Do You Know God?

In the movie "Good Will Hunting" Robin Williams plays a psychologist named Sean who is trying to help Will, a young man who happens to be a genius. 

The problem has been that up until the time he meets the young man, Will has already messed with a string of professionals causing none of them to want to continue working with him. 

Sean is next in line and  within minutes of them meeting, Will throws him for a loop by surmising some details of Sean's life and touching on a sensitive issue (the death of Sean's wife) simply by looking at a painting on the wall.

But then, the next day, Sean confronts Will, explaining that although he may know a lot of facts, he does not know Sean at all.  Just as Sean cannot know Will (an orphan), as he explains, "You think I know the first thing about how hard your life has been, how you feel, who you are, because I read Oliver Twist?  Does that encapsulate you?  Personally... I  don't care about all that, because you know what, I can't learn anything from you...  Unless you want to talk about you, who you are."

Will learns the lesson, in order to know a person, you have to listen to them and let them describe themselves.

The same goes for the Lord.  We can announce all day what we think God is like, we can spout off things that sound wise and insightful.  But only God can explain who he is.  Only God can make himself known.

Anything that comes out apart from this revelation is worthless.  We end up with our own "foolish ideas" of what God is like.  And we can end up way off the mark.

Reading Romans today, 

"Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn't worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused.  Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools.  And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles."  Romans 1:21-23 (NLT)

To know God, we need to know his word. 

What do you know about the God you serve?  Where did that information come from?

The Flesh

I remember as a kid watching Bugs Bunny on Saturday mornings. 

Sometimes Elmer Fudd would be hunting him and he would pretend to have been shot.  Then he would do this long "death dance," basically twirling around, flailing about , drop down only to come up again.  It was comical because you knew he wasn't really dying.

But I think about that sometimes when I can tell the Lord is asking me to die to myself.  That's how the flesh dies, isn't it?  How it looks when we die to our own selfish ways and desires.  Our flesh never dies quietly.  It often does that same over the top dance, same as the cartoon.

That's because it does not like to be put to death.  Denial of self does not come easily.

Yet, 

"Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.  For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.  What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?" Matthew 16:24-26 (NIV)

In fact, in Luke we read this is a daily task, (Luke 9:23) because like Bugs Bunny, the flesh will get up again.

Faith or Sight?

Another lesson I learned from my motorcycle's new center stand was trusting in what you cannot see.

When you first push the stand down and then go to level the bike on it, this can be a little unnerving.  I cannot see the stand, I have to trust that the bike won't go toppling over away from me.  This is counter intuitive to the kickstand.  You see the kickstand, you lean the bike on it.  With this, I'm leveling the bike on something I cannot see.

The funny thing is, the bike is actually very stable on the center stand, before it even gets popped up on it! 

Then it is not enough to believe the bike will stay up, I have to put that belief into action.  I have to pull up on the bike.  I can't just stand there and say, "Yes it should work..."  I have to have faith. 

And faith requires action.

Faith in the Lord is the same thing.  We can say that we believe all we like, but when we activate that belief and put it to an action, we are truly living our faith in the Lord.  We can't just stand there reading the word and not doing what it says.  Faith doesn't work that way.

"Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see." Heb 11:1 (NIV)

What are you holding back on?  Are you waking by sight... or faith? 

2 Cor 5:7 For we live by faith, not by sight (NIV)

Impossible?

A few days ago I bought a center stand for my motorcycle.  My bike has a chain, so popping it up on a stand makes it easier to clean and lubricate the chain.

I've always had just a kickstand, so this was a first for me.  I brought the bike home from the shop where I had it installed and decided to give it a try.

I jerked, and tugged and pulled yet nothing I did could get that bike on the stand!

Then my wife,  who has a center stand on her own bike, came over and popped it up with ease.

How was that even possible? 

My wife asked me to try again as she watched.  Then, she noticed that when I pushed the stand down both "legs" of the stand were not on the ground!  I could not see this from my vantage point.  To me it just appeared that the task was impossible.  But as soon as I got the stand settled properly, with almost no effort I was able to get both the bike up and my man card back!

I occurred to me that our walk with the Lord is often like that, and that is why we need each other.  There are times when we struggle with what seems like an impossible task, but when someone comes beside us, they help us to see something we didn't based on their own experience and vantage point. 

