Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Daily Reflections on 2 Chr. 26-28 (Getting Your Butt Kicked)

Reading through 2 Chronicles, I noticed an ongoing phrase pattern that was curious to me. If you know anything about Old Testament history, you know the Kingdom of Israel split in two after the reign of King Solomon. The northern tribes were known as Israel and the southern kingdom was known as Judah. And you also know that there were some good kings and some bad kings.What made the kings good or bad was determined by how they followed God. The bad kings worshiped the false gods of the neighboring nations. The good kings worshiped God.

That's all simple to understand. Reject God and God rejects you.
Embrace God and God embraces. After all that was part of the covenant God made with Israelites coming out of Egypt. Some kings rejected God and some kings embraced God and some tried to do both with mixed reviews, mostly not good.

The phrase that caught my eye was, "He sought the Lord or did what was right in the eyes of the Lord...so he became very powerful." In other words, those that pursued God, led their peoples to pursue God, got rid of the foreign gods and idols became successful and powerful leaders among the nations. They conquered nations and held off foreign invaders. They became wealthy and prosperous as a nation, and thus the king became wealthy.

On the other hand, the text says that kings who shut God out and worshiped the idols and fad gods of their day, got their butts kicked. They became subject to neighboring kingdoms, lost their wealth, their lives, their families, their self respect. Their kingdoms were in constant turmoil. They even became a laughing stock to the surrounding peoples. Anyone could come in and walk over them.

The moral of the story is also simple. Even though we, as followers of Christ, don't live under the conditions and promises of the Old Testament Covenant, the principle still remains. As Jesus said, you can't serve two masters. He also said you're either for me or against me. Although Jesus, never promised that everything would be rosy in your life once you gave your life to Him, He did say that He would never leave us nor forsake us. He said that He'd be with always and that He would send a (paraclete) comforter in the Holy Spirit. He promises ultimate victory and an abundant life.

Are you getting your butt kicked by Satan or the world or life itself? There might be a reason. How's your pursuit of Jesus going? How committed are you to delving into His Word for guidance and direction and insight? How tuned into the Holy Spirit are you? How often are you hanging out with other believers who really seeking to grow in Christ and serve Christ? What's your lifestyle looking like? God is more than willingly to allow us to suffer the consequences of our own choices. He doesn't have to punish us. All He has to do is simply remove His hand and/or influence from our life.

God, it seems like every time I'm getting my butt kicked it has to do with me going off in my own direction. I find myself in those moments being drawn back to you. You are my strength. When I humble myself before you, I begin to sense your power come alive in my life. Thanks for your steadfastness in my life. Thanks for your forgiveness. Thanks for the victory you give me through your Son, Jesus.

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Daily Reflections on Rom. 8:22-39 (The Cavalry to the Rescue)

The scene was a common one in the old western movies. A settler family would be surrounded by warring Indians or banditos. Just as things looked lost, over the hill would come the cavalry with trumpet blowing and flag flying. The evil doers would turn tale and run and the day would be saved.

God is on my side. Okay that wasn't too revolutionary but sometimes it's still hard to really grasp. God is doing everything in His power to help me be all that I can be. Cooperation on my part is the key. In Romans 7 Paul talks about not being able to do the good that he wants to do. He calls himself a wretch and then cries out in victory for what Jesus has done for him and us.

Moving onto chapter 8, Paul talks about the power of the Holy Spirit in his life that allows him and us be delivered from our ongoing sin problem. I don't have to sin anymore if I allow the Holy Spirit complete control in my life. That is really good news.

As he continues in the final verses of Romans 8, Paul tells us how we can be more than conquers. It's a great continuation of his thoughts. He begins to explain how the Spirit works. Everyone one us are weak. It's in our weakness that the Holy Spirit swoops in a saves the day, as long as we are focused on His working within us. As long as we're trying to handle things on our own, God is more than willing to let us flounder. It's when we really tune into Him that the Spirit is unleashed in us.

Chapter 7 ought to tell us that Paul knew exactly how we feel sometimes. He explains how the Spirit goes to bat for us in groans too deep for words when we don’t know how to pray. And when the Holy Spirit takes that deep prayer before God, God steps in to bring all things to bear in our behalf. He conforms us more and more into the likeness of Christ. God is so for us that nothing can separate us from Him.

God, it’s good to know your cavalry is always there to save the day. More often than not, I’m the cause of my own distress. I want to do the right things but without your help I always seem to fall short. I want to be more than a conqueror, but without your power in my life I find myself being the conquered. Thanks for your Holy Spirit in my life.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Daily Reflections on Rom. 8:1-2, 9-17 (Is It True?)

