July 25, 2018

Do You Reflect Your Faith?

They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good. – Titus 1:16

How do people know you are a Christian? Is it because you attend church most Sundays? Is it because you wear a cross around your neck? Is it because you quote a book you rarely read?

Maybe you’re someone who loudly proclaims your faith. You’re quick to tell others how to live, to pass judgement “based” on the Bible, and to hold others up to impossible standards.

Or maybe you just love people. Maybe you do all you can to help others without stopping to consider if they are worthy or not. Maybe you give sacrificially. Maybe you offer kind words or encouragement and quickly share all that Jesus has done for you. Maybe, just maybe, there’s a joy about you that makes others want what you have.

Here’s the thing: It doesn’t matter how often you are in church if people don’t see evidence of faith in your life. It doesn’t matter if you tithe if you never reach out beyond yourself to help someone in need. And it doesn’t matter how quick you are to quote the Bible if you don’t hold yourself up to its standards.

A deacon who hates people of other races is just as lost as the drug addict who thinks there’s no other way. A church elder who condemns anyone who disagrees with his politics is just as lost as a woman with loose morals. And a pastor who gropes women and tells lewd jokes is just as lost as the young man who thinks his wild ways are acceptable behavior.

We’re all pretty good at “making” the Bible say what we want it to say. We take what feels right and good and turn the words to our benefit. We ignore grace and mercy for anyone who isn’t like us. We define our neighbor as fellow Americans and forget that Jesus told us to include all nations.

We judge without ceasing, thinking that it is somehow our right to do so. We love those of our choosing, forgetting that we’re to love God first and others – all others – as ourselves. We help based on our standards of worthy, with those like us being those who are worthy.

We welcome everyone who wants to work. We suffer through service, unwilling to give up control of how we want things done. We look down on people who aren’t willing to perform tasks the way we think it should be done and we wonder why volunteers are so hard to find.

We grumble if someone kneels at the altar as we sing the last song on Sunday. We’re hungry and we’ve sat on that pew or in that chair long enough. We aren’t concerned with someone who is hurting. We’re only concerned with ourselves.

Should I go on? Do I need to go on? People should know we are Christians because we love others and carry a joy about us no matter our circumstances. Unfortunately, we’re too busy pointing fingers at others to see ourselves as we really are.

As the saying goes, we are the only Bible some people will ever read. Are they reading about Jesus as He truly is? Or are they seeing a Pharisee masquerading as a believer?

May 16, 2018

Mentors Needed

Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.

– Titus 2:3-5

She wanted a mentor. Desperately. Tears filled her eyes. She just needed to talk to someone who understood how hard it is to balance husband, kids, work, life.

She’s not alone. There is a desperation coming from younger women, especially mothers, who need someone to guide them and advise them as they juggle their many roles. Unfortunately, that next generation isn’t always willing to step up.

I know. They’re busy. Some of them are still juggling careers and family, this time with grandchildren and adult children. They’re active socially. They have lives. Who wants to invest precious time in someone they probably don’t know?

A Bible study was suggested. What a great idea! Except that it is something mostly populated by younger women. Not always, of course. But often enough to make someone above 60 a treasure when she attends.

Everyone needs an older, trusted advisor and friend. I have a dear one and I am so thankful for her. I didn’t even know I needed her until I “inherited” her from my Mother. She speaks truth in my life when I need it. She gives an unwavering shoulder when tears overflow. She is someone to laugh and share stories with.

Sometimes I think our relationship is one-sided. She gives so much to me. Then I remember that it really is a two-way friendship. I check on her, laugh with her, and am quick to help whenever I can. I have plenty of experience taking people to doctor appointments and such. She knows she can depend on me.

I think of other friends who would give anything to spend time with children. They either don’t have grandchildren or their own grandchildren live far away. What a blessing it would be to share a homecooked meal, cheer someone else’s child along at a game, or share a coffee and some conversation.

The challenge comes in trying to bring together two diverse groups of women. You can’t force a connection. It just doesn’t happen that way. True friendships take time to cultivate. That’s hard in this busy life of ours.

