Late night ramblings...why I won't give up

I am lucky to post 1 to 3 times a month these days. A far cry from what I am used to. Several reasons. The main being life is so busy right now. Work load is awful, father-in-law not doing well, mother-in-law driving everyone crazy. Wife struggling with her father's decline and mother's expectations (they live with us). Oldest son lives out of state, and we are not sure how he is really doing. The list goes on. And through it all, our church ignores us, treats us like outcasts or as non-existent, and just lives in a glory that isn't really there at all.

And yet, I believe in a sovereign God. So I can smile sometimes during the day. I can continue to praise Him, even though times are tougher than I would like. (Take that, Joel Osteen!) Like Job, I am sure that some would just advise me to curse God and die (or quit or leave or find another church). But my God allows me to stay, even in the midst of trials. Somehow, I should be glorifying Him through all of this, and I pray that I am. I do not seek to be a martyr, but I dare not run either.

Contrary to what I read in the Purpose Driven sequel called SHAPE, it is not my strengths and abilities that honor God, but it is my weaknesses and inabilities. It is the things that drop me to my knees that draw me to Him. Maybe I don't have the most read, coolest, most techno-savy blog. But maybe I touch a heart or two. Maybe I don't lead a platoon to Christ, but maybe I just fill the gaps that God desires I fill.

Just a little late night rambling from a man who is tired, but who clings to a faith that will not let me down, and a God who cannot fail.

Do I have to?

³And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. (I John 2:3)

There is a constant struggle between legalism and grace. So what is John saying here? Are we bound to keep the commands of Christ? Is it a part of our salvation to do so? And the answer is apparently, YES!

But before someone yells, "legalist!" at me, that is not my answer, it is John's. So here are some thoughts about this verse that might clarify things a bit.

• John is not talking about keeping his commandments as a means of salvation. He does not say that if we keep his commandments we are saved.
• He does state that this is evidence of our salvation. That if we want to know if someone knows Jesus, we should look at them and be able to see a difference.
• Verse 6 states, "whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked."

Salvation is not a matter of works, it is a matter of faith. And by that faith, we pursue the object of that faith, God as revealed by His Son. We cannot pursue that by works of righteousness.

My son is at the age where he is a constant shadow to me. If I am going somewhere, he wants to know where and if he can go along. If I am doing something, he wants to help. Not because I ask him too, but because he wants to. In a sense he is pursuing me, and in some ways he will become like me. He would not become like me by merely doing what he was told. He would not become like me by cleaning his room and mowing the yard. To become like me he must spend time with me. Watch me. Talk with me.

I don't become Christlike by merely attending church, giving, serving. These are good things, but take out the love for God (see 1 Cor 13!) and it all means nothing.

God, help me to love you today. Help me to pursue You, to spend time with You, to see You. What more is needed?

Turn it around, silly people

Ephesians 1:15-19a

¹⁵ For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, ¹⁶ I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. ¹⁷ I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. ¹⁸ I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, ¹⁹ and his incomparably great power for us who believe.

Can't you just see the humility of Paul here? How humbled he is in what God has done in Ephesus? He is not patting anyone, including himself, on the back for the faith and love of these people. He knows that there is only one who gets the praise, and that is God. Knowing that all things come from God he first gives thanks. Thanks to the one who is responsible for all good gifts. And beyond that, he prays for them, praying to God that the faith that he has heard about will continue to grow. Praying that the Spirit will be unleashed in their lives. Why? That they might know Him better. Because as they come to know Him better, their faith will increase, their love for one another will grow even greater.

Doesn't this stand in stark contrast to most of Christianity today? We see the church is growing, and we smile and pat one another on the back. We send an offering to Haiti or Japan, and of course we print the amount of the check in hte bulletin and newsletter, because we want to know just how awesome we are. Go God, You sure know how to use us awesome Christians. We often offer up a prayer too. But is it constant? Does it echo the humility of Paul and of Christ?

What we need to understand is, it is knowing Him that brings us to our knees. It is seeing His grace and glory that creates life change in us. We don't respond to get closer by works that seek to impress God or others. Those who do have already "received their reward in full." (Matt 6:2)

Having it all

Ephesians 1:3

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.

THOUGHT 1:
Paul begins by saying "Blessed be God." God is worthy of our worship, because He is adorable, worthy, good, etc. I believe that this is the beginning of the gospel. God is good, and is worthy of our praise no matter what. Paul expounds more on the greatness of God in other places, one of my favorites being Romans 11:33-36. Not only does Paul say this, but he lives it. It was this thought, I believe, that carried him through the many torturous events in his life. Prison, stoning, shipwrecks, murderous threats and so on. It seems that nothing ever got Paul down. It was this thought that also got Paul through the good times, through times when he might otherwise have been tempted to rely on the things of this world rather than on God. Paul always understood that God is in control, and that God loved him very much.

