Before

"For God so loved the world that He gave . . ." Genuine acts of love are always spontaneous and focused on the needs of others. Before God created the world and time itself, He loved you. "Chosen before the foundation of the world."

Reflections on the Future

You are in the grasp of inescapable love. God has wrapped you in His arms and will never let you go--not even for one second of eternity. And that, by the way, includes this moment.
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He does not just hold your future in His hands. He makes all things beautiful.
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No one loves my children as deeply as He does.
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The greatest in the kingdom are those who serve, those who forgive, and those who do so without the slightest interest in being acknowledged. Minister is a title of humble servanthood. And we are all called to be ministers all day long.

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Life is miserable when we are always trying to escape our past and live in our future. "This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it."
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Death is not defeat but victory. Not loss but gain. Not the end of life, but its fulfillment. "Your life is hid in Christ." "For to me, to live is Christ. And to die, gain."
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 If you find the "yoke" unbearable, exhausting, the reason is simple. You are trying to bear it in your own strength and wisdom. "Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me . . . and you will find rest for your souls."
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 You have a righteous Advocate to defend you before the Father every time you sin. And His righteousness is your defense--not your own. You have escaped condemnation. God will not listen to any accusation made against you.

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 The only eschatology that truly matters is are you one of those who will love His appearing. How do you become "one of those" disciples? "If you love Me, keep My commandments."

Day by Day

Every moment of this day His loving gaze was on you.
Each step you took, He walked by your side.
Every prayerful thought you had, He heard--and cherished.
Every need He provided with a Father's joy.
Every tear, He wept.
Every laugh, He laughed.
Every sin, He marked "Forgiven." And "Forgotten."
Every tomorrow, He has lavished with His love and rested on His wisdom..
All you cast on Him, He gladly bore--omnipotently.
All your silent stillness, He filled with His voice.
All your loving obedience caused His heart to whisper "Thank you, child."
Into this day's darkness, He sent His light.
As you labored, He gave strength--His strength.

You are His child. Born again into His family. Adopted into His family. Eternally secure in His family. A room in His house awaits you when your last day is complete and His will for you fulfilled.

'Day by day, and with each passing moment, strength I find to meet my trials here; trusting in my Father's wise bestowment, I've no cause for worry or for fear. He whose heart is kind beyond all measure, gives unto each day what He deems best, lovingly, its part of pain and pleasure, mingling toil with peace and rest."

"Every day the Lord Himself is near me, with a special mercy for each hour; all my cares He fain would hear and cheer me, He's whose name is Counselor and Power. The protection of His child and treasure, is a charge that on Himself He laid; 'As thy days, thy strength shall be in measure,' this the pledge to me He made."

"Child and treasure" That's you. Every day.

"He whose heart is kind beyond all measure." That's Him--your Father. Every day.

Being Conformed or Being Transformed?

Paul's definition of what a transformed life looks like and what a renewed mind focuses on:

In humility does not think of himself too highly.
Understands that he is a part of the body; it is the good of the body that matters not his personal acclaim or comfort.
Uses his gifts diligently, cheerfully, by faith.
Loves others spontaneously, genuinely, without hypocrisy.
Abhors evil; loves good.
Devoted to the honoring of other believers.
Fervently serving others because he understands that in doing so he is actually serving his Lord.
Rejoicing in hope.
Persevering in tribulation
Devoted to prayer.
Pursing opportunities to help other Christians.
Pursuing opportunities to show hospitality to strangers.
Blessing others at every opportunity.
Empathetic toward his fellow Christians. Sharing their joys and sorrows as his own.
Impartial in his treatment of others. Plays no favorites.
Peaceable toward all men.
Overcoming evil with good.
In prayerful subjection to those in authority. Honoring them as God's ordained choice.
Loving his neighbor as himself. Doing no wrong to a neighbor.
Living as if today is the day of His coming
Living pure, righteous lives, being a light in the darkness.

Being transformed into the likeness of Christ.
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What does conformity to the world look like?

Proud.
Wants preeminence in the church.
Uses his spiritual gifts for his own glory and in his own strength.
Hypocritical in his love toward others. Pretends to love them knowing that it's expected.
Loves evil; abhors good.
Seeks honor for himself.
Serves his own needs. Serves other reluctantly.
Joyless.
Grumbles and complains in trials.
No time for prayer. Certainly not for others.
Could care less about anyone's needs but his own.
Never reaches out to "strangers" who come to church.
Curses under his breath all those who irritate him.
Plays favorites, especially if it will do him good.
Combative. Contentious. Toward Christian and unbeliever alike.
Vengeful. Never forgiving. Holds a grudge fervently.
Could care less about his neighbor. Would harm him in a minute in order to help himself.
Hates those in authority. Wouldn't dream of praying for them--just about them.
Hopes Christ doesn't return too soon; he's got things he wants to do.
Lives a life pursuing the same things the world pursues. Applauds evil.

