Yes, Love Does: A Word from the WORD on Doing

Have you ever purchased something, opened the package, popped in the two "D" batteries (not included), flipped on the switch, and whalla . . . nothing?  It looked fine on the outside but didn't do anything.  It was made for a purpose but it was useless.

I was listening to the radio this week and came upon an interview with Bob Goff, author of the book "Love Does."  Bob is also the founder of "Restore International," a nonprofit human rights organization that operates in Uganda and India. It spurred me to look into what God's Word says about "doing." It's easy to talk, easy to plan, and easy to coast but it's much harder to actually do something, accomplish something, for God.  What does "doing" look like in the life of a believer?  

Psalm 34:15 says, "Turn from evil and do good, seek peace and pursue it."

Paul says it this way, "For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

Then there is the well known verse from James chapter two, "Faith without works is dead."

Jesus said in Luke 6:26-28, "But to those who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you."

Apparently, when Jesus got to this part of his message, many had begun to tune him out.  So he prefaced this statement with "to those who are listening."  Are you listening?  If you've gotten this far I'll assume you are and tell you first that I am a lousy doer.  I'm full of good intentions but doing doesn't come easy.  Why?  Three things:

Self, Self, and Self.  

Why do we look like Christians but get so little accomplished for the Kingdom of God?

Self.

That is why the title of Bob's book "Love does"  resonates with me.  When you love someone you preferentially do things for them, sacrificially giving up something of your own: your time, your money, your possessions, etc.  We spend so much time in the pursuit of happiness that we miss our opportunity to love and thus "do" for others. When we begin to be more selfless we begin to operate in the Spirit and not in the flesh.  We start to look more like Jesus.

Take a moment today to look at your agenda;  maybe today's agenda, maybe the agenda for the week or even your plans for this year.  Do they focus on you and your happiness or do they look outward to others?  What is it that you can DO?  Pray, feed, clothe, hug, nurture, share the gospel, encourage, listen, mentor, rescue, protect, defend, forgive?  Maybe a little of each.  Ask God for direction and discernment.  He prepared these things in advance so you (we) just need to do them when they show up.  As we do, I believe the Lord will expand our territory and our influence.  That's why humble people like Mother Theresa can affect so many for Christ.  She was special because she chose to love and, in love, to DO.  You to can be special in your service for Christ and can affect many but you have to start doing.  Careful because this may actually involve doing for someone who hates you, offends you, or has harmed you.  OK, now go and do.


Peace,


David

Are Your Roots Close Enough to the Living Water?

   

When I was about four years old I was in the grocery store with my mother.  It was about the age I started feeling a growing sense of independence and so I began to wander a little farther from her hip.  Then it happened!  My eyes caught a glimpse of that small section of the grocery store tucked between the kitchen utensils and the paper plates - the toy section!  You know, the yo-yo's, little parachute soldiers, those flashing squishy balls, and miniature, magnetic checkers.  I was in heaven!  I couldn't have been there for more than four minutes when I looked down the aisle, first one way then the next.  It couldn't be!  But it was! MY MOM WAS GONE!!.  She was nowhere to be seen.  "MOM!!!",  I screamed as I ran down the aisle and around the corner, smack into a kind, old lady who grabbed me gently by the hand just about the time my mother came around the other corner. Relief! No doubt I stayed in close proximity to her for the rest of the trip.

prox-im-i-ty

noun
      1. nearness in space, time, or relationship.


We like to be close to things we enjoy, things we need, or things that bring us security.  I was recently watching a seminar about coyote hunting (OK, I'm a little redneck) and the speaker was talking about how eastern coyotes stick close to cover, not wanting to go out into open fields.  They Like proximity to thick grass, tree lines, or other cover because they know if they wander too far away from them they might die.

We've all seen pictures of a stream meandering through the desert; sand as far as you can see; white, lifeless sand except along the water's edge where green plants paint the path of the stream like a green snake on a white floor.  Why?  Well it's obvious that if plants get too far from the river their roots will not be long enough to find water.  The result:  they first whither then they die.

