Open the Door!

This morning in church the words of Jesus Christ in Revelation 3:20 was read:  "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me."  The immediate context is Jesus addressing the church in Laodicea concerning their lukewarm condition.  When this passage was read, a picture popped into my mind:  Jesus, standing at the door of a church building knocking while everyone inside ignored the sound of His voice caught up in their own plans.

The Laodicean church thought they were on fire, but they were of the kind Paul wrote about in 2 Cor. 10:12:  "For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise."  Yet it would be wisdom to consider and judge ourselves according to God's standards.  Physical life is evidenced first by inner activity:  heart pumping blood, lungs inhaling and exhaling, thoughts filling the mind.  A life well-lived makes good use of inner activity through outer actions which bring glory to God.  While we tend to focus on external activities and actions to commend ourselves before God, He looks upon the heart.  A heart regenerated by the Holy Spirit will be filled with life.  Spiritual life will be evidenced with constant physical response for God's glory.

Church fellowships today have no shortage of activity.  Evenings are packed with meetings, committees, and gatherings of every conceivable kind.  Guys come for steak and a movie, while another group shares a game of bingo.  The board meets to talk over budget issues, while a planning committee talks about the schedule for the upcoming musical program.  A group meets on the weekends to handle landscaping and building maintenance, and weary youth head home from a overnight lock-in.  There's no shortage of people who gather to pray, plan for missions, to receive an addendum concerning ushers and deacons, to sew baby blankets, put together shoeboxes for Samaritan's purse, build skateboard ramps, set up or stack chairs and tables, share a potluck, or even play a game of basketball.  But during all these events, Jesus can be left outside the door.  He stands at the door knocking and calling out in a loud voice great and precious promises to any who will respond with the opening of the door.  "If you will open the door, I'll come in!  We can commune together over a meal, and I'll provide the food.  Just open the door!"

See, it's Jesus who is on the menu.  He is the Bread of Life.  He is the Passover Lamb slain for the sins of the world.  The lamb at the Jewish Passover feast was to be eaten entirely, a picture of us becoming one with Jesus Christ through faith.  John 6:53-58 says, "Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. [54] Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. [55] For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. [56] He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. [57] As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. [58] This is the bread which came down from heaven--not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever."   This is not an urge toward cannibalism, but an exhortation for Jesus to be our spiritual food and drink.  He must become the sole substance that not only defines us but empowers and guides all we do.  Jesus is more than calories or fuel:  He is our Life.

Revelation 3:20 is not only to be interpreted in light of a corporate church fellowship but to be applied on a personal level as well.  Do we spend most of our lives with Jesus outside knocking and calling?  Or is His presence dictating all we do as we share sweet fellowship with Him?  There is a great story when Peter was freed from prison and he went to the home of fellow believers in Christ, the home of John Mark.  Acts 12:13-14 tells us, "And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a girl named Rhoda came to answer. [14] When she recognized Peter's voice, because of her gladness she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter stood before the gate."  So often our lives resemble the lives of Rhoda.  We're excited that Jesus stands outside the door and knocks calling out, but we neglect to open the door!  Every church I've visited sets aside time for announcements, but how many churches make opening the door for Jesus the only priority?  Let's make a decision to open the door of our hearts and lives to Jesus.  This must happen before our churches will. 

What have you given?

In his inaugural address, President John F. Kennedy said, "And so my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country."  How the climate of America has changed!  Modern culture is saturated with seeking the most benefits with the least cost.  Between social programs, government grants, welfare, and medical insurance, there are many potential benefits of living in America.  But when is the last time I asked, "What can I do for my country?"  Unfortunately if I even tried to ask I would likely be directed to an 800 number with an automated voice response.  Since the days of President Kennedy, the implications of "country" in America has become synonymous with "government."  Country is more than government, just like church is more than a building.

After dinner, our family typically reads a chapter from the Bible.  Tonight we read this in 1 Chron. 16:28-29:  "Give to the Lord, O families of the peoples, give to the Lord glory and strength. [29] Give to the Lord the glory due His name; bring an offering, and come before Him.  Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness!"  The repetition of the word "give" stood out to me.  It could also be inferred that bringing an offering is a gift, as well as the gift of worship.  It is fitting we should give unto God, for He has freely given unto us all things.  In light of Kennedy's quote, it could be rephrased:  "Ask not what God can give to you - ask what you can give unto God."

If we are willing to ask this question, God is ready to answer.  Instead of an automated response, we will receive a personal answer that will be challenging, personal, or even painful.  Few are as honorable as King David, who refused to offer to God what cost him nothing.  I think it wise to ask ourselves if there is anything we will not give to God.  If we are called to give all to God it is what we refuse to give which must be dealt with.  God is a giving, generous God.  Our prayers can mimic the two daughters of the leech mentioned in Proverbs 30:15:  Give and Give!  Instead of our lives being marked by greed, God can empower us to be gracious givers.  Let us give Him our all.

Glorious, Awesome God

This morning I had "Awesome God" stuck in my head.  "Our God is an awesome God, He reigns from heaven above with wisdom, power, and love:  our God is an awesome God."  I could hear an orchestra playing along, a symphony of praise raising up to God in heaven.  Like cannons were used in the recording of the 1812 Overture, I imagined howitzers firing off at the crescendo.  I wonder:  do the angels sing songs written by men?  If I could imitate the songs of angels I certainly would!  A song should never fire us up more than our excitement concerning the God of whom we sing.

How awesome is our God!  He has created the universe with a word, at whose face the world will flee.  In Rev. 20:11 we read, "Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them."  Earth and heaven cannot hide from God, and neither can those who inhabitant them.  The power of earthly elements are nothing compared to the power and might of the God followers of Jesus Christ serve.  He is God, and there is no other.  Even the wind and waves obey Him.  This is a God worthy not only of songs but of fear and much trembling from His subjects.  If you shudder at the thought of being cornered by a thug in an alley or a fearsome beast in the woods, tremble before God!

Few things make us tremble these days.  We are happy and content with a far-off god, a god who involves himself in our lives at our convenience according to our plan, a god we can manipulate and control.  But the Creator and Ruler of all that is made is no such god:  He is an awesome God!  He is the over and above all One.  Isaiah 55:8-9 says, "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," says the Lord. [9] "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts."  If we think highly of ourselves, we will have a low view of God.

1 Chron. 16:28-35 reads, "Give to the Lord, O families of the peoples, give to the Lord glory and strength. [29] Give to the Lord the glory due His name; bring an offering, and come before Him. Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness! [30] Tremble before Him, all the earth.  The world also is firmly established, it shall not be moved. [31] Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; and let them say among the nations, "The Lord reigns." [32] Let the sea roar, and all its fullness; let the field rejoice, and all that is in it. [33] Then the trees of the woods shall rejoice before the Lord, for He is coming to judge the earth. [34] Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!  For His mercy endures forever."  May we be moved to praise such a glorious God, whose reign is from everlasting to everlasting.  Such praise is due Him by us.

God's Love

"Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. [34] Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. [35] Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? [36] As it is written:  "For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter."  [37] Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. [38] For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, [39] nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Romans 8:33-39

How easy it is to pass quickly over well-known passages of scripture!  We are always the loser when we fall into this snare, and no one is exempt.  Sometimes we are so sure of the meaning of a scripture that our mind returns to old programming and reads our assumptions into the scripture.  May God cure us of this malady!

As I read this verse during my devotions a couple days ago, something stood out which never had before.  Look carefully at verse 38.  Paul was persuaded nothing could possibly separate us from the love of God.  Nothing has the ability to overcome the power of God's love and alienate us from it.  Because he says "...neither death nor life" I always focused on the fact a Christian's physical death cannot separate him from God's love.  But what about life?  Can life separate us from God?  If I were to count the ways, this post would never be finished!  His love is never abated towards us, but our love toward Him can be diluted by desire for earthly things.

God has given us opportunities for fun, relaxation, entertainment, hobbies, work, and all manner of things on earth for us to enjoy.  But we can easily be tweaked out of balance by the abundance of ways we can spend our time and neglect looking to God who has made all things possible.  Your schedule reflects your priorities.  Your priorities are not what you say they are, but what your decisions and lifestyle reveal.  It is ironic that the very life God has given us can make us so busy that we take for granted the love God has freely given.  Death cannot separate us from God's love, and neither can life.  Let us be sober and vigilant to not allow God's great gifts to avert our focus from the Source and Creator of All.  He has made all things for His glory and good pleasure.  Praise Him for your life, and may our lives be an outpouring of thanks unto Him! 

An Expected End

As I was working on the twelfth floor of the new dorm on UCSD, I had an inclination to look toward the north.  Because of where I was in the building, I could see south easily but the north only had a small window.  "What's the point of looking north," I asked the LORD, "when I can hardly see anything?"  It struck me that looking towards the north is like trying to see my future.  Looking south is like looking at my past, a panoramic view of the ocean and La Jolla spread from a high vantage point.  Yet looking north all I could see was a big concrete wall with a small square window.  A wide, wild future lays in front of me but I only have a tiny window through which to see.  My future is there sure as the sun will rise tomorrow, but it will always be elusive.  It will always be ahead of the present.