Being conformed, molded, into the image of the world system, the system that is anti-Christ.
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Being transformed or conformed? Your choice reveals what your real attitude is toward the sacrificial, love the Savior demonstrated for you on the cross. How deeply, thankfully, do you cherish that love? How deeply do you love your Savior?

Or are you the love of your life?

The Danger of Prosperity

The great danger of prosperity is always the same--for individuals, ministries, and even nations. Prosperity replaces confidence in God-reliance with confidence in self-reliance. I can stand on my own two feet is a poor substitute for falling on one's knees before the throne of the God of grace. And prosperous, self-reliance seems to have a curious side-effect: the more I have, the more protective I become of it--the more I worry about losing it, let alone even imagining "letting go" of it to help others in need.

A Plea

In a familiar passage in Romans 12, Paul pleads with believers to give themselves as a sacrifice to God. Such a response, he argues, is the only logical one for a Christian to make if he or she just reflects for a moment on all God has done for them through Christ--regeneration, redemption, justification, abundant grace and mercy, reconciliation, atonement as our propitiation--the bearer of God's wrath that we deserve, sanctification. As we mediate and rejoice in all that has been freely given us, Paul can't imagine any other choice but then to, as an act of worship, daily give our lives as a living sacrifice to such a loving God. The ultimate sacrifice is, after all, to live for Him daily.
Yet, as logical and reasonable and urgent as such a choice should be, it is still a battle. The world is constantly trying to lure us into embracing their view of things, which could, probably, be summed up in one word: selfishness. Oh, the world doesn't mind if we dabble around with religiosity--that can be quite self-affirming as well as drawing applause from men. Christian service can be quite selfish if done from a prideful heart bent on gaining external acceptance and "popularity" among our friends. And the "best of both worlds" is appealing as well. To claim the cross of Christ, while living a life as nearly identical to the world's pursuits as possible is quite attractive to our natural tendency to love ourselves more than anyone else. We are quite proficient at willingly being saltless salt and hidden lights. Experts. The war for our minds is on-going, constant, intense. Conform? Be transformed? Do I choose to run my life in order to please me. And pleasing men and having their approval always pleases me. Or do I sacrifice--and if it's not total submission, it's not a sacrifice--control of my life to His Spirit? Do I "deny myself" daily and follow Him, "destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God" my Creator Redeemer? Do I take "every thought captive to the obedience of Christ?" And what was His obedience? "I do always those things that please Him"--the Father.
It comes down to the basics as always, does it not? Pride or humility. If I truly understand who I am and how inexpressible is the love He willing gave me, the sacrifice He made on my behalf a hopeless sinner and a hostile enemy toward His will on earth, I will readily humble myself before Him--amazed that He even wants to use me to touch the lives of others in His name as unobtrusively as possible. Yes, living righteous lives under the control of the Spirit will not endear you to the world. They will hate you. In countries where they can imprison and kill believers, they do. In this country you will be mocked, laughed at, scorned--sometimes vitriolically. Sometimes by other believers. But how can one deeply mediate on His great love and not choose to give himself totally to Him day by day--"a living sacrifice"?
The consequences of that choice? You will discover that God's plan for your life is infinitely good; you will find yourself maturing into His likeness--the Perfect Servant; you will be "well-pleasing" to Him. And one day--beyond all human comprehension--the omnipotent God of love will take you in His embrace and say, "Thank you for letting me use you in my place to love the world I died for. Well-done good and faithful servant!" Unimaginable mercy and grace.
The Spirit through the pen of Paul pleads: "With eyes wide open to the mercies of God, I beg you, my brothers, as an act of intelligent worship, to give your bodies as a living sacrifice, consecrated to Him and acceptable by Him."

Success

Born to really old parents; probably orphaned at a young age. Lived alone in the desert eating grasshoppers dipped in honey. Poor. His wardrobe was a joke. Made lots of enemies. At the height of his influence, many of his followers left him to follow this other Guy. (He actually encouraged them to leave him!--Never get ahead that way!) Very "untactfully" told the king he was living in sin. Got thrown in jail. Had moments of doubt about his calling. Had he done the right thing? Executed. Not exactly a rousing success?? One of the greatest men who ever lived. God says so. Who are you trying to impress and how?

Hypocritical Love

"Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor that which is evil; cling to what is good."

Hypocrisy: doing the right things to gain the favor, approval, and applause of men.

Self-serving love, fraudulent love, feigned love is an evil to be abhorred. When such a "love" is faced with self-sacrifice, it stops loving to the devastation of the one who thought they were loved. And Christ's love is tainted when such a selfish love is given in His name. Such love is hate hiding behind a masque of personal idolatry.