I have seen in my own life that when I'm distant from God my life starts to look more like a desert place and less like a place of grow and life.  I can do man sized things and I may even look successful from the viewpoint of the world but inside I begin to whither. God spoke these words through the prophet Jeremiah:

“Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the Lord.  That person will be like a bush in the wastelands; they will not see prosperity when it comes.  They will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives.  But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.  They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.  It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green.  It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” Jeremiah 17:7-8

When we wander from God our spiritual lives begin to fade.  It's often a subtle thing but the Devil is good at making us comfortable with the slow fade.  It's so insidious that we might not see it until it all comes crashing down like a house of cards.   What might this look like?  Well, for many it might just be "the business of life"; work, school, sports, hobbies, politics, video games, etc. We wake up and do life with a little bit of God sprinkled in on Sundays for an hour or two.  We acknowledge that God is God and that Jesus is Lord but our lives are not abiding in him. For others it might be a slow fade into a life of sin. Either way, it's like a tree picked up and moved too far from the living water of the stream. 

     Jesus gave us an equally powerful analogy along with a command in John chapter 15:

Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.  “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." John 15:3-5

Jesus uses strong, directed words without ambiguity.  "Remain in me … must remain … unless you remain … If you remain … apart from me you can do nothing." He used qualifiers, "Unless and if".  He reveals a truth that we need to hear.  Although, we may appear to be doing things when we are not in him, we are in reality doing "nothing".  The worldly things will be absolutely fruitless.

I want to urge you, as I usually do, to examine yourself.  Are you really abiding in HIM?  Are you really seeking his counsel in all you do?  Are you starting your day in prayer and listening for his direction on a moment by moment basis?  You see, a vibrant, fruit laden branch isn't attached to the vine once in a while but constantly, 24/7.  Stay close to Jesus. Don't wander too far because in the spiritual sense you are like the four year old in the grocery store.  You need your parent.  You aren't as wise as you think you are and the temptation of the toy section is very strong.  If we stay close we will not fear when the drought comes, fall when temptation comes, or fail when we are asked to produce fruit for his kingdom.

Peace,

David
     


   

Do You Feel Weak? You're Not Alone

Have you ever felt weak?  Maybe physically weak because of fatigue or illness, maybe mentally weak from the burdens of school or work, maybe emotionally weak after the loss of a close relationship or the death of a loved one, or maybe a little of each? It never feels good to be weak.  We, as a society, look down on weakness.  We glorify the strong.  The covers of our magazines show well built physiques.  The world loves a strong leader, a powerful voice, or a bigger than life athlete.  We buy vitamins, hormones, and memberships to health clubs. We listen to motivational speakers and hide our weaknesses to maintain an illusion of strength.  But you, how are YOU inside?  Maybe I'm all alone in this, but I for one am WEAK!!! I have strong moments but every time I climb some spiritual or physical peak I slide down the other side and realize that in my flesh, I am weak.  If this resonates with you read on.  If not you might want to search one of my earlier posts on pride.

In Mathew 26 Jesus left his disciples in the garden at Gethsemane to go off and pray alone.  He took Peter, James, and John a little farther along the path and asked them to stay and keep watch as he went ahead to pray. When he returned he found them sleeping.  Jesus said to them, "Couldn't you men keep watch with me for one hour? Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation, the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." Twice more Jesus went off to pray and both times he found the disciples asleep on his return.  I find it interesting that Jesus shows their physical weakness by their inability to stay awake for even one hour but then talks about temptation.  Jesus shows us our physical and our spiritual weakness.  He makes a distinction between their flesh and their spirits. Peter, "The Rock", once again reveals that he, like us, was weak. Phew!  We are in good company.

Paul in Romans chapter 7 admitted his weakness and struggle as the inner war between good and evil, sin and obedience raged in his heart.  He came to the Corinthians in "weakness with great fear and trembling."  In the eleventh chapter of Corinthians he says, "Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?  If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness."

