Peace Archives - Page 11 of 13

September 11, 2021September 11, 2021

A Quick Thought on September 11th

I was reading about the September 11 attacks and thinking about the real impact of those events. I remember that I was in my home office with a television on to the news when the attacks started. It was like watching a special effects Hollywood movie. It was hard to comprehend that anyone who attack American on its home soil, but here we were.

Twenty years on what we now have is a nation severely divided along political lines. Politian’s, left and right, have highjacked this country to use it for their own agenda. A study that came out a few years ago stated that the American voter had less than 1% impact on public policy. We have been taken out of the game.

This country is now run by two mammoth corporations whose revenue are tax free donations and whose product is influence. The heads of these corporations write the rules, pick the players and control the game.

I think back to the early Church. It got its start because the members lived exemplary lives. Others gravitated to them not because the had great slogans, beautiful building and charismatic leaders, but because they lived a life worth living. They were envied for what they had and others drew close to see what it was. They wanted to know what made them different?

If we want America to get back to world leadership, we need to take the very same approach as the early Church, live a life worth living. We need to set aside our differences and live like people to be envied. To me it all starts with Christians. We need to stop our stupid and useless bickering about things that have no eternal implications. We need to be the people that others look to and draw close to.

What should we have we learned in 20 years? Agur knew:

Proverbs 30:7-9. ” Two things I ask of you, Lord; do not refuse me before I die: Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.”

September 7, 2021September 3, 2021

Word of the Year – Post Truth

In 2016 the Oxford Word of the Year was “post truth”. Post truth is defined as ‘relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief’.

IRONY

This really struck me as ironic. Ironic in the sense that 2016 we hadn’t come close to the dystopia currently on display today as it concerns post truth. In 2016 we were infants to this concept. After feeding on it for five years we have become raging pre-pubescent adolescents. The future of truth is bleak at best, and may fall out of our consciousness at worst.

This subject, this concept, this “ideology” is evident all around us every day. I was having dinner with a group of good Christian friends and the obligatory anti/for-mask/vaccine debate broke out. Everyone at the table was convinced (in a compassionate loving way) that they knew the truth. They each had their respectable sources and facts. They each had their gospel references. But yet they were on two sides of the same argument. Apparently God is both adamantly for and against all things related to COVID. These disagreements are creating wedges in the truth of the Gospel. The Gospel isn’t a reference tool to win a temporal argument.

James 1:26, “If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless.”

Rod Dreher wrote an interesting book entitled “Live not by Lies, A Manual for Christian Dissidents”. In it he spends the first half of the book relating the histories of all of the “isms”; Authoritarianism, Totalitarianism, Communism, Socialism, Marxism, Progressivism, Capitalism etc. He writes about how people gravitate to these ideologies based on the existence of an ideal state where everyone is cooperative. He goes on to say that the reality is that we live in a fallen world and the ideal state does not exist here on earth. Ideologies come and go, they all have a shelf life. They are all flawed by the human existence.

There is only one eternal Kingdom, that is the Kingdom established through Christ.

Romans 12:2, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

SHOW AND TELL

As Christians do we tell but not show? Do we live based on emotions and worldly beliefs, while telling people of the power of God’s redeeming grace? Do we live in fear that the other side is going to win, all the while professing faith that God is in control? Or do we speak of the reforming grace of God’s word, while living it?

Most, not all, emotional bias have a foundation in fear. We fear that something will happen that will harm us or our loved ones. This fear grows into a belief that there is only one true protection from our fear. That protection, be it a person, place, or thing, becomes what we desire most. That desire starts to overshadow reality. We now have a fear that what we believe is in our best interest might not be in our best interest. This implicit bias drives us to sources that confirm or reaffirm our pre-existing position. We want to feel safe.

So ask yourself, is your fear based on worldly temporal issues or divine issues? Do you live your life avoiding contemporary fears created by current events or do you fear the eternal implication of your convictions? A health fear of the Lord is a fear worth having, all others will pass away.

GOSSIP

Proverbs 16:28, “A perverse man spreads strife, and a slanderer separates intimate friends.”

Are your conversations based on the steadfast word of God or the latest emotion driven opinions? Temporal politics and cultural attitudes will pass away, but God’s word will survive forever. People DO live what they believe. Look at someone’s life and you will see their convictions. People do not live a lie, they live the truth as they see it. What does your life show about you?