Delight

Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will make your path straight. You'll be surprised when you arrive in Heaven and see how all those twists and turns in life were actually a straight line to His eternal loving embrace..

Discipleship

Our Lord's teaching on discipleship:

"In the world you will have tribulation"
"Deny yourself, take up your cross daily, and follow me."
"You must drink of the cup I drink."
"The world has hated me; they will hate you."
'Lay not up for yourself treasure on earth."
'My strength is made perfect in weakness."

Ready to follow?

Let us exult!

In case you were feeling a little down today:

To Exult: "to show or feel a lively or triumphant joy; rejoice exceedingly; be highly elated; be jubilant"

"Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand:

LET US EXULT in hope of the glory of God

And not only this but LET US EXULT in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about patient endurance; and patient endurance proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint because we have the evidence--the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us

For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. LET US EXULT in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation."

Justified by faith
Peace with God
Grace on which we stand
The sure hope of His glory--His presence always in our lives now and forever
Tribulations that build within us patient endurance, proven character, hope,
God's love in our hearts,
A loving, communicating relationship with the Holy Spirit
His own love
Justified by His blood
Saved from God's wrath
Saved by the life of the eternal Son
Reconciled

Much more

Let us feel and show a triumphant joy!
Let us rejoice exceedingly!
Let us be highly elated!
Let us be jubilant!

O give thanks unto the Lord, call upon His name; make know His deeds among the nations; sing to Him, sing praises to Him; meditate on His wonderful acts; glory in His holy name; let the heart of those who seek the Lord be glad."

"His lovingkindness is everlasting."

Excellence

Someone has said, "There is no substitute for excellence, not ever success." Whatever we are called to do, we should always do it to the best of our ability--to the glory of God. We should not just finish the "assignment," or settle for meeting the requirements of men, but we should strive to do the absolute best that we can with the time and resources we have been given. We are not called to please men but to please God. He is the one for whom we do all things. Don't ever settle for "that's enough to get by," or if a student, "that's enough to get the grade I want"--even if that grade is an A. The issue is excellence. Would Jesus say, "Well done, good and faithful servant"?

"Good enough" is not good enough.

Suffering--God's Good Gift

Suffering is a gift from God--a love gift, a good gift. It is His training in righteousness; His loving discipline as your Father--evidence that you belong to Him--and that He is delighted that you do. Always His purpose in suffering is transformation. As you encounter various trials, He deepens your understanding experientially of His love, wisdom, and patience, and you are molded into His likeness. He knows that the trials themselves are not "joyous," but the impact on your life is immeasurably beautiful--the fruit of the Spirit radiating from your life. We can in the midst of all things "rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice." "The joy of the Lord is your strength."
It is instructive that the first written communication from God to man--the book of Job--emphasizes the truth that the godly suffer. Job's friends believed that all suffering was because of someone's sin and that the greater the suffering the greater the sin must be. God was angered at that view. Satan's view was that if he could make us suffer that we would turn from God, deny Him. God's view was that Job was strong enough to remain faithful. God was right. His "vote of confidence" in Job was justified. And what truths enabled Job's faith to remain strong in the most difficult of times?

"Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him."

"I know that my Redeemer lives and in my flesh I shall see God."

"He knows the way that I take and when He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold."

See suffering as God sees it. A time of deepening your understanding of His love. A time when your Father is transforming you into His likeness. A time when He is reminding you that you are His child, that your growth is extremely important to Him and vital to your relationship. A time when He is giving you His vote of confidence that your love for Him will be steadfast in all things.

Suffering is a gift from God--your Father. A love gift. A good gift. A reflection of His confidence in you. "Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice."

Lies

One of the devil's biggest lies is that there are no consequences. And he is just as committed to making you believe that about your right choices as he is your wrong ones. He would love to have you believe that doing the right thing makes no difference. He would love to have you believe that doing the wrong thing makes no difference. Yet, in God's universe you reap what you sow--good for good; evil for evil. Satan's lie seems to work in our lives because the consequences are rarely immediate. But I have never made a choice that did not have consequences. Every choice is significant--important. Sadly or joyfully those consequences are often shared by those who love me the most. In fact, God tells us that consequences can affect generations. The devil wants us to believe that God can't or won't hold us accountable when we do wrong or bless us when we choose to obey Him. When I do wrong, I can confess that sin and receive full forgiveness, but there will still be earthly consequences. See the life of David. And when I choose to be obedient to God no matter what is happening in my life--even because of the wrong choices others have made--God will work to turn evil intent into good. See Joseph. See Daniel.
Don't believe the lie. Choose wisely. Live righteously. Trust and obey.

