As I Did to You...

"If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you." [John 13:14-15]

We cannot ignore the "one another(s)" in Scripture and think that we are somehow close to the heart of God. Love for one another is the truest form of discipleship. Serving, submitting, admonishing, encouraging, and sharing sounds simple but in the Kingdom of God they are profound. Don't miss the opportunities to experience the Lord through the menial tasks of life. These things may not be accompanied by lights, applause, and/or accolades of men but I assure you that they carry a greater weight of glory than many things we deem important.

My attention this week has been quite simple. How do I treat the people around me? How do I respond to those that God has placed in and around my life? How much of this Gospel of reconciliation am I willing to live out? To be quite honest with you, I don't know if I've given enough attention to this detail in my life. Sure, I've tried to be helpful to those in need. I've tried to be gracious, honest, kind, etc. But what of my willingness to serve others in love when there isn't a cause?

Jesus' example to the disciples (I believe) isn't meant to set up a routine foot washing among the followers. I believe He was instilling within them a life lesson that we all should carry: Never be too great in your own eyes to serve the least of those around you.

When I consider these words, I cannot help but think that we have often applauded people at the wrong end of the spectrum. We get excited over the messages, the worship teams, and the evangelists. We often look for those recognizable achievements that come in the limelight. This mentality has created an environment of performers. Those who only do things when they can be noticed. And it has kept us from paying attention to the servers, the humble in heart, and the ones who don't look for fame & glory.

I can look over my history in the church now and see the people that I should have been applauding all along. Those "simple" believers who carried food to those in need, shared from their garden, wrote encouraging notes, cleaned homes, and did the things that nobody else would do. Their theology may not have been the sharpest. Maybe they didn't have a great understanding of doctrine. However, what they did have was a heart to serve, submit, love, encourage, and carry out the other "one another(s)" in Scripture.

My dear friends, we live in a doctrine heavy society. One of the first questions that gets asked of most church is "What Do You Believe?" What most people are questioning is how do you split doctrinal hairs and does it line up with what I believe? Rarely do people ask "How are you serving your community?" Or "How does this church represent the nature of Christ?" While we have many churches that are filled with the right kind of thinking, we are missing out on the right type of living. Where's the love? Where's the forgiveness? Where's the compassion?

It's time for a generation to recapture the reality of faith in the most basic relationships - One Another. Matthew 25:40, "Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me." Do we believe this? If our answer is "Yes" then we will never neglect the needs of one another. We will learn how to recognize the nature of Christ in those around us. We will minister to Him in them. It is the most basic form of discipleship. And it carries a greater weight of glory.

Here's a Thought...

James 1:19-20, "Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be QUICK to hear, SLOW to speak, SLOW to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God."

All I have to do is cruise Facebook, or the internet, to discover all the "righteous indignation" against _______________ (you fill in the blank). What we have failed to realize is that all of our railing against the world will not change one single person. Love is much more powerful.

I have often used these verses from James to remind people that God gave us 2 ears and 1 mouth. Therefore, we should listen twice as much as we speak. What I failed to add to that equation is that He also gave us a heart. The next time we are faced with the "sin" of someone else, or when we become offended, we should check our heart before we do anything.

This weeks big offense seems to be Miley Cyrus and her performance at the VMA. While I'm not a fan of what she did, I'm also not shocked by those in the entertainment industry. How could I feel justified in tearing her down when I see people who are not on a stage make decisions that are just as bad, just as embarrassing, and just as foolish? Didn't she have a song just a couple of years ago that said "Everybody makes mistakes"? The point that I'm trying to make here is if you want to be offended, there are plenty of things to get offended about. This week it may be Miley but next week it will be someone else. What we cannot do is justify our anger because the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

In the few short hours that I have been awake, I have seen several articles that are meant to create offense. All are based on moral issues. Bad choices that have become public. In our anger we want to react and react loudly. But what if we took James' approach? What if we chose our words and our actions much more carefully? What if we responded rather than reacting?

Pay ATTENTION to these words of wisdom:

Proverbs 10:19, "Sin is not ended by multiplying words, but the prudent hold their tongues."

Proverbs 14:29, "Whoever is patient has great understanding, but one who is quick-tempered displays folly."