And then suddenly the "impossible" becomes possible.

"For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function,  so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. " Romans 12:4-5 (NIV)

Back to Basics

Sometimes I think things can get too complicated and it's easy for us as Christians to get focused on the wrong things.  Even in the early days of the Church there were still controversies that threatened to divide. 

One issue was the matter of eating certain food.  Some felt all food was the same, and others felt that there were some things you should avoid.  This issue was actually causing division in the body of Christ.

Paul summed it up this way, 

"For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.  If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God, and others will approve of you, too.  So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up." Romans 14:17-19 (NLT)

That's what it boils down to, as Jesus said, "The most important commandment is this: 'Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord.  And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.'  The second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'No other commandment is greater than these." Mark 12:29-30 (NLT)

Everything starts with love. Loving God, loving people, building each other up.

Stretching

As I may have shared before, last year I started taking Teakwondo. This has  not always been an easy feat seeing how last year I also turned 50!

Flexibility is one of the most important aspects of Teakwondo, and the only way to get the flexibility that enables you to perform kicks and other moves correctly is to stretch.

And stretching is down right uncomfortable.

In class I see several young people not putting any real effort into it.  They are just going through the motions.  But for stretching to be effective and grant the fruit of flexibility, muscles must be stretched beyond the point of comfort. 

Reading in Matthew today,

"As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen.  "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will send you out to fish for people."  At once they left their nets and followed him." Matthew 4:18-20 (NIV)

We tend to think of Peter as the rock, Peter the apostle.  But first he was simply a fisherman.  A man who earned his living from the sea.  That is what he knew, that was where he was comfortable.  In fact, after the death of Christ, before the resurrection, Peter returned to this familiar world.  But during the three years he walked with the Lord, he had been stretched and thereby enabled to live a different life than he planned.

Jesus brought him back into that new direction and his life was never the same.

Sometimes following the Lord will require us to stretch out of our comfort zone, beyond the reach of our normal sphere of influence.

How is the Lord stretching you?

The Message We Give

According to an article I read recently, "In recent years, fewer Americans prayed, believed in God, took the Bible literally, attended religious services, identified as religious, affiliated with a religion, or had confidence in religious institutions...  The large decline in religious practice among young adults are also further evidence that millennials are the least religious generation in memory, and possibly in American history," 

Why is that?

I think most people, if they look at the teaching of  Jesus Christ, are attracted to his message of love and forgiveness.  However when most people today look at the church, that is not what they are seeing.

Most statements I see in the press or social media show what the church is against, not what it is for.  I have to wonder, if our shouts of outrage are heard louder than our message of love and forgiveness, is it any wonder that the church's effectiveness is on the decline?

Salt is meant  to encourage thirst and add flavor.  Are we doing that to the communities around us?  

I think it's time we take inventory of just what message we are giving to the world.  If they reject us and therefore Jesus Christ, let them at least do so based on an accurate view of our Lord.

 "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:13-16 (NIV)

Friends

Seeing how Easter Sunday is just a few days away, reading from Matthew 26 today, 

"Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray."  He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled.  Then he said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me." Matthew 26:36-38 (NIV)

Jesus is about to endure something that we can't even begin to imagine.  Not just the physical pain, but separation from his Father and taking on the sins of the world.

It's so easy to overlook this simple example of the Lord in the wake of what we know is coming.  But it struck me today, Jesus is about to go through something... and he simply wants his friends nearby. 

He has taken three years to cultivate this friendship.  In fact, earlier that evening Jesus said, "I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends," John 15:15 (NIV)

Life can be busy, and days can become weeks, can become months and then years.  Friendship takes time to cultivate, time to grow.  There is no fast track to it.

Who do you have in your life you can call a friend?  If there is someone, take a moment to be thankful for them.  If there is not, perhaps take some time to pray about why?  Perhaps it is simply time to make it a priority and put yourself out there again.

We all need friends.

Parts of the Body

I did something to sprain the thumb on my left hand.  Not a lot, just a little, but enough to cause some noticeable pain.

What I found was that even though I am right handed, this slight injury affected my movements throughout the day.  Then when I did my pushups, I could really feel it!

