He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to God. Psalm 40:2-3
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
What if it were your last day?
I had a very interesting conversation with a friend today. She told me how, upon the very strange and unexpected deaths of two young women in their twenties, she had descended into a very dark place spiritually. These two young women were not related or connected in any way (other than my friend and I happen to know both of their parents) but, in the space of just a couple of months, both of these very healthy, vital women contracted very mysterious illnesses and were dead within a matter of days.
Oh, it was a dark and painful time for many of us who mourned along with the parents and families. These two young women were very close to my friend's own age and the effect upon her was profound. She didn't say this in our conversation, but I think that perhaps this was the first time she had been truly, blatantly confronted with the fact of her own mortality. Oh sure, we're all going to die someday, but we really expect that it won't be until we're old and gray, after having lived a full and fruitful life. But young? vital? healthy? Unexplained, unexpected, unmerciful death in the prime of life? How can hearts be guarded against the uncertainty and fear of that?
She told me how she had become consumed with fear. Almost every moment she thought of death and wondered what she would do if suddenly she were to discover that today would be her last day on earth. She said that the fear almost literally paralysed her, making it difficult for her to even function. Her husband could certainly tell that something dreadful was wrong with her, but she found it extremely difficult to articulate what she felt. How does one explain the feelings and dread when it seems as though a dark battle for the soul is occurring in the depths of the heart?
She said that she had to come to point where she was able to say, "Lord, if today is the last day of my life, that's okay. You are in control." And that is the point we all must come to. Just saying it doesn't change any of the facts. The fact is, God is already in control. He is in control of our every breath--we just forget that. By admitting it to Him and to ourselves, it frees us from the fear of our lives--and our deaths--being out of our own control. It also frees us to live!
Tim McGraw sings a country song called "live Like You Were Dying." It starts off with a friend asking his buddy what he did, how he reacted, when he got a diagnosis of cancer. His answer?
I went sky divin',
I went Rocky Mountain climbin',
I went 2.7 seconds on a bull name Fumanchu.
And I loved deeper,
And I spoke sweeter,
And I gave forgiveness I've been denying,
And he said someday I hope you get the chance,
To live like you were dyin'.
He said I was finally the husband,
That most the time I wasn't.
And I became a friend a friend would like to have.
And all a sudden goin' fishing,
Wasn't such an imposition.
And I went three times that year I lost my dad.
Well I finally read the Good Book,
And I took a good long hard look at what I'd do
If I could do it all again.
And then....
I went sky divin',
I went rocky mountain climbin',
I went 2.7 seconds on a bull name Fumanchu.
And I loved deeper,
And I spoke sweeter,
And I gave forgiveness I've been denying,
And he said someday I hope you get the chance,
To live like you were dyin'.
I hope you get the chance to live like you were dying? We all have that chance. We're all dying, we just don't like to think about it, and it gets pushed back to the dark corners of our minds where we think we can ignore it. It takes something like a diagnosis of cancer or the sudden, unexplained death of someone to refocus us on the preciousness of life and the value of limited time.
So, what if you knew today was your last day? Would it affect the things you were planning to do? Would it cause you to reorganize some priorities? Would it make you look at things differently? I'm sure that every one of us would live that day very differently and with much greater attention and purpose.
Death IS coming, but God is in control. Let's all live like we are dying with purpose, focus, and intentionality during every day of life that God grants us.
Oh, it was a dark and painful time for many of us who mourned along with the parents and families. These two young women were very close to my friend's own age and the effect upon her was profound. She didn't say this in our conversation, but I think that perhaps this was the first time she had been truly, blatantly confronted with the fact of her own mortality. Oh sure, we're all going to die someday, but we really expect that it won't be until we're old and gray, after having lived a full and fruitful life. But young? vital? healthy? Unexplained, unexpected, unmerciful death in the prime of life? How can hearts be guarded against the uncertainty and fear of that?
