Help! I’m Dying

On October 28, 2020   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Romans 12: 2

Be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

What is a Christian? At one level it is a very easy question to answer. At another level, we believe there is more to being a Christian than merely our beliefs and our confession. I have heard more than one person say of another Christian, “He/she isn’t much of a Christian.” I think what people mean by this is that there are behavioral aspects that we expect of Christians and, unfortunately, sometimes we don’t measure up. Face it, we don’t even measure up to our own expectations. Changing our behaviors is difficult, but I have good news today. We have failed in changing ourselves because we have gone about it the wrong way, but we can alter our course and our method today.

Most of us first attempt to change through the force of our will. Willpower, though, can only get us so far. No, the way to go isn’t actually through changing our habits and behaviors at all. The successful path is through Romans 12: 2. It is not a matter of will but of transformation. It turns out that what makes a Christian is the surrender to transformation. It is humility. As we humble ourselves to the Lord Jesus, he is able to cause the caterpillar we are to transform into the butterfly we were created to be.

This level of humility, however, is not for cowards. It turns out that submitting our will to Jesus is one of the hardest things we will ever do. We don’t want to die to self. Our natural inclination is to elevate and promote self. When people talk of dying to self, if they have gone through the process themselves, they know that the word “die” is appropriate. It is a death and therefore not easy. This level of humility is not easy either. However, this is what it means to be a Christian. This is the crux of the Christian walk. It is when we set aside what we want for ourselves and our lives in favor of what Jesus commands.

How willing are you to be commanded by anyone? How easy, or difficult, is it for you to take orders or even direction? If we truly believe Jesus is Lord, then we are to obey him. That can be a tough pill to swallow. This is true Christianity. It is the death of me as an individual even as, in Jesus, I am resurrected in grace.

Humility is not a popular concept these days.  Nonetheless, let this be a call to radical humility in Christ Jesus who is Lord. Assist us Lord as we cry, “Help me Lord, I’m dying.” Show us your power in grace and mercy as we humble ourselves to your transformative process in our souls. Lead us in your way and show us your glory as we humbly submit to your divine makeover. Let your blanket of calming anointing settle on us as you bless us with your presence. Amen.

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Steadfast

On October 27, 2020   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

1 Samuel 15: 29                     NLT

And he who is the Glory of Israel will not lie, nor will he change his mind, for he is not human that he should change his mind!

This verse is an important verse for each of us to know and understand. Without it, much of the Bible loses its efficacy. However, with it, the Old Testament is as vibrant and life giving as the New Testament.

This verse tells that God does not lie. Truth be told, He cannot lie because whatever He says simply becomes. Whatever He speaks comes into being. Besides that, there is nothing which intimidates Him into lying. Why should He lie? He is God after all. This means that we can hold Him to whatever He says. Moreover, since He does not change His mind, whatever He has ever said is as viable as the moment it was spoken.

There is great power in this verse because it means you have an entire book of promises that are available to you. You may enter His throne room and put in your request according to the promise already given.

One other little thought – I think it interesting to see the Father called the Glory of Israel. I would argue that we are a part of the new Israel according to the redemption we received in Christ. So, He is our glory and that is a wonderful name and idea to wrap your head around.

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Mercy & Favor

On October 26, 2020   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 123: 3 & 4        (TLV)

Show us favor, Adonai, show us favor! For we have endured much contempt. Our soul has had enough of the scorn of those at ease, the contempt of the proud.

What a sad truth this is; we bear the scorn and contempt of a world which has lost faith in the one true God. We are belittled because we believe in and serve a God they cannot see. When truth wins out, though, they will realize how many times He stepped in and saved their lives, or the catastrophes averted because His love entered in. They will be humbled when they come to see that the success they earned was, in fact, a gift of His grace.

Our beloved Father is touching lives all over the planet even at this very moment. We serve and honor Him for who He is but also because He is love and compassion even to those who hate Him and who hate us. He loves them, let us not forget, and gave His son that they may live and not die.

Though they mock us, God has our back. We will pray for them. We lift them up to the most holy God. Father more important than our vindication is their salvation. Let all people see your glory. Cause your grace to touch and bless all so that rather than the contempt of the proud, we shall see the gratitude of the humble. Show us your favor as you show the proud your mercy.

