Aliens in a Foreign Land

It's January.  Last week I was scraping hunks of ice from my windshield and digging a really cool snow fort with my boys.  The sky was its usual dull grey and the sun was like Amelia Earhart (missing for a long time!).  We were home.  My sons and I could communicate with each other because we all speak the same language.  There is a kind of comfort in being at home, a familiarity with the things, the surroundings, and the people.

Today, however,  I'm in Mexico.  It's hot and I now know where the sun went.  It's down here getting away from the snow I guess.  People are speaking Spanish, French, German, and a Canadian dialect of English.  The money looks funny and for some reason a $100 bill (Pesos) is worth about eight bucks.  Now it's easy to see that as I sit here, I am a foreigner and an alien in this land.  It is wonderful to be on vacation but there is an underlying uneasiness.  First I though it was because I was in a foreign land far from home but then I realized that there were many times I felt like that right in my own living room. 

I've talked to fellow brothers and sister in the faith who share a similar feeling.  No matter how happy they are there is never a complete contentedness.  Don't get me wrong.  I love my family and I am continually in awe of God's creation and the blessings I have.  It's something deeper, much deeper.  What is it?  I think that Peter gives us a clue and I think that Jesus reminded us of it as well.  Let's take a look.

1 Peter 2:9-11

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, 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.  Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. 

Peter said, "I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world . . ."

That's it!  I'm an alien and a strange, not just in Mexico but even in Michigan.  That's why there is always just a little part of me that can't cling to the things of this world.  I also have a growing understanding of the temporal nature of the stuff I try to grab hold of.  The great meals come and go and a couple hours later my stomach growls again.  The sun rises and the sun sets (at least it does here in Mexico). So why is it that God allows me such joy but won't let me take hold of it too tightly?  Why can't I completely dive into the things of this world and feel at home?  Why?  Because, I am a visiter.  I am an alien and a stranger.  God made me for a different place and for a different purpose.  

Psalm 119 verse 19 says it this way:

"I am a stranger on earth; do not hide your commands from me."

Jesus made it clear that we do not belong to the world.  In John chapter 15 he said, "If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own.  As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world."

I just wanted to share with you today that if you are a child of God through faith in his Son don't be too discouraged if you just can't seem to be completely content in the world.  It's OK!  That's the way it is supposed to be. There is another facet to this that I think is important to share.  When God chose us out of the world he didn't do so in order that we just kick back and have a great time  but so we could lead others to him.  I know he blesses us with many wonderful things and I know he graces us with joy and laughter and peace but remember that the real deal will be when we get home.  I love it here in Mexico but I have to say that there is no place like home!

Peace,

David

For the Seed and the Sprout There will be Some Darkness and Dirt

Have you ever been in a place or a time of life when it seemed really dark and you couldn't see a way out? Have you ever felt trapped, stuck, or seemingly unable to move out of the circumstances that held you captive?

I think we all have. Whether it be a financial burden, an addiction, depression, an illness, a failing relationship, guilt, or maybe one you couldn't quite put your finger on, we've all felt it.  Maybe you're in that place right now and it feels hopeless.  I want to first tell you that you're NOT alone and that I've also been in the deepest pit unable to see even a glimmer of light.  One thing I know for sure:  The light is there!

I was having breakfast this morning with a young man who is trying really hard to climb out of the pit and during our conversation God laid a really wonderful picture on my heart that I want to share with you today.  You may know the parable that Jesus told his disciples about the seeds that fell in various places but I want to refresh your memory before I tell you what God showed me today:

Matthew 13:3-9

"A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. He who has ears, let him hear."

Jesus went on to explain the parable:

Matthew 13:19-23

"Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown."

Here is where I want to show you that there is light and to give you hope.  I'd like you to understand that Jesus was very clear that the first step to having this kind of hope, having the ability to stand in times of trial, and having the ability to multiply God's gift for the benefit of His kingdom is to be fertile ground.  That means to receive and stand firm in the knowledge of the Kingdom of God in Christ.  So let's say that you are a believer today and you know in your heart of hearts that you have received and still hold fast to the Word of God but you're still in that place of darkness, fear, and doubt.  Then what?  How can this be and what can you do about it?

