Love Archives - Page 11 of 13

December 28, 2021December 24, 2021

Christmas Afterglow

Luke 6:38, “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

I have been binging on Christmas movies. I can’t help it. The characters make dumb decisions that could alleviate the problems, but those dumb decisions keep the storyline going until the happy ending. It’s infuriating the level of stupidity written into the scripts. What keeps me coming back is the happy ending.

I can’t get over the happy endings. Everyone wants a love story that ends in a crescendo. God created us to love and be loved. We want that sensation to be overwhelming. We want to be swept away with the emotion of never-ending love. We hold out for that magic moment no matter how callous we have become about life. Even when we don’t believe it exists, we can watch a Christmas movie and fanaticize it might be real. We want our hearts to burst.

I know a couple of friends of mine; they seem to have this idyllic marriage. She is gorgeous; he is handsome, both are successful. He constantly compliments her, and she idolizes him. I find myself mesmerized by their relationship. Now don’t get me wrong, I know every relationship has its challenges. Not every day is a walk-in wonderland; some days, you try to survive.

My point is that I believe in true love. I believe that God wants us to experience the level of love He has for us. I believe that God knows what it is to love someone so much that it hurts. Yet, God tenaciously powers through the pain to experience the love. There is no other explanation for what He has done for us.

John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

The feeling of love can become an opiate, an addiction, and an obsession. We can elevate the desire to love and be loved to the point that it loses its original intention and becomes a distraction. However, love can also be the driving force of our lives. It can be the catalyst for change and growth.

1 Corinthians 13:13, “The three most important things to have are: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of them is love.”

The essence of most Christmas movies is a great lie. This fundamental element in Christmas movies is someone deceiving someone else and gets caught. It all starts as an innocent deception; as the story grows, so does the deception. In the end, it is forgiveness that creates a happy ending. Although meant for commercial consumption, Christmas movies mimic the true Christmas story. First, we deceive ourselves into believing it is an innocent lie. As our lives progress, the lie grows. It is God’s forgiveness that creates a happy ending.

We deceived our King. We became so comfortable in our deception that we allowed it to grow and grow. It is only the benevolence of our King that we receive a happy ending. It’s not a movies script; it is real life. We receive eternal life through the charity of the King of Kings.

Romans 3:23, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

This thought leads me to think about true greatness. We all seek greatness in our lives. We all want to leave a legacy that stands the test of time. We want to mean something, to be something. For me, it is making an eternal difference in a single life. If I could be a person with such great love for humanity that I could humble myself to serve another to the extent that they see God in me, I would be successful. I will have achieved greatness.

Ephesians 3:20, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.”

Spiritual greatness starts and ends with loving our fellow man. The yearning we have inside to be something greater than we are can only be relieved by learning to love those that do not love us. Loving those that do love us is easy. Turning the other cheek is complicated but still does not require love. Humbling oneself and truly submitting ourselves for the benefit of someone less deserving is the essence of love.

Matthew 5:46-48, “It is easy to love those who love you—even a tax collector can love those who love him. And it is easy to greet your friends—even outsiders do that! But you are called to something higher: “Be perfect, as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

Let us all bask in the afterglow of Christmas. Let us all understand that we live a life of deception, both big and small. But, let us also take heart that the King of Kings, in His unconditional love, has already written our happy ending.

2 Corinthians 9:8, “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.”

November 23, 2021November 11, 2021

The Way of Love

1 John 4:8, “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

SCOUNDREL

I’m a scoundrel, a dirty rotten scoundrel. I came to Christianity later in life; I lived a bohemian lifestyle. I was a Hedonist, not that I thought I was at the time. I was just a guy trying to make a living and enjoying the fruits of my labor. The problem was, despite my success, I didn’t feel successful. To achieve worldly success, I had to endure conflict, not raging open battle with those around me, but the subtle nuances of worry, anxiety, and competition.

Isaiah 32:7, “And a scoundrel, his weapons are evil; he plans evil devices to ruin the poor with words of deception even when the speech of the needy is right.”

I stretched the truth; I molded the facts; I used it to my advantage. I didn’t break the law; I used it. I did what I had a right to do, not what was right. I prospered in a competitive world; I was a winner. I was a scoundrel of the first order.