Here is the beauty of the Bible, the awesome irony of God's sovereign plan:

God chooses the weak things of the world to shame the strong (1 Corinthians 1:27)  He chose a murder with a stuttering problem to lead the Jews out of Egypt, a donkey to speak truth to a disobedient prophet, and a persecutor of the church to be one of it's greatest evangelists. He loves the weak.  Why? I think one of the biggest reasons is that God is the only one who is really strong and when he reveals himself through men (or women) he leaves no doubt that the strength is from HIM and not from man. "so that no one can boast." If we are honest with ourselves  we would all admit that we are weak.  The Bible is clear that God lifts up the humble and the meek but opposes the prideful, boastful, and arrogant.

I want to encourage you today to admit your weakness. Understand that in your flesh you will find weakness to temptation, weakness to fear, weakness to depression, weakness in your body, and weakness in your spirit.  But God had done something supernatural for you if you are his child by faith.  He has given you his Spirit.  The Holy Spirit of God dwells in you.  Romans 8:26 says, "the Spirit helps us in our weakness." We are reminded that we can do all things "through Him who give us strength." Paul urges us to live by the Spirit and not the flesh but he acknowledges that it's not always easy and is indeed an ongoing battle.

Galatians 5:17 "For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit and the Spirit, what is contrary to the flesh.  They are in conflict with each other . . " We are instructed to "Keep in step with the Spirit."  As we do we begin to see the power of HIM through our weakness.  These words from Paul bring it all together, "I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak then, I am strong."

Be blessed knowing that as you walk in the Spirit (by repentance, prayer and obedience) you'll begin to see the fruits of the Spirit blossom in you: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control.  It likely won't be a straight climb but a slow, hard climb with peaks and valleys but keep walking!

I hope this spoke to someone today because I know this season of celebration is also a time for many of great pain, anxiety, fear, and weakness.  But now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory.

Amen,

David

Christians - Are We Walking The Walk Or are We Like The Amazing Fat Melting Jiggling Machine?

The commercials were convincing.  The evidence overwhelming; pictures before and the after.  It was astounding! Potbellies magically transformed into rippled, six-pack abs that, until now, could only be sculpted with months or years of crunches, sit-ups, and leg lifts.  But now it was possible without the work, without the pain, even possible while watching your favorite soap-opera.  What was this magic?  The "Fat Melting Jiggle Machine."

My mother, God bless her soul, called Sears and Roebuck to place her order and two weeks later we all lined up for a try.  Mom was first.  She put the belt around her waist and flipped the switch. I'm not sure what made us jiggle more, the machine or gut laughing to the point of tears as we watched the show.  Now my mother was thin to begin with so it wasn't a fair test but suffice it to say, the machine didn't live up to it's maker's claims.  No weight loss, just a lot of jiggling fat and laughing kids. The correlation is this: you can talk all you want, make great claims. and even try to sell to the masses but if it doesn't work, if it doesn't live up to the hype, if it's all show and no go then its a lie.  We as Christians often are a lot like that.  This is not a condemnation but more of a wake-up call or at least a nudge towards self-examination. 

It seems that the "Holiday" season always reminds me of how far we as Christians have come from delivering the real goods to those around us.  I watch with a broken heart, the commercials on TV with cars, laptops, and video games wrapped with big, red bows.  The sitcoms have their holiday specials and our mailbox is filled with various Christmas and Holiday cards.  We go to parties and eat too much cake and maybe drink too much punch. In all of it is Jesus lifted up?  Is God really glorified?  The answer may be yes but for many it probably isn't.  I wonder what God thinks as we go about our festivities from Black Friday through New Years.  I wonder what he thinks as his children go into the word but look no different from it.  I know what you're thinking, "What a Scrooge!!"  Those who know me might even say, "What a hypocrite."  And in many ways they may be right. I struggle with sin and failure like the rest. I enjoy giving good gifts and gathering with people I love.  I enjoy meeting new people. What convicts my spirit is how little Jesus is talked about and how little God is worshipped in this time when we are suppose to be celebrating one very amazing moment in time.  The incarnation of God. The moment when God came to earth dressed in "swaddling clothes" lying in a manger.

