I recently heard a song called, "Might be Today." It is a song of wistful desire, a heartfelt longing to be in the presence of Jesus Christ. "...Might be today I look into your eyes, might be today I see your face. Might be today you place your wounded hands on my tear-stained face - might be today." This song absolutely breaks my heart, but not in the way you might expect. It breaks my heart because for every person this CAN be the day you look into the face of Jesus, and you need not be caught up into the heavens physically for it to happen. But the devil would love us to pine for Jesus on earth remaining distant from Him, even when an intimate relationship with Jesus is available to all who believe in Christ, have repented, are born again, and filled with the Holy Spirit.
When Jesus told His disciples He would be leaving them, they were sad. Jesus says in John 16:5-7: "But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, 'Where are You going?' [6] But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. [7] Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you." Jesus reveals it is actually for the benefit of His followers that He go, for the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, would be sent. His physical separation from us would actually provide greater closeness. Instead of Jesus being confined to a physical body in one place on earth, He would send the Holy Spirit, the same Spirit who empowers Him, who actually dwells inside of each Christian.
Don't get me wrong. It's not a bad song, and you're not a bad person if you love this song. But what I dislike is it reduces our relationship with Christ to the physical with an almost romantic tone. It likely supports and perpetuates the misunderstanding that a close relationship with God cannot really be obtained now. The song suggests we must wait until we are physically in heaven before we can actually get to know Jesus. What does the color of His eyes matter when He has shed His blood for us? Should I long for a caress from His hand when He has given peace to me that passes understanding today? Is it profitable for me to fantasize about how His voice sounds when His Holy Spirit speaks to me in a small, still voice whenever I am willing to stop and listen? Satan would love for our eyes to be tearfully staring after Christ into the clouds when He is in the midst of two or three who gather in His name on earth right now. Many wring their hands when they ought to rend their hearts.
Another song along the same lines: "I can only imagine what it will be like when I walk by your side. I can only imagine what my eyes will see when your face is before me. I can only imagine when all I will do is forever, forever worship you." Again, a well-known song. Shouldn't followers of Jesus Christ be engaged in these activities right now? Shouldn't we share a walk with Jesus today? We need not imagine. "And He walks with me and He talks with me and tells me I am His own. And the joy we share as we tarry there none other has ever known." David sought God's face. Psalm 27:8-9 says, "When You said, "Seek My face," my heart said to You, "Your face, Lord, I will seek." [9] Do not hide Your face from me; do not turn Your servant away in anger; You have been my help; do not leave me nor forsake me, O God of my salvation." How about Paul's statement in 2 Cor. 4:6? "For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." God is seeking those who will worship Him in Spirit and in truth now. We don't need to stop worshiping God: forever for Christians includes today.
Closeness with God is not something to be longed for: it is something to be received and walked in today. As long as we think it is unobtainable, we cannot and will not receive it. But if we would lay down our idols, give ourselves wholly to God, and cry out to Him, He will hear and respond as He has promised in His Word. We should not have a "long-distance relationship" with God. Most of those physical long-distance relationships never work out among people on earth, and professing Christians who attempt this approach with God will be left unsatisfied and likely unsaved. If I could yell it out I would: with eyes of faith we see Christ even now, sitting at the right hand of God the Father! Stephen could see Him, even as the stones were hurled towards him. Stephen gave himself to God, and God gave him spiritual sight. We have not because we ask not, and when we ask we ask amiss that we might use God's riches for earthly benefit.
Do not be deceived! Intense closeness is God's will for us and Him right NOW. It is not for some distant time when you can trace Christ's wounds from Calvary as Believing Thomas. Listen to the words of Jesus in John 17:9-11: "I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. [10] And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them. [11] Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are." When we fulfill our purpose of bringing God glory in our lives, we will find a closeness with God we could not have believed possible. As close as you are with God today, tomorrow that closeness can increase. You can never be too close to God. Instead of seeking physical sensation or feelings, seek Jesus Himself. Psalm 67:1 says, "God be merciful to us and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us. Selah" Selah means that we should meditate on these things, and notice the lack of a period. We should not stop meditating upon this truth. God's face shines upon us and illuminates our hearts from within. It is in His strength we live, move, and have our being. Don't wait for heaven to get to know God. Today is the day.
