Tag: faith

First Love and Belonging

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For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39

Ever wonder where you belong?

Even in the best of homes, kids can feel lost.  Childhood sets them up to look for someone to invite them into a place of belonging.  Driven, and stretching out their arms indiscriminately, others own them and hurt them. 

And even in the best of churches, believers can feel lost. Dysfunctional congregational life sets them up to stay on the sidelines, wondering where they fit in. The only ones who enjoy community are the ones fortunate enough to be part of a clique.

Oh, there are no safe masters except Jesus. What is your marriage to Jesus like?  Your relationship began when you made the decision to enter into the kingdom through the door of Christ.  But perhaps you stepped inside and froze.  Afraid to trust.  Afraid to commit.  Afraid of intimacy.  Afraid of change.  Jesus is the patient bridegroom who waits for the timid with arms outstretched.  Steve Brown, of Key Life Ministries, said, “Many come to Jesus to get saved but don’t stay long enough to get loved.” Only those with a burning love for the God can endure the intensity of living in an increasingly godless age. This was the hallmark of the early Christians who went to their death singing.

First love is the only thing more powerful than the power of suffering – which is debilitating and turns people into cowards. The cords of love carry divine life.

Oh God, Your love is the greatest force in heaven, and on earth, and I know that nothing can quench it. Like a baby in a mother’s arms, I live securely. Amen

God’s Love And My Sinfulness

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For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.  For one will scarcely die for a righteous person-though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die- but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:6-8

Many teachers today have abandoned the subject of sin. Some say, “People already struggle with poor self-esteem.   Talking about sin will only make self-hatred worse.”  But by avoiding the subject of sin, we can not have an accurate picture of the love of God.  Joyce Carol Oates, a contemporary author says, “We human beings are the species that clamors to be lied to.”  We want someone to tell us that we’re not that bad ~ that God should love us because we’re basically good people.  Here’s the dilemma. If God only loves good people, how magnificent is His love?  Not very impressive at all.   God’s love is only stunning when it is set against a backdrop of my sinfulness.

When I realize that I could walk to the ends of the earth but not find God, I will appreciate the cross.  When I realize that I could spend every last ounce of energy giving to others selflessly but end up in hell, I will appreciate the cross.  God’s love came in the face of Christ at a time when all hope for me was lost.  I was limp, in a weakened state, trying to earn His favor but failing miserably.  My sin separated me from His heart.  I was completely powerless. 

Then Jesus came!  He saw my sin but came anyway.  When I didn’t want Him, He wanted me.  When I wanted to try everything and everyone else first, He still loved me and came.  See what kind of love He offered?

If I, or someone I know, is bored by the subject of the love of God, perhaps we have lost sight of what kind of love it took for Jesus to come and save us.  His love cost Him everything…and He gave it all up willingly so He could say to each of us, “Not guilty anymore!” 

You invited me to come close to You, and then to live and find my life in You.  You have declared that absolutely nothing can threaten our relationship.  What love is this!  Amen

When I Build On The Rock

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“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.  Matthew 7:24-25

Would anyone knowingly build their house on sand?  They would know the outcome.  The first storm would begin to erode the foundation.  It wouldn’t take many subsequent storms to topple the house.   Architectural creativity would have nothing to do with the outcome. Remember the last picture you saw of homes devastated by an F5 tornado?  You couldn’t tell the difference between a mansion and a shack.

If I fail to make Christ the cornerstone of my life, I am a house made of sand.  I will have no divine perspective on anything that happens to me.  I’ll take everything personally and rule without wisdom from my self-imposed throne.  My life will crumble with me at the helm.  My home will be made up of people who don’t know the mind and heart of God. When storms come, we will become a huddled group of sandcastles – trying to hold each other up.  It doesn’t have to be this way.  Daily, I can choose to live close to Jesus and under His authority.

Standing on a beach during a storm, I am pelted with the sand that the winds kick up.  There is nowhere to hide.  In and among the rocks however, there is refuge and protection.  

