To Describe God

Below is an edited version of a prayer I wrote in February 2005. I’m posting it because I think to at least some of it you’ll relate.

___________________________________________

If I should try to describe You, God, I might say You’re like a mist; You form various shapes, but appear everywhere and different. I trust You to know my heart and know how I would not accuse You of changeableness, but accuse my understanding of not grasping You.

You are like a firefly on a dark summer night. I may believe You are there, but until you turn on Your light, I’m not certain where.

Sometimes You appear as a possible predator to my happiness; like a rattlesnake somewhere on a ranch, and I’m praying none of mine will step in Your path and take death’s poisonous exit.

Sometimes I long for You, ache for You, despair of being had by You. You stand nearby as my Invisible Observer, but You don’t make a sound. I end up on the floor with my paper gods with faces cut from magazines, little creatures no bigger than myself whom You have made.

Sometimes I listen for You and feel proud that I actually want to hear You. I hear buzzes, I hear cars, I hear the whistle of a train, but not one small whisper from Your lips.

I panic sometimes. If You should ever leave it to me to find my way Home, I’d be lost forever.

But I believe in You, God. You have been my Father, my Guide, my Strength, my Sustainer. In You is the only hope in which I can dream.

Funny. It is good to say that—the only Hope in which I can dream. Getting here has not been so easy. I’ve come kicking and screaming, but You didn’t put me down.

Oh, if only this was the end and all the refinement I need could be made with these “small” losses; if only I didn’t know greater sacrifices might await me. Oh, how lonely and scary and heart-wrenching one short life can be. You do not ask for more than You gave. You ask for everything.

What will Home be like with You? How is it that our tasks will look so small from the light of Home? What do I need to know or realise in order to let go and let You hurt me and still trust You completely?

Open my eyes wider. Not inwardly. Upwardly. Father, I see a shrivelled worm as I look inward. I see a sad excuse for a human—talentless, friendless, pointless, but still holding on to my pride to not get hurt and to my mini-gods.

What does it mean to be a Christian? What is it like to be free of myself? Where is the dividing line, the gulf that I can cross or be flung over and become the outward clothes of the Living Son of God? Where do You begin and I end? Draw it up. Point me there. It’s time that life began—No turning back.

Here are my fears. You’ll need to check all my pockets and hiding places. There are always some fresh ones lying around.

Here is my fear of losing those I love—of dying while they live or living after they die.  Here’s my fear of getting older and my desire to die early. Here are my fears—of rejection, of being unchanged and entering eternal shame, of success, of failure. Here’s my fear of never getting any closer to You or of getting too close to You.

Father, these are scary things to give up. All these fears, these quirks…You aren’t going to find anything left of me when they are gone.

It’s a starting place. I already feel myself reaching for my comfort “blankets.” I’ll take them all back, if you let me. PLEASE don’t let me. Let’s go forward, Father. It’s time. It’s past time.

My Wordless Prayer by Craig Courtney

This video shares the ache of my heart at many times in life (maybe a bit is always there—crying out). I believe this will speak for your heart at times too—when you need to pray, need to connect your heart with the Father, but the words just aren't there.

Praise be to God—He hears even our wordless prayers

When You Say You Love Me

I have a confession. I hate Valentine's Day. I don't remember a time in my life where I actually liked the "holiday." Maybe it's because it has the commercial shallowness of a chick-flick.

Regardless of why, it is actually more coincidental and not because of the holiday that I have been pondering on love . . . or the lack thereof.

I'm not sure what started it, except recognition of how easy it is to fall into routine, to make other things priority, which in turn sap my strength or distract me from wholeheartedly seeking God. It isn't really bad things. The activities are neither good nor bad, excepting how my heart responds. So I've begun praying again that the Source of love would give me love to love Him.

It's pathetic, actually. Can you imagine a spouse or child coming and asking you to help them to love you? Ouch! Yet God knows our lack and longs for our honesty. How freeing it is to live without needing to hide from the All-Seeing-Eye, because He also is Love.

We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. (1 John 4:16)

So what does it mean to abide in love? Is love a romantic feeling or a loyal friendship?

The Bible shows us that love is an action, but not just any action is love.We think of helping the poor or being willing to die for someone or something as love. But Scripture says that all this can be done without love.

If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames,^b but have not love, I gain nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:3)

What then is love? 

Most of you could quote it:

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. (1 Corinthians 13:4-8a)

We can emphatically make two conclusions from this passage.

1. Hollywood knows nothing of love, either on or off set.
2. Humans cannot love like this, but God commands this kind of love from us.

Furthermore, if we love God, we will love others with this kind of love.

And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.  (1 John 4:21)

Do you think if love came naturally to us, it would be necessary for God to command it from us? And, if it doesn't come naturally, then how can we feel we can "fall out of love" or even "into love"?

Love is an alien attribute to human kind. We crave it. We demand others give it to us, but we have no source within ourselves to conjure up an unselfish love. Whatever emotion, obsession, or lust that we label love always comes with a price-tag.

What's the point? As with everything, we cannot afford to disconnect from God. We need to have love. We are designed to give love, but it is only from the Source that we can get love.

