God’s Glory and Grace on National Display

The eyes of the nation are on the state of Oklahoma today because we all can relate to the brokenness on display there.  These events break our hearts because we know how quickly things can change for any of us.  Storms make us recognize how little control we actually have in life and this life is valuable because we are made in God’s image.  So, these events bring out that camaraderie we have with other people whether we know them or not.    We mourn because lives were lost and weep with those who weep.

We also take comfort in these tragedies because while we have no control over things, God has ultimate control.  In the midst of pain He displays His glory and grace in ways He might not have otherwise.  It is hard to understand, but we are called to have faith in our unfailing God.  We don’t have to see how it all ends; we just need to trust our God who does.   C.S. Lewis said it like this in the book “The Problem of Pain”, We can ignore even pleasure. But pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”

If we are left to our own understanding and ways we will reject God every time   In fact, when things are going really well is when we see people take larger steps away from God.  Yet, it is in those times of weakness that we learn to lean a little more.  It is in those times of pain that we see the hopeless state we are in and how we do need a Savior.  It is there when we throw up our hands in surrender and praise knowing that we serve a mighty God that is never surprised by anything that happens.  We serve a God who understands that in is the ultimate problem with this world and  has given us a way out of it through Jesus Christ.

What is a proper response in this?  We pray and look for ways to help.  We also praise God because He sees all, knows all, and redeems circumstances like this for His glory.  As Jesus ministers to people, they know that there is a God who loves them and has a plan in their lives.

Interestingly enough, in the wake of all that went on in Oklahoma last night, God was using a show on NBC to display His glory and grace.   It really could not have been planned better because of the statement it made to people watching.  Here is a clip from the television show “The Voice.”  Yes, this was broadcast on network TV last night.  Praise God!

Enormous Problems, Small Problems — No Problem for God

As the events in Boston unfolded last week, I was amazed at how much chaos one individual on the run could do to a city.  There was a 19 year old hiding somewhere in or around Boston causing an unprecedented manhunt.  It was one man verses the city of Boston.  We all knew it was just a matter of time before he was caught.

Can you imagine the despair in that situation?  What do you think about while hiding from a massive police force after committing such horrific crimes?    Would he really have thought that he might actually escape?  I certainly don’t know the answer to that.  What I do know is that when there is such a show of force demonstrated, I would not want to be on the receiving end of it.  We don’t willingly jump into battles where we are outnumbered or under-resourced.  It makes no sense rationally to do that.

Is your life rubble? God is able to rebuild it.

In 1 Samuel 14 there is a story about Jonathan’s faith against a formidable foe.    Now, the scenario is different because Jonathan, while on the weaker army side, was on God’s side.  He had no reason to lose, unlike the terrorists who had no reason to win.

Jonathan was King Saul’s son.   We know that Saul was already on his way out as king because he was someone who did not honor God.  This story is interesting because it hits on a couple of important points for all of us today.  We are not likely going to be running into literal battle, but we do have personal battles all the time.  Here are a few things to consider as you face your own battles today, no matter how big they are.

Faith Matters

It was Saul and his servant verses an army.  I love the way he approaches this because he obviously had faith in God. He looks at his armor-bearer and says, “let’s go and perhaps the Lord will act on our behalf.”  I don’t know about you, but if the leader said something like ‘perhaps’ I would be saying ‘no thanks.’  We don’t see that here because Jonathan qualifies that with this: “Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many of few.”  He recognized that it made no difference how many people stood in his way because God was more than able to save.

I think this has a real application for many people right now.  God is not limited by your circumstances, no matter how grave they might seem.  We are to take a position of faith that says, “God you are able to save me from this in your way and time.  I trust you.”  We are safe there because we are with God and not out trying to make things happen on our own.

God’s Ways Are Not Ours

I don’t know exactly what Jonathan thought would happen.  I do know that God’s method was rather interesting.  It says that after they killed about 20 men, that panic struck the army.  Does that even make sense?  Can you imagine in any of the world wars that an army would panic after losing only a small fraction of their troops?  God sent panic and they ended up fighting each other.   It just shows in dramatic fashion what an all-sufficient God is to those who have faith in Him.

This encourages us to not just look at the scenario as impossible, but to look at our God as the doer of impossible things.  Whatever it is that you are facing might not seem possible to resolve.  God is able to resolve it in unexpected ways.  Look for God in both the expected and the unexpected.

Your Response Encourages Others

Saul was the king even if there was no reason to think it.  In this case he was late to the party.  After he saw the Lord at work, Saul went ahead and sent his army to battle.  The Lord got all the credit as the one who rescued them.

