Trust Files

In my job, I have responsibility for the destruction of documents for the area I cover. Today was a bit different than the usual "grab the shred and go"". We cleaned out the basement at one of my locations which was full of ancient trust files. We carried out over 180 large boxes full of mostly estate files. This afternoon, we started to run them through the shredder. I got to thinking that we were destroying the entire story of the lives of certain people. The larger files contained hundreds of documents detailing the assets and acquisitions of a lifetime of work. I got to thinking how hard they must have worked to acquire their wealth, and how hard they worked to grow and protect it. Now, I am am simply sending it into a machine that grinds it to little bits. How fleeting this small life is! It is especially so when you think about eternity. I've often thought that life is a warm up for the main event, when Heaven and Earth will be made new along with all of us. In that perspective, I want to have treasure that really lasts, the kind that is stored in Heaven. The kind I can lay at the feet of Jesus out of love for what He has done for us. Don't get me wrong, money isn't evil, but it can and unfortunately often does become an idol. Everything belongs to God, and every pursuit should begin with God and His purposes, not you and your ideas. I praise the Spirit for reminding me of this when I forget it.

I'm Sorry

Dear Non-believer,
I'm sorry. I'm sorry that we as Christians have given you the wrong impression of our Savior. I know we tend to present and misrepresent Him in ways that turn you off to the message of God's love and grace. First, we tend to politicize Jesus. He was never and will never be a political movement or force. Jesus worked from the bottom up. He frequently turned and had compassion on those that "decent" society would have nothing to do with. He was the friend to the leper, the blind beggar, the prostitute, and the vile tax collector. He didn't march into Rome and overthrow Caesar, or run for the senate. We tend to think if we just pass the right laws, or elect the right people, that that counts as evangelism. Jesus believes in being relational. He loves you one-on-one. We should be better at loving you on a personal level. The by-product of that is a moral society, a society that passes laws in an attempt to legislate morality will never succeed. Second, I'm sorry that we tend to huddle in our little groups. I'm sorry that we like to spend time with people that walk, talk, and look like us. The gospel is not a message for a certain kind of people, it is for everyone. God created eveyone! He purposefully create a diversity among humans so that when we come together we are a beautiful masterwork! We were, and never will be, an exclusive club whose income, status, or geneolgy has to be just so. Lastly, I'm sorry that we don't do a good job of living out our faith. We're loud when we shouldn't be, and quiet when we should be standing firm. We need to a better job of loving everyone. We need to be salt and light to the world. I've often wondered how we are supposed to win people for Christ without showing them what it means to be a follower. We rely too heavily on "drive-by" evangelism instead of relationship building. I missed the Bible story about Jesus buzzing by, handing out a tract and leaving. I do however, recall that He spent significant time with people healing, teaching, and loving. He immersed Himself in the emotions and trials of the people that He came into contact with, no one was beneath His time. I will, however, not apologize for the gospel. Jesus came to Earth to accomplish His great purpose. Everywhere He went, He touched the lives of people. He suffered at the hands of His people and died for them. He died for us too. He is the only one who could take our debt on and cancel it. He set aside His divinity just to stoop down to gather us up in His arms. Shouldn't we do the same as a reflection of Him?

The Thief on the Cross

With the recent events of the world, I've been thinking about the thief on the cross next to Jesus a lot lately. I have actually been a little upset at our reaction in this country to the news of the death of Bin Laden. It's not because I don't think that the man was justified or a good person. His crimes were heinous, but do we need to celebrate death? Does his death really mean that anyone he hurt is any less dead, injured, or emotionally damaged by loss? Don't get me wrong, Bin Laden got the earthly justice he had incurred, but God's justice is much different. God doesn't see things through the eyes of blind vengeance, He sees things as sin or not sin. No sin is any greater than another to God. The same is true with our justification in Christ. His forgiveness is complete and binding as long as we don't deny Him. Hypothetically speaking, if Bin Laden had called out to Christ with his last breath, we are going to see him in Heaven, think about that one for a minute. That's what happened at Golgotha. The thief said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." We will see that thief in Heaven, Jesus made it possible. I'm not saying Bin Laden cried out to Jesus, but if he had, God would accept him. The same is true for any villain since the time of Christ. I am often stunned by how intolerant believers can be about other people. The important thing to remember here is that God hates sin, not people. People's sin is what incurs God's justice. God's desire is to save as many people as possible, and is being deliberately slow in His second coming for your sake. Just remember, with every strike of the whip, bruise, and hammer stroke, God said, "I love you!". The real enemy has been defeated, and this world is face its judgement by one who is able to do so justly.

The Strawberry Patch

The other day, I was weeding out my strawberry patch at home. I spent a lot of time on it because it was the first time this year I had done anything with it. Some of the weeds came out very easily, and the whole root came up with them. Some, like the crabgrass or dandelions, were more difficult to pull. I had to dig a little to get those out. When I got close to my strawberry plants, I had to take great care, I didn't want to damage their tender roots. The purpose of course was to allow them space to grow and flourish. Weeding also helps to eliminate the competition for nutrients and water resources. I got to thinking this might be a lot like what God does when he is trying to sanctify us. The weeds are like the sin in our lives, we are like the strawberry plants, and God is of course the gardener. He wants to get rid of the sin so we can grow, flourish, and bear fruit for the Kingdom. The church is kind of like that strawberry patch in that it is surrounded by field that is full of weeds. The weeds produce seeds that are blown into the patch all the time. I constantly have to pull the weeds, otherwise they take over and choke out my strawberries. One thing I noticed was that the prettiest weeds were the hardest to uproot. The violets were immensely difficult to pull. They also seemed to grow the closest to the strawberry plant. Isn't it that way with some of the sin in our lives too? It looks great to us, but it is the most aggressive and deeply rooted. These are the things that God must pull out carefully. He may even have to trim us back a little to get them out without permanent damage. The great thing about God is that he never fails to get the root. Other seeds may blow in and sprout, but the old weed that was deeply rooted is gone. He also is much better at keeping our lives "weeded out" than I am at keeping my garden. He never stops working nutrients and water into the soil, taking great care to give you everything you need to grow in Him, and to bear the best fruit.
May the peace and grace of the Lord Jesus go with you and keep you!

