Saved FOR Good Works

In spite of our efforts to the contrary, the Bible makes the point -- often -- that our salvation in Christ cannot be bought by good works. We can't earn justification in the sight of God. This is made explicit in Ephesians 2:8-9:

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.

However, because it is apparently human nature to take things too far, once we do finally get the point that we can't earn salvation, we can often take it to the other extreme and do... nothing.  

In fact, this very issue was addressed in James 2:14-18:

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”

Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.

I had a pastor who liked to say we were not saved by good works, but we were saved for good works. We weren't given this gift so we could sit back and do nothing about it. We were given it so we could then go out and tell others. So that we could show the world the love of God our father. 

In some religions, people struggle and work to prove themselves worthy, and to earn some sort of reprieve from the consequences of falling short. We who are in Christ know we can never earn our way to Heaven. Instead, in gratitude, but knowing we can never repay, we work to do for others some small portion of what was done for us.

Our deeds don't save us; they show the world we are saved.

Just Chatting With The Creator of the Universe... No Big Deal

A good friend and former pastor of mine likes to refer to prayer as "just talkin' to God." This is, of course, true. Thanks to the indwelling of His Spirit, and Jesus' promise to remain with us always, we know He is always present if we will only talk to Him.

But you know, there are times when I wonder whether I allow that familiarity with which he lets us address Him to invite temptation to forget to whom, exactly, I am speaking.

Everyone knows the Lord's Prayer. When Jesus' disciples asked Him to teach them to pray, he begins it this way: "Our Father in Heaven, Hallowed be your name."

Hallowed: Holy. Venerated. Sacred.

When we talk to God, it is vital we remember we are speaking to the Creator of everything. The One who has given us life and breath. The One who owes us nothing but contempt for our sinful natures, but who has the Grace and Mercy to call us His sons and daughters. When you look outside, and see the grass and trees and sky, God did that. And that God allows us to call Him Father.

That God is worthy of all the Love we can give. And He is also worthy of our respect.

Extreme Landscaping, Jesus-Style

A story from Matthew: 

When [Jesus and His disciples] came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. “Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.”
 
“You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed at that moment.

Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” 

He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew17: 14-20)

I'll be honest: I've never really been sure what to think of all this mountain-moving business. I've never really tried it. For one thing, it seems like it'd be awfully inconvenient for everyone else to have a major geological feature just sort of get up and go someplace else. 

Of course, the mountains that actually matter are another thing entirely. Mountains in my life. Whether those mountains are financial, or personal, or spiritual, or whatever they are, the real question is: have I told those mountains to move? And have they?

The important thing I often overlook about this idea -- that I can move the mountains in my life -- is that it can be very easy to mistake that whole "faith" thing, whether deliberately or unconsciously, as having faith in one's self. 

As a matter of fact, if you look closer, Jesus isn't even saying I can move those mountains. He is saying I can tell it to move, and it will do so -- but the power to make such a movement possible isn't mine. The real issue of faith is acknowledging that it is God who supplies the power and authority over the Heavens and the Earth, and that we are vessels for His Will, if and when we act in His Spirit.  

It isn't me who moves mountains, and it isn't you. It is faith in the God who created those mountains. If God wants those mountains moved, and if I have the faith to be the instrument He chooses, those mountains will move when I tell them to.

Even the ones in my own life.

Not Who I Am Anymore

A quick story: My younger brother spent a good chunk of his life as the so-called "black sheep" of the family. Even in school, his tendency to talk first and consider the consequences later would draw the ire of teachers and administrators alike. He'd spend a Summer learning how to calm himself down, only to face another school year of the same old trouble.

The real problem wasn't in his behavior from the onset of the year, but with his reputation from the year before. Trouble was expected. He was treated like a troublemaker, and so acted like one. He expressed this frustration to me on more than one occasion: how can I hope to change my ways if they won't LET me -- and why should I bother?

In fairness to the school system, they had no way of knowing how he had matured during those summers, or the decisions he made to at least try to behave. All they had to go on was the past.