17 March 2010
16 March 2010
Why Do You Give?
"And Solomon went up there to the bronze altar before the Lord, which was at the tabernacle of meeting, and offered a thousand burnt offerings on it. [7] On that night God appeared to Solomon, and said to him, "Ask! What shall I give you?"
1 Chronicles 1:6-7
When I read this passage, the irony stood out to me as never before. It is ironic because it is in the opposite order of the typical "nominal" Christian. "Nominal" means, "existing or being something in name or form only." There are real Christians, and there are nominal ones. A nominal Christian asks for a thousand things from God in exchange for the promise of a single sacrifice. Solomon displays the true order demanded by faith. He made a thousand sacrifices without the guarantee of receiving anything from God. Those who know God recognize He is a gracious, generous giver. Sometimes our sacrifices add up to nothing more than bribes. Even genuine Christians can fall into this error.
Aladdin rubbed the lamp of the Genie and he received three wishes. Solomon willingly sacrificed to God and God appeared to Solomon. STOP right there! God, the Creator of all things, the Over and Above All One, the majestic King appeared to Solomon. That is a priceless treasure in itself. This is the God whose audience we desire in our prayers. God freely gives to those who freely give. He not only gives things, but He has given Himself. Jesus came to earth to seek and save the lost, offering Himself as a sacrifice for sin. I remember a birthday invitation which read, "Please do not bring presents. Your presence is the gift." This ought to be our attitude with God.
I have people in my life who seem to seek me out only when they want something from me. This deeply grieves my spirit. It saddens me to think people don't care about me as much as what I can give them. When this happened to Jesus (it must have been constant!), He kept giving. He kept grieving, but He kept giving. Notice God's excitement to grant King Solomon's request: "Ask! What shall I give you?" God asked Solomon to ask! God was so pleased with Solomon, not his sacrifices. God needs nothing from man, but He delights to receive praise, sacrifice, honor, and love from him. Because God delights in His people, He delights in granting their requests. In the Parable of the Son Who Returned, the Father grants his son the part of the inheritance he requested. Though he knew all his hard-earned money was squandered on harlots he rejoiced to wrap his son in his arms, placed a clean robe on him, put shoes on his feet, placed a ring on his finger, and ordered his servants to kill the fatted calf for a celebration. It was a celebration of gracious love. The focus was not on the wrong, indiscretion, or sin of the son, but the son himself. "My son has returned!" The presence of the son was the gift, and the father freely gave.
Repentance paves the way to restoration. Examine your motives in asking anything from God. Do you order God around as a man does a genie whose lamp he holds in his hands? Nothing can contain our God. The universe cannot contain His grace, love, or delight towards mankind. Give yourself wholly to God, and He will give Himself without measure to you.
14 March 2010
A Worthy War
Today I finished watching the PBS documentary, The War. Many of the soldiers in the seventh volume testified of the great atrocities they discovered in the concentration camps against Jews, Poles, and mentally infirm. To their horror and disgust soldiers came upon nude, dead, emaciated bodies "stacked like cordwood," a testimony to the wicked and barbaric Nazi regime which spread horror and death across the world. If you have seen pictures or footage of those hellish places, words are almost useless to convey the pitiful and tragic conditions through which any victims were miraculously able to endure. The human body can only survive so much starvation, torture, isolation, and merciless experimentation by twisted souls.
As I thought about what I had only seen of what millions experienced firsthand, my mind went through a progression. There are people today who say the holocaust never occurred. That would be as screwy as to say WWII never happened. As of 2008, there were 2.3 million living American veterans of World War II, eyewitnesses still living of the 16 million who served (http://www1.va.gov/opa/fact/amwars.asp). Many of those Americans who served lied to join the armed forces, anxious to see action. My dad's uncle, Bill Grisez, was 16 years old when he joined the Army as a paratrooper and was held as a POW in Italy. I'm always amazed and intrigued when I hear of people fearlessly join a fierce conflict. Either they are very brave and patriotic, have no idea of what they are getting themselves into, or a combination of both.