Needless to say, the way we see and the way God sees are very different from each other!  I am reminded of God's words in Jeremiah 29:11:  "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope."  God sees our complete lives stretched out before Him.  As Corrie ten Boom was fond of saying during her time on earth, "God sees the front side of the embroidery."  We see the back of the embroidery.  From our vantage point there is no picture to speak of, just random colors stitched across each other with tons of strings hanging down.  This verse in the KJV reads, "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end."  Our future is uncertain and unclear to us, but to God it will be as He expects.  He is not caught off guard, confused, or surprised.

At this point last year, I would not have thought my family would be living in my parent's home, our house for sale, and I would be working in construction to save towards an international move to Australia.  Right now the actual move to Australia seems far off in the distance, obscured by walls to thick to break through and too tall to climb.  Yet I find myself looking through that little window, excited about the prospects of a future ordained by God.  Isn't it wonderful to know God has good thoughts toward us?  As a Christian I have a future worth hoping for!  For us who are born again, the end of our lives on earth is not the end of life:  it is the beginning of eternal life!  What a future awaits us on earth and in heaven thanks to our Father!  May I do my part to embrace that future God has in store!

"Dear God: Are you angry with me today?"

This question greeted me in bold permanent ink as I closed the outhouse door on the jobsite.  As a rule, I never respond to questions written on bathroom walls - especially when God is involved!  It is a bad witness to damage property in God's name, and more horrible still to degrade His holy name with the depictions of racism, hatred, and sexual perversion found inside some construction site outhouses.  "Jesus loves you" written among that filth is a fitting example of the bright light Jesus brought to this earth.  But the grandeur and glory is lost when His name becomes graffiti.  He deserves people who live out that truth rather than writing it in hiding.

The temptation to respond on the bathroom door with pen and ink was over before it began, yet the question begs to be answered just the same.  Is God an angry God?  How can I know what angers Him?  Psalm 7:11 says, "God is a just judge, and God is angry with the wicked every day."  The word in the Hebrew translated "angry" means "to foam at the mouth, to be enraged."  Sin is rebellion against God and His perfect statutes, and He detests sin passionately.  It is a perversion of righteousness.  It corrupts, destroys, and brings death.  As much as God hates sin, He hates how it destroys men.  Sin is a cruel dictator that enslaves men and ushers them into hell.  God is righteous, and it is right for Him to be angry.  The psalmist writes in Psalm 76:7, "You, Yourself, are to be feared; and who may stand in Your presence when once You are angry?"   

We have been told that God is a loving God, and this is true.  While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.  But love and anger are not opposed to one another.  You can love your husband, wife, or children dearly, but they can still make you angry!  When you read of children being kidnapped and prostituted, or a father shooting his kids one by one and piling their bodies in a heap, or the elderly being swindled by crooks, what kind of person has no response?  A person who does not care.  God cares.  He cares more about you and me than we care about ourselves, and that is saying a lot!

God appeared to Moses in a burning bush and instructed him to return to Egypt.  God heard the cries of His people and sought to deliver them from the oppression of the Egyptians.  Moses began to make excuses:  what if they don't believe me, what if they refuse to listen,  I'm not good at public speaking.  Exodus 4:14 says the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses.  Did God's love for Moses or His people evaporate?  No.  But the unbelief of Moses and his reluctance to obey angered God.  How about King Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived?  1 Kings 11:9-10 reads, "So the Lord became angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned from the Lord God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, [10] and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he did not keep what the Lord had commanded."  Man's anger is often mood related, but God is not moody.  It is sin that infuriates Him.  Man is often angry without just cause, but God is just.

I will answer the question on the bathroom door with a question:  my friend, have you stirred up the anger of God today?  Have you chosen a path of disobedience?  After God revealed Himself to you have you walked in opposition to Him?  There are two ways to abate the anger of God:  repentance or judgment.  If we will repent and humble ourselves before God, His anger towards our sin is satisfied.  He will abundantly pardon and hold no grudge.  Or we can be as Achan who disobeyed God and stole plunder from Jericho.  God's anger will burn until justice is satisfied and it was only after the execution and burial of Achan that God's wrath subsided (Joshua 7:26).  Your life will decide if God is angry with you or not.  God is angry with the wicked every day, but He has provided the way of righteousness through the sacrifice of His precious only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.  Psalm 2:12 affirms, "Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little.  Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him."

Wounded?

"Time heals all wounds," the cliche goes, and I couldn't disagree more.  This assumes all wounds can be healed.  In fact, time has no ability to heal in itself.  Our bodies have been designed to repair themselves over time, but time has no magical qualities in itself to heal.  It amazes me how often cliches and proverbs are casually said without thought of their veracity.  Take the slogan, "What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas."  It is ironic Las Vegas is called "Sin City" and the last part of Numbers 32:23 says, "...be sure your sin will find you out."  I'll save this for another time!  Back to wounds, it is not only the elderly that struggle with unhealing wounds:  children, singles, parents, and grandparents have the potential to carry not only physical wounds, but emotional wounds that no amount of time could possibly heal.

Wounds are more than baggage.  No medicinal treatment, herbal remedy, or surgeon's scalpel has the power to remove the rot from a wounded soul.  I've been watching a documentary recently about WWII and a medic shared a difficult fact.  He spoke about having to make tough decisions on the field of battle involving life and death.  If a medic came upon a group of men during a battle who were seriously wounded, he would intentionally not treat soldiers who had likely suffered a mortal wound.  Morphine and supplies were too valuable to use on a man who would die following treatment.  A medic would need to survey the extent of the injury quickly, then decide who he would treat.  The treatment of minor injuries would be delayed for the serious ones, and the most serious would be avoided.  Thinking back over the interview, the medic never once claimed to have healed anyone.  He supplied treatment so the God-designed natural healing process could begin.

If we'd be honest, we tend to treat our physical wounds more thoroughly than our emotional or spiritual wounds.  We employ what I like to call John Wayne tactics.  When actor John Wayne is shot through an arm or leg, he ties a kerchief over the wound and keeps on fighting.  He might pour some whiskey over the spot and take a tug off the bottle.  But if someone asks about the injury, ol' John Wayne gruffly brushes it off as "nothing."  When it comes to inner hurt, we tend to try to ignore the pain rather seeking treatment.  Another extreme is to be so preoccupied with our wounds that we withdraw from those who could help.  We are convinced that no one has ever hurt this bad, no one could possibly understand, and we are far beyond healing.  Our wounds become our closest companions and the pain overwhelms us.  As Job said to his "friends," what miserable companions our wounds are!

It's true no one in the world has lived your life, and no one walking the earth today knows exactly the pain you've experienced.  Sometimes we disqualify others from speaking to us on the matter because they have not shared our exact history.  But let's say someone has suffered exactly like you.  Are they capable of healing you?  NO!  But there is someone who has suffered more than we could ever imagine, and nothing is too hard for Him.  His name is Jesus Christ, the Healer.  He does not offer treatment.  He supplies the cure.  He has the power to heal physically, and is willing and able to heal your soul!  Jesus healed lepers, cast out demons, made the paralyzed to walk, the blind to see, and raised the dead to life.  Your wounds are severe, and you must willingly expose them for Christ to heal.  Just like a doctor cannot examine an unwilling person who refuses to be a patient, Jesus will not force you to cry out to Him for healing.  But He is patient, longsuffering, merciful, gentle, loving, and kind.  He will not minimize your suffering.  He won't say, "That's nothing."  He knows too well the pain of rejection, harsh words, physical abuse, torture, and being utterly forsaken.

Which is more painful?  To have a bullet pass through the gut or to watch helplessly as the medic passes you by because your wound is too severe?  No wound is beyond the loving care provided by Jesus Christ to all who trust in Him.  Like the Good Samaritan stopped and helped the wounded traveler, Jesus Christ will never pass you by.  He will leave the 99 sheep to find the one who is lost.  The words of Isaiah 53:5 are for us today:  "But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed."  God is eternal, operating outside of time.  Time doesn't heal:  God does.

A prayer for today and always...

Make Me Thy Fuel

From prayer that asks that I may be

Sheltered from winds that beat on Thee,

From fearing when I should aspire,

From faltering when I should climb higher,

From silken self, O Captain, free

Thy soldier who would follow Thee.

From subtle love of softening things,

From easy choices, weakenings,

Not thus are spirits fortified,

Not this way went the Crucified,

From all that dims Thy Calvary,

O Lamb of God, deliver me.

Give me the love that leads the way,

The faith that nothing can dismay,

The hope no disappointments tire,

The passion that will burn like fire,

Let me not sink to be a clod:

Make me Thy fuel, Flame of God.

