Evil

Why is it that when we think of God's hatred for evil, we always point fingers in the wrong direction. We point at a world that doesn't know Him. The consequences for their evil is God's business not yours. Then, we point the finger at other Christians--individually and sometimes corporately. Is their any sin more destructive to spiritual growth than the evil of comparison? And, finally, once in awhile, we examine our own lives. Usually, we respond to the evil we find there by downplaying its power or rationalizing our choices to avoid doing the necessary thing--humbling confessing our sinful choices. And we wonder why there's no sense of His presence in our daily lives. "If we walk in the light as He is in the light" we have fellowship. If we don't . . . "Can two walk together unless they be in agreement?" Do you hate the evil in your life as much as He does? If you do, the joy of your life day by day, will be confession, repentance, and the overwhelming sense of cleansing He lovingly lavishes upon you.

Reflections for February, 2016

Yes, it's true. You will not spend one moment alone today. He is at hand. Each breath is a gift from Him. You are held in His hand all day long. Rest in His love. Live a life of grace.
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The Christian walk is about passionate obedience--not debilitating duty. It's about worship--not self-affirming Christian busyness. The life of faith always spotlights the glory of God--not the antics of men, no matter how humanly impressive.
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The Christian who claims to understand Christian freedom and liberty who then criticizes and judges others who disagree with him or her is still in bondage to self. And is there any stronger chain, more dangerous lust, clearer evidence of self-centeredness than spiritual pride in a believer's life?             '
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Too often--way too often--I complain about God being silent when His Word clearly tells me what I should be doing in the situation--I just lack the will and courage to be obedient. He's not being silent. I'm refusing to listen.
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In each situation in our lives, God wants to bring us to the same faith. If He is going to be able to transform us into His image so that He might use us to draw men to His love and wisdom, we must pray, "Nevertheless, not my will but Thine.

Must.
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Be patient.
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"Be kind, tender-hearted, forgiving one another even as God, for Christ sake has forgiven you."
Kindness. Tender persuasion. Forgiveness. Do those things define your relationships? They define His relationship to you.
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 "Be still" is not a suggestion.
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 The loss of spiritual power--nationally and individually--always begins with the prideful, illogical assumption that the omniscient, holy, loving God is indifferent toward sin.
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 The purpose of life is not for God to honor you, but for you to honor Him.
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 To fully understand His marvelous grace, one must fully understand his deep need of repentance.
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 The false teacher's motivation is simple. He's being sure to tell the people exactly what they want to hear. They are followers, not leaders.
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 Too often prosperity is the catalyst for faithlessness.
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 God is slow to anger; His forgiveness--immediate.
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 The leaders God opposes are the ones who surround themselves with scoffers.
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 Everything rests on the first commandment. First, someone disregards God. Then, they disobey God. Finally, they despise God.
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 Nothing is more dangerous than a people who determine morality based on public opinion.
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 Disobedience does not lead to a pain free life. It does lead to a joyless life.
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 Those things we place our trust in other than God are invariably the things that destroy us.

Adversity

Adversity. Why?

To rid you of your self-sufficiency
To equip you to be a comforter
To give you a faith that soars
To challenge your commitment to faithful, loving obedience--no matter what
To deepen your experiential understanding of the absoluteness of His promises
To allow you to build memorials to His faithfulness for the instruction of your children and grandchildren
To deepen your eager anticipation of His return to make all things right
To provide you with an opportunity to demonstrate to the world your confidence in His love and wisdom
To get you on your knees
To develop your patience--to know the power of rest, hope, waiting
To embrace your weakness
To participate in His suffering
To sense His presence
To be filled with His joy

Doubts

When I begin to doubt His love for me . . .

First, I go and stand amazed at the foot of that old rugged cross.
For me, He died. Me.

Then, I go and stand silently in the midst of that empty tomb.
For me, He lives. Me.