I have to admit, I never gave a whole lot of thought to that thumb until today. 

One small part of me was in pain, it affected the rest of my body. 

Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 12 that this is the way it is with the body of Christ, 

"The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty,  while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it,  so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.  If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it." 1 Cor 12:21-27 (NIV)

Do we see each other this way?  Do we see just how interconnected we really are?

Let's pray today that the Lord would make us sensitive to the parts of his body that need special attention and perhaps healing.

Overcoming Evil

Reading Romans 12 today,

"Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.  Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.  Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.  Share with the Lord's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.  Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone.  If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.  Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord.  On the contrary:

"If your enemy is hungry, feed him;

    if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.

In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."

 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. - Rom 12:9-21 (NIV)

Sadly there is a lot of evil in the world.  In light of that, I am challenged by Paul's words. 

We prevent the evil from overcoming us, by continuing, in spite of what we see going on, to do good. 

Love

Someone posted a video of a six-year-old girl talking to her mother.  In her own way, she was expressing how she would like to see people love one another.  The video has gone viral. 

Love is the foundation of our faith.  God, motivated by love, sent his son Jesus Christ to die for our sins.  Jesus teaches us to love even our enemies.

In fact, Jesus said, "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."- John 13:35 (NIV)

I think then, it is good to review one of the most beautiful scriptures that defines what love is, 1 Corinthians 13.

"If I speak in the tongues[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.  If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.  If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." 1 Cor 13:1-7 (NIV)

If our love does not shine above everything else, our words and works are useless.

What The World Needs

"Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water's edge." Mark 4:1 (NIV)

Jesus lived in a time without social media, radio, TV, or advertising of any kind.  People came to Jesus because he had what they needed.  He had the words of life and truth.

He didn't have to use any tactics to get them to come, he was just himself.

Jesus, the truth and life.

I read this and I had to pause.

Today I just want to ponder one simple thought.

Do we truly understand that we have what the world needs? 

Predictable Behavior

Last night my wife and I rode our motorcycles to our Wednesday night church service, ReFuel. 

It's a pleasant ride, straight up 42.  The evening was warm and the sun was still out on the way there.

At one point, right after a traffic light, the right lain merges quickly into the left to form one lane.  My wife and I were in the left lane and a truck and a jeep in the right. 

Since we know the road well, we both slowed a bit knowing cars love to speed up in that short distance, pass vehicles in the left lane and cut in where the lanes merge .  Sure enough, both vehicles sped up and passed.

We both saw it coming, so we gave them plenty of space.  A possible collision avoided because we knew the road ahead and how cars would behave. 

Some behavior and consequences can be predicted.

That's why I love the book of Proverbs.  It is simply loaded with human behavior and the outcomes of the bad and the good, the righteous and the sinful.

As the book tells us right from the start the Proverbs are...

"for gaining wisdom and instruction;

    for understanding words of insight;

for receiving instruction in prudent behavior,

    doing what is right and just and fair;

for giving prudence to those who are simple,

    knowledge and discretion to the young—

let the wise listen and add to their learning,

    and let the discerning get guidance—

for understanding proverbs and parables,

    the sayings and riddles of the wise.  "Proverbs 1:2-6 (NIV)

How many problems in our lives, could have been avoided simply by reading and trusting the word of God?

The good news is, it's never too late to start!

Forgetting...

How quickly we forget.

It's not easy to go through a difficult or dry time.  Those times when our prayers seem to bounce off the ceiling.  Those times when we feel as if we are being tested beyond our limits.  Those times when we wonder, "where are you God?"

But how we handle ourselves in those times may tell us more about ourselves than about God.  If someone recorded our thoughts or words or actions and posted them on YouTube for all to see...  how would that make us feel when the trial is over?

It always amazes me that the Israelites could be delivered from Egypt in such a powerful way, and then when they had to wait to hear from the Lord (when Moses was on the mountain) they quickly forgot God and created a Golden Calf to worship.  Their response is not on YouTube, but it was recorded in scripture as a lesson and warning to us all.

Reading Psalm 106 referencing that time, 

"He commanded the Red Sea to dry up.

    He led Israel across the sea as if it were a desert.

