July 16, 2018

How Have You Changed?

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! – 2 Corinthians 5:17

Most of us don’t like change, do we? Oh, we say we like to try new things but mostly we simply want to stay in our own little worlds, with our family, friends and toys. We want an easy life without static or drama.

Except we do change when the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within us. We become a different person. Or we should. It’s one of the signs that we are truly saved.

God doesn’t want us to always be the same. He wants us to continually grow closer to Him. His goal is that we will become more like Christ and less like the world. He wants us to give up ourselves to become the people He created us to be.

And we resist. Again and again we resist. Because we want to control our own lives. We want to do what we want to do, when we want to do it. We want God when it comes to the hard stuff, the things we can’t control, things like cancer and wayward children and unexpected job loss. But the rest we want to control ourselves.

God doesn’t work that way. Sometimes He will break us in order to mold us into a new creation dedicated to serving Him. It doesn’t have to be like that, of course. God sends us signals, directions, guidelines. It’s when he’s trying to get our attention and we ignore Him that things can get bad quickly.

God doesn’t want us to be comfortable and content with where we are. We are all called to service. We are all called to spread His message of love and hope. We can’t do that when we’re sitting in our recliner letting television or games numb our minds.

What does God want from you? A willing spirit. A heart dedicated to Him. An open mind willing to step forward in faith. Even when the step is uncomfortable. Maybe, especially, when the step is uncomfortable.

How many blessings do we miss because we refused to trust the God who created us? How many people have suffered because we refused to open our minds and our hearts to share with them what God has placed on our hearts?

We all have to carry a load. It’s not about us. Simple words. Trite, even. Words we would rather ignore. We want it all to be about us. Or, at least, about our children, our job, our pleasure. We don’t want to serve people we’d rather ignore.

Ah, yes. We want to stay around people like us. We want to choose whom we serve. We want to give on our terms, not God’s terms. Because sometimes God calls us to step out of our comfort zone and actually get dirty, get our hearts broken, stir up something we’d rather leave alone.

We weren’t meant to come to Jesus, be filled with the Holy Spirit, and remain the same. We want all the benefits of salvation without expressing any of the gratitude. Because that’s what doing God’s will is: Expressing gratitude and love for all He has done for us.

Life isn’t about staying the same. It’s about walking in faith. It’s about doing the hard things because that’s the journey God called us to. It’s about loving the unlovable, giving without reserve, showing up when we’d rather not. It’s about sharing Him in all we say and do. Anything less is just an empty life.

April 30, 2018

Embrace the New Day

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! – 2 Corinthians 5:17

Blackie has a new calf this morning. A new life to celebrate even as we mourn the life that was lost last Saturday.

Nothing can change the past. We can cling to it. We can get so caught up in what-ifs that we miss this new beginning. Or we can move forward, with the lessons of yesterday tucked in our heart, cherishing this new opportunity.

Sometimes we are our own worst enemies. You’ve probably heard that old cliché many times. It doesn’t lesson the truth that it holds. We can’t go back and rewrite history. We can only go forward from this day, living a different life with renewed hope and purpose.

It’s not an easy journey. Don’t let anyone tell you it is. The past can leave painful scars that keep us from trusting, from hoping, from believing that today and all the todays to come will be different. But we can take a deep breath and step into the new life God is calling us to embrace.

We walk by faith. We know that. There are no guarantees that today won’t bring heartbreak. There are no protections from evil except for the strength of Christ that lives within us. He promises to never leave us alone. He guarantees that victory is found in His arms. But sometimes the journey hurts.

Have you made mistakes? We all have. Have you been hurt by people you trusted? We all have. Have you felt the sting of lies and accusations that bore no truth? We all have. But we don’t have to live amidst the rubbish. We can rise above it and move into the plans God has called us to, the good plans He has promised.

It’s easy to get caught up in the what-ifs. It’s easy to want retribution, vindication, revenge on those who did us wrong. It’s easy to want to rewrite the past. But it isn’t what God wants. Revenge belongs to Him. God is clear on that. We are to forgive, to do good, and to move on. He’ll take care of the rest.

We can’t move forward, we can’t embrace this new beginning, while we are clinging to the past. We can’t become new while we are dirty from the last skirmish with the devil. We are in a Spiritual War and Satan is trying to control our minds, our thoughts, our hearts. We must resist and cause him to flee. The Bible tells us so.

The new calf is perfect in every way. He is shiny and new as he stumbles into his first steps of life. His mama is ever watchful, ready to assist but knowing she can’t do it for him. God is like that. He watches over us, never leaving us alone. But we have to take those first steps on our own. We have to reach out, grasp His hand, and walk in faith.

Don’t let the past keep you shrouded in darkness. Move forward into the light of a bright new future, a future God has called you to live.