One of the most liberating verses in all of the New Testament has to be Romans 8:1 which says that that there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Woohoo!!! That's a relief. No condemnation, talk about Good News. And to think I owe it all simply to my faith in what God has done for me through Jesus. Thank You God.

It's true that God is not about condemnation, but about reconciliation and restoration. To many, it's a surprise to their image of God. Yes, God is still just and that's the miracle of the cross and resurrection of Christ. But God is about giving life, abundant life, empowered life, not condemnation. Verse two of Romans 8 is verification of that truth. Through Jesus, the text says, the law of the Spirit of life has us free from the law of sin and death. More good news. God has not only freed me from my fate of eternal death, eternal separation from God, but He has also freed me from myself, my sinning nature.

It's true!!! I don't ever have to sin again. Will I? Probably, but you don't have to if you allow the Spirit of God, which He place inside you, to have complete control. Paul tells us in these verses that since I have the Holy Spirit living in me, I don't have to be controlled by my old nature anymore. Sure my physical body will eventually die, but my spirit is alive to God in Christ. And here's the kicker, if Christ is in me, if I've submitted myself to Him, God gives life to my human body through the Holy Spirit. In other words, I don't have to sin anymore.

I don't have to listen to the cravings of my sinful nature. I don't have to give in to their wants and desires. I can let the Spirit of God put to death those "misdeeds of the body" as Paul puts it. The news just keeps on getting better. And because of that same Spirit within me, I don't have to be a slave to my old nature anymore. I am a child of God.

It really comes down to a matter of choice. I hear people tell me all the time, "I can't help myself" or "I can't stop myself." To which I normally respond, "You're right. You're doomed." They always look at me like, "What?" I just confirm again, "Yep, You're right, you can't stop or help yourself, so you're doomed." At that point I normally get the "thanks a lot" look. After letting them squirm a little, I share with them this promise in Romans. You can't, but the Spirit God places within you can. I can choose to fight my sin or misdeeds on my own, or I can sic the Spirit of God on them by submitting to Him.

And to top off the promises God makes to us in these verses, God goes on to say that we are heirs of God and co-heirs with Jesus if we surrender our lives to Him. Yes, it's all true. Not only does God save me from spiritual death for eternity, He gives me life and freedom NOW. And I have the promise of inheriting His riches forever. Somebody ought to spread this word.

God, thanks for the double relief; relief from my fate and punishment and relief from my ongoing sin problem. Help me to choose life through your Spirit. I'm tired of screwing up and trying to get out of things on my own. I need you. I want to grow in allowing your Spirit to control my life, my thoughts, my actions.

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Daily Reflections on Rom. 4:1-8 (God's Accounting Method)

The place came apart with laughter! I was conducting the wedding of young couple a few years out of high school. She was a sweet young lady with plenty of personality. He, on the other hand, was the strong silent type, not particularly expressive. Rehearsal had gone well. We walked through all the elements of the ceremony, but instead of going through the vows I just basically explained them.

The day of the wedding arrived. Everyone did and everything went just as rehearsed. Before reciting the vows, I typically give a wedding charge to the couple of what God expects from both of them. After completing my challenge to them I immediately went into the vows. I turned to the groom and asked the traditional questions, "Do you promise to take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife? Do you promise to love...?" The groom stood their stoically as usual and then simply responded in a monotone, almost expressionless voice, "I reckon." The place exploded.

God's reckoning of righteousness to Abraham was a little different. Genesis 15 and Romans 4 say that Abraham believed God and reckoned that to him as righteousness. Reckoned, in this sense, is an accreditation to Abraham's account. Because of Abe's faith, which was demonstrated by his action, God reckoned or credited or considered Abe as righteous. He applied the righteousness of Christ to Abraham even though Christ hadn't yet come and died.

Paul's point in this passage is that one can't earn righteousness. If you earned it, righteousness would have been owed you as a result of your effort, just like you work for wages. Paul says if you worked for it, you couldn't be reckoned or credited with righteousness. So obviously we have a choice; we can either stand before God based upon our own works of godliness or we can stand before God trusting Him. I can apply to heaven based upon my own righteousness. Or I can apply for heaven on the basis of Christ's righteousness. What's it gonna be? Since my righteousness is as filthy rags compared to Christ's righteousness, I think I'll take the latter.