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Force vs. Force

On October 23, 2020   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Matthew 26: 51 – 52

And behold, one of those who were with Jesus reached and drew out his sword, and struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his ear. Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword.”

I want to tell you a little story today. It seems these days, some of my best moments come when I am riding my bike. Recently, on the night before a scheduled bike ride, I invited God to go on the ride with me the following day. On the day of the ride, I was riding along not thinking about anything. It was a beautiful day and if I was thinking of anything it was just about my legs going around. All of a sudden, I heard this thought go through my mind, “Counter force with reason, not force.” What? I knew it was Father, but I wasn’t thinking about anything this related to. I got the sense, though, that this was meant for a Word of the Day even if I wasn’t sure why. So, I said to the Father, “Well, if the Word of the Day is your intention, I will need a scripture.” Immediately, the event from today’s passage came to mind.

The soldiers went to arrest Jesus. Peter instantly countered force with force, but Jesus directed him to put away his sword. Then Jesus gave an interesting piece of wisdom. If you live by the sword, you die by the sword. This is applicable to more than wartime. This is a way of thinking. Ancient wisdom suggested a different, less forceful response. Father was saying to me, counter force with reason, not more force. I had about 20 miles to ponder this thought.

In the United States, we tend to apply force as a means to resolve a problem. I remember growing up hearing people say, “If it doesn’t fit, get a bigger hammer.” In other words, apply more force. This was my philosophy as well because that is how we are trained in this culture. It was all fine until I started trying to do yoga. When I was challenged with a pose, I would use more muscle, more strength to try to make the pose work. If you do yoga, you are probably laughing at me right now. It doesn’t work, does it? Eventually I learned to breathe and relax. Who knew? Oh yeah, God did. His attempt to lead us by the quiet waters is throughout the Bible but I am also reminded of the verse which led me into relaxation with Him, Psalm 46: 10, “Cease striving and know that I am God.” For God to show up on the scene we have to back down our amperage and allow Him to be God.

Civilization requires the application of reason. The solution isn’t always a bigger hammer or a bigger gun. Sometimes we can be smarter than the challenge, we can think and discuss and find solutions to life’s problems. I hope you will ponder this today and that it will help you.

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Hands from Afar

On October 22, 2020   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Mark 5: 23

He begged Jesus, “My little daughter is dying. Come, lay your hands on her so that she may get well and live.”

You see here a methodology for healing. We’ve a little problem with this today though. We are supposed to be socially distanced from one another. How do we lay hands on the sick when we pray for them?

There is a way to do this. Instead of “going,” picture the person for whom you wish to pray. Then see yourself laying your hands on them and even anointing them with oil if you wish. Then watch the movie unfold in your mind as you see yourself praying for them. Pray and as you pray continue to see yourself laying hands on them. You will be surprised how well this works. We are spirit beings so we cannot be limited by time or space, especially when we work with the Holy Spirit. He is everywhere at once so he is with you and them at the moment of your prayer.

Here is one more little tip. Tell the person for whom you are praying what you are doing. Help them to get their receiver turned on. Even better do this over the phone and tell them to picture you laying hands on them and then pray through the phone while you both visualize the laying on of hands and the result. Make sure you see the person getting well. Now get out those hands and go heal the sick.

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Not Jesus, Not God, but Us?

On October 21, 2020   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

John 5:22

Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgement to the Son.

Yesterday we saw Jesus saying, “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him,” (John 3: 17). Today we get to see more about what Jesus had to say regarding judgment. There are many messages we receive from this short statement. Although not the topic of today’s Word of the Day, I do think it worth noting for those who characterize God as a vengeful, angry God that Jesus, who probably knows Yahweh best, said, explicitly, that God is judging no one. That is a pretty big statement, well, huge in fact. He is not attempting to wreak vengeance on a disobedient generation.

Taken together we learned, first, that God did not send Jesus into the earth to judge the world. Second, we are told that the Father is not judging anyone Himself. Therefore, if we are judged it is by our own actions and of course, by other humans. Judgment and salvation stand in opposition to one another. If God wished to judge us, then he would not have sent Jesus to save us. In fact, Jesus saved us from judgment in his coming to earth. We would have been judged by the law, but the saving grace of Jesus and his blood saved us from judgment. This is the basic tenet of Christianity. Therefore, we especially need to come to grips with judgment both of ourselves and that which we direct towards others.