This lifestyle is the conundrum I face. I know who I was, and I know who I am, and yet God loves me so much He sent His Son to save me. He did not choose me because of some sterling attribute that He admired in me. God did not save me because I was special or different. He certainly didn’t save me because He needed me. He saved me despite who I was.

Ephesians 2:8-9, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast”

NEW PERSON

2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”

I read this and know that it is true. I know that through the scripture, I have awakened to how my life should play out. God washed my sins away, and I have a second chance. God, through His grace, has reached down into the mire of my life and pulled me up. Why would He do that?

Colossians 3:10, “and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him.”

God is love. His love is perfected in us; his very nature would not allow for us to remain as we were. So, God hit the reset button; He renewed us. He gave us an out, a way to become more like Him. But it was a choice, not a command.

1 John 4:7-12, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.”

Making the correct choice does not guarantee success or fulfillment. We do not have the material within ourselves to survive. We are not strong enough, smart enough, gifted enough to withstand the onslaught of life. But we have been made in the image of God; just as He is love, so are we.

YET STILL A SCOUNDREL

Romans 7:15-20, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it?”

No man had more passion for Christ; no man was willing to endure as much for Christ as Paul. Paul was a true Christian warrior ready to die for his King. And yet, he, too, fought the scoundrel in himself. I find this passage amazing. I think of Paul when I get down on myself, which is easier than I would like to admit. We are all scoundrels who have been saved by love.

In a performance-based world, it is hard to reconcile my performance against God’s reward. It seems out of balance. I constantly believe I am not worthy because I have not performed according to His standard. To think that I am not worthy is to diminish the person God made me. I am not defined by worldly standards but by the One who loves me unconditionally.

THE WAY OF LOVE

Tattoo this on your heart. Make it the most precious words you will ever hear or utter to another. Understand the true power of love to overcome all things, even the scoundrel in all of us.

1 Corinthians 13:1-10, “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.”

October 19, 2021October 19, 2021

Good Passion Versus Bad Passion

It all started with thoughts about passion; you know, good passion versus bad passion.

Psalm 73:25-26, “Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

TOMORROW

Annie sings that the sun will come out tomorrow; Tomorrow clears the cobwebs and the sorrow. Tomorrow we can start with a blank canvas and paint a new picture of our life. Tomorrow we can erase the errors of today and start over.

The Beatles sing about Yesterday that our troubles seemed so far away, but they’re here to stay. “I’m not the half the man I used to be.” The Beatles remind us of our regrets that we might improve our future.

Kaki Kings, the musician at a TedTalks convention, states that time runs endlessly for eternity backward and forward, making this moment seem insignificant. But the reality is that this moment is the most critical in our life; at this moment. So, all we have is to make this moment the most significant moment of all moments.

U2’s song Tomorrow, Bon Jovi sings, “Will you be back tomorrow? Open up, open up to the lamb of God. To the love of he who made the blind to see. He’s coming back.”

My arrogance, and maybe your arrogance, is that we might be granted a tomorrow. I go to sleep each night, asking for forgiveness of my transgressions and listing what I need help with tomorrow. I talk about friends that I need to reach out to because they suffer. I speak about deeds I will do for those in need. I ask for wisdom and discernment for the decisions ahead. I assume that God will grace me with one more day on this earth.

1 Corinthians 9:19-23, “For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.”

What if that was my last prayer here on earth; what if I did not see another tomorrow this side of heaven? What if that very night I met God face-to-face? Would I have regrets? Would I have deeds undone? Would I want one more day?

TODAY

Colossians 3:5, “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”

God continues to give us these two-edged swords; passion is one of them. Earthly passion can drive us to destructive behaviors. It is not just the passion to have more, be more and experience more. It sometimes is the passion to present ourselves perfect to the world around us. Earthly passion can disguise itself as a virtue. It feeds upon pride to puff us up. Worldly passion can make us feel superior to others because we care more. Earthly desire can cause us to be addicted to behaviors that do not glorify God but glorify ourselves. Worldly passion assumes there will be many tomorrows. Without tomorrow’s, earthly desire loses its meaning. Worldly passion feeds on the expectation of tomorrow.

Ephesians 1:4, “Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.”

Spiritual passion feeds on eternity. Spiritual passion assumes that time here will end. Spiritual passion prepares us for when earthly tomorrows finish. We can do things that others might see as worldly passion, but our drive is different. For example: do we exercise to look good and feel good, or do we exercise so that we are prepared to do God’s will? Do we seek education to advance our future or to use it to glorify God? Spiritual passion is redirecting our worldly desire to glorify God.

