The Shepherd's Apprentice

Mar 8 - Psalm 91:1-2

2012-03-08T00:30:00.000-05:00

You who live in the shelter of the Most High,

who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,

will say to the Lord, "My refuge and my fortress;

my God, in whom I trust."

Psalm 91:1-2

Do you know the hymn that quotes Psalm 91? The next words in the hymn are ...

And I will raise you up on eagle's wings.

While all the verses in this song are powerfully from Psalm 91, the image of eagle's wings is not. Rather, God himself used these words when reminding in Israel how he led them safely out of Egypt (see Ex 19:4). "On eagle's wings" is also the promise of how God will lift us up and carry us when we are weary (see Isa 40:31).

Combining these scriptures, references, and hymns, God promises to be ...

our shelter and our strength
our refuge and our fortress
our protector and our keeper
the anchor that keeps us grounded
the force that helps us soar!

Which of those blessings do you need to today?

Do you need comfort and refuge? Pray for his wings to enfold you.

Are you ready to soar? Pray for his spirit, his wind, his strength, his inspiration!

In Christ's Love,

a flapper

(I've been flapping on my own power

but am beginning to stretch out and soar)

Mar 7 - Exodus 3:11-12

2012-03-07T00:30:00.000-05:00

But Moses said to God,

"Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh,

and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?"

God said, "I will be with you."Exodus 3:11-12

These verses are not the only time in Exodus 3 that the words "am" and "I" are used in the same phrase.

Here, of course, Moses uses them, saying, "Who AM I?"
A few verses later, God uses "am" and "I" saying, "I AM who I AM."

"Who am I?" is a common human lament. We search for identity. We long for significance. We struggle with weakness. "Who am I?" "What's wrong with me?" "Do I matter?"

Meaning, significance, identity, and hope are restored in our lives when we replace our AM I's with God's I AM.

He defines who we are. Loved, Blessed. Forgiven. Disciples.
He gives us purpose. Love others. Bless others. Forgive others. Disciple others.
He gives us freedom ... when we come to the cross
He gives us hope ... when the empty tomb opens our hearts
He makes us wise ... when we rely on his truth
He gives us power ... when we trust in his strength
He makes us strong ... when we bow humbly to wash others feet

In Christ's Love,

Wait ... who am I?

I am I AM's!

Mar 6 - Isaiah 54.4

2012-03-06T15:14:00.000-05:00

Do not fear, for

you will not be ashamed.

Isaiah 54:4

What do we normally fear? Death.

We're afraid of heights because we might fall and die.
We're afraid of air flights because we might crash and die.
We're afraid of spiders and snakes because they're just plain creepy. (And they might bite us and we'd die.)

Shame is a different kind of death. It's a little death.

Someone says something shameful about us -- gossip -- and it kills our good name.
We do something embarrassing, and it kills our credibility.
Past indescretions are made public, and we're so ashamed that we want to die.

In Isaiah 54, God is talking about restoring Israel. They've been sinful. They've been conquered. They've been scattered. Their former glory is now a pitance. They are beaten, bloodied, exiled, and ashamed.

God is saying, When I forgive you, restore you, and bring you home, "4 you will forget the shame of your youth." In fact, he says, I will be "5 your husband ... your redeemer ... 8 with everlasting love I will have compassion on you."

No matter how many little deaths and shames and indiscretions you have made, when you turn to God, he will bless you. Through his grace "4 you will forget the shame of your youth." In fact, he says, I will be "5 your husband ... your redeemer ... and 8 with everlasting love I will have compassion on you."

Do not fear.

In Christ's Love,

Captain Invincable

(I've died with Christ,

now the world can't harm me)

Mar 5 - Deuteronomy 11.16

2012-03-05T00:30:00.000-05:00

Take care, or you will be

seduced into turning away,

serving other gods and

worshipping them.

Deuteronomy 11:16

"Seduced" is a word we usually associate with sexuality.

Indeed, with the ease and prevalence of pornography on the internet, we have a major problem with lust in our society today. (According to statistics I looked up for this, there are about 10,000 women accessing pornography every second in America. Women! And men access it at about twice that rate.)

In recent sermons I've talked about Baal. That's the name that evil used among the Canannites and in Old Testament times. But even though we might call it by different names today, evil, carnal excess, and depravity haven't left us.

Deuteronomy covers the end of the Exodus. God and Moses are trying to prepare the people to cross over into and thrive in the promised land. "Seduced" in this context isn't a sexual word, it's a devotional word. When we worship the flesh and go along with the world, we are "turning away" from the God of Heaven and worshiping the gods of the world.

Don't let this world seduce you away from the true God and true grace.

In Christ's Love,

a guy who wants to be wooed

by God and grace

Mar 4 - Mark 8.36

2012-03-04T00:30:00.000-05:00

For what will it profit them

to gain the whole world

and forfeit their life?

Mark 8:36

I remember going to the stores with my kids when they were young. They constantly said, "I NEED some more Legos." "I NEED a coke from a vending machine." "I NEED a new batman action figure."

Stores always seemed a good time for vocabulary lesson. "You may NEED a drink, but no, you don't NEED a Coke. You simply WANT your drink to be a Coke."

It's tempting to laugh at our kids and think that we as adults are above confusing wants and needs.

We aren't, of course. One of things that Jesus talks about most in this world is money. Why? Because we constantly confuse wants and needs. We also fear -- will it be enough? To take care of our family at an artificial standard that our society sets, we work harder and harder and never see the family we're supposedly working for.

Jesus asks, "What will it profit [you] to gain [even] the whole world, and forfeit [your] life?"

What do you need to forfeit, so you can start living more fully again? Workaholism? Fear? A bad vocabulary that confuses wants and needs?

In Christ's Love,

a guy who wants to gain

a whole life

Mar 3 - 1 Peter 5.7

2012-03-03T00:30:00.000-05:00

Cast all your anxiety on him,

because he cares for you.

1 Peter 5:7

You have made

the Lord your refuge.

Psalm 91:9

I've told you before that currently my scripture verses are sent to me in pairs. I couldn't decide which to pick for today ... because they actually fit perfectly together.

Fear is one of the most debilitating emotions in our lives. The voice of heaven in scripture tells us not to fear or worry. Here, of course, Peter tells us to "cast all [our] anxiety on [God]."

Why? Because if God created this whole wide world, he's more than big enough to handle whatever you might consider to be big. He loves, forgives, helps, heals, and blesses.

That's a good verse ... but it's better when paired with Psalm 91.

This Psalm doesn't say that God is our refuge -- although he certainly is. Rather it says that peace and protection come when "you have made the Lord your refuge."

It's like a farmer in olden days. An enemy army appears over the horizon. The farmer can stay and fight with his shovel ... or he can run to the castle and seek refuge behind fortress walls and with the king.

As the good king welcomes the streams of peasants into the castle, he says, "You have made [king and castle] your refuge. Cast all your anxiety on [me]."

God says the same to you, of course. Are you making him your refuge and trusting him with your burdens?

In Christ's Love,

a poor begger

in the glorious castle

of the true and only king

Mar 2 -- 2 Corinthians 12.10

2012-03-02T00:30:00.000-05:00

Paul wrote:

Whenever I am weak,

then I am strong.

2 Corinthians 12:10

What does Paul mean by that?

I remember talking to a parent once. I asked, "When did you feel closest to God."

The parent answered, "When my child was in the hospital."

By human reasoning, how odd. But think about it. At this moment in time, this parent was at their most vulnerable. They couldn't fix the problem in their child. In other words, they'd reached the end of themselves. They had to let go of control ... and let God be in control. That's why they were closest.

That was my story too. As a 25-year-old father, I was unemployed and then underemployed. I wasn't supporting my family. I wasn't controlling my own destiny. I'd reached the end of myself. I had to let go ... and let God.

I believe that's what Paul is saying in today's verse. Whenever I [reach the end of myself], then I [allow God to work] strong[ly]."

In Christ's Love,

a guy who needs to be

weaker and less self-sufficient

Mar 1 - Psalm 116.8

2012-03-01T00:30:00.000-05:00

You have delivered

my soul from death,

my eyes from tears,

my feet from stumbling.

Psalm 116:8

Sometimes I work ahead -- way ahead -- on these devotions. The day I'm writing this devotion happens to be Ash Wednesday.

For my Ash Wednesday sermon, I'm contemplating the judgmental finger that some people point at God. They say, "I can't believe in a god who casts people into hell." (Have you ever heard that one?)

Do you hear the sense of entitlement in that statement? "We all deserve to be in heaven and it's only an angry God who would cast people into hell."

That statement leaves many Christians tongue-tied ... because it sounds logical. And suddenly we're the ones who are on the defensive. Many conflicting sentiments running through our brains ...

We know God is loving.

We also know what the Bible says -- "unless you believe" (Jn 8:24).
Does God cast people into hell?

Lent -- especially Ash Wednesday -- is a good time to remind people of our "default setting."

Our default setting is death. It is ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

There are many definitions of hell. Without getting too specific, it is the absence love, joy, peace, hope, and blessing. At its core, hell is the absence of God.

Dust has no life in it, that means without God's resurrecting love, death is absence, ashes, necrosis, hell, and decay. God doesn't cast people into hell, he invites us to come to him and live.

In our verse for today, the Psalms sing of this hope: "You have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling."

The next time that someone says, "I can't believe in a God who ...," remind them of their default position.

In Christ's Love,

a guy who doesn't

point his finger at God,

a guy who instead

raises his hands in thanksgiving

Feb 29 - Ecclesiastes 3.1-9

2012-02-29T00:30:00.000-05:00

For everything there is a season,

and a time for every matter under heaven:

a time to be born, and a time to die;

a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;

a time to kill, and a time to heal;

a time to break down, and a time to build up;

a time to weep, and a time to laugh;

a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

a time to throw away stones,

and a time to gather stones together;

a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

a time to seek, and a time to lose;

a time to keep, and a time to throw away;

a time to tear, and a time to sew;

a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

a time to love, and a time to hate;

a time for war, and a time for peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-9

Happy Leap Day!!!

You can look at today as just another Wednesday. Or you can view it as a bonus day.

That's my challenge to you today: Do something that makes you (or those around you) ... laugh ... or dance ... or embrace ... or gather in ... or heal ... or love ... or seek ... or cherish ... or listen ... or sow peace ... or be born again.

View today as a bonus day ... and do something extraordinary!!!

In Christ's Love,

a guy who's on the beach

with his bride of 25 years today

Feb 28 - Malachi 1.6

2012-02-28T00:30:00.000-05:00

A son honors his father.

If then I am a father,

where is the honor due me?

says the Lord.

Malachi 1:6

Most of God's prophets spoke for the Lord in times of rebellion.

God is saying, "Israel, you are rebelling like a thankless son. I have given you life. I have promised you a future, and lots of blessings. So where is the honor due to me?"

Do you remember failing to honor your mom and dad? We disobeyed. We said yes -- but didn't pretend to do what we promised. We lied about big things and even little things. We constantly bent rules. We sneaked around like they didn't know what we were up to. We dishonored them.

And yet after a few years, what happened in most of those relationships? Usually two things: 1) they forgave us and 2) we matured.

In most cases, because of a parent's love and patience, the teenage years are behind us and a right relationship has been restored. (That's true in our relationship with God too. Because of his love and patience, nothing delights him more than for us prodigals to come back home and for a right relationship to be forged.)

But I want to look at the second thing that happened in those relationships: "We matured." What a marvelous gift to our parents when we mature!

That's true in our relationship with God too. We're not supposed to remain spiritual children forever. Yes, we hope to always have the trusting faith as a child, but we also want to keep learning, growing, and maturing.

Think about it. We don't want to remain in the place where our faith needs to be continually mothered. We want our relationship with God to turn into more of a friendship.

In Christ's Love,

an ever-maturing child

Feb 27 - Romans 8.30

2012-02-27T00:30:00.000-05:00

And having chosen them,

he called them to come to him.

And he gave them

right standing with himself,

and he promised them his glory.

Romans 8:30

Have you chosen God?

That's usually the direction we focus in. Even when we don't mean to, we tend to think of faith as our action, our initiative, and our work.

It's not.

Turn it around: God has chosen you.

In context, it's proper to insert you name into this passage:

"[God has chosen you.] And having chosen you,

God called you to come [closer and closer] to him.

[In fact] he has given you right standing with him.

[In spite of your sins, he's forgiven you and declared you just.]

[Even better,] he has promised you his glory, [meaning,

one day you shall stand with him in heaven in light.]

Quit making faith your work. Stop. Relax. Breathe deep. And say, "Thank you God for loving me, choosing me, and setting me free."

