Daily Reflections on Phil. 2:12-13 (Practicing His Presence)

In school, my classmates and I always looked forward to the days we had a substitute teacher. There was no organized plan, but everyone knew just what to do. It was an in school vacation day. Since our sub never knew our class rules, we’d make them up as we went along. We knew that we couldn’t be too outlandish or the sub would catch on and batten down the hatches. But, if we worked it right, we could get away with a lot of stuff that normally would be prohibited. We weren’t destructive or cruel, just looking to make life a little easier.

How does that saying go, “When the cat’s away, the mice will play?” When the authority isn’t looking, we take a lot of license. It’s amazing the difference of our speed on the same stretch of road when we notice the speed trap versus when no cops are in sight. I’ve played golf with guys whose best wood in their bag was a pencil. When you keep your own score, you can write down anything you want. You might call this a “scratch” golfer because they scratch out one score and write in a better one.

Many professed followers of Christ do the same thing in their spiritual walk. When they’re at church or Bible Study or a spiritual retreat of some sort, they are so focused on learning, listening and doing what God wants. But away from those environs their behavior changes. Focus is lost. Godliness or holiness slips from view and thought and behavior. They find themselves blending into their surroundings.

Without accountability by others, many believers in Christ lose sight of their faith and the principles by which God calls us to live. It’s really a matter of personal discipline. The “Out of sight, out of mind” mentality is deadly for a Christian. The Apostle Paul admonishes us to be vigilant in our faith. He urges us to practice our faith more diligently when we’re away from our Bible studies and church gatherings. He says open yourself to God’s leading and teaching throughout your day. Rely on His Holy Spirit to live to His glory.

God, if I could only learn to practice your presence day by day, moment by moment I know you’d be able to form me after your will. I’m trying, Lord. Sometimes I get so preoccupied by life’s circumstances and stresses that I forget about you. I act as if you’re not there or not watching. I want to grow in this area.

Daily Reflections on Rev. 2:18-25 (Sexual Revolution or Sexual Malaise)

They called it the Sexual Revolution in the late 60's and early 70's. "Make love, not war," was a common phrase. Communes developed around the country. "It's time to be from your sexual inhibitions." Today the sexual revolution has turned into the sexual malaise. We are bombarded daily by sexual overtones and innuendos wherever we go.

We hear that sex sells. My question, what does sex have to do with car insurance? I've heard of some strange fetishes, but car insurance? Ads, TV, movies, magazines promote their product with sex. It's hard to find a TV show that doesn't incorporate sex as a major component.

Casual sex, free sex, friends with benefits have become a normal part of today's culture. Pornography has taken over the internet. Even with my spam filters set on high, my email inbox fills up with offers for Viagra or Cialis on a daily basis. It's almost impossible to get away fro the sexual onslaught. CBS photoshopped promo shots of Katie Couric to make her look thinner and more shapely in her run up to taking the evening anchor desk. And would somebody please buy Brittany Spears some underwear.

The message is, "If you're not having sex, you're not normal." What saddens me is that we, as followers of Christ, have accepted that message and allowed this infectious preoccupation with sex to flow into the church as something normal. It's like we expect our teens and young adults to be sexually active. Abortions, STDs, pornography addictions, divorces, child sexual abuse cases are at an all time high in the US. Teachers having sex with students are weekly stories on the news. Birth control is being handed out in some schools to 11 year olds.

Where's the the church in this? The misuse of sex is destroying our society. The might Roman Empire was brought down in part by their sexual immorality and sexual addiction. The US is quickly headed in that direction without a voice that heralds the warning. Unfortunately, the church of America draws a striking resemblance to the church of Thyatira in Revelation, chapter 2. Our culture needs to hear teaching about healthy sex, healthy relationships and healthy marriages. The bed of suffering is quickly coming. The time for changing our thinking to God's way of thinking is now. Since God invented sex, He might have a thing or two to say that would be worth listening and adhering.

God, the sexual inundation of our culture affects me. I know I'm being desensitized. My barriers are lowered to what I allow myself to watch and accept. Help me to resist in this area of spiritual attack. Help me have the wisdom and courage to hold up your truths in this area of life. Protect me, my wife, my daughters, my church from this destructive assailant.

Daily Reflections on Gal. 6:9-10 (Brighten the Corner)

Some days I've just had it with people. Rudeness abounds. There are days in which people drive me absolutely, certifiably crazy with their attitudes and behaviors. I can get up in the morning cheery as usual and have so many run ins with rude, mean, arrogant people that I'm ready to kick my dog when I get home or anyone else for that matter.

Having worked in retail while I was pursing grad school, I feel sorry for store clerks at Christmastime, especially the last few days before Christmas. The griping, the complaining, the arguing, the pressing, the rudeness of customers take their toll. It's hard to smile and say, "Have a nice day." What you really want to say is .... So I've decided I'm going to treat the cashier as a person and engage them in personal conversation about themselves and their duress. I try to relate to the pressure of their job and circumstance. Their response is usually amazing. Some people actually take a deep breath as if to relax.