Colossians 1:16–17, “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

We may not be graced with another day; did we live today with that in mind? Chasing the passion God put within us at creation is about living each day to its fullest. It is acknowledging God is sovereign over all; he created all things for His glory. Therefore, everything we do is an act of worship to Him. What did your worship look like today?

1 Corinthians 10:31, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

In our trials, did we focus on ourselves, or did we take the opportunity to glorify God, knowing that God will not give us more than we can handle? Did we find good in those who sought to harm us? Did we acknowledge God’s presence in everything we did?

Romans 8:28, “And we know that to them that love God all things work together for good, to them that are called according to his purpose.”

FOREVER

I love what Kaki King said because it reminds me that every moment counts. There are no insignificant moments in our lives, even though the totality of our lives may seem trivial compared to eternity. Moments make up eternity, each one extremely important.

We get momentary pleasure for worldly passion. It is a temptation that is hard to pass up. We can start to believe that living in the moment is not harmful to our existence in eternity. But it is every moment that eventually adds up to eternity. So, God counts everyone as important.

Live this day, this moment, as if you might stand before God before tomorrow.

James 1:17-20, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures. Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.”

August 17, 2021August 5, 2021

Losing our Identity

John 8:32, “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

One of the biggest struggles with most humans is identity. We are constantly bombarded with messages concerning what the world thinks of our image; intellectually, occupationally, physically, environmentally, or politically. Moreover, the advent of the internet and social media has caused this internal struggle to magnify. As a result, even the most secure among us have difficulty, at times, feeling uncomfortable in our own skin.

THERAPEUTIC IDENTITY

One of the significant outcomes is postmodern thinking; you have your truth, and I have mine. I gravitate to only the media that supports my point of view; I become more comfortable in my skin. Christian Smith and Melinda Lundquist coined the term “Moralistic Therapeutic Deism.” They defined it as “God exist and only wants us to be nice and to be happy.” Christians fall into this trap. Philip Rieff stated it this way in “The Triumph of Therapeutics,” man no longer sees himself as a pilgrim on a meaningful journey with others, but as a tourist who travels through life according to their own self-guided itinerary, with personal happiness the ultimate goal. Many people have become so overwhelmed by the caustic and bombastic environment we live in that all they want is harmony and peace, and they are willing to give up truth to get it.

John 16:13, “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.”

A Therapeutic Culture makes it a great sin to stand in the way of the freedom of others to find happiness as they wish. This therapeutic culture is the author of ethical and gender identity politics. It demonizes dissidents by marginalizing them as people who do not care for the rights and freedoms of others. Dissidents that seek truth do not believe in a just society; they put their view of truth above the truths of others. Dissidents set themselves up to be judges.

1 John 4:6, “We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the Spirit of falsehood.”

Happiness has the right identity. Happiness is being the right person, for the right person, in the right way. All of this is defined by the individual. The book of Judges ends with this statement “each man did what he considered right.” The good news is that we are not the first generation to deal with this problem.

TRUE IDENTITY

Milosz, and others, define ketman as a false stance adopted by a person “in order to find himself at one with others, in order not to be alone.”. Many of us assume ketman as a survival tool in our increasingly divergent society. We feel that we cannot openly state our views because of the social backlash that might permanently impact our lives. Once we are “canceled” as a source of information, any truth we might speak becomes null and void. To stay away from that future, we employ ketman.

2 Timothy 2:15, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”

Our identity is in Christ and Christ alone. This concept is a fundamental building block of who we are. Because of the current state of affairs, it is imperative we reinforce our identity through bible study, Christian community, and worship. We will never be able to defend the Gospel in and of ourselves; we need the power of the Holy Spirit. God made you according to His will that you might glorify Him. As a friend of mine reminds me, “God don’t make no Trash.” Through the Holy Spirit, you have all that you need to maintain your true identity. You have to stand firm in that resolve.

HOW DO WE PROCEED?

“A man convinced against his will is of the opinion still” – Dale Carnegie.