In Christ's Love,

a guy who's practically glowing

(I'm blessed that he's chosen me

and is giving me his glory)

Feb 26 - Revelation 1.17-18

2012-02-26T00:30:00.000-05:00

Do not be afraid;

I am the first and the last,

and the living one.Revelation 1:17-18

I think they must have a class in Angel School where they say: "When you meet a human, the first thing you have to say is 'Do not be afraid.'"

An angelic presence and the glory of heaven tended to drive people to their knees.

How much more so if you met Jesus!

That was John. He'd been exiled to the prison island of Patmos. "10 On the Lord's day [he] was in the Spirit" when the Son of Man appeared to him. John "fell at his feat as though dead."

It was probably Jesus himself who taught the cherubim at Angel School, so he knew what to say, "Do not be afraid."

The key, however, is that this message isn't just for John. It's for everyone who reads Revelation ... and more importantly, wades into "9 persecution" on account of Jesus' name. "Do not be afraid." Jesus was here from the beginning (he is the first). He'll be there to welcome us home at them (he is the last). And in the meantime, he is "the living one" who gives us hope.

So kneel down for a minute in awe and thanksgiving. But then stand up because Christ makes us victorious.

In Christ's Love,

a guy who's standing

on his tip-toe because

if God is for us, who

can be against us

-- Rom 8:31

Feb 25 - Isaiah 40.28

2012-02-25T00:30:00.000-05:00

Have you not known?

Have you not heard?

The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.

Isaiah 40:28

The end of Isaiah 40 is one of my favorite places in the Bible. In a verse of two, we will be reminded that God will lift us up on wings like eagles. We are reminded that God want us to soar.

It's not hard to guess the context of Isaiah 40.

The persecution had come, and the people were weary. But Isaiah assured them that "the Everlasting God" "does not faint or grow weary."

Their situation probably seemed unexplainable, but Isaiah reminded them that "the Creator of the ends of the earth" had a full "understanding" and we need not worry because "his understanding is unsearchable."

My favorite part of this, though, is the first two quick sentences in this passage.

In the time of Isaiah -- for most of the next 2000 years -- most people didn't read. Most Bibles were on scrolls and copied by hand. If you heard the scriptures, they were read to you -- chapter after chapter. For anyone who's attention span was waning, God -- through Isaiah -- screamed: "HAVE YOU NOT KNOWN? HAVE YOU NOT HEARD? PAY ATTENTION!!! THE EVERLASTING GOD KNOWS AND CARES."

Indeed, the everlasting God knows and cares about you.

In Christ's Love,

a guy who's often weary

and is glad he lay his burdens

on a God who isn't

Feb 24 - 2 Timothy 2:15

2012-02-24T00:30:00.000-05:00

Do your best

to present yourself to God

as one approved by him,

a worker who has no need

to be ashamed,

rightly explaining

the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15

My first job was in fast food. They called me "Fast Eddie." They were being sarcastic. I was a deliberate thinker more than a speedy doer. After the Christmas rush, it was a good time to down-size "Slow Edward."

Paul calls us to be good workers for the kingdom. And it has nothing to do with speed. Rather, there a two powerful, positive characteristics of honorable work in the kingdom.

First, we are to base our lives on "the word of truth." Workers in the kingdom, says Paul, are to rightly explain the word of truth. That means that we are called to understand it ... and then apply it ... and then teach it to others.
Second, good workers in the kingdom are to live honorably -- which means living without shame and being ashamed. A moment ago, I said we are to apply the word then teach it. More accurately, "applying the word through the way we live" means that we are naturally "teaching the word through the witness of our daily lives."

"Fast Eddie" wasn't good at fast food. But life is more than chicken sandwiches. I'd rather be "Honorable Ed." I'd rather witness to the word of truth.

In Christ's Love,

a guy who's best job in fast food

would probably be wearing

the chicken suit and

standing on the corner

as a living billboard

Feb 23 - 1 Corinthians 15:19

2012-02-23T00:30:00.000-05:00

If for this life only

we have hoped in Christ,

we are of all people

most to be pitied.

1 Corinthians 15:19

Maybe it was different in Paul's day. But in our day, it's the opposite of 1 Corinthians 15:9.

In Paul's day, it appears that people let Christ encourage their daily life, but didn't hope much for heaven. Maybe that was an old holdover from the days of the Sadduccees. They were sad-you-see (say it out loud) because they taught fervently against life everlasting. So maybe in Corinth, people let Christ encourage their daily life, but didn't hope much for heaven.

In our day it's the other way around. As an African exchange student at an American seminary said to his classmates, "I can't figure you American's out. You all want to spend eternity with God in heaven, but you're all too busy to give him five minutes in a normal day."

Maybe our modern translation of 1 Corinthians 15 ought to say: "If for the next life only we have hoped in Christ, we are most to be pitied."

God wants to transform your life today! Why not spend a few extra minutes with him ... right now.

In Christ's Love,

a guy who's too often

too busy

Feb 22 - Isaiah 42:1

2012-02-22T00:30:00.000-05:00

Here is my servant, whom I uphold,

my chosen, in whom my soul delights.Isaiah 42:1

Isaiah was God's chosen. The result? God delighted in him.

God chooses you too.

The result? God has no greater purpose than to delight in you.

But it's like a dating relationship. Did you ever go on a date and delight in the other person ... and then have them refuse to return your calls for the next month? You delighted in them. They did not delight in you.

I suspect that this is how God feels very frequently. He made us. He loves us. He has no greater purpose than to delight in us. The problem is that we're too busy washing our hair, watching television, working our jobs, and carpooling our kids.

It's not just repentance that God wants ... it's relationship.

Today is Ash Wednesday. The message is: Turn to him and live.

In Christ's Love,

a guy who wants to be

a better date

Feb 21 - Lamentations 1:18

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The Lord is in the right,

for I have rebelled against his word.Lamentations 1:18

Consequences.

As a parent, I must have said a hundred times, "there's got to be a consequence for your actions."

My children learned to hate that word!

The word I would have loved to hear is what Jeremiah said to God in our lesson for today, "You're right, dad. I have rebelled against your authority."

Actually -- in one way or another -- I did hear that a lot from my boys. It sometimes took a while to get there, but to move past a transgression, they eventually had to get to a point beyond consequences. They had to get to a point of apology.

That's what God asks of us. That's what confession is: "Lord, you are right. I'm tired of rebelling." Those words humble our prideful spirit and are the beginning of forgiveness, freedom, and new life.

In Christ's Love,

a guy who's a better parent

than an obedient child

Feb 20 - Hebrews 11:7

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By faith Noah, warned by God

about events as yet unseen,

respected the warning and

built an ark to save his household.

Hebrews 11:7

Many call Hebrews 11 the "Hall of Faith." Noah was clearly one of the heroes elected on the first ballot.

Why? Because he believed God.

In the midst of a desert ... in the midst of a drought ... in a land where rain was rarer than rare ... God said build a boat three football fields long.

If it was me, I'd be arguing against God. Maybe Noah argued. Maybe he didn't. The point is ... HE DID IT. The flood was "unseen." And yet he respected the warning. He believed God.

In Christ's Love,

a guy who's praying,

"Lord, help me believe more"

Feb 19 - Psalm 40:17

2012-02-19T00:30:00.000-05:00

You are my help and my deliverer;

do not delay, O my God.

Psalm 40:17

How do you label God? Your guide? Your master? Your friend? Your King? In this Psalm, David calls the Lord "a help and a deliverer."

Wait. It's more personal than that. He calls him "my help and my deliverer."

The word "my" tells us something. David's stopped, looked, and listened enough for the movement of God to see his hand personally.

He also talks to God personally. If I needed assistance from the president, I'd wouldn't speak as familiarly as David is talking to God. I'd tell the president that I understood that there were lots of concerns before him; nevertheless, I'd humbly request his attending to my needs as promptly as he could.

On the other hand, if I were talking to my dad, I'd be more bold. I'd say, "Father, I need help and I need it now. 'Do not delay.'"

What if my dad was the president? What if my Father was the King. That was the relationship that David had. "Father God, I need help and I need it now. 'Do not delay.'"

In Christ's Love,

the son of a king

Feb 18 - Isaiah 11:1

2012-02-18T00:30:00.000-05:00

A shoot shall come out

from the stump of Jesse,

and a branch shall grow

out of his roots.

Isaiah 11:1

When I get my verse each day, they often come two at a time. Isaiah 11:1 was the first one for today.

This verse is usually a Christmas verse. Writing a few hundred years after the reign of King David, Isaiah wasn't pointing backward, remembering that Jesse was the father of David. Rather, he was pointing forward to the coming of Messiah. Isaiah was predicting that from the stump of Jesse and the line of David would come the Messiah.

The second verse was John 15:5. Before talking about abiding in him and bearing much fruit, "Christ says, 'I am the vine, you are the branches.'"

Watch the pattern. From the stump of Jesse comes David. From the roots of David comes Jesus the Messiah. From the vine of Jesus comes you and me.

God's been planting, sewing, weaving, and growing all of creation so that you can be his treasured branch and bear sweet and glorious fruit for his kingdom.

So notice the pattern. From Jesse's stump comes David. From David's roots come Jesus. From Jesus' vine comes you and me. From you and me come whom?!

In Christ's Love,

a guy who doesn't want

to break the chain

Feb 17 - Acts 4:29

2012-02-17T00:30:00.000-05:00

Lord, grant to your servants

to speak your word with all boldness. Acts 4:29

The church was just beginning.

The Holy Spirit had just come down.

Peter and John had helped a lame man walk.

And when they told how -- "in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk" -- they were dragged before the authorities.

Two pages after Pentecost, the persecutions had already begun. What had also begun was the prayers! "Lord, grant to your servants to speak your word with all boldness."

The entire book of Acts is a testimony to human boldness ... and even more so, to Holy Spirit power.

If you don't have either boldness or Holy Spirit power, it's time to start praying this prayer. Stick it on your mirror. Tape it on your dashboard. "Lord, grant to your servants to speak your word with all boldness."

In Christ's Love,

a guy who prays "more, Lord, more"

-- more Spirit, more power, more boldness

Feb 16 - Psalm 26:8

2012-02-16T00:30:00.000-05:00

O Lord, I love

the house in which you dwell,

and the place where

your glory abides.

Psalm 26:8

I've lived in some pretty nice houses.

I've also lived in some houses that have seen better days.

In seminary, we lived way below the poverty line ... with two tiny boys ... and with two big dogs. I remember pulling up to the house that the seminary was renting to us. It looked smaller than our U-Haul truck!

That was one of our favorite houses ever!

It wasn't because it was big or fancy. It was because love lived there.

David was saying the same thing in Psalm 26. Since the temple was not built in the days of David, God's presence didn't live in a "house" -- at best, he "lived" in the tent and tabernacle. But I don't think David was talking about loving even a grand tent.

I think David was simply saying that he loved any place where God was. I think he treasured any spot where God's glory shined.

Why? Because love lived there!

And whereever love lives, David was willing to call "home."

In Christ's Love,

a guy who has lots of places

that he can call home

(because I've seen lots of

love and glory)

Feb 15 - 1 Corinthians 4:2

2012-02-15T00:30:00.000-05:00

It is required of stewards

that they be found trustworthy.1 Corinthians 4:2

When most church folks hear the word "steward," they think "money."

"Steward" started, however, as the manager of a household. Shepherding the staff and managing the money, the steward was "entrusted" with literally everything in the house. Therefore, being "trustworthy" was absolutely "required."

When Joseph -- son of Jacob -- was sold into slavery by his brothers, he gained the trust and admiration of a home owner and rose to become chief steward of Potiphar's house. Unfortunately, Mrs. Potiphar admired Joseph too. She wanted to admire him straight into the bedroom.

But Joseph was trustworthy. He ran from his master wife. Unfortunately, the scorned bride blamed Joseph. Prison was Joseph's destination for being trustworthy to his job.

Paul spent time in prison because of his trustworthiness to his calling too.

Peter and John also spent time in prison. Why? Because they too were trustworthy stewards.

Stewardship is not just about money. It is being trustworthy with all the resources entrusted to us -- including our faith. How might you learn to view stewardship in terms of the faith, courage, and commitment you can share?

In Christ's Love,

a guy who views his calling

as stewardship

Feb 14 - Zephaniah 3:17

2012-02-14T00:30:00.000-05:00

The Lord your God is in your midst ...

He will rejoice over you with gladness,

He will renew you in His love

as on a day of festival.

Zephaniah 3:17

Do you ever remember being Charlie Brown? It's Valentines Day. Did your heart ever yearn for some form of acknowledgement from "that someone special." My mailbox was empty on many a Valentines day.

Lonliness is at epidemic levels in our culture. We move away from family and roots. People isolate themselves in individual technologies. Connections are more superficial over phone lines and computer screens. One of humanity's greatest needs is belonging, and we are increasingly alone.