She told me how she had become consumed with fear. Almost every moment she thought of death and wondered what she would do if suddenly she were to discover that today would be her last day on earth. She said that the fear almost literally paralysed her, making it difficult for her to even function. Her husband could certainly tell that something dreadful was wrong with her, but she found it extremely difficult to articulate what she felt. How does one explain the feelings and dread when it seems as though a dark battle for the soul is occurring in the depths of the heart?
She said that she had to come to point where she was able to say, "Lord, if today is the last day of my life, that's okay. You are in control." And that is the point we all must come to. Just saying it doesn't change any of the facts. The fact is, God is already in control. He is in control of our every breath--we just forget that. By admitting it to Him and to ourselves, it frees us from the fear of our lives--and our deaths--being out of our own control. It also frees us to live!
Tim McGraw sings a country song called "live Like You Were Dying." It starts off with a friend asking his buddy what he did, how he reacted, when he got a diagnosis of cancer. His answer?
I went sky divin',
I went Rocky Mountain climbin',
I went 2.7 seconds on a bull name Fumanchu.
And I loved deeper,
And I spoke sweeter,
And I gave forgiveness I've been denying,
And he said someday I hope you get the chance,
To live like you were dyin'.
He said I was finally the husband,
That most the time I wasn't.
And I became a friend a friend would like to have.
And all a sudden goin' fishing,
Wasn't such an imposition.
And I went three times that year I lost my dad.
Well I finally read the Good Book,
And I took a good long hard look at what I'd do
If I could do it all again.
And then....
I went sky divin',
I went rocky mountain climbin',
I went 2.7 seconds on a bull name Fumanchu.
And I loved deeper,
And I spoke sweeter,
And I gave forgiveness I've been denying,
And he said someday I hope you get the chance,
To live like you were dyin'.
I hope you get the chance to live like you were dying? We all have that chance. We're all dying, we just don't like to think about it, and it gets pushed back to the dark corners of our minds where we think we can ignore it. It takes something like a diagnosis of cancer or the sudden, unexplained death of someone to refocus us on the preciousness of life and the value of limited time.
So, what if you knew today was your last day? Would it affect the things you were planning to do? Would it cause you to reorganize some priorities? Would it make you look at things differently? I'm sure that every one of us would live that day very differently and with much greater attention and purpose.
Death IS coming, but God is in control. Let's all live like we are dying with purpose, focus, and intentionality during every day of life that God grants us.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Something Amazing Happened at our Church!
Something truly amazing happened at our church yesterday. Our pastor actually told us that he wants some of us to leave! (He jokingly added that he had a list.) But why would he do such a thing? In this day and age of doing anything for church growth and where numbers are everything, why on earth would he say he wanted some of his people to leave?
Well, we had a guest preacher yesterday. He is the fairly new pastor of a church that our church planted fourteen years ago. That church has had many ups and downs and a lot of struggling to stay alive. Our pastor was asking some of us to prayerfully consider going to that church to strengthen it and help it grow.
What an incredible and rare attitude that displays! Are we really one body? Do we really care when part of the body is struggling or hurting? Do we really want Christ's kingdom to be extended?
Since the service yesterday I've thought quite a bit about this and the dynamics involved. What keeps us from launching out on great adventures, to put our shoulder to the wheel, for the sake of God's kingdom? What keeps us from heading out to the mission field to serve the lost and point them to Christ? Is it the same thing that would keep us from driving across town to another excellent church to lend a hand in building it up? I very much fear that it might be. I think it might just be that we're too comfortable where we are and couldn't be bothered.
How different that is from the attitude of our Savior!
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant...and humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Philippians 2:5-8
Thank God that Christ bothered to leave the comfort [read: glorious, worshipful perfection] of heaven for our sakes! Can we not, as His people, follow His example?
Well, we had a guest preacher yesterday. He is the fairly new pastor of a church that our church planted fourteen years ago. That church has had many ups and downs and a lot of struggling to stay alive. Our pastor was asking some of us to prayerfully consider going to that church to strengthen it and help it grow.
