No army has ever gone "undefeated." There are countless skirmishes which make up a war, and it is possible to lose a battle but still win the war. Today felt like one of those losing days in a spiritual sense. I find an object lesson in my own hands. On any given day of mechanical insulation, I usually come through without any injuries whatsoever. Occasionally I will have a scrape or cut, or possibly feel fatigued after a particularly taxing day of work. As I wrapped duct this morning, I cut my finger on a 20-gauge stud: it was the kind that make your toes curl! Someone had taken a grinder to the metal until it was rough and razor sharp. I felt it before I saw it. Thankfully it was in a fairly decent spot and not too deep. When I came home I had several cuts on my hands to clean with my old standby, hydrogen peroxide.
I believe we set ourselves up for failure if we believe we will have victory every moment of every single day over the temptations thrown at us. Yes, the blood of Jesus has cleansed us from all sin, and through the Holy Spirit we can daily walk in the victory Jesus has granted by His grace. But no matter how pure our motives and focused our efforts we will sometimes fail. Today the spiritual battle was particularly tough and I look back on the day with clear knowledge of my failures. I feel like Satan ambushed me a couple times and nailed me with a few cheap shots. Like the sharp metal, I was cut before I noticed. It seems there were more skirmishes lost than won. Satan would use this to encourage me to give up or give in. Never! I must run to Christ in repentance, for it is only in Him I have strength, protection, forgiveness, and power to glorify God.
On a normal day of work, we can expect fatigue. When I first started working in the trade, I was working 7 days a week 12 hours a day at the Chevron refinery in El Segundo. That meant waking up at 3am, picking up my brother, driving to El Segundo to be there for a 5:45am pick-up. We worked stripping asbestos in a boiler for at least 9 or 10 hours a day wearing a full-face respirator in containment in the heat of summer. At 6pm we were driven out, gassed up the truck, and arrived home by about 8:30pm. There was just enough time to eat a little dinner, kiss my newlywed wife goodnight, and go to sleep. 3am came EARLY the next morning and the cycle started again! Thankfully this schedule after a couple weeks was changed to 6 days a week 10 hours a day. I felt like a new man after Sunday! Well, for a while anyway. As work changes in scope and duration from day to day, Satan's bombardment of our minds is not always the same. Some times there are periods of rest from the shelling, but other times it can stretch into days seemingly without end.
Here is the point: where there is an open door, there are many adversaries. When we decide to live for Jesus Christ, Satan works overtime to cause us to stumble in sin. As we draw closer to God in prayer and devotion, the enemy of our souls seeks to disrupt us more than ever. He wants to beat down our resolve, and cause us to neglect the care and condition of our spiritual armor. What good is a misplaced shield of faith, or a cracked helmet of salvation? What does it profit to strap the boots of the preparation of the Gospel of peace on our feet if they are filled with holes? A rusty sword of the Spirit tends to be stuck dull and useless in the sheath. The spiritual battle can wear us down and can be overwhelming when we just do our best. We need to abide in Christ or we will fall prey to the devil's fiery darts.
The failures of today need not translate into failures tomorrow. Take every failure before the LORD, case by case. Spell out each fault: each profane thought, each time our hearts wandered and our eyes followed, every outburst of wrath, all judgments, and anything He reveals to us. It is in this confession and repentance where the victory is won. For all his skirmishes he has won, Satan remains a defeated foe. We can be valiant and stouthearted in Christ, knowing that we are more than conquerors through Him. No weapon fashioned against us shall stand because the battle belongs to the LORD. Claim the victory in Christ, and stand strong in the LORD and in the power of His might.
31 March 2010
30 March 2010
Road to Resurrection
Our church fellowship annually puts on an elaborate play detailing the arrest, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Over the years I have had differing roles either on stage or behind the scenes. One year I was cast as Jesus. To say it was a challenge and a humbling experience would be an understatement. Aside from prayerfully approaching the role and delivering my lines verbatim, the thing I strove for more than anything was realism.
Before the opening scene, people are allowed to roam freely through the marketplace, taking in the sights, smells, and tastes of the city of Jerusalem. In years past there have been live animals, unleavened bread, and it is a perfect time to chat with Pharisees and even Roman guards. The chatter of the marketplace is broken by a narrator, and then the temple guards bring Jesus before Caiaphas. As I was being hauled up on stage, I could see the smiles and expectant looks of the people. In that scene, one of the Pharisees was directed to slap Jesus on the face. We worked time after time on it in practice because he struggled to bring himself to do it full-on. The year before me the man acting as Christ was wearing a false beard so direct impact could dislodge the beard and create a humorous mistake, spoiling the mood. Since my beard was real, I told the Pharisee to let me have it.