With God, it's different:

And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. (2 Corinthians 5:15-19)

Since it was Christ Himself who remade us, He no longer holds our past against us. In fact, as Psalm 103:12 says, he has removed it from us, "as far as the East is from the West."

Our past is no longer a part of who we are. He literally cannot hold our past against us, once He has taken it away, because we are no longer the same person! We are, thanks to the mercy and sacrifice of Christ, an entirely NEW creation!

Lost The Plot

Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. - James 1:26-27

I don't have a long thought today. It's just, with the election around the corner, and political rhetoric heating up even more, I begin to wonder how effective I could be for the Kingdom if I spent as much time Loving in the name of Christ as I do worrying about the First Amendment. I wonder, if we spent more time saddened and moved to action by the plight of the Hungry than we do angry at the sins of a lost world,  whether we might be able to reach out, in Christ, and bring about change to both.

There's nothing wrong with acknowledging sin for what it is, or with righteous indignation over the lost lives of the unborn. 

I just wonder how much we could change the world if the Church spent as much time with orphans and widows as she does with politicians.

We Do Love When Heroes Fall

So, Lance Armstrong has officially been stricken from the sport of bicycling. All those Tours de France? Gone. Seven of them officially had NO winner. Years of a man's life removed from the history books, altered forever from sports legend to cautionary tale.

But what struck me yesterday, even more than Armstrong's fall from his pedestal, was the glee with which it was witnessed. And the theme of these celebrations? "I knew he was too good to be true!"

How sad.

I'm struck by the tendency in our society to celebrate the mediocre and to take exception to the exceptional.  By how quick we are to cheer when heroes fall, and to make heroes of the merely present.

It's been suggested that the real problem is simply that we're putting too much on these human beings. That our heroes are simply too fallible. I think it goes much deeper than that.

Jesus -- God incarnate -- was a perfect man. He taught compassion, and love, and grace. He healed the sick, fed the hungry, and encouraged His followers to do the same. He was a good man, by any standard. A great man to anyone actually paying attention. Greater than great.

We murdered Him.

And before that, the Pharisees and teachers of the law were relentless in their attempts to get him to slip up. To prove Him a fraud.

Why?

The truth is,  excellence makes us uncomfortable. Perfection serves to throw into deep contrast our own failings and shortcomings. Man, we hate that. So we find heroes from among the masses. We lift them up. And then we start pulling at the chinks in the armor and wait for it to come apart.

Perfectly natural,  I suppose, if you aren't in Christ. But we who are in Him have motivation to strive for more. Colossians 3:17 reminds us, "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." And further down, we see what that looks like:

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. (Col. 3:23-24)

Maybe our earthly heroes fall. But shouldn't we, who know our works are meant to glorify our Creator, strive not for the mediocrity which satisfies the rest of the world, but for the excellence to which we are called?

It's The Little Things

Consider this: when you are in a relationship, what means more to you? Is it the occasional grand gesture of outward love; or is it the many little things that person does for you? Is it the big dinner on your wedding anniversary, or the notes left in your lunch sack, the text messages or emails just to say "hi," or the simple act of picking up the kitchen?

When it comes to God, we often look to the Grand Gestures as proof of His love: The crucifixion of Christ, the forgiveness of our sins, the blessings of our families.

Yet,  His sacrifice and forgiveness aren't the sum total of His relationship with us. In fact, those things were necessary to begin the relationship. I have found, as I grow in this relationship with my Creator and Savior, that He also shows me He loves me in countless small ways. Little blessings. I'm beginning to learn that growing in this relationship means recognizing those small blessings for what they are, and thanking Him for them.

Sometimes,  it's a good cup of coffee at just the right time (I often joke about this, but think about it: who made the coffee bean, the water; who gave me the ability to afford a coffee maker?). Or He shows me a sunrise when I need to be reminded of His glory. Sometimes, it's the laughter of my children when I need to remember just how blessed I really am. God knows what I need, and when I need it. He knows how to tell me He loves me when I most need to hear it.

All of this leaves me asking two questions of myself: am I thanking Him for all those little ways He says He loves me? And how am I telling Him in return?