It is important to note that even thought Jonathan acted without his father’s permission, Saul was encouraged to respond because of his son’s faith.  It does show us how much people watch and will respond to a genuine life of faith.  Live it!

I recognize that there are seasons of life that are more difficult than others.  We need a posture of faith that encourages us to stay on God’s side and trust Him for everything because He has no limits.  

 

Pretty Much Ready — Not Ready

Are you ready?

My kids get on the school bus at about 7:15 a.m. every morning.  While this would be a huge deal for any teenager, it has never been a factor for my kids.  In fact, if they stay in their room past 6:15 a.m. we consider that sleeping in.  This provides us with a luxury of time before school in the morning.  One might think that this would make for a calm morning.  One would be wrong.

We have found that the extra time actually creates a bit of malaise in the boys.  They have time, so they might take a few extra minutes to get their shoes on.  They will often stop to watch a few minutes of a television show or fight with their brother.  All of a sudden they have 3 minutes until they need to be at the bus stop and they still are without shoes.

One morning I asked my 3rd grader if he was ready for school.  His response: “pretty much.”

What does that even mean?  How is someone pretty much ready?  Either you are ready or you are not ready.  We still operate in absolutes, even if many people think that truth changes based on feelings.  I cannot be ready and not ready at the same time.  The standard of readiness is something that is not determined by us, but by some standard beyond ourselves.  There are certain criteria that need to be met in order for my son to be ready for school.  He needs to have his shoes on, his teeth brushed, his lunch packed, and his homework put back together.  He often needs a jacket or gloves as well.

This is the same principle we need to consider when it comes to our spiritual life.  We know that we will exist forever; the question is where.  Yesterday we celebrated the resurrection of Jesus.  We celebrate that with such emphasis because it is the basis for our salvation.  Without this sacrifice, our sins are not forgive, and we perish like we deserve.   We are objects of wrath because of our sin and have no way of standing anywhere near a Holy God.   But God loves us so much that He gave us a way, The Way, to Him in Jesus Christ.  The Bible tells us that if we confess with our mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in our heart God raised Him from the dead we will be saved.  There is no magic formula of good deeds and hoping in ourself.   The work is completely in the hands of Jesus Christ.  We are called to follow Him faithfully and surrender our hearts to Him.

Don’t waste time chasing things of the world.  Much like my children before school, so many people wait until a later time to commit to Jesus.  So many go through life thinking that they have so much time before needing to get things in order.  Yet, we just don’t know when it will end.  It is better to be ready than to leave it to chance because forever is a long time. The only way to be ready is to trust in Jesus Christ.  When it comes time to stand before God the answer “pretty much” will not cut it.

 

One in a million or one of the millions?

Feel small? God knows you individually.

She was being very loud, but it broke up the monotony of the room, so I listened.  Across from me was an older man reading a magazine.  He was actually pretending not to listen, but not doing a very good job.  I was staring at the wall, but I was obviously listening.  She was a woman wearing sandals in winter.  This meant nothing, but it did make me wonder why someone might do that.  She was escorting an elderly man to the doctor.  From the conversation it is clear that she knows him better than if she was only a caretaker.  I could not figure out how.  It really didn’t matter actually.

The conversation was not all that interesting, but my appointment time had come and gone so I had nothing to do but wait.  The magazine rack was all the way on the other side of the room and all they had to read was a bunch of magazines I had never heard of anyway.  She was talking about good and bad doctors.  She went on and on, with this man only interjecting a few short sentences here and there.  It was obvious that she had some personal experience with the medical field.  She was getting louder and more excited about all the good and the not-so-good doctors she has experienced.

“You know I love it when doctors are able to keep their personal life out of their practice.  No matter who you are you are not perfect.  There are always things that go wrong.”

At this point the man across from me with the magazine interrupted non-verbally.  He looked right at her and shook his head in disapproval.  He then, as if surprised by his reaction, went back to his magazine.  But then, as if he felt like he actually needed to say something, he looked at her and said, “not true.”

Of course I was interested now.  There was going to be a throw down at the doctor’s office!  He explained what he meant.

“I have had a perfect life.  I have never had any problems and I have been very blessed.”

Her reply was an agitated, “good for you sir, you are one in a million”

“You better believe it”, he replied.

A minute later he was called in to his appointment, I went back to staring off, and this woman stopped talking and read her book.