Proverbs 29:20, "Do you see someone who speaks in haste? There is more hope for a fool than for them."

Ecclesiastes 7:9, "Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools."

Has God not given us a Spirit of self-control? Does the love of God not abide in us? I wonder what the affect would be in someones life if we responded through prayer rather than criticism? What would happen if we chose to love people where they are rather than bring down condemnation? I say all of this while living in a world that is filled with self-promoting theologians, world class parents, etc (YES...the SARCASM is THICK here). We treat everyone else as if we have no need for mercy in our own lives. Our self-righteousness seems to fuel our need to be better than the other person. This attitude seems to remind me of Jesus' story of the Pharisee & the Tax Collector: "The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: 'God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.' But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, the sinner!' I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted." [Luke 18:11-14]

When you and I choose to operate in love, we are not condoning the decisions of another person. However, what we are doing is keeping our eye on the prize - the other person. Too often we are content to win an argument without ever asking ourselves which is more important: the person or the argument? Think about it. Ask yourself if you are willing to walk in the same Spirit of Jesus which says "Neither do I condemn you."

Love is powerful and it needs to be a part of our journey. It will look past the pain, the junk, and the offenses of others and discover that which God has created. Then you can choose to be a part of the healing in their lives rather than being a part of the "Dog Pile" of judgment on their lives. It's your choice. Let me encourage you to choose life.

No Room for Condemnation

John 3:17, "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him."

I'm often amazed by the lack of love that I see in the lives of "believers." Claiming to follow after God, they have lost the most basic expression of His nature. Blinded by the things that religion sets as the standard for life, they have often pursued holiness while losing sight of people made in the image of God all around them. I'm not sure when this change occurred in me but I remember being "that guy." You know...they guy who gets to decide who is right and wrong. The guy who gets to determine who is worth reaching. The guy who decides who/what is holy and acceptable. Somewhere along the way I became comfortable in bringing condemnation to people. But something changed in me when I heard the word of Jesus in John 3:17. There was something about His lack of condemnation that got my attention. It was then that I decided that there was no room for condemnation in me.

I wish I was perfect in this respect. The reality is that I'm still growing in my awareness of the love of God. I'm also learning how to see the Jesus that is presented in Scripture versus the Jesus that is often portrayed by the church. Remember Gandhi's quote? "“I like your Christ; I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." This was his response to some Christian missionaries because of the deep hurt he experienced during the apartheid. Whether we want to own up to it or not, the reality is that we have often fallen short of giving the world Jesus.

What if we took Jesus' approach to life and ministry? I realize this may not be a revolutionary statement at face value but let's deal with it anyway. Seriously, what if we chose to operate in love rather than hate? What if we chose to impart life rather than bring condemnation? What if we chose to really call people out of the darkness of their existence rather than keep them in it? You may say, "Well...that's what we are doing!" Really? Do you really think calling out the sins of the people is bringing them into light? Do we really believe airing out the world's laundry list is the best way to introduce them to Jesus? It seems to me that Jesus was much more critical of the religious system in His day than He was the people that were in the world.

Think about this (for those of you who believe God just can't wait to punish the "wicked"): The Pharisees bring a woman who has been caught in the act of adultery to Jesus [you can read this in John 8]. They cast her at His feet and begin explaining what was written in the law about the necessity to stone her to death. What does Jesus do? He stoops down and begins writing in the sand. He then lifts His eyes to these men and tells them that the one of them that is without sin can cast the first stone. One by one, from the oldest to the youngest, they walked away. Jesus asks this woman "Where are those who accuse you?" Her reply, "There are none." He then speaks these powerful words, "Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more." You and I both know through the Scriptures that Jesus was without sin. He had the right to throw a rock at her and yet He chose to show mercy. Why? Because He didn't come to condemn the world but that the world through Him might be made whole. Rather than condemning this woman, He released her into a life where she no longer had to sin. Sound familiar? He has done the same for us.

Jesus said what the Father was saying.
Jesus did what the Father was doing.
Jesus accurately exhibited the reality of the Father to us.
And what was in the heart of the Father? NO CONDEMNATION!!!