God has an answer for lonliness. "The Lord your God is in your midst."

Imagine the shepherds in the fields. Sheep were hardly company. The nights were long and lonely ... unless you remembered that "the Lord your God is in your midst."

When we're feeling isolated and discouraged, we need to remember that "[God] rejoice[s] over [us] with gladness."

When we're feeling alone and unappreciated, we need to remind ourselves to celebrate a little "as on a day of festival." Why? Because "[God] will renew you in His love" everyday.

In Christ's Love,

Snoopy

(as opposed to Charlie Brown,

if I'm fed, I know I'm loved.)

Feb 13 - Mark 4:39

2012-02-13T00:30:00.000-05:00

Jesus woke up

and rebuked the wind,

and said to the sea,

"Peace! Be still!"

Then the wind ceased,

and there was a dead calm.

Mark 4:39

Have you ever encountered a moment of dead calm?

That's how people describe the eye of a hurricane. For hours, violent winds have been lifting roofs and snapping trees. And then there's suddenly an eerie hush. The skies clear. The winds stop. The barometric pressure drops. And there is a dead calm.

Have you ever been in a conversation when someone says something ... and everything stops.

That can happen when someone says something profound. More often it happens when someone says and does something offensive. Suddenly, the barometric pressure will drop, a chill will descend, and an eerie hush will fall over the room.

When Jesus said, "Peace! Be still!" I don't think it was only the weather that entered a state of eerie silence. I think the disciples in that boat encountered a moment of dead calm too. Here was a man who could -- gulp! -- make the wind and waves obey him. As it says in Mark 16:8 of the resurrection, "terror and amazement had seized them." Dead calm!

Have you ever encountered a moment of a dead-calm-spiritual-awakening? A moment when the barometer drops and you know God is there? Some do. Some don't.

I pray regularly for spiritual revival. I pray regularly that God will break into our lives -- and into our world -- in ways that silence the doubts, calm the storms, and usher in a new era beyond the troubled seas. I invite you to join me in that prayer.

In Christ's Love,

a guy who is not dead,

a guy who is not always calm,

but a guy who's praying for dead calm!

Feb 12 - Ephesians 2:20

2012-02-12T00:30:00.000-05:00

You are built upon the foundation

of the apostles and prophets

Ephesians 2:20

What kind of building would you call your faith?

Would it be a house of bricks, a home of sticks, or a hut made out of straw?

Indeed, when the harsher winds of life blow -- with the same bad breath as the big bad wolf -- how solidly are you standing?

Paul tells us that our foundation ought to be the apostles and prophets.

And how can we literally hear the voice of the prophets a few thousand years since they last drew earthly breath? That's easy. We can hear Micah and Matthew, Jeremiah and Peter, Isaiah and Paul, every time we open the scriptures.

Our spiritual house is made more and more solid with mortar and brick each time we open God's word and when we make -- as the verse continues -- "Christ Jesus himself [our] cornerstone."

In Christ's Love,

a mighty fortress

Feb 11 - Isaiah 58:10

2012-02-11T00:30:00.000-05:00

If you extend your soul to the hungry

and satisfy the afflicted soul,
then your light shall dawn

in the darkness.

Isaiah 58:10

The first thing I had to do with this passage is figure out who "you" is.

If "you" is God, then Isaiah is saying, "God's light isn't shining anymore, but it can shine again if and when God feeds the hungry -- in body and soul." Do you think that's it?
But what if Isaiah is talking to an individual person? If we care for the hungry, is he saying that it's our own personal light that will shine?" Do you think that's it?
The third possibility is that Isaiah is talking to a nation. If this is the case, Isaiah is saying that Israel is not caring for the needs of the physically hungry nor the spiritually hungry. Indeed, Isaiah would be saying that a nation's light can't truly shine unless both bodily hungers and spiritual needs of its citizens are nurtured. Do you think that's it?

Before I look up the context, which do you think it is?

And the answer is ... Isaiah has been told by God to "Announce [all of this] to [God's] people ... to the house of Jacob" ... in other words, to the nation as a whole.

Meaning: God is saying that a nation's light will cease to shine if fails to nurture both the bodily and spiritual needs of its people.

So where does that leave our nation in 2012? See this US News and World Report evaluation.

In Christ's Love,

a guy who's tired of

living in the dark

Feb 10 - Hebrews 4:16

2012-02-10T00:30:00.000-05:00

Let us therefore approach

the throne of grace with boldness,

so that we may receive mercy

and find grace to help in time of need.

Hebrews 4:16

Do you remember the story of Dorothy and the Tin Man? Do you remember how the Cowardly Lion jumped, screamed, and fled the first time they encountered "The Wizard of Oz"?

What changed the second time they met the Wizard and Toto pulled back the curtain?

They discovered that the great and powerful wizard was just an ordinary human being. Now even the cowardly lion could approaching him with a measure of boldness.

God has pulled back the veil.

On the one hand, he is holy and mighty. Infinitely more powerful than wizards in Oz.

But God is also gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love. He sent Jesus as his living picture of his love and approachability. Yes, we ought to fear him (in terms of honor), but he tells us that we need not fear him (in terms of terror).

Indeed, scripture invites us to approach him with boldness.

Why? Because he sits on a throne that is named "grace."

In Christ's Love,

a guy who gets

as rusty as the tin man

when he comprehends

God's grace

Feb 9 - Mark 13:26-27

2012-02-09T00:30:00.000-05:00

At that time

men will see the Son of Man

coming in clouds with great power and glory.

And he will send forth his angels

to gather together his chosen ones

from all over the world -- from the

farthest ends of the earth and heaven.

Mark 13:26-27

This is a passage of comfort.

Why? Because of the harrowing predictions that come before it.

Jesus predicts that the end of the age will be filled with trials and tribulation, abominations and sacrilege, earthquakes and wars, tragedy and fear.

When we see this kind of turmoil in our lifes and in our world, we're supposed to look up.

One day, Jesus promises that he will return victorious in the clouds, and he promises that his angels will not rest until they find you. So when you face trials, look up!

But what if your trials are not THE trials that signal the end of the age? Then like every Christian who's gone before us, you were still looking up! You were still gaining comfort from the king who reigns on high. You were still holding confident that his angels will guard you, protect you, and in the end, guide you home.

In Christ's Love,

a guy with a kink in his neck

(it's sore from looking up)

Feb 8 - Romans 11:17-18

2012-02-08T00:30:00.000-05:00

If you, a wild olive shoot,

were grafted in to share

the rich root of the olive tree,

do not boast over the branches.

If you do boast, remember that

it is not you that support the root,

but the root that supports you.

Romans 11:17-18

In John 15:15, Jesus famously says, "I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit."

That's the part that we know. But we forget the last few words of this verse -- "because apart from me you can do nothing."

We forget these words because most of us really argue with these words. "I can too do things on my own!!!"

Intellectual Christians will say, "That statement's false because lots on non-Christians do lots of good things."

Pious Christians say, "We can surely do more with God's help. But it's up to us to choose good or bad. And I strive to do good."

Paul, however, agrees with this statement. He echoes Jesus. In fact, he says that on our own, we are untamed, barbarous, primative, uncivilized, and wild. Indeed, the Apostle calls us wild shoots that Jesus has grafted onto the rich taproot of life. And like Jesus in John 15, he tells us "not [to] boast" of our own accomplishments.

Why? According to Paul, it's because the root supports us ... We don't support the root. According to Jesus, fruit is not fruit unless it comes from him.

For example, say that we feed the poor. That's a good human work, right? And good people can do that without even knowing God, right? But who created the food. God! Feeding the poor is simply sharing God's abundance. (And unfortunately that's very necessary in a world that robs the poor and hoards earthly resources.) But we only call this good because too many people don't share. It's good in comparison to other sinners, but we are the ones who create the scarcity anyway.

So if even feeding the poor is not "good," what is the fruit that we're called to bear ... and share? It's connecting others to the branch, to the root, to the tree, to the cross, to the Savior. (And that's what we absolutely cannot do without God!)

Think about this ... Even if we save someone from starvation, they'll still eventually die, and then where will they be? Jesus wants to send out laborers into the eternal harvest.

BUT lest we quit feeding the hungry, food (and other forms of physical help like medical care) are a great way to gain access to a person's heart. We love them (and feed them) until they ask us why!!!

In Christ's Love,

a guy who doesn't

want to be "good"

(just godly)

Feb 7 - Isaiah 59:1-2

2012-02-07T00:30:00.000-05:00

See, the Lord's hand

is not too short to save,

nor his ear too dull to hear.

Rather, your iniquities have been

barriers between you and your God.

Isaiah 59:1-2

I'm a cartoonist at heart. Can't you almost see the silly drawing in pen and ink ... God's hand reaching down from heaven -- straining, stretching, and still ending up six inches too short. "Sorry," cries the voice from the clouds, "I just can't reach."

The prophet says, "No! The Lord's hand is not too short to save."

But that, of course, is not your worry.

You didn't believe that cartoon, anyway.

Neverthless, I bet you have wondered about the next line. We pray and pray, and situations aren't resolved in the exact time and precise way that we'd like. And so we wonder, "Does God really hear?"

Isaiah 59 gives the shortest clearest answer to this that I've ever heard. He says, "Friend, it's not God's hearing aid that needs fixed. It's your sinfulness that needs to be fixed. It's your sins that are the barrier between you and God."

God's not the barrier. We are.

Now ... please understand ... it's not just us and our own personal sins that keep us from God and grace. We live in a world shattered by sin. Hurts abound. We don't want to wait for heaven for peace. We want it now. So we pray and pray, and when the answers don't come, we blame God's deafness rather than the world's rebellion.

We can't fix the world.

But ... we can seek to remove the "barriers" that we personally erect between ourselves and God. Pride, anger, doubt, selfishness, and sin. These are just a few of the barriers that keep us from hope, joy, and peace.

In Christ's Love,

a guy who believes that

God has a very long wing span

(and a guy who's ready to quit

using his own wingspan

to keep pushing God away)

Feb 6 - John 10:6-7

2012-02-06T01:51:00.000-05:00

Jesus used

this figure of speech with them,

but they did not understand

what he was saying to them.

So again Jesus said ...

John 10:6-7

John 10 is full of great verses. Great analogies. But as a person who likes to speak in analogies, though, it's comforting that even Jesus was occasionally misunderstood!

Misunderstandings aside, in this chapter Jesus made several critical points that we dare not miss ...

First, he was predicting his own crucifixion: "11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."

Second, by calling himself a "good shepherd" and by showing his willingness to give his life, he was reflecting his committed care and compassion for each of us, his sheep.

Third, he wanted us to know that we are vulnerable -- "12 wolf coming."

Fourth, he wanted us to know that there are forces in and around us that can do us harm.

Some are inattentive "12 hired hands." (What worldly "shepherds" do you know that are inattentive?).
Some are "1 bandits" who intentionally -- or even unintentionally -- preach a false gospel and as a result rob us measures of hope and joy.
One -- Satan -- is an outright "10 thief [who] comes only to steal and kill and destroy."

Fifth, Jesus is teaching us that he is "the [one] way" to heaven, saying, "9 I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved."

Sixth, Jesus invites us to give our lives to him by becoming his sheep. In fact, how do we know if we're living as sheep? Jesus says, "4 [His] sheep follow him because they know his voice." Nowadays, we know his voice best when he know his word.

Seventh, once we're Christ's sheep, we can quit worrying so much, because Jesus says, "27 My sheep ... 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand."

Which of those did you need to hear most today?

In Christ's Love,

Baaaah

Feb 5 - Psalm 111:10

2012-02-05T01:50:00.000-05:00

The fear of the Lord

is the beginning of wisdom;

all those who practice it

have a good understanding.

Psalm 111:10

In the Wisdom Literature of the Bible, this is a common principle. Job, Psalm, and Proverbs like "fear" and "wisdom."

It's not just any "fear," however. "The fear of the Lord" is also translated, "Reverence for the Lord" NLT, "honor[ing] the Lord" GNT, and -- my favorite -- "respect for the Lord" NCV.

After telling us again that "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom," Proverbs 1:7, shows us the opposite, saying, "fools despise wisdom and instruction."

My favorite example of this is: "How come if only five guys on the planet can throw a 97-mph fastball over the bottom outside corner of the plate ... and all of them have old guy coaching them who can't even see the plate anymore?! How come?

There are a good many more who can throw that hard, but these five are the ones who accepted "wisdom," coaching, and "instruction"! Our verse today says, "[in life]all those who practice it have a good understanding." In baseball, "all those who practice it" make $14-million a year!

God is our coach ... and more than our coach. He is the author of life. He leads, protects, and guides. He shows us the way we should go -- if we'll let him. And those who fear, reverence, honor, and respect him, are infinitely richer than a $14-million pitcher!

