point where I wonder if we are to blame in some way for the lack of hope that so many people experience. I mean, should we not be the carriers of hope? The ones who believe in spite of everything? I'm not implying that we are perfect in our resolve to believe. I'm simply saying that there should be something inside of us that refuses to quit. If the Early Church could carry hope for the world in the midst of the tribulation they experienced, then why would the church of today not carry at least the same amount?

Here's why I believe that we are to blame. At least in part:
The distant disapproving deity that has been espoused by much of Christendom is a far cry from the Father embodied in Jesus. Much of what we have proclaimed and defended is not even close to the "Good Tidings of Great Joy" that was meant to be for all people. Jesus' revelation of His Father was one of incredible love for this world. A message about the goodness of God that sounds an awful lot like a Father who runs to us in our shame and welcomes us home. A God who is not far from us at all. When you take this understanding and place it against much of what we have preached and taught it's easy to understand why people get confused. Why there are more people filled with fear and dread rather than joy and peace. Why I have had countless conversations where God was a source of pain rather than the source of hope.

You may not agree with me in this assessment but I ask that you at least hear me out. For many people in this world the story of God's love has been drowned out by messages of wrath. Rather than coming to believe in a God who has done everything to reconcile the world, they are afraid of a God who cannot wait to get even. Pronouncements of future judgement, misunderstandings about history and the future, and misinterpretations of what we discover in the Scriptures have not only kept people skeptical but has also robbed them of all hope. How can they hope in a God that they cannot trust? How can they find peace when it seems like all they hear is judgement? How can they be assured of goodness when all they feel is condemnation?

We have done a poor job carrying the message of hope that the Apostles entrusted to us. The fact is that there are so many people IN the church who don't seem to have hope much less those who are outside of our walls of fellowship. A hope that we need to recapture and recapitulate to the world and one another. Hope is not a commodity to be bought and sold but a crucial element to abundant life. A key ingredient to a life well lived. A foundational element to our faith. Without hope, what do we hope for?

Look around you. See how many people struggle in darkness, depression, and despair. There is so much loneliness in our world. More and more people whose only hope is found in a prescription, a drug, the bottle, or a failing relationship. The number of people who have been prescribed anti-depressants has sky rocketed over the last few years. So many people who are trapped in a fog trying to get a handle on life. With nowhere (it seems) left to turn. We tell them that faith in Jesus can help, but these numbers are also reflective of those of us in the church. Something must be done. Hope has to be restored.

I'm not saying that I have the answer. What I am saying is that when we talk about our Heavenly Father, HOPE should be present. HOPE should fill each and every heart. Why? Because He is the source of all HOPE.

I know for myself that when my understanding of the Father changed so did my level of hope. I was no longer afraid. His love pushes all fear aside and helps us to become grounded in who He is. The more I grew in this understanding the more hope I carried. Becoming exactly as the Apostle Paul stated: Overflowing with Confident Hope through the Power of the Holy Spirit. It didn't happen overnight. It took a lot of deconstructing. However, I'm here to say that there is hope. There is a way to believe in God that brings incredible hope. A way to read and understand the Bible that doesn't leave us fearful or questioning His character. An experience of the Father that makes you feel like a son. A confidence that cannot be shaken. While I may not understand everything in life, I do believe that God loves us more than we can possibly imagine. That His love never fails, never gives up, and never runs out. A love that is full of new mercies every day.

You may think that this is foolish but I ask you to look into your own life. Can you speak of the Father's love over your own life with certainty? Do you know His peace through each and every situation of life or do you believe He creates the chaos that you often feel? Have you been able to fully surrender to the love of God or do you still do everything out of fear? Are you doing everything out of a sense of obligation or because you know that it's a part of your sonship? Is your hope in Him or in your performance? Still think it's foolish?

All I know is that the Early Church carried this amazing hope. A product of the Good News and the abiding faith of Jesus in them. An inheritance that they would not squander. May we be found as faithful to this hope. It's who we are.

Something Has to Give

Below you will find an image of one of my most favorite quotes. It comes from North Carolina native Vance Havner (1901-1986). I often revisit this quote as it comes up in many of my conversations.