We are trying different things. Bible journaling class brings a cross section of women of all ages together for study and laughter. Crafting classes do the same. The more barriers we break down, the more hopeful I am that those mentoring connections will develop.

If you’re a young person seeking a mentor, -- both women and men need mentors -- open your heart to those around you. Take part in activities that might include all different age groups. And if you’re someone who has entered the next stage of your life, consider sharing your wisdom with someone younger. You’ve learned a lot by living your life, whether you’re aware of it or not. That relationship will fill you up in ways you never imagined. Give it a try.

March 23, 2018

Focus On What’s Important

But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. – Titus 3:9

I wasn’t raised in the church. I have few memories of the days when we attended a little country church. By the time I was in school, we’d stopped going to church at all. I was in college before I found my way back.

It happens. I’m grateful that while I lost God for a while, He never lost me. But here’s the thing: I never learned all those little songs that teach children the books of the Bible – in order. I learned the Ten Commandments, Psalm 100 and Psalm 23 in school.

It placed me at a disadvantage, though I didn’t know that until I attended a church not too far from where I grew up. I found other women looking down at me because I didn’t “know” all they knew. I learned to keep my mouth shut. Not that it mattered. Because nothing I said would be taken seriously. After all, I was surrounded by people who had attended church all their lives. They had all the answers. Or so they thought.

God had a different lesson for me. As I grew stronger in my life, as I read and studied, both in Bible studies and alone, I came to know more and more. I will never know all I seek to know. My heart is hungry for Him. I hope it always will be.

But what I found is that while I moved forward in faith, the other ladies were simply content to rest in the knowledge they’d gained as children. There were a few who sometimes attended Bible studies. Most had the attitude that they were “retired” and had no need for such things.

I began noticing how they lived. God pointed out that sometimes “prayer requests” were just a sanctioned way to gossip. Did we really need to know all the details? No. The joke was that if you wanted to know what was going on in the community, just go to church. Except that truth was so sad.

I also noticed the upturned noses when someone showed up that wasn’t “appropriately” dressed. They frowned on jeans, for example. There seemed to be no gratitude that two long rows were filled with teenagers. Weren’t they happy about that?

They were always quick to complain. The politics of the church were almost comical. They’ve been through a lot of pastors because not one of them was ever perfect enough to suit their needs. They can be mean to outsiders, refusing to help anyone in the community who isn’t one of their own.

I don’t mean to pick on this church. There are way too many just like them. Some of the members lament society and how far our standards have fallen. They’d never consider themselves to be part of the problem.

We get so caught up with things that aren’t important that we miss what’s right in front of us. Do you love Jesus? Do you accept Him as Lord and Savior? Are you trying to live right and do good to others, whether you like them or not? Do you extend a helping hand, a kind word, maybe a meal, along with a dose of grace and mercy?

The world has way too many judges and not enough workers in the kingdom of God. Cleanse your own heart and trust God to take care of the rest.

Thursday, May 31, 2012

Faith. Hope. Salvation.

All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions -- it is by grace you have been saved. -- Ephesians 2:3-5

Hope. It’s the foundation for so much of what we believe as Christians. We understand that by our own actions we are condemned. Our human nature assures us of that. But we have hope in Christ Jesus, who died that we might live.

…he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. -- Titus 3:5-7

There is nothing we can do to earn salvation. Nothing. It’s not about doing right or living a good life. It’s not about attending church every Sunday or tithing just the right amount. It’s not about Baptism by water or going through the motions of Christianity.

We are saved by grace. That’s it. Pure and simple. Jesus’ blood poured out for us, washing over us, making us clean. So we reach out and believe, grabbing hold of the hand that saves us from certain destruction.

For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace. -- Romans 6:14

The rules are overwhelming at times. We want to do right but sometimes it seems as though we can’t help ourselves. We sin despite ourselves. We repent. And, then, there we go again.