God, I can be a pretty good guy sometimes, but that's the problem, sometimes. It's the other times that bother me. I think I'll take your reckoning process. I'm trusting in you. I'm acting in faith. I'm believing in you and surrendering to you just like Abraham.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Daily Reflections on Rom. 3:10-26 (Now That's a HUGE Relief )

Wow! The third chapter of the book of Romans is packed with incredible stuff and memorable verses. Many of the basic concepts of our relationship with God are found in this chapter alone. We could spend hours here exploring these principles and chewing on their implications.

Verse 10 is a great declarative statement about our status as human beings. I doubt that there's a single person on the planet who would argue with this quote from the Psalms. There's no one righteous, not even one. Hasn't been. Is not. Will not. It's pretty simple. There is no one who does good all the time.

Verse 20 tells us that no one can be declared righteous by God by their observation of the law. Paul says that it is through the law of God we become aware of our sin. That, in fact, it is the main purpose of the law. God knew that none of us could keep it perfectly. He gave us the law to teach US that. He lists some of His standards for righteous living and none of us could keep them. I become conscious of my own sin, when I see what God expects. That's really Good News, because I can admit that I'm a screw up and need help.

Verse 21tells more of the Good News. Instead of attaining that perfect righteousness on my own by keeping God's standards for living perfectly, God grants a new righteousness opportunity that comes through Jesus Christ. Forget trying to keep the law by my own will. That's impossible. And verse 22 claims that anyone who has faith in what God has done for us through Jesus can attain this new righteousness. Now when Paul says anyone, he means anyone regardless of our past, our present, our nationality, our reputation, our talents, our gifts, our looks, our background, our experiences, and yes even our sins.

Verse 23 is another one of those declarative statements about our condition as human beings. Once again as I read these words my mind says, "Whew! That's a relief to know. It really takes the pressure off. I can stop pretending, stop trying to be something that I know that I'm not." And once again, verse 24 shouldn't be separated from verse 23. Paul quickly assures us that we can be made right with God because of God's efforts, not ours. It's called grace and it's freely given by God.

Verses 25 and 26 explain how God makes all this possible. It's the heart of our salvation and a meaningful and lasting relationship with God. God presented Jesus as an atoning sacrifice for all of us, both past and present. So anyone who trusts God today or trusted God in the past receives this gift of righteousness from God which allows us to have an eternal and intimate relationship with Him. In other words, it allows me to hang out with my main man, the creator of the universe, God. It means we won't get crushed like a bug or be separated from Him ever. Now that's really Good News!

God, there is tons of powerful stuff in these verses. Ferreting out all the implications would be overwhelming and impossible to do in such a short time.You're amazing. In one fell swoop you solve both my sin problem and
my guilt problem. And to think, all I have to do is simply trust in you, put my faith in you. Unbelievable! No wonder they call it grace.

Monday, July 14, 2008

Daily Reflections on Rom. 1:16-17 (Good News, I Don't Have to be Perfect)

When Martin Luther initially read these words from Romans 1:16-17, he was grieved. For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH." (NASB) Luther didn't have some of the modern translations/paraphrase available to him to clarify Paul's meaning. He saw the words "for in it the righteousness of God is revealed" and thought, "the Gospel isn't good news, it's bad news."

Many Christians and yet-to-be-Christians struggle with some of the same thoughts Luther had about righteousness and salvation. Somehow or another we have fallen into a works mentality about salvation. Many think that God will save them or reward them heaven based upon their good works or personal righteousness. Luther was doing everything in his power to rid himself of sinful thoughts and practices. He thought Paul was saying that the Gospel was revealing an even more perfect way to live in order to gain God's approval and achieve spiritual justification and sanctification. Luther was looking for spiritual perfection, but was unable to attain it.

The problem is that nobody is perfect or can make themselves perfect. In fact, I've never met anyone who thought they were perfect. We know that we can't achieve perfection because we've already blown it. But if you read carefully the theme of the book of Romans (vs. 16-17) you will come to the same understanding that Luther discovered. We don't achieve righteousness on our own. The power God to salvation is about faith in Jesus Christ. We attain righteousness not on our own, but through our faith in what God is able to do for us, to us, in us through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus and the gift of God's Holy Spirit.

It is said that when Luther discovered this truth, that he wrote on his wall in the monastery, "solo gratia," which means, "faith alone." Faith is the heart of our relationship with God. From the very beginning all God asked us to do was to trust Him. Most of us would rather trust ourselves, as did Adam and Eve, to be our own gods. "Here, take the fruit. You won't die. When your eat it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God." That's the sentiment all of us come to in our life.

