While the world at large milks what remaining giggles it can out of the recent non-judgment day (May 21, 2011) prediction, there are many of us who will not surrender the importance of keeping an eye focused upward.
Were we in the Old Testament era, and following the Law, we'd be stoning Harold Camping right now. False prophets were not to be tolerated (cf. Deuteronomy 18:20-22). Today, we simply laugh with Leno and Letterman.
Yet despite our guilt-by-association with (so-called) Pastor Camping, we who follow Christ by the enabling of His Spirit need not yield our daily upward glance. We cannot predict the day or the hour, but we can expect His appearing at any moment (Acts 1:11, cf. Matthew 24:44).
HEARTS IN ANOTHER WORLD
Several reminders this week kept my eye cocked upward.
The first came through a devotional Pastor Terry did for our staff at our weekly 829 (i.e., 8:29 AM Tuesday staff meeting) from Ephesians 1:15-23. Paul's prayer for the Ephesians. He prayed (setting the pace for our praying) that these young Ephesian believers might be given, from God himself, a fresh spirit of wisdom and understanding, so that that their hearts and minds would be dominated by other worldly ideas. The HOPE of God's calling of them. The greatness of God's POWER toward those who believe. The RICHES of God's inheritance, which are the saints (or "holy ones") of God.
I was struck by how "other worldly" our hearts are to be oriented.
The second came through a visit to the critical care rehab floor at Mary Greeley Hospital. One of my all time favorite ladies, Evelyn Mickle, is battling back from a series of mini-strokes that have sidelined her body, but not her spirit. Having traversed life's pathways some four-score and ten years plus, she knows where she longs to be, and it isn't here. She can "hear a distant singing" (Sara Groves, Conversations).
A third from my daily Bible reading. "Give me, O Lord, an eagerness for Your Laws, rather than a love for money" (Psalm 119:36). Over my left shoulder, on one of the multiple flat screens where I'm eating lunch, the poker network streams the latest game, with tens of thousands of dollars at stake. A love for money...or an eagerness for God's Word. You can't have both, Jesus said (Matthew 6:24). None of the 12 screens within eye-shot have any Scripture scrolling on them.
THE HEAVENS ARE OURS...
Fellow sojourner in Jesus, keep your heart soaked in the realities of your redemption. Keep the eyes of your heart up. The sky is the Savior's next stage. He will come for us, and then He will come with us. It could begin any moment...
No joking.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Monday, May 23, 2011
Higher Ways...Inscrutable Ways
Sooner or later, any thinking human being who senses he/she is not alone in the universe -- because the heart awakens to the undeniable Presence of God -- wonders. Wonders about a hundred questions, and then some.
Can I understand this Presence?
Can I know?
Can I understand what control this Presence has in the universe? in the world? in my life?
Can I communicate? Must I just listen? Can I respond? Will there be an exchange?
Can I discern what this Presence has done? is doing? will do?
What plan, if any, is this Presence working out in the flow of history? in my generation? In my life?
Am I in the dark? wandering through the grey? Might I walk in the Light?
Don't you wonder what God is doing? Just when when we think we have Him figured out, just when we hope that we can count on what is likely, next....well, so often our predictions fall short and our hopes just miss the mark.
For a long time, I have "gotten" God and then again, I have not. There's no taming God, no predicting Him, no end to the surprises -- good and ill -- that flow and crest and recede in our experience. Sometimes it feels like you're finally getting to know that loveable, old grandfather you've been related to for years. Then, in the next moment, you feel like Siegfried and Roy, surprised, torn apart by a mauling.
Joplin, Missouri - May 22, 2011.
"For your sake we are being put to death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." Paul suggests this lot for serious Jesus followers (Romans 8:36).
To be sure, there are multiplied assurances in the New Testament Scriptures that this Inscrutable, Unpredictable Presence is nonetheless a loving Father who will bring his faithful children safely home, but not necessarily through safety. Hebrews 11 tells us that by faith, some conquered kingdoms while others were sawn in two. By grace through faith, we belong to the King. His redemptive sacrifice and overwhelming resurrection power have changed us forever, but the promised Kingdom has not yet taken over in this crippled world.