You would not believe the difference of the crowd from one year to the next. The fake slap had no real effect on the audience. But when the slap cracked full-force across my face, everyone's expressions in the audience changed. It went dead silent. We had their complete attention. In the hush their minds were saying, "Wow. That guy really got hit. That wasn't fake!" Over the nights of the performances people would ask about being scourged or slapped around. It seemed amazing to them that an actor would allow people to beat on him. Believe me, it was not severe at all. Not a drop of my blood was spilled. It could not even be compared to the brutal punishment that Christ actually endured. One has to balance the physical punishment with the fact there are three performances, with Jesus rising from the dead at the end. Jesus with black eyes and lips oozing blood would not be a comforting sight.
I admit I was incredulous by people's reactions. I was sorry that people focused on the actor who was slapped around with kid gloves when they should have considered the implications of what Jesus actually did. We were pretending while Jesus paid the ultimate price, once and for all. He was not play acting, and neither were the Pharisees and Roman guards who literally maimed and tortured Him to death. When the Romans would scourge a man, it was not uncommon for his internal organs to be exposed. Considering all Jesus did for me, I wanted to lay to waste all those hygienic, tasteful paintings of the crucifixion scene. The Passion of the Christ did well to do away with those misconceptions.
What is more surprising: that an actor would allow someone to hit him, or the God become flesh allowed men to kill Him? Instead of giving credit to a man for a realistic depiction, give glory to Jesus who endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. That's God's glory. Give Him all the glory now and forever!
Before the opening scene, people are allowed to roam freely through the marketplace, taking in the sights, smells, and tastes of the city of Jerusalem. In years past there have been live animals, unleavened bread, and it is a perfect time to chat with Pharisees and even Roman guards. The chatter of the marketplace is broken by a narrator, and then the temple guards bring Jesus before Caiaphas. As I was being hauled up on stage, I could see the smiles and expectant looks of the people. In that scene, one of the Pharisees was directed to slap Jesus on the face. We worked time after time on it in practice because he struggled to bring himself to do it full-on. The year before me the man acting as Christ was wearing a false beard so direct impact could dislodge the beard and create a humorous mistake, spoiling the mood. Since my beard was real, I told the Pharisee to let me have it.
You would not believe the difference of the crowd from one year to the next. The fake slap had no real effect on the audience. But when the slap cracked full-force across my face, everyone's expressions in the audience changed. It went dead silent. We had their complete attention. In the hush their minds were saying, "Wow. That guy really got hit. That wasn't fake!" Over the nights of the performances people would ask about being scourged or slapped around. It seemed amazing to them that an actor would allow people to beat on him. Believe me, it was not severe at all. Not a drop of my blood was spilled. It could not even be compared to the brutal punishment that Christ actually endured. One has to balance the physical punishment with the fact there are three performances, with Jesus rising from the dead at the end. Jesus with black eyes and lips oozing blood would not be a comforting sight.
I admit I was incredulous by people's reactions. I was sorry that people focused on the actor who was slapped around with kid gloves when they should have considered the implications of what Jesus actually did. We were pretending while Jesus paid the ultimate price, once and for all. He was not play acting, and neither were the Pharisees and Roman guards who literally maimed and tortured Him to death. When the Romans would scourge a man, it was not uncommon for his internal organs to be exposed. Considering all Jesus did for me, I wanted to lay to waste all those hygienic, tasteful paintings of the crucifixion scene. The Passion of the Christ did well to do away with those misconceptions.
What is more surprising: that an actor would allow someone to hit him, or the God become flesh allowed men to kill Him? Instead of giving credit to a man for a realistic depiction, give glory to Jesus who endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. That's God's glory. Give Him all the glory now and forever!
29 March 2010
The True Hero
Easter is the time of year when special attention is given to Christ's crucifixion and resurrection. There is no greater evidence of Christ's divinity, power over sin and death, and love for all people than the cross and the empty tomb three days later. It is easy to miss the miraculous in the mundane, and familiarity breeds complacency. We can become so used to hearing that Jesus died for our sins that we don't appreciate fully Christ's sacrifice. It would be one thing to be God and humble yourself to living in a human body: it is unthinkable God would become flesh and willingly submit His life to the curse man brought upon himself through rebellion against God. Jesus suffered not only the emotional anguish of betrayal and rejection, but intense physical pain. The word "excruciating" is borne out of the terrible agony of the crucifixion process. That was not the end. Jesus endured separation from God on man's account - on my account - and was forsaken so we might be reconciled.