And finally I go and stand in awe in front of the curtain, now ripped in two, and marvel at the free access He has given me into His very presence.
He daily--and eternally--intercedes on my behalf. Daily. Eternally. Joyfully. For me.

Oh, what love!

O Love that will not let me go, I rest my weary soul in Thee; I give Thee back the life I owe, that in thine ocean depths its flow may richer, fuller be.

Omnipotence

Demonstrate the omnipotence of God today.

How?

Be gentle. Respond with a soft answer. Be slow to anger--very, very slow. Show compassion--don't just "feel" it. Serve. Intercede in prayer for others. May the least important person in your life today be you.

Loss

The loss of intimacy with our Savior is almost always a gradual thing. A "small" act of disobedience. An "insignificant" choice--or a careless sin of omission. Rarely, does anyone take a giant leap into faithlessness. We need to be alert to the little things. The small steps in the wrong direction. We need to look out for the moths in the closet, the little foxes in the vineyard, the slow graying of our hair, the boat drifting slowly away from the pier. The enemy's attack is subtle but pernicious. Every choice matters. Every choice affects our relationship with Him. The first step of disobedience makes the second step so much easier. And then the third. And then . . . Starting to drift? Drifted so far away it seems impossible to get back? "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." The way back to intimacy is a simple one--confession--agreeing with God about your sinful choices. Walking in the light, step by step in fellowship with Him--is a life of joy. It is glory just to walk with Him.

Secular or Sacred

We are in trouble when we try to divide our life's activities into the secular and the sacred. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit makes every moment of our life sacred. Paul tells us that even when we eat and drink, we are to glorify Him. My choices are sacred choices. Do I glorify Him in all that I do--interacting with others, my work place duties, my driving, my entertainment, my leisure times--"whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." Such an attitude keeps His presence in the forefront of my thoughts and choices. The danger of seeing some parts of my life as "secular," is that it may lead me to "creating" another category in my life: profane.

Daniels

God always has His Daniels. They start out as teenagers--imagine that--who decide to be faithful to Christ in every aspect of their lives. They give God the glory for all His gifts to them. In fact, His glory is their passion. They are gracious and caring toward everyone. They are quick to pray--alone and together. They share the truth uncompromisingly, but with a gentle spirit. They perform their duties in such a way that no one can find fault with them. They are unafraid of the mightiest earthly kings. They have an absolute trust in God's will for their lives. They are God's delight--which, of course, means they often find themselves in "trouble." The questions is--as the song goes--do you "dare to be a Daniel?

Gifts

God's gifts to us don't make us special. He gives all His children gifts. What those gifts do give us is the responsibility to use them for the good of His people and for His glory. To use them to glorify myself is to pridefully abuse His gracious giving. You do know what pride goes before, don't you? Look out for the edge of that cliff.

Seeking

Christ is seeking the lost. He wants people in all walks of life to know that He is worthy to be trusted in all the difficulties that life throws one's way. What do you suppose is the only way He can show them that? Or rather, who do you suppose is the way He can show them that? Does the world know that you trust Him completely with today as well as with eternity?

Allotted Time

Tomorrow at 8:31 AM I begin the last year of my "allotted time" of three score and ten. The big 70 is here. Sometimes it seems like it has been a week. Sometimes it feels as if it has been a million years. As always, if you can endure it, I will pass on some of the many lessons my Savior has lovingly taught me--and continues to teach me--on my journey Home with Him constantly by my side. I'm sure I've told you all of these before, but, I pray they will be an encouragement. They are not arranged in any particular hierarchy--truth, I don't believe--has a ranking system. Anyway--here they are--ten truths God has etched into my heart these three score and ten years--most of which have been spent walking with Him. Though, too many times than I like to admit, He has had to drag me along.