You cannot browbeat a person into permanent change. You can get them to acquest at the moment, but they will stray when your back is turned. We need to build relationships that create an environment of permanent change. We do this by listening. You cannot accurately address the concerns of others until you understand their problems from their point of view. I guess that you will find one of the most prevalent root causes is the lack of a positive identity. People have lost what it means to be created in God’s image.

Love conquers all. Even though we may have disagreements with others’ versions of the truth, we need to treat them with compassion and respect. We do not want them to remain in a state of sin, but they have free will. Patience is in order. They have moved to a position that their happiness is more important than truth. They need to understand that they can have both.

At a societal level, we need to combat the encroachment of postmodern therapeutics into our society. We need to be active at all levels attacking the issues, not the people; stay on topic. You will be demonized; it is part of the strategy; remember, “in your anger do not sin.” Please do not stoop to their level. Instead, engage the Holy Spirit at every turn. We are not the first to fight this battle and we will not be the last. In God’s economy it is about winning people to Christ, not overcoming worldly issues.

And always remember:

Romans 8: 38-39, “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

July 20, 2021July 19, 2021

The Illusion of Prosperity

I have been thinking about this for some time. I’m trying to figure out what to say and how to say it. I have seen firsthand the plight of the 40% of the world’s population that lives on less than two dollars a day. I have looked into their eyes, I have seen how they live. My focus has been on these people called The Majority World (Africa, Asia, and Latin America). God has given me a skill set, knowledge, and experience that He wants me to use to help these people in any little way I can. Today I look in the opposite direction. I’m looking at one of the most prosperous nation in the world.

Lamentations 3:19-25, “Remember my suffering and my aimless wandering, the wormwood and poison. My soul continues to remember these things and is so discouraged. “The reason I can still find hope is that I keep this one thing in mind: the Lord’s mercy. We were not completely wiped out. His compassion is never limited. It is new every morning. His faithfulness is great. My soul can say, ‘The Lord is my lot in life. That is why I find hope in him.’ The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to anyone who seeks help from him.”

The story I want to tell today is not about The Majority World, in a small way it is. I was raised in the Midwest in a small farm community. Even though I have spent most of my life away from my childhood home, I still identify it as my home. I have returned twice a year, almost every year for a half-century. I have a vision infused deep within my brain of idyllic small-town America. It fosters a feeling of fondness, wholesomeness, and community that comforts me. This year as I sat in the park, listening to a local rock band sponsored by the City for “Fun Days,” I suddenly realized I was wrong.

THE GROWTH OF A COMMUNITY

First, let me tell you a little history of my home town. My hometown was established in 1836. A gristmill was built because the nearby river had a 15-foot waterfall that provided hydropower. The Illinois and Michigan Canal was to be constructed nearby to provide transportation. Unfortunately, the depression of 1837 bankrupt the state government, and construction on the canal stopped until 1848. The railroad arrived about 1850, becoming the preferred mode of transportation. The great news for my hometown is that industry grew with the hydropower and advent of the railroad. By the 1880s, raceways were built to provide mechanical power to the growing industry sector. By 1911 the raceway helped provide electrical power to the City. My hometown was one of the first to have electric trollies. Growing up, I still remember the rail tracks embedded in the streets from the trolley. Unfortunately, the trolley system went out of service during the Great Depression.

By the early 1900s, an eight-story Carton Factory was built provided ample employment for the City. Today that brooding brick building still towers over Main Street. It became the lifeblood of the community. It operated until 1960. The Federal Government finished Interstate Highway 80 just ten miles north of town in 1967, forever changing the traffic pattern away from my hometown. The power plant that used to power the Carton Factory, and my hometown stopped producing in 1989.

I was fortunate that I grew up in the ’50s and ’60’s when my hometown was called the City of Churches. It was a small town but economically healthy. To this day franchise systems bypass my hometown. All the drug stores, grocery stores, gas stations, restaurants, banks, hotels, news paper and even telephone company are local family-owned businesses. We were a community.

THE FALL OF MID AMERICA

I should have noticed it. I should have picked up on the clue when the city motto was changed to the City by the River. I should have seen it when the Carton Factory closed, then the power plant, then the High School, and finally two of the three grade schools. But I didn’t. It was still the small town I grew up in and loved.