In Christ's Love,

a guy who's more of

a knuckleball pitcher,

but I'm in the show

and rich indeed

Feb 4 ----

2012-02-04T01:50:00.001-05:00

Read yesterdays! I sent two for Feburary 3, and

come to our healing service on Saturday, February 4, 8:30am

Feb 3 - take 2 - Isaiah 38:16

2012-02-04T01:50:00.000-05:00

You can count this as your February 4 devotion,

but I hope you'll read it on Friday and

come to our healing service on Saturday, February 4, 8:30am

O Lord, restore me to health

and make me live.

Isaiah 38:16

There are many types of hurts in life.

The three major categories are physical, emotional, and spiritual.

Our body hurts. Our heart hurts. Our mind is overloaded. And our soul is weighed down.

All of these hurts keep us from "liv[ing]" fully. That's why the psalmist asks to be "restore[d]." Why? So he can "live" -- fully, wholly, wonderfully, and completely live.

God also invites us to unite our prayers with his power. He wants to heal. He wants us to live.

I hope you'll join us for our Healing Service at 8:30 on Saturday morning, February 4. We'll address many of the false hopes, needless worries, and guarded expectations when praying for healing. We'll also pray with expectation, hope, confidence, and power. Why? Because God wants to heal. He wants us to live.

Note: The healing service started three days early!!! Some of us have been at the hospital praying for Lesley -- a teenager from the youth group who was recently diagnosed with a rare form epilepsy. Even with surgery, she was looking at a life of seizures, medications, and partial blindness. PRAISE GOD, she's been healed. If she has any lingering effects, they appear to be minor.

In Christ's Love,

a guy who can't wait

to see how God shows up

on Saturday!

Feb 3 - Ephesians 4:15

2012-02-03T00:30:00.000-05:00

Speaking the truth in love,

we must grow up in every way

into him who is the head, into Christ.

Ephesians 4:15

Nowadays, people don't stand for truth.

We're taught, "What's right for me is right for me, and what's right for you is right for you." It's demanded that we never judge. All things, it is said, are relative.

And after a generation of permissiveness, what's left of our standards.

Paul tells us ...

There is truth.
God knows what is right and wrong.
And you and me are called to stand for true and right.
But ... we are not called to do it in an angry, bullying way.
We are called to speak the truth in love.

Do you know the truth? Do you fight for it? And do you do it with love?!

In Christ's Love,

a loving fighter

Feb 2 - Mark 9:24

2012-02-02T00:30:00.000-05:00

"I believe;

help my unbelief!"

Mark 9:24

Jesus offered to heal a man's son.

Oddly, though, Jesus gave the man a condition. The Savior demanded faith, "All things can be done for the one who believes."

The father cried, "I believe; help my unbelief!"

That's a powerful statement. "Jesus, I'm not 100% of the way there ... but I want to be. Take whatever measures I have and keep drawing me further along. I believe, help my unbelief."

Read correctly, that should inspire deeper faith. God rejoices in the direction we're pointing, not the distance we have traveled.

Sadly, I've heard too many people use this as an excuse for smaller amounts of faith. "I believe enough," is one winking reply. Others say, "See, God blesses doubts and imperfections"; and thereby they excuse their lack of discipline.

Both of those are at best half-truths. More truthfully, God honors honesty, and he honors those who actively pursue him. That's what this father did. On behalf of his son, this man pursued Jesus. In faith, he cried out for healing for his boy. In honesty, he confessed his imperfection. Then he begged for more.

This isn't a story about enough. It is a story of pursuit. It is the hunger for more.

In Christ's Love,

a guy who daily cries,

"I believe ... Help ..."

Feb 1 - Colossians 3:17

2012-02-01T00:30:00.000-05:00

Whatever you do, in word or deed,

do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus,

giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Colossians 3:17

What does it mean to do something in Jesus' name? Let me illustrate with a story ...

In one of my favorite Andy Griffith episodes, Deputy Sheriff Barney Fife tries to run off a peddler. The man is tough and angry ... and twice Barney's size. He furls his brow, sticks his finger in Barney's chest, and says something like, "Oh yeah. Make me."

Barney scampers away, and spends most of the episode viewing himself as a failure and considering whether he should quit. Andy finds out the reason for Barney's hesitation, and when the peddler returns, the sturdier sheriff volunteers to run the peddler off.

Barney finally discovers his resolve. Though scared to death, Barney confronts the peddler. The bully grabs him by the collar, promising to pummel him. But Barney says, "Go ahead. You're bigger than me. You can easily pound me into the dirt. But do you see this?"

Barney points to his badge, saying, "This badge is a symbol. When you fight me, you're fighting all the people who stand behind this badge. You can't beat all of them. If you beat me, they'll send another and another. This badge stands for something bigger than you and me both."

That's what doing something in the name of Jesus means. It doesn't mean praying with a formula or saying, "In the name of Jesus" forty times in every prayer. It means standing where Jesus would stand if he were here.

You may be a 120-lbs weakling, but when you make a God-honoring stand in the name of Jesus, all the power behind the badge -- all the power in his name -- will be there to back you up.

That's what "power in the name" means. Stand for him and he'll stand beside you.

In Christ's Love,

a guy named Barney,

weak on my own,

strong in the name.

Jan 31 - Genesis 13:8

2012-01-31T00:30:00.000-05:00

Abram said to Lot,

"Let there be no strife

between you and me, and
between your herders

and my herders;

for we are kindred."

Genesis 13:8

"We are family!" cheers Abram to his nephew Lot. So why does he also have to say, "So ... let's not have any strife between us"?

Why? Because some of the deepest hurts in life come from family. (How sad.)

Families live very close together, giving lots of opportunities for friction. Family knows us best, giving lots of opportunties to learn which buttons to push. Furthermore, we love them most, meaning wounds from them cut deeper than wounds from mere acquaintences. It's probably too simplistic to imagine, then, that we can just say, "Let's have no stife between us," and have that magically happen.

That leads to what I believe is perhaps the most important function of family: It teaches us to forgive. We can't live that close to people for that long a period of time without learning to forgive!

Actually, we can refuse to forgive! It just makes us a fraction of the person we're designed to be.

Who do you need to forgive? Discover the freedom and the peace!

In Christ's Love,

a guy who's made others

learn to practice a lot of forgiveness

(in other words, I've caused

more than my fair share of friction,

and I appreciate their grace)

Jan 30 - 1 Pet 1:13

2012-01-30T03:06:00.000-05:00

Set all your hope

on the grace that

Jesus Christ will bring you

when he is revealed.

1 Peter 1:13

The meaning of this verse is focused past, present, future, and back to the present.

Past tense: Peter says, "3 By his great mercy [God] has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ."

What has God already given to us: New birth! Living hope! How? Through a powerful past tense action -- "the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead."

Present tense. Peter says, "8 Although you have not seen [Christ], you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy."

Even though we have not ever seen God visibly, we nevertheless love him (presently), we believe in him (present tense), and we rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy (don't you want more and more of this in every moment's present tense?!!!).

Future tense: Why can we "13 hope"? Because Christ will be "13 revealed"!

In 1 Corinthians 13:12, Paul says, "now we see through the glass, dimly, but [through the second coming (or through our own death and trip to heaven before the second coming)] then we will see face to face."

Back to the Present: Why, then, can we hope -- right now, present tense? We can have hope if and when we "8 believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy."

Why? Because in hoping and believing, "9 you are receiving [the present, active] outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls."

As Jesus said to doubting Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe. Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe" (John 20:27,29).

In Christ's Love,

a guy who wants to go

Back to the Present

(A movie like that might not sell

as many tickets as Back to the Future,

but I want present, active Hope and Faith)

9 for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that was to be yours made careful search and inquiry, 11 inquiring about the person or time that the Spirit of Christ within them indicated when it testified in advance to the sufferings destined for Christ and the subsequent glory. 12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in regard to the things that have now been announced to you through those who brought you good news by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things into which angels long to look! 13 Therefore prepare your minds for action; discipline yourselves; set all your hope on the grace that Jesus Christ will bring you when he is revealed. 14 Like obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires that you formerly had in ignorance. 15 Instead, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct; 16 for it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy." 17 If you invoke as Father the one who judges all people impartially according to their deeds, live in reverent fear during the time of your exile. 18 You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish. 20 He was destined before the foundation of the world, but was revealed at the end of the ages for your sake. 21 Through him you have come to trust in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are set on God. 22 Now that you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth so that you have genuine mutual love, love one another deeply from the heart. 23 You have been born anew, not of perishable but of imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God. 24 For "All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, 25 but the word of the Lord endures forever." That word is the good news that was announced to you.

Jan 29 - Hebrews 10:24-25

2012-01-29T03:02:00.003-05:00

Let us consider how to

provoke one another

to love and good deeds,

not neglecting to meet together,

as is the habit of some.

Hebrews 10:24-25

"Provoke" is a provocative word.

It's also, usually, a bad word.

When someone provokes us, it's usually to anger. They push and push and push until a line is crossed. And then we blame our bad behavior on them.

I love that Hebrews encourages us to provoke others -- to provoke them, indeed, to love and good deeds. We are called to push and push and push one another until there is an explosion of love and service and blessing.

Pay attention to the whole verse, though. There's a context for this wonderfully provocative behavior. It's within the community of "meet[ing] together."

Hebrews isn't inviting us to provoke strangers. Rather scripture invites us to 1) meet together, 2) make family, and 3) nurture family. And whenever a family member seems to be rolling away like the tide, we're called to be provocative. We're called to call them back. And we're called to prompt them toward God's glorious standard.

In Christ's Love,

a provocateur

(Go love! Go faith!

Go good deeds!)

Jan 28 - 2 Kings 5:17

2012-01-28T03:02:00.001-05:00

Naaman said,

"Your servant will no longer offer sacrifice

to any god except the Lord."

2 Kings 5:17

Naaman was a foreign general. He was also a leper. Wanting his general back, Naaman's king sent him to Israel to find a true man of God and a true healing.

Through Elisha, God healed Naaman. But pride almost kept the general from it.

Elisha gave Naaman a simple task of obedience, a humble task of submission. Generals don't like to submit. They like to give orders rather than obey. So do we.

God could have healed Naaman immediately without any water from the Jordan. But it was the permanent condition of Naaman's heart -- rather than the temporary condition of leperous and rotting body -- that God was most concerned about.

In humbling himself, Naaman found physical healing. He also found spiritual healing. When he cried, essentially, "There is no other God except the Lord," he was externally healed and eternally free.

In Christ's Love,

a four star general

(I too often want to go my way

than submit to God's)

Jan 27 - Acts 12:8

2012-01-27T03:02:00.001-05:00

The angel said to Peter,

"Fasten your belt and

put on your sandals."

He did so.

Acts 12:8

Whenever it's time to go somewhere, parents are constantly telling their children to "fasten their [seat] belt" and "put on their [shoes]."

If you had kids, what percentage argued? My kids weren't arguers; they were dawddlers. It often took a half hour to get out the door, in the car, and on the road.

Why is it important for children to obey their parents? Because it's practice for obeying God.

The role of a good parent is to teach discipline. And good parents don't have to be harsh disciplinarians to do this, but they do have to insist on obedience. Why? Because hearts supple to their earthly father's authority (whom they can see), are more likely to be open to the heavenly Father's authority (whom they can't see).

When Peter was in prison, God said, "Jump!" Heaven said, "Peter, fasten your [seat] belt and put on your [shoes]." If the Apostle's heart hadn't been ready and obedient, he would have remained in prison.

God has somewhere for you to go. It's time! Freely obey and discover God's blessings ... instead of remaining in your self-imposed prison of willfulness.

In Christ's Love,

a guy who has his shoes on

and is ready for an adventure

(Strap me in and send me out)

Jan 26 - 1 Timothy 1:15

2012-01-26T04:20:00.000-05:00

Christ Jesus came into

the world to save sinners

-- of whom I am the foremost.

1 Timothy 1:15

Today's lesson introduces us to two sources of power ...

The first is the power of the truth.

Sin is dark enough to die for. (That's what Christ's sacrifice on the cross is all about).
At the same time, you are valuable enough to die for. (That's what the cross is all about too! For God so loved ... you!)

When we walk the balance beam between the horror of sin and the wonder of grace, we experience, power, freedom, and grace.

Respecting the horror of sin keeps us away from too much sin and too much drama ... and thereby reduces our exposure to some of the sting caused by our own sin.
Simultaneously, the wonder of grace releases us from too much guilt and shame. (Now ... a little guilt and shame is healthy. It's a check on our dastardliness. But too much guilt is a prison. Christ has set you free!)