If today you feel love towards someone, it's great to feel that, is it not? But it won't last.

"Ironically," in my church bulletin today was an article from Gary Chapman (author of The Five Languages of Love). In it, he shares about a man who came to him saying he no longer loves his wife.

Since this husband couldn't manufacture warm, romantic feelings, he concluded that his marriage was over. . . True love, the kind of love that keeps a couple together for a lifetime, is not a feeling but an attitude. It says, With the help of God, I'm going to do everything I can to enhance the life of my spouse. . . . .

Remember that warm, romantic feelings are the result of love, not the essence of love. . . . The good news is that whatever God commands, He enables us to do.

That is good news and applies to all our relationships, even our relationship to God—do all you do for His glory whether you feel good or not. It also is a love I long to give to my friends and family—one that loves without requiring an equal return. May God make it so in all of us!

A Story

An Author once imagined a beautiful story. He planned for it to be a comedy in the original sense of the word—a story ending in a feast or wedding. Another way of stating it—a story filled with joy.

This Author wasn't like other writers. He wanted to interact with His characters. He wanted them to participate in His story, so He wrote in a "will" (the ability to determine to obey or not to obey) for each of them.

The gift of the will caused great rejoicing. Instead of being robots and performing their part of the story without a say, they could interact with the Author, ask questions, share ideas—have a relationship.

This freedom included only one "do not." In order to exercise their will, they could do anything in the created world of the Author except ONE thing. They had castles they could build and explore; mountains they could climb. They built homes of the very best quality, and the Author enjoyed their work and their delight. There was one door, however, that He told them not to enter. If they did, they would be cut off from the world where they now lived and from Him.

Gradually, the characters moved closer to the door. Why should the Author include a door they could not enter? If all in this story was full of wonder and fun, what might there be on the other side of that door? What if what is there is better than what is here? And so they crept ever closer, tempting themselves by constant watch.

Inevitably, they persuaded themselves to try the door. One by one they all filed through. Although one entered first, the others followed till every one was on the other side. Then...it shut.

They rubbed their eyes. It was pitch blackness. Slowly their eyes began to focus on the barren land ahead of them and the bolted door behind them.

Generations would be born in this dark land. What is the purpose of this story? each and everyone would ask. 

Some exited the story early on, by their choice or another's. Others decided to create their own story. This became quite a game, and soon all the characters had a story. Sometimes they combined their ideas and created a community that followed the same story. When enough decided that the story wasn't going their way, they would branch off and begin their own version.

Some sought to make their story good for others. Their version would bring smiles to those around them. Surly this is what the story was about, after all, making happiness for those around you? But they did not seek to know the Author and learn the story He desired for them.

Sometime in the new story, a lamp was placed in the midst of them. This aggravated most, who had become accustomed to seeing in the dark. The light only blinded them and exposed that they were different than how they had described themselves to those around them. 

Because of this, some tried to hide the light. Others, to snuff it out. Others just ran from it, moving as far away from it as possible till they gained some sort of darkness again.

A handful of characters approached the light. They were curious to see what really existed around them. Here they learned of the Author, forgotten or recreated by the tales of the original characters. They learned He still wanted to use them in His story. If they would accept His light and follow His story, He would eventually take them out of this story into one that would be beyond their dreams. 

Some of the characters accepted the light gladly and went throughout the new world offering to share the light. Some began to pick up the light, but when they read their part of the story, it was too small. They were capable of great things! Why should they give up their own stories for these no-name parts?

Those who fled from the light mocked the carriers of light. If this Author cared for them, why did only a handful have His special light and the knowledge of a place in His story? Why were they promised a new story of "happily ever after"? If He was a real Author, He would make good of the story here.

The Author continued to lead His story to the new ending He had determined for it. Only those who held His light and followed His storyline found joy in it. Those who created their own stories, no matter how good they were, stumbled around in the darkness far from the Author.

_________________

Whose storyline do you follow: your own or the Author's? The ending is determined by your acceptance or rejection of the Light.

Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, "I Am the Light of the world. If you follow Me, you won't have to walk in darkness, because you will have the Light that leads to Life."

Russian Roulette

Does life ever seem to you like a game of Russian Roulette? Especially when it comes to tragedy?

At times it has for me. Just emotionally, of course; my brain doesn't buy it. There have been times when it feels a gun is placed to all our heads. Click. Nothing, so you go on living. Bang. Someone near you dies or is hurt.

Thankfully, I know that life isn't random events. It's this knowledge that reigns in my feelings.

I read this morning the well-quoted and loved passage of Psalm 139. There David goes into great detail on God's care of him, of His watch over who he is today, of His creation of him in the womb, and of His knowledge of exactly how many days he has and how they will play out.

All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

What are you going through today? Sickness? Worry? Grief?

[Yahweh], You know when I sit and when I rise;
You perceive my thoughts from afar...
You are familiar with all my ways...
You hem me in—behind and before;
You have laid Your hand upon me...
Where can I flee from Your presence?
...even the darkness will not be dark to You; 

He knows. He is there. The darkness may hide Him from our perception, but you were in His plan before the earth was formed. He has not forgotten you. There is no chance He will forget you.