That's why the Gospel is Good News. It reveals that I'm a mess, imperfect. It shows me how unrighteous I really am compared to the righteousness of God. It shows me the love, mercy, grace and forgiveness of God through the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus, God's Son. It shows me that when I accept Christ as my Lord and Savior, placing my trust/faith in God, that God drapes the righteousness of Christ upon me, clothing me with Christ's righteousness.

Okay God, I admit it, I'm a moron some times. I don't know what causes me to think that I could ever be righteous enough by my own effort to stand in your presence. I know that I've already blown it and that I need you. Thanks for your grace. Thanks for clothing me with Christ's righteousness. The Gospel really is Good News. I'm tired of trying to please you and others and even myself. I want to live my life by faith, allowing your righteousness to grow in me and flow from me.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Daily Reflections on Acts 26:1-29 (Close Isn't Good Enough)

Close only counts in horseshoes, hand grenades, lawn darts and nuclear bombs. Try typing in a password that is just one letter off or isn't capped and see if you get into that program or site. Not a chance. The computer doesn't say, "That's close enough," and let you in. Nor does it say, "Nice try. You're close." It just blocks you out. It can be very frustrating, especially after you've tried so many times that it locks you out until a latter time or date.

Just getting close spiritually doesn't cut it either. In today's reading, King Agrippa listened intently to Paul's defense. Festus tells Paul he's nuts. But Agrippa knew exactly what Paul was talking about and what the issues were. I'm sure that we just got the synopsis of what Paul said in his defense but it's enough to see that Agrippa was enthralled with Paul's presentation. As Paul closed, it's interesting to read Agrippa's response to Paul. "You almost made me Christian in such a short time. If I had more time to think about it and investigate it, I might have accepted Christ myself." (Dave's Paraphrase)

The key word is "almost." Unfortunately, almost doesn't cut it. As far as we know, Agrippa never did accept Christ. The question is "why?" Why wouldn't Agrippa make the move. He apparently understood exactly what Paul was saying. He believed Paul was telling the truth about his conversion experience. Yet something held him back from taking the plunge.

Maybe it's the same thing that keeps many of us from jumping headlong into Christ, of living for Him with passionate abandonment for the things of this life. Truthfully, we get so entrenched with our life and circumstance, our wants and our needs, that we can't quite bring ourselves to sell out completely for Christ. We hold back.

For Agrippa I'm sure his position and power had something to do with it. If he accepted Christ it would drastically affect his job and relationships and credibility with his constituents. More than likely he would have had more trouble on his hands as a ruler from the Jewish sector than he knew what to do with. And Rome would not have stood for that. They would have replaced him in a heartbeat.

Peers, position, jobs, friends, family, acclaim, acceptance, fear, manliness or macho-ness often keep us from giving into Christ. So we maybe we give a little here and there to Christ. Maybe we show up at church once in a while, but embracing Christ fully is out of the question. We almost get there, but not quite. After all, who wants to look like a religious nut?

Problem is that Jesus says either you're with me or you're against me. We can't have it both ways. Lukewarmness will get you spewed. Faith is about trust and surrender. God won't put up with two being in charge. He doesn't share the stage with anyone, nor should He. To be a part of His Kingdom, He has to be king. I discovered it takes a real man (or a real woman for that matter) to give yourself to Christ completely. It takes guts. I think that's why Jesus said the road to heaven is narrow and few take it. Not only do we have to stand apart from the world, we have to take a stand against our own selfishness, pride, ego, etc.

God, humility is hard. Even though I realize I'm not perfect and inadequate at so many things, my ego still gets in my way. I want to surrender to you, to trust you completely. Empower me with your Spirit to open myself totally to your will for me. Set me ablaze with the kind of fire Paul had for you.

Friday, July 4, 2008

Daily Reflection on Acts 22:22-23:11 (Now That's Saavy)

Paul is amazing. He certainly understood his time, his culture, his rights and people. I love the story of his arrest in Jerusalem. It's almost funny how Paul handled the crowds, the Roman soldiers and the situation. Now obviously the Romans were into power and control. When a ruckus broke out over Paul, the Romans quickly arrived to put down the disturbance. Paul was quickly put into custody and led off to be flogged.

Here's the part I like. I can picture the scene. Paul waits until they've stretched him out on the flogging rack. He lets the Roman soldiers get all fired up about laying some licks on him. And just about the time the first soldiers rares back to let go with the first blow, Paul humbly, yet confidently, asks the centurion if it was common practice to whip Roman Citizens without a trial. I can see the centurion grabbing the arm of the soldier before he lets fly. "What did you say? Are you a Roman Citizen?" Paul, "Why yes I am?"