I think this thought is echoed in the Lord's prayer, where Jesus beings, "Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name." God is holy (hallowed). Can there be any greater acknowledgment of God's worth than to call him holy? This is pinnacle to us worshipping Him. We need to see Him as holy, perfect, sinless, all-good. If not, why would we worship Him? If so, we are crazy not to worship Him.

THOUGHT 2:
God's goodness overflows to us. He has "blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places." A few things to note about His blessings to us. First, we are blessed in Christ. I think this is a primary reason that many in the world can be satisfied with little, while many with much would not be satisfied with even more. God's blessings overflow through Christ. As Paul said, "I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need." (Phil 1:12) The secret is to understand God's goodness and how it flows to us in all circumstance. That is why the next verse in Philippians is "I can do all things through him who strengthens me." 

To continue with this thought, Paul states that we have every spiritual blessing. If we have every one of them, then we have no lack. This does not mean the we have every spiritual gift, but we have every spiritual blessing. We have all that we need, in Christ, to deal with whatever the world throws our way.

What is this spiritual blessing? I believe it is faith. Jesus said, "[I]f you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you." (Matthew 17:20) So even the smallest faith is enough blessing to accomplish a great task. If we have faith, we have all that we need. If we see God as beautiful, hallowed, wonderful, then we know that we have all that we need in this life.

Romans 3:21-23

But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

Is therer anyone out there who honestly believes that they have the right to stand in the presence of God? Is there someone who thinks that they are good enough to have favor with God? What about for even just one day? Can we say that even for one day? Can we stand before God and say, "Surely You remember that day I took that mission trip and worked on that home for that poor family?" Even on a day like that can we say that we totally gave ourselves to the Lord, with no thought of malice or self? That we did not argue about how things need to be done, or our mind wander about the cute person next to us, or just that self-righteous idea of, "Okay God, you owe me one now."

We are wicked, and the Law and the Prophets testify to this. If you don't believe me, just read the 10 commandments. How many have you kept? If your score is not 10 out of 10, you have failed. How many have you kept when you extend that idea that even looking lustfully at a woman is adultery? Forget about murder, when Jesus says that even calling someone a fool puts us in danger of the fires of Hell? Not only does the Law show God's righteousness and perfection, it reveals our unrighteousness and imperfection. (Not a wildly popular sermon topic, but a topic the Bible does not shy away from.)

So what a wonderful gft and revelation when we discover that the righteousness we do not have is given to us through Christ! Given. As in we don't deserve it, we did not earn it, but we can possess it. We all fall short, but through faith can be justified freely though the redemption that came by Jesus.

And if that were all that there were to it, it would be a great ending. But it isn't. You see, the word faith does not just imply a head knowledge, but also conveys the meaning of "a conviction." So it is not just believing that saves us, but the change that takes place because of the conviction of our hearts when we see what He has done for us in giving us His righteousness.

That is what I want and need to see more of each and every day.

Romans 1:16-17

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

• For I am not ashamed of the gospel This might sound like a silly or obvious thing to say, but I wonder how well we realy understand what it means to not be ashamed of the Gospel. Because it is not the same thing as being ashamed that we go to church. In fact, it might just mean the opposite. Sometimes church is all about our works and righteousness and what we do. The Gospel is all about what God has already done. It is a state of humility rather than a state of pride. It is me saying that I want Jesus, not saying Jesus wants me. It is falling at God's feet and worshipping rather than worshipping and expecting him to take notice.
• because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes This is just a continuation of the previous thought. To really get the Gospel we must understand that God brings salvation, he rescues us from the depths of sin and destruction. This gift is offered to all who will believe it.
• first to the Jew, then to the Gentile I admit, I struggle with this. Does it mean that the Jews are His first choice, or is this simple stating the chronologically, salvation was first offered to the Jews, and then to the Gentiles? I like this understanding, because it shows that God is a God of providence and a God of order, and it makes it less about me and more about Him.
• For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed It is not my righteousness, but Christ's righteousness that is imparted to me.
• a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith So what does it mean that it is by faith? Another word for this is fidelity, so I immediately think of marriage and what it means to be "faithful." Again, I see it as a result of falling in love and making a pledge to another that no matter what, you will be true. In sickness and in health. In good times and in bad. My fidelity is not based on circumstance, but it is the foundation of the relationship.

Praise God for the Gospel, the good news. So now my life begins to revolve around this truth. This is the basis for how I respond in all circumstance. It is why I go the extra mile, turn the other cheek, why I carry my cross. It is because I will live by faith, I will maintain my fidelity no matter what.

Kids believe the darndest things

I teach in an elementary school.

One thing that always amazes me is how kids think about God. Kids that I think have no church exposure or relationship at all know about God. And if you question their belief they are quick to show you their offense. No guilt, no second guessing. They believe.

John 3:36 "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but hte wrath of God remains on him."