My question for the church is this: If Jesus didn't come to condemn the world then what gives us the right?
I'm a firm believer that forgiveness has way more power than judgement. I believe that compassion can do way more than condemnation. What you and I need to reconcile in our hearts is what spirit are we going to allow to dominate our lives? Will we be motivated by love, grace, & mercy or will we simply do what the religious crowd has been doing for centuries? I'm not saying that you have to accept every lifestyle that is out there but I do believe we have to learn how to love every person. I also believe that we need to show the same grace and mercy that was given to us.

When you choose to remove condemnation from you heart then you will be able to look past the junk in someone's life and recognize the reality of who they are. That is the person that needs to be called out...Not the junk in their lives. They were created to walk in relationship with God. And you will have the opportunity to bring them into this realization. The moment you choose to lay down your right to judge, criticize, & condemn, you will discover that love is ready to reach out to the people around you.

Say What?

1 John 4:1 provides a warning to the church. John exhorts them to "not believe every spirit" and to "test the spirits" since there are so many false prophets in the world. In particular, John is telling the church to be mindful of the spirit of the antichrist. The spirit that testifies that Jesus Christ did not come in the flesh. This "warning" has been taken to the nth degree in our modern culture. Allow me to address some of these issues.

Before we go any further into this conversation, I need to let you in on something. I do believe that we should not freely accept every form of preaching, every sermon ever delivered, or every teacher that comes our way. This is what John is teaching the church in the 1st century and I do believe it merits consideration in our churches as well. However, just because someone preaches or teaches something different from what we believe does not mean they are an apostate or that they are in error.

When you read the Gospel accounts of the life & ministry of Jesus, you will discover that He offended the religious mindsets of His day. In fact, He did it quite often. I guess when you are the embodiment of the TRUTH then it's going to happen. The problem that this posed for the religious leaders in the NT is that they were unable to hear what Jesus was saying & they could not recognize the anointing the Father had placed upon Him. The Pharisees led the people in the rejection of their Messiah. We read about it today and wonder how this is possible. We immediately think that we would have accepted Him, embraced His teaching, and followed Jesus wherever He went. If you have ever thought this way then keep on reading.

How do you handle people teaching something that is different from your understanding?
How do you respond to a sermon that teaches love, grace, and/or the finished work of Christ that goes against your own theology?
The sad truth for many Christians is that they don't handle any of these things very well. The slightest variation of "truth" will send many evangelicals running for the door and looking for the first person that will handle their complaint. I actually had someone say that a good friend of mine was "of the devil" because He read the Bible from an app on his phone in the pulpit rather than carrying a bound book. REALLY?!? Is this how far we've come in our faith?

To understand where I'm going, you must understand the context of 1 John. John is dealing primarily with Gnostic beliefs that have infiltrated the church. These beliefs cause people to question the validity of their faith. Since most Gnostics don't believe that anything holy can dwell in the flesh, they questioned whether Jesus was really God or was He really a man. This type of questioning would also lead them to believe that there is no way Christ dealt with sin at the Cross because people were still sinning today. Sound familiar? How many people in today's church question whether or not God truly dealt with the nature of Adam? How many today question whether or not God truly dealt with sin through the death, burial & resurrection of Jesus? Could it be that some Gnostic beliefs have actually been accepted by the church? The point is that when we begin to accept things that go against the basic understanding of the Gospel (Jesus Christ come in the flesh to redeem all of humanity) then we are in danger of falling away from the TRUTH.

WAIT...I told you that I would address some of the issues that come from those who take John's warning to the nth degree. Here goes:
1) They can only accept teaching/preaching that comes from their particular denomination
2) Heretics/Apostates now come in the form of those who teach something contrary to their opinion
3) They refuse to accept any of these people on the basis of their faith in Christ and therefore are unable to recognize the Lord at work in them.
4) It creates an us against them mentality where the church rails against the church
5) It gives us a sense of superiority rather than allowing us to remain teachable

I could list more issues but I think you get the point. While John's warning to the early church is important for us even today, the way we handle it isn't through denominationalism. What he encouraged the church to do then still works for us now: Test the spirits. He tells them to not believe every one. That's some good advice. I think we have that down (for the most part). However, the testing part of this equation has kept us from accepting a lot of truth over the centuries. When the only voice we will hear sounds just like ours then we never have to test. And that my friends is how most churches handle this particular problem. We eliminate error through indoctrination. We never validate the beliefs of others. We never expose ourselves to thinking outside of our own. But what we do not realize is that because of this we do not grow.

