Month: September 2016

Today is the Day

As is so often the case, I opened my blog this morning with a certain subject in mind, and God took me in a totally different direction. I can remember times when my Dad would walk to the pulpit to begin his carefully, and prayerfully, constructed sermon,  only to say that He felt God leading him to a different subject. It’s possible to fight God’s leading and continue on with our own thoughts, but so much more satisfying to follow Him. 

  “Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.” – Romans 12:9‭-‬10 NLT (http://bible.com/116/rom.12.9-10.NLT)

How much of our love is real and not for show? My thought this morning was to talk about life, and how no matter how dark our yesterday was, the Light of Christ is always there for those who believe in Him. Matt Maher’s song “Hold Us Together” was playing on the radio as I sat down:

“This is the first day of the rest of your life, Cause even in the dark you can still see the Light – it’s gonna be alright… Love will hold us together, Make us a shelter to weather the storm; And I’ll be my brother’s keeper So the whole world knows that we’re not alone…”

The two thoughts go hand in hand. When our love is real, it is the kind of LOVE that is only obtained through a relationship with Christ Jesus. Not only does His Love hold us together whenever we are in a dark place, but His Love shines through our brokenness to light the way for others to find Him. Not through anything we can think up to say or do, but HIS thoughts and HIS actions through us.   
There’s another song by Ryan Stevenson that says “You Alone are the Anchor when my sails are torn in the eye of the storm… ” 

There is such truth in these 2 songs, and I love how the lyrics compliment each other. That happens a lot when we choose Christ. When we strive to follow Jesus’ command to love, really LOVE, our brothers, we begin to see how God is working for good in our lives. When we love with God’s Love, we honor others and Him, and that is all He asks of us. “Don’t just pretend… Love them with genuine affection… and… Honor each other.”

The Truth is that these things are impossible to do without Christ. We can throw money into missions and missionaries and mission trips; we can even give our time and efforts. But without Love, this is nothing. Now, don’t shoot the messenger! Scripture says: 

  “If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? And He has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their fellow believers.” – 1 John 4:20‭-‬21 NLT (http://bible.com/116/1jn.4.20-21.NLT)

Today is the day to start a new life; a life to follow Christ’s command to love, really love, others. Today, not tomorrow. Will you pray about it, and pray for the person who has hurt you the most in this world? 

Obey My Commands 

​  “As the Father has Loved Me, so have I Loved you. Now remain in My Love. If you keep My commands, you will remain in My Love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in His Love. I have told you this so that My joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have Loved you. Greater love has NO ONE one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends…” (http://bible.us/John15.9-13.NIV)

Jesus said “Obey my commands…” and then He gives us the ONE command that supercedes and yet includes all of the previous law: “Love each other as I have Loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

There could come a time in our lifetimes – and it could come very soon – when we are called to do this; to actually lay down our lives for our friends and family and our faith. It is happening all around the world today, even as I write this. Are you prepared? Are you prayed up and armored by the Word of God?

  “The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very Power of God…. God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made Him to be Wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; He made us pure and holy, and He freed us from sin. Therefore, as the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the LORD.” – 1 Corinthians 1:18‭, ‬30‭-‬31 NLT (http://bible.com/116/1co.1.18-31.NLT)

This is apparent in the world, and I think it is especially true here, in the United States. There are so many lies being pushed aside truth in the media. Preachers are teaching that one color or one style of life is more important than others. What happened to “All men are created equal?” Do black lives matter more than red or brown or yellow or white? Do blue lives matter more than any other? Then we have the disparities between life styles and economic and academic classes. Where does it end? Read all of 1 Corinthians, chapter 1. We are foolish to think that we are any better than anyone else. It is only by keeping the ONE command that Jesus gave us that we can honor Him. If God has united you with Jesus Christ as your Savior, then you should understand. If we in thought and in deed love others as Christ loves us, then there is no inequality in our treatment of others. 