I didn’t notice that 100% of the students were now on the free lunch program. I didn’t notice that the shops along Main Street were now bars and Slot Machine Outlets. I didn’t notice that the once vibrant three story hotel on Main Street was now a flophouse for the down and out. I didn’t live there, so I didn’t notice that unemployment was a way of life; Welfare, Unemployment, Food Stamps were lifelines. People didn’t have careers or professions; they had a series of disassociated jobs, mostly at minimum wage. They worked off the books because it wouldn’t reduce their benefits. Working at $5.00 an hour tax-free was better than minimum wage at a burger joint.

That night in the park, what I did notice was a lack of hope. A dark future permeated everyone in the park. Even those with steady jobs felt the pain of their friends and relatives. The City was surviving but on life support. Without government programs, the City would dry up and blow away. Instead, the residence now made life livable with alcohol and more potent stimulants. I couldn’t help but think of the kids. What was their future? Would they slowly die from inside like the rest of the City?

The decay of small towns is happening all across America. Of the 19,000 incorporated cities in the United States, over 16,000 have a population under 10,000 people.

MY LAMENT

I guess what makes this story hard is that I have no answers. There are four levels of poverty; spiritual, being, relational, and material. Politicians and governments concentrate on material poverty because it is easy to see and measure. They throw money and programs at the result of poverty, not the source. The foundation to recovering from material poverty is to overcome spiritual poverty. In Christ, there is both a hope for the future and a prescription for achieving that hope. With faith in God’s promise through Christ we start to better understand our true worth. We also start to understand the importance of not only lifting ourselves, but those around us. Finally, we create a material environment that sustains our purpose. With Christ-centered hope, anything can be accomplished; people fall back on old habits without it. Generational, systematic, cultural poverty was not created in a generation and will not be overcome in a generation. Without schools, there will be no jobs, and without jobs, there is no need for schooling. Without hope, no-one cares.

It is a lament. I have no answers; I can only pray and serve. The results belong to God.

Isaiah 40:28-31, “Don’t you know? Haven’t you heard? The eternal God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, doesn’t grow tired or become weary. His understanding is beyond reach. He gives strength to those who grow tired and increases the strength of those who are weak. Even young people grow tired and become weary, and young men will stumble and fall. Yet, the strength of those who wait with hope in the Lord will be renewed. They will soar on wings like eagles. They will run and won’t become weary. They will walk and won’t grow tired.”

There is a great book discussing the complexity of poverty entitled “When Helping Hurts.” By Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert.

July 13, 2021July 12, 2021

How do I Compare?

This one thing I know; God has created you as a unique person with a unique purpose. God makes it perfectly clear why you and I exist. We are created to glorify Him in all that we do. He doesn’t give us vague parables, lofty words, or hidden text. He states it outright.

Jeremiah 1:5, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

Psalm 139:16, “Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them”

Ephesians 1:4, “Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love”

Galatians 1:15, “But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace,”

God created each of us to do the will of God for a specific purpose. We are each formed uniquely to serve a unique purpose that God created no one else to achieve. Every cell, nuance, and fiber of our being is specific. We might know people more intelligent than us, prettier, more outspoken, more discipline, more together, but they are not asked do what God has asked us to accomplish.

We are set apart to be holy and blameless and consecrated for His purpose. There is nothing God forgot to give us.

MEASURING PURPOSE

I was part of a panel of speakers that talked about purpose. As I listened to the other speakers, I was humbled and a little jealous of who God made them and what they had accomplished. Their lives were full of purpose, directed by God, to achieve great things. They had compassion, grace, and wisdom. I was last to speak; their testimony left me feeling shallow and lacking. But then there was this thought:

Ephesians 1:11, “In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,”

For all of their greatness, for all of the things they have and will accomplish for Christ, they are not asked do what God has asked that I should do. I am not sitting in the second chair. I am not an extra on the movie set of life. I am not here to fill space until Christ returns. I am here to glorify God in a way that is unique to me.

I don’t want to go down a rabbit trail here, so I will say it once and move on. There is a complex interaction created by God that grants free will while still embracing predestination. The word commonly attributed to this seemingly impossible contradiction is Antinomy. To understand how God manages this contradictive construct is to know the mind of God. I don’t, so I accept that I don’t. There are a number of opinions on this issue and I am not the one to sort them out.

Proverbs 19:21, “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.”

God has predestined you and me to achieve great things, knowing our weaknesses and compensating accordingly. God is all knowing, he knows the decision we will make, of our own free will, before we do. Even if we chose not to be obedient, He knew and planned accordingly. Don’t let this distract you from your mission.