- Amy Carmichael

(quoted from Start Where You Are, Swindoll, pg. 187)

Hope for the Hopeless

Have you ever found yourself in a situation that seemed hopeless?  Bad situations often become worse.  It is easy to be burdened under stress and trials which churn out turmoil without end.  Perhaps you have been in an abusive relationship, as a child or an adult.  Maybe a loved one is dying with a terminal illness or you have been diagnosed with one yourself.  Your expectations have been crushed, your hopes shrouded in frustration and disappointment.  Hopelessness occurs when we measure our abilities against a scenario and find them wanting.  We are faced with the reality that we do not possess the power to create change in another person or situation.  How can we live in the face of our frailty and failures?

In the Bible the Answer to this question is given.  To this day, leprosy remains incurable yet treatable.  In the days of Christ, it included grotesque disfigurement of the body, living in isolation with others who were suffering like affliction, and certain death.  When one contracted leprosy there was no hope for restoration.  Luke 17:12-14 tells us an occasion in the life of Jesus Christ:  "Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. [13] And they lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" [14] So when He saw them, He said to them, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed."  Jesus enters the village of these hopeless men, stricken with leprosy.  They stood afar off, but Jesus went to them.  This reminds me of Ephes. 2:13, though I'm a little ahead of myself:  "But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ."  From the depths of their hopeless situation they called out to Christ who was able and willing to bring healing to them as they obeyed.  Obedience to God does not mean we will be free from disease, but God is free to accomplish His will in our lives.  In this case, Jesus healed these men and changed their lives miraculously, dramatically, and completely.

Paul and Silas provide another example of a hopeless situation changed by the grace of God.  There was a fortune-telling slave girl who had a demon which Paul cast out of her in the name of Jesus Christ.  When her masters saw their hope of making money through her was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and the whole city was in an uproar.  They had delivered a girl from the enslavement of the demon but were incarcerated themselves.  Acts 16:22-23 says, "Then the multitude rose up together against them; and the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods. [23] And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely."  They were stripped, beaten severely, and thrown into prison.  This was a seemingly hopeless situation.  Paul and Silas were traveling through Macedonia and found themselves bleeding in a dungeon, chained in stocks, with their clothes ripped to shreds.

Instead of Paul and Silas bemoaning their situation or focusing on themselves, they praised God.  Acts 16:25 tells us, "But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them."  There was a great earthquake, the doors flew open, and all the chains were loosed.   Acts 16:27-34 says, "And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. [28] But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, "Do yourself no harm, for we are all here." [29] Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. [30] And he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" [31] So they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household." [32] Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. [33] And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized. [34] Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household."

The prison guard prepared to fall upon his own sword, his life being forfeit if a prisoner had escaped.  To die by his own sword would be better than enduring the torture performed on those who failed in their duties as a Roman guard.  Paul called out, preventing the man's death.  The guard called for a light and said, "What must I do to be saved?"  At midnight in a Roman dungeon, he had seen the Light of Salvation shining brightly in these two bloodied prisoners who sang and prayed with all their might out of the darkness.  Paul explained that trust in Jesus Christ as LORD is the path of salvation.  Though Paul and Silas could have drowned in hopelessness and self-pity, they rejoiced and praised God who had given them life which they could share with others.  Notice that the passage ends with the guard rejoicing, "having believed in God with all his household."  The Bible is clear in teaching that Jesus Christ is God.  This passage provides ample irrefutable proof of that!  As Jesus says in John 14:6, He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  No one comes to the Father except through Him.

As Christians, we live in a dark world that we are powerless in ourselves to change.  We see people everywhere sick in sin and without hope.  They numb themselves with alcohol, mask their depression with pills, cut themselves, binge, purge, hate, lie, and bounce from one abusive relationship to another.  These people go to church every Sunday morning.  There is hopelessness that creeps into our hearts when we think about the people we are forced to deal with, situations at work that will not change, sickness in a loved one, and broken relationships having split in divorce.  Tack on the earthquake in Haiti, starvation, exploitation of children and adults in the sex trade, addictions, racism, violence, abortion, and the downward spiral of morality in the world, and we can be overwhelmed!

The answer to hopelessness is Jesus Christ.  If we focus on the problems, we will never find the solution.  If we try to find the answer within, we find we are bankrupt.  Even if we had all the money in the world, we could not ensure children would not be beaten or molested, or that food would be provided for everyone.  Money does not buy happiness, nor can it buy hope.  But if Jesus could bring hope and healing to those lepers suffering from an incurable disease, He can bring hope and healing to you today.  Christ provides not only the answer but power for living through the Holy Spirit.  If God is able to bring hope and deliverance to men who were beaten and locked in a Roman dungeon, He can bring hope and deliverance to you right now.  If Jesus Christ could bring salvation and rejoicing to a Roman guard, He can bring salvation and rejoicing to you today.  He is not dead, for He is risen!  Jesus is not the God of the dead, but of the living.  He brings life and hope to all who trust in Him.

Praise Jesus Christ!  Pray with thanksgiving, for in Him we have the unfading hope of eternal life!  Do not be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with God.  Hopelessness comes from a perspective not focused solely upon Christ.  This is hope we can share with all who hunger and thirst for it!  May the words from the famous hymn ring true:  "My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness.  I dare not trust the sweetest frame but wholly lean on Jesus' name.  On Christ the solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand."

Remember Peleliu

I've been watching "The War," a WWII documentary that aired on PBS some time ago.  I recognize the names of many of the places battles were fought from the ships I worked on in the shipyard like the Belleau Wood (WWI) Tarawa, and Peleliu.  The focus of a good part of the fourth DVD was concerning the battle of Peleliu.  An airstrip on Peleliu was heavily defended by the Japanese and the Major General of the 1st Marine Division believed the battle would be over in four days.  Though there was an intense offshore bombardment from battleships, cruisers, and carriers for days before landing on the beach, the Japanese positions remained virtually unharmed.  Of all the battles in the Pacific, it had the highest casualty rate for the U.S. armed forces.  What some thought would be quick and easy took over two months and with 1,794 Americans killed and 8,010 wounded.

As I watched the tragic history of the battle unfold, I thought of the spiritual warfare involved in foreign missions.  The Japanese were heavily armed, well-fortified and supplied, knew the topography of the island and the placement of traps, and were ready for any attack.  When a missionary goes into an area where God's Word has little or no foothold, one can be certain Satan will have many strongholds in that nation.  Some run with the "if God is for us who can be against us" cavalier mentality, and believe we can rush into battle, repeat some phrases or consult a book to obtain instant victory.  I mean, we've gone through Bible school and training!  This is God's will, that all would come to the knowledge of the truth, some flippantly say.  Why take this spiritual thing so seriously?  This expectation of easy victory has been the cause of neglect of prayer, disillusionment, the retreat, and even casualties.  Those who think they stand should take heed lest they fall.

Many of the Marines who landed on Peleliu were battle-seasoned, trial-tested men.  Yet Peleliu was a meat grinder for both sides.  Every American was at war, yet it was the men in the field that had a firsthand view of the horror of war.  It is the one in the field who will be on the front lines, and the one in the prayer closet that faces strongest attacks.  Satan will never relinquish his strongholds without a fight.  When I think of Australia and the pervasive spiritual climate of darkness, there is part of me that shudders because I know what lies ahead.  I don't know exactly, but I know it will be brutally tough.  It will be an absolute dogfight.  There is no romantic hue I can attach to physical or spiritual battle.  I know the battle is beyond me, but I am more than a conqueror through Jesus Christ.

If a man can give all and sacrifice his comfort for country, a Christian must be willing to give all for His LORD and Savior.  Jesus Christ provides not only comfort through the Holy Spirit, but the ultimate victory over sin and death.  It does us well to remember how our servicemen and women gave and give for the sake of country, and let us never forget the price Jesus paid with His own blood.  In light of what Jesus has given, could I ever give too much to Him?

Fullness of Joy

Today as I was insulating pipes at the UCSD northern housing development, a smile spread across my face.  When we work as unto the LORD, there is no drudgery in it.  I realized working in the trade for me is a labor of love.  It is not that I love fiberglass clogging my pores, hitting my hardhat on pipes, or cutting the dickens out of my knuckle with a sharp hanger strap:  I love the job my God has given me to perform.  I want to please Him and be about the business He has granted to me as steward.

I thought to myself, I don't have to do this.  There's a lot of easier things I could be doing, things that are more comfortable and less strenuous.  Have you ever had to wear a hardhat, a respirator (dust mask), and safety glasses at the same time, climbing up and down a ten foot ladder hundreds of times a day carrying knives and cutting fiberglass?  It's a strange life, but one I wouldn't change because it's what God has given me to do.  It feels good to work hard, and serving God is hard work.  Paul made tents not as a hobby, but to support his ministry towards the Gentiles.