With You In Spirit*

"I am with you always." Jesus told his disciples as much right after He told them to go into the world and disciple all the nations. And more or less right before He was taken into Heaven. So,  obviously, He was speaking in spiritual terms.

Of course, like anything, repetition  and lack of context can often make us lose the meaning -- and import -- of what is said. I wonder how many times I've told somebody, "I'll be with you in spirit." So, while my friends are doing whatever (usually unpleasant) task for which I found a reason to be absent, I'd be, what, thinking about them? Maybe. Actually, it's doubtful even that is the case, really. But we say it so often, don't we?

But what Jesus was saying is so much more meaningful. When He said,  "I am with you always," yes, sure, he meant I'm with you in Spirit. Except that, for Jesus, it isn't figurative. For Jesus to be with us in spirit, means He is literally with us. In fact, being In the Spirit means He is with us more completely than we can ever be with somebody even in the same room.

So, if that's the case -- that Jesus is with us literally at all times, praying without ceasing doesn't seem quite so daunting,  does it? 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

Prayer is something more than this uniform, spoken letter to God, beginning with "Dear Jesus," and closing with "Amen." Prayer is a constant conversation with an ever-present Lord.

When is the last time you spoke to Jesus as though He were in the same room with you? Considering He told us He actually is, it might be worth trying.


*Today's devotional was inspired by a recent "episode" of Radio Free Babylon's "Coffee with Jesus" comic strip.

Like Loaves And Fishes, But With Words

I've noticed lately that, whenever I pick up the Bible,  I read something entirely new. It isn't that I haven't read a particular passage before -- even several times before -- but that every time I re-read, I find an entirely new insight or application to my life. That there are layers upon layers to what God reveals through each individual piece of Scripture.

This shouldn't be surprising, when you think about it. Doesn't Hebrews call it The Living Word? In chapter 4, verse 12, in fact, we read, "For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."

Our God is eternal. His wisdom is eternal. 1 Corinthians 1:25 says, "For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength."

So how arrogant was I to believe, even for a second, that I had anything like a full understanding of His word?

The truth is, where God is infinite, His very words must also be infinite. Each one of God's words must be worth so much more than our own could ever be -- and indeed when you read and re-read what He has inspired, reading under His inspiration, you can't help but see that is exactly the case. Like an onion,  you can savor His words, peeling layer after layer after layer, and finding each meaning more powerful than the last.

And, I'm growing to learn, with each new understanding can only come the desire for more. 

A New, Unopened Box of God

Remember miracles? Remember when the people of God saw visions and dreamed dreams, and the Spirit of God moved in the Church, filling and causing some to speak in tongues, and some to interpret, and some to prophesy, and some to heal, and some to discern good spirits from evil?

Remember that?

Whatever happened to that,  anyway?

Does all that seem a little far-fetched? A little science-fictiony or scary? A little bit kooky, perhaps?

Why is that? Paul talked about exactly these things to the church in Corinth (1 Corinthians 12), didn't he? Are things so different now that God has ceased to move in these ways in our Church, and in His people? Surely, some Christians -- even pastors -- will say, even if He really DID cause miracles to happen (which, depending on your church, may now be seen to have a perfectly natural, logical, and un-supernatural explanation), He no longer moves that way now.

Now the Holy Spirit moves us to... what? Tentatively raise our hands in church? Clap shyly and without rhythm -- but only if everyone else is clapping, too? Pray for one another by nodding along when the pastor says their names, and then grudgingly put our check in the offering plate?

I miss miracles. I miss the Supernatural power of God. But I begin to wonder: did God pull His Power away from us, or did we merely stop asking for it?

Pictures of God

I've been thinking lately about legacy. When Jesus talked about the love and care God has for His children, he liked to paint a picture of a loving father. Of course, we all know the story of the Prodigal Son. And there's Luke 11:11-12, in which Jesus reveals the generosity of God: “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?"

Or, in the book of Hebrews, where we are taught about discipline:

Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. (Hebrews 12:9-10)

The point is, when it comes to how our children view God, that picture is painted by how they view us.  When it comes to learning about a relationship with God, they take their cues from our relationship with Him, and our relationship with them.