April 23, 2018

Faith’s Shield Essential

In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

– Ephesians 6:16

For we live by faith, not by sight.

– 2 Corinthians 5:7

What is your weak spot? Where are your vulnerable places where Satan knows he can push your buttons, cause you to doubt God, send you into a panic?

We all have them. We do. For some people, it’s your children or grandchildren. For others, it’s the security of a large bank account or a steady job. Maybe it’s your health. Whatever it is, Satan has you in his radar and he’s coming after you. Guaranteed.

There’s only one way to combat Satan and that’s with the armor of God. Most of us try to put on one part of the armor and leave something else out. The thing is that with even the best armor, Satan’s attacks can sometimes pierce us where we are most vulnerable. That’s where the shield comes in to play.

Why do you think the Apostle Paul paired faith with a soldier’s shield? Because it’s necessary to block Satan’s attacks. Armor can be penetrated in its vulnerable places, like where the metal joins together. But the shield is steady and true, especially when it’s locked together with the shields of other soldiers.

Faith sounds easy. We all have it. We know that Jesus died for us so that we might live. We’re Christians after all. But as the Book of Job attests, faith doesn’t always make life easy. Sometimes it’s just the opposite. There’s nothing Satan wants more than to use God’s children to discredit God Almighty.

We are in a spiritual war, whether we acknowledge it or not. Satan may not literally be attacking us with flaming arrows but we are under attack. Where are you vulnerable? What are the things that temp you to cast aside God’s ways for the world? What lures you away from where you need to stay? Have you experienced persecution for your faith? Are you following false teaching, a particular pastor, or the fun of a concert/church worship that isn’t based on truth? Do you doubt God when something doesn’t go your way? Do you lash out in anger when God doesn’t immediately answer your prayer?

We are going to have hardship in this world. God is going to tell us no sometimes. Life on this earth isn’t easy. It can really hurt. And even when all is well, we’re still looking ahead, one step at a time, following a God who knows the way but isn’t telling us the plan. Instead, God tells us to trust Him. God is faithful and true. He wants good things for us. He knows what He’s doing. It really will be okay.

I can’t even imagine how hard it was for Abraham to leave all that he knew for an unknown destiny. He did it anyway. He trusted God. He walked by faith.

Today will have challenges we can’t predict. Lift up your shield of faith, wrap yourself in God’s promises, walk in His light. Whatever the day brings, He’s got you covered. When nothing else makes sense, trust in Almighty God and you will find rest and peace for the journey.

January 12, 2018

What Labels Do You Wear?

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, that person is a new creation. The old has gone, the new is here! 

– 2 Corinthians 5:17

What is your label? Who are you, to the world and to yourself?

Think about it. Are you an employee, a spouse or a parent? Are you a liar, a thief, a hypocrite? Are you someone who thinks highly of yourself or do you feel sorry for yourself? Are you someone who makes excuses or who takes responsibility? Do you know everything or do you judge everyone by standards no one could reach?

What does the world say, and see, when it looks at you? Are you a failure or a success? Are you a giver or a taker? Are you honest or do you skirt the truth when it benefits you? Do you have potential or have you stumbled so many times no one expects anything else from you?

We all carry labels. Some we place on ourselves. Some labels others brand us with. Some of those labels are justified and some aren’t.

When you become a Christian, when you accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior over your life, you become a new creation. You have been washed clean by His blood. What is past no longer defines you. Yes, there may still be consequences from past choices but they don’t define you. That is no longer your label.

The hardest part isn’t moving beyond your past. The hardest part is ridding yourself of the labels you and the world use to define who you are. God may have forgotten our sins the moment we repented, but we haven’t and neither has those around us. It’s like lugging a ball and chain into the future. It sure does slow the journey down.

We all are guilty. Have you ever watched a recovering alcoholic try to make amends and peace with what their actions did to their children? It doesn’t matter how many years they’ve been sober, they still beat themselves up over a past they can’t change.

Have you ever listened to a parent trying to make excuses for an adult child? They can’t seem to grasp that the adult child continues to make bad decisions. They are full of excuses. Admitting anything else means they failed as a parent, doesn’t it? Better to pretend something else, anything else, than to know and accept that sometimes you can do everything right and still have a child repeatedly make poor choices.

Have you ever cheated on your spouse, even if it was only in your heart? Have you ever told a “white lie” rather than deal with the truth? Have you ever spread gossip, played “politics” at work, or taken advantage of someone and called yourself justified?

I’ve asked a lot of questions. Sometimes the hardest part of labels is looking ourselves in the heart and taking inventory of what is real, what is the past, and what belongs to the world. It isn’t an easy journey. We aren’t nearly as awful as we think. And we aren’t nearly as innocent as we want to believe. It’s easy to point the finger. It’s easy to wallow in past mistakes. It isn’t so easy to get up, dust ourselves off and go forward as a new creation.