I wish that more and more Christians thought like this. I wish that we would stop thinking that the loudest person wins the argument. That our constant need to be right would stop trumping the need for humility. That we would discover in the Gospels that self giving love speaks more volumes than our need to dominate. Criticism changes nothing. Conforming changes us. Combustion...well that is another story isn't it? I think about the Apostles being seen as those who turned the world upside down. Sharing the good news, creating community, and demonstrating the love of the Father. An approach that is much different than the Crusades mentality that we tend to carry. Something has to give.

This morning I was thinking about the differences between Religion and Relationship. A subject that we have shared countless times in this blog. I want to express some thoughts with you that might help you understand where I'm coming from today.

Religion, in and of itself, is not a bad thing. At least not if you take the first definition. Religion is the belief in God (or gods). I don't know of anyone within the Christian community that wants to argue that belief in God is a bad thing. However, it is the second part of the definition that creates the problems. Religion is also viewed as an organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules used to worship God. And it is here that we discover the issues. We actually believe that our beliefs, our ceremonies, and our rules worship God.

Relationship, on the other hand, is the way in which two or more people, groups, etc. talk to, behave toward, and deal with each other. The way in which two or more people or things are connected. Think about it. We can relate to one another based upon our belief in God. In fact, we do this quite often. It's not about the belief system, the ceremonies, or the rules. Just two people who share a belief in the Divine. In the case of most Christians this is the belief about God as revealed in Jesus Christ. This is how we talk to, behave toward, and deal with each other. You are a child of God and so am I. The problem that comes into relationships is when we believe the only way to relate towards, deal with, and talk to one another is in the system. Where that which we have organized and believe is the only proper way to worship God.

Does this make sense to you?

If the way in which we relate to one another is based upon the system, then we can stop relating to one another every time someone goes against the system. In other words, if you believe that the only proper way to have religion is to believe a certain thing about God then all I have to do is disagree with you. When I disagree with you then you can choose to stop having relationship with me. Which falls right in line with a proper system of religious belief. What happens when more and more people disagree with you? Then your circle of family and friends gets smaller. Placing you in a remnant of those who are right, in line with the truth, and possibly the only saved bunch in the whole lot. Sound familiar? It sounds familiar because you have either experienced this or been a part of it. You may be a part of it right now. The sad part is that this is not how relationships or religion were meant to be played out.

Jesus said it quite simply: "THIS IS HOW ALL MEN WILL KNOW THAT YOU ARE MY DISCIPLES. IF YOU HAVE LOVE FOR ONE ANOTHER."
Your status as a disciple of Jesus is not measured by your belief system.
It's not measured by your ceremonies.
It's not measured by your ability to keep the rules.
NO. To say it as simply as Jesus did, the way in which you prove that you are in right relationship with the Lord is through your love for your brother.

What does this have to do with Vance Havner's quote? It has everything to do with it. At least in my thinking. We are trying to move the world through criticism and/or conformity. Why? Because that it exactly the way we have learned to do it in the Church. We either criticize those who think differently, worship differently, or have a different set of rules; or we conform to them. We do what they do in order to get along and be accepted. We take this same approach with the world. We don't want to be seen as accepting of the word's system so we constantly criticize. Or we decide that we can simply conform to the world in many areas to become acceptable among them. Neither of which changes anything. The only answer, according to Havner and witnessed within the Scriptures, are lives ignited by the Spirit of God. Men and women who explode on the scenes with great love and a demonstration of power. People who bear witness to the self giving love of the Savior. Those who are proven over and over again by their love for one another.

Do we think the world really takes notice because many Christians are boycotting another Disney production?
Do we think that we are going to change the world by refusing services to people who are not like us?
Do we really believe that God is honored because we speak condemnation over certain portions of the Earth's population?
Not only that, but many of the fights that we tend to engage in are just pure nonsense. Wasteful. Inadequate to produce the results we want.

We do not have to conform to the world to prove we love people.
We don't have to criticize people to prove that we love God.
We can learn what it means to be Salt and Light in the Earth. Setting a fire in the hearts of people. Demonstrating that there is a greater way of life, of religion, and of relationship. Something has to give. It should start with us.