Ephesians 2:10, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

COMPARING WITH OTHERS

2 Corinthians 10:12, “Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding.”

When you look at the world around you, you can’t help but start to compare yourself with what you see and hear. You can’t help but let worldly standards erode the Godly standard under which He created you. You see the accomplishments of others and wonder how you will stack up. You are unique; they are unique—each of us with a specific purpose. We cannot compare ourselves to others and come away unblemished. There will always be someone better at something. Everything we accomplish will be superseded by those who follow.

Galatians 6:4, “But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor.”

STAY STEADFAST

Each of us must understand that we are created precisely the way God intended; to serve Him, not man. With the fall in Garden of Eden we inherited a sin nature. When you feel inadequate, know that it is not your potential you should reevaluate but your direction. If you feel inferior to others, see that they have their purpose, and you have yours. You cannot be them; they cannot be you. You are not asked to reach the people that God has put before them, and they are not asked to reach the ones God has for you.

If everyone had the same path, we would all have the same attributes. But that is not how God works. He wants us to be individuals; God wants us to be different. God wants us to do our part, not be part of someone else’s. God has a great future planned for you, filled with hope and prosperity.

Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

July 6, 2021July 5, 2021

Influence and Purpose

When I was much younger, I marveled at the chance of my existence. I even calculated the probability of being born as a middle-class male living in a small town in the most prosperous country in the world. Incredibly, I am who I am. Every aspect of my existence is an attribute required by God to accomplish His will. Each of us has the same story with a slightly different twist. We are all uniquely qualified for what God has in store for us. None of our characteristics should be considered weaknesses because they are specific to the path God wants us to follow; each attribute a strength to be used to advance His Kingdom here on earth.

1 Corinthians 12:4-6, “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.”

It got me thinking about the influence God has given me in this world and how that influence interlocks with my purpose. I have a personal philosophy to have the most significant impact on God’s kingdom while here on this earth; I must stay on the path He has put before me. That path will not only enhance my salvation experience; it will also have the most significant impact on the sphere of influence I have in this world.

Ephesians 2:10, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

The foundation is my personal spiritual growth. Without that, I can neither accept salvation nor influence others to seek redemption, which we can all agree on as paramount to any plan God has for us. Much like the safety video on an airplane, we have to put the oxygen mask on ourselves before helping others.

VIRAL SALVATION

With a sound foundation, how to take our salvation viral? How do we create the most significant impact for Christ in the short time we have? I believe God wants us to work exclusively within our circle of influence; I call it my social ecosystem. The people with which I have the most commonality start with my family and very close friends. The next circlet might be people in groups or organizations to which I belong, people with whom I interact regularly, but I would not consider close. Like ripples on a pond that expand outward, the further from the center, the less amplitude to the wave. In my case, at the far reaches, where the wave is almost flat, is national influence. I certainly do not feel I have any significant global influence. The work I do in third-world countries is focused on individuals, not nations or governments.

Psalm 119:73-74, “You made me; you created me. Now give me the sense to follow your commands. May all who fear you find in me a cause for joy, for I have put my hope in your word.”

My national influence is exclusively through voting in elections. I do vote, and I should vote. But I do understand that my impact there is as one in about 130 million. I am not politically active. Even if I was the paper “Testing Theories of American Politics,” Martin Gilens and Benjamin Page concluded, “the preferences of the average American appear to have only a minuscule, near-zero, statistically non-significant impact upon public policy.”

When I look at my responsibility in this world, I look at it through that lens. I look at it by saying the first obligation I have is the safety and nourishment of my soul, with the constant refocusing of my spiritual energy to be the person God wants me to be. The second role I have is expanding God’s Kingdom. I grow God’s Kingdom through my influence on others around me.

Matthew 5:16: “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

In my world, I try to stay away from issues for which I have little influence. I can worry about the global economy, I can worry about the global pandemic, but my impact is limited. We know that because of God’s providence, He has control over everything. God has a direct influence on all things. God has chosen not to include me in many issues; I don’t have an active role outside my ecosystem. I can wander outside of my lane, but I do it at great risk.