The second source of power in this passage is the gift of humility. Why was Paul such an effective evangelist? Because he was honest about his own weaknesses and sin. (And he was a Saint!!!) If we're honest with ourselves, we're not perfect "saints." Confessing our sins keeps us humble. Confessing our sins also keeps us from judging others.

If you want to create a barrier between yourself and God, start judging others. As soon as you start judging, your life becomes either proud or futile, either "I'm better" or "I'm helpless."

Discover the power along the balance beam between the horror of sin and wonder of grace. So that you don't judge others, start confessing that you're the "foremost" sinner. And then rejoice magnificently that you are loved, forgiven, and saved.

In Christ's Love,

a gymnast

(I want to walk the balance beam,

but I don't want to try

to bend over backwards anymore.

How young do you think I am?!)

Jan 25 - Exodus 33:7-19

2012-01-25T04:20:00.000-05:00

Moses used to take the tent (of meeting)

and pitch it outside the camp ...

And everyone who sought the Lord

would go out to the tent of meeting ...

Whenever Moses went out to the tent ...

the pillar of cloud would descend

and stand at the entrance of the tent,

and the Lord would speak with Moses

... face to face ... and Moses said

"Show me your glory, I pray."

And [God] said, "I will ..."

Exodus 33:7-19

I love two words and phrases from this passage:

"[God,] show me," and
"[They] sought the Lord."

Do you hear the hunger?! Moses and the people of Israel wanted God to "descend." They sought his presence. They wanted to see his glory.

The question is: Do you?!

Today's devotion is simple. If you want more power, glory, blessing and light: Pray for it ... Chase after it ... Get hungry and hungrier.

In Christ's Love,

a guy who might as well be from

Missouri -- "the Show Me State."

I want to be a "God, Show Me" kind of guy

Jan 24 - Psalm 42:1-2a

2012-01-24T04:20:00.000-05:00

As the deer longs

for the waterbrooks,

so longs my soul for you, O God.

My soul is athirst for God.

Athirst for the living God.

Psalm 42:1-2a

I can to the scriptures thirsty this morning. My soul was a little parched. I felt like faith was my work. Psalm 42 reminds me of God's "preventient" work in blessing my faith.

I know. I know. "Prevenient" is a weird, old-fashioned word. It means essentially that God is graciously intervening in my faith and life pre- (before) I ever do.

To put that another way, God acts before I act, in matters of my faith. Indeed, God is more thirsty for a relationship with me than I am for a relationship with him.

He created the deer.
He created the need and the deer's thirst.
He also created the stream -- the answer to the deer's desperate prayer.

God is acting preveniently in our lives too ...

He created you (and me) as his precious children.
He created our spiritual need and thirst.
He also created the answer to our most desperate prayers -- meaning, hope, joy, pardon, and purpose.

God provides for you and me a river of life which bubbles up into a fountain of joy. Are you as thirsty for that as I am?!

In Christ's Love,

a thirsty deer with

how many points on his antlers

(I'll say it before you do:

I usally don't have a point)

Jan 23 - Ecclesiastes 7:29

2012-01-23T01:04:00.001-05:00

God made human beings straightforward,

but they have devised many schemes.

Ecclesiastes 7:29

I love that verse ... and the obvious question is:

Are you straightforward?
Or is your heart a little crooked?

I almost said, "Are you a little twisted?" But "twisted" has earned an almost positive reputation. In modern advertising, "twisted" means brash, bold, unexpected, and wonderfully unconventional.

Have you ever been attracted to "twisted"? It's an axiom in theater that the evil character is much more fascinating than the bland good guy. That's true in high schools too. Dangerous is intriguing.

A better question today is ...

Who makes us straightforward?
Who twists our hearts?

Since God is the first answer, we might assume that the anti-god, Satan, is the second answer. It's not. Scripture says it's you and me that devise schemes. Yes, we may get tempted, but it's us how acts.

If you want a more straightforward, honest, blessed, and productive life, draw closer to the one who is level, straight, and true.

In Christ's Love,

a guy who wants to be

less of a pretzel

Jan 22 - Mark 1:15 part 4

2012-01-22T01:49:00.001-05:00

"At last the time has come!"

[Jesus] announced.

"The Kingdom of God is near!

Turn from your sins

and believe this Good News!"

Mark 1:15 NLT

The first two actions in this verse belong to God -- 1) at last he brings his plans to fulfillment and 2) he draws nearer and nearer to each of us. The final two actions, however, belong to us.

Yesterday, I addressed "the easier" of the two. In actuality, a vitality of faith may or may not be easier than repentance, but to a new believer, it probably sounds easier. Belief sounds like intellectual assent -- "yes, I acknowledge God" -- but repentance demands that we do something. Indeed, it demands that we change (and most of us don't like change).

I very purposefully chose the New Living Translation for today's reading of this verse. In Matthew's version of this same first sermon, Jesus says, "Turn from your sins and turn to God, because the Kingdom of Heaven is near" (Mt 3:2 NLT).

Turn from your sins

and turn to God.

I love that translation of "repentence." And logically, repentence absolutely belongs before belief. We can't believe in God, before we turn to him. And we can't fully turn to him, until we've turned away from sin, darkness, and the ways of the world.

The problem is that most of us dabble. We dabble in faith; we dabble in sin. We dabble in the world; we dabble in church. And then we wonder why we lack power, purpose, focus, and direction.

Do you want something bigger and better? Go back to the first line, "At last [your] time has come."

This can be your time.

Turn away from the world and turn to God.

In Christ's Love,

a guy who's like an old record player

(I want to turn and turn and turn ... to him)

Jan 21 - Mark 1:15 part 3

2012-01-21T01:49:00.000-05:00

Jesus said,

"The time is fulfilled, and

the kingdom of God is at hand!

Repent, and

believe in the Good News."

Mark 1:15 HNV

For the third day in row, we're focusing on Mark 1:15.

Notice who acts to accomplish phrases one and two: God!

All time belongs to God. Therefore, when God's prophecy is fulfilled, it is God who is bringing his owns plan to completion.
Secondly, when Jesus says, "the kingdom of God is at hand," he's saying that God is making himself available to us.

Now look at phrases three and four. Who is called upon to act now? Us

Jesus calls us to repent.
He invites us to believe.

Today we're going to focus on the fourth phrase -- "believe." Jesus is inviting us to believe that 1) the time is indeed fulfilled, and that 2) God presence and power really are at hand.

But it's more than that. At the beginning of his ministry, Jesus is inviting the world to believe everything that will be revealed through his ministry ...

He wants us to believe in his power -- he healed the sick and raised the dead.
He wants us to follow his wisdom, taking all of his teachings to heart.
He wants us quit being legalistic like the Pharisees and show compassion to the poor and outcast and sinners.
The King who knelt down to wash dirty human feet, wants us to serve rather than be served.
He wants us to confess our sins, as we contemplate sin's real horror as it led to the blood-stained cross.
He wants us to believe in the freedom that comes from his resurrection.

God's action is love. In mercy and grace, our Lord stepped off the throne, came humbly to earth, died for your sins, and rises in victory. Our action is simply to accept his love, grace, and sacrifice.

That's what belief is. It's more than believing that he did certain wonderful things; it's forging a relationship and trusting that he still acts in power and grace.

In Christ's Love,

a guy who sings old Monkees songs

(get it? I'm not singing "Last Train to Clarksville,

but "I'm a Believer.")

Jan 20 - Mark 1:15 part 2

2012-01-20T00:03:00.001-05:00

Jesus said,

The time is accomplished and

the kingdom of God is at hand.

Repent and believe the gospel:

Mark 1:15 RHE

Yesterday we focused on the first phrase of Mark 1:15. Using the NIV translation, I ask if your "time has come," if your moment for deeper faith has been sparked?

The next phrase is a simple assurance:

When you're ready,

the Lord is ready too.

His "kingdom is at hand." It's right here. It's waiting for you. Do you see it?

We often don't see it. Why? Because we're looking for the wrong thing. We're looking for a neon sign ... a change of fortune ... or a tingling feeling. The kingdom is not energy, events, or emotions. The kingdom of God is a person -- Jesus Christ. Seeing the kingdom comes from establishing a relationship.

When young people date, they say, "I'm seeing John" and "I'm seeing Mary." Seeing implies a relationship. In fact, John and Mary might live on two different continents. They may only "see" each other once every six months, so why do they say they're seeing each other? It's because they have a committed relationship.

If you want to see the kingdom that is truly hand -- barely a half inch away -- it begins with a relationship. When you're ready, the Lord is ready too.

In fact, the whole reason Jesus came to earth was to ask you on a date. He wants to see you. And he wants you to see him.

In Christ's Love,

a guy who's seeing someone

in addition to his wife

-- and wants to see more

Jan 19 - Mark 1:15 part 1

2012-01-19T11:38:00.002-05:00

"The time has come," [Jesus] said.

"The kingdom of God is near.

Repent and believe the good news!"

Mark 1:15 NIV

I started my new discipleship group this week with this verse. "The time has come," I said to ten men poised on the edge of friendship, faith, and a new adventure. "The time has come."

What are you poised on the edge of? New friendships? Deeper faith? Greater hope? Richer blessings? Bigger joy? or Grander adventures?

The world tries to lead you to a different edge -- a ledge of despair, a precipice of anger, a ridge of insecurity, a canyon of guilt, and a free-fall of fear.

What are you poised on the edge of?

Well, think of the context of Jesus' saying these words. What was "the time [that had] come"? The world was about to meet the Savior and greet the Messiah.

If you want to stand on the precipice of blessing -- instead of the cliff of mediocrity -- it's time to meet the Savior in a new way. What will you start today to make his presence more real in your life?

In Christ's Love,

a mountain climber

(not a cliff diver)

Jan 18 - 2 Corinthians 4:6

2012-01-18T01:52:00.000-05:00

For God, who said,

"Let light shine out of darkness,"

made his light shine in our hearts

to give us the light of the knowledge

of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

2 Corinthians 4:6

Has anyone ever given you a job? ... painted a very vague picture of what they wanted? ... given you inadequate tools and inadequate training? ... then yelled at you when you didn't do what they wanted?

That's the reason that many of us are afraid to venture boldly. We've been given inadequate instructions and then been yelled at too many times for doing it wrong.

Is this the kind of "boss" that God is? We're told in scripture to let our light shine, but has he told us how -- clearly -- or are you still perplexed?

Actually, he has given us very clear instructions. In addition to hundreds of calls, Proverbs, and commandments, the God who calls us to be lights and shined his light in our hearts.

Furthermore, He has given us his own Son. Through the Savior, God's instructions are clear: Do what Jesus did!

Obey the Father.
Love the sinners.
Gather a group.
Point them heavenward.
Forgive human failures.
Stand for truth.
And pray a lot.

Wouldn't this world be a much better place if we all did those few simple things?!

And here's the key ... Do it boldly! God's not an angry boss ready to yell at your failures. He's a forgiving Father who simply loves you and wants to bless your efforts. And if he says, "Be light," he'll give you the tools. He'll pour it into your life.

In Christ's Love,

a shining knight

(because of what his light)

Jan 17 - Mark 16:15

2012-01-17T01:52:00.000-05:00

Christ says,

"Go into all the world

and proclaim the good news

to the whole creation."

Mark 16:15

"How?" I asked a group recently. "How can you personally go into all the world and proclaim the good news to all the whole creation?"

Personally, you can't. But here's the key. You're not alone. You're one part of a huge body.

What you and I are called to do is our part ...

Personally, I / we can positively influence the people in our little corner of creation.
Personally, I / we need to be a little more bold, looking for even deeper hungers around us ... including opportunities to travel.
Personally, I / we should support the missionaries in our midst -- the ones who are personally called to go a little further into God's creation.
Personally, I / we are called to give generously. Superficial giving meets the basic needs of the basic church inadequately. Giving as generous as God's generosity to us, focuses the church beyond the local and powerfully into all creation.

When Christ says, "Go!" He gives us personally the tools to make a positive impact on all creation.

In Christ's Love,

a guy who got a letter from

a boy in Mozambique this week

(that's one way we're helping,

how about you?)

Jan 16 - 1 Cor 13:6

2012-01-16T01:47:00.002-05:00

Love does not rejoice in wrongdoing,

but rejoices in the truth.

1 Corinthians 13:6

Pilate asked Jesus, "What is truth?"

Christians answer that by saying, "God is truth. His Son is truth. His Word is truth. His wisdom, laws, precepts, and promises are truth."

We have a world, however, that is blinded by lies. There's too much doubt and despair. Too much violence and injustice. Too much darkness and sin.

What therefore is love? It is rejoicing in the truth. It's also pointing others to the truth.

It's not loving, after all, to leave people wallowing in sin, lies, and corruption. Part of love is point others to the truth.

Who are you actively pointing in this direction? Who could you be blessing better?

