Fights always seem to draw crowds, whether professional or street fights. For whatever reason, people gather to watch two people pummel each other. Maybe it's just the commotion or maybe it stirs some animalistic urges in all of us, but for whatever the reason most people are drawn to the intrigue of two battling foes.
At the same time, most people hate conflict and will do anything to avoid it. We don't like tension. We don't like dissension. It makes us feel uncomfortable at best. Being in the same room where two people hate each other causes us to look for the open door to make our exit in a hurry.
Hatred is a destructive force. Not only does it affect us personally, it affects our relationships and our environment. Hatred eats us up on the inside and prevents us from really enjoying life and the people around us. It poisons our attitude and distracts us from accomplishing great things. Living with a chip on our shoulder robs us and others around us of the kind of life God would have for us.
Where quarrels and fights draw crowds, love expressed openly draws people. Who would rather be around a seething grouchy person with venom being spewed from their lips or someone who warmly embraces people around them? No brainer, right? Love takes the hit and reaches out in mercy, forgiveness and grace. Hate takes the hit and strikes back.
When Jesus went to the cross, he took the hit of our hate, disobedience, sin and offered up mercy, forgiveness and grace. But with that also comes hope and encouragement and opportunity and healing. Jesus said that others would know we were His followers by our love for one another. 1 John states that it is impossible to hate our brothers and/or sisters and love God, because God is love. God has nothing to do with hate. God is about restoration and reconciliation and life. To be a part of His Kingdom, His Family means that we too should be characterized by love.
God, please remove any hate from me. Help me to love like you love, to bring healing and hope and encouragement to others.
Showing posts with label restoration. Show all posts
Showing posts with label restoration. Show all posts
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Daily Reflections on Isa. 61:1-2, 10 (Release Feels So Good)
Jesus strolled into his hometown synagogue with His building prominence. He had been making quite a name for Himself throughout the region with His teaching. He was asked to speak out of courtesy or perhaps curiosity. After all, He was the son of a carpenter turned rabbi. He asked for the scrolls from Isaiah and began to read from chapter 61, "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, Because the LORD has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners; To proclaim the favorable year of the LORD." Then He told the crowd listening, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."
Jesus' proclamation about this Himself and this passage tells us that this chapter is prophecy about promise of God's Messiah. Not only did Jesus make this assertion, the religious leaders and others in the synagogue believed this passage was about God's Deliverer as well. They were so incensed by Jesus' claim to be the Messiah that they wanted to throw Him off a cliff.
If everyone in Jesus' day understood this passage to be about God's promise to deliver His people, then it only makes sense for us to interpret these verses in light of God's promise. Look again at the words Isaiah uses; bring good news to the afflicted, bind up the brokenhearted, proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord. They are promises regarding the victory Jesus brings to our spiritual state.
The message of Jesus' death, burial and resurrection is good news to us who are struggling in our own humanity. He brings hope for those who have no hope. He releases us from the burden and captivity of our sinful nature. The favorable year of the Lord is a reference to the Year of Jubilee when all debts were forgiven and things restored to the original owners. The favorable year of the Lord is symbolic of God's forgiveness of all our debts, sins, or as the KJV Bible says, trespasses.
If this passage is about the deliverance God brings through Jesus, then the garment of salvation and the robe of righteousness referred to in verse 10 is a direct parallel to Galatians 3:27 which says, "For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ." When I accept Christ and are baptized into Him, God puts on us the garment of salvation or the robe of His righteousness. That means that when God looks at us, He no longer sees our guilty, sinful lives; He sees Jesus. No wonder God remembers our sin no more.
God, thanks for doing for me what I can't do for myself. I'm trapped in my own sinful, corrupt, human nature. There's no way out except for you. Thanks for healing my spirit. Thanks for opening the locks to the fetters that hold me down, that enslave me. Thanks for your wonderful forgiveness. Thanks for the renewal and restoration.
Jesus' proclamation about this Himself and this passage tells us that this chapter is prophecy about promise of God's Messiah. Not only did Jesus make this assertion, the religious leaders and others in the synagogue believed this passage was about God's Deliverer as well. They were so incensed by Jesus' claim to be the Messiah that they wanted to throw Him off a cliff.
If everyone in Jesus' day understood this passage to be about God's promise to deliver His people, then it only makes sense for us to interpret these verses in light of God's promise. Look again at the words Isaiah uses; bring good news to the afflicted, bind up the brokenhearted, proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord. They are promises regarding the victory Jesus brings to our spiritual state.
The message of Jesus' death, burial and resurrection is good news to us who are struggling in our own humanity. He brings hope for those who have no hope. He releases us from the burden and captivity of our sinful nature. The favorable year of the Lord is a reference to the Year of Jubilee when all debts were forgiven and things restored to the original owners. The favorable year of the Lord is symbolic of God's forgiveness of all our debts, sins, or as the KJV Bible says, trespasses.