OUR SOCIAL ECOSYSTEM

There are people in my life that I have immense compassion and love for that need me. There are real and everyday issues that create pain and suffering that never get media attention. Friends, family, and neighbors are on the cusp of abandoning God because they feel alone and alienated. The pandemic may have created a worldwide phenomenon, but it also amplified individual suffering. Most of the people we know grind through life, hiding their despair and guilt because they don’t think anyone cares. These are the people God has put before us. These are the people God has sent us to Shepard. Do we take the time to listen? Are we people of God who are willing to get down in the dirt with those we love? It is so much easier to debate politics or the latest downward spiral in society than open our hearts and homes to those we love that have complex, difficult questions that only God can answer.

Corinthians 7:16, “For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife?”

All of this brings me to a question; as Christians, are we doing the right thing when we engage in conversations on subjects over which God has not given us influence? Do we dilute our impact when we use energy to chase issues that we, one, are not privy to the details and two, have little or no influence outside our opinion? We can have strong views on these subjects; these opinions may or may not have biblical grounding, but our opinion will not change the course God has established.

God has taken care of the more significant issues. He has put in power people who He has given the responsibility to govern. We may not understand or agree with His choices or direction, but that is not our prevue. He has not asked for our advice about His kingdom. What He has asked is that we join Him in serving those around us. Even those who are in positions of power still have an obligation to their immediate social ecosystem. Even they, with all their power and prestige, will be held responsible for the lives around them.

RESETTING OUR IMPACT

I would like to see myself get back to my primary purpose; that purpose is expanding God’s Kingdom with the people around me. Our social ecosystem is different for all of us. God has created a specific and vital role for each of us. We cannot neglect the people God has put in front of us by chasing issues beyond our control. Our focus needs to be on the lives God has put in front of us.

Psalm 139:16, “You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.”

This need is not a passive but active responsibility. These are the people God has asked you to Shepard. The people God has brought into your life He has done with purpose; it is not a random selection. When we overlook their needs for the needs of others, we neglect not only our loved ones but the very purpose God has placed you here in the first place. We were created solely for His purpose. There are people in our social circle whose eternal existence might depend on us.

James 5:20, “let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.”

How do I reset; how do I get back to using my resources, skills, and passion for focusing on the issues on which God wants me to focus? How do I chase God’s desire for my life without disconnecting from worldly matters? Can I consume secular subjects without them taking residence? If I cannot, then is it profitable, within God’s providence, for me to allow that intrusion?

Remember Mordechai’s warning to Ester, “If you will not do it God will raise another to take your place.” If we spend too much time and effort coloring outside the lines that we neglect our primary mission, God will raise someone else in your place.

Isaiah 58:10: “If you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday.”

June 22, 2021June 19, 2021

Small Choices

Small choices build the foundation for more meaningful decisions in our lives. Big decisions are not so much a choice at the moment but the culmination of many small decisions made over time leading up to the moment.

“What is always true is that the decisions we make today determine the stories we tell about our lives tomorrow” – Craig Groeschel, Divine Direction

The decision to choose one job over another was started with smaller choices. Maybe it was the choice to look for a new job, or perhaps the decision to investigate a new profession. It could have been a decision to have coffee with an old workmate. The decision to ask someone to marry you might have started with a decision to attend a party. Our many small decisions craft the environment in which we make our big decisions.

When we try to understand God’s purpose in our lives, what are some of the small decisions that directly or indirectly impact our understanding? Do we make small decisions that inadvertently eliminate opportunities to achieve His purpose?

1 John 2:15-17, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”

I’m sorry folks I can’t get over the waste of humanity. All of those people walking the face of the earth living substandard lives thinking they have made it. People whose greatness is shrouded by the perceptions of the world. We compromise and compromise and compromise; not knowing we are planting the seeds of an unfulfilled life.

Starting a New Habit

One of the most straightforward small choices we can make that will immensely impact how we make big decisions is to create a new habit that changes our worldview. We are inundated every day with an overwhelming amount of new information. All of this information is like dripping water on a stone. If the drip continues long enough, it will eventually wear down the stone.

Romans 12:2, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

We need to create a new habit that counteracts the damage of our old habits. We need to consciously ingest good, positive, and Godly information to replace much of the anxious, negative, and worldly information force-feed to us daily. The idea is not to radically change our environment; some people are capable of this, most are not. The objective is to slowly shift our attention away from those inputs that dominate us today.