A lesson from Nehemiah

"When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven" (Nehemiah 1:4) Nehemiah was weeping because the city of Jerusalem had been conquered, the walls had been destroyed, and the gates burned. Jerusalem was where the center of God's people was supposed to be. He then set out from his very comfortable life to organize a revival amongst God's people by rebuilding the walls. It worked, and though he faced a lot of hardship in the process, he fulfilled his mission laid on him by the Lord.
When was the last time you were filled with this kind of emotion? Think about all of the lost and lonely people around you. Think of your neighbors and friends. Are all of them going to be with you in eternity? If not, isn't that a cause to weep? Well, now that I have thoroughly depressed you... sorry. It is time for a revival of our own. Instead of weeping and tearing our clothes, we should set about the task given us by Jesus: "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20) . This is pretty clear to me, our Lord wants us ALL to be evangelists. He also promises to help. Actually, Jesus will do all the work, you just have to introduce people to Him. Pretty easy, huh? I know, I over-simplify. Not everyone will receive Jesus, and that is sad, but at least you can say you tried. There are a lot of times that I just want to shake people and say to them, "Don't you understand that I love you?", but that may be offensive to some people. I really do love people, as hard as it is sometimes. I don't see people as mean and cruel, just as lost people. This makes them do mean and cruel things, and only Jesus can change a person's heart. Remember, people will never see Jesus if you act like a Pharisee. Those guys just didn't get it, and it breaks my heart to see some of our brothers and sisters acting in this fashion. Here's the main points I guess:
1: Feel compassion for the lost with all of your spirit, soul, and body (With the assistance of the Holy Spirit of course)
2:Introduce people to Jesus, he'll do the rest.
3: Love everyone, they need it.
4: Remember that you too were once unsaved. Reflect on what life was like before then, compare, and realize that the ONLY way their lives will get better is with Jesus.

God Bless!

Almost....

Most of the time, with most of the skills I have, I am almost great at them. Oh, sure, I can do a fair job at most things I try, but I have never felt like I have "mastered" anything. Maybe I lack the patience to continually practice one thing or another. Maybe I am just destined to be a "Jack of All Trades, Master of None". Sometimes I feel like this in my spiritual life too. I always think that I should pray more, fast more, sing better, do more in ministry, teach better, witness more effectively, and the list goes on and on. When these thoughts come though, I must realize that as long as I am letting the Lord guide my path, He will make sure that I am effective and well equipped for the task. Remember to, that you are fighting in a spiritual war! The enemy would like nothing more than to dishearten you. Take heart! God is with you! I also have to realize that God is going to make me perfect someday. I have been justified at the cross, so why worry about gaining the whole knowledge of the world? Jesus said, " What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?" (Mark 8:36)
In short, there is nothing "almost" with God. What He wants to be accomplished will be and has been. Furthermore, He didn't almost choose the right people, He doesn't make mistakes! You are loved and saved for a better purpose. Ask Him what it is that He wants you to do, throw away your own ideas about what you think you should be doing, and above all(as usual) read your Bible often and always. God Bless!

Self-esteem

I've been doing a little thinking about self-esteem lately, and I have come to the conclusion that it is a sin. I know I should write uplifting words of encouragement, which I will, after I explain myself here. First, let's look at the definition:

1. a realistic respect for or favorable impression of oneself; self-respect.

2. an inordinately or exaggeratedly favorable impression of oneself.
(http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/self-esteem)

I think we should start first with what Jesus has to say on the subject:

"Then he said to them all: 'Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?' "(Luke 9:23-25)

Denying yourself doesn't seem to fit the mantra of self-esteem does it? We are called to a life of service and sacrifice for His glory, not ours. Any thoughts or feelings of self-worth based on what you perceive as your own abilities is giving yourself glory! We need to first recognize that we are saved for His purpose and will first, and our need second. Every ability, gift, or treasure comes from God and belongs to God. To have "high self-esteem" is to lack humility, and also runs afoul of the first and second commandments (Exodus 20:3-4). Essentially, thinking too highly of yourself is a form of idol worship, and to define it as self-esteem is put an image to it. Yes, not a physical image, but one none the less. God even names Himself "Jealous" (Exodus 34:10), He detests idolatry.

Here's the good news, and a reason not to be depressed:
"But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved." (Ephesians 2:4-5)
God bore His wrath caused by our sin on His own son, the only one who could take the penalty for us. Why? Because He loves us. Depression is a tool of our enemy, don't give into that one's whisperings. If you have given your life to Jesus, you are justified, righteous, and holy in the sight of God. What joy! What a reason to sing!
If you are feeling depressed, and nothing seems to get you out of it, one of two things is the case:
1. Search your heart, you not yet be converted! Have you given your life completely to Jesus?
2. You haven't put on the full armor of God, which is your salvation combined with the instruction of the Word. (In other words, trust Jesus, read your Bible, and go to a church that sits under the authority of the scriptures.)
Remember, this life is simply preparation for the main event, which is eternity in Heaven, reconciled to God, praising His name forever!