A More Excellent Way

"Let me show you a more excellent way. LOVE..." This is what I heard when thinking about Paul's letter to the Corinthians. Something, that quite honestly, is easy to forget.

I've been accused of sounding like a hippie, but I assure you that this type of LOVE IS NOT the "free love" of the 60's. Neither am I advocating some type of marshmallow type of love that cannot handle the difficult things. No, what I'm referring to is the type of LOVE that doesn't mind getting its hands dirty. The kind of LOVE that can withstand even the greatest of tragedies and circumstances. A LOVE that is not rooted in our ability but does require our participation. The AGAPE (LOVE) of God. That which is unconditional, unmerited, and unrestrained. A LOVE that goes beyond all of our preconceived notions. The very same LOVE that was demonstrated at the Cross of the Christ.

I'm amazed at how quickly we forget that the love that Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 13 is the greatest power in Heaven and on Earth. That we often assume that it is much greater to speak in the tongues of men and angels, to have the faith to move mountains, and to possess the ability to understand all mysteries. All of these, according to the Apostle, pale in comparison to LOVE. Which, translated into our lives, is the grace to walk in the very essence of God.

Paul had been dealing with some great schisms among the believers. It seems as though it didn't take long for the church to begin to divide into various groups. Some of them devoted to one teacher or another. Others using their spiritual gifts as a way to climb the ecclesiastical ladder. Paul, explaining the way in which the Spirit of God graces each and every one of us with various gifts, moves the conversation through a powerful transition. While all of these gifts are great, there is a more excellent way. L-O-V-E.

I realize that this poses many problems for us. While many of us affirm the need for LOVE, and even the command to LOVE one another, the reality is that we tend to give a nod in LOVE'S direction but continue to pursue the other things. For the Apostle, LOVE was the greatest of things to be named among us. The one thing that had great eternal value. The benchmark with which all other gifts and abilities would be measured. We may be able to prophecy the paint off the wall but without LOVE we are nothing. What a huge contrast to how we perceive God's activity among us.

What if the greatest among us are not the ones who can preach like no other?
What if our effectiveness in the world is not tied to what we know or do not know?
What if the Father is after something more lasting among us than our ability to communicate a gospel message?
What if LOVE is more than the foundation but also the culmination of all that we do?

LOVE is patient and kind. Therefore, it points to a greater reality of the nature of God.

LOVE doesn't get tied up in all of the junk that we do. So there isn't a need to envy, boast, or become arrogant and rude.

The fact that LOVE does not insist on its own way tells us that we have far to go in seeing this perfect LOVE embodied in us. Since even the greatest among us can become irritable or resentful when we don't get what we want.

Paul seemed to really drive the point home about LOVE not rejoicing at wrongdoing since the Corinthians had been propping up people who were living immoral lifestyles. No, says Paul, LOVE rejoices when the truth wins out in our lives.

This morning I was struck with the way in which one of our English translations stated that LOVE does not take into account a wrong suffered. I wonder how many hours I've given to this type of wrong thinking?

LOVE bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. How many of the other gifts can make this claim?

LOVE NEVER ENDS.

Shouldn't those last three words clue us in to the greatest need among us? Should not this enduring quality of LOVE move us toward a greater pursuit? Rather than chasing after the gifts of the Spirit, jockeying for position among the believers, or seeking to justify our spirituality among one another; what if we decided that LOVE would be the greatest among us? Determine in our hearts that LOVE is the more excellent way.

Personally, un-apologetically, I would rather be remembered for the LOVE that I demonstrated than for the gifts that operated within me. I would rather be honored for LOVE than for preaching, for compassion rather than success, and for mercy rather than ministry. While I love sharing in the prophetic, seeing the mountains move, and speaking through the enablement of the Spirit; the reality is that those things don't mean as much to me as they once did. LOVE means the most because I have discovered that it is here that we experience the reality of God. Is this not the reality that the Apostle John was pointing towards when he said, "So we have come to know and to believe the LOVE that GOD has for us. GOD is LOVE, and whoever abides in LOVE abides in GOD, and GOD abides in him."?

I do believe the Spirit is speaking to the church today. "Come. Let me show you a more excellent way. LOVE!"