Time and time again, in the quiet of respite and also in the thrashing of thunderstorm, we are asked to trust in the higher ways, the inscrutable purposes of God. "In all these things, we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us" (Romans 8:38).
Really? Yes. Nothing "will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." There is a higher love which will bring us home, someday, to a higher place. To a Presence, a Person, whose face, when we see it, will answer all our questions.
Can I understand this Presence?
Can I know?
Can I understand what control this Presence has in the universe? in the world? in my life?
Can I communicate? Must I just listen? Can I respond? Will there be an exchange?
Can I discern what this Presence has done? is doing? will do?
What plan, if any, is this Presence working out in the flow of history? in my generation? In my life?
Am I in the dark? wandering through the grey? Might I walk in the Light?
Don't you wonder what God is doing? Just when when we think we have Him figured out, just when we hope that we can count on what is likely, next....well, so often our predictions fall short and our hopes just miss the mark.
For a long time, I have "gotten" God and then again, I have not. There's no taming God, no predicting Him, no end to the surprises -- good and ill -- that flow and crest and recede in our experience. Sometimes it feels like you're finally getting to know that loveable, old grandfather you've been related to for years. Then, in the next moment, you feel like Siegfried and Roy, surprised, torn apart by a mauling.
Joplin, Missouri - May 22, 2011.
"For your sake we are being put to death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." Paul suggests this lot for serious Jesus followers (Romans 8:36).
To be sure, there are multiplied assurances in the New Testament Scriptures that this Inscrutable, Unpredictable Presence is nonetheless a loving Father who will bring his faithful children safely home, but not necessarily through safety. Hebrews 11 tells us that by faith, some conquered kingdoms while others were sawn in two. By grace through faith, we belong to the King. His redemptive sacrifice and overwhelming resurrection power have changed us forever, but the promised Kingdom has not yet taken over in this crippled world.
Time and time again, in the quiet of respite and also in the thrashing of thunderstorm, we are asked to trust in the higher ways, the inscrutable purposes of God. "In all these things, we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us" (Romans 8:38).
Really? Yes. Nothing "will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." There is a higher love which will bring us home, someday, to a higher place. To a Presence, a Person, whose face, when we see it, will answer all our questions.
Monday, May 16, 2011
It's Not Right...Yet
On most Sundays, someone has chosen to listen to me speak. Sobering. A friend of mine reminded me years ago that more important than one sermon is the cumulative impact of preaching consistently, week-in-week-out to a gathered group of people hungry for a word from God. True enough, but still, each Sunday, guys like me want to get it right each time you step up.
Saturday evenings can be unsettling. You've studied, interpreted, focused, prayed, written, thought some more, edited, reworked...all of the above and more. Still, you hit the pillow just a bit uncertain. Do I understand this passage of Scripture. What is it saying? How shall it be communicated? And, so what?
In my case, sometimes it seems God Himself is not yet pleased. So the Sunday morning bell rings earlier. Like it did around 2:30 AM just yesterday. You wake with a bit of a start, and as soon as the fog clears, there's an impression, or a quiet voice, or something unmistakable that communicates to your heart, "Say it differently. It's not right...yet. Get up. Get it right."
Fortunately, God's Spirit will also tell you what needs to change. For me, yesterday, it was essentially taking negatively stated truth/ideas from James 2:14-26 and stating them positively. From "If your faith is not useful, it's dead" to "When Your Faith is More than Words, It is Useful."
Personally, I was so glad for the change, because it is so easy to use the Word as a whip. People generally know when they've fallen short. In a holy place, their eyes stay lowered. What they long for is a way to bring a smile to the heart of God. And, they want a preacher who is more into helpful, useful encouragement than into producing guilt.
This Monday morning encouragement is for all of you who invest time somewhere, Sunday mornings, trying to get a word from God. Hoping for help to get it right with Jesus through the enabling power of the Holy Spirit. Realize that your pastor/preacher often struggles to get it right too, and he needs God's help just as much as you do, if not more. Thanks for praying for us who sometimes hear an early bell.
And remember, your life in Christ is grace-oriented, not guilt oriented. Lift your head. Talk to God without hesitation. If your heart's affection for Jesus is growing, on most days, in most moments, your Father is thoroughly delighted with you. He can use your faith in remarkable ways in a world that needs encouragement.