Doing good come in a variety of forms. I try to make it a habit of thanking people for doing their jobs that are particularly monotonous or stressful or unpleasant or those who have to work weird hours or holidays. I just simply say, "Thanks for being here." "Thanks for doing what you're doing." I've found that by doing that even if I've been inconvenienced or treated discourteously not only does it brighten their day and ease our tension, it helps me maintain a positive spirit.

Here's the rub. It's hard for me to have a "doing good to others" attitude all the time. I can be demanding, critical, or arrogant myself. Something doesn't meet my standards or go my way, well let's just say I can be very expressive or demonstrative. There are times when I know that I'm being played, taken advantage of, or used. I don't feel like being, I mean, doing good at those moments. I can be very vociferous in defending an idea or a principle.

Yet, here's what I know as a sufferer of hypertension, the more I engage in negative or antagonistic behavior, the higher my blood pressure rises. Doing good to others actually lowers my bp and benefits me. I'm not in a knot all the time and life is better for me.

God, I don't feel like doing good to others sometimes. I get frustrated and angry and agitated. Give me strength to not be weary in well doing.

Daily Reflections on Rom. 14:1-8 (Fussing)

What's all the fuss about? I really get tired of all the petty bickering among church people. I mean, come on! I was just thinking about all the things that unnecessarily caused a ruckus in churches where I've served or simply attended. It's really stupid if you ask me.

You decide, are the following worth fighting about, arguing over, or getting bent out of shape? Let's start with the preacher's looks; the length of hair, style of hair, a tie or no tie in the pulpit (especially at Easter), daily attire, must be in the office for regular working hours or must be out making calls all day, teacher or evangelist, pastor or administrator?

How about worship stuff? What time should worship be? Chairs or pews? Traditional, contemporary, or blended worship (music) style? What type of communion bread? How should communion be served? Who gets to partake of the Lord's Supper? Can guitars and/or drums be used in "Morning Worship?" Do we use hymn books, overheads, slides or video projection? Can we eat or bring coffee to morning worship (in the auditorium/sanctuary) or Sunday School?

What about teaching material? Which translation should be used? Who can teach? Who can serve? Who can baptize? What's proper church attire? What or who is spiritual? Are speaking in tongues allowed? Graded worship or kids in church services?

I haven't begun to scratch the surface of issues I've had to deal with which caused great consternation, broken relationships, severed ties, and sleepless nights. To be honest, most of the divisiveness I've dealt with through the years has been over incidental issues. For the most part, they aren't even really biblical issues. My guess is God is just slapping Himself on the forehead saying to Himself, "You've got to be kidding?"

God, gave us all the ability to choose. With choice comes opinions. With opinions comes differences. With differences comes disagreements. With disagreements comes arguments With arguments comes conflict. With conflict comes division. With division comes a negative picture of the church. With the negative picture of the church comes lost lives that will never come to know Christ as Lord and Savior.

My oldest daughter painted her room pink. My youngest daughter painted her room purple. My wife would like to paint our room country blue. I prefer off-white. We all have different tastes, but we all live harmoniously in the same house, under the same roof.

God, I just want to honor you with my life. I want others to honor you with their lives. I want our church to honor you. Help me quell any negative or critical spirit within my own heart or my church's hearts.

Daily Reflectons on Col. 3:12-17 (Why All the Negativity?)

Why does the universal church have a "take it or leave it" kind of reputation today in the world? Why is there so much skepticism from believers and non-believers alike? Why the intolerance tag? Why do people like Rosie O'Donnell make statements like, "9.11 is the Christians fault. The Christians are the terrorists (not the Muslims who attacked the World Trade Towers and the Pentagon)?" Why has the church lost its influence in the US, Great Britain, Europe, the Middle East (where it all began)?

Okay, you could point to a few scandals in the US in recent years like the Catholic priests' molestation of young boys (and girls). Or you could bring up Ted Haggard, Jim and Tammy Baker, Jimmy Swaggert, Gordon McDonald among others' sexual and financial indiscretions. It could be Oral Roberts' 900 foot tall Jesus. There are plenty of other illustrations, including the dogmatism in the religious right movement and the militant actions of a few that bombed abortion clinics or murdered doctors who performed abortions.

There's no doubt that's bad press for the church. But perhaps the loss of favoritism and contagion lies someplace else. Maybe the church has ceased to be the church as described here in Colossians 3. What would happen if just a church, one single church would recapture the heart and image of the church portrayed by the Apostle Paul? What would the impact of such a church have on their neighborhood, community, region?