Unfortunately, we are human and as such are incapable of the kind of LOVE that Jesus has. Yet again, when we are united with Christ, and we allow ourselves to be in Him, then, and only then, can His Love shine in us and through us. As broken people, the Light of Jesus can shine through all of the cracks and holes of our brokenness and imperfections. So if we are to boast on anything, let’s boast on Jesus. So  “If you want to boast, boast ONLY about the LORD,” and be prepared to lay down your life in order to boast of Him. There IS no greater Love. 

How I would like to see our politicians (from the city level all the way to Washington) understand the importance of God’s Word and the power that is to be gained by following the example of Jesus Christ instead of their own selfish and self-righteousness….

Heaven is a Real Place

The term “heaven” appears 582 times in the KJV of technology Bible, and 422 times in the NIV. I believe that the heaven of the Bible is a real place, because I believe that the Bible is the Word of the Almighty God, Who spoke to humans – He still speaks, but we don’t listen very well. 

  ‘Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool. Could you build Me a temple as good as that?’ asks the LORD. ‘Could you build Me such a resting place? Didn’t My hands make both heaven and earth?’ – Acts of the Apostles 7:49‭-‬50; Isaiah 66:1-2 (http://bible.com/116/act.7.49-50.NLT)

Over the ages, mankind has attempted to build something akin to heaven, and despite the ornate, incredibly beautiful attempts, we don’t even come close. Consider the Taj Mahal, the reported beauty of the ancient city of Babylon and it’s hanging gardens, the fairy-tale castle of Neuschwanstein, the Forbidden City, Versailles…. if you Google ornate castles, there are lots to look at, and they are breathtaking – and yet they are but a pale imitation of the heaven where our God resides. The residents of these earthly castles surround themselves with luxury and decadence, trying to fill their lives. No matter how much we strive, no matter how much beauty and comfort we have here on earth, it won’t fill that hole in our lives. We can have the absolute latest and best of everything, and still be empty inside. In fact, as you look into the lives of those who reside in such places, you find disorder, despair, and loneliness. Years ago, I knew a woman who was the loneliest and most miserable person I have ever met. She truly had no idea of her net worth, because she had accountants and lawyers who took care of it and ensured that her bank accounts were full for her to spend as she pleased. She could go and do as she pleased, and she didn’t have to do anything she didn’t want to. She was born into a very wealthy family, and was pampered and treated as a princess growing up on a large estate. Why would she be unhappy? I dreamed of having a life like hers when I was a child! 

She was like the “Poor Little Rich Girl” Shirley Temple played in the 1936 movie, only I don’t know that my friend had as much fun as Shirley Temple did while growing up. As a child, she was raised by nanny’s and staff instead of her parents, and rarely saw her parents. Contrast that to your life. I grew up in a loud and boisterous family, with 5 siblings, an overworked and often overwhelmed mother, and our preacher dad. Never a dull moment! Preaching was an especially thankless and financially unrewarding profession, but my Dad didn’t become a preacher to get rich, he pastored out of conviction and love. There were times when we literally had no food in the cabinet, but I don’t remember that. Even if we only had mayonnaise or jelly sandwiches, we didn’t go hungry, and we always knew we were loved by our parents. We had regular family gatherings with grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins. Being alone was practically unheard of….. 

If my friend had known about heaven, it would probably have been a place where she felt wanted and loved, while for me, it was a more abstract concept of harps and angels. I know now that heaven is a real place, and it’s a place I want to be. It is indeed a place full of love, and we are all wanted there. It is beautiful and peaceful. 

  “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be His people. God Himself will be with them.  He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.” And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children. But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars—their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” – Revelation 21:1‭-‬8 NLT (http://bible.com/116/rev.21.1-8.NLT)

I look forward to the day when Jesus returns so that we get to see the sight of the new heaven and earth, and that of the new Jerusalem descending from heaven! Can you imagine it? In verses 11-27, John attempts to describe this new Jerusalem. As incredibly beautiful as he has said it will be, I know that the actual sight of it will make his description seem dull by comparison. Heaven is a real place, and I look forward to seeing it as one of the redeemed. You can see it, too, if you just accept the gift of forgiveness and redemption through Jesus Christ. I look forward to seeing you then!