Patrik Bendas, son of the Czechoslovakian anti-communist Christian dissident Vaclav Bendas, states “When we look at what is happening in America today, we see that you are building walls and creating gaps between people, for us, we are always willing to speak, to talk with the other side to avoid building walls between people. You know, it is much easier to indoctrinate someone who is enclosed within a set of walls.” When we become hardened and opinionated we are actually fertilizing the ground that will eventually grow division.

Philippians 4:8, “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”

We should approach every conversation with grace and compassion designed to build someone up, not create a new fear.

GRACE

Good news is that as a Christian you have been saved by Christ grace. You have nothing to fear. Most contemporary issues are just that, contemporary. Years from now we will see that we overstated their implications. If we hold true to God’s word and seek Him when in turmoil, we will be held safe in the palm of His hand. There will be hard times, and some of those hard times will change us, but God’s love will remain steadfast and sure.

Ephesians 4:29, “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.”

Live a life worth living.

August 24, 2021August 24, 2021

My Last Day in Toknok

As I sit in my room on the last day of my trip to Kyrgyzstan, I have mixed emotions. These are incredible people. Materially their world is not horrible compared to places like central Africa, but it is not close to Europe or other developed countries. The biggest challenges they have are non-material, it is spiritual, emotional, and cultural.

I had dinner the other night with three incredible young ladies; two were college-educated, and the third was in college. All three of them were exactly the type of person you would want working for you. They were intelligent, positive, and driven to make something of their lives. Their challenge was that they lived in a world that did not value that. They lived in a post-Russian, Muslim, male-dominated society that did not value educated, independent women.

All three of them were faced with the prospects of either leaving their family and country to pursue their dream or staying where they were and living someone else’s. For them, life started with hard choices. For them, life started with a deep dive into the black pool of uncertainty. Even the prospect of meeting the right man and raising a family required moving away; there are not many Christian men their age. They are not the first nor the last to face this dilemma.

This is the discussion we had, and you can scold me for an older man advising young women.

I have never lived a day in their lives. I have never walked a mile in their shoes. I have never been raised in a culture that puts a constraint on what a person can be. The only experience I have is the Word of God that says He has a plan for us. It is a plan to prosper. He has made us unique creatures explicitly created to use all He gave us to glorify Him. If they compromise on that belief, they compromise on the joy, fulfillment, and impact for His Kingdom that he has written for them.

All this week, we have been teaching hard lessons. We have spent our time telling new business owners the hard truth of managing their businesses. These are Christian business people living in a predominately Muslim world. These are hard lessons because they do not conform to the rules of the world. These hard lessons teach us to do what is right, not what we have a right to do. They tell us that we should love those who hate us, serve those who despise us, and give to those in need that do not value us. Through this, we glorify the One who made all this possible. We do it not as a command but as a form of worship.

We have to apply this teaching to incredible young people with their whole lives in front of them. I am incredibly excited for them and, at the same time, worried and concerned. These young spirits full of energy and hope are the story of fairy tales. They are the forgotten maiden searching for their prince. They are the heroin of God’s story for humanity. Yet like all great stories, it has to start with hard choices.

The sadness is that when I come back, and I will, there can only be one sad ending or another. These young women will have chased God’s vision for their lives, and I may never see them again. Or they will not, and I will see a shell of the person they could have been. My selfish prayer is that God’s plan for them will be revealed in a way that brings us both joy.

August 17, 2021August 5, 2021

Sabbatical

I am taking a little sabbatical from posting. I am about to go overseas for a few weeks on back-to-back mission trips and need the time and energy channeled toward those endeavors. I’ll start posting again in September. Thanks for reading and enjoy some of my previous posts.

Traveling Partners – “We have a traveling partner; He is always with us. He will never abandon us. Not everyone has this.”

Lessons in Love – “Love can make your brain forget to breathe.”

Impossible to Unbelievable – “God wants to take you from the mundane to the impossible to the unbelievable.”

A life Worth Living – “The reality is that God puts people in our lives as part of His plan for us. Through them, He can speak to us.”

Psalm 1:1-6, “Happy are those who reject the advice of evil people, who do not follow the example of sinners or join those who have no use for God.

Instead, they find joy in obeying the Law of the Lord, and they study it day and night. They are like trees that grow beside a stream, that bear fruit at the right time, and whose leaves do not dry up. They succeed in everything they do.

