Tuesday, June 30, 2020

Take full delight

Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you. Psalm 37:4-5

Three ways we can delight in the Lord:

Delight in His Perfections

“The one thing I ask of the Lord— the thing I seek most— is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord’s perfections and meditating in his Temple” (Psalm 27:4).

Delighting in a Holy (perfect) God means we can take comfort knowing His will for our lives is just what we need. We can trust His perfect love to lead us through dark valleys with His light of peace and to help us scale mountains of fear in the strength of His Spirit. His perfection also protects us from our imperfections. When our impulses compete with what’s best for us, His Spirit reminds us of a better way. A heart that delights in perfect love is a heart at peace.

Delight in His Precepts

“Praise the Lord! How joyful are those who fear the Lord and delight in obeying his commands” (Psalm 112:1).

Joy is the fruit of those who fear the Lord and delight in obeying His commands. His commands are not burdensome when we see obedience as an expression of our love for the Lord. Delighting in Him is to obey Him. Knowing and doing His Word invites intimacy with the Word, Jesus Christ. What a delight to grow in knowing and understanding the heart of our Savior, so our heart can align around His.  A heart that delights in following Christ’s commands is full of praise and joy in worship and praise.

Delight in His Provision

“How amazing are the deeds of the Lord! All who delight in him should ponder them” (Psalm 111:2).

Every day God’s provision is an opportunity to celebrate His faithfulness. When we ponder on His provision, salvation, health, food, clothing, shelter, friends, family, our soul erupts in thanksgiving. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound is our Lord’s greatest gift. Grace to get us to heaven and grace to get heaven to us. The cross, the empty tomb, what great deeds the Lord has done. Forgiveness, healing, reconciliation, finances and favor to love well, all reasons to be grateful. When we delight in God’s good gifts, He trusts us with His gifts.  

“O Lord, please hear my prayer! Listen to the prayers of those of us who delight in honoring you. Please grant me success today” (Nehemiah 1:11).


Sunday, June 28, 2020

Hear ye, hear ye

But Samuel replied: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. 1 Samuel 15:22

When you have opportunity read all of 1 Samuel 15 as it is in many ways a case-study in what not to do. Early in the chapter we are alerted to the fact that something has gone terribly wrong. As God says in verse 10, “I regret that I made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me, and has not carried out my commands.” This verse shows us two things. First, the failure of man. Saul, like leaders who came before him and countless others after him, failed to do what he said he would do and turned away from the way of the Lord. 

Second, the compassion of God. In using the language of “regret”, we see the compassionate heart of God and the way in which He is grieved and pained when He sees His children use their freedom to walk a path that is leading to self-destruction. This was His posture towards Saul, and it is His posture towards us every time we turn away from Him and His word.

This grief and sorrow is also rooted in Saul’s failure to join God in His will of healing and restoring His creation, as when we get saved we are to join God in the ministry of reconciliation. As it says in verse 18, “The Lord sent you on a mission.” God in His kindness longs to see us participating in the growth of His Kingdom on earth. Yet this invitation requires of us a faithful response, and if we are not intentional and proactive in tending to our spiritual lives we will, like Saul, fail to live out the plan and will of God.

How, then, do we learn from Saul’s mistakes and begin to truly watch over the health of our own souls? This, I believe is where verse 22 is so important for us. The answer is not in doing more and more stuff for God. No, the delight of the Lord is first and foremost rooted in our ability to hear and obey his voice. And for us to learn to listen, we must ensure that every part of our life is open to the guiding hand of the Lord, including our intellect, our emotions, and our bodies.

in the book "Emotionally Healthy Spirituality" Pete Scazzero reminds us that, “Ignoring any aspect of who we are as men and women made in God’s image always results in destructive consequences-in our relationship with God, with others, and with ourselves.” This is the challenge before us today, to take time and look for the signs of emotional unhealth in our own lives, the places where we have been given a mission by God but our own inattentiveness blinds us to our failures and renders us ineffective, empty, and worn out. As we do this, we learn to listen afresh and allow the Lord to lead us from places of immaturity and brokenness into true freedom and peace.