Saturday evenings can be unsettling. You've studied, interpreted, focused, prayed, written, thought some more, edited, reworked...all of the above and more. Still, you hit the pillow just a bit uncertain. Do I understand this passage of Scripture. What is it saying? How shall it be communicated? And, so what?
In my case, sometimes it seems God Himself is not yet pleased. So the Sunday morning bell rings earlier. Like it did around 2:30 AM just yesterday. You wake with a bit of a start, and as soon as the fog clears, there's an impression, or a quiet voice, or something unmistakable that communicates to your heart, "Say it differently. It's not right...yet. Get up. Get it right."
Fortunately, God's Spirit will also tell you what needs to change. For me, yesterday, it was essentially taking negatively stated truth/ideas from James 2:14-26 and stating them positively. From "If your faith is not useful, it's dead" to "When Your Faith is More than Words, It is Useful."
Personally, I was so glad for the change, because it is so easy to use the Word as a whip. People generally know when they've fallen short. In a holy place, their eyes stay lowered. What they long for is a way to bring a smile to the heart of God. And, they want a preacher who is more into helpful, useful encouragement than into producing guilt.
This Monday morning encouragement is for all of you who invest time somewhere, Sunday mornings, trying to get a word from God. Hoping for help to get it right with Jesus through the enabling power of the Holy Spirit. Realize that your pastor/preacher often struggles to get it right too, and he needs God's help just as much as you do, if not more. Thanks for praying for us who sometimes hear an early bell.
And remember, your life in Christ is grace-oriented, not guilt oriented. Lift your head. Talk to God without hesitation. If your heart's affection for Jesus is growing, on most days, in most moments, your Father is thoroughly delighted with you. He can use your faith in remarkable ways in a world that needs encouragement.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Two Worlds...or One?
I re-met a choice young man yesterday. Brian played football for the ISU Cyclones a few years back in the days when I hung out with Coach McCarney's kids. These days, Brian shepherds a young family in central Iowa, teaches physical education, and helps coach on the grid iron. His broad smile lit up the Jacobsen Building, there for a coaching clinic to enhance his skills in mentoring a high school team. We had a brief opportunity to catch up and mutually encourage.
His follow up email posed a question every young man should be asking -- "How do I balance time with the Lord and time living in this world?"
The two worlds we traffic do seem so very much different.
"Time with the Lord" - for a Christian, this usually means quiet moments either in worship with others or alone, reading, letting the Holy Spirit speak to our insides, praying, confessing sin (1 John 1:9), re-setting priorities, "putting off the old man and putting on the new man" (Ephesians 4:20-23)...heart shaping stuff like that. For most any Christian in love with Christ, we long for more of this kind of time, but often it is in short supply.
"Living in this world" - for the Christian, this can mean disorientation. Running in a pack with others, many of whom couldn't care less about Christ, or any of the things that are important to a Jesus-follower. It can often feel like a world where God is not invited and where Jesus doesn't belong. But WE have to be there! There is where we earn a living. There is where our home is located, our jobs are engaged in, and many of our friends can be found. 5,6,7 days a week, we spend most of our time THERE.
Do we live in two worlds...or one?
If I read my Bible correctly, it's all one world to God And He wants into all of it. "The earth is the Lord and all it contains" writes the Psalmist. And even when those who wrote Psalms vividly understood that much of that world was not in sync with its Creator and Lord, the world still belonged to God.
If I understand Jesus correctly, my following Him is to bring him into all of the world. And, all of my world. It is to refuse to see my world, my living, divided. It is to prayerfully insist that I will invite Jesus into every part of it through quiet, intentional, constant, conversational prayer.
A great resource to help bring our two worlds together is Paul Miller's A PRAYING LIFE: Connecting with God in a Distracting World. Don't just read it...with your Bible in hand, use it! It will bring your "worlds" together into one, under God and with God, the way things were intended from the beginning.
His follow up email posed a question every young man should be asking -- "How do I balance time with the Lord and time living in this world?"
The two worlds we traffic do seem so very much different.