Did you catch the adjectives or character traits of such a church? Look again, clothed in compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; forgiveness and encouragement the order of the day; love and harmony enveloping the culture; thankfulness reigning in each heart. And if that weren't enough, this church would allow God's Word to dwell in, flow from, permeate their hearts, minds, attitudes, actions and speech. Songs of praise, adoration, encouragement and exhortation would resonate from their midst. As one would come into contact with the individuals from this church on a daily basis, one would experience the hands, the arms, the embrace, the very presence and compassion of Jesus. Now that church would really make an impact!

God, I long for that church. I want my church to be that church. I want people to experience Christ and His Word dwelling in us. God, I know that starts with me. I know you and your Word has to dwell in me. Your compassion, love and mercy has to consume me and exude from my pores. God, I need your spirit to come alive in me. Help me be a catalyst for my church to be this church.

Daily Reflections on Lk. 18:9-14 (Comeuppance)

Judgments! We make them all the time. We peruse the food court at the mall before selecting a restaurant to suit our liking. We glance over the menu searching for the delectables to satisfy our taste buds. We gaze into our closet in anticipation of our day or activity before carefully choosing the perfect attire for our occasion. We size up the best cell phone, car, apartment or house to meet our need or budget or more likely, our eye. We flip through the playlist on our ipod, itunes, or cds pausing only when the right song fits our mood.

We live in a menu driven society. We like variety and choice. We push, pick, touch, grab, click our selection. When it no longer meets our needs or becomes boring, we select something else. Our judgments are based on what is appealing or satisfying to us, more specifically, to me. And our judgments aren’t limited to cloths, songs, movies, food or other “stuff.” We extend our judgment making into the realm of people, persons, classes, races, etc.

Since we’re good at making judgments based upon our tastes, likes, whims and standards, it’s easy to cast aspersions onto people. We, in effect, begin to place value and esteem upon others based on our opinion, method of expectation, or appearance. This week my youngest daughter is doing an experiment for her psychology class. She’s dressing as an older woman to determine how people treat her and to gain perspective as an elderly person. My guess is she’ll learn a lot about others and herself.

The hardest judgments to make are about ourselves. Sometimes we’re overly critical of ourselves and sometimes we’re totally blind to ourselves. Sometimes we pass off certain behaviors, thought processes, traits (good or bad) as just who we are. It’s tough to be impartial about us.

The only judgment that really counts is God’s judgment. It doesn’t really matter what or how I think of others or myself. What matters is what God thinks. He looks into our hearts and minds and casts His judgment. It’s easy for many of us to take the attitude of the first man in the parable Jesus tells in this text. We make our own judgment about ourselves in light of ourselves; to which God says, “Get ready for your comeuppance.” God is looking for hearts like the second man in the story who recognizes his (or her) own need for God’s grace and cries out to Him.

God, forgive me for my arrogance. I do make judgments of others’ value based on appearance, status, talents, wealth and giftedness. Help me to see myself through your eyes and help me to see others also through your eyes.

Daily Reflections on Gal. 5:13-21 (Friends and Choices)

At fourteen you think you've got it pretty much together, especially if you're a respected and recognized athlete at your high school. As a standout in football, track and wrestling, I had easy access to the popular crowd. Since I ran in prominent circles among my fellow students, it was only natural to be invited to various social gatherings thrown by my peers. The perks of such a position became quickly obvious.

As the parties intensified, my spirit became troubled. These were my friends, but I wasn't comfortable with the direction they were headed. I remember it coming to a head for me one night. I talked my mother into letting me leave early from church one Sunday evening to attend a gathering of my peers. Under protest she dropped me off and went back to church.

The party was well underway by the time I arrived. Parents upstairs. All the action downstairs in the basement. Not once did the parents make an appearance. There had been a few individuals who had brought alcohol to previous parties, but most abstained. But this one was different. The alcohol was already there and available to anyone.

My discomfort really grew. Since I was late in arriving, most of the partiers were well absorbed. The dancing gave way quickly to more personal interaction. Before long, couples lined the floor engaging in extra curricular activities. The majority were so intoxicated they had no idea who they were with or what they were doing. That evening I sat at a table with Liz Guichard, a friend, sipping cokes. We had a great conversation. She and I were the only ones refraining from imbibing.

Throughout that evening my mind kept reflecting back on my church friends I'd left. My heart mourned. I had left the joy of my Christian friends for the darkness and aloneness of a stupid party. The pictures were clearly framed for me between the world and the kingdom of God. I vowed that evening never to attend another party. If I were to be a light to my popular friends, I had to set myself apart and live by the spirit of God. I didn't abandon my friends nor they me, but no more parties. At my ten year high school reunion it was great to be able to share with and encourage my old classmates. God's light had become a brightness to those who were eager to hear of God's message of hope.

God, there is such a huge difference between your light and living in your spirit than the darkness and emptiness of the world. I love your light. It's refreshing and satisfying. Help me, through your spirit, stay out of the darkness and yet shine your light so others may find their way to you.