Friday, June 26, 2020

In the present

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:15-16

Now more than ever we need to understand how to live in the present moment. I know you might say, "Which one? The present moment of protecting myself against the threat of Covid-19? The present moment of waiting and wondering if today will bring a stop to the racial and civil unrest in our country? or the present moment of watching a total disregard for life?
Yesterday I let the news continue to roll and I became more and more morose. Agitated, nervous, distracted, conflicted, and unproductive, caught up in the past and the future.... and then the day was lost.
Today is not much better. Even spending time lifting at the gym, meditating on my favorite scriptures and reading books don't seem to fully lift my spirit, because of the constant flood of news, and concerns of my family, friends and members I am responsible for as a husband, son, and pastor. 
Even with that I find I must simply obey the instruction of Philippians 4:6 which says to not be anxious about anything (viruses, civil unrest, racial tensions, disregard for lives), but to present these concerns of the day to God in prayer, with a grateful heart to the One who knows all things, and then the peace that we will never fully understand will come to us. I know that passage to be true for I claimed it during the darkest days of my life. I will never understand it (like the scripture says) but it is true.
It's the waiting that is so hard. I can say the verse over and over, list my prayer requests before God, but then I must trust, watch, and wait. But this is when we need to be on guard, for this is where we lose it and become fearful of all the unknowns. Betty Skinner, in her book "The Hidden Life", says this about waiting:
"Waiting is one of the most difficult pieces of a deep, inner spiritual journey. We want to outrun God, but our growth depends on consciously letting go of our fear and allowing our circumstances the space to teach us what God intends....As long as we wait in fear and anxiety, we will not experience growth."
She continues, "This way of waiting requires we understand that the spiritual life can only be lived in the present moment. Living in the future produces anxiety, worry, and fear. Living in the past produces guilt, bitterness and regret. Many of us never get out of the past or the future and miss the gift that is the present moment."
So today, what will it be?
“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise” (Philippians 4:8).

Wednesday, June 24, 2020

Provider

Who provides food for the raven when its young cry out to God and wander about for lack of food? Job 38:41

 

A passages of scripture I really love is found in Deuteronomy 8:2-5; 10-11 in which God tells His people, the Israelites:

“Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you. When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day.”

The story of the Israelites during their 40 years in the wilderness is invaluable because it reminds us that God disciplines us for our own good by allowing us to experience what feels like lack, or He presses us to the edge of our need so we are dependent on him for help and provision. In this, we discover His love, His faithfulness, and that He is our true Source.  Simply put God has a way of reminding us that He is our provider.

This passage is also a reminder that without struggle we can become entitled, ungrateful and forgetful about the origin of our provision. We may somehow think that our goodness has earned us blessings, our hard work has granted us favor, and we can become complacent about our trust in the Lord. But when trials precede blessings, we’re more likely to recognize the Provider of our blessing. We become more grateful for the blessings we’ve received, and we no longer think we earned them. We know they came from God’s hand; we fool ourselves if we think they have come from our own.

The humility that comes from being forced to cry out for the Lord is a good thing, even though we’d really rather avoid it. Even though it’s often been uncomfortable, in my own life, the times when I have been forced to rely on His care have been some of the most spiritually fruitful times of my journey in Christ, and they have also been the times when I have grown the most in character and faith.

No matter what material possessions we attain, the wisdom and humility that come from learning to trust and rely on God are priceless. Are you currently going through a time during which you have to trust God for your provision? Just as He was with the Israelites, He will be faithful to you. He will care for you. This is not the end of your story.

“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).

Friday, June 19, 2020

Trusting when it hurts

Trust God in the Midst of Pain

There is a myth in Christianity that I often hear people say:

 “God will not put more on me than I can bear.”