In Christ's Love,

a truth-lover

and truth-teller

Jan 15 - Judges 6:23-24

2012-01-15T01:38:00.000-05:00

The Lord said to Gideon,

"Peace be to you;

do not fear, you shall not die."

Then Gideon built an altar there to the Lord,

and called it, The Lord is peace.

Judges 6:23-24

Fear is one of the most dangerous forces in the world ... and it lurks in our own hearts.

Fear breeds hatred, injustice, and revenge.
It's often behind curses and denials.
Fear has a hand in both bullying and arrogance; we inflate our worth because we're afraid that on our own we don't have much worth.
Part of guilt is fear; we fear we we can't be forgiven.
Part of self-justication is fear; we lack a trust in God's grace to justify.
Part of greed is fear; we're afraid we won't have enough.
We're afraid of meaninglessness.
We're afraid of illness.
We're afraid of brokenness and bondage.
Most of all we're afraid of death.

Indeed, at the root of all our fears is that fear of death. We're afraid of literal death, of course. We're also afraid of figurative deaths. Gossip and embarrassment, for example, have us dying a thousand little deaths.

That's why God gave Gideon today's verse. Soon God would tell Gideon to battle an army of a 100,000 with his own little band of 300. By human standards, that was insane! But God empowered Gideon with a simple promise: "Do not fear. You shall not die."

Guess what. God tells you that too. He tells you that if you believe shall live forever.

This mortal flesh shall indeed decay. But when you have the confidence of heaven, you have boldness!

In Christ's Love,

a guy who's learning

to boldly say,

"Any day's a good day

to go to heaven"

Jan 14 - Romans 2:4

2012-01-14T00:11:00.000-05:00

Do you not realize that God's kindness

is meant to lead you to repentance?

Romans 2:4

As our years go on and on, what is our inevitable default position? Death and decay.

Some people assume that heaven is default position. Our right!

No.

Without Jesus' sacrifice and our Lord's promise, our inevitable default position is dust. With him we fall and decay. End of story.

And yet God is kind. He is loving. He paints the tapestry of a beautiful world before our eyes. Even though the claws of sin try to rip apart the fabric of our joy, God, if we'll let him, will bless our lives with hope and peace and purpose. As we link to him in faith, we discover freedom, light, and love. As we catch a glimpse of God's majesty, we fall before him in worship, awe, and repentance.

And suddenly he has us where he wants us. On our knees in worship, awe, and repentance.

Now, in his kindness, he can stand us back up and empower our days. In these moments of grace, he changes our default position. As we repent, we are filled with new life.

In Christ's Love,

a guy who's learning to change

the default position of his thermostat

(I'm setting it on confession)

Jan 13 - Isaiah 31:1

2012-01-13T00:10:00.000-05:00

How terrible for those who depend on horses!

They trust in how many chariots they have.

They trust in how strong their horsemen are.

But they don't look to the Holy One of Israel.

They don't ask the LORD for his help.

Isaiah 31:1

Generals depend on horses and chariots.

What do you depend upon in life? Jobs? Bank accounts? A government check? Certain people? Our car? Our house? Comfort food? Yourself?

We all do it. We focus down here. And we forget to do the most important thing -- We "don't ask the Lord for his help."

What burdens are you carrying right now? "Ask the Lord for his help."

In Christ's Love,

a guy who keeps

depending on his computer

Jan 12 - Psalm 7:1

2012-01-12T00:10:00.001-05:00

O Lord my God,

in you I take refuge;

save me from all my pursuers

and deliver me

or like a lion

they will tear me apart

Psalm 7:1-2

It's ironic that this is today's verse.

Each day I'm emailed semi-random Bible verses for my devotion, and I say that today's verse is ironic because I was praying with a friend about this topic just a day or two ago.

Like David, this friend was being chased by "a lion."

Now, like David, this person's ravenous foe was surely human, angry, spiteful, and sinful. But this vengeful human was surely not alone, because "like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour" (1 Pet 5:8).

Do you feel like your being chased by circumstances, pursued by illness, hunted by creditors, stalked by depression, enslaved by bad habits, or ripped apart by gossip?

You're not alone.

David's hope was not clever plans, better doctors, or human intervention. He cried, "10 God is my shield. He saves the upright in heart ... 17 [Therefore,] I will ... sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High."

In Christ's Lord,

a guy who knows

a lion tamer

Jan 11 - Ecclesiastes 5:7

2012-01-11T01:53:00.000-05:00

With many dreams come vanities

and a multitude of words;

but fear God.
Ecclesiastes 5:7

"Dream," like a coin, has two sides.

There's a positive side. God wants us to dream, hope, and aspire. Imagination and creativity can be godly and inspired.

But there are other aspects of "dreams" which are less positive. Daydreaming is one. With our "head in the clouds," we often forget the real needs on the ground.

This verse uses "dream" in the second way. And that's only the first word that needs explained in this verse. The second is "vanities." In the very first sentences of Ecclesiastes, Solomon wails, "Vanity of vanities" (1:2). Other translations render "vanities," "Meaningless. Meaningless. All is meaningless."

That means a more modern, and probably more meaningful, translation of today's verse is: "Dreaming all the time instead of working is foolishness. And there is ruin in a flood of empty words. Fear God instead" (NLT).

In Christ's Love,

a guy who needs to

flip the coin,

shut his mouth

and dream more with God

Jan 10 - Psalm 40:8

2012-01-10T01:53:00.000-05:00

I delight to do your will, O my God;

your law is within my heart.

Psalm 40:8

One of the great historic theological battlefronts has been between faith and works.

In Romans 3, Paul says, "We are justified by God's grace ... effective through our faith ... apart from works prescribed by the law." But in James 2, this Apostle says, "faith without works is dead." Do they contradict each other? Martin Luther thought so. Therefore, since Romans was his favorite, he wanted to literally cut James out of the Bible!

Fortunately, he didn't.

And fortunately, these two concepts don't contradict.

If we view the distance between us and God as a canyon -- a canyon carved by our sins -- God bridges (present tense) that canyon with his love and grace. And it is faith rather than our works that helps us step onto that bridge.

Furthermore, once we take that step we realize that this bridge is greased -- and tilted downhill -- all the way home! (Salvation!) This means that once we discover God's grace, it should be a slip-sliding, rip-roaring "delight" (see our verse for today) -- not a duty -- to do God's will.

In this way, our works are a reflection of our faith -- not a requirement for faith.

Read that again. Our works should be a reflection of our faith -- not a requirement for faith.

How are your works a reflection of your faith?

In Christ's Love,

a delight-full guy

Jan 9 - Psalm 63:6

2012-01-09T02:53:00.000-05:00

God, I think of you on my bed,

and meditate on you

in the watches of the night.

Psalm 63:6

For some of us, sleep comes easy.

Others of us are awake at different hours of the night.

Do you remember the tower guards in the old movies. What did they cry? "3 o'clock, and all is well."

Is that what you're crying when you can't sleep at 3 am?

I must confess that when I'm awake at o-dark-thirty, it's often the burdens of yesterday and the worries of tomorrow that trouble me. The antidote to restless-brain-syndrome is prayer.

It is meditating on the fact that God is big and powerful and creator. It is confidently considering that he took care of this world long before I was born, and he'll take care of his people long after my earthly flesh is gone.

I know there are physical reasons we can't sleep, but sometimes sleep is trust. Yesterday we talked about power. Do you trust him to run the universe while you're away from the controls for a few minutes?

In Christ's Love,

a guy who's learning to say at night,

"Okay, God; why'd you wake me tonight?"

(I'm learning better to pray

as I cuddle back into my Father's arms.)

Jan 8 - Micah 2:1

2012-01-08T23:23:00.000-05:00

Woe to those who plan iniquity,

because it is in their power to do it.
Micah 2:1

When I was just a beginner -- a seminary intern -- I sat at a lunch with veteran pastors. One pastor made a loud, long, and vocal argument that people have no power.

He was half right.

The half he was correct about was that "only God has power." (And we should probably spell God's power like this: POWER.)

But humans do have a lower-case "power." We have the ability to influence our world for better or for worse. We can, as today's verse suggests, plan iniquity. On the positive side, we can also serve our neighbor and bless our kids -- and we don't have to be Christians to do that.

But the capability to do something is not real power. Here's where true POWER comes in. When we align ourselves completely with God's will, and begin trusting fully in the divine rather than the worldly, We begin operating under His poWer.

Wait ... align a little more ... PoWer

A little more ... PoWeR.

In Christ's Love,

a guy who's tired of writing

in lower-case letters

(align me, God)

Jan 7 - What do Lutherans believe? Part 5

2012-01-07T01:32:00.001-05:00

More and more people are asking me to tell them more about who Lutherans are and what Lutherans believe. Here's the final piece of our five-part glimpse of what Lutherans believe. (Although I'm glad to keep going if y'all ask me more questions.)

Today's piece is on baptism ...

"Can anyone withhold the water

for baptizing these people

who have received the Holy Spirit

just as we have?"

Acts 10:47

Some churches baptize infants. Many don't.

Some churches require full immersion. Others sprinkle.

What's right?

The Christian church historically and primarily baptized converts -- thus, adults.

Nevertheless, it was also a common, original, Christian practice to baptize whole households. This certainly included children and even the homestead's servants and their whole families. For example, under the banner of one bold person's faith -- like Crispus in Acts 18 and Stephanus in 1 Corinthians 1 -- many households were baptized and many individuals became part of the church community.

By the middle ages, the Western tradition evolved in two strong directions. First, it was commonly believed that baptism was required for salvation. Second, the practice was "adult" baptism -- meaning: the age of roughly thirteen and up.

When the plagues swept Europe and huge percentages of people were dying, traditional Western theology hit a major snag. If children couldn't be baptized and yet were dying in huge numbers, were they all doomed to hell? The church -- i.e. the Roman Catholic Church, pre-Reformation -- re-examined its theology, remembered scriptural instances of whole households being baptized, and began again to baptize children. Indeed, children were baptized again under the banner of another person's faith -- namely their parents.

Lutherans are part of this heritage.

Traditionally we believe that two things "make" a sacrament: an element (in this case water) and the Word (specifically Christ's command, which he gives for baptism at the end of Matthew, saying, "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit").

Believing that it's God's Word, God's promises, and God's actions that "makes" the baptism -- not some earthly element that "makes" the baptism, though it plays a role -- Lutherans generally believe that the amount of water does not matter. Water, therefore, is a sign, but it's God's Word and His promises that supply the power.

Other Reformation era Christians -- most significantly the Anabaptists -- returned, however, to adult baptism (an admittedly more common practice in the New Testament) and to full immersion baptism (which was certainly the way it was pictured in the stories of John the Baptist and in the detailed stories of the Apostles' actions, like the Acts 8 account of Philip baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch).

Literal battles with literal blood have been fought over which is right. (Sad!)

I will tell you what I believe is right ... But first let me tell you what I believe is wrong ...

Many people -- and this more true in the Catholic and mainline traditions (of which many Lutherans are a part) -- believe that if someone is baptized, their eternal destiny is already and eternally decided. Taken to the extreme, they believe if a child is baptized as an infant, but never in his life goes to church, scoffs at the Christian faith, and lives a thoroughly agnostic life, he still goes to heaven because he's "a baptized child of God."

Not to negate God's option to save whomever he wishes, we must also acknowledge that this violates the interpretive key to our faith and theology, Romans 3:23-28 -- "since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are now justified by [God's] grace ... effective through faith ... apart from works prescribed by the law." Baptism is not part of that equation. Therefore, it's personal faith -- not a ritual -- that justifies.

With that in mind, here's what I believe and teach ...

I believe that there are two parts to baptism. The first is God's part. The second is our part. On God's end -- and through baptism -- our Lord takes us, washes us, adopts us into his family, calls us his child, brings us into his family, and forgives our sin -- washing away, especially, the original sin that taints us all. On our end, we need to personally claim our faith and personally claim the benefits of baptism.

In churches that insist on "adult" baptism, both of these actions occur at the same time. While we are claiming our faith and proclaiming God's saving actions through baptism, God is simultaneously washing us and grafting us into his family. In churches that practice infant baptism, these actions are usually separated by twelve or fifteen years. Under the banner of their parent's faith, a child is baptized -- part one. At confirmation, the growing child affirms his baptism and confirms his faith -- part two. Some say that's not valid; it must happen simultaneously. I say, for God, a thousand years is like a day and a day is like a thousand years!

But here's the real key, both parts are important! But it's not a man-made ritual like confirmation that is required to confirm our faith. I believe that we can claim our own faith through our own confession and in in our own prayers. Furthermore, instead of publicly proclaiming our faith in front of a church of believers (confirmation), I'd rather a believer proclaimed her faith publicly to her friends who were lost.

What matters, first, is faith that is alive and active.