What does this have to do with a fat melting jiggle machine?  Well, what we say we are has a lot more to do with the actual fruit than it does with our lip service or our church affiliation.   What we advertise ourselves to be and what we are may be two different things.  Now I realize that we all have areas in our lives that we struggle with but this is about who we are when we interact with the world.  If a nonbeliever encountered us at an office Christmas party or in a line at Macy's would he or she notice something different about us?  Would Jesus show through.  We can say we are Christians, go to church every Sunday and Wednesday night, and pray when acceptable but what really matters is what we do.  God has been showing me this about myself in my place of work.  Am I revealing Christ to those around me?  Do I walk the walk?  Or am I just a silly jiggling machine? Sadly, sometimes I'm the latter.

Here's a question to ponder.  If Jesus walked into your office, your home, your party what would you do?  How would you respond?  Would you be excited because the party was all about him anyway?  Excited because the tree and decorations were all for him and to celebrate him?  Or would you dive to hide something you didn't want him to see? When we're in a place where people need to know Christ, places where lost people need life, where broken people need to be healed, where blind people need sight, and hungry people need to be fed, what do we do?  Well, for most of us, me included at times, we just partake in the same conversations, the same jokes, the same activities and God gets set aside like last years Christmas tie.

Before you get upset with me and click off this page please ask yourself two questions:

1) Do I know Jesus?  If you don't I want to tell you that Christmas is the celebration of God loving YOU. I mean REALLY loving YOU, so much so that he sent his one and only Son into the world to die for you.  To pay the punishment that you and I deserve and to provide eternal life. The Bible says that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.  If you're feeling God's Spirit drawing you to him and away from sin then it's time.  Jesus said "come to me all you who are weary and heavy ladened and I will give you rest."  Confess your sins to him and believe.

If the answer to the first question was "Yes" then  move onto #2

2) Does my life, do my actions, and do my words lead people closer to God?

I love Christmas.  I love the celebration.  I want to see lost people saved and this time of year is a wonderful opportunity to partake in God's plan to seek and save the lost.  Be careful if you claim Christ. It's no small responsibility. Be the real deal.  Be different. Be light.  Be holy.  Be love.

Peace,  David

A Wasted Prescription

OK, it's been a while, a long while. I was dry for a spell but driving home today I felt compelled to share a lesson God showed me this week.  It's a lesson I learned as I watched someone with a serious problem.  I know deep down that the lesson is for me and I bet it's for you as well.  The story goes like this:

A young man came into my office with a large infection of the right side of his face.  It was about half the size of a tennis ball and the skin over it was red.  The paperwork on his chart indicated he'd been in the emergency room the night prior and was given a prescription for an antibiotic so I asked, "Did you start the antibiotic last night?"  "No. I didn't fill the prescription." the man replied with a look of guilt.

What!!  A man was in pain, swollen, and afraid. He drives to the ER looking for help and receives a prescription.

The definition of "prescription"

1)  a medicine or remedy that is prescribed

2) a recommendation that is authoritatively put forward

The man leaves that place of help with the prescription in hand then doesn't take the medicine.

Isn't that just like us:

"God help me!!"  God gives us his Word, his commandments, his call for repentance, his call to love, his call to forgive, his call to worship, his call to be holy, his call to trust . . . . . Jesus.  Then after we receive the prescription in hand we look at it, set it down somewhere and go about our lives sick, broken, scared, and possibly eternally dead.  We are that man!

In 2 Kings chapter 5 we read of Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram,  Naaman was a "valiant soldier" but he had one problem.  He had leprosy.  There was a servant girl taken captive from Israel who served Naaman's wife.  This young girl urged Naaman's wife to send him to Samaria to see a prophet she believed could heal him.  Naaman, with his king's blessing, a note from the king to the king of Israel, and a boat load of  gold and silver went off to find his cure.  Naaman shows up at the door of Elisha but when he knocks he only gets to see Elisha's messenger who delivers this message (the prescription):

"Go wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed."

So what did Naaman do?  Well, I would hope after this long trip and with this great desire to be healed he would RUN to the Jordan and do as the man said. But, instead he went away angry saying,

"I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, waive his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy.  Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better that all the waters of Israel? Couldn't I wash in then and be cleansed?"