So he rescued them from their enemies

    and redeemed them from their foes.

Then the water returned and covered their enemies;

    not one of them survived.

Then his people believed his promises.

    Then they sang his praise.

Yet how quickly they forgot what he had done!

    They wouldn't wait for his counsel!

In the wilderness their desires ran wild,

    testing God's patience in that dry wasteland." Psalm 106:9-14 (NLT)

Trying times can show what is really inside us, and that is often not a pleasant thing to see.  How often do we forget all the amazing things God has done for us, (not the least of these forgiveness of our sins) and grow impatient with him?  Often in these times it can be as subtle as wanting to take matters into our own hands or as blatant as returning to past sins.

How often do we run to false gods?

Sometimes I think God is asking us a simple question during these times, will we love him for who he is, or only for what he will do for us?  Are we holding back our devotion to him until he acts the way we want?

Oh, how quickly we forget.

Pruning

Looks like spring time is finally here!

On my walk today at lunch I noticed something interesting.

There are these bushes along the path that in the fall were trimmed down to nothing.  They just look like stumps sticking up out of the ground with some branches that appear to have been carelessly cut clean off.

Yet, now, as the weather has warmed, small green buds are appearing on the cut branches.  I'm sure that soon the bush will be full and alive again.

What looks to me like careless chopping is actually a skilled gardener's pruning.

Reading John 15 today.

 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.  He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful."  (vv 1-2)

Pruning in our life does not feel pleasant and can often look haphazard and careless.

The hard part, that we have to learn to do, is to trust that the Gardener knows what he is doing.

Our Purpose

During  yesterday's service, preacher Mike asked a question.

"Why are you here?"

Ask this question of yourself, feel the weight of it as it lingers there in the air.

"Why are you here?"

Today, there are so many that are searching for meaning, desiring to understand the answer to that question.  It runs deep in so many of us.  It is as if we instinctively know that we simply must be here for a reason. 

There must be something for us to do.  A reason why we were born, a reason why we are still alive.

The answer is simple - but it's hard.

"For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)

That is it, no need to question it.  We know when we find those good works, those times that we bless another person.  That's we feel the most alive.  That's when we feel a surge of life enter us; when we have been used by the living God.

Isn't that worth living for?  Isn't it worth doing whatever it takes to live a life full of those moments?

It's there, but it comes with a cost. The question is, are we willing to pay the price?

"Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.  For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.  What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?" Matthew 16:24-26 (NIV)

Help

Once a week in Taekwondo class we spar wearing protective gear. 

This includes shin/foot pads, forearm/hand pads, a helmet and a chest protector. 

Now most of the pads you can put on yourself, the exception is the chest protector.  It laces and ties in the back.  Another person has to help you get it on, and often help you take it off. 

Without needing to be told, each of us are padding up and looking for someone we can help with their chest protector.  Often while you are helping one person, someone else comes up behind you and helps you with yours.  No words are spoken, the help is both accepted and appreciated. 

It is simply the way it is done.

I thought about that with the body of Christ.  Are we that willing to not only help where needed, but also to accept help from others ?

After all, that is the way it's done.

" so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.  We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your[a] faith;  if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach;  if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully" Romans 12:5-8 (NIV)

The Real World

We often talk about how we live in "the real world,"  and it's hard not to think that way.  We look at our day-to-day life, what is tangible, and it is easy to get caught up in it sometimes and think, "this is all there is..."

We have accepted the Lord, and we are living all of our days with him.  Many of us can see just how much better our lives are because he is in them.

To be frank, it's very easy for me to forget that Jesus didn't die just to be with us in this life, but for us to be with him in the next!

There is something waiting for us, an amazing blessing and existence that far outweighs any trouble we have in this life, or any blessings for that matter!

Jesus Christ invites us to eternity with him.  And when we step into that, we will see that we never really knew what the "real world" was until that moment.

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,  and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you,  who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.  In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.  These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.  Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls." 1 Peter 1:3-9 (NIV)

What Weighs Us Down...

Is the warmer weather actually here to stay?

Since we ride year round here in North Carolina, I have a lot of different riding gear to fit the changing weather. 

One of the things that amaze me about this time of year is, when I switch from a leather jacket with layers underneath to to a textile jacket and t-shirt,  how much lighter it feels. 