"Time with the Lord" - for a Christian, this usually means quiet moments either in worship with others or alone, reading, letting the Holy Spirit speak to our insides, praying, confessing sin (1 John 1:9), re-setting priorities, "putting off the old man and putting on the new man" (Ephesians 4:20-23)...heart shaping stuff like that. For most any Christian in love with Christ, we long for more of this kind of time, but often it is in short supply.
"Living in this world" - for the Christian, this can mean disorientation. Running in a pack with others, many of whom couldn't care less about Christ, or any of the things that are important to a Jesus-follower. It can often feel like a world where God is not invited and where Jesus doesn't belong. But WE have to be there! There is where we earn a living. There is where our home is located, our jobs are engaged in, and many of our friends can be found. 5,6,7 days a week, we spend most of our time THERE.
Do we live in two worlds...or one?
If I read my Bible correctly, it's all one world to God And He wants into all of it. "The earth is the Lord and all it contains" writes the Psalmist. And even when those who wrote Psalms vividly understood that much of that world was not in sync with its Creator and Lord, the world still belonged to God.
If I understand Jesus correctly, my following Him is to bring him into all of the world. And, all of my world. It is to refuse to see my world, my living, divided. It is to prayerfully insist that I will invite Jesus into every part of it through quiet, intentional, constant, conversational prayer.
A great resource to help bring our two worlds together is Paul Miller's A PRAYING LIFE: Connecting with God in a Distracting World. Don't just read it...with your Bible in hand, use it! It will bring your "worlds" together into one, under God and with God, the way things were intended from the beginning.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Why forgive?
One frequent wrestling match that occurs within the regions of the heart has to do with a very hard thing to do. Forgive. Do you forgive others?
Most people asked that question immediately want, or offer, qualifiers. "Well sure I forgive, but..." Following the "but" are a string of modifications to the basic meaning of the word FORGIVE.
It means "to fully release," or "to let go." One good definition, from Archibald Hart (CHILDREN OF DIVORCE) is "giving up your right to hurt someone back." Such a definition is more negatively stated.
Positively, it means to "extend the love and grace of God to someone, regardless of what has gone on before." Paul writes, "Forgive one another as God, in Christ, as forgiven you."
Of course, we want to qualify any acts of forgiveness we may extend.
"I'll forgive, but I can't forget." Forgetting has never been a required part of forgiveness, though it can be a part, if your heart can go there. But forgetting is not necessary and may not be, in fact, good. We should remember all the lessons which arise from the experiences of life that happen to us.
"I'll forgive, but I can't trust." Immediate trusting has never been a required part of forgiveness. Forgiveness is offered in grace. Trust is gained through faithfulness. In many cases, it would be simply foolish to immediately trust when a pattern of breaking trust is in play.
"I'll forgive, but I want an apology." Really? Apparently, if this is your approach, you are not truly letting go. You want some payback, some justice, some humility. You want to play the role of "offended instructor" (i.e., "It's my duty to see they learn a lesson from this!"), or perhaps that of "protected offendee" (i.e., "I want to make sure they never do that to me again!")
You understand, however (do you not?), that this is not how God forgives. While He has lessons for us to learn when we've sinned, He does not condition his forgiveness on us learning them. And while He would not welcome being grieved (Ephesians 4:30) again by our sin, He does not condition his forgiveness on never hurting his heart again.
Forgiveness lets go. It responds with love to hate, with grace to rudeness, with prayer and encouragement to criticism and gossip.
Forgiveness. There's nothing like it. It has the power to change the landscape of many years of bad, hurtful, payback-driven relationships.
Why not forgive?
Most people asked that question immediately want, or offer, qualifiers. "Well sure I forgive, but..." Following the "but" are a string of modifications to the basic meaning of the word FORGIVE.
It means "to fully release," or "to let go." One good definition, from Archibald Hart (CHILDREN OF DIVORCE) is "giving up your right to hurt someone back." Such a definition is more negatively stated.
Positively, it means to "extend the love and grace of God to someone, regardless of what has gone on before." Paul writes, "Forgive one another as God, in Christ, as forgiven you."
Of course, we want to qualify any acts of forgiveness we may extend.
"I'll forgive, but I can't forget." Forgetting has never been a required part of forgiveness, though it can be a part, if your heart can go there. But forgetting is not necessary and may not be, in fact, good. We should remember all the lessons which arise from the experiences of life that happen to us.