Jesus did not have to do the good things He did.  He did not have to heal people, perform miracles, teach the multitudes, hold little children, or go where the diseased and lepers were.  He was never forced to do anything.  But He lived to please His Father in heaven, and His Father was well-pleased with Him!  Jesus told His disciples, "These things I say to you that your joy may be full."  Jesus had this fullness of joy and was therefore able to give it to others.  Our joy is full when we walk in obedience to the Father, fully pleasing Him.  Paul wrote in Colossians 1:9-12:  "For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; [10] that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; [11] strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; [12] giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light."

The joy Jesus brings does not depend on circumstances.  Joy is not obtained through a girlfriend, a new car, a dream job, or your team winning the Super Bowl.  Jesus is the source of true joy, and it is received when we walk in the Spirit and abide in Him.  Like Paul, we can be in prison and sing heartfelt songs of praise.  We can be thankful and filled with joy when we are coated with a thick layer of itchy fiberglass.  We can rejoice without knowing all the answers, resting in the fact God is our Father and we are His precious children.  He gives us eternal life, and no one can snatch us from His hand.  Praise Him!

Mining is Work!

Last school year I had the privilege of attending a class trip to Sacramento with my oldest son, Zed.  The focus of the trip was the California Gold Rush and we visited Sutter's Mill where gold was seen lying on the surface of the ground.  I don't know if you've ever been chaperon to a group of six fourth grade boys with gold fever, but I spent a lot of my time trying to subdue their enthusiasm.  We'd be driving on a bridge over water and some would shout, "I see huge gold nuggets in the river!"  No, I'd tell them.  If there were gold nuggets the size of basketballs lying in plain sight in the stream, the Forty-Niners would never have left.  At least there would be a huge active gold mine, not a quaint little settlement living off the tourist trade.  Undeterred, these kids continued to shout about the fortunes they would walk away with after a couple of easy minutes picking up nuggets off the ground.

We were taught by the camp staff how to pan for gold.  Troughs were set up filled with sand which had been "salted" with tiny gold flakes.  The kids and adults alike were given pans to "pan" for gold with instructions on how to efficiently use them.  Within minutes, the most exuberant prospector in my group began whining like a spoiled three year old with entitlement issues.  "I can't find any goooold."  If you have ever prospected or taken up metal detecting as a hobby, you understand that it is a slow process that requires much patience.  Because detecting or panning doesn't guarantee "finding, much fun derived from the activity can be from the companionship of friends rather than what is actually found.  Within a few minutes many from the group chimed in.  "There aren't any nuggets here...we want to go to the river.  We saw the gold!  We saw it from the bus!"  I reasoned with the boys:  the troughs have real gold salted in them.  We know for a fact there is gold in the troughs.  We don't know where the gold is in the river.  And besides, I reasoned, if gold was just laying around the professional prospectors wouldn't have moved on!  "There's gold in the river," said the whiny one.  "I saaawww it!"

After much discussion and vain attempts to logically convince the kids real gold flakes are better than no gold, they would not be denied.  I took my crew down to the river and we joined the hordes of energetic youngsters who were seemingly more interested in getting wet than finding gold.  Me and a few of the industrious ones began panning.  In the troughs I was finding gold in every pan.  Using the same techniques in the sand of the river, after half an hour I found nothing.  I needed a shovel to go deeper, but I kept at it.  True to form, five minutes had not passed before the chorus of whines came up from those who had seen nuggets from the bridge:  "We haven't found anything...I know I saw it from the bus."  The kids promptly gave up search and played with a dead crayfish.  Of all the kids, the one who was so sure he knew where the gold was had the least.  When he realized it was work to find gold, the lure of fulfilling the dream was not as strong a draw as whining, complaining, and giving up.

This is an object lesson in finding the golden wisdom and truth contained in the pages of the Bible.  So many professing Christians have never tapped into the truths of scripture.  They do not know the Bible because they have not studied the Bible.  When I took an inductive Bible study class we were told, "Surface study only yields surface results."  No one becomes a successful miner without some training, even if the gold is in salted troughs!  No one can study the Bible effectively and efficiently by themselves:  we must be taught and led by the Holy Spirit.  Even the best leadership is inadequate if we are unwilling to pay the price in sweat and toil.  Bible study can be laborious, but there is nothing more rewarding.  Effective study of God's word does not only increase a man's knowledge, but results in changes in perspective and daily living.  Psalm 119:11 says, "Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You!"  Psalm 119:105 states, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."  Jesus was not a proponent of rote memorization as much as life transformation.  He does the inner work and enables us to walk in that light.

Jesus says in John 9:4:  "I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work."  Our work is to believe on Christ Jesus and become masters not of the facts and figures of scriptures, but living out the truths and exhortations contained within.  We must not keep this wisdom to ourselves, but share it with all who will listen!  Why spend most of our reading moments prodding the equivalent of dead shellfish with fiction books when we have the living, invaluable Word which brings life to the dead?  May God bless you as you dig deep in His Word which is food indeed!

Good News from a Far Land

"As cold water to a weary soul, so is good news from a far country."

Proverbs 25:25

 

I've been watching "The War," a 15-hour World War II documentary which aired on PBS some years ago.  I bought my dad the DVD box set and my mom and I have been catching a little here and there when time permits.  One thing infantrymen and soldiers of the cross have in common is the great value they place on news from loved ones.  Almost more valuable are the letters written by the soldiers and sent back home!  Periodically throughout the film, letters are read with a voice-over written by a soldier named "Babe."  Every letter was dated and treasured by the family members who received them.

 

Most every day I check my e-mail.  Often I'm like Ralphie in "The Christmas Story," who looks into the mailbox every day for his Little Orphan Annie decoder ring only to find an empty mailbox.  But some days I open my e-mail inbox and read a message which refreshes me with encouragement.  Today was one of those days.  It was like cold water to a weary soul.  The American infantrymen interviewed after World War II said they learned how to sleep while marching, like walking in a coma.  That's how a lot of us go through each day at times, churning through day after day, grinding on and on.  Sometimes a little good news from friends or the Word of God snaps us from our slumber.

In my devotions this morning, I came across Genesis 4:26:  "And as for Seth, to him also a son was born; and he named him Enosh. Then men began to call on the name of the Lord."  Before church, worship music, Sunday School, Communion services, baptisms, church traditions, home fellowships, missionaries, apostles, prophets, or gifts of the Holy Spirit are mentioned in the Bible, there was prayer.  Man fell and then men prayed.  I wonder:  when we are in the midst of the desert spiritually, do our prayers to God bring as much refreshment to Him as good news from a far country does to us?  Whether we have rebelled or drifted far from God, He is pleased to hear us direct our hearts toward Him in prayer.  He is the God who leaves the 99 to pursue the one who is lost.  God's love never sits still.   God speaks as the beloved in Song of Solomon 2:10:  "My beloved spoke, and said to me:  "Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away."  How important is it for you to come away and spend time with God - not for you, but for Him?

 

As I saw the horror and catastrophic loss of life through the documentary, it is evident heaven is not to be found on this sin-soaked blood-stained earth.  But we have a risen Savior who stands at the right hand of the Father, living to interceede on our behalf.  He has granted us the Holy Spirit who indwells us and teaches us according to God's perfect will.  We can hear from heaven, my friends.  It is not the rustling of angel's wings or the chorus of cherubim:  it is the Good News from a distant land that refreshes the soul with Living Water.  The Gospel truth rings lound and clear and resonates in the heart of all who trust in Jesus as Savior and LORD.  There is a God in the heavens who has come down to earth to save sinful flesh.  There is hope for the hopeless, restoration and redemption for the damned.  John 3:16-17 says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. [17] For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved."

Used and Abused

While watching TV this weekend during a football game, I saw a promo for the Super Bowl halftime show that will feature "The Who."  The commercial had clips of the band performing with guitarist Pete Townshend sliding on his knees.  Then the band is shown smashing their equipment on stage:  the drums were torn apart, and the neck of the guitar was shoved into an amp speaker.  I can only describe their actions as the overall destruction of their expensive, quality equipment they just used to play songs that made them a famous household name.  Ironic, I thought.  To buy quality gear and then destroy it just doesn't make much sense, even if the fans do eat it up.

Watching the band tear everything apart reminded me of other rock groups I've seen do the same.  Jimi Hendrix squirted fuel on his guitar and set it on fire, and Marilyn Manson trashed the stage using a mic stand as a club.  I don't know what drives a person to break perfectly good things.  But the way these rock stars use and abuse their equipment is the same way the devil destroys those who becomes his tools.  He will deceive and use whoever will respond to his manipulation.  Then suddenly Satan will break without remedy those who have become his slaves.  You see, a rock star has money to buy new guitars and amps.  Companies even sponsor them to exclusively use their gear.  Smashing and breaking is what rock stars are known to do, and Satan does the same.  John 10:10 sums up the intentions of Satan contrasted with Jesus Christ:  "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."