Give me the spiritual grit to daily fortify my foundation.  If I wait till the storm comes, it will be too late.  Amen

Shalom On The Other Side Of Letting Go

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May God Almighty grant you mercy before the man, and may he send back your other brother and Benjamin. And as for me, if I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.”. Genesis 43:14

When Joseph disappeared, Jacob held Benjamin close. He wasn’t going to let this other favored son out of his sight lest some something bad happen to him too. God tested him. For everyone in his family to live, Benjamin must go to Egypt. Jacob didn’t give in easily. Only famine and the threat of extinction wore him down until He finally caved.

Are you tired of fighting? You’ve held on to hope and clutched your dream. You’ve not let anyone too close for fear that your resolve would be challenged. No one knows that your iron will is really quite fragile.

No one can predict the moment when someone will give up control. Resolve to make things work eventually crumbles. Sheer grit melts away and surrender to God’s providence takes over instead. The humility of true surrender marks a stunning turning point.

Dreams are fragile things in a fallen world. Perfection here is impossible. The cancer of sin metastasizes and touches everything I want. While good things do happen and pleasurable seasons come for a time, perfection is deferred. And ultimately, loss and grief will consume me if I don’t learn to invest all my dreams into the storehouse of eternity.  It’s okay, and necessary, to let my Benjamin go. David said, “And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you.” Psalm 39:7 Everything holy thing I long for will eventually be mine.

Help me understand that longing is to mark the life of every saint. Let mine be joyful confidence, not malcontent. Amen

Light and Bread

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A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the larnpstand, the table and the consecrated bread. Hebrews 9:2

In the outer room of the tabernacle, two things could be found. A larnpstand with a light that burned continuously, and a table with the showbread on it. The tabernacle was windowless, therefore very dark. The only way a priest could find his way to the table with the showbread was with the light the candles provided. Light and bread were connected.

They still are. Nothing has changed. The Bread of Life can only be found today when the Light of the World shows me the way. I live in darkness. There are no windows to eternal life. I’ve been left wanting, aching, and longing for meaning beyond what’s here. My soul is hungry but my eyes are blinded and unable to recognize the bread that will satisfy my hunger. I won’t see Jesus for who he is until there’s illumination. I won’t be attracted to spiritual food until he shows me that he is what I’ve been seeking. The Bread of Life will not appear palatable unless the lamplight of his Spirit reveals it as the banquet it is.

After all, Jesus was a suffering servant. He was continually misunderstood. He preached humility and repentance. He commanded his followers to forgive, seventy times seven times. He encouraged his friends to love their enemies. Such spiritual food would appear to taste sour. I might even think I had stumbled onto the wrong meal. Until divine light shines on the showbread, I will not dare to partake. Ah, but when my eyes can finally see, I behold delicacies that are not of this world.

I am hungry for you, Jesus. Illumine my spiritual meal for today. Amen.

The Great Exchange

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The righteousness of God is revealed for faith to faith.  Romans 1:17a

When God’s holiness is revealed to an unbeliever, sin is exposed and a crisis of shame becomes evident.  He realizes that he can not show his face to a righteous God.  No matter how much good he’s done, the shame and guilt of his sin can not be erased.  Most, at this point, run away.  Ah, but a few are grieved by their sin and want peace with God.  They want to talk with Him as Adam and Eve did before the Fall .  They wonder if it’s possible for God to ever accept them.

And this was my angst as a seven year old.  I had just heard a Gospel message from the evangelist, Jack Wyrtzen.  I felt the great weight of my sin and the painful separation from God.  Heavy hearted, I went back to our vacation cottage with my parents and couldn’t sleep.  My dad knelt by the bed with me and I prayed the sinner’s prayer.  I realized that someone had paid for my sin.  Someone righteous.  Jesus.  Though I had little theological grasp of all that took place when I repented and asked for forgiveness, this outcome was certain ~

I was emptied of my sin and Jesus gave me His righteousness.  He took my sin as though it were His and gave me His holiness in return.  It was such an unfair exchange and I will forever be aware of my debt.  I am dressed in Jesus’ righteous perfection but only because Jesus was willing to exchange what He had for what I didn’t have.