What an incredible and rare attitude that displays! Are we really one body? Do we really care when part of the body is struggling or hurting? Do we really want Christ's kingdom to be extended?
Since the service yesterday I've thought quite a bit about this and the dynamics involved. What keeps us from launching out on great adventures, to put our shoulder to the wheel, for the sake of God's kingdom? What keeps us from heading out to the mission field to serve the lost and point them to Christ? Is it the same thing that would keep us from driving across town to another excellent church to lend a hand in building it up? I very much fear that it might be. I think it might just be that we're too comfortable where we are and couldn't be bothered.
How different that is from the attitude of our Savior!
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant...and humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Philippians 2:5-8
Thank God that Christ bothered to leave the comfort [read: glorious, worshipful perfection] of heaven for our sakes! Can we not, as His people, follow His example?
Grace & Truth
I'm just re-reading a little book that has been a cherished favorite of mine ever since I first read it several years ago. It's The Grace & Truth Paradox: Responding with Christlike Balance by Randy Alcorn. [Actually, my friend Lisa got a copy for becoming my #1 blog follower!] Let me share a little bit from Chapter 1:
The apparent conflict that exists between grace and truth isn't because they're incompatible, but because we lack perspective to resolve their paradox. The two are interdependent. We should never approach truth except in a spirit of grace, or grace except in a spirit of truth. Jesus wasn't 50% grace, 50% truth, but 100% grace, 100% truth.
Truth-oriented Christians love studying Scripture and theology. But sometimes they're quick to judge and slow to forgive. They're strong on truth, weak on grace.
Grace-oriented Christians love forgiveness and freedom. But sometimes they neglect Bible study and see moral standards as "legalism." They're strong on grace, weak on truth.
Countless mistakes in marriage, parenting, ministry and other relationship are failures to balance grace and truth. Sometimes we neglect both. Often we choose one over the other....
A paradox is an apparent contradiction. Grace and truth aren't really contradictory. Jesus didn't switch on truth and then turn it off so He could switch on grace. Both are permanently switched on in Jesus. Both should be switched on in us.
What would Jesus do? There is always one answer: He would act in grace and truth.
Truth without grace breeds a self-righteous legalism that poisons the church and pushes the world away from Christ.
Grace without truth breeds moral indifference and keeps people from seeing their need for Christ.
Attempts to "soften" the gospel by minimizing truth keep people from Jesus. Attempts to "toughen" the gospel by minimizing grace keep people from Jesus. It's not enough for us to offer grace or truth. We must offer both.
Why is it that we as Christians always seemto find it so easy to go to the extremes and find it so difficult to live a life of Christlike balance? I'm sorry to say that I've been one that has come down hard on the side of truth at the expense of showing grace--but this book showed me a different way. Truth is important! But so is grace. And to be truly Christlike our lives must be balanced by grace and truth. This little book was life-changing for me. I hope the bit above gives you a little to think about and if it's whetted your appetite for more, check out Randy Alcorn's website for Eternal Perspective Ministries at www.epm.org You can order it there or possibly find it in your local Christian bookstore.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14
The apparent conflict that exists between grace and truth isn't because they're incompatible, but because we lack perspective to resolve their paradox. The two are interdependent. We should never approach truth except in a spirit of grace, or grace except in a spirit of truth. Jesus wasn't 50% grace, 50% truth, but 100% grace, 100% truth.
Truth-oriented Christians love studying Scripture and theology. But sometimes they're quick to judge and slow to forgive. They're strong on truth, weak on grace.
Grace-oriented Christians love forgiveness and freedom. But sometimes they neglect Bible study and see moral standards as "legalism." They're strong on grace, weak on truth.
Countless mistakes in marriage, parenting, ministry and other relationship are failures to balance grace and truth. Sometimes we neglect both. Often we choose one over the other....
A paradox is an apparent contradiction. Grace and truth aren't really contradictory. Jesus didn't switch on truth and then turn it off so He could switch on grace. Both are permanently switched on in Jesus. Both should be switched on in us.
What would Jesus do? There is always one answer: He would act in grace and truth.
