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October 8, 2014

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Attitudes & Behavior, Salvation: A New You, Today: Make it Count

THROW OFF THE OLD

I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. [Philippians 3:7-9a (NLT)]

I’ve been cleaning closets and cupboards and am amazed at the amount of useless stuff I’ve accumulated through the years. To some extent, we all have difficulty with emptying out possessions that clutter our homes. Old things are often tied to memories. We may be afraid that when we let go of these assorted mementoes and souvenirs that we will lose the memories as well. We cling to reminders of where we’ve been, what we looked like, or what we once were able to do.

Just as many people cannot clear the clutter from their homes, many of us cannot clear the clutter from our spiritual lives. We often find it difficult to rid ourselves of old attitudes, beliefs, habits, and even associations that are keeping us from a relationship with God. Having grown comfortable in the debris of our lives, we may hold on to resentment, prejudice, curse words or bad attitudes. We may even want to retain unhealthy, even toxic, relationships. It isn’t easy to get rid of things we’ve had for so many years; they’ve become a part of us. If we refuse to give up yesterday, however, we deny ourselves the wisdom and gifts of today. Moreover, when we cling to the clutter of our past, we are unable to face the future and receive its blessings. If our spirit is going to be renewed, we need to discard our former way of life.

Throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy. [Ephesians 4:22-24 (NLT)]

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October 7, 2014

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God's Grace & Love, God's Plan, Prayer, Trusting God

HE KNOWS BUT DO WE?

Don’t be like them, because your Father knows the things you need before you ask him. [Matthew 6:8 (NCV)]

If He already knows our requests, why bother to pray? Needing to get free of debt, a couple prays for raises or better jobs; what they need, however, is to learn how to live within a budget. A friend “needs” her children to get married so she can have grandchildren. Perhaps what she really needs is to accept that her children are moving at their own pace and to ask the Lord to bless them with someone to love who will love them in return. A wife prays for her husband to be healed of Parkinson’s when what is needed is guidance in learning how to live joyfully within the confines of the disease. A father prays that his child will be freed from his addiction; God knows that the father needs to stop enabling the child’s behavior. What we want and what we need are often not the same things.

We believe we need certain things (people, money, possessions or occurrences) so we pray for those. Much for which we pray, however, we don’t need or shouldn’t have and we’ll never get. We also believe we need to be freed from other things (consequences, disease, discomfort, and disagreeable tasks). Much of what we want God to remove, however, we need to learn to live with and accept that it’s here to stay. We tend to want our requirements met quickly and easily but God doesn’t seem to work that way. He wants us to know Him and to trust that He knows our every need (far better than we ourselves do). We may not know what we need, but God always does. He will, indeed, provide everything we truly need at the correct time and in the right way.

Father in Heaven, thank you for knowing our innermost needs. Help us to understand the difference between what we want and what it is we truly need. Give us grateful and accepting hearts for however and whenever our prayers are answered.

Let us, then, feel very sure that we can come before God’s throne where there is grace. There we can receive mercy and grace to help us when we need it. [Hebrews 4:16 (NCV)]

 

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October 6, 2014

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Faith & Hope, God's Promises, Sorrow, Grief & Regrets, Wisdom & Guidance

SWORDS INTO PLOWSHARES

DSC09563WEBAnd while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother, Abel, and killed him. [Genesis 4:8b (NLT)]

I do not know with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones. [Albert Einstein]

I recently visited the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History. While I enjoyed learning about the past, present, and future of nuclear science, I left the museum deeply saddened. No nuclear science presentation would have been complete without exhibits about the politics of World War II, the devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Cold War, and various weapons of destruction; it was these exhibits that so troubled my heart. We live in a fallen world and man’s capacity for horror boggles my mind. I read the stories, saw the pictures and viewed the weaponry; I thought of the billions of dollars and hours of brain power that went into finding ways to kill one another and was horrified. Since the beginning of time, we’ve tried to solve our differences with bloodshed. When will we ever learn? God, help us!