I'm grateful for the upbringing that I had in my faith. I have sat under a lot of good pastors through the years. I have heard a lot of sermons and listened to a lot of quality teaching. However, just like flowers are never meant to spend their entire existence in a greenhouse, we are not meant to be nursed for the rest of our Christian lives. Ever wonder why the writer of Hebrews expressed the need for the believers to mature in their understanding? Ever wonder why the Bible clearly tells the church that they should already be teachers? What blows me away is that I read about these things as it relates to the 1st Century church. Is it any wonder that we have the same problems within the church today? If your faith is never tested then how will you know the validity of it? Exposing our lives to the teaching of others can challenge our faith in healthy ways. In fact, it should be the norm of our lives. The Holy Spirit within us will guide us in all TRUTH. We don't have to worry about being carried away if we allow Him to lead us. I have learned a lot of valuable Kingdom lessons by exposing myself to those who were outside of my denominational lines (not that my denominational lines are as fixed as others). What happens in this process is that we learn how to read the Bible for ourselves. We learn how to remain sensitive to the Holy Spirit. And we learn how to accept God's anointing upon the lives of others.

So how will I know if someone is teaching false doctrine?
My simple answer is this:
***Pay attention to how they handle the Deity of Christ. This was the litmus test that John used so I think it will work for us as well.
***Trust the Holy Spirit. He is way more capable than you are in sniffing out error. He is the Spirit of Truth.
***Learn how to eat the meat and throw out the bones.
All of these tips will help you to walk in love with any person that thinks differently than you do about spiritual matters. It will also keep you humble, teachable, and eager to learn.

It's Nice to be Reminded

Lamentations 3:22-23, "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness."

Over the last few days there has been a line from a certain song that has continually run through my mind. It doesn't matter what I'm doing or what I'm going through - it has been the Lord's way of reminding me of His goodness in my life. I just keep hearing "The steadfast love of the Lord is spinning around all over us."

Jeremiah's writings adequately titled "Lamentations" puts us into the mind of the prophet as he is seeing Israel going into exile. The separation from their homeland, the absence of the temple, and the feeling of being so far removed from God come out so freely as Jeremiah laments the difficulties that they face. However, in the midst of these trials and tribulations, Jeremiah is reminded of something so wonderful that you could almost change the name of the book.

It's nice to be reminded of just how loved we really are. Regardless of what we have done or what we are going through, God is relentless in His love for us. I realize that statements like this make some people cringe but I don't understand how we read about the Good News of the Gospel and not jump to our feet in sheer excitement over all that God has done through His love.

John 3:16, "For God so LOVED..."
Romans 5:8, "God demonstrated His LOVE..."
Romans 8:37-39 tells us about the things that can never separate us from the "LOVE of God which is in Christ Jesus"
Galatians 2:20, "...the Son of God who LOVED me and gave Himself for me."
The Scriptures go on and on.

I want you to rejoice today. I want you to see yourself as someone who is unconditionally loved by our Heavenly Father. I mean...He even put His Spirit inside of you JUST SO YOU COULD BE REMINDED!!!

May you be blessed with this understanding.
May you grow in the knowledge & experience of Ephesians 3:16-19:
"I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."

One Size Fits All (Rethinking Spiritual Gifts)

Most of my life was spent in churches that did not operate in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. At least...that's what I thought. As I young man I became exposed to churches that run in the charismatic circles which did operate in them. At least...that's what I thought. While I do not consider myself an expert on this matter, I want to invite you to a conversation that I had with a brother in Christ the other day. I hope you will be encouraged to think differently on this important subject.

Over the years I have come to understand spiritual gifts differently than the way I was taught. Most people approach 1 Corinthians 12 from a "gifts" standpoint. By that I mean that it looks a lot like Christmas - every person has a different gift sitting under the tree, different wrapping, different bows, different content, & we each get the one that has our name on it. Some of the more modern Bible translations confuse our understanding even more because of the lack of literal translation. An example from a very popular and easy to read translation: "A spiritual gift (singular) is given to each of us..." You see, they carry over their own thoughts into the translation. The more literal translations of 1 Corinthians 12:7 actually tells us that it's not a gift but a manifestation of the Spirit that is given to each one. WHAT?

