January 7, 2018

Do You Walk in Love?

Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. – Ephesians 5:1-2

How accepting are you? Do you welcome people who are different, whether it’s someone from another culture or a different faith? Do you treat those who are poor with the same respect as you treat those who are wealthy? Do you treat someone warmly, regardless of their social status?

Don’t be so quick to say “Of course!” Our churches are filled with people who are only interested in welcoming people just like them into their fold. “Different” need not apply.

We’re quick to make excuses. We need people who can give back, whether financially or with volunteer hours. We’re not set up to deal with “issues” some folks might bring, things like drug addiction, depression, abusive relationships. Some other church is more equipped to help them. That’s what we tell ourselves, anyway.

Jesus never said to pass our obligations on to someone else. He never said to make people clean themselves up before we extend our hands in love. He also never said our rules and opinions should matter more than loving the lost, the broken, the hungry. In fact, Jesus said just the opposite.

Let’s take it outside of the church for a moment. Do you welcome the new co-worker to lunch with your friends? Do you invite the new neighbors over for the neighborhood cookout? Do you include the new child at school in your own child’s playgroup? Do you extend the hand of welcome, the hand of grace, the hand of acceptance to those you don’t know and those who might not “fit in?”

Who have you rejected today? Who have you excluded from your circle? Who have you made to feel unwanted, unnoticed, unwelcome? Who is walking alone today because you didn’t make an effort to invite them into your world, even if only for a moment, a meal, a short conversation?

Pastor Ryan Martin said yesterday that when we treat people with love and respect, we see a change in them. He’s right. Sometimes all it takes is a kind word and genuine smile to see people blossom right in front of you.

Here’s a basic truth: God loves the outcasts whether we love them or not. God sees the outcasts whether we see them or not. It’s not how hard you love those in your circle that counts. It’s how hard you love those on the perimeter of your world that draws people toward Christ.

We focus on the ugliness in Washington. We condemn those who are different. We spew hatred toward those we paint with a wide brush stroke as evil. And we do it all in the name of Jesus. How ridiculous and how sad.

We justify ourselves using God’s own words. We pull things out of context. We focus on one sentence, ignoring all the others around it. We excuse our own sins while harshly judging someone who sins differently.

Martin noted that God’s Word is a sword. The Bible tells us that. But here’s the rest of that: It can be used for good or evil. God’s Word can be used to strengthen His Kingdom or tear it down.

It’s easy to point fingers and blame others for all the evils in this world. That’s not your job or mine. Judgment belongs to God. Our job is to love people and, in so doing, shine a light that draws them toward Christ.

December 5, 2018

Quiet Your Heart

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. – Isaiah 9:2

He was angry. He was upset with the media and the Democrats. He wasn’t too happy with folks in his own political party either. He ranted about opinions and stupidity and how upset his Mama got when she watched the news.

I tried to turn the conversation to a different topic. He kept bringing it back. It’s as though he just needed to be angry at something. I wasn’t sure it was really about what others were doing or not doing. It was just a way to avoid dealing with his own unhappiness.

I recognized his pain. He’s buried too many people who were far too young to die. How do you explain the death of two young children and their mom in a freak traffic accident? How do you understand the death of a spouse with no warning, no symptoms, no indication that she would never wake up?

We can’t get angry with God. Oh, we might somewhere deep inside. It just seems so unfair even though we know life is often unfair. But we cling desperately to the hope that one day we’ll see them all again. We don’t want to do anything to change that. So, no, we don’t want to be angry with God. We’re secretly afraid He might turn us away and then where would we be?

And we don’t want to wear our sorrow outside for all to see. Shouldn’t we be over it by now? Shouldn’t we have moved on, come to terms with what happened, adjusted somehow? Except those reactions are a fantasy conjured up by someone who couldn’t face the reality of loss.

The truth is life hurts. The pain is unbearable sometimes. The loss that surrounds us reminds us again and again that we aren’t in control. We can’t fix the broken. We can’t heal the sick. We can’t change the circumstances of today.

So we get angry at the world. We focus on something else. We lash out in an effort to somehow feel better inside. It doesn’t work. The anger doesn’t erase our unhappiness.