He didn't like the cure. The water was too muddy.  The prophet didn't meet him at the door.  He actually had to DO something not just stand there and receive the cure.  Dip SEVEN times!! Why not once?  Thankfully, at the urging of his servants, Naaman lowered his pride, walked down to the muddy Jordan and dunked himself in seven times.  Out he came after number seven, his skin "clean like that of a young boy."

Today, if you are in a place where you know you need God's help (that should be everyone who is reading this), take the prescription God has given you and receive healing.  "What is that prescription?" you ask.

Well it might be a number of things but I know the first one is the same one given to the jailer who asked "What must I do to be saved?":

Rx - Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.

After that, God may give you any number of different prescriptions for your predicament.

"Be holy because I am holy"  1 Peter 1:16

"But you must return to your God; maintain love and justice, and wait for your God always." Hosea 12:6

Love your neighbor as yourself."  Matthew 22:39

"Do not judge, and you will not be judged.  Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned.  Forgive, and you will be forgiven."  Luke 6:37

Whatever prescription the Lord puts in your hand, please don't wad it up and set it aside.  Get it filled and take it as prescribed.  Sometimes it tastes bad going down and it may be very expensive but it will ALWAYS accomplish the cure that the Lord desires to bring to you.

Peace in Christ,  David

Christmas - The Rest of the Story

A baby in a manger, a small group of wisemen, and a shepherd boy. . .  decorated trees, presents, and a large bearded man in a strange red suit.  What's it all about?  I've heard people say it's about spending time with people you love and about "holiday cheer." I've heard people say it's about hope and love and counting our blessings.  OK, I can accept that, kind of.

As our worship team gathered at church last week to discuss our Christmas eve. service I had an unsettled feeling.  What if Christmas was just about the baby Jesus.  I mean it's an amazing thing, God coming out of heaven in the form of a poor baby.  This alone is almost beyond comprehension but what does it mean?  I mean how does God being born in the flesh bring us hope?  What if that was the end of the story?  The wisemen pack up their camels and head back East.  The shepherd boy goes back to the hills to tend his sheep.  The bright star fades away.  Mary and Joseph load up the donkey and take their baby boy back to Nazareth. Life goes on as usual.   The first Christmas was a beautiful thing but without the rest of the story it makes little sense.  Why was I unsettled? Why?  Because I think many people and certainly many Christmas celebrations make no connection between the manger and the cross.  As a matter of fact, many Christmas celebrations leave Christ out all together.  But that is a different issue, one that I will likely address before Dec. 25th.

How was this this little baby in the manger hope for the world?  What was the problem with the world anyway?  Famine?  Disease?  Discrimination?  War?  Sure, all these things were going on and people were in need of help.  But what could a baby do?  As the baby grew, he did feed the hungry (5000 at one time with a couple fish and a few loaves of bread), healed the sick (He even brought a few dead people back to life), and brought dignity to the outcast (a prostitute, a tax collector, and a group of lepers) but as far as I can tell we still have the same problems today.  Maybe it was just a short term fix.  Maybe he was just to be just an example.  Was the baby born to show us the right way to live so that we could have a better world?  Maybe.  I think that was part of it but we must have missed it somehow because we're clearly no better off than we we were 2000 years ago.  At least as far as the eyes can see.

There must have been something more.  There must be more to the story.  If the baby was to really bring hope and peace to the world then there must be something that we're missing.  We have to hear the rest of the story.  That was it!  That was why I was unsettled.  I needed to make sure that when we tell the story of the baby in the manger we CAN'T leave out the part about the grown man and the cross.  It was why he came (at least a major part of the reason).  Without the rest of the story, we could lump Jesus in with the rest of the people who brought us hope (Martin Luther King, Mother Theresa, Gandhi, and the like).

Here's my point: Jesus (Emanuel "God with us") came to save us from something WAY worse than famine, WAY worse than disease, WAY worse than war.  He came to save us from ourselves.  He came to save us from the power and the penalty of sin.  He did that not as a baby in a manger but as a man on a cross.  Three days after he was placed in the grave he rose bodily and was seen by hundreds of people then ascended into heaven. This is the rest of the story which makes that amazing day in Bethlehem so amazing, even more amazing (if that is possible) than God being born in human flesh.