If this passage is about the deliverance God brings through Jesus, then the garment of salvation and the robe of righteousness referred to in verse 10 is a direct parallel to Galatians 3:27 which says, "For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ." When I accept Christ and are baptized into Him, God puts on us the garment of salvation or the robe of His righteousness. That means that when God looks at us, He no longer sees our guilty, sinful lives; He sees Jesus. No wonder God remembers our sin no more.
God, thanks for doing for me what I can't do for myself. I'm trapped in my own sinful, corrupt, human nature. There's no way out except for you. Thanks for healing my spirit. Thanks for opening the locks to the fetters that hold me down, that enslave me. Thanks for your wonderful forgiveness. Thanks for the renewal and restoration.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Daily Reflections on Isa. 43:18019; Eph. 3:14-21 (I Can't Change)
"That's just who I am. I've always been this way." "You can't teach an old dog new tricks." These are among the phrases I've heard throughout my years of ministry regarding why people can't change. I could give you an endless list of excuses and rationale many people use for staying in the same destructive pattern of behavior. Any objective observer sees through facade.
Yet many of us are so shaped by our past or are so haunted by our past that it makes it hard for us to enjoy or even to live in the opportunities of the present and future. I love this passage from Isaiah 43:18-19. God tells us to forget the former things and not to dwell on the things of our past. He says that He is going to do a new thing. He tells us that He is making a way in the desert and refreshing streams in the wasteland.
Living in the mistakes, circumstances, oppression of our past can make us feel like we're in a desert. We feel trapped and worthless. It saps our dreams and leads us to depression, anxiety, guilt and probably a myriad of other emotions and mindsets. It's really hard for us to imagine how God could do anything significant in our lives or how our lives could be anything different.
If anyone understood the imprisoning power of past life, it had to be the Apostle Paul. He like many of the Bible heroes had his fair share of skeletons in the closet. There were plenty of dark moments that Paul would have just as soon faded away into oblivion. I'm sure the echoes of cries and screams of persons and family members he put to death haunted him each night as he placed his head on the pillow. As he closed his eyes he could see the faces of desperate mom's, wives, children of the men he ordered to die.
Yet, Paul found relief, hope, direction, refreshment in Christ. Perhaps that is one of factors that drove him to share the message of the Good News of God through Jesus. In Ephesians 3:14-21 he shares a prayer of restoration and relief and hope for others. He prays for us to find that inner strength that comes through the Spirit of God. He prays that we would discover the incredible depth, width, breadth of God's refreshing, forgiving, redeeming, restoring, empowering love. The kind of love that truly transforms us.
For those who say, "I could never change," or "I could never amount to much," or my situation is hopeless," Paul proclaims, "Now to Him is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen."
God, you said that if anyone be in Christ Jesus he or she is a new creation, that the old is gone, that we have been made new. But it's hard for me to escape my past. It's filled with disappointment, devastation, blunders, pain that keep me chained and burdened. It's hard for me to see anything but that. I want to see your new thing. Give me a glimpse. Work your change in me. Free me the old things of my past that hold me down and prevent me from enjoying life with you.
Yet many of us are so shaped by our past or are so haunted by our past that it makes it hard for us to enjoy or even to live in the opportunities of the present and future. I love this passage from Isaiah 43:18-19. God tells us to forget the former things and not to dwell on the things of our past. He says that He is going to do a new thing. He tells us that He is making a way in the desert and refreshing streams in the wasteland.
Living in the mistakes, circumstances, oppression of our past can make us feel like we're in a desert. We feel trapped and worthless. It saps our dreams and leads us to depression, anxiety, guilt and probably a myriad of other emotions and mindsets. It's really hard for us to imagine how God could do anything significant in our lives or how our lives could be anything different.
If anyone understood the imprisoning power of past life, it had to be the Apostle Paul. He like many of the Bible heroes had his fair share of skeletons in the closet. There were plenty of dark moments that Paul would have just as soon faded away into oblivion. I'm sure the echoes of cries and screams of persons and family members he put to death haunted him each night as he placed his head on the pillow. As he closed his eyes he could see the faces of desperate mom's, wives, children of the men he ordered to die.
Yet, Paul found relief, hope, direction, refreshment in Christ. Perhaps that is one of factors that drove him to share the message of the Good News of God through Jesus. In Ephesians 3:14-21 he shares a prayer of restoration and relief and hope for others. He prays for us to find that inner strength that comes through the Spirit of God. He prays that we would discover the incredible depth, width, breadth of God's refreshing, forgiving, redeeming, restoring, empowering love. The kind of love that truly transforms us.