Truth without grace breeds a self-righteous legalism that poisons the church and pushes the world away from Christ.
Grace without truth breeds moral indifference and keeps people from seeing their need for Christ.
Attempts to "soften" the gospel by minimizing truth keep people from Jesus. Attempts to "toughen" the gospel by minimizing grace keep people from Jesus. It's not enough for us to offer grace or truth. We must offer both.
Why is it that we as Christians always seemto find it so easy to go to the extremes and find it so difficult to live a life of Christlike balance? I'm sorry to say that I've been one that has come down hard on the side of truth at the expense of showing grace--but this book showed me a different way. Truth is important! But so is grace. And to be truly Christlike our lives must be balanced by grace and truth. This little book was life-changing for me. I hope the bit above gives you a little to think about and if it's whetted your appetite for more, check out Randy Alcorn's website for Eternal Perspective Ministries at www.epm.org You can order it there or possibly find it in your local Christian bookstore.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14
Thursday, March 11, 2010
I Don't Play Guitar
I am working in my office with my nice mellow classical guitar Pandora channel providing the background music and it made me think about part of our small group discussion this morning at Bible study.
I told the other ladies that I had tried to learn to play the guitar four or five times over the years but never managed to get past that "OW! My fingertips are BLEEDING!" stage. Yes, the hours and hours I put in on piano practice were sometimes painful, but nothing like that! It is only those who persevere past the pain who develop callouses on their fingertips who actually get to the place where they can produce beautiful music from those finger-damaging strings.
We were talking about developing callouses today--but not the good kind that enable people to play guitar or perform gymnastics on the high bar. We were talking about the effect of callouses on our minds and hearts. Ephesians 4:17-19 - "...you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to the hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity."
Wow, that's quite a statement. A callous, according to Webster, means being hardened or thickened. Ephesians 4 says we are "thick-headed" because our thinking is futile (worthless), we are darkened in our understanding, and we are alienated from God because of our ignorance. Ephesians 4 also says we are "hard-hearted" because we have rejected God and His demands on us. Our consciences have become so dull that the damage that sensuality and impurity inflict on our hearts don't even cause us to wince. In fact, we are greedy (can't get enough!) of impurity. Now that's heart with a callous!
Callouses might be a good and beneficial thing when it comes to playing guitar or performing gymnastics, or walking barefoot, but on the heart and mind? Not so much.
"That is not the way you learned Christ!...put off your old self...and be renewed in the spirit of your minds and put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousnes and holiness." Ephesians 4:20-24
I told the other ladies that I had tried to learn to play the guitar four or five times over the years but never managed to get past that "OW! My fingertips are BLEEDING!" stage. Yes, the hours and hours I put in on piano practice were sometimes painful, but nothing like that! It is only those who persevere past the pain who develop callouses on their fingertips who actually get to the place where they can produce beautiful music from those finger-damaging strings.
We were talking about developing callouses today--but not the good kind that enable people to play guitar or perform gymnastics on the high bar. We were talking about the effect of callouses on our minds and hearts. Ephesians 4:17-19 - "...you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to the hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity."
Wow, that's quite a statement. A callous, according to Webster, means being hardened or thickened. Ephesians 4 says we are "thick-headed" because our thinking is futile (worthless), we are darkened in our understanding, and we are alienated from God because of our ignorance. Ephesians 4 also says we are "hard-hearted" because we have rejected God and His demands on us. Our consciences have become so dull that the damage that sensuality and impurity inflict on our hearts don't even cause us to wince. In fact, we are greedy (can't get enough!) of impurity. Now that's heart with a callous!
Callouses might be a good and beneficial thing when it comes to playing guitar or performing gymnastics, or walking barefoot, but on the heart and mind? Not so much.
"That is not the way you learned Christ!...put off your old self...and be renewed in the spirit of your minds and put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousnes and holiness." Ephesians 4:20-24
Why Four Gospels?