To this day, I measure myself against the standard set by my father. To love his wife and children, to be a man of integrity, to love and obey and worship his God, to submit to the authorities placed over him, to enjoy the life and the family that God has given him. 

It's a high standard, and it has informed the way I view our Heavenly Father as well. 

The question that keeps me up at night is, when my own son is 35, what will his picture of God look like? 

Worship Out of the Church

Worship. Say the word and the sound of singing plays through your mind. A vision of people with their faces toward heaven, and their eyes closed, and their arms lifted. People being all... worshippy.

But one thing I've learned is, if you worship only in church, you aren't. You're performing. Worship isn't something we do. It is an attitude we have.

The book of Psalms, we know, is a book of worship. Of praise to God. Psalm 23, for example, is well-known as a song of praise for God's care and protection. But what I want to look at is Psalm 19.

The Psalmist is praising God for His glorious works as the Psalm opens. "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork."

But, as the worship continues, he goes on. Verse 9-14:

 The fear of the Lord is pure,
    enduring forever.
The decrees of the Lord are firm,
    and all of them are righteous.

¹⁰ They are more precious than gold,
    than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
    than honey from the honeycomb.
¹¹ By them your servant is warned;
    in keeping them there is great reward.
¹² But who can discern their own errors?
    Forgive my hidden faults.
¹³ Keep your servant also from willful sins;
    may they not rule over me.
Then I will be blameless,
    innocent of great transgression.

¹⁴ May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart
    be pleasing in your sight,
    Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

The Psalmist is still worshiping -- and wants to continue to do so. But not merely in a church service. He wants to worship God with his whole being. He wants to worship by serving his God; by keeping himself pure;  by making his words,  and his very thoughts, holy. 

We don't worship with our singing voices and our instruments. We worship as we love: with all our hearts, all our souls, all our minds, and all our strength.

A Moment of Conviction

Sunday morning, in the van on the way home from church, one of my daughters asked about my Bible. I was proud to show off the Bible my parents got me, back in high school, nicely bound in its CBD-bought cover. My son piped up from the back of the van, "you have a Bible?"

"Of course I do," I said. "It's right here."

"Oh," he answered. "I've never seen you read it."

Proverbs 22:6 tells us, "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."

I've known that verse since I was a child, yet my seven-year-old son has never seen me reading my Bible. We've looked at Scripture together, but he's never caught me spending alone time with my Savior.  

We go to church as a family, but we never study together in the word of God. 
 
God, help me to be the Father and Disciple I need to be, so my children can be the adults You want them to be.  May that small encounter be a catalyst for change in my family, and a deeper relationship with You. 

The God of Bursting Your Personal Bubble

Sometimes,  serving God can be just plain scary. He leads where He will,  and invites you to follow whatever course He has laid out for you. And, if it suits His purpose, sometimes, He even shows you what the next step will look like. Sometimes. And sometimes, He just asks us to trust Him.

My life has recently become a lesson in trusting God in everything. From the decision to move my family a thousand miles from home to the finding of a church, I'm learning that it can be just as difficult to take that next step of faith in the Spiritual as it can in the Physical.

I am learning lately that God moves in ways I'm not always ready or willing to understand. That God can be unexpected. That the movement of God can defy a lifetime of instruction, of comfortable religiosity, or even of common sense.

An example: the church where my family and I have been led -- and I can have no doubt it was God who brought us there -- is challenging me on some pretty deeply held doctrines. Nothing necessarily biblical, but you know how it is: you grow up in a church, under a set system of beliefs, and it can become ingrained.

The implications of this challenge are in some ways uncomfortable. What if I've been wrong about this? Uncomfortable, yes, but not insurmountable. It is a challenge that, at least, requires study. It will require getting to know more about God and His word. And it will require allowing Him to move in my life in ways I haven't considered.

Maybe that's the most uncomfortable thing of all.

But, if God wants to bless me in ways I've never been blessed, am I willing to turn Him down, just because the blessing may challenge my personal paradigms?