For those who say, "I could never change," or "I could never amount to much," or my situation is hopeless," Paul proclaims, "Now to Him is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen."
God, you said that if anyone be in Christ Jesus he or she is a new creation, that the old is gone, that we have been made new. But it's hard for me to escape my past. It's filled with disappointment, devastation, blunders, pain that keep me chained and burdened. It's hard for me to see anything but that. I want to see your new thing. Give me a glimpse. Work your change in me. Free me the old things of my past that hold me down and prevent me from enjoying life with you.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Daily Reflections on Isa. 4:2-6 (Personal Devastation, Disaster, and Restoration)
Facing disaster is demoralizing. Last night a friend and former co-laborer in Christ shared with me the devastating news with me that he had a form of bone cancer. My heart sank. I saw the deep grief in his eyes and felt his emotional pain as we embraced to pray. Most people, at some point in their life, will face a disaster of their own. It may not be cancer, but it most certainly will be just as demoralizing. It could be anything from a broken relationship to a lost job to the death or ill health of a loved one to a rebellious family member. It could be a natural disaster like Katrina or a tornado. It could be a financial collapse or a foreclosure. No matter the personal disaster, our joy of life and hope are drained from us in those moments.
Let's be honest, those are bitter days that none of us want to face. Nobody looks forward to personal devastation. Yet, in those moments of utter darkness, when we wonder if God really cares, there comes a glimmer of light in the distance. God certainly is aware of our plight and deeply cares. It's in our deepest hour of grief we discover God is there. And it's in those moments the promise of Isaiah 4 becomes so rich.
Isaiah writes about the impending disaster that is coming upon Jerusalem and Judah for their sinful practices. He talks about the destruction and personal pain all will feel when God brings judgment upon them. The devastation will be all encompassing. No one will be spared because of their behavior. And just when all seems lost, God will throw them a life preserver, a branch of the Lord. Isaiah talks about the cleansing and restoration that will occur. He talks about how the presence of God will be seen and felt.
The prophecy appears to be a picture of Christ's redeeming, restoring sacrifice. It's a view into what God will do for us who are hopelessly lost and facing personal eternal disaster. In our moment of greatest distress, God extends to us a branch to pull us from our quicksand through Jesus and His Holy Spirit.
Some of the disasters we face in life, okay, many of the disasters we face in life are because of our own action, attitudes or behavior. We fail to heed God's instruction and warnings and thus end up in the pit of despair. We feel depressed and defeated with no way out. But still He doesn't abandon us. He's still there holding out a branch.
He is willing to rescue us from even the deepest, darkest hole. But we have to seize the branch. Just like Peter had to take the hand of Jesus when he was sinking in the sea of doubt during a life threating storm, we have to reach out to grab the hope of God.
I'm not sure we can really appreciate fully the hope and goodness of God and His presence until we've wallowed in the depths of despair and darkness. It's not until we are able to clear ourselves from the muck by taking the hand of Christ that we experience the true joy of life in Him. Only after a disaster, when God brings restoration to us, do we fully appreciate His grace and redemption and security and nature.
God, sometimes it seems that I go from one disaster to the next. The shoe keeps dropping and it lands on my head. I can't seem to escape. I know, Lord, that some of the devastation is brought on by my own actions, attitudes, and behavior. God give me the wisdom and ability to see the branch you're extending to me. I need you. Restore me. Refresh me. Surround me with your goodness and grace and presence. I long for the light. Help me watch out for the pits and traps that lead to darkness and disaster.
Let's be honest, those are bitter days that none of us want to face. Nobody looks forward to personal devastation. Yet, in those moments of utter darkness, when we wonder if God really cares, there comes a glimmer of light in the distance. God certainly is aware of our plight and deeply cares. It's in our deepest hour of grief we discover God is there. And it's in those moments the promise of Isaiah 4 becomes so rich.
Isaiah writes about the impending disaster that is coming upon Jerusalem and Judah for their sinful practices. He talks about the destruction and personal pain all will feel when God brings judgment upon them. The devastation will be all encompassing. No one will be spared because of their behavior. And just when all seems lost, God will throw them a life preserver, a branch of the Lord. Isaiah talks about the cleansing and restoration that will occur. He talks about how the presence of God will be seen and felt.
The prophecy appears to be a picture of Christ's redeeming, restoring sacrifice. It's a view into what God will do for us who are hopelessly lost and facing personal eternal disaster. In our moment of greatest distress, God extends to us a branch to pull us from our quicksand through Jesus and His Holy Spirit.