Eternal God, in whose perfect kingdom no sword is drawn but the sword of righteousness, no strength known but the strength of love; so mightily spread abroad your Spirit that all peoples may be gathered under the banner of the Prince of Peace, a children of one Father; to whom be dominion and glory, now and forever. Amen [Book of Common Prayer]

The Lord will mediate between peoples and will settle disputes between strong nations far away. They will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer fight against nation, nor train for war anymore. Everyone will live in peace and prosperity, enjoying their own grapevines and fig trees, for there will be nothing to fear. The Lord of Heaven’s Armies has made this promise! [Micah 4:3-4 (NLT)]

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October 4, 2014

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Bible Stories, Forgiveness, God's Grace & Love, Holidays & Holy Days, Sorrow, Grief & Regrets

SEND IT INTO THE WILDERNESS (Day of Atonement)

10-4-14 wildernessWEBHappy is the person whose sins are forgiven, whose wrongs are pardoned. [Psalm 32:1 (NCV)]

Today is the Day of Atonement, a Jewish holy day. The book of Leviticus describes the rituals the Israelites were to perform on this most sacred day of the year. In one ceremony, two goats were taken from the people. One goat would be given to the Lord and the other would be the “scapegoat.” The goat given to God was sacrificed as a sin offering to make atonement for the sins of the people; its purpose was forgiveness. The second goat was then brought before the altar. The priest laid his hands on the goat and confessed the sins and transgressions of the people. He then sent it away into the wilderness; its purpose was to remove the people’s guilt.

The Christian, however, doesn’t need this kind of yearly ritual. Our sacrifice has already been made: Jesus was our sacrificial lamb. It was his blood that was shed for our sins. Because of him, once we repent and confess our sins, they are forgiven and forgotten. God forgives us and lets us start anew, free from guilt.

Sometimes, however, we don’t accept His forgiveness. We hang on to our guilt by replaying our actions, blaming ourselves and others, and regretting our failures. We carry embarrassment, humiliation, and shame around even after God has forgotten all about it. Perhaps we need to take a lesson from the ancient Israelites. Knowing that a sacrifice has been made to atone for our sins, we need to send our guilt out into the wilderness, never again to be seen!

He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. [Psalm 103:12 (NLT)]

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October 3, 2014

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Bible Stories, Knowing Him, Miracles

WHAT WILL IT TAKE?

Jesus responded, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm. The disciples were amazed. “Who is this man?” they asked. “Even the winds and waves obey him!” [Matthew 8:26-27 (NLT)]

“Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?” Jesus told them, “Go back to John and tell him what you have heard and seen—the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor.” [Matthew 11:3-5 (NLT)]

Jesus had cast out evil spirits, made lepers clean and healed the centurion’s servant from afar. Even Peter’s mother-in-law had received healing from him. Blind people had been given their sight, the paralyzed had walked and a girl had been brought back to life. He’d calmed the storm and still the disciples wondered, “Who is this man?” They’d heard his words and radical gospel: love God, love your enemies and turn the other cheek. They’d left their homes and families to follow Him. Certainly they thought they knew who He was: the promised Messiah. It was not until he’d walked on water, however, that they truly knew what he was: the Son of God – God in flesh – God incarnate! Then, the disciples worshipped him.

What will it take to convince us?

When they climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped. Then the disciples worshiped him. “You really are the Son of God!” they exclaimed. [Matthew 14:32-33 (NLT)]

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October 2, 2014

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Holy Spirit, Wisdom & Guidance

MAPPING OUR WALKS

I advise you to obey only the Holy Spirit’s instructions. He will tell you where to go and what to do, and then you won’t always be doing the wrong things your evil nature wants you to. For we naturally love to do evil things that are just the opposite from the things that the Holy Spirit tells us to do; and the good things we want to do when the Spirit has his way with us are just the opposite of our natural desires. These two forces within us are constantly fighting each other to win control over us, and our wishes are never free from their pressures. [Galatians 5:16-17 (TLB)]

Realizing that my power walks had become more like leisurely strolls, I recently got an app called “Map My Walk” that keeps track of my mileage and pace. Now that I’m using it, I’m walking faster and farther and enjoying it more. The app knows exactly where I’ve been and how long it took me to get there; there’s no more fooling myself about how far I’ve walked or how much effort I exerted. Moreover, the app doesn’t care if I’m tired or the weather is hot and humid. It’s made me accountable! Of course, I do have to remember to turn it on before I go walking.

Let us never forget that we don’t need to have an app on a Smartphone to map our daily walk in life. We have the Holy Spirit within us and He will, indeed, make us accountable. If we’re wandering off course, He’ll tell us. If we’re lingering when we should be jogging or rushing when we should take our time, He’ll either prod us to get moving or slow us down. He’ll even point out the errors in our ways and, like my walking app, the Holy Spirit isn’t much interested in excuses! We just have to remember to listen to His voice and follow His instructions!

Now glory be to God, who by his mighty power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of—infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes. [Ephesians 3:20 (TLB)]