Romans 15:13 - May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

If the Shoebox Fits

photo from ehow

The Family -- that is,  the radio station where I work -- is collecting shoeboxes to hold Christmas gifts for families in need.  So, yesterday, as I was bringing in some extras we had floating around the house, I started to wonder: if it no longer holds shoes, is it still a shoe box?

Is it what it is because that's how it was made, or is it defined instead by what's in it? When we put a present in it and wrap it in nice paper, has it ceased to be a simple shoebox and become a gift box?

I don't know about boxes, but Man is defined by what's inside. On the outside, man is simple enough: lumps of flesh, tissue of various textures and uses, stacks of bone... but this is the stuff that houses the man; not who the man actually is.

Scripture tells us we were born sinners. Paul says, in Romans 5:12-14

Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned—To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law.  Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come.

However, 2 Corinthians 5:17 says that, when we are Forgiven and Justified by Christ, we become new creations. Nothing has changed on the outside, but we have been repurposed. Though we are still the same box we were before, what was inside has been pulled out and replaced with Grace; and that has changed who we are. 

Ten Thousand Years, And We're Still Building Babel

Felix Baumgartner doing a test at 71,000 feet.
photo by Red Bull Content Pool

I was one of thousands -- perhaps millions -- whose computers were locked to the Red Bull Stratos live feed yesterday. If you don't know what that is, here's the gist. A world-famous skydiver was to climb into a capsule to be lifted by balloon -- the largest human-bearing balloon in history -- to the stratosphere, 120,000 feet straight up. He would then, with the help of a specialized space suit and parachute, jump from that perfectly good capsule, breaking the record for the highest skydive and, hopefully, the sound barrier.

As a space enthusiast, I was excited -- am still excited -- by the testing of new technology as we advance both federal and now private space programs. And, you have to admit, it's just pretty doggone cool.

As time ticked by yesterday, the launch kept being postponed. Weather troubles, communication issues, and finally the determination that with the high gusts of wind, it just wasn't safe to do. Because free-falling 120,000 feet is safe. The announcer explained the scrubbing of the day's mission, saying that, because of the balloon, the wind at higher altitudes had to be "negligible" -- about 2 miles per hour, tops.

It's a fragile thing, human ambition.

Paul spends a large portion of 1 Corinthians comparing God and Man. In chapter 1, verse 25, for example, he writes, "For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength."

In other words, when you compare it to God's will, our human ambition doesn't amount to so much, after all. Remember the Tower of Babel? An historical achievement of human ambition -- a massive tower, reaching to the Heavens. And God simply waved His hand and rendered the whole thing undoable, changing the social construct of the entire world, while He was at it. 

As the old saw goes, if you want to hear God laugh, tell Him your plans. Our ambitions, driven as they are by ego,  or by the desire for more money, or more sales of bad-tasting energy drinks, or by whatever, are ultimately meaningless. Only God's ambition for us counts. Only our desire to do His will. 

Coffee

I don't start my day without a cup of coffee. Preferably good coffee, but when I'm desperate, bad will do just as well. My blood is actually more caffeine than water: I generally drink strong, black coffee throughout most of the day, and I almost never go to bed before one more cup.

It is the fuel that wakes me up, keeps me going, allows me to focus, and finally calms my nerves.

The question I'm asking myself lately is simply this: what if I needed time with my Savior as much as I need a good dark roast?

I do, and more. I need Him to start my day. I need Him to keep me going, and to focus my eyes on what matters. I need Him to calm my soul at the end of the day. I need Him with a desperation I can barely fathom.

The difference is, every morning, I make time for coffee. And, I confess, sometimes I take my Lord for granted. That's the curse of always being there. I know that, when I turn to Him, there He'll be, because He is faithful. More faithful, thank God, than I can be.

My prayer today -- and every day -- is for God to remind me He's there, and that I need to seek His face, at the start of my morning, throughout the day, and before I go to sleep. And that I remember to thank Him for always being there -- even when I can't find a cup of coffee.

Just Because I Forgive You Doesn't Mean I Like You Very Much

Weird thing about Christianity: when it comes down to it, nearly every aspect of the Faith has forgiveness as a starting point. For the past several weeks,  no matter what the topic of conversation, be it in church or small groups, or even at work, the talk always circled back, somehow, to the issue of forgiveness.