When I was a kid, I had this recurring dream that I went into my elementary school library and saved classmates from a fire. I always survived and was pushed around in a wheelchair with my arms and legs wound with gauze. I was a hero...in my dreams! That is not far from how we each perceive ourselves. We are the ones who will stand up for the kids who is being bullied, we are the ones who will chase down the thief who grabbed the woman's purse, we would go into that building to save that crying baby. But the reality is unless we are completely convinced that job is for us alone, we'll leave it to others. We will be the one standing silently and avoiding eye contact when a friend of ours is being picked on. I remember once when I was an assistant coach for Zed's soccer team. One of the parents had soured towards the head coach and decided he would tell me what he thought. With parents standing around frozen like moose on a Canadian road, he stood within inches of my face literally spitting mad, shaking, cursing, foaming with rage. A minute after he stormed away, a parent who had been standing within three feet from me patted my shoulder and said with a laugh, "Well, I'm glad you were on the receiving end of that and not me." Thanks a lot, I thought to myself.
We are often unwilling to help others. There are also times when we are unable. Years ago a union brother of mine experienced a horrific ordeal. He was taking two of his nephews (boys, about 10) on a little hunting trip at the opening of dove season. He was riding as a passenger in a RV heading up the grade in Alpine, while the boys played in the back of the camper. As they sped merrily along, disaster stuck without warning. Somehow, one of the propane tanks ignited and a fire began to rage out of control in the back of the camper. By the time the danger was realized and the vehicle stopped on the shoulder, the boys were trapped and were unable to reach the door and escape. The black smoke billowed from windows. My friend tried to open the door but with the fire raging, the choking smoke, and the intense heat it was impossible. "I can still hear their screams," he told me years later. "I have flashbacks. There was nothing I could do." If he could have given his life for those boys, he would have done it. But even if he had made it into the vehicle, he never would have made it out again. This story breaks my heart even now.
Even if we are willing, we are unable to save one person from their sins. We are powerless over sin in our fallen condition. Jesus freely took the punishment I deserve and died so I might live. He did not shy away from the agony of the cross but embraced it. How great and good is our God, who would send His only begotten Son to die at the hands of sinful man that we might live! 1 John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Jesus is my hero. Television and comic books glorify "superheros" because they have "superhuman" powers. They are all imposers and fabrications. Christ was fully human and fully divine. He alone has the power to save through His shed blood which cleanses those who repent and trust in His name from all unrighteousness.
Even if Superman was real, he would be nothing compared with Christ. Every person Superman "saved" from death only received a temporary reprieve. The natural course of life was fulfilled in every single one of them: death remained inevitable. All who trust in Jesus Christ will live eternally! Though the body will ultimately die, the souls of every Christian will endure forever! John 11:25-26 says, "Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. [26] And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?" Christians will never taste death. Our bodies will be corrupted, but our souls have put on incorruption and immortality through Jesus.
Romans 5:6-8 states: "For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. [7] For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. [8] But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Do you believe this? What have you done about it? Few are willing to stand up for others when death is not on the line, yet Jesus gave all. A majority of the people He died to save continue to reject Him. Let us give Him the reward due His suffering. May our lives fiercely proclaim through the ages, "LORD Jesus, your death has not been in vain! You have risen, and my life is bound up in yours! Please live your life through me."
When I was a kid, I had this recurring dream that I went into my elementary school library and saved classmates from a fire. I always survived and was pushed around in a wheelchair with my arms and legs wound with gauze. I was a hero...in my dreams! That is not far from how we each perceive ourselves. We are the ones who will stand up for the kids who is being bullied, we are the ones who will chase down the thief who grabbed the woman's purse, we would go into that building to save that crying baby. But the reality is unless we are completely convinced that job is for us alone, we'll leave it to others. We will be the one standing silently and avoiding eye contact when a friend of ours is being picked on. I remember once when I was an assistant coach for Zed's soccer team. One of the parents had soured towards the head coach and decided he would tell me what he thought. With parents standing around frozen like moose on a Canadian road, he stood within inches of my face literally spitting mad, shaking, cursing, foaming with rage. A minute after he stormed away, a parent who had been standing within three feet from me patted my shoulder and said with a laugh, "Well, I'm glad you were on the receiving end of that and not me." Thanks a lot, I thought to myself.