But evil people are not like this at all; they are like straw that the wind blows away. Sinners will be condemned by God and kept apart from God’s own people.

The righteous are guided and protected by the Lord, but the evil are on the way to their doom.”

July 28, 2021July 28, 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 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.’

June 15, 2021June 3, 2021

To Infinity…and Beyond!

Proverbs 22:29, “Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.”

This week I find myself in Toknok, Kyrgyzstan, helping teach a class in micro-business development. I am here with two other men to teach local Kyrgy’s how to create and operate Kingdom Impact businesses. I love being here because it is all about chasing your passion for Christ. The first thing we discuss with them is that God has to be the leader of your vision. Without the Holy Spirits’ direction, their new business will be another business; it might create wealth, but it will not fundamentally change the world. If God is driving the vision, then the business will have an eternal impact; it will drive changed lives and brighter futures.

1 Peter 4:10,” Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”

KINGDOM IMPACT BUSINESS

A Kingdom Impact business is a business that applies Christian principles to the way the owner interacts with employees, customers, suppliers, and the community. It impacts the way they manage their finances, their wages, and their prices. Most of all, it drives their need to share the joy of the gospel with the community in which they live and do business.

2 Kings 12:15, “They did not require an accounting from those to whom they gave the money to pay the workers, because they acted with complete honesty.”

I learned to appreciate how God works; it is best to visit third-world countries. These people have not been jaded by first-world expectations. They haven’t been told what they can accomplish and what they can’t. They are both teachable and passionate. God has opened them up to possibilities beyond their expectations. There is a fearful excitement about the future.

I learned how to be brave. In many cases, the hardship these people face daily would break most of us. Some of the places I have been to don’t have electricity or clean water; they live in a hut with a dirt floor. They don’t go home at night to TV and the internet, but only darkness. What they have is a hope in Christ that overshadows their environment. Most of the people I deal with are filled with joy and hope. They are hungry for God’s direction and confident that no matter how difficult life is, heaven awaits.

When we talk about being an example for the community, they get it. These people understand that they are the light in the darkness around them. They know from their experience how tough life is without hope. They want to share that hope with others.

Philippians 4:11-13, “Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”

They want their business to be successful in supporting their families and lifting the community, and drawing others to Christ.

Acts 20:35, “In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ “

BACK HOME

Is that the way we live? When we go to work, do we see the blessing of work as an opportunity to build up our peers and draw them to Christ? Do we operate from a Kingdom Perspective? I know that question isn’t fair. When you have nothing, everything is important. But when you have everything, nothing is important.

Our lives are consumed with keeping all of our stuff straight. We have careers and college education funds and retirement funds about which to worry. We have homes with mortgages or rent, taxes, and insurance. For many of us, it is the condo association or the homeowners association that we must appease to maintain peace . Our kids not only have to have a good education, but they must also grow up to be well-rounded. We are busy chasing the American Dream.

1 Timothy 6:17-19, “Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.”

This is all to say we get lost in our stuff and forget our purpose. We forget that everything we have or will ever have come from the creator of the universe that loves us unconditionally, and we should show it more often. We should take a lesson for our less fortunate brothers and sisters in Christ. We should use all that God has given us to lift the community we live in and draw others to Christ.

I don’t mean to shame anyone; really, I don’t. It is to say we live complex, busy lives. It is extremely easy to become so busy living that we never realize we are not living; we are marking time. We find ourselves devoting way too much time reaping the harvest of the blessings that we forget the source of those blessings. It’s not intentional; it just happens. Periodically we catch our breath and whisper out thanks.

FINAL THOUGHT

Maybe we should think about putting a task on our calendar every day to remind us to take a moment to remember our purpose.

Well, I’m going to enjoy this week. I’m going to enjoy the country, love the people and reset my perspective. Then I will come back home with a healthier understanding of what God has done, is doing, and will continue to do for and through me.

Proverbs 13:22, “A good person leaves an inheritance for their children’s children, but a sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous.”

June 1, 2021May 30, 2021

When Humbleness Turns to Insecurity

The title should have been “How to Lift Yourself up Out of the Mud to Stand on Dry Ground,” but it was too long.

We all go through times when life sucks. For some of us, it means complete alienations; for others, it is loneliness, a hollow feeling that hangs over us. There are times when insecurity engulfs us like a dense cold fog rolling in from the ocean on a moonless night. We all struggle with this at times. For me, it is not a perpetual state of being but a season of unworthiness.