I may not be the sharpest crayon in the box, but at some point, it occurred to me that God might just be trying to send me a message.

by Mike Walters, borrowed from Strictly Gospel

See, I'm not generally one to hold a grudge -- so long as I'm the only one who's been hurt. When my family has been wounded, however, that's a different story entirely. The anger turns into this little ball that settles down into the pit of my stomach and I tell myself I don't need to forgive this person or that,  because they haven't asked me personally. Never mind that, number one, I wasn't the person they hurt and so, two, they have no idea they need to ask my forgiveness. If I can justify my grudge,  why on earth would I reach out -- regardless of whether the person who was actually hurt has forgiven.

At some point, though, this argument breaks down, even for me. So, grudgingly,  I "forgive" them. At least, I tell God I did, and just for good measure, I tell myself, too. But,  I am always sure to remind myself, that doesn't mean I have to give them access to my life. That doesn't mean I have to actually like them. Right?

Except.

If I decide I don't "like" somebody, based entirely upon an act I've supposedly forgiven,  is that really forgiveness?

What if Jesus were to say, "You know, I forgive you of your trespasses against Me, but I'm really not interested in having you in My House?" Could we consider ourselves forgiven,  when the end result is the same as condemnation?

There's a part of the Lord's Prayer that honestly scares me a little. "Forgive us our debts," Jesus asks, "as we forgive our debtors (Matthew 6:12)."

What if God actually did forgive us as -- the same way -- we forgave others?

Horse Shoes and Hand Grenades

Photo by Jason Armstrong

How often have you heard somebody say they don't need Forgiveness because, "I'm good enough?" Or,  "She's a really nice person. Of course she's going to Heaven?"

I suppose it's a comforting sentiment, and we may well forgive our friends their confusion. But the problem isn't whether these friends are swell, or even nice,  people. It's a problem of standards.

Romans 3:23 tells us "all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God."

Imagine the most beautiful sunrise you've ever seen. The other day, I looked out the window as the sun was coming up over the fog-covered city. Right outside, as mist rolled between the orange and gold autumn leaves, rays of sun cut through into a kaleidoscope of color.

Or, consider the images we have of deep space, the swirls of gasses into an impossible palette of majestic hues, or the mysterious beauty of the ocean floor.

Now think of the most realistic artist you've ever seen. Given the right color of paints, and enough time and inspiration, that artist could create something beautiful, looking almost like a... photograph... of what God created from nothing.

Image from the Hubble Telescope

Even the best artist in the world can create, at best, a facsimile of the Creation of God. Simply put, the artist doesn't have the tools to produce anything but a paltry, though beautiful, copy of God's original.

Righteousness works the same way. On our own, we simply haven't got the ability to be anything but sinful. And no matter how many kind -- even good -- acts we perform, we will never be as Good, as Pure, as Holy as our Creator. It is not in us to measure up to the standard He has set.

Fortunately for us, Jesus can.

Have You Hugged A Pastor Today?

October is, among other things, Clergy Appreciation Month. It's easy, often, to take a pastor for granted. To focus on what we liked about this or that message, or how he or she handles visitation, or whether or not we're satisfied the administrative aspects of the church. It's easy to forget that a Pastor is somebody with a calling, a blessing, and a very difficult job.

It's easy to forget that, no matter how you voted after the Selection Committee had their say, God brings leaders where He wants them.

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. (Ephesians 4:11-13)

This is not a position to take lightly. God Himself puts pastors and church leaders where they belong, for the purpose of lifting up the Body of Christ. Not, I would note, to plan the potluck, or lead Vacation Bible School, or take over all duties of Evangelism. The pastor is there for nothing less than the edification of those believers with whom he is entrusted. It is a difficult task, and not one that just anyone could do. As Scripture says, in James 3:1, "not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly."

Thank God today for the men and women He has placed in leadership throughout the church. And make sure you take the time,  too, to thank your Pastor. 

So... THIS Is Love.