For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:6)

Yahweh who planned your existence, formed your body and designed your mind, personality, and gifts, will hold on tightly to you. Hold tightly to Him.

Search me, O God, and know my heart;

test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.

(Psalm 139:23-24)

9-1-1

Who can forget where one was September 1, 2001? Terror struck New York and Washington, and its ripples shot through the rest of the States.

The smallest child is taught to call 9-1-1 in an emergency. Whether intentional or accidental, the date called out this emergency.

Yet out of horror, beauty sprung up as we saw the bravery of men and women risking their lives before and after the towers fell. We truly wept with those who wept.



For a minute, all of America came together. People flooded into churches to find something greater than themselves. And in many parts of the world, nations looked on us with compassion and friendship instead of distant mocking.

It is strange to look at what has happened these past nine years. Steering away from the political realm, it grieves me to see the misrepresentation of Christianity by pastors burning the Koran. Bigger plans for this were thankfully abandoned. Yet, I think of the Bible's blatant command:

But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. (1 Peter 3:15-16)

Being known by love and reaching out in forgiveness to their enemies is what Jesus and His followers modeled. The great irony in Emperor Nero's reign was his maligning Christians for burning Rome, cannibalism, etc., yet they reacted in love and died gallantly.

Today, I fear that many pastors, more or less their congregations, do not know the God of the Bible or what He taught. We have embraced the god of our own understanding and religiously clung to him, split churches over the colour of his carpets, slammed shut the hearts of the searching by our selfishness and pride. Some have made patriotism, politics or a political party a religion, and they are more devoted to preaching their good opinion than to sharing the Good News.

If we don't know Yahweh, how can we make Him known to a world that is empty and aching? We slander Him by our very eagerness to serve Him without knowing Him, Oswald Chambers so rightly said.

What will it take to awaken us again? Will a third world war have to happen? Will we lose religious freedom before we realize how much we've lost? Will we bring on persecution by our flaunting of our rights before those who hate us?

If you know the God of the Bible, make Him known. But honour Him with your gentle love and respect for all those He died to save.

Seeing in a Different Light

"Every possible statement that can be made about God expresses some possession or virtue of God, rather than God Himself. The conception of God as He is can only be grasped in one way—by thinking of Him as a Being whose attributes and greatness are beyond our powers of understanding, or even of thought." ~Novatian

When the sun rises or sets we get a glimpse of light and colour as its rays filter through the clouds and atmosphere. We would say we "saw the sun set." But we didn't. We saw aspects of the sun, not the sun itself. We all know that if we saw the sun, we would never see again.

One of the snares most common to humankind is pride. It shows itself blatantly through bragging, belittling retorts, or physical snubs. It shows itself subtly through false-humility, refusal to accept a kindness or gift, or avoidance of a certain person or people.

Pride also subtly creeps in puffing us up with our own knowledge. This is perhaps the most dangerous rearing of pride's ugly head.

Satan's downfall was pride. He said: "I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High."

Where did Satan go wrong? He assumed he knew the Most High. He who masquerades as an angel of light thought that the light equaled the sun. If he had truly known Yahweh, he would have also known he could not compete.

What about our pride? Do we think, as Christians especially, that we can describe God? Do we feel the necessity to defend His reputation to one who's grieving or hurt?

It may seem so easy to enlighten others until our own world falls apart. Then, lest we cling to Him, we may fall away because He no longer fits our understanding of a "loving God." Tragedy is personal.

One parent who lost a daughter eight years ago shares it this way:

If the whole thing comes crashing down because my daughter died? That makes me the center of the universe. This is something that happened in our lives, and it’s hard, but it’s still part of God’s plan.

Being able to accept the mystery of God is a maturing process. Our desire to be able to explain God is not necessarily good. To long to know God and pursue knowing Him is commendable. To want to define God, however, is a desire to defang the Lion of Judah, render Him helpless to harm us or those we love, make Him safe.

Mrs Beaver: "[I]f there's anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking they're either braver than most or else just silly."

"Then he isn't safe?" said Lucy.

"Safe?" said Mr Beaver; "don't you hear what Mrs Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you." (The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, Chapter 8)

Yahweh is so much bigger than we can comprehend. When we believe we "know God," in the complete sense of knowing Him, we enter the danger of pride. God is always surprising. We need to foster that sense of wonder and discovery. We must always be learning about Him, talking to Him, reading His Word.

"Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known." (1 Corinthians 13:12)

The more we grow in our faith, the more we will realize how much there is to know about God. He becomes like the "Lover" in the Song of Solomon. Our hearts ache for Him, and we delight to pursue and be pursued by the One we love; ever seeking a glimpse of His shadow.

The immature see one aspect of God and think He's complete. The mature realize that three pounds of brain is not capable of knowing God. We grasp whatever "possession or virtue of God" we can understand and surrender in trust what is beyond us; ever pursuing the sweet mystery of His love.