What matters, second, is our obedience. God's spokesman Elijah once told Naaman to wash in the Jordan if he wanted to be cleansed of his leprousy. Naaman was insulted, he wanted a bigger sign. Indeed, he wanted to cleansed on his own terms. It was only after he submitted that he was healed. Why are we to be baptized? Simply because Jesus said to be! It's an act of submission, and it is always in our obedience that our sin-sick souls are healed.

Confession ...

I am not a traditional, American, twentieth or twenty-first Lutheran in my baptismal theology.

I do believe in infant baptism, but only as part one of a two-step process.
I do not however believe that baptism is a "magic bullet."
I also don't practice cheap confirmations where you "graduate" with your class, regardless of how listless our attention is.
I believe, according to scripture, that we are justified by God's grace, effective through our faith. Therefore, I believe that we need to claim our faith.

But here's the really good news ...

I believe God is constantly stirring our hearts, constantly pinging our conscience, constantly interweaving our steps with his path, constantly knocking on our doors, constantly inspiring the faith that we need to claim.

Faith is not our work; it is God's proactive desire for you and me.

In Christ's Love,

a rebelious Lutheran

who goes back again

to our first two principles:

Word and Grace!

Jan 6 - What do Lutherans believe? Part 4

2012-01-06T01:32:00.001-05:00

More and more people are asking me to tell them more about who Lutherans are and what Lutherans believe. Here's a continuing five-part glimpse of what Lutherans believe. Today we turn to history ...

Jesus said,

"Blessed rather are those

who hear the word of God

and obey it!"

Luke 11:28

I told the first piece of Lutheran history in part one. It is Luther turning to God's Word and discovering God's grace.

The Reformation started in October 31, 1517. Luther didn't originally want to split from the Roman Catholic church; therefore, a decade of debates commenced. Church leaders increasingly tried to silence Luther and debate. Luther kept trying to draw church teachings back to the scriptures. What tipped the balance was a brand new invention, called the printing press. With the ability to put the scriptures in people's hand -- many of the people saw what scripture itself taught and sided with the Reformers (Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, and others).

Luther didn't want a church named after him -- we are followers of Christ, after all. Nevertheless, his teachings and his name spread across northern Europe -- mainly Germany and the Scandanavian countries.

Each country added a piece of their own culture to the Lutheran traditions. Additionally, differing degrees of personal piety began to flavor the Lutheran personality too. For example, Denmark was famous for having Lutherans who were either "Happy Danes" (they reveled -- respectfully -- in the freedom of God's grace) or "Sad Danes" (very austere and pietistic, reading scripture in an equally sincere but totally different way).

Lutheran's filled North America through migration.

The earliest Lutherans tended to be Germans settling up and down the east coast in the mid-1700s to the early-1800s. After many, many generations, they made up what predominately became known as the Lutheran Church in America (LCA). This band of Lutherans gradually migrated westward and fanned across the country from Eastern seaboard.
The second wave of Lutherans were predominately Scandavians who settled in the mid-west and upper mid-west who settled in the mid-1800s. Joining with German Lutherans who were also settling these areas, they formed the American Lutheran Church (ALC). They too fanned out from these locations.
The third significant wave, which came at about the same time as the second wave, were Germans who sailed up the Missippippi, settled around St. Louis, and became known as the Missouri Synod (LCMS). They too fanned out across America.

For Lutherans, the nineteenth century was generally small regional clusters of congregation, divided along ethnic line. In fact, many -- if not most congregations -- still worshiped in their own ethnic languages.

The twentieth century, however, was a period of increasing Lutheran unity. Ethnic barriers were dissolving, and travel and communication permitted wider affiliation, Lutherans were beginning to band together in larger and larger groups.

Dozens of Lutheran denominations still exist (most either ethnic, regional, or theological in their identity -- there's even a small charismatic Lutheran "denomination"! click here to see! ). By the late 1970s, however, there were really just three major Lutheran bodies -- LCA, ALC, and LCMS -- and all had about two and a half million members.

The LCA was probably the most urban and more liberal (though theologically liberal in a still more traditional era). LCMS was surely the most conservative -- i.e. the most conserving of old Lutheran traditions and old traditional scriptural views. For a while, the more centerist ALC and the LCMS flirted with a merger. This would have been a larger, more traditional Lutheran body. That never quite came to pass.

Therefore, in the late 1980s the door was open for the ALC to merge with the LCA. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) was formed. Spirit of Joy was part of this merger; indeed, our congregation was being formed at about that time.

This merger, however, didn't go as smoothly as anyone hoped. Two distinct ministerial identities were spliced together -- one more hierarchical in structure (LCA), one more congregational in authority (ALC). One group was more urban (LCA) and sought more inter-denominational affiliation. No one opposed this in principle -- every believe in Christian unity -- but in practice, many faithful Lutherans rejected some of the theological compromises that other denominations required of us for unity.

As culture changed, more theological compromises were made. As the denomination voted more and more with culture rather than traditional scriptural authority, a fatal crack erupted in this increasingly fractuous denomination. In 2009, a significant exodus began from the ELCA. Hundreds of congregations -- and tens of thousands of individual members -- left this body and its congregations.

Spirit of Joy (along with six other Charlotte area congregations) are now part of Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ (LCMC). The distinguishing characteristics of LCMC are:

traditional scriptural authority (which is shared with most Christians, including most Lutherans, around the world),
love and grace (that's the second of Luther's key principals -- he turned to the Word and discovered God's grace),
and a passionate call to missions! (LCMC maintains an intentionally small national structure. They don't want our offering sponsoring a hierarchal organization; they want to propel us hands-on into local missions. This has given Spirit of Joy greater focus and renewed energy. A full ten percent of our regular giving now go directly to missions. In addition, we have dozens of additional outreaches that individual members choose to support, including angel tree donations, food bank donations, mission trips, etc.)

That's our history. Now, some look at history and yawn. I invite you to look back over this and look for God. Where has he shown up in the past? And where have we gotten in the way? And what does this tell us for moving forward as a people of God?

In Christ's Love,

a guy who likes

to learn from history

so I don't have to repeat

the bad parts

Jan 5 - What do Lutherans believe? Part 3

2012-01-05T13:17:00.003-05:00

More and more people are asking me to tell them more about who Lutherans are and what Lutherans believe. Here's a continuing five-part glimpse of what Lutherans believe.

Yesterday we introduced the logic of the liturgy. Today we give you an additional glimpse of the power that can come from this ordered pattern of worship ...

Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace,

good will toward men.

Luke 2:14

Many people tell me, "I can't memorize scripture."

"No!" I say, "You're wrong. Let me prove it."

Then I start quoting parts of our worship service. Immediately they begin filling in blanks. We know scripture because the logic of the liturgy is praise of God using his own words (scripture). This gradually sews God's truths (scripture) deep into our hearts.

Did you realize that the liturgy is absolutely saturated with scripture?! Here are a few examples ...

At confession we often say 1 John 1:8-9 -- "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, God who is faithful and just will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

If we're doing a more traditional service, we cry in the The Kyrie, "Lord, have mercy." This echoes a growing chorus of cries in the Gospel of Matthew as people came to Jesus, praying for hope, help, and healing (see 15:22, 17:15, 20:30).

Depending on the hymn of praise we sing, we often echo the angels proclaiming the good news of Christ -- which was for them at Christmas and for us is all the time: "Glory to God in the Highest and peace to his people on earth." (Luke 2:14).

Around the Gospel readings, we often sing Peter's words in John 6:60-69. At a time when many followers were turning away from Jesus and his challenging teachings, our Lord turned to the twelve and asked if they would turn away too. Peter answer, "Lord, to whom shall we go (indeed, where else can we go)? You (and you alone) have the words of eternal life."

Often when the offering is being carried forward, we sing Psalm 51:10-12, "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me."

With the "Words of Institution" -- "on the night in which he was betrayed" -- we echo all four Gospels and quote 1 Corinthians 11:23-27.

Finally Our benediction is Numbers 6:24-26 -- "The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine upon you ..."

This is just a fraction of the scriptures we use in our regular liturgies.

Furthermore ... most of the songs we sing are saturated with scripture too.

Therefore, don't tell me you can't memorize scripture! Rather, just start singing a song you know from church, and then go searching for where these words are in scripture!

In Christ's Love,

a guy who been singing

today Matthew 6:33

(Seek ye first, the kingdom of God)

and the second verse 7:7

(knock and the door shall be

opened unto you. Allelu, Alleluia!)

Jan 4 - What do Lutherans believe? Part 2

2012-01-04T01:31:00.001-05:00

More and more people are asking me to tell them more about who Lutherans are and what Lutherans believe.

A few days ago, I wrote a long explanation to a friend, realizing that it would be good to share with all of you -- and hopefully lots of future new members.

Here's the second in a five-part glimpse of what Lutherans believe ...

So those who welcomed [Peter's] message

[that Pentecost day] were baptized,

and that day about three thousand persons were added.

They devoted themselves to the

apostles' teaching and fellowship,

to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

Acts 2:41-42

The second piece of Lutheranism that throws some non-Lutherans is the liturgy.

The liturgy, you need to know, is not a Lutheran peculiarity. It's been around since the early church, and is used (generally in an even more "high church" format) by Episcopaleans and Catholics and to varying degrees by some "high church" versions of Presbyterians and Methodists.

More importantly, the liturgy is primarily an intentional order of service. (Every church has a pattern. In most non-liturgical traditions, it's predominantly word-focused with: three songs, a prayer, and the sermon.) We opt for a more ancient order which includes four major parts:

Gathering -- which included confession ("we take a bath before entering the presence of the king") and praise (usually songs of praise and thanksgiving).

Word -- for us this is many things:

It is scripture reading.
It is proclamation and interpretation (both to the kids and then to the adults).
It is also our response to God and his Word (which is both our offerings and more songs of praise).

Meal -- Many of us remember when churches used to do communion once a month or even once a quarter. In researching the early church, however, it's been found that the first Christians gathered almost daily, but Sunday always meant communion.

The original argument against the switch to weekly communion was, "It won't be special." The opposite has occurred. Those who communion weekly tend to hunger for this sacrament more and find that worship is complete without it.

I used to visit an old homebound man. Every time I'd call, I'd say, "John, do you want me to bring communion." He'd pause for a long moment -- for effect -- saying, "Let's see, have I sinned since last time you were here? ... ... ... Yep! Better bring the communion" -- i.e. better bring the bread of salvation and the cup of forgiveness.

We need Christ's presence, God's forgiveness, and the reuniting of community around the family table every week.

Sending -- I know some churches that place these words over the back door: "The worship is over, now the service begins." Hopefully worship has filled us, but worship was never meant to be the end product; our worship is supposed to refill us and propel us forward as we head back out into a hurting world.

Conclusion

There's one more wonderful and crucial piece to the liturgy that we'll reflect upon tomorrow, but go back for a second to the section on the Word.

God speaks to us
and then we respond to him (with our offerings and with our praise).

How is God calling you to respond more fully to him? on Sundays in worship? and right now, reflecting on worship?

In Christ's Love,

a guy who's pausing a moment

to praise

Jan 3 - What do Lutherans believe? Part 1

2012-01-03T11:31:00.003-05:00

More and more people are asking me to tell them more about who Lutherans are and what Lutherans believe.

A few days ago, I wrote a long explanation to a friend, realizing that it would be good to share with all of you -- and hopefully lots of future new members.

Here's a five-part glimpse of what Lutherans believe ...

since all have sinned

and fall short of the glory of God;

they are now justified by his grace as a gift

... effective through faith ...

apart from works prescribed by the law.

Romans 3:23-28

Martin Luther grew up in a time when God was painted as angry and vengeful, looking for any excuse to cast us into purgatory or hell.

Luther was literally tormented by this horror. He was in a shell. To use our modern terminology, he was beyond clinically depressed. He would spend hours every day in the confessional booth and then stay awake at night worrying about what he might have forgotten to confess.

His father confessor got tired of this. (Wouldn't you?!) So he finally sent this cowering monk away from a life of contemplation and assigned him to a practical ministry -- teaching.

In the age just before the printing press, this was Luther's first extended exposure to scripture. And when he turned to Paul's letter to the Romans, he discovered God's amazing grace. And the Reformation started! This unmerited gift of love and redemption set this tortured monk -- and much of the Western world -- free.

Think about this: Grace turned Martin Luther from terribly fearful (cowering for hours a day in the confessional booth) to triumphantly fearless (standing up even to the threat of death from "the Roman Empire.")

Based on Martin Luther's experience, I summarize the core of Lutheran belief, as Word and Grace. Luther turned to the Word and discovered Grace.

At Spirit of Joy, that's what being Lutheran means ... and that's what we always and absolutely strive to do:

Turn to the Word

and discover God's grace.