My 4-year-old daughter said something profound yesterday. "I love Jesus because He is in my heart," she said. The simple faith and trust of a small child, and it made my wife and me smile. But she didn't stop there. "That is why I can love him," she said. "That's why I can love everybody."

We had,  in fact, been talking that evening with friends about how God often speaks to us the same way we speak to our children. Sometimes simply. Sometimes bluntly. Sometimes with an air of exasperation. What we didn't talk about was how often God speaks through our children.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:43-48)

Anyone can love somebody who loves them back. Only in Christ can we love those who do not. I've been learning lessons about love and forgiveness in my own life, slowly realizing that I need to forgive as I am forgiven, and to love as I am loved. It took my daughter to remind me that I can't do it without the Spirit of the Living God.

2 Timothy 1:7 reminds us of this: "For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline."

Galatians 5 reminds us that Love is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. 

Are you having a hard time forgiving somebody who, maybe, doesn't even know they need it? Is it hard, sometimes, to love the unlovable? In our own strength, this can be -- it is -- an impossible task. But, because Jesus loved us first, we can love everybody. Just ask my daughter.

Have You Prayed for Christians in Zimbabwe Today?

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. (Eph 6:17)

Prayer is a funny thing. We are often taught, as we grow up, to pray. We pray for our food. For our night's rest. We pray, at those times, for our families: our brothers and sisters,  grandparents,  aunts and uncles,  cousins and friends. But strangers? 

All over the world, new believers and old saints face daily struggles. Sometimes, those struggles are of the kind you and I face every day: temptation, frustration, doubt. And sometimes, these Brothers and Sisters in Christ are struggling for their very lives. For daily bread. For safety. 

Ephesians 6:10-20 reminds us that we are engaged in constant spiritual warfare. This battle doesn't happen in a bubble. It doesn't happen at your church alone, or end at the borders of our community. It is a war that encompasses the entire world. And it is one being fought on fronts from your back yard to the farthest reaches of the globe, by men and women just like you and I. And in this section of Ephesians, Paul reminds us of this fact, and reminds us that we fight, not for ourselves, but for each other. "Always keep on praying for all the Lord's people."

How often, in my prayers, do I remember to pray for my family? My friends? My church? What about believers throughout the world, and the ministry they have?

When Jesus prayed in the Garden, we remember he prayed for His disciples. But, He said:

My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message,  that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.  I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—  I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. (John 17: 20-23)

Shouldn't we follow His example,  and be sure we, too,  are praying for our Brothers and Sisters around the world?

Bill Nye Thinks I'm an Idiot - And I Don't Care

Bill Nye, the Science Guy, made headlines recently when he declared those who believed in Creationism were intent on setting science back. In holding off progress. In fact, his opinion isn't new, and he will be far from the last to voice such an idea. Christians are backwards. We lack so-called "common sense." We're judgmental, or stupid, or just plain dangerous.

Assault after assault after assault on our faith, our beliefs, and our intelligence, all with one goal: to make us recant. To get us to turn our backs on our belief in Jesus Christ as Savior. In Muslim nations,  they have a more direct approach to dealing with those pesky Christians. But in the United States where religious freedom is at least nominally honored, the Enemy requires a more subtle approach. Rather than attack us bodily, we are allowed a relative safety, and even a feeling of majority, until we are all but asleep. And then, the Enemy attacks, not with swords, but with words. And all too often, the weight of those words, the work of that constant barrage, becomes more than we can bear in our weakened and lackadaisical state.

But, you know, it's not as though we didn't see this coming. Jesus Himself told us we'd be hated for His sake.

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”(Matthew 5:11-12)

Notice, he didn't say "if," but "when." Satan doesn't come after us because we are wrong, but because we are right. And if God allows him to do so,  we must see it as a refining fire. A chance to grow in our faith and understanding of His word. Rather than allow those words to make us question God's Word, we can learn to defend it. We can increase our knowledge of why we believe what we believe. We can grow in our walk with God and learn how to become even more effective in His ministry.

And let us not ever forget that our Lord suffered the ultimate persecution and humiliation for our sakes. Can we not shoulder a little name-calling for His? And remember, we don't do it alone. He is with us. Always.