 

Let me challenge this nice church made cliche. In 2 Corinthians, Paul wrote that we are “burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life” (1:8). Sounds like more than we can bear doesn't it?

 

If ever there was a painful and hurtful situation, Paul was in it. Paul hadn’t done anything to cause it. In fact, he had followed God’s leading straight into a place of despair. If you share similar feelings today, you are in good company.

 

God sometimes allows situations to be painful for His greater purpose. He wants you to learn the power that comes from living a life that depends on Him. If you can learn and apply that truth throughout all of your life, you will be able to accomplish all that God has for you to do. 

 

In order to take Paul deeper in faith, God put him in a situation that his resume, abilities and connections could not change. Why? So that Paul would learn to trust God at a deeper level. No amount of money in your bank account can buy your way out of it. You can’t soothe your way out of it by drinking, eating or taking drugs. You can’t educate your way out of it, or adrenaline-rush your way out of it. Because when each of those momentary pleasures have subsided, you’ll still find it there gnawing at you like an unwelcome nudge in your back over and over again.

 

Keep in mind that it is not the trial, the offense nor the pain itself that takes you to your point of growth. The trial without the accompanying trust doesn’t take you to the point of spiritual maturity that God was trying to take you. It is only when you trust in God in the midst of the pain and align your heart, actions and thoughts under His Word and truths that you discover the deeper meaning behind it.

 

Just like a caterpillar must struggle to exit a cocoon once it has transformed into a butterfly, spiritual maturity and growth comes as a result of persevering within pain. It is there where our spiritual muscles become strong enough to live the life of faith that God has called each one of us to as believers in Jesus Christ

Wednesday, June 17, 2020

The practice of hospitality

Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Romans 12:13

My wife is a avid user and lover of Pinterest.  She loves it for the recipes, birthday ideas, and all the other unique resources and ideas it offers. The ideas are great, as they aid in allowing you to step up your hospitality game and other points of interest.  But for the sake of this conversation I want to deal with the topic of hospitality, as our culture makes “hospitality” and “entertaining” interchangeable words, when in reality, they’re not. I believe many of us don’t obey the hospitality command because we’re actually thinking of entertaining.

Ultimately, entertaining is for the glory of self and is about impressing our guests. If our aim is to impress others, then we feel the pressure to have the newest decor line from Target and a 5-star worthy meal. Dear friends, Scripture never calls us to have a spotless home. It never calls us to throw birthday parties so extravagant it puts ourselves and wallets under stress.

“Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.” (1 Peter 4:9).

Biblical hospitality is what Rosaria Butterfield calls, “radically-ordinary hospitality.” While entertaining focuses on self, biblical hospitality focuses on others. When we’re participating in the hospitality God calls us to, the mindset is no longer, “How can I make myself look good?,” but “How can I make others feel loved?”

In The Gospel Comes With a House Key, Rosaria says hospitality is, “using your Christian home in a daily way that seeks to make strangers neighbors, and neighbors family of God.” Satan tempts us to live for the glory of self. He reminds us our recipes aren’t fancy or our walls need a fresh coat of paint, and we shrink back from the hospitality God commands. When we replace this lie with truth, there’s beautiful freedom. When I view my home as a gift from God to steward for his Kingdom (and not mine), the pressure is lifted. When using this gift is about loving others well instead of making myself look good, I don’t worry so much about the juice stain on my couch.

This world isn’t our home. Our money and possessions will one day fade. The question is, will we use these fading things for the unfading glory of God? Will we use them to build our kingdom that will one day crumble, or God’s Kingdom that’s eternal? May we open our hearts, homes, and grocery lists in radically ordinary ways, so others will see the radical love of Christ. 

“Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us” (Acts 16:14-15).