Here is the picture God gave me today:

Imagine a seed, any seed.  You choose.  It's dry and apparently lifeless.  On the outside it has no signs of vitality.  It just looks dead.  Then you go and poke your finger in the soil (good soil).  You poke down a couple inches and drop the seed in the hole then cover it up.  Now imagine that you are the seed.  I understand that in the parable the seed is the "message about the kingdom" but understand that the germination of that seed and its growth are about what happens to you and me, how we grow in our faith, and what that faith produces.

So for now, you are the seed.  One day passes and what do you look like?  A seed.  Two days pass and what do you look like?  A seed.  OK, you’re alive but it still might not look like it.  A few days later something begins to happen.  A small shoot begins to emerge from the hard husk of the seed! Life!  But remember that from your perspective (the seed) all you see is darkness and dirt.  You're growing but you're still under the soil and all you know is that it doesn't look good. One day later you are a steadily growing shoot but guess what?  All you see is darkness and dirt.  You can't tell whether there are twelve feet of dirt over you or one inch.  It's just dark. You continue to grow and continue to push past the hard lumps of dirt. Hopeless?  Well from the vantage point of the sprout and even from the observer looking at the lifeless garden it appears so.  But it's not!  One more day, one more push, one more struggle then a sparkle of light and a little air.  You are out of the grave and growing in the sunlight.  You feel the wind and the cool rain and you grow like crazy.  Then you produce fruit, feed others and bring forth other plants like yourself!

I know that even when you are a faithful follower of Jesus Christ you will find yourself in times of darkness.  I think God was showing me today that like the seed in the ground and the sprout that is still under the soil, when we are seeking Him we are growing upward and if we continue to be watered and fed we will eventually see light again.  Ivor reminded me of this as well:  As you push upward toward peace and sunshine, your roots should always be  digging deeper and deeper into the dirt.  You can't grow into the light without your roots continuing to grow deeper. I guess until God brings us home there will always be some dirt and some darkness.

Friend, keep growing where you are planted.  There is hope.  Stay in the Word so that you will be watered daily.  Keep seeking God with a humble and hungry heart so that your soil will remain fertile.  You will see light!  Don't give up!

Peace and Love,

David

The Salutations of Paul's Epistles - Like the Crunchy Outside of a Tootise Pop

Do you remember the old commercials for "Tootsie Pops"?  You know, the hard, candy lollypop with the Tootsie Roll center.  There stood a little kid asking an elderly turtle then a wise owl how many licks it took to get to the Tootsie Roll center. Then the owl took the Tootsie Pop from the kid, licked three times, then crunched it, exclaiming, "Three." Like Mr. Owl, I remember thinking to myself, "Just bite the thing already!"  Three licks and I had enough! "Crunch! Crunch! Chew, chew, chew!"   Needless to say, God is still working out patience in me and I imagine parting the Red Sea was easier.  So, with that introduction, I want to say that I am guilty of zipping past the prologues of books, past the "Read this first" insert in new purchases, and past the salutation of letters.  I want to get to the meat but I have just found out that I may be missing out on some really wonderful stuff.  I guess I don't remember ever enjoying and savoring the sweet Tootsie Pop coating!  What in the world does this have to do with God?  Good question. I'm glad I asked.

The Salutation:  the opening to a letter.  Paul's letters to various churches are called the Epistles and each one begins with an introduction or "Salutation". I have to admit that, even though I've read them, I've usually blown past them to get to the heart of the matter.  I just found out that the heart of the matter might have been right there after all.  I want to look at one of the openings or salutations of Paul's letters and see what great stuff we might have missed in our impatience.  Let's look at the opening to Paul's letter to the Church at Rome and as I list each of the wonderful truths it reveals, I recommend that you refer back to the Scripture to see it in Paul's own words:

Romans 1

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. Through him and for his name's sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among

To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

This may be like trying to empty a swimming pool with a teaspoon but I want to point out some amazing truths in this Salutation.

1)  Paul's position came from God and was purposed for God.  Paul called himself a servant of Jesus Christ and tells us that he was "called" and "set apart".  These are works of God not of Paul and God's purpose was for the Gospel (God's Good News to the world!).

2)  The Gospel was not an afterthought of God but was foreknown and revealed centuries earlier though the Prophets.  Check out these prophetic words written by Isaiah more than seven hundred years before Christ was born:

Isaiah 53:3-5

He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.  Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

4)  Jesus had in his nature both humanity and divinity (i.e. He was fully man and fully God) and the proof and the power of that was revealed in the truth of his resurrection from the dead.