I have no idea who this man is.  I have no idea what his story is.  But, does anyone actually claim to have had a perfect life?  Can you go through your entire life without any problems at all?  I certainly don’t think so.  I wonder if he was a follower of Christ.  Maybe what he means is not so much that everything was perfect, but that He has been made perfect in Christ and therefore His life reflects that.

I don’t know.  I do know that as I consider my own life I know that I am not perfect.  We have had our own struggles and issues.  Yet, I feel blessed, like this man, because no matter what happens I can never be separated from the love of God.  My entire world could come crashing down and God would still love me.   I guess I am not one in a million but one of the millions! And yet I am individually know and  loved by my God.

Do you see God’s love through your circumstances?  I know it isn’t easy, but do you sense the love of God even when it is hard?  He has promised that nothing will separate you from His love.

 “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”- Romans 8:38-39

Turn On The Light

Someone turn on the light

Light and Dark have very specific places in our society.  In the Bible light and dark are powerful metaphors between what is good and from God and what is wicked, or against God.

As it relates to God light is that which is brilliant, true, pure.   Darkness is wickedness, falsehood, and really that which is in need of light.

A God honoring life is one that runs from the darkness to the light.

“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light,as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” – 1 John 1:5-7

So what happens when we run to the light?

Light Exposes Your Areas of Darkness 

We notice right away from verse 5 that there is no conflict with God in terms of dark or light.  God is light.  Period.  He is not a light.  He is not full of light.  He is light.  In Him is the substance of all that is true, pure, holy, and right.  You will not find darkness in God.

This is actually not that hard to understand if we think about our own experience with darkness and light.  Take each new day as an example of this.  If you have ever seen the sunrise, what do you notice about the darkness when the sun comes over the horizon?  It is gone.  The light overcomes the darkness immediately without any struggle.  Darkness can’t hang out with light; it has to go.    The same thing happens when you walk into a room and turn the light on;  instantly the darkness is overcome.

This might be a bit unnerving to you because it exposes all that is there.  However, there is freedom in this because it isn’t that God is looking to show off all your faults.  He does desire to free you from your sin and give you a way that is true, not evil.  Being in the light does expose the sin but it also opens the door for God to do something with it.

Run to the light because it is there that God will clean you up and fill you with Himself.  You will notice that you cannot have it both ways.  Either you are in the light or you aren’t in the light.

Light Reveals the Consistently Between What You say and do. 

Since we have already established that God is light, void of any darkness, it would lead to some changes in us as followers of His.

“If we claim to have fellowship with him”  How does someone claim to have fellowship? They do that with their mouth.  Anyone can make a claim with their mouth, but talk without action produces a conflicted life.

“yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.”  Why is that the case?  Because we have just read that God is light and cannot ever be in the darkness.  So if you are walking in the darkness, you are not walking with God in the light.

Our actions need to match what is being said.  This doesn’t mean you need to be perfect.  It does mean that you make choices that lead you in the direction of God’s Word and apply those things.  Walking in the darkness is more than making a mistake, it is actively hanging out, doing daily life in the midst of evil, wickedness and things that are opposite of God.

If are running to the light, you are running to God.

Light Unites Us Together In Christ 

If we walk, or if our inward and outward actions are led by God, we have fellowship with one another and with God through Christ.  We have a common bond.  This is what brings such diverse people together in a youth group or a church.  It is because of our common desire to run to the light, to life in Christ, and to then proclaim that to each other.  We experience unity in Christ which provides fellowship for us.

So what? 

Are you holding a part of yourself back from the light?   Run to the light with that.  God is light and in Him will you begin to find help for all areas of struggle in your life.

What do your actions say about your God you profess?   Running to the light means being willing to make some changes in order to walk honestly in the light.

How much fellowship do you experience with fellow believers? Running to the light means recognizing that we are all on the same team here.  We have all been forgiven in Christ and all need to receive daily from Him.  We also need each other because people bring different things that bless us and cause us to grow in faith.

 Light overcomes darkness.   Be light.

 

Why I Love What I Do

Do you like your job?

I get asked a few times a year, usually by family members, if I enjoy my job.  There are a number of reasons people ask.  Most of the time it has to do with career path and whether or not I might be ‘fulfilled’ in my chosen field.  The answer to that question is absolutely yes, but not for the reasons people often wonder about.  There is nothing glamorous about what I do to the naked eye.  I work with a segment of the population that many people run from.  Teenagers intimidate grown adults because of  attitudes, immaturity, disrespect  or any number of perceptions that the media likes to describe them with.   Yet, it is with excitement that I approach each day.  It is exciting to think that God would allow me to be a part of what He is doing in the lives of teenagers in this area.  It is a unique privilege that not everyone would embrace with gusto.