Now here's where it gets really funny. The centurion knows he's in real trouble now so he makes a beeline to the commander. Can you hear that conversation? "Ugh, Commander, Sir, the prisoner says he's a Roman Citizen. What do we do?" Now both the commander and the centurion realize they're both in hot water. If Paul really is a Roman Citizen, the could lose their jobs, even their lives for the way they treated Paul. The commander immediately goes to Paul, probably still tied to the flogging rack.

The commander verifies that Paul is Roman Citizen, but wants to clarify what level of a citizen Paul is. The commander states that he paid a big price to become a Roman Citizen with all its rights and privileges. Paul says, "That's really nice. I was born a Roman Citizen." Now the commander knows he's in real trouble. Paul's status gave him superior rights and privileges not given to the average schmo. The commander has to get this resolved.

The resolution leads to a trial with the Sanhedrin, the ruling Jewish Council. And here again, knowing the make up of the Sanhedrin and the hot button issues, Paul uses it to to turn one side against the other. He takes the focus off of him and changes the point of contention or the issue at hand. Paul wisely states that he is being accused because he believed in the resurrection. Sadducees didn't believe in the resurrection while Pharisees avidly held to the resurrection of the dead and spirits and angels. Now the debate is on and does it become heated. It was so heated that Paul was removed from the midst and now his hope of going to Rome is going to come true.

It doesn't sound too much like a spiritual issue, but in fact it is. Paul used his understanding and position to place himself in an all expense paid trip to Rome to present the Gospel to the Emperor. Paul was patient. He listen to God's Spirit. Followed His lead. Took the opportunities. Allowed to the Lord to work out the details and relied on God's strength.

God, too often I get so caught up in the circumstance I'm facing that I can't see the forest for the trees. Help me to open my eyes and my mind to you. Give me the guidance I need to reveal your truth and follow your plan.

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Daily Reflections on Ps. 1:1-6 (The Right Friends)

"So that's where that verse is found," decried one of our Life Together group members as we read 1 Corinthians 15:33, "Bad company corrupts good morals," during our study time. They went on to expound about a situation with a relative's teenage son. The teen years have often be called the "turbulent years" because of all the challenges teens (and their parents) face in this phase of their lives. It's tough growing to adulthood. Teen years spread into college life and young adulthood. Many of the decisions and choices made during this time will last a lifetime or at least affect one for a lifetime.

The psalmist in Psalm 1 gives some of the most practical advice found in scripture for anyone of any age. But I think it is especially pertinent to young adults, especially teens. The psalmist says "Blessed or Happy or Content or Satisfied is the person who doesn't listen to the advice or urging of wicked, corrupt, worldly people." He says that the smartest thing to do to get the best out of life is to listen to, meditate on, study God's instructions on how to do life from God's Word, the Bible.

God's ways may not always be the easiest to follow, but they do make the most sense in the long run, even if they don't understand the why at the beginning. A young college student showed up in my office on spring break very distraught. She began to tell me her sad story of getting caught up in college life and we're not talking the academic side. She met a guy and you can guess where this story is going. Partying, sex, pregnancy, abandonment, abortion. This young lady was so ridden with guilt she was flunking out of school. Her college major was Early Childhood Development. The classroom discussions and pictures of growing infants were more than she could bear. The rejection of a guy who only used her sexually and now the guilt of all her actions were smothering her.

Unfortunately it's not an unfamiliar story. I've heard it all too often or at least ones similar to it. The regret is always the same and the pain is always devastating. It's too late to go back an undo what's been done. Living with the consequences and the personal destruction remain. If I've heard it once, I've heard it a thousand times, "If only I had just listened to...." To whom? Friend, parent, teacher, pastor; it doesn't matter the person, it always comes back to God's teaching on the subject.

God is trying to protect us from ourselves. That's why He gives us His instructions on how to do life to get the best out of life. Focusing on His truths and hanging out with others who are focusing on His truths is a smart way to do life. The world is full of people who will be glad to lead you down paths that end in pain and destruction. Choosing your friends and associates wisely makes all the difference in the fullness of your life.

God, I want to walk down the path that brings the greatest fulfillment to my life. I know that is in you. I don't want to experience a spiritual or personal famine. I want to drink in your truths that I know will sustain me. Give me discernment in choosing my associates. Clarify your path and your ways through the Holy Spirit you placed within me.