"I'll forgive, but I can't trust." Immediate trusting has never been a required part of forgiveness. Forgiveness is offered in grace. Trust is gained through faithfulness. In many cases, it would be simply foolish to immediately trust when a pattern of breaking trust is in play.
"I'll forgive, but I want an apology." Really? Apparently, if this is your approach, you are not truly letting go. You want some payback, some justice, some humility. You want to play the role of "offended instructor" (i.e., "It's my duty to see they learn a lesson from this!"), or perhaps that of "protected offendee" (i.e., "I want to make sure they never do that to me again!")
You understand, however (do you not?), that this is not how God forgives. While He has lessons for us to learn when we've sinned, He does not condition his forgiveness on us learning them. And while He would not welcome being grieved (Ephesians 4:30) again by our sin, He does not condition his forgiveness on never hurting his heart again.
Forgiveness lets go. It responds with love to hate, with grace to rudeness, with prayer and encouragement to criticism and gossip.
Forgiveness. There's nothing like it. It has the power to change the landscape of many years of bad, hurtful, payback-driven relationships.
Why not forgive?
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
"Not so fast!" A plea for more Prayer
For someone like myself, the Old Testament Scriptures have the very best stories. As Paul notes, “they were written down for our instruction, upon whom the end of the ages has come” (1 Corinthians 10:11).
As touching the importance of prayer, one such story comes from the book of Joshua. The setting is the early days of conquering the land of Palestine by the nation of Israel, a new generation of God’s people which had buried their parents and grandparents in the Sinai desert. Now, with a new leader [who understood his role under the command of the Commander of the Lord’s Army, cf. 5:13-15] and a new promise of blessing from God, they had crossed the Jordan and were striking fear in the ungodly inhabitants of the land.
Conquering Mode
Jericho was conquered first, in a unique way, at the specific instruction of the Lord. “March the men of war around the city once for 6 days. Seven times on the 7th day. Then shout!” Unusual battle plan, but then again, it was the Lord who would be directing and winning the battles ahead for His people.
Then comes the defeat at Ai, caused by the greedy disobedience of Achan and his family. When the sin was uncovered and rigorously rooted out of the nation [7:10-26], Ai was defeated in round two as, again, the instructions from the Lord were followed [8:2].
Joshua continues to lead well. As per Deuteronomy’s instructions, he postures the nation on two sides of a valley and has God’s people rehearse God’s promises of blessing and cursing (Deut 28-29) and renew their covenant commitment of obedience to God. How could anything go wrong going forward?
Deceived!
As the fear of Yahweh’s people coursed through Palestine, the inhabitants of the city of Gibeon desperately devised a plan to survive the impending onslaught. Dressing and posing as distant foreigners—using intentionally old food and “doctored” evidence -- they came toward God’s people with a proposal. “From a distant country, we have come to meet you and ask for a treaty of peace. Let us be your servants, and let us co-exist peacefully.”
This desperate ruse by the Gibeonites is understandable, but not allowable. God’s instructions for Israel’s conduct in the land was crystal clear – “You shall make no covenant with them (i.e., the Canaanite peoples) and show no mercy to them” (Deut 7:1-2). Why? For Canaanite inhabitants left meant inevitable intermarriage between peoples, and thus “they would turn away your sons from follow Me, to serve other gods” (7:4). There was to be a complete obliteration of the peoples and their places of false worship.
So why did the leadership -- indeed Joshua himself -- proceed with making such a covenant (cf. Joshua 9:15), in disobedience to the Lord? To be sure, the leadership of Israel was tricked. They didn’t believe they were dealing with within-Palestine Canaanites. Wasn’t this transaction with foreigners?
The lesson?
Even when the observed factors before your assessment all point to a logical next step, the counsel of the Lord needs to be sought. One thing is always true: He knows things and sees things even our best observations can completely miss. Asking the counsel of the Lord – “in everything by prayer and supplication” (Philippians 4:7-8) – is a must.