Who dies for an enemy, pays for His worst sins, and offers the best of Himself?  Only a Savior whose love is outrageous.  The Gospel is such extravagant good news that every person who has experienced this great exchange struggles to find a language that adequately tells the story.  The love that prompted it can not be grasped.  The best poetry falls short so we try to tell the story with our lives.

I often lose my words when something is too painful.  I also lose words when I try to explain what Your love is like and what You’ve done  for me.  The great exchange was our beautiful beginning.  Amen

The Lord of Hosts Is His Name

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Their redeemer is strong; the LORD of hosts is his name. He will surely plead their cause, that he may give rest to the earth, and unrest to the inhabitants of Babylon.”  Jeremiah 50:32

Many of God’s children are fighting for their lives today.  They are in the center of a battle.  The strife is not about a difference of opinion but about good and evil; the kingdom of heaven versus the kingdom of darkness.  So much is at stake and it feels like life and death.  Perhaps they on their knees this morning, absolutely at the end of themselves.  They are weary from being battered.  They are disillusioned by a trail of broken promises.  They are confused because those who argue with them are clever and cunning.

King David’s enemies were powerful, physically, mentally, and even spiritually.  He also reached the end of himself.  His life hung in the balance and he knew he needed an advocate.  There was not a human one to be found.  No lawyers waited in the wings to take up his case in court.  He needed God.  Who better to argue for him, to plead his cause and sort out the cobweb of controversy to administer justice than Jehovah Sabaoth.  Jeremiah recognized His role as the Lord of hosts when Israel was oppressed and had no way out of captivity.  Today’s scripture captures Jeremiah’s great statement of faith.

The Lord of Hosts is also engaged on my behalf because He takes up the cause of His people.  He does it for people groups and He does it for individuals like you and me.  No cunning adversary will defeat Him nor deceive Him to be prejudiced against me.  Jesus knows me, knows my plight, knows my adversaries, and takes up my defense.  I will be vindicated in heaven’s perfect timetable.  It may be swift, it may occur in the next decade, or it may happen one day when God judges the earth.  I can trust my Commander in Chief to know when is the perfect time to implement justice.  In the meantime, I must believe that no one will get away with their evil deeds.  Though it may appear that way, they are held firmly on God’s leash.  My strength lies in Who it is that aligns Himself with me.

Are you weary of fighting your own battles?  Have your arguments been silenced by deep fatigue?  Have you lost your way?  The Commander of the angel armies is fighting for you.  He will redeem all that the locusts are consuming.  In the distance, the sound of horses can be heard.

Strengthen the man on his knees today, the one who cries out to you as his only hope.  Lift his head to see the armies of heaven.  Amen

The Hosts of Heaven Have My Back

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“At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, every one who is found written in the book.”  Daniel 12:1

When ancient armies entered into battle, they sought to secure evidence that the gods favored them and would give them victory.  Military leaders offered sacrifices, even consulted the flight of birds and the entrails of animals for clues that might point to a coming success.  Armies brought soothsayers with them onto the battlefield so that they could interpret these signs.  Imagine how the hope of victory would energize a soldier.  When he was assured of success, he dared become bold with his sword.

God is gracious to reveal that the ultimate outcome for every single believer is victory, not defeat.  It is for salvation, not wrath.  This builds confidence into my steps today.  The gates of hell shall not prevail against me when I follow Jesus because, not only am I armed with the sword of the Word, but Jehovah Sabaoth and His armies of angels have my back.  I may suffer, appear to lose a skirmish or two, but victory is written into the storyline of every child of God.

The evangelist, Jack Wyrtzen, signed every letter “On the Victory Side.” He believed it and traveled to Eastern bloc countries with the Gospel by smuggling bibles behind their iron curtain.  He was willing to lose his life if discovered but death wouldn’t have been a defeat.  Knowing that, he enjoyed spiritual adrenaline.

He would encourage us today to shun fear and walk confidently.  Having traveled extensively to visit missionaries on the field, he heard many miracle stories.  They told him about God’s angelic interventions when they had faced life threatening situations.  And, I’m sure he told them of his divine encounters when he had crossed borders into communist countries.  Sometimes, Bibles had been in clear sight but customs officials were blind to them.