Come Back to Life

Guesstimated between 5 and 10,000 years ago, in a perfect garden somewhere in the East, a man and woman thrived. Yet even with everything they could desire or need, they believed the doubt the serpent fed them, telling them God held back what should be theirs. They relied on their own reasoning. They distrusted God's word, ate the forbidden fruit, and died.

"God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” (Genesis 3:3)

They didn't die till much later, you say? Oh, but they did!
 
If you put on these glasses to see beyond the surface of skin... See that corpse lying in the man and in the woman as they walk through the garden, as they are sent forever from its perfect life? That, my friend, is the spiritual life of mankind.
 
And just as a dead man and woman cannot produce a live child, so Adam and Eve could not produce children who lived spiritually. As God breathed life into the first man and woman, so He must bring life again.
 
The difference between the first life given and the need for life after the Fall is the debt. Now, instead of God walking and talking with mankind as He had, there instantly formed an unbreachable chasm. Man had chosen to defy God and to trust himself. God could not fellowship with those dead "in trespasses and sins."
 
A price had to be paid. It could only be paid by a second Adam; a perfect one and one who would obey God at any cost. Jesus the Messiah, God with us, came as a man and gave His life in obedience to His Father and in our place, receiving our punishment, so that He could breath life into those called by His name.

I know Christ is all in all. Man is nothing: he hath a free will to go to hell, but none to go to heaven, till God worketh in him to will and to do of His good pleasure. ~George Whitefield

If not for God, we would all remain dead. Isn't it only natural that the dead should remain so until they decay?

This is why God delights in election. It is the first work of free grace that takes away the final refuge of human self-reliance and casts man on the unshakable Rock of covenant love. ~John Piper

Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. (Ephesians 2:9)

What a powerful and merciful God to awaken any of us who were so contented in our sins.

Until God breaths life in us, we cannot live. When God breaths life into us, we cannot boast.

What In The World Am I Doing Here?

Do you ever wonder why there are flowers growing where no one sees them, animals at play with no one to watch, creatures undiscovered in the depths of the ocean, not to mention the galaxies far beyond satellite eyes? Why is there beauty in so many unseen places?

In The Pleasures of God: Meditations on God's Delight in Being God, John Piper contemplates why a God, who is complete and happy in Himself, would create all these things, seen and unseen.

From Psalm 104 (and other Scripture passages), Piper points to five reasons for creation.

1. Creation is an expression of God's glory (Ps 104:31). The world around us gives us a glimpse of the workmanship of our Creator. If what is produced is just a thought in the mind of God, how great must be our God. This flower is just a glimpse at the magnificence of the One who designed it.

The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims His handiwork. Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night declares knowledge. (Ps 19:1-2)

2. Creation praises God. The skipping fawn, the rain falling in a barren desert all praise their Creator by being exactly what He designed them to be and doing what He planned for them to do. Seen or unseen.

3. Creation reveals God's incomparable wisdom. Piper shares:

Did you know that there are ten thousand known species of diatoms? In a teaspoon of ordinary lake water there may be a million of these tiny invisible plants. And what are they doing while entertaining God with their microscopic beauty?...What are they doing? They are making tons and tons of oxygen so that the animals in the water can breathe! The world is full of the wisdom of God.

4. Creation reveals His incomparable power. The stars, galaxies, and universes beyond our own are enough of a glimpse at the power of One great enough to create and sustain such brilliant blazes of fire and space.

5. Creation points beyond itself to God. All the details, all the beauty, all the intricate designs and purposes point to an Artist. How vastly complex our world is! If so, how much more incomprehensible must be the mind of Him who spoke it into existence!

What does this mean for us?

What about those moments of laughter, those dark nights of tears, those kind acts unnoticed? You have a more attentive audience than all of creation!

See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6:28b-33)

Today, finding our purpose or destiny is all the buzz. We have forgotten the simple farmer of the past who glorified God while plowing his fields or the mother whose tender lullabies and love for her family, flowing from her love for God, brought pleasure to Him.

We want a big show, big applause, big congregations, big publicity. Maybe God wants you to be small. Maybe God wants me to have an obscure life. Maybe what pleases Him best is getting us quietly away from success in order that we may delight in His presence.

God loves us so much that He asks us today to be faithful in the small things.

God loves us so much that He keeps us from that which would take our hearts away from Him, the only Satisfier of all our longings.

What an amazing Father!

How the Blood Works

I've often wondered why God made the payment of sin to be death when He knew He would have to pay it in order to have any relationship with us at all.

Recently, my Pastor preached on the biblical covenants. Last week he reiterated God's covenant with Abraham. All these covenants were made directly to the Jews, but the Abrahamic covenant promised to spill over to the rest of the world through Abraham's Seed—Jesus.

Another unique distinction in the covenant with Abraham (here still called Abram) is how the oath was sworn.

Yahweh said to him, “Bring Me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon.”

Abram brought all these to Him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half. Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.

As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him.....

When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. On that day Yahweh made a covenant with Abram... (Genesis 15:9-12, 17-18a)

In the ancient Near East when a covenant was sworn, both covenanters would walk through an aisle of dead animals, such as described in Genesis. The purpose of doing such said, in essence, that both were agreeing to fulfill the covenant or sacrifice their lives.