In Touch with My Weakness

I need to keep in touch with my depravity and my weakness. But when I am honest about the depth of my sinfulness, it shouldn't lead to a pity-party or a spurt of self-help, bootstrap Christianity--"I'll do better." Instead, it should lead to a celebration of praise for the wonder of God's grace and forgiveness. And a confidence in His ability to save anyone and to bring any wayward Christian to repentance. When I am in touch with my weakness, it causes me to rely solely on His sufficient, inexhaustible grace for my spiritual strength and daily walk. After all, it was to a church with the most problems--a carnality fostered by spiritual pride--that Paul emphasized the necessity of weakness--the spiritual power that only embracing our weakness can accomplish. Even when I feel stagnant or far away from God I am not. "Underneath are the Everlasting Arms." I can fall no farther than into my Father's seeking, loving, and protecting embrace. He seeks the sheep who has wandered away and lifts him into His arms to gently bring him back to the fellowship of the fold. It may very well be that when I think that I am farther away from God than I have ever been, that, in actuality, I've never been closer. He is ready this moment to catch me and bring me home in His omnipotent, loving embrace.

Hypocrisy

No matter how deeply I desire to please and obey God, I will mess up--sin. That does not make me a hypocrite. A hypocrite according to Jesus is the one who does all the right things but he does those things in order to gain the applause of men. It is actually more hypocritical to sit around judging those Christians who are struggling in their walk, but desirous of becoming more and more like Him. As you go through that struggle, don't be discouraged. The daily desire to please Him will be a struggle until He takes you Home. And don't let someone label you a hypocrite. They are wrong. What you are is a growing Christian--and God is delighted with you.

Unconditional Love

I cannot love unconditionally without being hurt. If I am going to love people as God loves me, I am going to be hurt, taken advantage of, perhaps, even betrayed. I must love anyway. I must love more deeply. My first response must be forgiveness not self-defense. I have the greatest responsibility in each relationship; yet, I am the least important person in the relationship. Their needs must be more important than mine.
The characteristics of unconditional love are compassion, patience, and truth. Jesus never looked on the multitude or individuals without being moved by compassion for their needs--physical and spiritual. Their reason for seeking Him out was irrelevant. And His compassion was always demonstrated by an act to meet those needs. Patience empowers me to love people where they are spiritually, allowing God, through His Spirit, to work in each person's life in His way and in His timing. My love for them as they are allows God to use me as a catalyst" for their growth and deepening understanding of His love--rather than a stumbling block to their trust in Him and His loving patient work in their lives. Truth is an essential element of love because love that is not within the perameters of revealed truth is no longer love. Paul always encourages the church to grow in truth and love. They are inseparable. "If you love me, keep my commandments." "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Love your neighbors as I have loved you."
May the Spirit spread His love in our hearts that through His strength our labor of love will reflect the unconditional, compassionate, patient, truth-honoring love of our Savior.

Presence

Every moment of my life I live in the presence of God. Everything I say, every jest I make, every joke I tell, every act I do, I make Him a participant. There is no prayer we should pray more often than: "God make me constantly aware of Your presence." What an impact that would have on my every decision or non-decision. His presence makes every moment significant--important. We must live in the fear of the Lord making every decision based on how that decision will affect our relationship with Him--our greatest Lover.

Impossible

It is impossible for me to live the Christin life. I do not have the ability to spiritualize the natural man. It is only as the Holy Spirit controls my every thought and action that the life of Christ that is in me can be evident to the world around me I glorify God by making the invisible God visible. Every attempt to live the Christ-like life in my own power--self-will--leads to failure and exhaustion. I can't do it. The only way to give the Spirit control over my life is to saturate myself with His Word--the Sword of the Spirit. The Word reveals to me how God sees me--cuts away all the pretense and spiritual pride--so that I will run to Him in prayer: the prayer of "Help--I need your mercy and your grace!" As He takes control, I begin to "naturally" do the supernatural--walk as Jesus walked.

Grief

Sometimes in our arrogant resistance of the leading of the Holy Spirit--as if we in our puny wisdom know what's best for our lives, we grieve the Spirit. Always remember that "grief" is a love word. He is grieved because He loves us and knows the calamity that results from a self-centered life.

One Life

My Christian life is not divided into compartments--it is all that I do. There is nothing in my life that is not sacred. Whatever God has called me to do--whatever passion He has put in my heart--it is a sacred calling. Every moment of every day is to be an act of worship to Him. Each day I must give Him my body--it's all I have--as a sacrifice to His will. If I am "faithful" at church or at work but a home devil, something is terribly wrong with my relationship with Him. If I am "faithful" at home but not faithful to Him where I work, something is terribly wrong with my relationship with Him. It is, in fact, a sham--a pretense. It is not where, I am but who I am that is important--and the true measurement of my relationship with my Savior. A "street angel" but a "home devil" is a devil not a saint.