Here's a Thought

I will go ahead and warn you. Most of these blog posts will probably be about Christmas over the next few days. I take a chance with this approach. Most people are already tired of hearing Christmas Carols. However, I will try to keep a fresh perspective for you.

We see a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger, and we know we are loved. Is there every any question about that? We hear Jesus talking about God loving the world so much that He sent His Son, we look back into the narrative to see Him being held in His mother's arms, and we believe this wholeheartedly. When does this change? How is it that our view of the love of God gets so distorted by the time Jesus gets to the Cross, then magically readjusts after the resurrection? Am I the only person that ever asks these kinds of question?

Personally, I believe that someone or something has convinced us to look at these events differently. Somehow we swing back and forth in our understanding. We see we are loved, we believe God is angry with us, and then we are loved again. Back and forth. Side to side. We struggle to grasp the understanding that there is nothing that Jesus does or endures that does not proceed from the heart of the Father.
In His birth - you are loved.
In His crucifixion - you are loved.
In His burial - you are loved.
In His resurrection - you are loved.
In His ascension - you are loved.
In His being seated at the right hand of the Father - you are loved.
How is it that we can go through this season thinking anything different? The birth of Jesus was proclaimed as Good News for the entire world. A Savior had come. The Anointed One had arrived. Peace and good tidings will flow.

I really don't want to spend a lot of time focusing on what could have caused us to think differently. I simply want to stir you to think for yourself. I want you to determine that you will not allow anything or anybody to convince you otherwise. You have been, are, and will be loved by your Heavenly Father. The Cross demonstrates, according to Paul, that God loves us. That He was willing to endure the hostility of sinful man. That He humbled Himself, to the point of dying on a Cross, so we would be redeemed, rescued, reconciled, and restored.

The birth of Jesus is a moment in time. Much like many others moments. It points us to a greater reality. It demonstrates the lengths that the Father was willing to go to in order for us to be saved. His birth, His ministry, His death, His resurrection - all ways in which the Father has put Himself on display. All means of convincing us of His heart. All a part of the Father's plan to restore humanity.

Take some time during this season to reflect upon these truths for yourself. Don't allow the story of His birth to become commonplace. His arrival signified the beginning of a new creation. The world would not be the same. Drink in every moment. Bask in the Father's goodness. See the hope of the world lying in a manger. And give thanks to the Father for this indescribable gift.

"God became a man. While the creatures of the earth walked unaware, Divinity arrived. Heaven opened herself and placed her most precious one in a human womb.

The Omnipotent, in one instant, made Himself breakable. He who has been spirit became pierceable. He who was larger than the universe became an embryo. And He who sustains the world with a word chose to be dependent upon the nourishment of a young girl...

God had come near.

He came, not as a flash of light or as an unapproachable conquerer, but as one whose first cries were heard by a peasant girl and a sleepy carpenter. The hands that first held him were unmanicured, calloused, and dirty.

No silk. No ivory. No hype. No party. No hoopla.

Were it not for shepherds, there would have been no reception. And were it not for a group of stargazers, there would have been no gifts."

- God Came Near - Max Lucado

Mankind was my Business...

'Tis the Season. I'm reading Charles Dickens, "A Christmas Carol." I tend to watch at least one of the renditions of this classic. This is my first time actually reading it. This story is full of so many wonderful quotes and statements. Today, I'm sharing one that jumped out of the pages. I pray that your heart will be moved as well.

As you look to the picture to the left you will see the quote that captured my heart this morning. The thought behind such a statement is incredible. Of all the things a departed soul could grieve, how he had mistreated his fellow man weighed heavy upon him. I understand that this is a work of fiction. I realize that many of us don't believe in ghosts and spirits (at least not in the way they are portrayed in this story). However, if we could hear from those who had gone on before us, what would they lament? In the end, what do we want our lives bear witness to?