Many people are ignorant of the spiritual battle that rages for the souls of men today. If only the souls of men could be seen stacked like bodies in front of Hell's crematorium! The Germans used poisonous gas to kill, and Satan uses pornography, narcotics, intoxicating drink, greed, hate, pride, and every manner of evil. How quickly men run to embrace that which kills them! As much as the Internet has been used for good, people used it ten times more often to their own destruction. The devil seeks to enslave men to their own lusts, blind them to the truth of the Gospel, and consequently rob them of life.
I see myself poised on the brink of great struggle as I seek to plunge into ministry in Australia. It has been estimated 3 to 6 percent of the population of the country attend church, and from my meager experience many are not being fed the pure milk and meat of the Word of God. I feel like that sixteen-year-old who will do what it takes to see action and prove his worth. I am not saying I am reckless or will stoop to deceit, but there is that same determination to experience real spiritual war. This is what I have been trained for: not to kill or destroy, but to seek and save the lost. I want to be among the first who storm the strongholds in God's strength, feeding the emaciated, binding up wounds, and carrying the weak to safety. When the stench of death swirls around, I want to continue fighting the good fight. My fight is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers overcome by the blood of the Lamb.
Jesus says in Matthew 10:28, "And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." Men have done horrible, unthinkable things during times of war and peace. The casualty statistics of WWII are tragic, but pale in comparison to the spiritual holocaust which has been perpetuated by sin. There is a time for war, and a time for peace. Peace will never come until the war is enjoined for souls of men in the power of Jesus Christ. This will take much prayer, sacrifice, service, and love. That is how Jesus fights. I would rather be slaughtered on the field of battle fighting for what is good and right than live in ease and comfort bound by fears, inaction, and regret. It is better to fight one day and perish under God's command than live 1000 years in opposition to Him. He has placed in every human being a living soul. It is the noblest effort of men to glorify God through saving souls. May every follower of Jesus Christ be of this mind.
As I thought about what I had only seen of what millions experienced firsthand, my mind went through a progression. There are people today who say the holocaust never occurred. That would be as screwy as to say WWII never happened. As of 2008, there were 2.3 million living American veterans of World War II, eyewitnesses still living of the 16 million who served (http://www1.va.gov/opa/fact/amwars.asp). Many of those Americans who served lied to join the armed forces, anxious to see action. My dad's uncle, Bill Grisez, was 16 years old when he joined the Army as a paratrooper and was held as a POW in Italy. I'm always amazed and intrigued when I hear of people fearlessly join a fierce conflict. Either they are very brave and patriotic, have no idea of what they are getting themselves into, or a combination of both.
Many people are ignorant of the spiritual battle that rages for the souls of men today. If only the souls of men could be seen stacked like bodies in front of Hell's crematorium! The Germans used poisonous gas to kill, and Satan uses pornography, narcotics, intoxicating drink, greed, hate, pride, and every manner of evil. How quickly men run to embrace that which kills them! As much as the Internet has been used for good, people used it ten times more often to their own destruction. The devil seeks to enslave men to their own lusts, blind them to the truth of the Gospel, and consequently rob them of life.
I see myself poised on the brink of great struggle as I seek to plunge into ministry in Australia. It has been estimated 3 to 6 percent of the population of the country attend church, and from my meager experience many are not being fed the pure milk and meat of the Word of God. I feel like that sixteen-year-old who will do what it takes to see action and prove his worth. I am not saying I am reckless or will stoop to deceit, but there is that same determination to experience real spiritual war. This is what I have been trained for: not to kill or destroy, but to seek and save the lost. I want to be among the first who storm the strongholds in God's strength, feeding the emaciated, binding up wounds, and carrying the weak to safety. When the stench of death swirls around, I want to continue fighting the good fight. My fight is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers overcome by the blood of the Lamb.
Jesus says in Matthew 10:28, "And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." Men have done horrible, unthinkable things during times of war and peace. The casualty statistics of WWII are tragic, but pale in comparison to the spiritual holocaust which has been perpetuated by sin. There is a time for war, and a time for peace. Peace will never come until the war is enjoined for souls of men in the power of Jesus Christ. This will take much prayer, sacrifice, service, and love. That is how Jesus fights. I would rather be slaughtered on the field of battle fighting for what is good and right than live in ease and comfort bound by fears, inaction, and regret. It is better to fight one day and perish under God's command than live 1000 years in opposition to Him. He has placed in every human being a living soul. It is the noblest effort of men to glorify God through saving souls. May every follower of Jesus Christ be of this mind.