Why did Jesus make the switch? At first he says we must believe. I am okay with that. I made a confession in front of the church, so I am in, right?

But then he says that "whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life." Why add obedience. I was okay at believe. Sure, I don't act like those school kids, sometimes I get a little embarrassed when it comes t omy faith. I don't always get offended or come to your defense. Maybe I even second guess sometimes.

Just how far do you want me to take this?

Its half-time!

Galatians 5:1 states, "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."

Why is it that Christians are more often defined by what we don't do than by anything else? Don't smoke, don't chew, don't date the girls who do.

Paul doesn't seem to think too much of this idea either. Stand firm (in Christ, not in legalism), and do NOT let yourselves be burdened by a yoke of slavery.

He goes on to say that "if you let yourselves by circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all." Could that be stated any stronger???

It is not about circumcision, it is about depending on anything other than Christ. Remember Jesus' statement that we "cannot serve two masters?" (Matt 6:24) I don't think that this only refers to money! I do not think we can serve the law and Christ either. I think Paul agrees

To depend on the law, any law, any set of do's and don'ts, only alienates us from Christ. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. (Vs. 6)

So why do it? One reason comes to mind, fear. Fear that grace alone isn't really enough. Fear that God really will hold us accountable for our deeds. Fear that there really is a good/bad scale when we stand before God in judgment.

What is it that Isaiah says about our righteous acts? Calling them filthy rags? How does that play out on a balance scale? (Is. 64:6)

Or is it a fear of leadership as well? If we don't tell people to tithe, we might not have enough income. If we don't tell people to stay away from R rated movies (except ones about the death of Christ), they might go (and like them). Or perhaps it is just easier to preach works rather than the Gospel?

I am not advocating not doing good works. What I am saying is that any works not born out of faith and love are a wasted effort. And if any works born out of faith and love are meaningless, then wouldn't it make sense to spend more time on the why than on the how?

I wonder how many coaches spend their half-time talks going over the fundamentals? Don't they rather talk about the motivation to win? Isn't that how we get ordinary people to do extra-ordinary things?

Faith

Galatians 3:23 says, "Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed."


I have lots of questions about this verse. Like, was there a time before faith? Was there a time when people were acting only in obedience, not acting in faith or at least not knowing that it was faith? And where does this place Abraham? Was he acting in faith or obedience? Seems like there had to be an element of faith when he went to sacrifice his son, through whom he expected the promise to be fulfilled. Was that the first inkling, the first revelation of faith that this verse speaks of, or is it speaking of a time under Christ, whereas now faith is revealed to us?


Whatever the case, it seems that faith rules supreme. Paul states in verse 26 that our sonship under God comes through faith in Jesus.


I think that there are some who still don't see the revelation of faith. They still pursue God through works. I thin that is one reason the book of Galatians was written. I think I too still struggle with trying to earn God's approval. Perhaps that is why the Bible speaks so much on rest.


Psalm 46:10  "Be still and know that I am God.


Maybe instead of slowing down, I need to stop for awhile.

You stupid people!

Galatians 3:1 You foolish Galatians!


Paul is not trying to make friends here. In fact, he sounds a little ticked off. Angry. Our Sunday School teacher mentioned last week that anger is fueled by love. I think Paul's anger was fueled by love for God, Christ, and the gospel itself. He goes on to say...


Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified.


Where they actually denying the crucifixion and resurrection? Or was it their legalism that has Paul saying this? I am not sure. Either way, it is still an offense to the cross. They had been granted the power of the Spirit! (Vs 2), but apparently this was not enough to keep them from going down this path.


I find that VERY interesting. So having the power of the Spirit is not enough to keep one on the straight and narrow? No wonder there are so many times that we are admonished to guard what we have been given. Oh that the power of the Spirit would protect us completely and always guard our direction! But the Galatians had begun with the Spirit, and then wandered off to attain their goal through human effort. (Vs 4)


Why? Why go back to the law? I can only think of one reason, comfort. Satan exploited this completely. How can you depend only on the blood of Christ? Surely God wants you to do more. Just believing cannot be enough. He still preaches that message today. And many still buy it.


Sometimes I think we find ourselves indespensible to God. It is as if withour our help, the job just cannot get done. Is that the God we serve? One who needs our help to get the job done? Remember John the Baptist, when the Pharisees came out, curious, self-righteous?

See those rocks? If God wanted more children for Abraham, he could get them from those rocks. (Paraphrase of John the Baptist from Matthew 3:9)


That is the God I serve, the one who does not need me but loves me. The one who is above all, and can do all.


Job 26:14 "And these are but the outer fringe of his works; how faint the whisper we hear of him! Who then can understand the thunder of his power?"


All of creation, and it is but the fringe of his works. That is a GOD worthy of my praise.


There is a lot of phony faith in the church today. And it is actually chasing people away. I hope that I am not a part of it.


AMEN!