In Christ's Love,

a happy Lutheran

(I turn to the Word daily

and I always see God's Grace!)

Jan 2 - Genesis 1:1-5

2012-01-02T05:04:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas - day 12

In the beginning when

God created the heavens and the earth,

the earth was a formless void

and darkness covered the face of the deep,

while a wind from God

swept over the face of the waters.

Then God said, "Let there be light";

and there was light.

And God saw that the light was good;

and God separated the light from the darkness.

God called the light Day,

and the darkness he called Night.

And there was evening

and there was morning, the first day.

Genesis 1:1-5

Today is the first day of the New Year.

Wait ...

Well, technically it's not. But actually yes, it is.

Yesterday we were all a little too sleepy from a late night and too hungover from twenty pounds of fruitcake and cookies and other junk we ate over the holidays. (I'll choose to believe that's what you were hungover from!!!)

But today is Monday. It the first day of work in the New Year. And do you remember what God's first day of work brought? Light!

Here's my prayer for you this year: May you (and I) make it our job to bring light to this darkened world.

In Christ's Love,

a sixty-watt guy

(aiming for one hundred)

Jan 1 - Luke 5:37

2012-01-01T05:02:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas - day 11

no one puts new wine into old wineskins;

otherwise the new wine

will burst the skins and will be spilled,

and the skins will be destroyed.

Luke 5:37

Happy New Year!

Do you understand old vs. new wine and old vs. new skins? New wine is grape juice. It is unfermented, and when it ferments, it expands. New wineskins are pliable -- unexpanded, unstretched. Therefore, when you put new wine in a new skin, both can expand. But if you put new wine in an old skin, the expanding juices will burst the fragile and already expanded leather.

As the new year begins, it's a good occasion to ask: Where am I fragile? How am I brittle? In what ways is my thinking old and unchangable?

Maybe a better way to ask it is: How can I be new? In what ways can I stretch? How will I allow God to stretch my capacity?

Maybe the prayer is:

God, let my faith be renewed this New Year.

Allow me to stretch and to grow.

Challenge my old and brittle

and expendable ways of thinking.

Increase my capacity for caring and serving.

And allow the Holy Spirit to bubble up

in me, like fine new wine.

In Christ's Love,

Gewurztraminer

(apparently that makes me a guy

who's ideal with Asain food, pork,

and grilled sausage)

Dec 31 - Revelation 21:1,4

2011-12-31T05:00:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas - day 10

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth

[and in it, God] will wipe every tear from [our] eyes.

Death will be no more;

mourning and crying and pain

will be no more.

Revelation 21:1,4

What a wonderful verse for New Year's Eve. It helps finish off the Bible. It reminds us how to finish off the year.

Many of us view the march of time with wistfulness, regret, and pain. "My best days are behind me," too many cry.

No!

Our best days are in front of us! Heaven awaits with an incredible promise: Not only will we come to a time when there is no more mourning or crying or pain, but our youth shall be renewed like an eagle's (Ps 103:5)!

But we don't have to wait for heaven to have our best days. The single greatest decision we can ever make is our own attitude. We can choose how we will react to circumstances. And knowing that our good God is in charge should give us confidence to face boldly whatever lies ahead.

Tomorrow starts a new year. Can you choose to believe that your best days are ahead of you?!

In Christ's Love,

a guy who wrote that last sentence very carefully:

"Can you choose to believe ..."

(Happy New Year)

Dec 30 - Revelation 13:16-18

2011-12-30T04:58:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas - day 9

[The beast] causes all ...

to be marked on the right hand

or forehead, so that

no one can buy or sell

who does not have the mark,

that is, the number of the beast ...

It's number is six hundred sixty-six

Revelation 13:16-18

In Sunday School, my kids this year are asking, "Why does the number forty keep cropping up in all these stories?"

I said, "I think God wants us to see him. Therefore, he tends to work things in familiar patterns so that we might just stop and say, 'I wonder ...?'"

Forty is not the only Biblical number of significance. Twelve is important -- twelve tribes, twelve disciples. Three is important -- in addition to the Trinity, Jesus often took with him three disciples -- Peter, James, and John -- to his most important events. In addition, when you repeated something three times, it's meaning grew exponentially until by the third time it meant "to the highest degree."

Seven is another key number. Seven was viewed as perfection.

Six, therefore, was by definition less than perfect. Therefore, 666 meant "imperfect, imperfect, imperfect-to-the-highest-degree." That is Satan and his Antichrist ... and not just imperfect ... pure evil.

On our foreheads, God wants to mark us with his cross. Satan wants to mark us with his alternative.

In our world today, we can easily imagine a "mark" that allows us to participate in commerce or not. We can imagine a microchip imbedded inside our skin. And we can imagine -- with the rampant degree of identity theft -- governments "requiring" such marks so as to guard us against fraud.

It's ironic, though ... God already provide us with unique marks. Our fingerprints are unique. The patterns of our eyes and pupils are unique. If God made us perfect and unique, why would we ever want to accept a mark that makes us imperfect and part of the masses?

In Christ's Love,

a guy who is thankful

that God made me as me.

Dec 29 - Revelation 11:10-11

2011-12-29T04:55:00.002-05:00

Merry Christmas - day 8

and the inhabitants of the earth will gloat

over [the two witnesses who have been killed]

and celebrate and exchange presents ...

but after the three and a half days,

the breath of life from God [will] enter them ...

Revelation 11:10-11

It's sometimes hard to find an inspiring verse in the midst of Revelation!

As the story unfolds, God sends a warning ... and then waits. He sends another warning ... and then waits. He sends another warning ... and then waits.

Indeed, for four thousand years, God has alternately sent blessings and warnings. You'd think blessings would turn people to a generous God; however, whenever we're blessed we tend to credit our own ingenuity. Warnings don't necessarily turn people to God either. We hear what we want to hear, we ignore what's too stressful to handle, and if we're like Jesus said of Jerusalem, we kill (or are tempted to kill) the prophets.

As Revelation unfolds, God sends a warning ... and then waits. He sends another warning ... and then waits. Why? To give us time -- time for another opportunity to turn away from our sin and turn toward him.

Today's verse reflects another warning. Two witnesses, sent from God, preach uninterupted ... and uninteruptable. Most believe that these two are literally Moses and Elijah (the Law and the prophets) who return to call the world back to God.

When they have finished preaching, God allows the beast to claim their life. And after all the truth they've proclaimed, what does the world do? Repent? No. The world "gloat[s] ... celebrate[s] and exchange[s] presents."

Did their witness and warning turn people's hearts? Not enough.

Will God's power as he raises them three days later from the dead? Not enough.

What will it take to wake you up -- more fully -- to God's movement in this world and change you?!

In Christ's Love,

a guy who wants to

change more than his socks

Dec 28 - Revelation 7:13-14

2011-12-28T04:51:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas - day 7

"Who are these, robed in white,

and where have they come from?"

"These are the ones who have

come out of the great ordeal;

they have washed their robes and

made them white in the blood of the Lamb."

Revelation 7:13-14

When my son Paul played football he washed his white football pants with his bright red socks. The result, of course? He didn't quite achieve quite as fearsome and manly appearance as he intended on the football field in pink pants.

We know what should happen if we wash our "robes" in crimson, right?

Let's get the context ... The Elder asks John, "Who are these robed in white?" John is the newcomer in heaven and pleads, "How am I supposed to know? Tell me!" The Elder tells him two things ...

First, these are the true saints. Life is already filled with too many trials ... but, as scripture tells us, when the final days approach, life will be filled with more testing and temptations. The Elder is telling John -- and us -- that true saints have courageous faith. In the face of persecution, true saints stand up for what they believe in!

As Jesus said in the beatitudes, "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." That's what's pictured here. Salvation! Redemption! Restoration! Peace and joy!

Second, I love the counter-intuitive image of their washed robes. We know what happens if we wash football pants with red socks. And we know what's supposed to happen if we wash our robes of life in blood. But Jesus' blood is healing. It's the only thing that makes us pure and white.

When we cling to cross of Christ, there is hope and life! And peace and joy! And forgiveness and restoration!

In the blood of the Lamb there is heaven!

In Christ's Love,

a bloody mess

(in his blood, my mess is forgiven

and I am made whole)

Dec 27 - Revelations 3:20

2011-12-27T04:49:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas - day 6

Behold, I stand

at the door and knock.

If you hear my voice and open the door,

I will come in to you, and eat with you,

and you with me

Revelations 3:20

Following the Bible in a Year, we conclude, of course, with Revelation. And end times messages are not inappropriate as we end a year and claim a few new resolutions.

John's vision begins with being whisked to heaven, being given a vision of God, and being told to write Jesus' letter to seven historic church.

I believe that these seven letters contained a very specific message for seven specific congregations that John knew and was ministering too. God historically did that with prophets. He'd often speak first the people of the prophet's immediate generation.

Often and obviously prophets also speak to other generations as well. Therefore, I'm intrigued by one interpretative conclusion of many scholars today. Some believe that the seven "congregations" also represent seven eras of the church (and with rarely a clear break between epochs, the eras usually overlap). But think about this ... Isn't it clear that:

Some of the generation have endured persecution and have been comforted with Christ's message of "Do not fear" (2:10);
some generations "tolerate ... Jezebel ... and practice fornication" (2:20);
some generations have itchy ears and are drawn to false teachers (2:14);
and some of us simply "abandoned [our] first love" (2:4).
Some of those things could clearly be said regarding just about any era. But if it is true, the final two church powerfully match what is going on in our world today (whether this is the end of time or not).

The final two churches are Philadelphia and Laodicea. Philadelphia is commended. They are said to have "little power [but] you have kept my word" (Rev 3:8,10). Laodicea is said to be "lukewarm ... neither cold nor hot" ... and that was not a good thing. (Rev 3:15-16).

If these are, as some scholars suggest, the two final generations, then they clearly parallel what is happening right now in the world-wide church. In the Global South and East, churches tend to be poor, powerless, and persecuted. And yet they are growing! Their faith is vibrant and alive. Jesus says to the Church at Philadelphia, "Because you have kept my owrd of patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial."

The Laodicean church represents the church of the West. Compared to Philadelphia and the churches of the Global South and East, we are rich and historic. But the church in the West is dying. Church attendance in Europe, for example, is anemic, and America is trending increasingly in that direction. Jesus' message: "Because you are lukewarm ... I am about to spit you out of my mouth" (ouch! Rev 3:16).

Fortunately, for all who are lukewarm (or are in lukewarm churches and countries), there is always hope! Jesus says -- to the Laodiceans and to each of us -- "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you, and eat with you, and you with me" (Rev 3:20).

In Christ's Love,

a guy who hears

a knock at my door

Dec 26 - 1 John 5:3

2011-12-26T04:43:00.002-05:00

Merry Christmas - day 5

For the love of God is this,

that we obey his commandments.

1 John 5:3

My son Jay, as you probably know, is at the Naval Academy. One of their goals is to make the men much tougher men. Therefore my favorite email from Jay in his first was: "Mom and Dad, I have good news and bad news. The bad news is: I have a huge black eye. The good news is: I got an A in boxing."

Today is known, especially in England and much of Europe, as Boxing Day. And no it has nothing to do with fists and black eyes. The day after Christmas, masters and servants have traditionally reversed roles.

All year long, the servants have to -- as our verse today says -- obey their master's commandments. (Whether they do so out of love, out of duty, or for the paycheck is entirely up to each particular servant.) On Boxing Day, the masters switch roles. And whether they do this out of love, out of duty, or because tradition is up to the individual master too.

At Christmas, Jesus took off his robes light and reversed roles. The master -- the King of Creation -- became the suffering servant. And of course he didn't do it out of duty; he did it out of love.

Rather than just returning gifts and shopping sales, who might you take a moment to serve today?

In Christ's Love,

a guy who wants a black eye

by the end of the day

(because I've boxed and served)

Dec 25 - 1 John 2:7, 3:11, 4:7,9,10

2011-12-25T04:40:00.002-05:00

Merry Christmas - day 4

All year long, our lessons have been following the chronological version of "The Bible in a Year." As your Christmas present, look what was ordained for today ...

Beloved, I am writing you
no new commandment
but an old commandment that
you have had from the beginning ...

For this is message you have heard
from the beginning that
we should love one another.

Beloved, let us love one another,
because love is from God ...
[and] God's love was revealed
among us in this way:
God sent his only son into the world
so that we might live through him.

In this is love, not that we loved God
but that he loved us and
sent his Son to be
the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
1 John 2:7, 3:11, 4:7,9,10

In Christ's Love,

a guy who's very thankful

for the love from above

and for the love down here

(especially in this wonderful

First-John-Congregation that loves one another

... and reaches out in love to the world.

Thank you for being you. Merry Christmas)