Being saved from judgment is huge. It isn’t just good news. It is Great News! One might think this truth is being shouted and taught from every pulpit in the world. Yesterday I revealed why it is not. We, ordinary Christians and clergy, are not motivated to give up judgment. That, I believe, is why you don’t hear these lessons taught frequently.

First, clergy. If we give up being able to pass down judgment on the laity, then how will we keep you in line. You see, clergy can brow beat you with the threat of judgment and that works to keep people toeing the line. If we give up judgment with what will we threaten people? Instead, if we preach gloom and doom judgment, people may be more inclined to curtail bad behaviors and add good behaviors like working at the church. So, if we give up judgment, we, the clergy, may not be able to control you any longer.

What about us as normal, everyday Christians? Well, some of you are good at being non-judgmental. Others of us, not so much. Why is that? One of the truths about judging others’ behaviors and finding them below par is that it makes us feel better about ourselves. We do not look so wretched when compared with some of the folks around. The problem with this philosophy is that we are, perhaps, committing an even bigger sin by our judgments. Paul warns us about having a critical, cynical nature in Ephesians 4 and instructs us to use our words for only those things which are edifying. I find, instead, that we can be very critical of the unsaved and even of our own brethren.

None of us has received a judicial appointment from God. He has reserved judgement only for His Son. I have written on this because I think it is very important and probably more important now than ever. We must look to our own transformation and allow the Holy Spirit to do a work in us. As long as we cast aspersions on others we display evidence that our own hearts are not yet mature. I do not deny that this is a challenging topic, but if we want to be a blessing in this time of great trial, it must begin with a cessation of judgmental attitudes. People are damaged and people are hurting. Often it is that damage that creates the “sins” we so easily recognize in others. So, we judge their actions rather than praying for their hearts. It is easy to do but we need to step up in our position in Christ and stop criticizing and condemning those for whom Christ died. We need to stop compounding their sin with ours. Let’s pray for healing and release so that our critical natures may be relieved. Let us be the voice of Christ in this world. The accuser is not Christ. He is the sacrifice. It is an important distinction.

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The Next Words

On October 20, 2020   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

John 3:17

For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.

I have been riding my bike quite a bit this summer and one interesting observation of note is the number and variety of places I have seen quoted John 3: 16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” You will not be surprised that I have seen it on more than one church sign but would you believe I have ridden by private residences with this verse posted in their yard or at their mailbox. It is encouraging that people are devoted to Jesus’ words and sacrifice on behalf of the world. I would hazard a guess that John 3: 16 is the most widely known verse in the Bible. What I find interesting, though, is that so few people have any idea what Jesus said in the very next verse, practically in the same breath. It seems to me, that verse 17 is at least as important as verse 16. Verse 17 tells us that God sent the Son into the world for salvation. He came to save the world. It goes further by relieving our anxiety about judgment in that Jesus explicitly says that God did not send him to earth to judge the world. Whew! Salvation without judgment. Does the Good News get any better than that?

It seems clear that one of the reasons we do not know verse 17 is because it is not taught to us or drilled into us the way verse 16 has been. Truly, there does not seem to be as much teaching, especially good teaching, on judgment. Recently I dialogued with someone about sin. What caused it to be enlightening is that, for many people, though they are happy to hear that Jesus isn’t judging them, they shy away from verse 17 because it might force them to drop their negative judgments of others. If we don’t preach verse 17 then we are free to go on judging others. Afterall, it is their sin which is compromising the world, not mine.

This is dangerous theology at best; an all out denial of the Gospel of Christ at the worst. I do not deny that living a judgment free life is extraordinarily hard. That is why we need a daily walk with Jesus. Only by his wisdom and strength can we learn to let go of the painful reality of a critical spirit. We suffer greatly if we fail to let go of judgment and criticism. Jesus died for the people we like to denigrate. I can’t think that makes him feel very good or very proud of us. I write this today in the hopes that we will begin to think about John 3: 17 with some of the same fervor that we have given verse 16 and in meditating on it, that we might become a gentler, more compassionate body of believers.

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