Jesus gives us an opportunity to take a different path. He calls us beloved, child of God, forgiven. Does your life reflect that? Really? Think about it.

January 1, 2018

It's A New Year!

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here! – 2 Corinthians 5:17

It’s a new year! It’s time for a fresh start! How many of us made resolutions and rang in the new year last night with a determination to make changes? And how long do we really expect our new goals to last?

Making a fresh start is hard, no matter what day of the year it is. We have dreams and goals. We want to change our lives for the better. We want to lose weight or make more money or finally take our dream vacation. Maybe our goals aren’t so self-focused. We want to go on a mission trip, give more money to the church, volunteer at the food bank or help with the outreach program for the homeless.

We have good intentions. We’re going to make positive changes. And we’re going to move away from the bad choices of the past. Ah, yes. The past. That thing we can’t change and yet can’t seem to forget either. That albatross that has wrapped itself around us and refuses to leave us to peacefully live out the rest of our lives.

Other folks help us with that. A sweet friend once confessed that she only goes to church when she is at her family’s vacation home. Why? Because of the looks she gets when she attends a church in her hometown. When she was young and foolish – and weren’t we all – she made a mistake that broke up a marriage. She wishes she’d never made that choice but she can’t go back and undo it. She has forgiven herself. It’s everyone else who has the problem.

We can’t seem to let others change. We can’t seem to forget their sins. Why should we? We can’t forget our own sins either. And that is what keeps us locked in a past we can’t change.

What if we showed ourselves – and others – the grace and mercy God shows to us? What if we pressed forward into Jesus, forgetting what is behind, and focusing on the possibilities that lie ahead? What if we gave ourselves a chance without allowing the past to cloud our vision?

I pray that we all become better people this year. I pray that we reach forward and let go of all that is holding us back. I long for the opportunities Christ has given to all of us. We have a chance to live like we are His. How amazing is that?!

Each journey is different for the individual making it. I can’t tell you what path you should take and you can’t tell me what path to take either. But we can support each other. We can pray for one another. We can forget the past and move toward Jesus. We can do it together, one step at a time.

So make your goals and resolutions. Fill your heart with joy. Then take a step forward. Then another. Give yourself grace for the inevitable setback, getting up again and trying once more. Our days are measured in His love. Lean into Him. You can do this, not under your own strength and will, but because Jesus has hold of your hand.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Needs Prevalent All Year

He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live to please themselves. Instead, they will live to please Christ, who died and was raised for them.

-- 2 Corinthians 5:15

The Christmas spirit is everywhere. Look around you. Bells ring as we pass the Salvation Army kettles. Angels hang from trees, waiting to be picked. Canned food collection boxes are everywhere it seems. Signs mark drop-off points for Toys for Tots donations. We are full of cheer and in the giving spirit.

But what happens on December 26^th? The needs are still there. Oh, the kids aren’t expecting Santa Claus but they’re still hungry, still lacking basic necessities. What about the elderly? What about those who are all alone? They are just as in need the day after Christmas as they are in the weeks before Christmas. Why don’t we seem to care as much after Christmas as we appear to care before Christmas?

I know. We’re too busy recovering from the buying frenzy that began on Black Friday. We’re tired and broke. Tapped out. The poor are someone else’s problem. Let the government take care of it. The church has a fund for that sort of thing. We’re full of reasons and excuses. Not that any of it matters.

What would Jesus do? That’s become a cliché but it doesn’t lesson the heart of the question. Would Jesus say the poor are someone else’s problem? Would Jesus be too busy? Would Jesus refuse to share His food? Would Jesus find time to visit the elderly? Would Jesus feed the children?

Of course He would. So if we are new in Christ, if we are called to live as Jesus, then why do we think it’s okay to have a seasonal spirit of giving rather than a dedicated life to helping those in need? Why do we believe we get to choose who to help, when it’s convenient, spending only what we determine won’t impact our own lives negatively?

We believe. Oh, how we believe. Our faith is so very strong. Until we are called to give sacrificially to someone we don’t know, someone we think just might be unworthy, someone who isn’t like us. Our faith only seems to go so far.

I understand about budgets and realities and needs. I also understand that most of us whine and complain about what we don’t have even though our needs are being met. We can’t seem to distinguish between need and want. We don’t want to give up those wants. We don’t think we should have to.

Any maybe we shouldn’t have to. But neither should people go hungry, do without medical care or live on the streets or in rundown hotels. Jesus doesn’t ask that we first determine their worthiness, He simply calls us to help. Every day of the year. Whether we feel like it or not. Whether we’re in the giving mood or not.

In a few weeks we’ll be making New Year’s resolutions. Let us commit our lives to pleasing Christ -- every day of the year.