Those layers come on gradually, almost to the point where we don't notice the difference.  But wow, what a difference it makes to be able to discard them! 

The same can be said about habits and sins that weigh down our walk with the Lord.  Sure they may feel normal at times, and we may not be able to see just how much they affect our lives.

But when we let them go and experience true freedom, that makes all the difference.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,  fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Heb 12:1-2 (NIV)

Faces...

Yesterday was such a beautiful day, it was nice to get out of the office for lunch and walk along the trail that surrounds the building where I work.

As I was walking, I saw countless people doing the same thing.  Most of them I did not recognize.  Yet each person represents a life, a story, someone the Lord loves.

Someone the Lord died for.

That's astonishing to me.  How so many whose faces I have already forgotten are each known and loved by Jesus.  And that was just one 35-minute walk.

Multiply this by countless cities, states, and countries...

How amazing our God is to have the capacity to know and love so many!

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16 (NIV)

Perhaps the least we can do is to better love the ones we do know.

Respect

As I have mentioned before, I take Taekwondo classes a few nights a week. 

One of the principles that is emphasized the most in class is respect.  At least once a week, the instructor will sit everyone down and talk about respect.  Often he will point out that a person who practices Taekwondo is special and should exhibit high moral behavior, especially with regard to respect. Essentially he is saying, "You have these skills, and with that comes an identity with Taekwondo and a responsibility to act a certain way.

In fact, respect is far more important than a high skill level.  Simply being able to perform the moves does not mean you represent Taekwondo. 

I can see this identity reflected in the young people who take the class.  They are kinder and more respectful.  The higher the rank, the more you see it.

How much more should we see this in the children of God? 

We are a special people, with a special responsibility to behave in a loving and respectful way toward everyone.  It has been said before, "You may be the only 'Jesus' someone sees."

 Peter tells us, 

"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy." 1 Peter 2:9-10 (NIV)

 

Let's be sure to live up to what is expected of us.

It's in the Relationship

I realized something interesting over the weekend.

I'm looking at purchasing a new helmet.  I've been eyeballing this one on an online website for some time now.

However I know of a store locally that sells this same helmet so I decided to go there and try it on.

Here's the interesting part, even though the price is the same in the store as it is online, I decided to purchase it online instead of at the local store.

Why is that?  It's the same price, and with the store purchase I could have brought it home that evening.  Buying it online means it will take several days before I have it.

The reason is this, one of the owners of the online store does YouTube video reviews of almost all of the products they sell.  He is informative and passionate about motorcycling.  Having watched many videos over the years, I feel like I have built up some trust in this person.  And with that trust comes a certain amount of loyalty.

The difference is the time spent and the relationship built.  The man I never met in person, yet spent time with, won my loyalty over a person I didn't knew at all.  I am actually willing to be inconvenienced and wait.

And that is the key to building a trusted relationship with the Lord.  Time spent in his word, time spent reading what he teaches about life, years of seeing that he can be trusted.  I know him.  Loyalty is formed there, the relationship is nurtured. 

"  'Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.  On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them."

Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, "But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?"

Jesus replied, "Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them." John 14:19-23 (NIV)

Times of Testing

Times of testing come, in many different ways.

They can come to us via hard times. Life gets difficult and the temptation comes to take matters into our own hands or find relief outside the Lord.

But how about when things are going well?  So well that we don't realize our need for the Lord?  The temptation is to simply coast... not do anything really bad, or anything really good.  That's when we need to take care not to leave Jesus permanently out of our lives.  As the gentleman he is, he will not force his way in,  it's up to us to always invite him back.

Reading Revelation today,

"These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation.  I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!  So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.  You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.  I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.

Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent.  Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me." Rev 3:14-20 (NIV)

Trails...

Last night my wife and I were having our usual time with our cockatiels.  They are a lot of fun and have very amusing little personalities.

On the table, where we let them walk around, we have this small food dish.  Tiggy, my wife's bird, noticed I cleaned the dish out but gave me a "look" when she saw I did not fill it.

I decided to fill the bowl, but then took about four pumpkin seeds and placed them in a little trail, one after the other leading up to the last one I placed in the dish.  Predictably Tiggy followed the trail, she ate one, then the next, then the next right up to the last. 