Immediately my mind went to John's letter to the early church. He basically asks the question: "How can we love God whom we have not seen, and hate our brother whom we have seen?" That's some heavy stuff. We worship an invisible God. We give ourselves to Him. We love and adore Him. We give money in His name. And...yet...there are those all around us each and every day, people made in His image and likeness, that we neglect. What if mankind was our business? What if benevolence, charity, forgiveness, and mercy where the major players in our lives?

When Jesus was asked about the greatest commandment. His response was very simple. In a nutshell: Love God - Love Others. He linked the great thrust of the 10 Commandments. He placed equal value between our love for our Father and love for our fellow man. A radical shift in the way the religious mindset operates. In religion we feel justified in holding contempt toward others. We feel righteous in our judgement. Confident that our separation from the world gives us the right to treat people as we please. Jesus, on the other hand, would disagree. He would say that our love for God is proven through our love for our fellow man. To love one another is the very thing that proves to the world that we really are His disciples. That we would turn our affections for our Heavenly Father into service towards our brothers and sisters. Think about it. When Jesus talks about those positioned at his right and hand and his left, he speaks of those who neglected to provide food when He was hungry, refreshment when He was thirsty, shelter when He was a stranger, clothing when He was naked, care when He was sick, and/or companionship when He was suffering. When they asked when this took place He replied, "When you did it not, to least of these My brethren, you did it not unto Me."

Please understand where I am coming from. I'm not saying that your acts of kindness/service are what gives you merit before the Father. What I am saying is that they demonstrate to the Father that you are walking in the same love that He walked in with us. That we are willing to immerse ourselves into the lives of others. To give without expecting anything in return. To love the "unlovable", to show mercy, and compassion. That we will hear the cries of the desperate, meet the needs of the impoverished, and share of our resources. This is not something that is simply regulated to the rich. Many of the disciples within the early church did not have great possessions. They simply shared what they had, having all things in common.

At the end of the day, what we do in our trades/vocations is of little consequence compared with what we do in the business of mankind. Of course we have the ability to make comfortable lives for ourselves and our families. We have the means to acquire more. We can possess the houses, the vehicles, and the goods that our economy offers. The question remains whether or not we will share the harvest that we have received. Will we take some of the comfort that we have received to comfort others? We will provide a helping hand? We will come alongside the hurting?

As Scrooge watches Marley's spirit disappear in the darkness, he sees others who are in chains themselves. Varying degrees of weights based upon the person who forged them. He heard one of the spirits cry out because he was unable to help a young lady with a toddler below him. So much remorse and regret. So much pain because they didn't take the time to do something that was so simple in this life. And it really is simple.

Personally, I'm grateful that our Father has made it so simple. "Do justly (what is right), love mercy, and walk humbly with your God." He's not looking for grand expressions. It doesn't even have to be seen from the masses. In fact, Jesus taught us that it was better if it was done in secret because that is when we are rewarded openly. No, the reality is that there is an estimated 7.? billion people on this blue/green globe. All made in the image and likeness of our Heavenly Father. All with various needs. Some people are just looking for a friend. Some need financial assistance. Others need someone who can help cut the grass, rake leaves, cut firewood. Many just need a shoulder to lean on and someone to talk to. I'm not here to prescribe the method. I'm simply here to say that we need to open our eyes to the people around us. As we look to our Heavenly Father for wisdom, provision, and guidance; may we also look to Him for the opportunities that walk by us each and every day. Yes, mankind is our business. The common welfare. Charity, mercy, forbearance, benevolence. It's all our business.

This is a season where many of our hearts are open to those around us. We finally see one another as fellow travelers on the same journey. Let us not take for granted the moment in which we live. Give a meal, a hug, a smile, a kind word, and even some money. Allow your kindness to be a drop in the ocean of eternity. See the ripple that it creates. Watch in awe as the Father displays His goodness through you for all the world to see. You may, in fact, give someone the merriest Christmas they have ever experienced. Just don't let it stop here. You can be a gift that keeps on giving the whole year through. And why not? Our Father has chosen to be that gift to us.