Throughout the Old Testament, Yahweh was always the One reaching out to mankind. With Abraham, it was no different. Yahweh desired to fulfill a promise through this man. Being a man, however, Abraham would not be able to keep his end of the contract, perfect obedience to Yahweh's covenant, for himself or for his descendants; therefore, all of us would be condemned to eternal punishment...the sacrifice of our lives.

Because Yahweh desired a relationship with the human race, He took the fulfillment of the covenant upon Himself. He alone walked through the dead animals, guaranteeing the covenant at the sacrifice of His life.

Humans, Abraham and every person throughout time, has failed to keep the requirements of God, as Yahweh had known. To remind us of the horror our sin is to Him, He required that the Jews sacrifice animals. The lambs, goats, cattle, etc. took the death that we deserved. This did not cleanse us of our sin. It only reminded us of the blood that needed to be shed because of our faithlessness.

Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. (Hebrews 9:22)

As Yahweh foreknew, a time came when sacrifice had to be made. He came in flesh. He came to be one of us, to experience the temptations, yet to resist them. Someone once pointed out that His withstanding the temptations were a greater test of His empathy than if He had given in to them. Because He resisted, He knows the extent of temptation's strength.

For thirty-three years as a man, He completed our half of the covenant, which not one person in thousands of generations had been able to do. At the same time, as God, He fulfilled His promise to sacrifice His life because of our breach of the covenant.

Jesus blood became the entrance into the New Covenant. The cost is incomparable. Because it cannot be matched, any who refuse to enter into this covenant through Jesus will never find peace with God. Any who refuse to accept Jesus death as their payment will be required to pay with their lives...for eternity.

Each Easter we remember again, not just the sacrifice, but that Jesus rose from the dead. His resurrection placed Him at the right hand of Yahweh to interceed for all who come before God in His Name.

Are you trying to arrange a covenant of your own, which will leave you the sole fulfiller and the one responsible for a perfect life?

Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. (John 14:6)

God paid it all. There is no greater insult to Him than to say: It wasn't enough.

(Picture curtesy of http://www.freefoto.com/)

Spiritual Lessons from Hockey

I attended my first professional hockey game Friday night. Hockey, like soccer or basketball, is a sport I can really get into. And I did. I'm not sure how I thought moving and gripping my hands were going to help the Griffins score points, but something worked. They won!

While watching them, I noticed the main weaknesses that have caused my home team so much grief this season.

1) They often didn't work at controlling the puck.

2) They didn't always work as a team. They would leave a player stranded at a strategic point, such as their goalie, thus giving the opposition a clear shot to defeat them.

3) One of them would try to work solo.

These are just a few, but the main and obvious signs of their Achilles heel. It also struck me that these have parallels in the Church today.

As the Griffins haphazardly hit the puck, often passing it to an area where only the enemy waited, so the Church often (maybe in zeal without knowledge) opens herself up to ridicule (and thus, more importantly, the reputation of God) by not properly using the Word of God. By claiming foolish actions as being based on the Bible, we give the enemy more opportunities to shut many ears to the truth. By hateful attitudes and actions to any sinner, not the least homosexuals, we have not shown a God of love, but a God of hate. Instead, we should love the sinner, while hating the sin.

As the players often did not work as a team, so the Church often becomes so divided by small differences that we fight each other. The battle isn't against flesh and blood, but against principalities and spiritual forces unseen. One sin God says over and over in Scripture that He hates is causing division amongst His people. How far could we spread God's Truth, if Christians loved one another and helped one another, irregardless of denominations and minor issues!

Lastly, going solo. As one player trying to shoot a goal from far away (instead of to a closer teammate) is counterproductive, so pulling away from the gathering of believers is counterproductive. We are in a spiritual war. Isolation of one means victory for the enemy. Whether you face hurt, bitterness, or disappointment with a church congregation, finding in God the freedom to forgive and join again (or another congregation) is essential to your growth, as well as you being essential to the work of the Body in the location God has placed you. No man is an island.

The huddle is over. Let's go out and play as a team!

Urgent vs. Important

For those who have followed my blog, yes, this is unusual to post twice in one week. Tomorrow marks the anniversary of the death of a childhood friend. That and other thoughts got me musing.

While in college, my father would often admonish me, concerning my relationship with God, to make sure to make time for what is important. He knew that the urgent would always demand precedence. This is true on many levels.

An idea that has come to me frequently is that you make time for what matters to you. You know if someone thinks you're important by how they act. It doesn't have to be big things, maybe just a note, but they reach out because you matter.

My friend was killed in an accident. He was on his way to work and his life ended. Thankfully, the testimonies of friends and family reveal he lived out a similar principal, with people and with God. But, if he hadn't, how quickly it would have been too late.

So I'm reminded once again--make time for what's important. Life doesn't slow down (I'm learning that). Instead, it accelerates. It's you who has to say, "This one matters!" Your children, parents, spouse, friends... savour the moments, the touch, the faces, the words. Take time for God. Take time for people.

Activities never end, but people do.

What's Love Got to Do with It?