We have the opportunity to be clay molded by the hands of the good Potter or an instrument in the hands of the enemy of our souls.  Those who trust in Jesus Christ have the glory of God in an earthen vessel, a body fashioned from the dust of the ground so the credit will go to God, not us.  What a tragedy that rock stars, construction workers, doctors, teachers, and people from all walks of life choose be instruments of iniquity for the temporary praises of men!  Praise God that He can heal and restore even those who for their whole lives have been in the clutches of the devil.  In a moment everything can change and be made new.  It is not easy being made a new creation and setting your soul at war with the carnal desires of the flesh, but there is nothing more rewarding and satisfying.

What is impossible with man is possible with God.  In the nursery rhyme Humpty Dumpty had a great fall and no one could put him back together again, yet God heals broken hearts and lives.  Mankind has not only fallen but has intentionally run away and rebelled from the salvation, healing, and forgivness offered by Jesus Christ.  God pursues us to restore because He loves sinners and is able.  Praise Him!

Be a Berean

Culture is an interesting dynamic that affects the way we see the world and interact with others.  Depending on ethnicity, family heritage, tradition, and religious beliefs, culture has an infinite amount of variables.  The same can be said about a particular fellowship, what people would commonly call "church."  All the born-again Christians in the world make up the Body of Christ, of which He is the Head.  For example, there are many Baptist churches in the United States and they all have distinct cultures which have been cultivated over the years.  One church is highly involved in foreign missions while another church participates in "Adopt-a-Block" every Saturday.  Many fellowships have a liturgical style of worship with organ and hymns only, and others have a more contemporary feel with electric guitar, bass, and drums.  Some pastors preach in robes while others wear a shirt and tie.  It is likely that whatever "church" you regularly attend, you do so because it suits your doctrinal views, vision for ministry, and supplies godly fellowship.

Like culture influences the way a person perceives, the culture of a church fellowship affects the way people see other churches, the Bible, and God.  When Jesus dictated letters to the seven churches in Asia, they were not all lumped together.  Each church was seen as distinct with different strengths and weaknesses.  Today there are countless church denominations where born-again believers in Jesus Christ fellowship.  Most members of a church believe their fellowship has the correct doctrinal balance and is teaching the truth.  One primary danger of being part of one church fellowship is the growing assumption that whatever is taught at my church is right:  the way we worship is right, the way we teach is right, our church structure is right, our interpretations are right, our style is right - and every other group that varies from us are not quite right and in many ways are quite wrong!

How important it is that our denomination or group not trump the authority of scripture!  Most people today are like those from Thessalonica, not Berea.  It is written in Acts 17:10-11:  "Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. [11] These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so."  The people from the church in Thessalonica did not receive the word (likely because their hearts were not prepared, for good seed will always grow in good soil) with readiness.  The Bereans distinguished themselves not only by receiving the word, but daily searching the scriptures to validate the truth of what Paul and Silas taught.  I once asked a co-worker what he believed concerning a Biblical doctrine.  He quickly retorted, "I'm not sure, but I'll ask my priest what the church position is."  Friends, this will never do!

No matter what Bible-teaching fellowship you attend, this is a danger that must be avoided.  Allow me to share an example.  From my childhood until now I have regularly attended a particular church.  I was always taught there are several Greek words translated as "love" in English.  For example, "phileo," a word translated as "love" means "to be a friend, to have affection towards."  There is another word translated as "love" which denotes God's kind of love, "agapao" or "agape" (a great description of this love is found in 1st Corinthians 13).  If I could choose a catchword how God's agape love was always summed up to me it would be "unconditional."  I thought "agape" and "unconditional" were synonymous, one never without the other.  I received quite a shock a few years ago when I was putting together a study on God's love.  I went to the Strong's concordance, expecting to see "unconditional" leap off the page.  It wasn't to be seen.  I went to Wuest's word studies who explains agapao love this way:  "a love which is awakened by a sense of value…a love of esteem…God’s love for a sinful and lost race springs from his heart in response to the high value He places upon each human soul.” (Word Studies, Vol. 3, pgs. 60-61)  Not one mention of the word "unconditional."  Before too long I was pulling out every commentary I had, not for the purpose of learning how to describe God's agape love, but trying to find the word "unconditional" which I had always been told was the primary descriptor of God's love.  I sat in my chair staring at the books piled up all around me when I realized I had been a Thessalonian and not a Berean.  I believed it because people had said it and my church had taught it, but not because the Bible or original languages say so.

God's love is an active love.  The Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words says, "Love can be known only from the actions it prompts...In respect of agapao as used of God, it expresses the deep and constant love and interest of a perfect Being towards entirely unworthy objects, producing and fostering a reverential love in them towards the Giver, and a practical love towards those who are partakers of the same, and a desire to help others to seek the Giver."  There is a big difference between "active" love and "unconditional" love.  Active love is always unconditional while unconditional love is not always active.  God's love is unconditional, in that His love is constant toward all people without fail.  But that is simply a facet of God's love, one minor part of the whole.  Now if this was simply an issue of me being misinformed, I could have shrugged the whole thing off.  But in this aspect, I believe God was robbed of glory and His love sold short by summing up the love of God only as "unconditional."  It is far more than unconditional:  it is a pursuing, relentless love.  It is a love displayed by Jesus Christ dying on a cross for the sins of mankind.

I know people who are not Christians but love unconditionally:  they love their sports teams win or lose; they love a particular brand of beer no matter the cost.  Sinners love their sin unconditionally, drinking iniquity like water!  Yet I do not know a single sports fan who would willingly die for their sports team.  Romans 5:6-8 says, "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 [agape] toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."  God's love cannot be adequately described or quantified but is demonstrated through the life of Jesus Christ.  The Bible says that the world will know we are Christians because of the love of Jesus being displayed through us.  God's love is always reaching out, arms wide open to all who will come.  His love is heartfelt and sincere, desiring us to willingly trust and take shelter in it.  God is not content to have affections toward His creation:  He is constantly showing us His great love for us so we might love Him back.

No matter your church affiliation or denomination, be sure to be a Berean.  You are responsible for what you believe and teach.  If we simply repeat what we have been told, we have as much credibility as celebrity tabloids.  We must search the scriptures daily to confirm what we have heard is true.  It is possible to go to church every week and remain ignorant of spiritual truth.  Looking at food does not satisfy hunger, and reading words off the pages of a Bible does not mean you are receiving spiritual sustanence!  We must be empowered by the Holy Spirit to understand the Word and break us free from the modern culture of Christianity which drowns many in legalism, judgmental attitudes, and self-righteousness.  Is the active love of Jesus Christ at work in you towards all people?  May it be so, LORD Jesus!

Bible Night

Tonight we did something new as a family.  A little background:  while I was working at church, it was evident ministry has the potential to siphon away quality time that should be spent with my wife and kids.  There were times when I would be in the church building at least 6 days a week, hosting high school events and studies, meet with kids for discipleship on my off-day, and on and on the list would go.  After about six months of seeing our family time dwindle down to nothing, we decided to create "Family Night," a night we would guard for quality family time.  We might watch a movie, play board games, work a puzzle, I would read a book out loud, or bake a special treat.  It was a huge success, and it was not long before the kids were looking forward to the next Family Night.  Monday is our typical Family Night and it is not uncommon for Tuesday to also be Family Night because, as Abel sometimes claims, "Last night didn't seem like a real Family Night."  Two Family Nights are great, especially when the kids are begging for them!

Today I had an idea that I am excited about, especially since we were able to put it in practice tonight.  Since Wednesday night Bible study at church extends past my kid's bedtime and Laura usually attends the morning study, I've been thinking and praying about if I should attend (alone) the Men's Bible study on Wednesday evenings.  All the sudden a thought crossed my mind:  since my family is my first ministry, why not have "Bible Night" on Wednesdays?  This would give my children a chance to be in the Word, a kind of kid's apologetics course.  It would be an interactive time of flipping through scripture, learning to study the Bible, and reading it together.  Praise the LORD, my kids lit up as they looked up verses, read them, and we had a great discussion.

When I entered into college, I realized instantly that the vast majority of my Sunday School lessons never answered the questions people ask outside of church.  I was taught the who, what, when, and where, but rarely "why."  Tonight our subject was, "Why is the Bible so important?"  This is a question that neither of my kids answered immediately.  Then one gave the pat answer:  "Because it is the Word of God."  I asked, "How do you know?"  "Ummmmm...."  I can't blame the boy.  I never told him that the Bible is historically, scientifically, geographically, and prophetically true and proven.  That's my fault, a fault by God's grace I hope to rectify.  It is critical that our children be armed with the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God.  Teddy Roosevelt said that a working knowledge of the Bible is worth more than a college education.  It seems these days we are sword collectors, gathering up translation after translation, Bible computer programs, commentaries, and concordances.  Just because a man collects Samurai swords doesn't mean he knows how to wield one!  How terrible it would be to assume my children know how to use the Word of God because they have heard from the Word!

