Monthly Archives: June 2010

Thanks be to God!

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In Scripture, there are just certain passages that you read and you go – that’s it!  That’s how I feel!  That’s what I’m feeling, that’s what I’m experiencing

For me, Paul’s words in Romans 7 are that.  When I read the end of Romans 7, I say, yep, that’s the story of my life, that summarizes my feelings.  Today, as I read through it, a couple of things from this chapter just leapt out to me.

Paul writes:

I want to do what is right, but I can’t. 19 I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. 20 But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.

Hello?  Man, oh man, I’ve been there.  I know what’s right.  I know what’s wrong.  I know what I should do, I know what I shouldn’t do!

I know it.  It’s not guess-work.  I know the answer.  I know how I should live, serve, give, who I should be.  It’s a plain as the nose on my face.

And what do I do? What’s wrong. What I shouldn’t do. The very thing I don’t want to do. The very thing I despise.

The good I should do I don’t do, the evil I shouldn’t do, I do.

In other words, that thing that we struggle with.  That we know we shouldn’t do. That day after day after day we know we should not do – that very thing we do!

UGH.  It drive me crazy.  I don’t want to do it!  I want to be different.  I want to live apart from these sins.  Yet, I keep falling into it.

What am I to do?

The reason why I love this passage is because Paul gives an answer:

25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.

The answer is not my will power.  It’s not in my being good enough, smart enough, strong enough.

I can’t. I’ve already proved that.

It’s not in what I can do.  It’s in what He can do.

I can do nothing.  He can do all things.  I am weak, He is strong. I choose what is wrong.  He is what is right.

Through ourselves, our own devices, our own choosing, we get ourselves in trouble.

Through Jesus, we find life.

Thanks be to God!

Today, trust in Him. Rely upon Him. Cast your cares on Him.  He is life.  He is strength.  He is hope.  Lean not on yourself, but on Him.  Trust.  Live.  With Him.

Thanks be to God!  For in Him, all things are possible.

Are you Listening?

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One of today’s passages is one of my absolute favorite passages in all the Bible.  It’s the story of Balaam and his donkey.  This is one of those passages we learn about as kids, one of those passages we talk about as adults, a passage that makes us scratch our head and wonder, what in the world is happening here?

But it’s also a passage that, if we are not careful, we may miss the point of.

This is the passage where Balaam’s donkey talks to him.

Numbers 22 tells us:

28 Then the Lord gave the donkey the ability to speak. “What have I done to you that deserves your beating me three times?” it asked Balaam.  29 “You have made me look like a fool!” Balaam shouted. “If I had a sword with me, I would kill you!”  30 “But I am the same donkey you have ridden all your life,” the donkey answered. “Have I ever done anything like this before?”  “No,” Balaam admitted.

Now, this passage can cause us to get bogged down in conversation that make cause us to miss the forest for the trees.  We wonder, how did the donkey speak?  What did it sound like?  Could it happen again?  Why a donkey?

While these questions, and other questions are fun to talk about and think about, they may miss the bigger point for you and me.

Did Balaam expect his donkey to talk to him today?  I’d say, probably not.

Did God use the donkey to talk to Balaam?  Yes.

Did Balaam almost miss what God was trying to say and pay the price with his life?  Yes.

So, for us today, the questions is not will a donkey come us to us and start talking. The question is are we listening for God’s voice, in whatever way God chooses to speak to us?

Are we listening for God today.  It’s not that God no longer speaks.  It’s that we don’t always listen.

God doesn’t just speak on Sundays. He doesn’t just speak through preachers, or the Bible, or the normal ways. God will speak to us in whatever way it takes to get our attention.

For Balaam it was through his donkey. What will it be for you today?

Are you listening?  Are you listening for God to speak?

He may choose to speak to you in a way, through a person, you’d least expect it today.

Perhaps a co-worker.  Perhaps your child. Perhaps your parent.  Perhaps though a song.  Perhaps through someone you don’t like.

God will speak today. Maybe through even a donkey.

Are you listening?

Mondays are Awesome!

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One of the things in life that is most disheartening, to me at least, is when folks feel like giving up.  When people feel like their is no hope. When we lose that sense that things can get better, can change, can be different.