My employer has begun a racial diversity group, in which I am a part. We have been discussing the importance of diversity and what it would look like in our immediate context.

This week, an African American male and an Indian (from India) female were sharing that their comfort level is greatest in groups of their own people. A couple of us countered that, as Christians, we should all be one in Christ; we should be one people and not segregate ourselves.

Our group monitor reminded us of Jesus example of reaching out, going the extra mile for those ostracized by His nation. The example of His reaching out to the Samaritan woman at the well came to mind. Jesus did not expect her to join the groups of His own people first, but spent time showing He cared for her as an individual and knew her greatest need.

I little brighter light went on in my head. In my desire that we all be unified, I have to realize that there are people that I need to reach out to in a more purposeful way, to show love, to make feel welcome and important.

Paul, in Philippians says, "Each of us should look not only to our own needs, but also to the needs of others." He goes on to give the greatest example for us to follow, the Hero of Love--Jesus Christ.

Jesus tied loving others in with true love for God when He gave the greatest commands: "'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the greatest and most important commandment. The second is like it: 'You must love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commandments." (Matthew 22:37-40)

People today often choose one command over the other. They either focus so much on God that they fail to grasp that love for God is shown by His love flowing through us to others. If we are not practically loving others, we do not love God. "By this all men will know that you are My disciples if you have love for one another."

On the other extreme, individuals get so caught up in causes that they fail to see God. If we don't love God, what we do for others, no matter how good it appears to our fellow humans, is using people in the most selfish sense of the word.

Oswald Chambers rightly said: "No love of the natural heart is safe unless the human heart has been satisfied by God first."

And Augustine explains: "He loves Thee [God] too little who loves anything together with Thee, which he loves not for Thy sake."

As in all things the Bible teaches, there is a balancing rope to be walked. Loving God is always first. That comes from time with Him, feeding in His Word, talking with Him, but, then, going out and doing what He says (cf. James).

What is He asking you to do this week? Is there someone from another country or a different background that needs you to go the extra mile to show you care to really know them? Is there someone in financial need that God is asking you to give money without thought of repayment? Is there someone who is physically hurting that needs help around the house?

We must always focus on seeking God's face, while holding each other's hand.

The Puzzle

Today I pulled out a puzzle and began the process of piecing it together.

Have you ever noticed how many times the shapes fool you? You think for certain you've found the perfect match. You put it in, hardly noticing there is a little stiffness in the fit. Suddenly, you find the real location for the piece. You have to wrench it out to put it where it belongs.

Unlike us, God knows where each of the pieces of life should fit. As you lay down one small decision after another, Jesus knows the whole picture you can't see.

You may think you've found the perfect fit. If you're determined enough, you may even make something work by pushing your will, cutting corners, ignoring patterns. The problem is, this mars the perfect picture. God can forgive and complete a plan for your life, but you'll always bear the scars of the wrong fit.

Whatever choices you're facing now--whether it's a job or a house that seems built out of dreams or someone you've met who seems made for you--remember to check with the Artist of your life. Don't force events, but pray, wait, and only act as God leads. It may seem to your mind that you know the solution, but wait on God's timing and seek His will.

Nothing is a good substitute for the best fit.

What Do I Do with This Hope?

Normally, we think of hope in a good sense. And, it is, properly applied. But, what do you do with hope that creeps in and is unassigned, as it were; it's too early to label it good or bad?

Obviously, this comes from some thinking I've been doing lately. A hope has awakened that is, in itself, neither good nor bad. It is just hope. I feel like I've been holding it in my hand, analyzing it. Should I crush it? Should I nurture it? With it comes fear. If it is not something that may be reality, I fear the heart sickness of hope deferred (Proverbs 13:12).

I'd have to say, overall, I'm a fairly contented person. I easily entertain myself, I'm happy in solitude or in the company of good friends or co-workers. That's why when this sleeping giant, that I thought might actually be dead, awakens, it disrupts my whole life. This time it is based on a more real hope than I have possibly ever known.

So this is what it came down to: I was counseled, indeed I counseled myself as well, to trust in God. He (of course, He does!) has the best in mind for me. If He doesn't want it, logically, I wouldn't want it either. Right? Emotionally, however...

C.S. Lewis is quoted as saying, “We're not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us; we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be.” More and more I relate to the man in the New Testament that said to Jesus, "I believe, help my unbelief."

I find I'm more complex then I thought. My motives are never fully clear, even when I think I know them. I'm comforted that David, Paul, and others in the Bible also discovered this about their own hearts.

In Psalm 19:12, David said, "Who can discern his errors? Clear me from hidden faults."

Paul concurred, "My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me....He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts..." 1 Corinthians 4:4, 5

So, though I trust God, I find, at the same time, a battle to trust Him. If you have lived long, you will probably relate. I believe that at the end of the day, what He wills is exactly what I would want. Yet, what do I do with this hope? Do I trust God that the hope is good and will be fulfilled?

No. I must trust God to be God. That's all. I hold out my hand and place my hope in Him, in His eternal, unchanging character. At the end of time, it will not matter so much if circumstances worked out as I dreamed. It will matter who God is and where I stand with Him.