The new habit might be a quiet time to contemplate God’s blessing, time in the scriptures, or journaling about answered prayer. I would suggest early in the morning before your day begins or late at night as your day is winding down. Don’t think revolution; think revelation. Try to create a new habit that you can maintain for the rest of your life. If you think of something, ask yourself; can I do this every day for the next ten years? If you can answer that yes, you are on the right track to do it the rest of your life.

Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

Stopping an Old Habit

Many of the habits we have in life we don’t view as habits. We have done them so long that they have become part of us. Many of those habits, if not unhealthy, are at least unproductive. Here is a habit I am still trying to break. It is the habit of negative thought. I get into arcane mind games where I debate with myself over controversies that will never happen in real life. I don’t know when this started in my life. It seems it has always been there. I used to think of it as preparing to overcome an objection before anyone objected. It was a good thing to think through my position and internally discussed its weaknesses. Nice rationalization. The reality is that it is just negative thinking.

1 Corinthians 10:13, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

Each of us has something that stands in the way of our hearing God speak. Trust me; God was not involved in my internal debates; it was all me. They caused me to think negatively about people without giving them a chance to do something about which to feel pessimistic.

Maybe you start the day listening to the news or reading the latest political column. Perhaps you spend too much time with the wrong people, watching the bad movies, or reading the wrong books. There is always something.

Pick just one thing that you want to stop doing, then commit to yourself to stop doing it. If you need an accountability person or group to be successful, get them.

Staying When We Want to Leave

If you have not run into this by today, you will eventually. You find yourself at a crossroads. There is a decision to make. Should I keep doing what I am doing, or should I change? There are so many times when what I am doing does not seem to produce fruit. I feel that I am doing it out of obedience, but I start to question even that. It might be a job or a relationship, or a calling.

1 Corinthians 15:58, “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”

This post is one for me. I’m an engineer, a computer geek, a high type “A,” and highly goal-oriented; these are not the character traits of someone who writes. Although there are times when what I write speaks to me so loudly, I know it is right. There are also times when I wonder why I am doing this? If God is not inspiring my words, they just don’t come. It is like staring into a vast black void waiting to hear an echo. My commitment to myself is to stand firm. I have no idea what the fruit of this labor is; I only know that God wants me to continue.

It takes tenacity, perseverance, and faith to stand when every fiber of your body says to run. There will be times in your life when staying may seem like the most painful thing ever ask of you. It is in these times when you have to lean on God to give you the strength. He will never give you a burden that you cannot endure. He will never test you to see your reaction.

It is hard to see the sun in the middle of a storm, but it is always there just above the clouds. When you find yourself at a crossroads, seek God, He is always there just above the clouds.

Deuteronomy 31:6 “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Going When it is More Comfortable to Stay

The other crazy dilemma is when to leave. I was sitting in the garden of our residence in Kyrgyzstan early one morning, relaxed, having my morning coffee, when suddenly I asked myself, how did you get here? I hadn’t thought about it. The trip here is 17 hours in a plane over ten time zones. It is not cheap, it is certainly not convenient, and The State Department says it is not advisable. But the question wasn’t really about the travel arrangements or the comfort; it was about the intent. What was my intention in being here?

Joshua 1:9, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

My home is very comfortable. My life has a nice cadence to it. The food is good, my friends are great, and fellowship with other Christians is easy and numerous. I can be useful at home. But, that is not God’s plan for my life.

“A ship is safe in harbor, but that’s not what ships are for.” ― John A. Shedd

At some point in your life, God will ask you to move. It can be as simple as changing seats to interact with a stranger or travel 7,000 miles to a country where you have never been. It can be changing jobs, changing cities, or changing relationships.

1 Corinthians 15:33, “Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”’

Small Decisions Big Consequences

In every case, you will find that God gave you several small decisions that led to the big decision. Life isn’t a pop quiz; life is an essay exam. It is paying attention to the details and writing the story. If we make the small correct decisions, the bigger ones make more sense. God will never abandon you; He will never forsake you. He will never test you beyond your endurance. There is no wasted effort or bunny trails. And in all of this, He wraps it in love. His love for you is unimaginable. His desire to have a deep, meaningful, and joy-filled relationship with you is without bounds.

Matthew 25:23, “‘Good work,’ his master said. ‘You are a good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over this small amount, so now I will give you much more.’

Tag: Love