No one becomes an expert swordsman through buying swords, and no one becomes a man of purity, holiness, and righteousness by listening to another person tell him about God when he opens the Bible on Sunday for 30 minutes.  When you went to school did you learn more:  through lecture or lab?  Which is more interesting:  discussion or dissection?  Instead of getting our hands dirty, thorough study of the Holy Bible will wash us clean with the "water of the Word."  It does not cleanse us from sin (only the blood of Christ by grace through faith can do that!) but it does have a purifying effect upon our hearts and minds.  When we store away God's Word in our hearts we will be less likely to sin.  It is not just hearing, but through taking heed to God's Word that cleanses a young man's way.  There is a way to dissect scripture through the power of the Holy Spirit, and that is way more valuable and practical than cutting open a frog.

Teaching my kids to cut their own meat has been a long, tedious process.  Just tonight the boys both struggled with using a knife and fork.  Between straining, grunting, and food literally flying off the plate, it was amazing food ever made it to their mouths!  But they have come a long way in a relatively short time.  It is our duty, privilege, and job as parents to ensure our children have been trained to cut their own spiritual meat, to break their own spiritual bread, to pour their own spiritual drink.  This cannot be accomplished without the power of the Holy Spirit, and He will guide us into all truth.  God is willing to bring us through that same slow process of maturity so we might lead others.  The same Spirit who teaches us teaches our children if we are in Christ.  I am responsible to feed my children food and the government has agencies which enforce this.  How much more will God hold accountable those to whom He has committed precious children He created?  Let us embrace this joyful endeavor.  It is when we admit our ignorance that God supplies His wisdom and knowledge without measure.  If God is for us, who can be against us?    

The Greatest Blessing

There is a hymn which goes, "Count your blessings, name them one by one.  Count your many blessings see what God hath done!"  This song gets it right.  The blessings are not the end in themselves, but the gracious outflow of a loving Father and merciful Savior.  Sometimes we look at blessings as "overtly beneficial things that make my life comfortable" because we are naturally self-centered.  Blessing can be disguised with trial, failure, and loss.  Often we do not realize how blessed we are until we lose what we have.

I am a big Charger fan and yesterday the Chargers lost a playoff game in terrible fashion.  It's one thing to be whipped by solid play, but it is another thing entirely to give the game away through mistakes, penalties, sloppy play, and bad fundamentals.  Laura and I were talking about sports and how a loss by a team can affect people's attitudes and outlooks.  Movies, music, and sports among other things have the capacity to affect the way we feel and treat others.  As I turned on the radio today a talk show host said "Today is a day of mourning..." because of the Charger's surprising collapse.  A co-worker joked that his friend had to "be put on suicide watch" because how hard he took the loss.  Yet even in loss there is great blessing.  We gain an appreciation for what we have and what God has done.  How critical it is to keep proper perspective!

I saw a home video of the horrible earthquake in Haiti.  What was most intriguing to me about the clip was the sound.  The screen shook, glass was heard breaking in the background, the lights suddenly went out, and for twenty seconds it sounded like a train passed through the apartment as bricks and rubble scattered.  There was eerie silence for about five seconds and then panicked screams of women, men shouting, complete pandemonium of hysterical voices in pitch darkness.  For all I know people screamed because of injury, perhaps a child was lost, a family member was crushed, or half of the house collapsed into the canyon below and possibly Grandpa and Grandma alive under tons of masonry and mud.  It sounded just like hell, people screaming in oppressive blackness.  I've caught a glimpse of the aftermath through pictures and it isn't pretty:  dead and the dying, people crying, many wounded, and the widespread destruction.  To be depressed because the team I support didn't make it to the Super Bowl this year seems almost a sin.  Tears in San Diego were shed because the Chargers lost:  were tears shed when the reports came out of Haiti?

The Chargers lost and the world did not end.  A tragic earthquake occurred in Haiti and the world did not end.  But the world will have an end, and we have only the days allotted us by our wonderful Creator.  God has blessed us immensely in America, and He has blessed every single person in Haiti:  He has given us His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.  He alone has the power to save us from the power of the grave and grant us eternal life whether we die in our beds, during a plane crash, or by a heart attack.  Let us pray for those who suffer that we might suffer with them.  Ask God to enlarge your heart so you might feel compassion and love where only selfishness is currently found.  Plead that God would reveal what is important in life.  You know what is important?  Life.  Eternal life is only found in Jesus Christ.  Jesus says in John 10:10:  "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."  Jesus died that we might live.  He laid down His life so we might all have life through Him.  There is no greater blessing than our God.

It took taking frigid showers in Tel Aviv, Israel to put a thankfulness in my heart whenever I have the benefit of a hot shower.  It took lack to recognize a blessing I had taken for granted my whole life.  We need these "perspective," re-focusing moments during our lives.  Make sure your lens is fixed on what really matters.

Occasion of Temptation

During my reading the other day, a verse caught my attention.  At the beginning of Christ's ministry, He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.  After responding to each temptation with the truth of scripture, Luke 4:13 says, "Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time."  The word "opportune" stood out to me.  The definition of this word in Hebrew is "an occasion, i.e. set or proper time, opportunity, (convenient, due) season."  While Jesus walked the earth, He was in all points tempted and remained without sin.  But the devil did not stay away.  He would be back for another go because he is persistent as he is wicked.

Ephesians 4:27 says Christians must not give place to the devil.  The word translated "place" in Greek means, "spot, location, occasion, or opportunity."  I guarantee Jesus did not give any place to Satan, yet He was tempted by him.  Because we live in a body of flesh, we have the tendency towards sin.  Our capacity for sin is not reduced when we are born again.  Although Jesus did not give the devil a reason to tempt Him, he still did.  There were times when the Father allowed His Son to be tempted.  Even though Jesus resisted every temptation, it did not mean temptation was permanently over.  There would be more seasons of tempting, more opportunities for the deceiver to steal, kill, and destroy.  As long as we walk this earth, we are engaged in an enormous spiritual battle.  It is not a battle of "good against evil" but evil against God.  The lies of Satan must be confronted with the truth of God's word. 

Jesus was sinless yet remained on guard against satanic attacks.  We can liken our defenses to that of armor.  If battle was enjoined and you were without the helmet of salvation, the enemy would target you there through your thoughts or lust of the eyes.  If you drifted off to sleep (spiritually speaking) through habitual sin and thus ignored putting on the breastplate of righteousness, Satan's fiery darts would be aimed with surgical precision at your heart.  God will not only give us a means of defense and resistance, but a way of escape.  Picking up in 1 Cor. 10:8-13 the Word says, "Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell; [9] nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents; [10] nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer. [11] Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. [12] Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. [13] No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it."

Let us be certain we give no opportunity for the devil, no invitation for attack through our negligence of spiritual purity and obedience.  I was thinking:  if you lived in a jungle where poisonous snakes were abundant,  would you sleep with the door open?  Let's say you settle down under the covers and you hear the sound of a glass shattering.  You turn on the light to see a king cobra coiled on your nightstand.  Would you be able to sleep?  Most of us would scream or be paralyzed in fear!  Sleep would be totally out of the question!  Yet spiritually we have the capacity to leave the door open of our hearts, literally inviting evil to be a part of our lives.  If we open the door, sin will come in!  God spoke to Cain in Genesis 4:7:  "If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it."  Turn on the light of the scripture and freeze the serpent in his tracks.  Be merciless in wielding the Sword of the Spirit, for that old serpent is not fit to live.  Once you have parted head from body with a swift stroke, don't be cocky.  There's plenty more evil outside, and it's always trying to squeeze in.  An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure, but sometimes even good preparation is not enough to keep temptation outside.

Because of Cain's fallen state, he could not rule over sin.  Sin ruled over him, resulting not only in the murder of his brother Abel, but he remained without repentance.  We can rule over sin and resist every temptation thrown our way by Satan himself, for "greater is He that is in you than he who is in the world." (1 John 4:4)  In this world we will have tribulation, and we will have temptation as well.  Whether you have opened the door voluntarily or God is allowing a season of temptation, be strong in the LORD and the power of His might.  He has given you the spiritual armor of God that girded Christ.  Make sure that it is not a poor fit like King Saul's armor on David.  The Sword of the Spirit wielded through the power of the Holy Spirit is battle tested and true.  Do not fear:  if God has redeemed you from your sins, He has freed you from their grip.  You have the all authority over sin through Christ.  Confess, repent, and follow Him!

Allow me to leave you with one of my favorite passages of scripture:  2 Cor. 10:3-6 states, "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. [4] For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, [5] casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, [6] and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled."

Who's Helping Who?

When I arrived on the jobsite this morning, I was surprised to see a co-worker pull up.  I had been working by myself for a week so it was wonderful to have some help.  Over the New Year's holiday the apprentice who had been working with me (commonly called a "helper") broke his collarbone in two places and made wrapping duct for him out of the question for six weeks.  While I worked I wondered if I always rightly appreciate the help God provides through the Holy Spirit.  If having a co-worker on the job fills me with gratitude, how much more thankfulness should I cultivate in my soul for the Holy Spirit who has taken up residence within me!