Our world is covered in darkness. Unhappiness is the new normal. We are never satisfied, never content, never joyful. We point fingers, spew angry words, blame everyone but ourselves. We are searching for what we already have but we can’t seem to find our way. Because we’re looking in the wrong direction.

I’m not talking about those who don’t know Jesus. Sure. There are plenty of those and we must try and reach them all. But the saddest people are those who do know our Savior and still find themselves consumed with anger.

Why? Because we’re so focused on the circumstances of today that we’ve lost the light. We are surrounded by darkness and we can’t seem to find our way out. We’re trying to save ourselves when that’s never going to be possible. We are floundering in the boat while Jesus says again and again, “Peace! Be still!” (Mark 4:39)

Give your anger to Him. Give Jesus your despair. Give Him your hurt. Stop trying to wrestle alone with what you cannot understand. Give it all to Jesus. Let Him fill you up with His peace.

We were never made for this world. Look toward the light. Jesus will guide you. Quiet your heart and focus on Him. It might not change your circumstances but it will still your anguish. It will remove your anger. Jesus will fill you up with hope and endurance and strength for the journey.

Take a deep breath. Be still.

July 13, 2018

Do You Reflect Jesus?

“They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me.” – John 16:2-3

When someone slays their children and claims they were doing the will of God, we know they are mentally ill, evil or both. But how many times do we “slay” others through our words, actions, motives, and claim we are doing God’s will?

How often do we offer opinions that aren’t from a place of love? How often do we judge as though we somehow have authority from above?

Don’t be so quick to think this doesn’t apply to you. It does. It applies to all of us. We use God and His Word as an excuse to judge others, to look down on those who have stumbled, to condemn what we don’t understand. We want to be comfortable and because of that we pull away from anything or anyone that isn’t like us.

Have you ever sat next to a homeless person during a church program? It isn’t always a pleasant smell. But it’s exactly what Jesus would do.

Do you seek out the recovering drug addict, the scarlet woman, the man who stole from his company? Do you welcome them to a place of grace and mercy or do you continue to shun them long after they have repented of their sins? Be careful how you answer. God just might challenge you to your lofty ideals.

Do you know that one of the loneliest places you can ever be is at a church service or at a church event? While you’re merrily visiting with friends and family, while you’re sitting with your people at your table or pew, there are others searching for a place to fit in. Do you call them over? Do you welcome them? Or do you assign that task to a pastor or staff member? Jesus would seek them out, include them, ask them about themselves. Do you?

We are a diverse group, we Christians. We come in all colors, shapes and sizes. We come with a wide variety of income levels, from barely getting by to beyond affluent. We come with a diverse set of skills and education, some acquired more from life than school. Yet we still seek to put people in a box labeled “like me” and, when we can’t, we shun them as being less and unworthy.

We are the ones who are unworthy. Jesus said that those who wanted to be first, must be last. He said that those who truly sought to follow Him would be servants. But we don’t want to be servants. We want to be leaders and judges, comfortable in our little cliques. Jesus wasn’t in a clique. He welcomed everyone.

It takes so very little to offer a smile and words of kindness. It doesn’t cost anything to invite someone new to your table or pew. How blessed we might be if we quelled our judgmental attitudes and really loved someone as they are. We are not called to be judges. We are called to love others, whether they are “loveable” or not.

Do we truly know and love God or are we merely using Him as an excuse to do evil, to tout our own agendas, to bring power and glory to ourselves? Live your life as though Jesus truly is walking by your side. Would your words, actions and attitude make Him praise you for reflecting His light to a dark world? Or would He condemn you for slaying those who are desperate for a living Savior?

June 10, 2018

You Are Loved

And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” – Matthew 3:17

Who are you struggling to please today? Is it your spouse or your children? Maybe a parent or a boss or a friend? Take a deep breath. You are enough.

Sometimes we get so caught up in the expectations and demands of others that we miss the simple truth of a loving God. He is pleased with us. We belong to Him and we are enough. We don’t have to do anything, provide anything, be anything. He loves us without any of that.

The sad truth is that we will always disappoint people. And they will disappoint us. No one can always meet the expectations of another person. We might be irritable, we might be busy, we might not be physically or financially able to take care of what they want.