This is the time to make our boldest advances for the kingdom.  Time after time, God delivers us from the schemes of the enemy.  But not always!   In this life, Jesus said we will have tribulation.  At some point, we may not see Him intervene to preserve our earthly bodies.  But know this ~ martyrs are never casualties.  They are children of the King of Kings, carried safely to their eternal rest in God’s perfect providence.

I often live crippled by fear, like I don’t know who wins this present battle.  Forgive me.  I know better.  Amen.

Commander In Chief of the Angel Armies

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The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered; He raised His voice, the earth melted.  The LORD of hosts is with us.  Psalm 46:6-7

God identifies Himself as the “Lord of hosts” time after time in scripture.  The problem with growing up in the church is that one can hear this phrase but because of its familiarity, the power of the title is never appreciated.  Eugene Peterson’s, THE MESSAGE, translates “the God of hosts” as “the Lord of the angel armies.”  Now that grabs my attention and causes me to consider the implications of this God-declaration.

The critical points made are these:

  1. There are angels around even though I may not be aware of them.  I can be so consumed by the material world that I fail to realize the relevance of what is transpiring in the spiritual realm.  Scripture instructs every child of God to be cognizant of the fact that we are spiritual beings, part of a spiritual realm, citizens of a spiritual kingdom.  That reality is to define who I am and what I do.
  2. There are angel armies and there are also demon armies.  The battle between good and evil is being fought twenty-four hours a day.  There is a war being waged against me personally, against my family, against my church, and even against my city or town.  I can train to fight, appropriate the weapons God has provided in order to be victorious, or I can choose to remain passive and become a casualty.  There is no neutral ground, only winners and losers.
  3. God is the Lord, the commander, of the angel armies.  He wants me to know the chain of command and be comforted by the fact that His hosts of angels are carrying out orders within a hierarchy that is extremely well structured.  God loves His children and has not sent me, nor anyone else, to the front lines to be slaughtered.  He has provided angelic hosts to fight on my behalf, their activity fueled by prayer and faith.

God is not an anemic God.  He may be my Father, tender-hearted and full of mercy, but He is also a commander-in-chief, not to be trifled with.  The One who loved me enough to give His Son’s life to win my freedom is also the One to whom all of creation will one day bow.  I endeavor not to lose my head over things and situations that are temporary.

You, the Lord of the armies, the fiercest of warriors, have me in the palm of Your hand.  Now that gives significance to my day.  I engage in the battle with hope and expectations of victory.  With Jesus’ name on my lips, Amen

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Adonai, Adonai, Plus Obedience

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Not every person who says, “Lord, Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 7:21

There are many who profess that Jesus is Lord and almost as many who will say, “Jesus is my Lord.”  But words can be easy to speak.  Actions are a far better indicator of sincerity.  Faith without works is dead.  

Matthew recounted the story of Jesus telling a crowd that words do not translate as real faith.  The kingdom is not set up to be accessed that way.  While that’s sobering, we know that to be true about words.  Words alone can’t build any relationship, let alone the one with Jesus.    

Consider when a relationship is broken.  Words will be important to save it but on their own, healing will be limited.  Promises may be made but the ‘proof will be in the pudding’.   Trust will be rebuilt with works of love and sacrifice.  It will be the behavior of a person that reveals whether their words can be trusted. 

In heaven, some will be turned away from entering heaven and the reaction will be one of shock.  They will protest when they remind Jesus of all that they did in His name.  They will defend themselves and say that they professed the words, “Lord, Lord”, or “Adonai, Adonai,” but Jesus will tell them that they never gave up their life to His lordship.  Goals remained self-centered.  Choices were made without Him in mind.  Gospel songs were sung in community but only out of a need to fit in.  The trappings of religious life gave them a false sense of security.  The message for us is this ~ words alone don’t translate to saving faith.

Jesus is the Master and Owner of all things He created.  He invites us to be His bondslaves – the role for which we were created.  Ironically, it’s the role where true freedom exists.  Never will I thrive more than when bowing the knee to Adonai.  And for any I know who say the words but fail to live the life, I pray for them.  

In all things I am to do today, I will discern their importance to You.  It is not my life, but Yours.  Amen