Our natural view of "help" is strictly selfish.  When a person is lost he screams "Help!" because he desires to find his way or be found.  When a child is caught in a rip current she might cry for help to attract attention to be rescued.  Receiving help from someone carries the idea that others are supposed to assist me to obtain my goals, protect, or enable me to do or receive what I want.  The dreadful reality is this is exactly the definition of "help" we often desire from God.  We are the center, and we ask God to help us stay healthy, meet our quotas, and achieve our purposes.  God does not exist to cater to man:  man exists to glorify God.

Jesus says this in John 14:26 in the New King James Version:  "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you."  This is one of the few instances in my opinion that the NKJV misses the mark, clouding God's name and misleads us to His attributes.  The word translated "Helper" is "parakletos" in the Greek, meaning "an intercessor, consoler, advocate, comforter."  The King James Version translates this title of the Holy Spirit as "Comforter."  If I read the NKJV, I am likely to believe that the Holy Spirit will help me.  Now does the Holy Spirit help us?  Of course.  But if we use the modern-day view of what "help" means, we might be led to believe the Holy Spirit exists for the purpose of helping us do things.  This is incorrect.  Apart from God, we can do nothing. 

I would be wrong to think that I can do anything for God apart from the power and righteousness of God.  Paul writes in Romans 7:18, "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find."  Paul writes this after he was born again and forgiven from his sins through the shed blood of Christ.  The Holy Spirit had taken up residence in Paul's heart.  But Paul's flesh would always tend toward iniquity even though an inner transformation had taken place.  Paul did not just need a "little help" from God to be outwardly good and give him an edge.  He was outwardly "good" as a Pharisee and was headed for Hell because he was dead in his transgressions and sins!  The Holy Spirit is not like a co-worker who shows up to help us out of a tough spot.  He has regenerated us by grace through faith in Christ.  Because we learn of God's character and attributes through His names, the meaning from the original language should be preserved.

If we only see the Holy Spirit as a "Helper," there is a real danger of us becoming the focus.  Now before anyone throws away their NKJV, here are a couple verses from the KJV that clearly say God is our helper:  Psalm 54:4 says, "Behold, God is mine helper: the Lord is with them that uphold my soul."  The Hebrew word for "helper" is "'azar," meaning "to surround, i.e. protect or aid."  Hebrews 13:5-6 states, "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. [6] So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me."  The Greek word is "boethos," meaning "a succorer, helper."

I believe Benjamin Franklin is credited with the modern cliche, "God helps those who help themselves."  This is a humanistic and legalistic view.  It can enforce a person's selfishness in thinking, "If I do this or do that, God will help me.  In the end I will benefit and I desire to be the focus of all God's blessings, since He exists to help me.  Why should I deny myself good standing so easily obtained?"  Perhaps the original intent is to explain the dynamic of those who actively seek God and live for His glory and God blesses the works of their hands.  There will always be lazy sluggards who blame God for their lack yet will do nothing themselves, waiting for money to fall from heaven into their hammocks as they lounge with a cold drink.  Paul had a way of dealing with such bums:  2 Thes. 3:10 explains, "For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat."

The Holy Spirit is our advocate, comforter, protector, and helper.  He does not help us because of what we have done, but because of Jesus Christ's sacrifice, love, mercy, and grace.  God has opened our blind eyes, removed the curse of sin and death, and made us alive.  Instead of saying that God helps me, it would almost be more accurate to say that Christians have the privilege to help God.  It is like a small child painting a fence with his father.  The little boy wears one of dad's old shirts to protect his clothes.  The energetic lad dunks his whole brush in the paint, swiping it roughly across a few boards with a smile on his face.  The paint applied to the fence runs in rivulets which puddle on the horizontal beams.  After five minutes there is more paint on the boy than on the fence, the paint running off the brush down his arm to the elbow.  Within minutes the boy is distracted and runs off somewhere.  Dad smiles to himself and rolls out the puddles, fills in the holidays, and cleans up the brush and washed the paint drips from the patio.  When mom comes out with some drinks the boy says proudly, "I painted the fence, didn't I Dad?"  Dad reaches down and tousles the boy's hair and says, "You sure did, son."  Did Dad need help?  No.  God doesn't need help either.  But He lets us serve Him even though we are messy, make mistakes, are easily distracted, and are happy to take all the credit.

Without a father, the boy would never be alive.  Without a heavenly Father, a loving Savior, and life-giving Holy Spirit I would be spiritually dead.  I don't just need a little help from God:  I can't do anything without Him!  I wouldn't know where the paint brushes are, have the strength to open the pail of paint, or reach above three feet on the fence when it comes to spiritual matters.  Pray that God would help you to see Him as He is!  Thank you Jesus for allowing me to get dirty serving you!

From "My Fault" to "Faultless"

I've been staying busy working these days and this week has been a blur.  Someone said that "Time flies when you're having fun."  I've been having fun, but I've also been very busy.  I've Monday through Thursday I worked at a the New Willow Elementary school and today I worked at a new housing development at UCSD.  I will be working with a crew on Saturday as well, trying to catch up with the plumbers and pipe fitters.  We are insulating the heating hot water supply and return, condensate, and domestic hot water.  Hopefully us insulators will have the job to ourselves.

Wednesday night during the communion service I was absolutely blessed by a vivid night of fellowship with my Savior and brothers and sisters in Christ.  I was struck with the horror of the cross:  not only is crucifixion brutal in itself, but to consider that the King of Kings hung upon a cross adorned with wounds for which I am personally responsible, crowned with thorns which exist because of the curse brought upon the world through sin.  It was a shock to me, though I have attended many services in the past.

Imagine the shock of seeing smoke rising up from the side of the road far in the distance.  As you draw closer, it seems that you recognize the car - it is your mother's car!  Think of the agony of heart as horrible thoughts race through your head:  is she ok?  Has she been burned alive?  What on earth happened?  Is that really her car?  How surreal would it be to see your mother's lifeless body being loaded onto a stretcher, covered with a sheet, and rolled by the paramedics into the ambulance.  For those of us who have experienced the loss of a loved one, this scenario may be too close for comfort.  In the case of Christ, however, you can never touch too deep a nerve.  Many people walked by the crucifixion scene and were shocked to see who was on the cross.  Among the theives hung Christ, the perfect Lamb of God, who lay down His life for the sins of the world.  If you loved Him, you would cover your mouth in horror to see His physical condition.

Now imagine you had known about a problem with your mother's car and neglected to do anything about it.  You knew that there was a minor risk driving the car without the repair being made - it was only a tiny gas leak - but fixing mom's car was very low on your priority list.  As a direct repercussion of your actions, she is gone forever from the earth.  How would you feel?  What a weight of guilt!  What inconsolable sorrow would you carry!  You would invite the blame upon yourself because the tragic inferno could have been averted by replacing a $5 hose.  When you consider Christ dying on the cross, do you see Him with the same personal responsibility?  He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities.  He suffered for me and you.  Yet we easily trample His blood under our feet through our coarse words, selfish attitudes, and ungodly conduct.  We must take ownership of our sin so we might receive Christ's forgiveness. 

We cannot change the past.  A devotional I'm reading written by a farmer talks about the problem with looking back while plowing.  If you want to plow a straight furrow, you must keep your eyes facing ahead, fixed on a stationary object.  If you turn around to see how the furrow looks you will begin to drift off course and each successive furrow will become more and more crooked.  If we're always looking back to how we lost our temper yesterday or cursed when we broke something, or how when you were in college you slept around, we will never progress.  As a born again child of God you are free from bondage to the guilt of your past.  When we keep our crucified and risen LORD as our focal point, we will walk that straight, narrow path of righteousness.

Our guilt has been turned into thanksgiving, our sorrow into joy through the sacrifice of Jesus.  When we see Christ on the cross we should say through tears, "It is my fault!  It is my fault!"  It is through His blood and repentance that we are made faultless.  Wonder of wonders!  We must confess our wrongs before we can be made right.  There is no salvation in any other but in Jesus Christ.  The one who will present me faultless can keep me from future stumbles.  Jude 1:24-25 says, "Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, [25] to God our Savior, who alone is wise be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever.  Amen."

Auditory Theives

A lot has changed since the time of Christ.  One of the primary differences from 2,000 years ago is the abundance of silence.  Today we are bombarded with the constant sound of cars, planes, lawnmowers, machinery, TV, music, iPods, appliances, etc.  In centuries past the most common sounds in a village would be animals, people talking, and maybe the wind in the trees - if you were around trees, that is.  Though the mind can be difficult to "quiet," quiet used to be much more plentiful.  We have been trained to be uncomfortable and awkward with quiet.  If we are driving and there is a pause in the conversation for longer than 20 seconds, we'll turn on the radio.  When a "moment of silence" is requested at a major sporting event, there are always a bunch of knuckleheads who believe that is the moment to yell something idiotic.  Silence?  We just don't do silence these days.