Saturday, June 13, 2020

Steady Faithfulness

You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly exhibited as crucified! The only thing I want to learn from you is this: Did you receive the Spirit by doing the works of the law or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? Having started with the Spirit, are you now ending with the flesh? Galatians 3:1-3

When I was a child one of my favorite stories to have my parents read to me was the story of the tortoise and the hare.  I like many of you loved that story. I can still remember the feeling of shock and wonder as the tortoise crossed the finish line and won the race, much to the surprise of the hare and anyone who’s ever heard the story. Why? Because every indicator points to the hare’s certain victory. Yet, simple as the story may be, it contains within it several profound lessons: It’s not how you start but how you finish. Do not over estimate yourself or your abilities. Do not despise how God has made you. Victory is found in steady faithfulness, tending to the gifts you have been given. That’s a lot of wisdom for such a simple wonderful classic bed time story.

In Galatians chapter 3, Paul offers a strong word of correction to a group of Christians that started their faith journey well, yet were now fading and falling away halfway through the race. To their credit, they began the journey where each of us must begin- empowered and excited by the life-giving Spirit of God. Life in the Spirit is the only hope we have of finishing well. We know this to be true because the Spirit is not only our strength and power but he is the goal and destination itself. Our final destination is communion with the Holy Trinity, and God begins that work of relationship right here and now, guiding our steps to this perfect end.

Yet, like the Galatians of old, how tempting is it for us to turn away from the life of faith and trust and take matters into our own hands? Though the law was unable to deliver the life it pointed to, it was safe and secure. Freedom in the Spirit is a process of transformation, and change is disorienting and uncomfortable. When you and I feel unsettled and vulnerable, we are tempted to grasp for the known and familiar, rarely stopping to ask if it is actually for our good!

The life of faith asks of us stability and faithful trust, day in and day out. We must resist the urge to rush ahead and trust in our own abilities and natural reason, learning from the folly of the hare. Instead, if we can learn to be attentive to God’s still small voice, following the Spirit as he leads, we will, like the wise tortoise, journey with peace along the way and unspeakable joy as we reach our final destination.

Thursday, June 11, 2020

Three pandemics

Right now, we are in the middle of multiple, simultaneous pandemics. In fact, we are facing dual pandemics: a medical pandemic and a cultural pandemic. Yet, deeper still and at the root of both of these, is a spiritual pandemic.

We have wandered far from the value system established by God for how human beings are to live, act and relate to one another. Across racial and class lines, we have come up with our own standards for how we treat each other, and it has not done us any good.

The solution starts in understanding how the world works. We gain one of our greatest insights into this through reading 2 Chronicles chapter fifteen. In this passage, we see that when the spiritual principles are placed aside, there is no peace in the culture. In fact, it clearly states in verse six,

“Nation was crushed by nation, and city by city, for God troubled them with every kind of distress” (emphasis added).

The Israelites had so hardened their hearts toward God and rebelled against His righteous rule, that He initiated an ongoing state of distress. Now, if God is your problem, it doesn’t matter what programs you come up with, because only God is your solution.

The root of the problems we face in our nation today are clearly spiritual. It’s only when we identify and understand the spiritual components that we are then able to translate them to the pragmatic realities of the cultural crisis at hand. Sometimes it takes a mess to make a miracle. God has been known to allow chaos for the purposes of creating a heartfelt calling by His people to Him for help. When we appeal to Him according to His kingdom rule, He is then able to re-introduce Himself into the scenario and usher in the healing we so desperately need.

Everyone knows what it’s like to suffer for a long time from stomach pains only to later throw up and feel better relatively quickly. The throwing up is a messy situation, but the reason you feel better afterwards is because you have purged the toxins.

There are a lot of toxins in our culture today. We have toxins of injustice, toxins of racism and toxins of hate. We have a multiplicity of toxins coagulating in the same space at the same time. But if we miss the reality that God has allowed this in order to bring about a correction and a cleaning, then we will just move from one symptom to another symptom. We will miss the opportunity to address the root that has produced the fruit which has led to the confusion of hopelessness on display.