Some of the disasters we face in life, okay, many of the disasters we face in life are because of our own action, attitudes or behavior. We fail to heed God's instruction and warnings and thus end up in the pit of despair. We feel depressed and defeated with no way out. But still He doesn't abandon us. He's still there holding out a branch.
He is willing to rescue us from even the deepest, darkest hole. But we have to seize the branch. Just like Peter had to take the hand of Jesus when he was sinking in the sea of doubt during a life threating storm, we have to reach out to grab the hope of God.
I'm not sure we can really appreciate fully the hope and goodness of God and His presence until we've wallowed in the depths of despair and darkness. It's not until we are able to clear ourselves from the muck by taking the hand of Christ that we experience the true joy of life in Him. Only after a disaster, when God brings restoration to us, do we fully appreciate His grace and redemption and security and nature.
God, sometimes it seems that I go from one disaster to the next. The shoe keeps dropping and it lands on my head. I can't seem to escape. I know, Lord, that some of the devastation is brought on by my own actions, attitudes, and behavior. God give me the wisdom and ability to see the branch you're extending to me. I need you. Restore me. Refresh me. Surround me with your goodness and grace and presence. I long for the light. Help me watch out for the pits and traps that lead to darkness and disaster.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Daily Reflections on Haggai 1:1-15 (Life Is Consuming)
Life sure is consuming. We are so caught up in the day to day that's it's hard to see anything else. It amazes me that we live in a society that has more convenience than at any other time in history yet we seem to have less time for people, needs and relationships. We hurry here and hurry there and get nowhere. We zip home from work, either pick up fast food on the way home or microwave it when we get there so we can spend the evening watching Dancing with the Stars, The Bachelor, Heroes, House, or Entourage. We spend hours playing video games or chatting online or checking out all our friends on MySpace or Facebook.
What's funny is all I hear is about how tired everyone is. Of course in the next breath I hear about how late they were online or about the late show/movie they watched or something to that effect. We don't have time. We're too tired. Why?
Did I mention how caught up we are in just ordinary day to day stuff? We're not doing anything really significant with our life, yet we're consumed with our life. Weird. Is it just me? Am I just imagining it? Are people so caught up with themselves that they are consumed with themselves?
Not a new issue. Seems like that's what Haggai is addressing in this passage? People so consumed with their own life that can't see the bigger picture. When people, leadership first, finally opened their eyes and ears to God's message through Haggai their hearts were changed. The Lord stirred up their spirits. They got a fire to do something about their community and their efforts made a difference.
God's message in many places, homes and hearts is going unheard. There's an uneasiness that's rolling across our land. We're on our little merry-go-round, wrapped up in our little world as real needs go unmet, relationships crash and burn as our society slips into decay.
God, stir my heart. Light a fire in me and the folks at LifeSpring. Awaken us to your words and message of hope and healing and renewal and restoration and victory. Help up see what's really important in life. Unite us in purpose. Ignite us with your Spirit. Allow us to be an incendiary fellowship.
What's funny is all I hear is about how tired everyone is. Of course in the next breath I hear about how late they were online or about the late show/movie they watched or something to that effect. We don't have time. We're too tired. Why?
Did I mention how caught up we are in just ordinary day to day stuff? We're not doing anything really significant with our life, yet we're consumed with our life. Weird. Is it just me? Am I just imagining it? Are people so caught up with themselves that they are consumed with themselves?
Not a new issue. Seems like that's what Haggai is addressing in this passage? People so consumed with their own life that can't see the bigger picture. When people, leadership first, finally opened their eyes and ears to God's message through Haggai their hearts were changed. The Lord stirred up their spirits. They got a fire to do something about their community and their efforts made a difference.
God's message in many places, homes and hearts is going unheard. There's an uneasiness that's rolling across our land. We're on our little merry-go-round, wrapped up in our little world as real needs go unmet, relationships crash and burn as our society slips into decay.
God, stir my heart. Light a fire in me and the folks at LifeSpring. Awaken us to your words and message of hope and healing and renewal and restoration and victory. Help up see what's really important in life. Unite us in purpose. Ignite us with your Spirit. Allow us to be an incendiary fellowship.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Daily Reflections on Zeph. 3:14-20 (Thanksgiving Promises and Black Friday Nightmares)
Okay, Thanksgiving is over. Now we can get back to our ungrateful selves. Black Friday ushered in the competitive, frantic, rushing of the wonderful Christmas season. You know the pushing and shoving of crowded malls and shopping centers. The vying for parking places. (Take the old dented, beat up vehicle to the mall. The guy in the shiny newu Lexus will yield to you for that parking space every time). Sure we love the Christmas season, but somehow it's just not as relaxing as Thanksgiving.