1. Nothing is more dangerous to the believer than a second-hand relationship with the Word. Immerse yourself in His Love Letter to you. Being under the Spirit's control, empowered by His might. enabled to, in some small way, reflect His beauty to those around you, is impossible if you are not immersed in the Word. Impossible.
2. The good is coming. A patient, expectant waiting is the foundation for a soaring faith no matter the roaring, raging storms of life. Time is always on God's side. And, thus, yours.
3. Embrace brokenness. There is no other cure for our most disabling enemy--spiritual pride. God's wisdom can only be given to those who have learned how desperately they lack it. God's strength--His wisdom and joy--can only be given to those who recognize the depth of their weakness. And embrace the brokenness that makes it plain with a heart of gratitude. God enhances the beauty of His roses with thorns.
4. In every relationship you must consider the other person better--more important--than yourself. Your prayer must be, "Lord, in this relationship, if someone is to be hurt, please let the someone be me."
5. Stillness. Quietness. Solitude. All these are essential to living a reflective Christian life--to developing the mindset of our Savior. And a reflective Christ-like mindset is essential to hearing the voice of God--be it in a still small voice in the midst of the earthquakes of life or in the calling from the burning bush in the backside of your times in the desert.
6. Every calling is a sacred calling. Every calling is full-time Christian service. Be like Him in every facet of your life. Every. Faultless and blameless.
7. The most important truth when it comes to prophecy is, "God wins." Which means, of course, that He is winning now no matter what you see in the world around you. His throne is never vacant for even a second. Never even threatened. The evidence that I truly believe that is a life of unwavering obedience at all times. Peace saturates my soul when I live in the confidence that He is the Victor. The battle has been won. I am a soldier of the cross, a captive of His love.
8. Yes, love and obedience are synonymous. I love Him only as deeply as I am committed to obedience. The fear and trembling of the Christian's heart is the deep desire to not grieve the heart of my Beloved--the resplendent, glorious Lover of my soul.
9. The source of joy is a pouring out of oneself for others. Only the life emptied of self can be filled with the joy of God. Nothing is more fulfilling than emptying.
10. The longer I live the more fully I understand the experiential truth behind one of my favorite quotes by Pastor Marvin Rosenthal: "God is too wise to make a mistake and too loving to be unkind."

Relationship

"Be kind, tender-hearted, forgiving one another even as God, for Christ sake has forgiven you."

Kindness. Tender persuasion. Forgiveness. Do those things define your relationships? They define His relationship to you.

Confident Joy

Rest in Him today. In order to do that, you must begin by casting your burdens on Him--specifically. Express each care to Him. Release them to His love and wisdom. Thank Him for His promise, "I care for you." Then, spend the day trusting and obeying. Rest in Him. Live a life of confident joy.

The Day

This is the day that the Lord has made . . .

It is a day He has prepared for you. Nothing that occurs today is accidental, random, insignificant. He has designed it that you might sense His presence, lean on His strength, conquer through the Spirit's power, grow and mature spiritually, know Him better than you did yesterday, make the glory of His presence known to everyone around you. As He uses this day to use you as His light and His salt, focus on the single-mindedness that alone gives each day eternal meaning: "To live is Christ; to die gain." Then, at the end of the day, your song will be--"I will rejoice and be glad in it."

Freedom

Freedom is not the ability to do whatever you please. Freedom is the empowerment by the Spirit to do what pleases the Father. Those who believe that freedom is their right to do as they please place themselves in bondage to the most ruthless of masters--a liar, a murderer, and a destroyer. And he destroys the body and the soul. And delights in the demolition. The Father is constantly restoring the soul so that as the body ages the soul is refreshed and strengthened. And a new body awaits the bond-servant of the Savior--a new body forever free from pain; free from bodily pain and the wounding of the spirit. As I have said before, the freest people on earth--the only truly free people on earth--are the bond-slaves of Jesus Christ. Free to obey. Free to love. Free to rejoice in the midst of sorrow. Free to walk with Him. Yes, He is the Sovereign Master, Lord of the Universe, King of Kings. Yet, to those who know Him, He is the always faithful Lover of their souls, their intimate bridegroom, Freed by truth, lavished with grace, immersed in love--His bride is free indeed.