The people of God, and especially the leaders of God’s people, must not “lean on their own understanding. In all (their ways) acknowledge Him, and (then) He shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6)
Sunday, May 1, 2011
"And so it Ends" - The Prediction of May 21
You may have heard that you and I have less than 21 days to live on the earth as we know it. According to former Civil Engineer and present-day Bible prognosticator, Harold Camping, hold on to your souls come Saturday, May 21. http://www.kcci.com/video/27687484/detail.html He's predicted the end of the world before (1994), but now he's certain.
And, so is his troupe. Women are crying that their daughters will not be given the opportunity to have their own children and families. Young and old alike are wearing t-shirts heralding the foreboding forecast. 200 million will be saved on that day. The rest...well, not so well. "It's in the Lord's hands," another testified.
The certainty comes from an alleged timeline ticking off 7,000 years since the Noahic Flood. Thus, right on cue, on 5/21/2011, an earthquake will inaugurate a 5 month process that will conclude with a climactic, wholescale burning. "There is no reason in the world...no possibility that it will not happen" (Camping, Oakland, CA).
Years ago, when ministering in Kazakhstan, I listened to the testimonies of several young believers who had been swept up in a similar movement predicting the end of the world in the early 1990's. In Moscow at the time, they were sure the Lord was returning and the end was coming on New Year's Eve. Huddled in a large Russian auditorium, worshipping into the late hours of the evening, when morning (and the new year) came, they were still there, and the end had been (apparently) postponed again. "We finally realized it wasn't going to happen the way we were taught, and we simply left."
In all of this, there is a tragedy. It is that the credibility of the gospel message re: Jesus the Christ (which is truthfully certain) is unhappily wedded to doomsday predictions which Jesus himself specifically forbade to happen. "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone." (Matthew 24:36). Jesus did say that conditions on earth will be similar to those that were present in Noah's day. But he insists no one can know "the day or the hour."
Perhaps what will actually end on May 21 is the credibility of Harold Camping himself, and whatever followings his unfortunate predictions have spawned. Still, and sadly, such predictions have sprung up repeatedly in the past (e.g., the origins of the 7th Day Adventist movement), and will likely occur again.
Jesus followers long for the return of their Lord ("Come, Lord Jesus!" Revelation 22:20-21) . He will come again. That is certain. The "when" is a matter for the Father, and indeed, it is in the Lord's hands. What is needed is grace to patiently wait and look, but not predict.
And, so is his troupe. Women are crying that their daughters will not be given the opportunity to have their own children and families. Young and old alike are wearing t-shirts heralding the foreboding forecast. 200 million will be saved on that day. The rest...well, not so well. "It's in the Lord's hands," another testified.
The certainty comes from an alleged timeline ticking off 7,000 years since the Noahic Flood. Thus, right on cue, on 5/21/2011, an earthquake will inaugurate a 5 month process that will conclude with a climactic, wholescale burning. "There is no reason in the world...no possibility that it will not happen" (Camping, Oakland, CA).
Years ago, when ministering in Kazakhstan, I listened to the testimonies of several young believers who had been swept up in a similar movement predicting the end of the world in the early 1990's. In Moscow at the time, they were sure the Lord was returning and the end was coming on New Year's Eve. Huddled in a large Russian auditorium, worshipping into the late hours of the evening, when morning (and the new year) came, they were still there, and the end had been (apparently) postponed again. "We finally realized it wasn't going to happen the way we were taught, and we simply left."
In all of this, there is a tragedy. It is that the credibility of the gospel message re: Jesus the Christ (which is truthfully certain) is unhappily wedded to doomsday predictions which Jesus himself specifically forbade to happen. "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone." (Matthew 24:36). Jesus did say that conditions on earth will be similar to those that were present in Noah's day. But he insists no one can know "the day or the hour."
Perhaps what will actually end on May 21 is the credibility of Harold Camping himself, and whatever followings his unfortunate predictions have spawned. Still, and sadly, such predictions have sprung up repeatedly in the past (e.g., the origins of the 7th Day Adventist movement), and will likely occur again.
Jesus followers long for the return of their Lord ("Come, Lord Jesus!" Revelation 22:20-21) . He will come again. That is certain. The "when" is a matter for the Father, and indeed, it is in the Lord's hands. What is needed is grace to patiently wait and look, but not predict.
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