I think of John 11 when Lazarus has died, and Jesus comes several days later. Martha meets Him and asks why He didn’t come earlier when He could have healed Him. Martha knows Lazarus will be raised in the last days but thinks it is too late to save him now. There are times when we should know salvation is ours, but question what about today? There will eventually be joy in Heaven, but what do we do until we get there? Will there be relief this side of Heaven?

WHEN HUMBLENESS TURNS TO INSECURITY

What happens when our humbleness turns to insecurity? How do we cope when we pass over that tipping point and start to believe our trash talk when we start buying into the sin-is-greater-than-love scenario. As humans, we all do this at times. We let our regret and guilt override our knowledge of who we are in Christ.

1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

God forgives, but do we? I know that I am saved by grace and not by works so that no man may boast. But is that enough for me today? Do I find peace in the fact that I have grieved God and others and been forgiven? I don’t know about you, but some days it is not enough to be forgiven; I need repatriation. I need an act of restoration. I need to somehow show my worthiness for forgiveness.

Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you were saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is a gift of God, not a results of works, so that no man may boast.”

I can’t change the past, but I do manage to relive it. I mull it over and over in my mind wishing it had never happened. I punish myself even when God has forgiven me. Why? Because I separate the eternal from the worldly. I accept that I have been given eternal life through Christ’s death on the cross, but I still want earthly peace through some final act of attrition. There are days when I am Martha. God, I get that you love me unconditionally; I get that through your sacrifice on the cross, I will live with you forever in Heaven, but what about the guilt I feel today? Have you arrived in my life too late to heal me of my past?

WHEN DO WE GET TO THE FEEL-GOOD PART?

First of all, try to keep things in perspective. This feeling is an in-the-moment issue; it is not an eternal issue. For Christians, this is not a desperate need for salvation that is already assured. It can seem like a desperate need for acceptance. I made a horrible decision over 40 years ago that was a correction decision to a previous atrocious decision. Unfortunately, that is what happens with sin; sin begets further sin. I have lived with the guilt of these decisions. I see the parties involved from time to time. Each time I see them, it reminds me of my weakness. Had I made the first decision correctly, I would not have hurt so many people afterward.

It has all been forgiven, both by God and the offended parties, but not by me. I know that there was a domino effect from my decisions that eventually made other people better off. I would never want to reverse their future happiness by erasing my wrong decision. This story is part of the “God works in strange ways “discussion, but my guilt remains. It is one of the echoes of the past that makes me question my worthiness. If we are honest with ourselves, we recognize that we have them. They are barriers to living a life worth living.

THE GOOD PART

Spoiler alert: Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. He was not too late.

Most self-doubt is created by a historical focus overriding our eternal focus. We forget that God put us here for good works prepared for us in advance. (Get the first part in the verse below; We are God’s handiwork.) There is no need to continue to dredge up the past, we will, but it is a waste of time.

Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Here is what is essential for those who believe in Christ

2 Corinthians 5:10, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.”

For Christians, it is not The Great White Throne Judgment, described in Revelation 20. God will not judge us for our past sins; they are already forgiven. God will hold us accountable for what we have done for Christ since we knew Him. This judgment is not to determine our worthiness to spend eternity with Christ; we have already been accepted to Heaven; it is a review of our fruit derived from that relationship.

Romans 14:12, “So then everyone of us shall give account of himself to God.”

Back many years ago, I was given a cassette tape, you read that right, of a one-person play performed by Pete Briscoe, “The Judgement Seat of Christ.” This is a link to the video for those of you that no longer have a cassette player. The original book was written by Tim Stevenson, with no relationship. It talks about The BEMA, the judgment seat of Christ that we must all stand before. It changed my view of Christianity. It moved me from a self-view to an others-view. It shifted my focus away from me being a better person to serving others just as I am.

I don’t know that I will ever get over my past sin. I know there will be times when it comes back to haunt me. But if I can check my self-incrimination and turn my focus to why I am here, I can get past it. Life here on earth can be joyful and peaceful. God does not want us to live a life of regret and guilt. He wants us to enjoy the fullness of His presence.

As hard as it is to believe, our past is forgiven and gone. If we waste our time fretting over the past rather than doing the good works prepared for us to do now; well, we build up more regret and guilt.

James 1:22 “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.”

Tag: Peace