Many have wondered from time to time, myself included, why there are four gospels to tell us about the life of Christ. Each one has a different author, a different emphasis, a different perspective. Wouldn't it have been much easier for those guys to collaborate on one big, complete, chronological record? Maybe so, but there are a couple of good reasons for having multiple gospels. Probably more, but just two I want to mention now.
In the first place, the Jewish law states that truth of a matter is established by two or three witnesses - never just by one (Deuteronomy 19:15). Incidentally, this law is echoed in the New Testament in various places - Matthew 18:16, 2 Corinthians 13:1; 1 Timothy 5:19 and Hebrews 10:23. But how like our God - when two or three witnesses are required by law - goes over the top and gives us four, so that there is no question of the truth.
In addition, all of the different perspectives and emphases are so important in really knowing our Savior. Many models of who He is and what He does are presented to us in the Gospels. He is king and subject, master and slave, shepherd and lamb, priest and sacrifice, prophet and the Word, judge and advocate, brother, healer, redeemer, the vine, the light, the way, truth and life. All of these together give us an incredible picture of our Savior, a picture with amazing breadth and depth. That richness is lost if we focus on only one aspect. Again, God went over the top to give us a wonderful and vivid portrait of our Savior.
How amazing God is to give us a Savior who meets our every need. Sometimes a judge is exactly what we need to confront sin in our lives. Sometimes we need to see Christ as a slave as we bear under harsh demands in a work situation. Sometimes we need an older brother to walk along beside us, guiding, encouraging and teaching about those things that he has already experienced. And of course we all need a Savior who is a redeemer--the sacrifice, the priest, the advocate--who can present us to God as one of His chosen, cleansed, and holy people.
And how amazing God is to give us four accounts of this incredible Savior. Four accounts of who He is and what He has done. Four accounts that give us a wonderful, beautiful, multi-dimensional view of our amazing Savior.
In the first place, the Jewish law states that truth of a matter is established by two or three witnesses - never just by one (Deuteronomy 19:15). Incidentally, this law is echoed in the New Testament in various places - Matthew 18:16, 2 Corinthians 13:1; 1 Timothy 5:19 and Hebrews 10:23. But how like our God - when two or three witnesses are required by law - goes over the top and gives us four, so that there is no question of the truth.
In addition, all of the different perspectives and emphases are so important in really knowing our Savior. Many models of who He is and what He does are presented to us in the Gospels. He is king and subject, master and slave, shepherd and lamb, priest and sacrifice, prophet and the Word, judge and advocate, brother, healer, redeemer, the vine, the light, the way, truth and life. All of these together give us an incredible picture of our Savior, a picture with amazing breadth and depth. That richness is lost if we focus on only one aspect. Again, God went over the top to give us a wonderful and vivid portrait of our Savior.
How amazing God is to give us a Savior who meets our every need. Sometimes a judge is exactly what we need to confront sin in our lives. Sometimes we need to see Christ as a slave as we bear under harsh demands in a work situation. Sometimes we need an older brother to walk along beside us, guiding, encouraging and teaching about those things that he has already experienced. And of course we all need a Savior who is a redeemer--the sacrifice, the priest, the advocate--who can present us to God as one of His chosen, cleansed, and holy people.
And how amazing God is to give us four accounts of this incredible Savior. Four accounts of who He is and what He has done. Four accounts that give us a wonderful, beautiful, multi-dimensional view of our amazing Savior.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Just another little tidbit to chew on from "The Shadow of the Cross" from Chapter 5 entitled Marriage and Self-Denial:
"How soon marriage counselling sessions would end if husbands and wives were competing in thoughtful self-denial."
Ouch. If husbands and wives were competing in thoughtful self-denial, there would be no need for the marriage counselling session in the first place. May God grant us the grace to live like this as husbands and wives.
"How soon marriage counselling sessions would end if husbands and wives were competing in thoughtful self-denial."
Ouch. If husbands and wives were competing in thoughtful self-denial, there would be no need for the marriage counselling session in the first place. May God grant us the grace to live like this as husbands and wives.
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