Christmas is great, but maybe Thanksgiving is the more appropriate seasonal attitude. Don't get me wrong. I know a lot of benevolence happens at Christmas. Food banks get filled up. Toys, coats, clothing is bought for needy children and families. Salvation Army gets 80 percent of their revenue for their next year's operating budget through the bell ringers (estimated educated guess not necessarily fact). We all have a giving heart through the Christmas season.
It's just that seems to me that if we truly developed a Thanksgiving heart year round, the giving of Christmas would be unnecessary. A year round Thanksgiving heart would produce year round benevolent giving. More needs could be met throughout the year. It sounds strange, but somehow I think we turn our hearts toward God more at Thanksgiving than we do at Christmas. At Christmas we focus on giving and getting. At Thanksgiving we focus on God and family.
As I was reading this passages in Zephaniah, I've decided I didn't want to let go of Thanksgiving just yet. I started thinking more and more about the promises made here and the joy it brings through Christ. When I look at life with all it's challenges and miseries and difficulties, and I look at the relief, support, care, and provision of God, I want to stay at Thanksgiving.
Did you catch those phrases in these verses: Don't fear; Don't let your arms hang limp; God is with you; He is mighty to save; He takes great delight in you; He will quiet you with His love; He will rejoice over you in singing. Hey, I want some of that action. That's something to rejoice over. God's in my corner! Talk about debt relief. He's promised forgiveness for my sin through Jesus, empowerment through His Spirit, eternity with Him. Thanksgiving teaches me dependence on Him and to turn my heart to Him.
God, when I come to you, you promise to take care of my oppressors, to rescue you me from my own plights, to restore me, to remove my shame, to grant me honor, to bring me into your presence. I don't want to lose sight of that. I want to grab hold of your guarantee. My heart overflows with joy when I simply reflect on you, your greatness and majesty, your heart and passion, your unending love. It makes me want to offer grace to others.
Christmas is great, but maybe Thanksgiving is the more appropriate seasonal attitude. Don't get me wrong. I know a lot of benevolence happens at Christmas. Food banks get filled up. Toys, coats, clothing is bought for needy children and families. Salvation Army gets 80 percent of their revenue for their next year's operating budget through the bell ringers (estimated educated guess not necessarily fact). We all have a giving heart through the Christmas season.
It's just that seems to me that if we truly developed a Thanksgiving heart year round, the giving of Christmas would be unnecessary. A year round Thanksgiving heart would produce year round benevolent giving. More needs could be met throughout the year. It sounds strange, but somehow I think we turn our hearts toward God more at Thanksgiving than we do at Christmas. At Christmas we focus on giving and getting. At Thanksgiving we focus on God and family.
As I was reading this passages in Zephaniah, I've decided I didn't want to let go of Thanksgiving just yet. I started thinking more and more about the promises made here and the joy it brings through Christ. When I look at life with all it's challenges and miseries and difficulties, and I look at the relief, support, care, and provision of God, I want to stay at Thanksgiving.
Did you catch those phrases in these verses: Don't fear; Don't let your arms hang limp; God is with you; He is mighty to save; He takes great delight in you; He will quiet you with His love; He will rejoice over you in singing. Hey, I want some of that action. That's something to rejoice over. God's in my corner! Talk about debt relief. He's promised forgiveness for my sin through Jesus, empowerment through His Spirit, eternity with Him. Thanksgiving teaches me dependence on Him and to turn my heart to Him.
God, when I come to you, you promise to take care of my oppressors, to rescue you me from my own plights, to restore me, to remove my shame, to grant me honor, to bring me into your presence. I don't want to lose sight of that. I want to grab hold of your guarantee. My heart overflows with joy when I simply reflect on you, your greatness and majesty, your heart and passion, your unending love. It makes me want to offer grace to others.
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Daily Reflections on Ex. 20:8-11 (Work and Rest)
Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to work I go. Work, work, work. If you want to get anywhere in life you have to work for it. You're not here enough. You sales aren't high enough. You're not making your production quota. We need you to work overtime and it's mandatory.
Work is a necessary part of life. The Apostle Paul said if you don't work, you don't get to eat. King Solomon talks about work as a necessary part of life that brings identity, purpose, meaning and satisfaction. However, for many, life is nothing more than getting up in the morning, going to work, coming home, watching TV and going to bed. Work, and often the daily commute, consumes our energies each day. When we do get home, we're beat, worn out, frustrated and unfulfilled. Another typical day at the ol' grindstone.
We like our car, our house, our boat, our bike, our stuff, so we work. We work to get our stuff and then in the end, we're too tired to enjoy our stuff. Then we work even harder to get more stuff, or bigger, better stuff that consumes even more of our time and energy that give us even less time to enjoy our stuff. Or, we have to pay someone else to take care of our stuff. Are we nuts?