Jesus Christ came to save sinners. He came to seek and to save that which was lost.  He came as a sinless man to become sin for us.  He came to give his life as a ransom for many.  He came to conquer the grave and to give us the hope of eternal life.  That's the rest of the story!  When you see Christmas lights, hear carols, buy gifts, and bring cookies to the office party please don't forget the baby Jesus and when you remember him don't forget the rest of the story, Calvary.  If you are a follower of the Savior than don't forget to tell others the rest of the story.  Someone you know just might need to hear some good news!

Peace in Christ (both the Christ child and the risen Savior)

David

Yo-Yo's and Roller Coasters - Enduring the Ups and Downs of Life

Yo-Yo's and roller coasters . . . seems like our lives are a lot like them.  They go up then down, then up then down again.  I was driving in my car today contemplating life.  Seems I do that quite a bit these days, most of the time it's not very dramatic or too deep but today was different.  My faith is being tried and I guess that's a given, but this week it ramped up a bit.

You probably know by now that I am a Christian and I believe in an all-powerful, sovereign, just, and loving God.  I believe God has purpose in all things and is NEVER caught off guard or surprised by events, good or bad.  So here I was driving down the road in my SUV when out of the corner of my eye I catch a glimpse of a beautiful Monarch butterfly. No sooner did my mind begin to form the words "Isn't God good!" when, SPLAT! It hit my windshield at 60 miles per hour.  In an instant this flying piece of art was turned into a green speck of goo on a piece of glass.  OK, so not the usual content of a Christian Blog but there is a connection.  I protested out loud to God, "Lord, what was that about?! Why did you go through all the trouble of making this thing if you were just going to let it die like that?"  I didn't hear God verbally but I felt pretty convicted that God is God and I am not.  The words God spoke to Job in Chapter 38 popped into my head, "Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation?"  Then God went on to remind Job how much he didn't know. He reminded me of the same.  So on I went having to trust that God knows and has purpose in all things.  He could have stopped the butterfly from hitting the windshield but didn't.  Why?  Only he knows and I have to trust that.

Don't worry, I'll get around to the Yo-Yo and roller coaster thing soon but a couple more things need to be shared first.   A couple weeks ago I was playing the guitar in a worship service that included the baptism of a little baby (a topic for another post).  The baby was there with his mother, father, and two toddler siblings.  There were four full rows of happy family members and friends.  This morning I learned that on Thursday the baby's father was killed when his vehicle hit a tree.  I looked up to heaven and didn't have the strength to form the word, "Why?" but as I played and sang songs to God today I couldn't stop thinking about the butterfly.  God could have reached his hand down and stopped the man's car but he didn't.  Why? Only God knows.  Seeing a monarch butterfly in flight - UP.  Seeing it hit the windshield - DOWN.  Seeing the smile of a father as his child is baptized - UP.  Hearing of his sudden death - DOWN.  Yo-Yo's and roller coasters.

My daughter came to visit this week and when she was sitting across the table from me at dinner and I could look into her eyes I was on top of the world.  UP.  When I put her on a plane for Philly, my heart sank. DOWN.

Healthy one day, cancer the next.  Successful businessman one day, unemployed the next.  Strong in your faith one day, doubting the next.  Holy and righteous one day, sinful the next.  Yo-Yo's and roller coasters.

So what to do?  Paul tells us that he had to endure the highs and the lows and here is what he said in Philippians 4:11-13

I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do everything through him who gives me strength.