God has spoken on the issues at hand, and He has not stuttered. He has spoken about racism. He has spoken about systemic and individual injustices. He has spoken about classism. He has spoken about culturalism. He has spoken about politics. He has spoken about freedom. He has spoken about equity, elitism, indulgences, empathy and more. God has spoken about all of these subjects. But until we align our hearts, thoughts, words and actions underneath His overarching rule based on what He has said, we are living in rebellion.

What many people do today, unfortunately, is pick and choose what they will obey. As a result, we are experiencing a dearth of kingdom disciples who observe all that He has commanded, not just the parts they like. From God’s throne come both righteousness and justice. These are not see-saw’s to go up and down on. Rather, these are twins who are joined at the hip. You don’t skip justice and call for righteousness. Likewise, you don’t skip righteousness in the name of justice. We are called to a higher calling, that of following the whole counsel of God.

Why do we have all of these churches with all of these leaders and all of these believers but still have all of this mess? Because we have failed to bring God’s perspective to bear on the situation. If we are to ever fix this madness and solve this mess—on these issues of injustice, the pain of our shared history and the systems which perpetuate inequity generationally—it will only be due to a right response, collectively as His body, based on God’s Word.

It is absolutely clear right now that there needs to be a reset. This is a defining moment for us as citizens to decide whether we want to be one nation under God or a divided nation apart from God. If we don’t answer that question correctly and if we don’t answer it quickly, we won’t be much of a nation at all.

Thank you for standing with us as a ministry especially in this season as we so desperately need your thoughts, encouragement, prayers and support. We are in this together.

Wednesday, June 10, 2020

No worries

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Matthew 6:25

As I write these words, our nation currently has the highest unemployment rate it has seen since the Great Depression, with many experts expecting the number to continue to swell. Not to mention several hard hit states with over 30% of the labor force out of work. In addition to this, countless millions more, while still employed, face reduced wages or the very real threat of job loss. While this moment is unquestionably a threat to our stability and general well being, it also threatens to derail our trust in God’s ability to provide for us when we are unable to provide for ourselves.

We live in a culture that has long denied the existence of spiritual realities. We trust what can be seen, measured, and observed, and see any connection between the physical and spiritual worlds as a medieval carry over that we’ll be free from soon enough. In an effort to push back against this impulse, religious people often swing the pendulum too far in the other direction, saying all that matters is the spiritual world, and we make the error of separating out the two, with God and his spiritual world up there, and the real everyday world of creation down here.

I point these realities out because it is incredibly easy to make this mistake when reading Jesus’ words about God’s provision. When he says “Do not worry about your life,” he is not saying “your life and physical needs are of no concern to me.” Similarly, when he says in verse 33 to “seek first the Kingdom of God,” this is not meant to be understood in some disembodied way. What then is going on here?

Jesus reminds us of what we are prone to forget: that we are made in the image of God and destined to reign with him for eternity. While creaturely needs are important and not to be dismissed, you and I are not defined by our appetites and desires. Your hunger does not dominate you and your vulnerabilities do not control you. Yet we not only easily forget this truth, but we behave in ways that betray our true natures. We become beastly creatures, obsessed with our own comfort, pleasure, and security, and in times of great uncertainty this impulse is only heightened. Yet Jesus reminds us that this does not have to be so.

How would you live differently if you truly knew God would meet your every need? How would your vision of the world and your place in it change if you were free from believing that your greatest need in life was securing access to material comforts? How might it change your very view of yourself and of God?

If we believe material provision is the greatest need we face in life, when it is compromised or threatened, so too is our own sense of worth or value. We feel shameful and diminished as humans, and assume our Lord sees us the same way. Yet Jesus at every turn in this passage longs for us to remember the goodness, mercy, and love of our Father in heaven, who gently and tenderly cares for the birds of the air and the lilies of the field. Our Lord will not only meet our physical needs, he in his kindness will remind us that we are physical beings being made ready for his Kingdom. And so, “Do not worry about tomorrow.”