Remember when Elijah fled from Jezebel fearing for his life?  He traveled to mount Horeb and God met him there.  1 Kings 19:11-12 says, "Then He said, "Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord." And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; [12] and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice."  God was not in the great wind, the earthquake, or the fire:  He was in the still small voice.  Jesus says His sheep hear His voice.  We might be able to hear His voice, but we make it difficult on ourselves with all the noise we welcome into our lives.

If I was the devil and knew that God spoke in a quiet whisper, I wouldn't devise anything to operate quietly.  Now can God speak to your heart though you work in a loud environment, say in a factory, cogen, or processing plant?  Of course He can.  His still small voice is audible because it is perceived not by the ears, but by our hearts.  But when our ears are occupied with listening and the mind becomes involved, our hearts can be dull to perceive.  When I was a kid, people were going from vinyl to 8-track tapes.  Then it was cassettes and now CD's.  Silent films became talking pictures, and now we have big-screen T.V.s with surround sound.  It used to be you had to carry a boom box with 8 "D" batteries around to bring your tunes with you:  then it was a Walkman, mp3 player, and now any number of I pods.  We have laptops, portable DVD players, projectors to connect to your mobile phone, and everything makes noise.  Like the Grinch, the thing I hate the most is the noise, Noise, NOISE!

I'm not an hater of these modern innovations.  But I believe that they can thieve our time and our hearts away from God and time spent quietly with Him.  Instead of "instinctively" turning on the radio or putting in your ear buds (even if it is to listen to a sermon!), try not doing it.  And while you are not creating extra noise, focus your heart and mind upon your Savior.  When is the last time you actually heard His still small voice?  If you haven't been listening for it, I bet it's been awhile.  This should not make you feel guilty.  No, it should fill your heart with a joyful expectancy:  what is God going to say to you today?  Our eyes are never satisfied with seeing, nor our ears with hearing.  But when God speaks, it brings a satisfaction to the soul which transcends the feeding of our physical appetites.  It touches our purpose.  We were created by God to have a relationship with Him.

As I sit here hearing the fan in my computer case whirring along, I recognize how rare silence is.  Be aware of things which rob you of quiet time with the LORD.  Seek silent time with God, just you and Him.  He's speaking.  The question is:  am I listening for Him?

Jesus Revolution

"Status quo" is defined as "the existing state of affairs at a particular time."  There is no one more revolutionary than Jesus Christ.  Revolutionaries are only seen as rebels by those who benefit from the status quo.  God had given the Jews His law so man might know the character, nature, and righteous statutes of his Creator.  But man became enamored with the law itself and the feeble attempt to keep it.  The focus became the effort of man, not the glory of God.  Suddenly there were religious experts who were trained to interpret this law and feverishly police and punish anyone who transgressed.  Profiteers saw and seized opportunities for monetary benefits for themselves and the organization, not to mention status and position among leaders of the community.

Jesus came on the scene and said, "You have heard it said...but I say unto you..."  Instead of quoting ancient rabbis or deferring to the status quo position, Jesus turned everything upside down.  Did God make a mistake with the writing of the original law and Jesus had to come to set everything right?  NO!  The law was and is perfect.  But the law did not have the power to save.  A vain attempt at keeping the law delivered to Moses would not atone for sins committed.  Jesus revealed the law was a schoolmaster to lead us to Himself.  The law provided ample proof that no man could ever keep God's standards (even though Jesus did, being God made flesh).  It proved our sinfulness.  The law stops every mouth.  There is none who is good but God.  The law points us to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross and His resurrection.  It is by placing our faith in Jesus that we can be cleansed of our sin and made righteous, justified by His blood.  God is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  We can have peace and reconciliation with God not through self-effort, but by grace through faith in Jesus.

I believe that God desires a revolution in His church today.  I'm not talking about the overthrow of "the system" or a hostile takeover.  It takes more than being fed-up with the status quo to start a revolution.  Spiritual revolution occurs not through the addition of something new, but returning to the fundamentals.  One of the many definitions of "revolution" is "a procedure or course, as if in a circuit, back to a starting point."  I believe we make a big mistake to say the starting point was the church in Acts.  The infant church in Acts didn't have a church to attempt to model itself after and we would be silly to try to do that ourselves.  Our best would only be an attempt at emulation.  The starting point is the person of Jesus Christ, the Head of the Body of Christ which is His church.  We are taught and led by the Holy Spirit, indwelt and baptized with Him.  If we try to simply do what has been done we find ourselves with the Pharisees, trying to follow an external set of standards.

The question is, are you willing to allow God to change the way you think?  Are you satisfied with your personal status quo Christianity?  I have found I must admit I am dissatisfied before I am willing to change.  Case in point, since returning to the trade changes to my personal time with God have been forced upon me.  I am usually on the job site by around 6am.  I set my alarm for 4:50am for a little while.  I came to the realization I was completely dissatisfied by the quality or quantity of prayer, Bible reading, and reflection.  So I set my alarm for 4am and have been pleased with the change.  When you start feeling comfortable, status quo for you is now defined.  Personally, I am sick of the status quo.  The status quo doesn't amount to what it should.  When I am comfortable, laziness and lameness are not far away.  I want to go into undefined territory with my Savior, going to a level I never have before.  Believe me, setting your alarm clock for 4am is not a magic formula for drawing close to God.  We all have our own spiritual race to run and we will always be our primary hindrance.

Today at work I mused over this concept of the Jesus Revolution.  Little fear of God and great fear of man will always prevent spiritual revolution.  Spiritual revolution doesn't put you in charge, but God.  But there have been many men and women compelled by the Holy Spirit who were not afraid to break out of the status quo.  Luther and Calvin are two great examples of men who were in high regard in the Catholic church but saw descrepancies between status quo church teachings and the scriptures.  They chose to stick to the scriptures and were convinced in their own minds through the Holy Spirit.  Are you willing to throw aside the dogma of your religious affiliation, not to become your own man, but to be solely God's man?  You don't need to leave your church or start a new denomination to be a part of the Jesus Revolution.  That would line up more with the Pharisee point of view.  It's not a matter of geography, style, or flavor.  It's the substance of your heart that God looks at.  You can worship in a prison, park, jobsite, or an office just the same.  Are you willing to follow Jesus no matter the cost?  Start a Jesus Revolution right where you are right now.  I'm thinking that's just what we need.  

Looking to the Future...

As I look forward to 2010 I wonder if it will hold as many twists and turns that 2009 proved to have.  The last year saw me resign from a full-time ministry position to spend 60 days in Australia separated from my family.  But it wasn't terrible because God was with me the whole time.  He provided a job in my trade a day after my return from Australia that is enabling me to work towards the ultimate goal of immigrating to Australia.

I just watched a bit of "Patton" this evening, the outspoken, gregarious, opinionated, and amazing four-star general who saw action in both World Wars.  There was a line that caught my attention as he described what he felt was his destiny:  "I've always felt that I was destined for some great achievement, what I don't know."  I feel I've spent a lot of time "not knowing" this last year.  I didn't know where I'd be going in Australia, where I'd be staying, who I'd be staying with, where I'd be preaching, how the bills would be paid, what I would be doing upon my return, and on and on!  But I say with great pleasure and joy that God knew right well, and He provided abundantly beyond what I could have asked for or thought.  Instead of focusing on what I don't know, it's good to look to the God who knows all and can do anything He wants concerning me, my family, and the gifts, ministry, and calling I am steward of.

I played some football today with some brothers from church and if you've ever seen me on the field, it's more likely that you've heard me as well!  As a quarterback I'm like Patton back there, barking signals, issuing orders, motivating my teammates by strong words, minus any "colorful" language.  People either loved Patton or hated him, and I'm sure that I amuse some as much as irritate others.  But you know, leading a ministry cannot be done by barking orders and storming through strongholds of the enemy with tanks and footsoldiers.  It was God who said through the prophet, "...Not by might, not by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts." (Zech. 4:6)  God does not need generals who are in it for the glory.  He desires leaders who will take the lowest place and put their back to the work.  He wants men and women who are willing to gut through the wilderness, tribulation, and trials when prayers seem to be unheard and vision becomes dim.  He wants people to trust Him though they can't see a foot in front of their face.

I have no clue what this year holds for me and my family concerning ministry here or in Australia.  But I'm going to stick with what I know:  I have been called as a preacher and apostle to go to Australia for the glory of God; I have been provided a job to work towards that end; and God is in heaven and I am here on earth.  Time is short, and we must work while it is still day because the night is coming when no one can work.  Visas, government, immigration, home selling and buying, none of these are obstacles for God:  only opportunities for Him to prove Himself faithful again and again.  Let God be true and every man a liar.  None of this is about me.  I'm not the center of anything - I exist for the glory and praise of God, to make His name famous throughout the earth.  I want to be better at that.