That's right folks. A literal understanding of 1 Corinthians 12 will teach you that the gift you are seeing in operation is a manifestation of the Spirit of God in their life. Not only that, but when you look into the original language of the New Testament, you will also discover that the word we translate as "gift" is rooted in the word "grace". These "gifts" are spiritual graces (the operating power of God upon our lives) that are given for the profit of everyone. With all that being said, and looking at the context of these verses, I want to give you my understanding of what Paul is actually saying. Remember that he is dealing with the problems that have come up in the Corinthian church and trying to clarify the purpose of the gifts among them.
Concerning the supernatural I don't want you to be ignorant. There are a diversity of graces, services, and operations but it's the same God, same Lord, and same Holy Spirit. You need to understand that the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man for the profit of everyone. One person is given words of wisdom, another words of knowledge, another faith, etc., etc.
Now...
What is given? The manifestation
Where does it come from? The Holy Spirit
Why? For the profit of every one

Why is this important? It's important because we need to understand that the Lord has given each and every one of us the SAME Holy Spirit. Whether that person is a man, woman, or a child, when it comes to the Holy Spirit - one size fits all. This understanding will also keep us from thinking my gift is better than your gift or that somehow I'm inferior because I didn't operate in that one. It will also create a dependency upon the Holy Spirit in our lives. We will begin to recognize that because we have the Giver of these graces living inside of us then we have all the graces available.

When you carry this understanding over into 1 Corinthians 14 it makes perfect sense. Paul is teaching the church that when they come together that these manifestations will occur. Listen to his language (my paraphrase): When you come together, each of you has a song, a lesson, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let it all be done for the edification of everyone.

This portion of Paul's letter, which included the understanding of love, is provided to us so that we can understand how to operate in the Spirit. Every believer has the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of them. Every brother/sister in Christ can also receive the manifestation of the Spirit in every grace that is listed. While I do believe that we tend to function in primary gifts (that is what we are most comfortable operating in), the Lord can do so much more than what we have realized when we surrender our will to His. This is how every member of the Body functions together so that the Head (Jesus) can manifest Himself in our midst. This is how He has chosen to operate in our lives. This is how He has lead the members of the Body to build one another up in Him. This is what keeps us spiritual in nature rather than just going through some religious form. In the end, it's really up to us how we allow Him to operate. The encouragement that I want to bring to your life is this: The SAME Spirit that raised Jesus Christ from the dead dwells inside of you. You need to let Him out!!!

Establishing the "Norm" of Your Faith

As I type today's blog I am aware of many people in my life that are looking for God to show up in significant ways. I have been down this road several times myself and have learned a valuable lesson: My circumstances no longer control my outlook.

A quote worth considering:
"It is possible to be saved, called, and chosen of God, yet live like the children of Israel, to live and die without ever entering into your promised inheritance. It is possible for your entire Christian walk to be one of wondering and wavering, trials and temptations, never knowing exactly where you are or where you are going." ~ Jim Richards ~ Taking the Limits Off God

Now...I don't know about you, but that doesn't sound like a fruitful way to live. Always striving. Always questioning. Always wondering if God is going to "show up". However, many believers live in this perception. Their circumstances have become much louder and much more visible than the promises of God. Not only that, but due to this perception (which becomes their reality), the presence of God seems far away.

In this mindset, faith becomes a work rather than a lifestyle. When the norm of our Christian life is simply waiting for God to "break through", we fail to recognize the reality of His presence. 2 Peter 1:3 assures us that "His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence". The moment we allow these words to be established in our hearts, the easier we will be able to speak to our circumstances instead of allowing them to speak to us.

A lot of the teaching/preaching on this subject rather than fuel our faith can cause it to falter. We place all of the things we need somewhere outside of our reach. Sermon titles such as "Getting Your Next Breakthrough" or "Expecting Your Next Miracle" will always place your hope in the future rather than in your present. It will also cause you to view things from the mindset of poverty instead of abundance. My friend, God wants you to live in the reality of His presence. He wants you to view things from a fulfilled covenant mindset rather than a futuristic one. It may take a little work on your part but in the end you will discover a faith attitude that you did not realize existed.