Whether you love your job or hate your job, the bottom line is we all have to expend a great deal of effort on our job. After days, weeks, months, years of doing the same basic thing everyday, many become complacent with life, friends, family and, oh yes, work. We're so bored and tired that we don't enjoy life or the relationships around us. Some try to numb themselves each evening or on the weekends with booze or various recreational drugs. Others try to keep that edge through a caffeine buzz or even meth.
God says we all need renewal on a weekly basis. He says we need to put down the Blackberry, the laptop, the cell phone, the tools, the dust rag and mop and REST. Really rest. Work as hard as you want for six days, but one day you need to stop and smell the roses. We need to simply reflect, observe, relish, enjoy, celebrate life and the people in your life. We need a day each week to kick back and chill. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
Having raised a household of young ladies, I've learned that you have to give the hot water heater time to recovery. If you keep draining the tank, the hot water heater keeps working, but just continues to produce cool or at best tepid water. But, if you give it a rest and time to catch up, you can enjoy a nice hot shower. If we keep pressing and pressing without rest, we can't give out what we're capable of producing. We're less effective when we don't give ourselves some time for renewal. Our attitude suffers, our relationships suffer, our productivity suffers, our creativity suffers when we don't stop for a sabbath, for a time of refreshing.
God, I'm guilty. I'm a workaholic. I don't know when to stop until you make me lie down in green pastures. But to be honest, I feel guilty not working. Allow me the solitude I need. Meet me in my times of rest. Give me the refreshment I need to have the best perspective possible and to really enjoy life as you intended.
Work is a necessary part of life. The Apostle Paul said if you don't work, you don't get to eat. King Solomon talks about work as a necessary part of life that brings identity, purpose, meaning and satisfaction. However, for many, life is nothing more than getting up in the morning, going to work, coming home, watching TV and going to bed. Work, and often the daily commute, consumes our energies each day. When we do get home, we're beat, worn out, frustrated and unfulfilled. Another typical day at the ol' grindstone.
We like our car, our house, our boat, our bike, our stuff, so we work. We work to get our stuff and then in the end, we're too tired to enjoy our stuff. Then we work even harder to get more stuff, or bigger, better stuff that consumes even more of our time and energy that give us even less time to enjoy our stuff. Or, we have to pay someone else to take care of our stuff. Are we nuts?
Whether you love your job or hate your job, the bottom line is we all have to expend a great deal of effort on our job. After days, weeks, months, years of doing the same basic thing everyday, many become complacent with life, friends, family and, oh yes, work. We're so bored and tired that we don't enjoy life or the relationships around us. Some try to numb themselves each evening or on the weekends with booze or various recreational drugs. Others try to keep that edge through a caffeine buzz or even meth.
God says we all need renewal on a weekly basis. He says we need to put down the Blackberry, the laptop, the cell phone, the tools, the dust rag and mop and REST. Really rest. Work as hard as you want for six days, but one day you need to stop and smell the roses. We need to simply reflect, observe, relish, enjoy, celebrate life and the people in your life. We need a day each week to kick back and chill. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
Having raised a household of young ladies, I've learned that you have to give the hot water heater time to recovery. If you keep draining the tank, the hot water heater keeps working, but just continues to produce cool or at best tepid water. But, if you give it a rest and time to catch up, you can enjoy a nice hot shower. If we keep pressing and pressing without rest, we can't give out what we're capable of producing. We're less effective when we don't give ourselves some time for renewal. Our attitude suffers, our relationships suffer, our productivity suffers, our creativity suffers when we don't stop for a sabbath, for a time of refreshing.
God, I'm guilty. I'm a workaholic. I don't know when to stop until you make me lie down in green pastures. But to be honest, I feel guilty not working. Allow me the solitude I need. Meet me in my times of rest. Give me the refreshment I need to have the best perspective possible and to really enjoy life as you intended.
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Daily Reflections on Jn. 21:1-19 (Failure, Mistakes, and Screw Ups)
Anything worth doing is worth doing poorly at first. I should know, I've done a lot things poorly. However, more often than not, after doing them again and again I generally get better. Very few of us are experts the first time we attempt something. I've never got "high score" on a video game unless it's the first time it's played.
Life is often that way. We learned to walk by taking a few step and going down. We'd take a few more steps and down again. We learn from our failures, our mistakes. We can be cruising along, enjoying the moment of life and suddenly, CRASH, we've just wrecked.
My daughter and I were tooling down the interstate at 70 mph in very heavy traffic when suddenly everyone stopped. It was like a scene out of a movie; tires screeching, cars careening out of control hitting ditches, sliding sideways. Me, I locked up the brakes and tried to slide in between the 2 lanes of cars, just as a van did the same thing from the other lane. I avoided the van but couldn't quite squeeze between it and the semi-sideways car in front of me.