If I simply tried to take hold of her and place here in the bowl, it would have never worked.  She would have protested right away.

Knowing what she wanted and predicting her behavior, I simply had to wait until she arrived where I knew she eventually would.

That is also how Satan works with our sin nature.  He knows what little trail he can place in front of us, and how each nibble can lead us right to where he wants us to go.  Unlike Tiggy's experience, this can end in disaster.

"When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.  Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death." James 1:13-15 (NIV)

It's best to be prepared, recognize the trail and avoid it all together.

GIve Me More

The Discovery Channel TV-series Vikings has a theme song that starts with the lyrics, 

This will never end

'Cause I want more

More, give me more

Give me more

This will never end

'Cause I want more

More, give me more

Give me more - Fever Ray - "If I Had A Heart"

This song was going through my mind while I was reading 1 Kings 11 today,

"King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh's daughter—Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites.  They were from nations about which the Lord had told the Israelites, "You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods." Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love.  He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray.  As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been.  He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites.  So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord; he did not follow the Lord completely, as David his father had done." 1 Kings 11:1-6 (NIV)

Solomon was the wisest man who ever lived.  He was wealthy beyond imagination and ruled a kingdom that was at peace.  God blessed him beyond what most of us will ever see. 

Yet it wasn't enough.  He wanted more.  And here we see with women, not just one wife, but seven hundred wives.  And even that was not enough,so he added 300 concubines to the count. 

At fist I marveled at that.  How?  How could he be so wise and still ignore God?  How could he just keep going like that, that kind of excess?

Yet we sometimes do the same on a lesser scale, don't we? 

The answer is in the sin nature.  It is never satisfied, it is never filled.  Here was see Solomon taking this to the extreme and beyond because he had the means.  And yet, it wasn't enough. 

The reason is that the sin nature can never be satisfied.  So feeding it becomes an endless cycle. 

Solomon learned from this experience and more, in Ecclesiastes he tells us, 

"I denied myself nothing my eyes desired;

    I refused my heart no pleasure.

My heart took delight in all my labor,

    and this was the reward for all my toil.

Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done

    and what I had toiled to achieve,

everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind;

    nothing was gained under the sun." Eccl 2:10-11 (NIV)

Is there something in your life that you continue to allow?  Are you surprised that it never seems to end?

That is because it truly never does...

Darkness or Light?

Reading 1 Corinthians 13 today,

"If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.  If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing." 1 Cor 13:1-3 (NIV)

Many years ago, St Francis wrote these words.

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;

where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

and where there is sadness, joy.

What do we bring to our own circle?  There is a lot going on these days, a loft of anger, a lot of fear, a lot of worry about our future.  People have always sought to use these things for personal gain.  Some just like to talk about them, feed these things or feed off of them.

It is always easier to destroy than create. 

Not many of us can do anything on a mass scale to bring love, light and hope, but how about our small circle of friends?  How about the people we are in contact with every day?

How about our posts in social media?

Are we spreading darkness? Are we bringing light? 

Let's continue with the words of St Francis' prayer, take a moment and think on them, then offer it to God.

O Divine Master,

grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;

to be understood, as to understand;

to be loved, as to love;

for it is in giving that we receive,

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

How do We Perform?

So much value is placed on how we perform.  From the time we are young, going to school or even what our parents praised, (or scolded us for) had to do with our performance.  This continues into our adult lives with our jobs and even some of our relationships.

We can get into the mindset that we need to work for everything even love. 

Life can easily start being seen as a series of tasks to be accomplished rather than something to be lived. 

We can even approach our relationship with God this way.  Like Martha (see Luke 10 ) we are so focused on doing for the Lord, that we can't just sit and enjoy his presence.  

Bask in that love relationship!

It can be as simple as enjoying a ride on our motorcycles and thanking the Lord for it, or seeing an amazing sunset and praising God for his handiwork.

Reading Revelations chapter 2 today, I find this rather convicting.  Jesus, speaking to the church of Ephesus, said, 

"I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false.  You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.

Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.  Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first." Rev 2:2-5 (NIV)

Let's not get to where those are the words Jesus has for us.