13 March 2010
Occupied or Preoccupied?
Today I saw something that took me way back. My son, Abel, planned for a friend to come by to play at 3pm today. From 11am on, there was virtually a minute by minute countdown until his friend's arrival. Twenty minutes to three I saw Abel's face glued to the front windows, scanning the street for his buddy. What struck me funny was the fact I had waited at that window about 28 years ago for my friends Jeremy and Donovan, two brothers from our church. They were older than me and were the coolest guys with the greatest toys.
As I watched Abel monitor the street, I considered how preoccupied he had been all day. He seemed to struggle to find much interest in anything because at 3pm Paul was coming over. No matter the age, when people are preoccupied they lose focus on other things. A man preoccupied with his impending divorce finds it hard to concentrate on anything else. Girls are preoccupied with prom outfits, and guys are preoccupied with the girl. Jesus has told us to be watchful because His return is soon. As Christ's followers stared up after Him into the clouds following His ascension, two men in white rebuked them gently. Acts 1:10-11 reads, "And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, [11] who also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven." Jesus had physically departed, but He would be returning. In the meantime, they were to be about His business.
I am reminded of a parable Jesus told His disciples in Luke 19:11-13: "And as they heard these things, He added and spake a parable, because He was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear. [12] He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. [13] And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come." (KJV) The disciples thought Jesus would set up His kingdom at that present time, before His crucifixion. Jesus corrected their understanding by explaining He would leave them, put resources under their authority, and later return. The nobleman would settle accounts with all his servants, and every servant would have to justify his conduct during the master's absence. In the same way, Jesus ascended to the Father and granted the Holy Spirit without measure to all who are born again by faith in Him. The Holy Spirit graciously empowers and gifts us. Instead of milling around with our faces staring up in the heavens preoccupied with Christ's return, we ought to occupy ourselves until He comes. It is good to lift your hands in worship to God, but better still to use those hands outside the sanctuary for God's service.
Jesus is coming and His reward is with Him. It is wisdom that asks, how am I occupying myself using the gifts God has given me for the glory of God? He has given many talents that lie buried in the ground moldering away. When we are preoccupied with things of this life we will not be occupied with our heavenly calling. Whom the devil cannot derail he will work to distract. Let us occupy ourselves with activities that bring glory and honor to God.
As I watched Abel monitor the street, I considered how preoccupied he had been all day. He seemed to struggle to find much interest in anything because at 3pm Paul was coming over. No matter the age, when people are preoccupied they lose focus on other things. A man preoccupied with his impending divorce finds it hard to concentrate on anything else. Girls are preoccupied with prom outfits, and guys are preoccupied with the girl. Jesus has told us to be watchful because His return is soon. As Christ's followers stared up after Him into the clouds following His ascension, two men in white rebuked them gently. Acts 1:10-11 reads, "And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, [11] who also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven." Jesus had physically departed, but He would be returning. In the meantime, they were to be about His business.
I am reminded of a parable Jesus told His disciples in Luke 19:11-13: "And as they heard these things, He added and spake a parable, because He was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear. [12] He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. [13] And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come." (KJV) The disciples thought Jesus would set up His kingdom at that present time, before His crucifixion. Jesus corrected their understanding by explaining He would leave them, put resources under their authority, and later return. The nobleman would settle accounts with all his servants, and every servant would have to justify his conduct during the master's absence. In the same way, Jesus ascended to the Father and granted the Holy Spirit without measure to all who are born again by faith in Him. The Holy Spirit graciously empowers and gifts us. Instead of milling around with our faces staring up in the heavens preoccupied with Christ's return, we ought to occupy ourselves until He comes. It is good to lift your hands in worship to God, but better still to use those hands outside the sanctuary for God's service.
Jesus is coming and His reward is with Him. It is wisdom that asks, how am I occupying myself using the gifts God has given me for the glory of God? He has given many talents that lie buried in the ground moldering away. When we are preoccupied with things of this life we will not be occupied with our heavenly calling. Whom the devil cannot derail he will work to distract. Let us occupy ourselves with activities that bring glory and honor to God.
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