Gun-shy wouldn't describe how I was driving or even riding in a car for several weeks. Panic would be a better word any time somebody's brake lights went on in front of me. I was a mess. But after one session with our counselor, I was back behind the wheel doing fine. Accidents, mistakes, failures happen in life. You can't let them hold you down or back. Wallowing in self pity or simply accepting a one time incident as fate, takes you out of the joy and potential of life. Besides, sitting on the sidelines prevents you from fulfilling God's plan and purpose for your life.
Jesus restored Peter after his colossal failure. He'd cashed in his future and had settled for an unfulfilling past. But Jesus helped him through it and gave him charge of his own mission. Just a few weeks later, Peter was baptizing 3,000 people into Christ and standing up to the religious hierarchy who threaten to kill him. Quite a change.
Having made my fair share of mistakes, failures and screw ups, I've learned that the more I trust in God and rely on the Holy Spirit, the better off I am. Acknowledging and learning from my screw ups only makes me better. God's grace is always bigger than my disgrace. God already knows I'm a mess. When I admit it, confess it, surrender it, He often takes my very weakness and uses it to His glory to minister to someone else.
God, thanks for your grace. When I'm weak, then you're strong. Thanks for turning my blunders into your blessings. Because of you, my failures don't disqualify me. God re-mold me, replenish me, re-use me for your Kingdom glory.
Life is often that way. We learned to walk by taking a few step and going down. We'd take a few more steps and down again. We learn from our failures, our mistakes. We can be cruising along, enjoying the moment of life and suddenly, CRASH, we've just wrecked.
My daughter and I were tooling down the interstate at 70 mph in very heavy traffic when suddenly everyone stopped. It was like a scene out of a movie; tires screeching, cars careening out of control hitting ditches, sliding sideways. Me, I locked up the brakes and tried to slide in between the 2 lanes of cars, just as a van did the same thing from the other lane. I avoided the van but couldn't quite squeeze between it and the semi-sideways car in front of me.
Gun-shy wouldn't describe how I was driving or even riding in a car for several weeks. Panic would be a better word any time somebody's brake lights went on in front of me. I was a mess. But after one session with our counselor, I was back behind the wheel doing fine. Accidents, mistakes, failures happen in life. You can't let them hold you down or back. Wallowing in self pity or simply accepting a one time incident as fate, takes you out of the joy and potential of life. Besides, sitting on the sidelines prevents you from fulfilling God's plan and purpose for your life.
Jesus restored Peter after his colossal failure. He'd cashed in his future and had settled for an unfulfilling past. But Jesus helped him through it and gave him charge of his own mission. Just a few weeks later, Peter was baptizing 3,000 people into Christ and standing up to the religious hierarchy who threaten to kill him. Quite a change.
Having made my fair share of mistakes, failures and screw ups, I've learned that the more I trust in God and rely on the Holy Spirit, the better off I am. Acknowledging and learning from my screw ups only makes me better. God's grace is always bigger than my disgrace. God already knows I'm a mess. When I admit it, confess it, surrender it, He often takes my very weakness and uses it to His glory to minister to someone else.
God, thanks for your grace. When I'm weak, then you're strong. Thanks for turning my blunders into your blessings. Because of you, my failures don't disqualify me. God re-mold me, replenish me, re-use me for your Kingdom glory.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Daily Reflections on Titus 3:3-7 (Pounding Erasers)
I did it because it was fun! Sometimes at recess and sometimes after school. As a third grader I had a blast with some of my classmates cleaning the erasers and chalk boards. We'd pound those puppies together trying to create the biggest dust cloud. Biggest dust cloud wins. Then it was a race to get your board the cleanest, the fastest. Every inch had to be sparkling green again with no streaking and no puddles of water on the floor. Our teacher must have thought we were nuts. No one asked us. We weren't being punished. We just thought it was cool.
I love to compete and I love to race. But in my hurry, I often had to go back and wipe the board clean again, because as it dried it would leave ugly yellow streaks and smudges on the green board. I'd look over at one of my meticulous friends who carefully and thoroughly was wiping every inch of the board with their damp sponge. I was totally amazed at the pristine nature of their board as it dried. I always had to go back and do mine over.
Although chalkboards have given way to dry erase boards and now smart boards and video projection, the image of the old dust flying from those erasers and seeing those green boards dry to a pristine purity depicts to me the cleansing power of God's grace through Jesus Christ. Without entering into a philosophical or theological discussion of "tabula rosa" or "TULIP," that image describes what God does in my life initially when I first come to faith in Christ and daily as I surrender my life to Him.