What is so exciting about what I do?  I am glad you asked.  1 John 1:1-4 actually gives a pretty solid description as to what is so exciting about youth ministry.  We  are excited because we get to experience God for ourselves and then pass that on to people we have influence over.  It is a message told to us, showed to us, and experienced by us first.   We do not just come up with something to say and hope it sticks.  We have a true message in God’s Word coupled with what we have experienced in our own lives.  It has been integrated in our lives.

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard with out eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched– this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.” – 1 John 1:1

We then get to bring a message from our own personal relationship with Jesus Christ to the people we minister to.  It is a message of eternal life. 

“The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us.” – 1 John 1:3

If that is not something to get excited about I don’t know what is!  And that isn’t even the end of it.  We have this message to proclaim with an important goal in mind.  We want teens to experience  fellowship with us as we also enjoy fellowship with God through Jesus Christ.

“We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you may also have fellowship with us.  And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.” – 1 John 1:3

No matter where you find yourself at today in life, I trust that you find your joy in your relationship with Jesus Christ.  If you do that, everything you do will be that much more exciting because you may allow your life to proclaim the eternal life of God to people you meet.  That makes each day exciting because it holds so many new opportunities.

What or who is waiting for you to bless them with the truth today? 

Keeping The ‘Reason For The Season’

Charlie Brown lamented as he attempted to lead the Christmas pageant, “Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?”   This is a sentiment that I have wondered a lot about myself.  If you watch the media reports, you would think Christmas is all about helping retailers get their balance sheets in order.  Christmas has turned into shopping and rushing around.  That is not what Christmas is actually about at all.  Gift giving is not the point because we have been given the greatest gift we could have been given in Jesus Christ.  Christmas has been confused for something that it really was not intended to be.

Every year there seems to be this tension that surrounds Christmas.  Of course I am not talking about the usual tension that comes from gift giving, cookie baking, card sending, and family entertaining.    What I mean is the tension between a religious holiday and the secular attempt at removing any religious significance from it.  Often people will say that schools, or any public display for that manner, must remain ‘neutral’ because religion is too divisive.  It is only divisive because they make it divisive.  When they say that ‘religious freedom’ really means ‘religious freedom only when in your house,’ there is a natural division there.

The interesting piece of this came to me in an opinion article in the Wall Street Journal sometime last week.  The article was titled When Christmas Was Banned in Massachusetts.  The article says that the Pilgrims did not recognize December 25th as any significant day.  They thought that since it was not in the Bible, that they should not celebrate it.  Of course, it was not long before there was disagreement about working on Christmas Day.  Governor Bradford told the Christmas partiers that they could take the day off, but they could not celebrate in the streets at all, but instead needed to stay in their homes.  Eventually, according to this article, they actually outlawed Christmas for 22 years.   I guess they missed the point.

Yet, the interesting thing is we are still seeing much of the same thing.  We are told to “keep our religion to ourselves” while the world preaches materialism and new age thinking as gospel.  The idea of celebrating Christmas as a celebration of Christ is so offensive to some people that they go to great lengths to keep any religious ‘paraphernalia’ out of any public place.  That seems harsh, especially since this country has a diverse pool of people.  Why would we remove religious displays when religion is an important part of the lives of many people?  This is not the intent of the Constitution at all.  We are  free to respectfully believe in whatever we would like.

This Christmas the world and our church have collided in an abrupt way.  When the person came to our church building in the early morning hours, poured gasoline on the cedar shingles, and lit a match, a very significant symbol of our faith was destroyed.   As sad as that is for us, we don’t lose hope because the destruction does not define us.  The hope of Christmas reminds us that God is always with us, building or not.  Christmas is about Jesus Christ, literally Christ’s Mass.  We celebrate God leaving His throne, taking on flesh, and making a way for our salvation.  We will not keep that to ourselves because it is such good news.

He loves me this much!

May God show to each of us the love that He has for us.  The reason He did what He did was because He loves us so much.  We did not deserve it at all.  And while Christmas is not in the Bible, the birth of Christ is, and that is the point.  What a wonderful time of year for all of us to stop, reflect, and worship our Lord for what He has done for us.  This is something worth far more than any amount of money businesses might hope to make this Christmas, and any gift we might receive ourselves.

Go tell it on the mountain, That Jesus Christ is born! 

Merry Christmas!