Allow me to share some things that helped me in this journey:

#1 - Firmly Establish Yourself in the Love & Goodness of God
When I talk to people who are struggling to see God in their circumstances, it doesn't take long to discover what is really going on. The question that tends to come up is "I know God loves me but why...?" This mentality needs to go and never return. Jesus taught His disciples a very valuable lesson when He said "If you being evil know how to give good gifts to your children, HOW MUCH MORE will your Heavenly Father give good things to those who ask Him?" (Matthew 7:11). This is an abiding truth for every child of God. When you learn to firmly establish yourself in the love and goodness of God then you will not allow your circumstances to sway your feelings. Not only that, but you will stop asking for things that you already have in Him. Take some time to read through the names of God. They reveal His character - which does not change - and you will begin to understand the heart of your Heavenly Father.

#2 - Allow the Promises of God to Fight For You Not Against You
Let me explain. The common problem for most people is that they will place their circumstances against the promises of God and immediately believe that the promise doesn't line up. What happens next is we put ourselves in a position of lack and misunderstanding. The proper way of handling any situation is to take the problem - hold it up against the promises of God - and recognize that it is the problem that isn't lining up. Therefore, the problem needs to change NOT the promise. Make sense? Our circumstances cannot be allow to dictate the promises of God in our life. The Bible clearly tells us that the "promises of God are YES and AMEN in Christ." God doesn't repeal His "yes" or His "amen" because we have a difficulty. Those things are firmly established in Jesus. You get to take God's promises and fight against the problem. Remember, you are fighting from victory - not for it.

#3 - Always Live in the Reality of His Presence
The Holy Spirit indwelling your life means something very significant. It means that He never leaves you and He never forsakes you. In the midst of difficulties, He is with you. Every problem that you face, you do not face alone. The reality of His presence will keep you from feeling isolate. It will keep you from wondering where God is at during your trials. What you need to do right now is practice His presence every day so that when problems arise you aren't trying to figure it out. Do whatever you need to do. Get alone in a quiet place. Put on some worship music. Pray and/or read the Bible. Give Him an opportunity to speak to you. Feel His presence within you. Allow Him to demonstrate to you JUST HOW REAL He is in you. This is something every believer should practice regardless of what they are going through because it will move their faith into the spirit realm rather than focusing on the mind or the flesh.

If I could add one more thing it would be this: REST!!!
The Bible teaches us that there is only one thing we need to labor into and that is rest. Resting in Him means that we completely trust His nature. It means that we have learned the the grace of God is sufficient in our lives. It means that we don't have to figure it out, we don't have to strive, and we don't have to make things happen. We are learning to discover the reality of God in our lives and how to approach life through Him. We are becoming confident in who He is and who we are in Him. We will learn how to throw worry out the window, pray from a place of provision rather than lack, and we will not freak out because things aren't going the way we planned.

Life is a journey and every journey has mountain tops and valleys. You will learn how to walk through them all. You get to establish the norm of your faith. And you will discover what it means to "count it all joy" regardless of what life throws in your direction. Be blessed.

Enduring Love

In case you haven't noticed, our world is looking for love. However, to quote the singer Johnny Lee, they've been "Looking for love in all the wrong places." Believe it or not, the church has the answer.

I was flipping through the channels and came across the movie "The Notebook". It's become a favorite movie for so many because of it's theme of enduring love. As I thought about this theme, I was reminded of the fact that love, although not always sappy, and not always pretty, is determined.

Just take a read through your Bible. Pay attention to the incredible overtones of love. God's love created man. God's love has endured through every generation. Even when it was ugly. Even when it was difficult. God's love never failed. God's love was ultimately put on display through His Son at the Cross (read Romans 5:8). If you want to read a love story then you must read the world's all time best selling book on the matter.

Psalm 100:5, "For the LORD is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations."

1 Corinthians 13:7, "Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."

Somewhere along the way the church has forgotten about God's amazing, unending, unconditional, and enduring love. I'm not sure why this happened. I have my suspicions. But the reality is that what the world needs most, we possess, and we need to share.