A lot of stuff gets written on my board. Sometimes I try to erase it and start over, but the dusty smudges are always there. The more I write or someone else writes, draws, scribbles or diagrams, the more cluttered and confusing my life becomes. When God washes me, I'm pristine again. Nothing that's gone on in the past is evident on my life board. I have what's known as a "clean slate." What I do with my life board from here on out is fresh and new. My past no longer clouds my future.
God, it's miserable when I cloud the issue with my own attempts at starting over. I'm frustrated by the smudges of my past. Wipe my board clean. Make me pristine. Allow me to articulate with clarity your glory, to artfully sketch your majesty. Better yet, you take the chalk. You write on my life. You draw your design. I trust you. I want to be a benefit to others. Communicate through me the splendor of your good news.
I love to compete and I love to race. But in my hurry, I often had to go back and wipe the board clean again, because as it dried it would leave ugly yellow streaks and smudges on the green board. I'd look over at one of my meticulous friends who carefully and thoroughly was wiping every inch of the board with their damp sponge. I was totally amazed at the pristine nature of their board as it dried. I always had to go back and do mine over.
Although chalkboards have given way to dry erase boards and now smart boards and video projection, the image of the old dust flying from those erasers and seeing those green boards dry to a pristine purity depicts to me the cleansing power of God's grace through Jesus Christ. Without entering into a philosophical or theological discussion of "tabula rosa" or "TULIP," that image describes what God does in my life initially when I first come to faith in Christ and daily as I surrender my life to Him.
A lot of stuff gets written on my board. Sometimes I try to erase it and start over, but the dusty smudges are always there. The more I write or someone else writes, draws, scribbles or diagrams, the more cluttered and confusing my life becomes. When God washes me, I'm pristine again. Nothing that's gone on in the past is evident on my life board. I have what's known as a "clean slate." What I do with my life board from here on out is fresh and new. My past no longer clouds my future.
God, it's miserable when I cloud the issue with my own attempts at starting over. I'm frustrated by the smudges of my past. Wipe my board clean. Make me pristine. Allow me to articulate with clarity your glory, to artfully sketch your majesty. Better yet, you take the chalk. You write on my life. You draw your design. I trust you. I want to be a benefit to others. Communicate through me the splendor of your good news.
Friday, June 8, 2007
Daily Reflections on 3 John 2-4
What is truth? From varying philosophies, to different religions, to the multitude of media outlets, to Wikipedia seems like truth is sometimes a hard thing to get our hands on. The internet has exploded the forums for scams and fraud. Even our former Presidents have redefined "is" and "crook."
Who do you believe and how do you know what's right? Jesus claimed to be the way, the truth and the life. He said He was the only way to God, the Father. Some have doubted His claim and sought to discredit or discount Him. Others have flat out denied Him. Still others have bent His truths to their own liking.
But as a friend of mine once said, "Truth is truth no matter if anyone believes it." For years courts would have one put their hand on the Bible and swear to tell the truth. Why? Because God's Word is the standard of truth. God's truth, found in His Word, was given to us for our benefit. Living by the truths of God's Word plays out to our advantage. God is interested in our health and wellbeing. When we fail to live by or adhere to the standards of God's teaching, we have to face the consequences.
Living by the truth of God's Word is not about following a list of rules and regulations. It's learning how to build and grow in my relationships with my spouse, my kids, my parents, my friends, my coworkers, my bosses. It's learning how to keep from screwing up my life or how to restore it once I've had the train wreck. It's about learning how to handle my finances, about finding my purpose, about planning for my future.
God, I want to be found faithful to your truth. Help me live day by day in your truth, Your Word. Thanks for shining your light on my path to show me the way and keep me from stumbling.
Who do you believe and how do you know what's right? Jesus claimed to be the way, the truth and the life. He said He was the only way to God, the Father. Some have doubted His claim and sought to discredit or discount Him. Others have flat out denied Him. Still others have bent His truths to their own liking.
But as a friend of mine once said, "Truth is truth no matter if anyone believes it." For years courts would have one put their hand on the Bible and swear to tell the truth. Why? Because God's Word is the standard of truth. God's truth, found in His Word, was given to us for our benefit. Living by the truths of God's Word plays out to our advantage. God is interested in our health and wellbeing. When we fail to live by or adhere to the standards of God's teaching, we have to face the consequences.
Living by the truth of God's Word is not about following a list of rules and regulations. It's learning how to build and grow in my relationships with my spouse, my kids, my parents, my friends, my coworkers, my bosses. It's learning how to keep from screwing up my life or how to restore it once I've had the train wreck. It's about learning how to handle my finances, about finding my purpose, about planning for my future.
God, I want to be found faithful to your truth. Help me live day by day in your truth, Your Word. Thanks for shining your light on my path to show me the way and keep me from stumbling.
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