5)  The grace we receive comes through Jesus Christ and is for him.  Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me."

6)  We are called to be obedient but that obedience is the result of our faith not the precursor to it.  (i.e. We are not saved by our good works but our salvation makes us eager and able to be obedient to God)

7)  God loves us!!  How awesome is that!

8)  God calls those who have come by faith "Saints".  I don't feel like one but his Word promises that I am.  You don't need a note from the Pope to gain that title just the grace of God.

9)  Paul always wrote "Grace and peace  . . . " in each of his letters and always in that order.  Note that the grace and peace were from God the Father and Jesus his Son and not from Paul.  Also note that grace always precedes peace.  Until we know the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ and what he did for us on Calvary, we will never fully know the peace of God.

So, I hope that you have been as blessed as I was by Paul's Salutation and maybe you'll learn like I am learning to slow down and not rush to the center of the Tootsie Pop!

Grace and Peace to you in the name and Power of God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ,

David

Look Ahead and Win the Race. Look Back and Break Your Nose!

They were stride for stride as they came down the last stretch of the third leg of the four by one hundred meter relay. Waiting for them were the final runners poised to take the batons and sprint to the finish. These last runners are in, what they call, the anchor-leg position and are usually the fastest members of the team. They're there because they have the ability to make up for lost time and hopefully catch up if they're behind coming into the last leg of the race. As the third-leg runners approached, the anchors began running with one hand stretched behind them, ready to grab a hold of the baton as the previous runner placed it in his hand.  One anchor had his eyes fixed ahead and ran quickly and smoothly down the track and the passing of the baton was flawless.  The second anchor continued to look backwards and lost focus of the track ahead.  He was concentrating so intently on the runner behind him that as the baton was placed in his hand his feet became entangled and he crashed face first onto the track.  The first runner won the race and the second broke his nose.  I want to be like the first.  How about you?

There are a number of places in the Word of God that remind us to keep our eyes fixed ahead and I want to share them with you today.  

Jesus told his followers, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."

He was telling them (and us) that when we turn to him and begin our walk with him it is not fruitful or beneficial to be looking back. On a practical note, as we drive forward down the road it is usually more important to look out of the windshield that into the rearview mirror.  I don't know about you but I have a hard time moving ahead at times.  I am constantly reminded of my failures and of my past hurts. They have a way of crippling me so that I miss the blessings that God has for me today.  I also think that Satan wants to keep us caught up in our old lives to prevent us from serving God in the new life he gives us when we are born again of the Spirit by faith in Jesus Christ.

In Paul's letter to the Philippian church he shared a similar thought:

". . . I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.  Brother, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.  But one thing I do:  Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

I'm thankful that Paul was humble enough to let me know that he hadn't had it all figured out then, but that he was smart enough to know that the answer lied ahead and not behind.  He also gives me hope in knowing that at the end of this race waits a prize for me in heaven, one that the Bible tells us is better than we can imagine.

One quick story that I want to share before I let you get back to the busyness of your day:

A few years ago a few friends and I were fly fishing a stretch of river in Wyoming just outside of Yellowstone National Park.  The river was running through a deep and quite steep walled canyon.  We were about a thousand feet below the rim of the canyon and the trail from the shore of the river up to the top was narrow, rock strewn, and a bit dangerous.  The first few hundred feet required us to crawl on our hands and feet and there were sections that, if we slipped, our trip home wouldn't be in coach but in the cargo hold, confined to a pine box.  I found out quite quickly that looking back was a bad thing.  A few things happened when I took my eyes of the path in front of me and turned my gaze back down the slope.  First, I realized how high I was and it gave me the willies (is that still a word?). Second, it messed with my balance and I felt myself tipping backwards and that gave me the willies too!  Lastly, it slowed me down.  A lot!  My buddy Bob (who is likely reading this post) was standing at the top already relaxing with a cold beverage long before my feet reached the safety of the canyon rim.  I don't think Bob looked back once.  Good plan for the next trip.