We are powerless on our own, controlled by a sin nature we cannot seem to shed. But He is there, giving us strength, picking us up, forgiving us and cleansing us and sending us on our way again.

The laws are there to guide us, even as the Holy Spirit fills us up and reminds us of the path we should take. Jesus is there to save us when we sin despite the best of intentions.

He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear? No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are. -- Acts 15:9-11

There is no one Christian above the others. There is no denomination -- be they Methodist, Baptist, Catholic or other -- who rise to the top and always know best. We are one in the faith, in the blood, in our salvation. We all cling to grace.

Do not let yourselves be misled by the Pharisees of our day. Jesus Christ died so that we might live. We are saved by grace, not by rules or anything else. Jesus secured your salvation, promising that all who believe in Him will have eternal life. Hold on to that and never, ever let someone else shake the foundation of your faith.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Teach the Next Generation

Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.

-- Titus 2:3-5

The preacher was frustrated. He really wanted the women of his congregation to restart a group geared toward missions. One woman considered herself in charge. Her husband was chairman of the deacons and she viewed herself as leader of the women. Except she wasn't leading anybody anywhere.

It was understandable. She was older. She was used to being in charge. She wanted everything done her way. And, frankly, she didn't want any part of the work that comes with restarting a program. Nor did she want anyone else to do it. The woman was full of excuses. The women were getting older. No one was interested. Time was such an issue. And on and on. How sad.

At another church, one woman felt God had called her to restart the same program. She was a retired teacher with more than her share of family responsibilities. She did it for a year, calling on everyone, young and old, to help her. The next year she passed the torch to another woman of about the same age. Again, someone with plenty of experience from years past with the same group. They encouraged all women, young and old, to participate. The following year a much younger woman took the helm. She'd learned how to do things from those who went before her, the same ones standing beside her and helping her every step of the way. Older women teaching younger women how to serve the Lord. What a blessing for all of them.

The same type of blessing the church without the missions group is missing, all because one woman is fighting it. She's focused on self, rather than God. She isn't willing to reach out to younger women, to teach, to pass the torch. That's how wonderful groups stop doing wonderful things.

I hope God will convict this woman and that she'll either help restart the group or get out of the way and let someone else do it. God's work. That's what it's all about.

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Freedom Or Chains?

"At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another."

-- Titus 3:3

We sometimes think that doing what we want and getting everything we desire would give us incredible freedom. It's that old belief that if we suddenly won millions in the lottery, then life would be perfect. Not really. Rather than giving us freedom, getting everything we want enslaves us.

Think about it. Does shopping make you happy? Many people would say yes. It's fun to go and try on clothes and find the perfect outfit and accessories. That big screen TV would be awesome in your home. What about a new car? Wow. Shopping can be a lot of fun. The resulting debt? Not so much. The shopping made us feel free to pick and choose. But that "freedom" enslaved us to credit card bills and loan payments that strain our budgets.

Or maybe you're feeling a little bored in your marriage. That person at work gets you. Really. He or she laughs at your jokes, sympathizes when life gets you down and makes you feel desirable with all that flirting. What could it hurt to have a little fun on the side? You deserve to be with someone who cares about you. It's your choice, after all. The consequences? Guilty lies, shattered trust, a broken marriage and kids shuffled between two homes because your "freedom" destroyed their lives and yours.

We teach children rules for their own good. Don't cross the street without looking both ways. Don't get into a car with a stranger. We teach them rules because we want them to be safe. Yeah, we want them to be happy too. But we don't let them play in the street just because they say it makes them happy. We know the danger so we do all we can to keep them safe.

That's how God is with us. He gives us rules. They're called the Ten Commandments. He's also included all kinds of circumstances and standards throughout the Bible. He didn't do it to take away our freedom. Remember, He gave us that freedom to begin with. God gave us rules because He wants to keep us safe. He wants us to be happy and He knows that sin only enslaves us.

The next time you decide to assert your freedom, stop and think a moment. It just might be that your freedom is really just Satan's way of wrapping you up in chains.