Enjoy the journey!

Faith is...

Faith is...

We make this statement with such confidence. We define something that is often hard to define. Faith is a belief to be sure. However, faith is so much deeper, richer, and more intriguing. Many have viewed faith as a creative force. That what you believe comes into existence. But according to what I read in Hebrews 11, and the following chapters, faith believes in what already is. What has already been created. A reality that I am meant to walk in and step into.

I read through these chapters this morning. I was struck by the seamless flow. They are not like the chapters of a book that discuss different themes. They are the flow of a letter that means to bring the reader to a specific place. A place of trust, of rest, and complete confidence. The letter to the Hebrews was written as an encouragement to a persecuted church. A tool to build up the believers. A reminder of the finished work of Christ with all of its accomplishments.

Jesus is the central figure in the letter. His atoning death the main theme. His Lordship our confidence. As we begin to trust in all that Jesus has accomplished, we come into absolute assurance. We are moved by faith into a realm of things that are unseen. A confident expectation that everything the Father had purposed from the beginning will continue to take place. We don't need faith to create better situations. We walk in faith so that we may see the things for which we hope. So we don't give up in the journey. So we will not lose heart.

To be sure, the Early Church had its struggles. The persecution they faced was unreal. Part of the encouragement that we read focuses us upon the faith of those who have gone on before. Those who trusted the will and heart of God despite difficult circumstances. There are those who had no physical reason to hope. Some who had to believe that God could raise the dead. Others who trusted Him in spite of death. They were assured that even though they had not seen it in this lifetime, there was life after this life. A confident expectation that their last breath in this world meant a quickening breath in the next.

Too often our circumstances get the better of us. This is especially true when we have "trusted" for the same thing over and over again. Or maybe we continue to be hurt by people even though we have believed that we are walking with the Father in relationships. Regardless of the situation, I encourage you to change your focus. To fix your gaze, as the writer of Hebrews does, upon Jesus. He is the Author and Finisher of Faith. And what He started in you, He will complete. Look at what He endured. The difficulty that He would have to press through. Why? Because of the joy that was set before Him.

Have you ever considered that Jesus could have given up? Have you ever thought that He could have said at any moment that it wasn't worth it. That we were not worth it? And yet He kept going. He trusted in the Father's love. He believed, wholeheartedly, that what He was doing mattered. That the Father would redeem, rescue, and reconcile. That He would become the firstborn among many brethren. He offered Himself to this mission. He gave Himself for our good. This is Jesus. He is your encouragement through the difficulties. He is your joy in the celebrations. He continually moves you, through His Spirit, into a place of rest in Him. He creates an environment of trust in your heart. A confidence that will not be shaken.

Faith is not an emotion, even though it stirs our emotions. It moves us beyond circumstances. It creates endurance and cultivates discipline. It reminds us to trust in the words the Lord has spoken over our lives. It is the reality in which we dwell. A place where the unseen is tangible. Where Heaven kisses Earth (as Ray Hughes would say) and we get caught in the smack.

It's one thing to say we believe in Jesus in the midst of everything. Faith moves us beyond that and says "I will live in its reality. I will continue to walk towards the Lord in spite of it all. Why? Because my hope is built on nothing less. I trust. I rest. I am confident that He is for me, not against me. There is nothing that can separate me from His love."

This journey (as with any journey) is filled with ups and downs. There will be winding turns and straight paths. There will be moments of exhilaration and exhaustion. Place your anchor beyond the veil of what is seen. Continue to hope. Never lose heart. As Journey would sing, "Don't Stop Believing..."

Refresh

Refresh - give new strength or energy to; reinvigorate.
- an act or function of updating the display on a screen.