It's easier said, than done, as the saying goes. The prayers of friends are priceless. I asked, and they have prayed for me to let go and let God.

Tonight, I have peace. Where is my hope? At this moment, as far as it depends on me, it is in the Hands of my Father. He holds my hope as He holds my life. I'll let Him worry about my tomorrow, while I go to sleep tonight.

How Bad is Bad?

I was reading this morning in the book of Genesis. I have read these passages over many times, but this time something hit me in a new way.

"The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on earth had become, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The LORD was grieved that He made man on the earth, and His heart was filled with pain." Genesis 6:5-6

The idea of God's heart being "filled with pain" is what struck me. It took on new meaning, especially in light of many who say that all should be saved, that there are many ways to God, and that God would not condemn someone to Hell because of that one's rejection of Jesus.

I've heard it before, but it just was so clear. Our understanding of God is so microscopic that we cannot comprehend how incredibly ugly and revolting our sin is.

If God was not love, our sin would merely give Him reason to wipe us off the earth and forget. Instead, because He is love, His heart fills with pain at our unbelief, at our making up our own set of standards, and ignoring what He shed His blood for us to see.

In Genesis, God looked for any way to save mankind without compromising His holiness. When He found one man who feared Him and desired to obey, He gave that man, Noah, time to build a boat and the specifications. Before the flood filled the earth, God shut the door with His own hand and saved Noah, his whole family, and at least two of every animal.

This salvation, like the sacrifices the Israelites gave for thousands of years, were just temporary fixes for an immediate problem. The saving was physical and symbolic. Both pointed to the one day when God would send His Son to be crucified.

Oswald Chambers said, "Jesus Christ hates the wrong in man and Calvary is the estimate of His hatred." Instead of taking His hatred of sin out on the sinners, who have broken His heart, God paid the price.

This is what makes rejection of Jesus so horrible. He has withheld judgement on me and you, because He is giving us a chance to accept a payment that cost the life of a Perfect man, God in flesh. It took God to be perfect; it took flesh to die. If you and I will not accept this unfathomable grace that would take our punishment, then we must face our punishment--forever separated from God.

If you argue for those who have never heard, God, who is rich in mercy, knows what it takes to show them Jesus. He has sent many missionaries in to the heart of jungles and isolated villages. Sometimes they are surprised to find the people expecting them.

God is not unjust. He promises to make us each responsible for the truth that we are given. You can be sure that what breaks His heart will never be allowed into His Kingdom.

If He did not love you, Jesus would not have died. You would have been punished without mercy, only justice.

Because He loves you, you have the choice to break His heart and reap the fruit of your sin. Or, you may accept His payment and reap the fruit of His love.

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

It is your only life. How will you use it?

Don't Forget Your Mind

I went to see some friends perform in a play based on The Screwtape Letters. The script well represented C.S. Lewis's book and the essay Screwtape Proposes a Toast. It reminded me again, with Lewis' usual combination of wit and truth, of the subtleties of sin.

The demon Screwtape explains to Wormwood, the younger demon, that truth isn't to be avoided, but twisted. It is much more efficient to block the human ears to what he doesn't wish to believe than to constantly be whispering lies to him.

A follower on Twitter--Bob--illustrated this idea very clearly this week (for those who don't understand Twitter, think of it as being like what used to be status--now "What's on Your Mind?"--updates on Facebook, but more frequent).

I posted a link to an article our ministry wrote about why God allows evil. Bob responded that it was simple logic: 1) God doesn't exist. 2) Evil is only in the mind of Christians.

I asked him if he didn't believe murder to be wrong. He tried to dodge the question with all sorts of rabbit trails, but eventually agreed to a definition of murder as the taking of a human life that cannot defend his- or herself. He said it wasn't okay, but he would do it if he was willing to take the consequences. He also added that he didn't believe it was evil. "Murder is murder," he concluded.

Then Bob brought God and Jesus into his arguments. I reminded him that he did not believe in God.

Bob said he had read the Bible. I told him I was glad, because it is good to know what you believe and why. I have read it for about 27 years. If what I believe about its truth is wrong, I have lost a false peace. If what he believes is wrong, he loses everything.

He then quoted a verse, obviously twisting it, as a comeback to my statement. When I smiled and pointed to his taking it out of context, he agreed, but said he believes that's how Jesus meant it.

Finally, I asked him who he thought Jesus was. He said, "Jesus is who he claimed to be." Our conversation ended when I asked him who Jesus claimed to be.

Bob wanted to believe the Gospels about Jesus, but did not want to accept any of Paul's writings. He, of course, failed to understand that Jesus did not write anything about himself. The writers were eyewitnesses or wrote down the statements from eyewitnesses to Jesus' life. Paul, likewise, wrote as God revealed to him. This was accepted by believers at the time these men lived and have been passed down together for nearly 2000 years.