We are often unwilling to help others. There are also times when we are unable. Years ago a union brother of mine experienced a horrific ordeal. He was taking two of his nephews (boys, about 10) on a little hunting trip at the opening of dove season. He was riding as a passenger in a RV heading up the grade in Alpine, while the boys played in the back of the camper. As they sped merrily along, disaster stuck without warning. Somehow, one of the propane tanks ignited and a fire began to rage out of control in the back of the camper. By the time the danger was realized and the vehicle stopped on the shoulder, the boys were trapped and were unable to reach the door and escape. The black smoke billowed from windows. My friend tried to open the door but with the fire raging, the choking smoke, and the intense heat it was impossible. "I can still hear their screams," he told me years later. "I have flashbacks. There was nothing I could do." If he could have given his life for those boys, he would have done it. But even if he had made it into the vehicle, he never would have made it out again. This story breaks my heart even now.
Even if we are willing, we are unable to save one person from their sins. We are powerless over sin in our fallen condition. Jesus freely took the punishment I deserve and died so I might live. He did not shy away from the agony of the cross but embraced it. How great and good is our God, who would send His only begotten Son to die at the hands of sinful man that we might live! 1 John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Jesus is my hero. Television and comic books glorify "superheros" because they have "superhuman" powers. They are all imposers and fabrications. Christ was fully human and fully divine. He alone has the power to save through His shed blood which cleanses those who repent and trust in His name from all unrighteousness.
Even if Superman was real, he would be nothing compared with Christ. Every person Superman "saved" from death only received a temporary reprieve. The natural course of life was fulfilled in every single one of them: death remained inevitable. All who trust in Jesus Christ will live eternally! Though the body will ultimately die, the souls of every Christian will endure forever! John 11:25-26 says, "Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. [26] And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?" Christians will never taste death. Our bodies will be corrupted, but our souls have put on incorruption and immortality through Jesus.
Romans 5:6-8 states: "For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. [7] For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. [8] But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Do you believe this? What have you done about it? Few are willing to stand up for others when death is not on the line, yet Jesus gave all. A majority of the people He died to save continue to reject Him. Let us give Him the reward due His suffering. May our lives fiercely proclaim through the ages, "LORD Jesus, your death has not been in vain! You have risen, and my life is bound up in yours! Please live your life through me."
28 March 2010
Being a Donkey
We will never glean practical spiritual truth from the Bible until we make it personal. I can look back over the years and I remember several times God spoke to me directly through His Word. I remember the first time I saw myself as Simon of Cyrene, who had come out of his country and was compelled to carry the cross of Christ. I also remember when the LORD showed me that all men are as Barabas (including myself!). Though he was condemned to die for his wicked acts, Barabas was spared and Christ became his substitute. Today I saw myself for the first time as the donkey that carried Christ into Jerusalem during His triumphant entry.
God has been teaching me a lot lately about obeying His directives, not just automatically doing things to please people. It is an easy trap to do what everyone says you should do. As opportunities have presented themselves for me to serve at church of late, I have felt strangely restrained by God. It does not profit to please man if you displease God. King David wanted to build God a house and Nathan said immediately, "Do all that is in your heart, for the LORD is with you." (1 Chron. 17:2) Yet God appeared that night to tell Nathan the prophet to speak for Him the next day: "You shall not build Me a house to dwell in." King David was not permitted by God to build the temple, but he prepared for construction by gathering materials. There are times when God restrains His people so they can be released to perform God's will.
This morning we read Luke 19:29-34 during church service: "And it came to pass, when He [Jesus] came near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mountain called Olivet, that He sent two of His disciples, [30] saying, "Go into the village opposite you, where as you enter you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Loose it and bring it here. [31] And if anyone asks you, 'Why are you loosing it?' thus you shall say to him, 'Because the Lord has need of it.' " [32] So those who were sent went their way and found it just as He had said to them. [33] But as they were loosing the colt, the owners of it said to them, "Why are you loosing the colt?" [34] And they said, "The Lord has need of him." Before the colt could be loosed, he must have first been restrained. The colt had been tied up and thus reserved for the Lord's purposes. It didn't matter what the other donkeys thought or what the owner of the colt had to say. The Lord had need of him, and Jesus had every right to direct his disciples to bring the colt to Him.
It's ironic that we know "The LORD owns the cattle on a thousand hills" but if we touches our donkey we ask, "Why are you loosening him?" People have asked me, "Why don't you do this or that?" "We need you to help here" or "You'd be perfect for this role." God has certainly restrained me from jumping back into full-time ministry at church since my return from Australia because I believe God has tied me up for a purpose according to His design to serve Him there. There will be a time when He will loose me to perform His will. There is a need He has prepared for me to meet by His grace according to the power of the Holy Spirit who works in me. A donkey is considered a humble animal because it is bred as a "beast of burden." Not a glamorous position being a blue-collar guy. But that little blue-collar donkey literally carried Jesus into Jerusalem. I rejoice in the prospect of carrying Christ wherever I go in the world.