I was sharing with a church this weekend about the need for each of us to really know Jesus. My point in sharing is that if we don't know Him then it will be hard for us to share Him. If we don't know Him then we will struggle to know who we are in Him. This is the need for our generation. We need to move out of the mindsets that keep us from believing, accepting, and operating in the unconditional love of God.

1 John 3:16 is an incredible reminder of God's love for us and how it is manifested in our lives:
"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters." My friends, this is what enduring love looks like. God loved the world so much that He gave. He demonstrated His love through the indescribable gift of His Son. Our response to His love is that we share it, we give it, and if necessary we lay down our lives for it.

What I have discovered in life is that people may argue with your understanding. They may struggle with your theology. However, they cannot argue with unconditional love. Let's just think about it for a minute: WHAT IF...
What if we loved the people in the world regardless of how they lived?
What if we genuinely gave of ourselves without expecting anything in return?
What if we demonstrated love more than we talked about it?
What if we gave the world what God thought we deserved - L-O-V-E?

Let me close with this story:
A few weeks ago we had some friends visiting with us. My son told me on the Monday after their departure that he missed them already. I asked him "Why?". He said that he just likes it when they are around - he likes the way it feels. When I pressed him just a little more he gave me the explanation. He said, "There's just a lot of love in the environment." This love that he describes, that he so passionately want to experience is within each and every one of us. It's the enduring love of God. And when you and I choose to operate in His love, it will make and incredible difference. It will also create an irresistible environment.

Welcome to the Journey

In John 1:36-41 we read about Andrew (Simon Peter's brother) hearing John the Baptist point out Jesus as the Lamb of God. He left John to follow Jesus, found out where he was staying, and immediately went to find his brother. As I read this familiar passage I was reminded of an enduring truth: All I can do is invite you on a journey. The rest is up to you.

After having this thought I decided to look up some images for the blog that had to do with inviting people on a journey. I came across the quote that you see in the image from Charles S. Lauer. I'm always amazed at how what is true in the natural is also true in the spiritual. Too often we get caught up in the idea that people MUST follow where we are going. However, all we can do (as the quote adequately states) is invite them on the journey.

Think about this for a moment:
John the Baptist has quite a following. In fact, a number of his disciples stayed with him up until his death. There were some who immediately left when they encountered Jesus but that was expected...right? It seems that through Scripture we discover that John handled this transition well. He knew the season that he was in, what he was supposed to do, and the his calling was to lead people to the Christ. The only time we see him struggling with his decision was after he was thrown in jail and he sent his disciples to Jesus just to make sure that He was the One.

Life Application:
Your journey is your journey. How you have come to understand God's will for your life can only be answered by you. You may be in a position where you can allow others to come along but the reality is that it's your journey. Depending upon God's purpose for your life it may require that you walk alone, walk with a few, walk with several others, or both. What each and every one of us needs to determine is whether or not we will be confident in what God has called us to do. I'm not supporting arrogance, I'm just saying that not everybody will be able to see what you see.

Over the years I have come to understand this reality. It can be a difficult lesson if you are as relational as I am. When people walk away it can become personal if you are not grounded in your identity in Christ. Not only have I had to understand this in my personal life but also in the corporate life of the church. I can tell you about my experiences, I can share with you what I have learned, and I can challenge you in the same ways that I have been challenged but the reality is that you will have to determine what happens next.

In the case of Andrew, Peter chose to follow and walk alongside his brother in the adventure of knowing Jesus. I can understand this because I too had a brother who began telling me of the joys of walking with Jesus. I was a believer but had allowed myself to get out of fellowship. At first I resisted the urging of my brother but eventually joined him. Our paths are a little different but what I'm discovering is that the closer we get to our understanding of Jesus, the closer we have become in the journey. We see each other on the path. There are times that he gets further ahead and than I am (and vice versa) but I take great comfort in knowing that we are on the journey together.