Several years ago I read "The Shack" by William P. Young. It was, I believe, a definite God moment in my life. My experience of the Lord during that time was incredible. I often re-read the book. It reminds me of so many simply truths. A way to refresh. A couple of weeks ago, a friend of ours gave us the audio of the book. Listening to the reading brought me back to that place of refreshment. A way of updating what I was seeing. Giving me new strength and energy. Reinvigorating me for the journey.

I listened to an interview that Paul Young did for a radio station. The D.J. made an interesting observation. He said that the reason he wanted to bring Young back onto the program is because he hadn't read anything with such spiritual healing in it in over 15 years. I have to agree. The Lord used this book in the lives of so many people. Healing, Forgiveness, Restoration - all stories associated with what the Lord has done in the lives of those willing to go to The Shack.

My question: Why?
We have the Church. We have the Bible. We have the proclamation of the Gospel so accessible to our lives. What is this need for spiritual healing?

There are so many people who don't want to approach this topic. They would rather give themselves to the system. Continue to go through the rituals. Continue to fight the same battles over and over again. Why? Because they don't know any better. They are ignorant of the light and life of Jesus in a practical sense. They have yet to discover the abundant life that He provides, even though many profess faith in Him. Which makes me want to probe a little deeper. What have we missed along the way? How did Paul Young capture something so beautiful in the relationship of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?

While I don't have the perfect answer, I can give you my insight. I believe what Young captured was the essence of relationship. A view of the relationship between the Godhead that religion has yet to provide. A relationship that we need to understand, appreciate, and appropriate in our own lives. Much of Western Christianity has missed this. We put our understanding of God into a system. A hierarchy. A view of God that must be satisfied before we can obtain peace. What The Shack presented was a God that was very much at home in relationship. A Father who was completely satisfied with the offering of His Son. An offering that was freely given to redeem humanity. A God that will go to any lengths to reach His creation.

Which brings me to why I am writing this blog today. I needed to refresh. I didn't realize it at the time but my "display" (what I was seeing) needed to be updated. I had allowed so many circumstances, negative emotions and thoughts, to consume me. Pain has a way of doing just that. Almost unexpectedly we get lost in the journey. Find ourselves sinking in the water rather than walking on the waves. Taking our eyes off of Jesus. Focusing upon our doubts and fears. All the while, Jesus stands there patiently. Extending His hand. Ensuring us of His presence. Ready to restore.

What has your attention these days? Do you need to refresh?
I'm not here to get you to "DO" something. I'm simply here to remind you that He is always in the midst of the journey. Good or bad. Fun or difficult. In excitement or enduring. He doesn't step our of the room. He never leaves us or forsakes us. He does require our attention though. We do need the occasional readjustment in our thinking. That is what I hope to accomplish today. To give you a bit of a nudge in the right direction.

"You... were created to be loved. So for you to live as if you were unloved is a limitation, not the other way around... Living unloved is like clipping a bird's wing and removing its ability to fly... A bird is not defined by being grounded but by his ability to fly. Remember this, humans are defined not by their limitations, but by the intentions I have for them; not by what they seem to be, but by everything it means to be created in my image. Love is NOT the limitation; love is the flying. I AM love." - William P. Young - The Shack

Find yourself in Him. Enjoy the awareness of His goodness and love. The journey continues.

Koinonia ~ The Distinguishing Mark

Let's start this morning off with the Amplified Version of 1 John 1:3. I am going to give you the transliterated Greek word for fellowship. I want you to see and hear the beauty of this verse. "What we have seen and heard we also proclaim to you, so that you too may have koinonia [as partners] with us. And indeed our koinonia [which is a distinguishing mark of born-again believers] is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ."

Over the last few days, I have been really focused on relationship. It could be a carry over from the Thanksgiving holiday, but I really believe it's what the Lord is enriching in my life. What does it mean to be in relationship with God? What does it mean to be in relationship with one another? I have talked about koinonia several times within this blog, but I often wonder how many of us understand the wonder of this way of life. How many of us can boldly proclaim with John that our fellowship is with the Father and the Son?