Wednesday, June 3, 2020

Your loved

The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness. Jeremiah 31:3

Everyone alive has been created to love and be loved. Because we’ve been made for love, I guess you could say we’re all desperate for love. And because we’re desperate for love, it’s amazing what we’ll do to try to get love.

We try to get love by being thinner, smarter, or nicer. We try to get it by having bigger biceps, or by making more money. We try to get love by having the most impressive resume, the most impressive wardrobe, or the most impressive home.

Because acceptance feels like love, we may make the mistake of trying to get love in many ways that just don’t work. If you’re beautiful according to the world’s definition, or if you have loads of money, you may receive more attention. You may get strokes that make you feel more lovable or more important. You may feel validated and accepted.

But here’s the truth: You can never experience a true sense of worth or peace through achievements, success, good looks, or by manipulating others by being nice.

If you try to get the love you need through these unproductive ways of relating, you’ll always be in a panic; you’ll never be able to internally rest. Why? Because, you’ll always feel you need to prove your worth through something external, one more time. You’ll feel the stress to stay beautiful, grow your bank account, or always have the best kids, to feel loved.

This will only bring insecurity, turmoil, and fear. To experience the love you want, you simply need to know and accept this one thing:

You are already loved. Nothing can change this truth. It’s immutable, just as God himself is immutable.

If you are beautiful and feel good about yourself, wonderful! But you don’t need to try to get your worth from your looks. If God has gifted you with riches, wonderful! But, you don’t need to tie your worth to money.

If you have a fantastic job in which your skills are highlighted and your colleagues admire you, great! But you do not need to tie your sense of worth to your achievements.

Why?

Because you are already loved. You already are valuable. You already have what you want.

That’s it. That’s all. End of story.

When you embrace the truth that you are loved, you can breathe a sigh of relief. No more fear. No more striving. Just rest, because nothing can take away the truth that you are loved or that you have immense value.

What great news. 

"The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing."  (Psalm 23:1)


Monday, June 1, 2020

Joy & happiness

As for us, brothers and sisters, when, for a short time, we were made orphans by being separated from you—in person, not in heart—we longed with great eagerness to see you face to face. For we wanted to come to you—certainly I, Paul, wanted to again and again—but Satan blocked our way. For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? Yes, you are our glory and joy! 1 Thessalonians 2:17-20

While we always read Scripture from within a particular context and moment in history, there are times in which it seems almost impossible to not read our present reality into a past moment. For example, when we read the Apostle Paul’s words about being separated from those he loves in person but not in heart.  Quick question how many of us  in 2020 cannot relate to this sentiment? I imagine we have all seen heartwarming images during this pandemic of loved ones who are separated in body, but creatively showing their love and affection for one another in heart. I think of the parade of cars driving past loved one’s homes on their birthdays, graduations, or anniversaries. Even when we are forced apart, our hearts remain deeply connected with those we love.

Self-care is an important and essential part of human flourishing. We must learn to tend to God’s renewing work inside of us as we are remade and reborn as children in his kingdom. And yet, regardless of what we are often told, true joy and fulfillment is not found simply in our own self-satisfaction. There is a greater and deeper life that is only found when we give ourselves away for the good of others.

Joy and happiness is found when we invest in others and see them become the people they are purposed and destined to be. Though the Apostle Paul had certainly been personally transformed by the love of God in Jesus, this was not his hope or joy. What was you ask? Seeing that transformation in the lives of his friends, and all he came into contact with. Their new life in Christ was his great joy and source of abiding hope, and it is meant to be ours as well.

In order to know the joy that Paul speaks of, we must be willing to first do the hard work of living and loving for the sake of others. What does it look like for you to truly give your life away, without expecting anything in return? It is so easy to live out of mixed motives, doing good for another yet still mindful of the benefit that comes back our way. Yet what a gift it would be to long to see someone face to face for no other reason than to see them living life as God made it to be lived, and that alone being for you and me a deep well of unspeakable joy.