It's all about Jesus.  It's about HIM who gives us strength.  In this world everything is temporary and fading.  I wrote before about our things being rusty and moth-eaten. Even our lives are described in the bible as a breath, a vapor, and like a cut flower.  Jesus warned a man who was storing up riches that "This very night your life will be demanded of you."  Jesus was clear that our focus was to be on God through the life Jesus gives us in his sacrifice at Calvary.  Our strength comes through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit who lifts us to great heights and carries us in the extreme lows.  We can do all things through him.  Remember that when the Apostles were seeing Jesus perform miracles they were UP and when they saw him die on the cross they were DOWN.  But, God didn't leave them there did he?  No, he gave them and he gave us probably the most powerful visual to restore our strength: the resurrection.  He gave them hope. He gives us hope.  One day my friend there will be no more DOWNS, EVER! Only UP, UP, UP.  It's a promise for those who have been saved by faith in Jesus.  Like Bart from MercyMe sings, "Hold Fast!" 


Peace,


David

Wow! God Really Showed Up Like He Said He Would!

I often wondered what it would be like to just show up with no agenda but to seek God; I mean with no plan, no notes, no songs selected, no set time to wrap it up, and no one in the driver's seat - except for the Holy Spirit that is.  Who would want to join me for a moment like that?  What if we all just sat there and nothing happened?  What if we all just looked at each other for a while, got bored, then packed up and left?  Worst yet, what if one person decided it was his time to take the stage and it became an out of control, prideful fiasco?  But what if God showed up and rocked our world, then what?

Over the past few months God has led me to a number of people who were hungry, I mean REALLY hungry for God.  They wanted to get past the routines and the man made protocols and go to into the inner sanctuary.  They were people who would call me at eleven PM sounding like they just won the lottery and when I ask what all the fuss was about they would share "an amazing scripture that God opened up" to them that night.  They were people who would talk to me about grace and not be able to finish because they couldn't stop crying.  They were people who would give up nights, lunches, and free time to talk about Jesus.  They were people who went to Cambodia, Haiti, and homeless shelters here in the states because they realized when they were saved that they were now not there own but were bought with a price.  They were people who wanted to worship God in Spirit and truth.  God wanted me to gather them together.  For what I wondered?  That's right.  That wasn't my issue.  So I sent out some emails:

“Dear _ _ _ _ _ ,

God has placed it on my heart to gather this group of people together on Sat. March 6th and seek his face.  I don't have any idea what this means or what this looks like.  I have no plan or agenda.  I hope you can make it.  

Peace, David”

That wasn't the exact Email but it was close.  I sent it to 16 people that God put on my heart.  They were from 21 to 80 years of age.  They were black and white.  They were Pentecostals, Baptists, Methodists, Catholics, and Non-Denominational Christians but they were all believers.  There were eight men and seven women.  There were married people and single people.  There were 16 sinners and 16 saints.  Most people knew one or two others and no one knew everyone but we were all brothers and sisters with the same father.

As we gathered in an urban warehouse turned photography studio (Thank you so much Bob, Julie, and Rob) tears began to flow as one man began to pray then share how God turned his life from one of hostility and anger to one of love and gentleness.  God opened men up to share their previous lives of porn addiction, drug addiction, adultery, and abuse and then turned the power of their testimonies into songs of praise.  Papa Stokes (a wise and Spirit filled, eighty year old, pastor) shared some things God put on his heart but later said with tears in his eyes, "I learned something today...  I was humbled".  We laid hands on him, anointed him with oil and prayed over him as another was led to do.  We were in the Word and grew in the knowledge of God.  We started at 10 AM and when we looked up it was 1PM.  No one was tired, bored, or ready to leave.  Some wanted to stay.  God was glorified, people built up, and I was humbled.  As we were ready to leave it was said that while we were gathered to grow in our faith it was in preparation to "Go" out. The church was never meant to be "in" but to always be going "out".  

I have said this before and I'll say it again, "I love the Church!"  I mean the bride of Christ, the redeemed, the Body of Christ, the Born Again, the Children of God.  I also love those who don't know God yet, those still dead in their sins, those still weary and heavy ladened.  Jesus said, Come unto me all you who are weary and heavy ladened and I will give you rest."  Are you weary?  Come  

Please, Please, Please, if you need prayer, if you aren't sure about your salvation, if you have done some religious activities but have never known the power of God then drop us a note.  We'd love to listen to your story and help you along your journey.  

As always, Grace and Peace,

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