Since we believe that God has always existed as a triune being, this also means that we believe that He has always existed in relationship. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have always dwelt in a circle of life, a relationship of self-giving, other-centered, love. When they created man in their own image and likeness, they were creating them with this relationship in mind. They wanted to share their life with us. Continually inviting humanity to walk in fellowship. Of course, we know that the first son (Adam) chose independence over relationship. Choosing to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil plunged humanity into darkness. They traded the image of the invisible God (to use a phrase from Paul) for the best images they could come up with. Relationship was replaced with ritual, tradition, and sacrifice. The voice of God reduced to commands. Liberty overtaken by legal requirements. It was until the Father sent another Son, whom Paul referred to as the Last Adam, that we could begin to see the true nature of our Heavenly Father and understand the beauty of relationship. Determined to rescue humanity from a life of missing the mark of their own creation, Jesus submitted Himself to our violence, cruelty, and misunderstanding of the nature of God. He gave His life to redeem, to reconcile, and to restore us back to the image and likeness we carried in the beginning.

Humanity has continued to struggle. We continue to find ourselves looking for a means to regain what was lost. We haven't completely dismissed what Jesus accomplished through His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension. However, we haven't fully appropriated it. We may not live under The Law anymore, but we still carry this image of God as the Great Rule Giver. Ritual, tradition, and sacrifice still play an important role in this. The voice of God has been reduced to a book, and our liberty as sons overtaken by legalism. Although humanity has been set free from this type of life, we have quickly reverted back to the darkened mindset of becoming like God through our own actions. Often falling short of the mark of genuine relationship.

If history has proven anything, it has proven that we like our systems. We like our way of seeing and doing. We easily replace the image of God with the best images we can come up with. And even though we are free to enjoy relationship with our Father, we find ourselves running and hiding from His voice. How do we break free from this vicious cycle? How do we keep from placing God within the confines of our own systems? I mean...we talk about relationship, but are we really experiencing the koinonia of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?

John's words to the Early Church need to reverberate within our own spirits. We need our focus to be upon the relationship that God carries within Himself so that we may experience this relationship within ourselves. What does it mean to participate in this koinonia? The Amplified Version says that this is "the distinguishing mark" among us. Our fellowship. Our joint-participation. Our shared life with one another. This seemingly insignificant word carries so much weight. It's more than hanging out or having a potluck dinner. This type of fellowship carries with it the very essence of life that the Father enjoys within Himself. A life that we are invited to participate in fully.

It almost sounds too fantastic to be believed, yet it is the very thing that Jesus prayed would come to pass in our lives. "I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me." This fellowship, this koinonia, that John speaks of is the very thing that speaks volumes to an unbelieving world. It is the distinguishing mark that sets us apart. A way of life that invites people to experience self-giving, other-centered, love. The one thing that Jesus said would prove to the world that we really are His disciples.

How can we neglect this and expect the world to trust in the goodness of God? How can we continue to build our systems and structures and hope that they will be good enough? When we begin to experience the authentic life of relationship, share it with those around us, then we will begin to understand what we were created to enjoy all along. A life of unconditional love, unbridled joy, and unbelievable security. It doesn't mean we don't experience problems. It is not void of trials. And there are still a lot of growing pains. However, it is in this relationship with the Father and one another that we are learning the beauty of grace, mercy, forgiveness, and reconciliation. It is here where we discover the work of the Holy Spirit within us. Continually being conformed to the image of the Son. Discovering who He is and who we are in Him. Inviting others to participate with us.

It is my hope, my prayer, that the Church will once again discover the beauty and simplicity of this way of life. That we would rediscover the faith that was centered upon a table where we gather to share in the flesh and blood of Jesus. To know Him, to learn of Him, and to make Him known. That we would stop trying to build our own kingdoms and simply focus upon His. To extend the rule and reign of His dominion. To be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth. That we would recapture the security of this relationship. That we would learn to enjoy life in Him once again. In Jesus I pray...