This is a lesson for each and every one of us. There are others on the path that are in their particular journey. From the novice to the lifetime follower - they are all here. We may choose to fellowship together corporately but the reality is that we each have an individual journey as well. We are called to encourage one another, build up one another, and if necessary correct one another in love along the way. What we do not do is enter into judgement or criticism because their journey has led them further ahead or has caused them to lag behind. In the natural when we are hiking there are some people who are in better shape than others. This means that some have the ability to sprint up ahead while others will be a little more cautious, a little more deliberate, and maybe even rest on a certain portion of the trail. The good news is that we are all heading to the same place. That place? It's not so much a destination as it is a person - being conformed into the image of the Son.

Welcome to the journey that we call following Jesus. We have a map (the Bible) and a guide (the Holy Spirit). While there have been plenty of saints that have blazed the trail before us, this journey may require pioneering a new path. It does not mean that what they have done is wrong but that the Spirit will often say "I know a better way." And the Lord trusts you to follow His leading.

In closing I will leave with an and old Irish blessing. I think it fits since we are talking about the journey.

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Enjoy the journey!!!

What Has God Placed Inside You?

Psalms 139:14 declares that you and I were "fearfully and wonderfully made." One of the best interpretations of this verse basically tells us that God has created us in such an awesome way. I believe it's part of our faith journey to discover and/or unlock all that He has placed within us. I think you will be amazed.

Why is it that we have no problem sharing this truth with a child but struggle to believe it about ourselves? Most of us would leap at the opportunity to share with a little one about the wonder they are in all of God's creative genius but will shy away from accepting this truth about ourselves. I don't believe we struggle to believe that this verse is true about the creativity of God in creating us. I think we struggle to see it in ourselves.

If that is true of you then I want to invite you on a journey. I want you to discover all that God has placed within you. There are gifts, abilities, talents, and possibly even areas of creativity that you need to unlock. Parts of you that make you truly unique need to be uncovered. This is one of the greatest ways that I know of that will allow you to reach your potential in life.

The process is quite simple: Ask God to reveal to you all the things that have laid dormant in your life.
The word dormant is an adjective that means:
(of an animal) Having normal physical functions suspended or slowed down for a period of time; in or as if in a deep sleep.
(of a plant or bud) Alive but not actively growing.
I do believe that there are things that should be alive & growing in our lives. The reason we haven't seen them come forth is because we have never discovered them.

The way this works for most people is that they do not recognize they have certain abilities until they are placed in a position where those skills have to be awakened. Others don't see it in themselves until they hear someone talking about a particular topic and that topic stirs something up inside of them. Regardless of what it takes to come to a realization of the things that God has placed within you, they key to bringing them out is your willingness to partner with the Holy Spirit in your life.

You have heard me say that discovering who you are in Christ is vital to enjoying all the benefits of abundant life in Him. Well...discovering all that God has placed within you is vital to getting all that you can out of life. My encouragement for you is to not only find these things out for yourself but to figure out why you haven't seen them before. It could have been the words of someone you trusted that kept you from recognizing your potential. This is often true when people are physically, mentally, or verbally abused. I have also seen this take place when people with authority handle their power in the wrong way. I know a grown man who never pursued his dreams because he had a guidance counselor in school that basically told him there was no way he could achieve it.

My friend Mark had a similar thought this week when he talked about our ability to love:
"Love isn't learned. Love is and always was in us. Instead, we are to unlearn what hides love - being offended, jealousy, prejudice and comparison. Love is original human DNA." - Mark Durniak

In the same way that we have to unlearn what hides love, we need to unlearn what hides the wonder of who we were created to become. When you and I are willing to partner with the Holy Spirit we can allow these hidden treasures that are within us to come to the surface. Creativity that was once dormant begins to flourish. Confidence that was lacking begins to shine. Abilities that you never thought possible will begin to break through your doubts and fears. All because God wants you to understand that you are fearfully and wonderfully made.

Too often we see ourselves through our failures. We allow our history to define who we are instead of allowing God to be the sole originator of our definition. Religion at times has also told us to consider ourselves worthless rather than embrace the uniqueness that God has placed inside of each and every person. You were made in the image of God. Don't you think that reality is worth discovering? Then don't allow fear to keep you from embracing it. Don't allow negativity to sway your determination. All that God has placed within you can be discovered. And you will be amazed at what God can do in and through your life.

Go for it!!!