So, in order to not beat a dead horse, I want to leave you with this advise. Heed the words of Jesus and of Paul and keep looking ahead in your walk with the Lord.  My eight-year-old son just looked over my shoulder and asked me what I was writing about and I told him, "About looking ahead and not back."  He said, "Like those people who were running away from the cities God was going to destroy and Lot's wife looked back and became a pillar of salt?"  "Yep!"  I love it how God puts an exclamation mark at the end of the sentence.  I don't think becoming a pillar of salt sounds like much fun.  So let's not fall back into the canyon, break our noses on the track, or become pillars of salt, but instead, let's run the race to win.

Peace in Christ,

David

Heirs to the Promise - The Wonder of Adoption

It's a crisp, sunny, eight-degree morning in Northern Michigan and I'm writing from the comfort of a cozy cabin that sits on the crystal clear Manistee River (OK, it's a wonderful cedar house that my buddy Bob calls "The Cabin").   On the floor to my left, in front of the old stone fireplace, sits a most adorable, two year old girl enthusiastically disassembling the Mousetrap game that my sons worked so hard to assemble.  Her name is Maiya (pronounced my-ya)

Maiya is from China.  A year and a half ago she was without a family, lived in a foreign land, and had no one to call "Daddy"  (or "Mamma").  She was born into the world but soon became a ward of the state.  She had no rights and had no inheritance.  But, she wasn't alone in her aloneness.  No, she was alone in the midst of thousands of other lonely, parent-less children.  Then came love from a far away land.

Some one (actually a wonderful couple I know) sacrificed much to bring her home and to give her all the rights of a natural born child.  They gave her a new last name, a new home, new clothes, and daily fed her so that she would grow up strong.  They also disciplined her when she strayed because they loved her.  She received citizenship from her new country and with that citizenship came many new privileges. Such is the beauty of ADOPTION.

From the moment sin came into the world in the Garden of Eden, man became a ward of the state, or more specifically the ward of the world.  Man didn't cease to be God's creation but the bible tells us that we ceased to be his children.  That might not sit well with you and doesn't particularly sit well with me but it is truth none-the-less.  We no longer had rights as children and were no longer heirs to God's promise.  We were born into the world but lost our legal rights.  But like Maiya, we weren't alone in our aloneness.  We were alone with every child born through natural birth; our first birth.  Thankfully, as in Maiya's case, there is the hope of love coming from a far away land, love coming from someone who would sacrifice much for our adoption, love that would reclaim our birthright as children of God.

The Apostle John describes it this way (John 1:12-13):

"Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God - children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God."

That's the wonder of adoption.  Children become legal heirs with rights, not because of their natural descent but because of the love of another.

Jesus explained it to Nicodemus who was a Jewish leader, a Pharisee.  Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."  Nicodemus, not quite getting it, asked Jesus, "How can a man be born when he is old?  Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!"  Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born  of water and the Spirit.  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit."

You see, Jesus was telling us that our natural birth (the one that was the product of human decision, the product of a fleshly union) wasn't enough to get us into God's kingdom.  Maiya didn't have to enter into her new mother's womb to be born into her new family (thank goodness) but she was adopted through a legal transaction from a higher authority.  In other words, we needed adoption by the power and love of another.  That love comes by God's Spirit through faith in Jesus Christ.  Just as my friends traveled a very long distance and sacrificed much to secure the adoption of their daughter, Jesus came from the comfort of heaven and made the ultimate sacrifice to secure our adoption.  On the cross Jesus paid the price for our adoption and when the transaction was complete he cried out, "It is finished".

The Apostle Paul explained it to the Church (Born Again believers) in Galatia (Galatians 3:26-29):

"You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.  There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave or free, male or female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.  If you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."

Even though many of those to whom Paul was writing were not descendants of Abraham, they became descendants and heirs through faith in Christ and the resultant second birth.

Are you among the lonely?  Are you living without the promise of eternal life?  You see Maiya didn't have to work her way to the United States.  She didn't have to write a check to her new mommy and daddy to cover her travel costs.  She didn't have to do anything except believe.  I can tell you without a shadow of doubt that this beautiful little child believes with all of her heart that the man and woman who put her to bed every night are indeed her parents.  And guess what?  She's right!  Her parents came to her because they loved her and God comes to you for the same reason.  "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."

I am so thankful that my friends traveled to China to give this adorable girl a home and I thank Jesus Christ for coming from heaven to give me one.  May God bless you this New Year and if you have been adopted into his family give him thanks today and it you are looking for a love that no one can take away look to the Son in faith and come into the family of God.

Peace,

David