Somehow, we always expect people to be better than they are. We expect our children to always have perfect manners. We expect our boss to always value us and give us lots of pay raises and plenty of time off. We expect our friends to always have time to do what we want, when we want. And we get upset when they aren’t always able to live up to our expectations.

Who are we to demand so much from others? And who are they to demand so much from us?

It’s just such a relief to know that we don’t have to perform in order to earn God’s love and acceptance. We don’t have to be perfect. He loves us when we’re irritable and when we mess up and when we don’t have a clue. With God, it’s not about bank account balances and what we can give Him. He’s God. It’s all His anyway.

He wants our love. That’s all. Because when we love God, everything else falls into place. It becomes about Him and not about us. It becomes about serving Him, living for Him, placing Him first.

How would your life change if you truly understood that you are a beloved child of God? Would you make different choices if you truly felt His love and acceptance? What steps would you take if you knew that you lived in the security of His arms?

Jesus never doubted God’s love. He had many trials during his time on this earth but He knew that His strength came from God the Father. He understood that time alone with God would direct His steps. Do you remember what Jesus did before He chose the twelve disciples? He prayed. Alone, I might add.

We are such achievers. We value ourselves based on the opinions of others. We tell ourselves we are worthy based on what we own. We lift ourselves up and call it self-confidence when it’s really just pride. We are nothing without God. And we are everything with Him.

Today is a new day. You are human. You will make mistakes in this day. Something will irritate you. You’ll say the wrong thing. You’ll disappoint someone who was counting on you. You’ll do the best you can and it will never be enough to satisfy the demands.

Take a deep breath. Rest in your Father’s love. Say you’re sorry if it’s appropriate. Try again. Reach out to others in love. Offer them the same grace you’ve been given. Be quick to forgive and slow to lash out.

God loves you. Let that soak in as you go through your day. Feel His Presence. You’ve got this because He’s with you every step of the way.

March 1, 2018

Draw the Outcasts Close

And as He was leaving Jericho with His disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” – Mark 10:46-48

There is acceptable. And then there is unacceptable. Ask any lifelong church member. There is an unwritten code of conduct that demands a certain way of worshipping to all who enter.

It has nothing to do with Jesus. The Son of David came to set us free of the constraints of those who demand we be silent. He came to save us. He hears our cries for mercy and salvation. Jesus calls us closer even as others – those self-righteous Christians with all their rules – push us away.

I am blessed to attend a contemporary worship service where coffee and “amens” and hands raised are normal. No one would dare do those things during one of the traditional services. The condemning glances would wither even a strong soul.

This is the church – loving though it is – that years ago told a couple not to bring their special child to services anymore. She was disruptive, they said. She talked when she wasn’t supposed to. She reminded them that not all babies are born healthy and “normal”.

So they pulled away from church, from Jesus, when they needed help the most. They withdrew into a world where their child was accepted, even as that world grew smaller and smaller. No amount of love from others could erase the rejection of those who should have loved with abandoned acceptance.

Then there was the couple who attended another church with their autistic toddler. The condemning comments and stares were like daggers aimed at their hearts. They struggled to entertain him, to prevent outbursts, to fit into the church that had been their home for so long. The weight of it all led them in a futile search for somewhere, anywhere, where they could worship and serve Jesus and not face the condemnation of those who claimed to be His people.

The same scenario plays out in churches everywhere. People are displeased by crying babies and bored kids. They are upset when people cry out to God, actually go to the alter in tears, or when they don’t dress the part. It has nothing to do with Jesus.

Jesus heard Bartimaeus. He called him close. Jesus looked at this blind beggar, so desperate for help, and asked him what he wanted. Jesus could easily have ignored Bartimaeus. He could have overlooked the beggar as others rebuked Bartimaeus and told him to be silent. Instead, Jesus beckoned him to come. Just like Jesus beckons us to come near.

And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way. – Mark 10:51-52

Jesus healed much more than Bartimaeus’ eyesight. He healed this beggar’s heart. He drew toward Him someone others had cast aside. Who are you pointing a finger at? Who grates on your nerves as you worship Jesus? Beckon them close. Embrace them. Be Jesus to those who need to feel loved and accepted by their church family.