Bob is just one of many who sample religions like dishes at a smorgasbord. They believe they can gather truths and create a religion comfortable to their lifestyle. What they fail to understand, for one thing, is the founders of each religion would never assent to the points of another. Buddha claimed there is no God; enlightenment comes from within oneself. Muhammad tried to kill the Jews and Christians that would not convert to his belief in Allah. And more isolating than all the rest is Jesus statement: "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

Every religion, except the Bible, gives you a chance to have pride in your own accomplishments, to gain the right to heaven, to balance evil with good. The Bible says, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God;" "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord;" and "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He has saved us... not by works lest any one should boast."

Atheists, though too simplistic, at least try to balance their unbelief with an effort at logic. Smorgasbord religionists ignore their minds almost completely in their attempt to sample only what they like or feel.

God asks us to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Do you know what and why you believe what you do? It is equally as dangerous to avoid the mind as it is to avoid the heart. Don't forget to think.

Life Map

A friend sent me a flair on Facebook that says, "My life has a superb cast, but I can't figure out the plot." If you are like most of us, you can relate to this. Most people don't know where their life is headed. A rare few feel called to do something in there life and, at least to us outsiders, it appears they follow the course to the end of their life.

I know. You may tell me God has the answers, that the Bible shows the way. I will agree with you. The Bible does show us the way to God and the way to life that pleases Him, but it stops short of explaining life, of showing us what we each should do with our life. It would be naive to think it did.

In Ecclesiastes, Solomon describes how he pursued life. He tried to find out what would make him happy, what would fulfill his craving to live a life of purpose. He describes a life most of us only dream about. He had pleasures at his fingertips. He built houses, vineyards, gardens, parks, pools, acquired possessions, whatever his "eyes desired." He also sought wisdom and God gave to him wisdom more than any other man. He, like we in our small way, found these pursuits, in themselves, empty, vain, void of lasting pleasure.

Solomon concludes his wrestling with the meaning of life by saying, "The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil." (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)

It leaves me where I began. There are moments I wish I had a literal life map to follow. Sometimes I'm tired of the adventures of life as much as the mundane tasks.

Life is a mystery. It is meant to be lived fully. It's the prologue, but it sets the stage of life to come. The decisions you make in a moment will impact forever. But we don't have to go forth blindly. We have One who sees the end of our life, as well as beginning. In John 10:4 Jesus says, "When He puts forth His sheep, He goes before them, and the sheep follow Him for they know His voice."

To whose voice are you listening? Are you blindly going forth without a map or are you listening to the One who drew the map? There is a purpose. We don't know now, but we will.

Heaven

In some ways, I had almost an idyllic childhood or at least it looks that way in retrospect. Some of my best memories were in a very small town in Minnesota with my best friend living next door. He eventually moved.

Twenty-five years later, we reconnected via Facebook. He compared our childhood times to heaven: "The bliss and simple pleasure of swinging on a swing in the backyard on a summer day with my best friend, who I loved with absolutely no taint of the impurities and flaws that come later in life... I always think that that is what our lives will be like in heaven... yet enhanced because we will understand what we've lost and finally returned to."

Jesus said: "Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it." Luke 18:17

Innocence characterizes childhood. Sadly, it quickly is destroyed in many children today. One definition of innocence is "freedom from guile, cunning, or deceit; simplicity or artlessness." Children are the first to tell you that you smell or are fat. They'll wrap their arms around your neck and tell you they love you. They will cry when they are sad. They laugh and skip and never worry about the eyes that follow them.

This past Christmas, a little four or five year old walked up in front of the church to sing. She tripped on the steps, but scrambled back up and performed. Watching her face, I could see she wasn't worried what we thought of her. I wonder if there is one adult in a million who could trip and not worry, even slightly, about his image.

I think it is their honesty about life and who they are and their simple trust to which God is referring when He invites us to come to Him like a child. Ignorance and foolishness also blind their understanding. But Jesus reveals this is not characteristic of His children: "...be wise as serpents and innocent as doves" Matthew 10:16. He does not ask us to shut off our brain, but to turn it on for Him.

What does all this have to do with heaven?

Charles Stanford said, "Heaven must be in me before I can be in heaven." This is the point Jesus was making when He said the pure in heart will see God (Matthew 5:8). Yet how can we return to the innocence of children? He explains that we must be born again, born a second time (John 3:1-21). When questioned about what this means, Jesus stated the most frequently quoted, yet poignant scripture: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 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.
(Joh 3:16-17)

Heaven is still a distant place that each person will receive or reject forever before they die. Is heaven in you?

Imagine

Imagine a place where everyone is born colourblind. All the world looks black and white. A doctor comes from a distant place offering a surgery which would allow one to see colours. Most reject it. Not only does the risk of surgery seem foolish, but the desire for colour is incomprehensible. How can one explain green, yellow, and blue to one who knows only grey, white, and black? No desire can be aroused where there is no understanding of deficiency.

To me, this is the dilemma in spiritual vision. Many who have never read the Bible ignore or try to discredit it by what they have heard, know, or feel. The ocean and grass are black and the sun white because they have no comparison outside their own resources. To explain life only from what one thinks or feels is to credit oneself with complete understanding in which one is capable of judging all life's truths.

Proverbs 14:12 says, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death."
Do you believe that in you lies sufficient knowledge? Or, are you willing to consider there may be reality outside your sphere of understanding?