Israel said of his son before he passed into eternity: Genesis 49:14-15 reads, "Issachar is a strong donkey, lying down between two burdens; [15] He saw that rest was good, and that the land was pleasant; he bowed his shoulder to bear a burden, and became a band of slaves." It was a couple of months ago when someone I highly respect came up to me and said with intensity, "Never forget that you are a pastor." The calling of a pastor is a two-fold burden of caring for the flock of God as well as having a heart for the lost, and is a delicate balance of family and ministry. It takes the power of God to love sheep as well as wolves who are convinced they are sheep. It is a mistake to think a pastor's job is to serve men. A pastor, like every other believer, is to serve God first. Christians serve God by serving men, but we must never fall into the trap of serving men to serve God. He must have our allegiance and obedience.
When Jesus looses me to serve Him according to His perfect will in America, Australia, or wherever He should lead, I have decided to bear the burden of service He places upon me. My training, personality, work ethic, nor my mental or physical ability to handle stress will be sufficient to help me endure. As Esther had been brought into the kingdom of the Medes and Persians for such a time, so I have been prepared for this moment in time. It is a time of preparation and waiting on the LORD. Only He has the authority to say, "Loose him, and let him go!"
God has been teaching me a lot lately about obeying His directives, not just automatically doing things to please people. It is an easy trap to do what everyone says you should do. As opportunities have presented themselves for me to serve at church of late, I have felt strangely restrained by God. It does not profit to please man if you displease God. King David wanted to build God a house and Nathan said immediately, "Do all that is in your heart, for the LORD is with you." (1 Chron. 17:2) Yet God appeared that night to tell Nathan the prophet to speak for Him the next day: "You shall not build Me a house to dwell in." King David was not permitted by God to build the temple, but he prepared for construction by gathering materials. There are times when God restrains His people so they can be released to perform God's will.
This morning we read Luke 19:29-34 during church service: "And it came to pass, when He [Jesus] came near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mountain called Olivet, that He sent two of His disciples, [30] saying, "Go into the village opposite you, where as you enter you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Loose it and bring it here. [31] And if anyone asks you, 'Why are you loosing it?' thus you shall say to him, 'Because the Lord has need of it.' " [32] So those who were sent went their way and found it just as He had said to them. [33] But as they were loosing the colt, the owners of it said to them, "Why are you loosing the colt?" [34] And they said, "The Lord has need of him." Before the colt could be loosed, he must have first been restrained. The colt had been tied up and thus reserved for the Lord's purposes. It didn't matter what the other donkeys thought or what the owner of the colt had to say. The Lord had need of him, and Jesus had every right to direct his disciples to bring the colt to Him.
It's ironic that we know "The LORD owns the cattle on a thousand hills" but if we touches our donkey we ask, "Why are you loosening him?" People have asked me, "Why don't you do this or that?" "We need you to help here" or "You'd be perfect for this role." God has certainly restrained me from jumping back into full-time ministry at church since my return from Australia because I believe God has tied me up for a purpose according to His design to serve Him there. There will be a time when He will loose me to perform His will. There is a need He has prepared for me to meet by His grace according to the power of the Holy Spirit who works in me. A donkey is considered a humble animal because it is bred as a "beast of burden." Not a glamorous position being a blue-collar guy. But that little blue-collar donkey literally carried Jesus into Jerusalem. I rejoice in the prospect of carrying Christ wherever I go in the world.
Israel said of his son before he passed into eternity: Genesis 49:14-15 reads, "Issachar is a strong donkey, lying down between two burdens; [15] He saw that rest was good, and that the land was pleasant; he bowed his shoulder to bear a burden, and became a band of slaves." It was a couple of months ago when someone I highly respect came up to me and said with intensity, "Never forget that you are a pastor." The calling of a pastor is a two-fold burden of caring for the flock of God as well as having a heart for the lost, and is a delicate balance of family and ministry. It takes the power of God to love sheep as well as wolves who are convinced they are sheep. It is a mistake to think a pastor's job is to serve men. A pastor, like every other believer, is to serve God first. Christians serve God by serving men, but we must never fall into the trap of serving men to serve God. He must have our allegiance and obedience.
When Jesus looses me to serve Him according to His perfect will in America, Australia, or wherever He should lead, I have decided to bear the burden of service He places upon me. My training, personality, work ethic, nor my mental or physical ability to handle stress will be sufficient to help me endure. As Esther had been brought into the kingdom of the Medes and Persians for such a time, so I have been prepared for this moment in time. It is a time of preparation and waiting on the LORD. Only He has the authority to say, "Loose him, and let him go!"
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