In short, when people want to give up. When people think that there is no reason to hope.

We hear, oh, but things can change. Things can be different. It doesn’t have to be like that.

And, when we are broken, we say – impossible. That can’t happen.  It won’t change.

If that is where you are on this Monday morning, listen to the word of Jesus from Matthew 21:

21 Then Jesus told them, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. 22 You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it.”

Things don’t have to be the same. They don’t have to be like they’ve always been.

I know it’s Monday, and we hate Mondays.

But this Monday, this Monday is a new day!  Each day is a new day. Each day, through faith, we get to start over. Each day is new. Full of new life, new hope, new grace.

This is a new day.  It does have to be like a aways. Things can change. Things can be different.  It isn’t impossible.

Now, through ourselves and our strength, yeah, nothing will change.

But, through God. Through faith. Through grace.  Through His life, things can change. Things can be different. There is hope. There is life. There is a change for a new start.

Today, through faith.

Today, yes even today. Even this morning. There is a chance for a fresh start.

Things can be different.  Things can change. Nothing is impossible.

Mondays are awesome!  Through God’s grace, each new day is awesome.

Go out and live a fresh, new, loved life.  For today is a new day.  Nothing is impossible for God.

Nothing!

Different

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I was thinking this morning about being different.  As I’ve been working on my first sermon for Asbury Church, I’ve been thinking about how I will introduce myself, my beliefs, my family, all these things that make me who I am.  And I’ve been thinking about how we are all different.  No two of us are the same, no two of us have the ideas about everything, the same passions, the same dreams, the same beliefs, even.

And, that’s ok. There’s something awesome about all us, with our ideas and own stuff gathering together around the table, worshiping our resurrected Lord.

Today, in one of the passages, Jesus talks about being different.  And He says, not only is it a good thing, but that we as Christians are called to be different.  He says in Matthew 20:

24 When the ten heard it, they were angry with the two brothers. 25 But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. 26 It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave; 28 just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

Jesus tells us today, the world understands greatness in terms of power.  Who’s the boss?  Who is the one in control?  Who is right?  Who wins?

That’s how the world works.

It is not so among you.  We are called to be different.  We are not called to be like the world.  None of us are the boss – God is.  Those of us that lead, lead not by our own wisdom or knowledge, but by God’s wisdom, and God’s knowledge.

The greatest among us is not the smartest or strongest, it is the one that serves.

We are called to be different. We are called not be the same.  We are called to find life, not in our own life, but in His life.

We are called to love.  To love our God and love each other.

So, don’t feel bad about being different.  In fact, be proud!  Jesus wants us to live different, to love different, to be different.  It is not so among us.  We are called to serve  one another.  And serve Him.

And, in these acts of service, though simple, small things, we find that power of God. We find the life of God. We find a purpose of life and for faith.

Though love. Through service. Through being different.

Today, an amazing, abundant day, an amazing abundant life are our there for that taking.  Through Jesus Christ.

Today, let’s go live that life. Let’s find that life. Through His grace, mercy, and strength.  Let’s love and serve with the power of God. And let’s find what it is we seek.

What is Not

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One of the things that is always most inspiring, and honestly, intimidating, to me about the saints of scripture is the amazing faith they had.  They had an ability to trust, to see, to hope, that is without a doubt, other-worldly.  Today, look at Abraham.  This is what Paul says in Romans 4

19 He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was already as good as dead (for he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. 20 No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21 being fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.

Think about that for a second.  How easy would it have been to give for Abraham?  How easy would it have been to say, ok, that’s enough. Check please.  I’m done.  I’m headed back to Ur.

But, he didn’t.  He still had faith. Now, we know if we go back and read his story in Genesis, we’ll see he wasn’t perfect.  He did some dumb things.  He made some bad mistakes.

There were times when struggled and had doubts.

But, we see in the end, he had faith. He trusted. He believed. He trusted.  Even when he didn’t see.  He about the faith to see what is not there. And know that it will be there.  One day.

In our lives, on the roads we walk, there will be times we doubt.  There will be times we struggle. There will be times when we are down cast.

So in those times, hold fast to your faith. Hold fast to what is good and noble and true.  Hold fast to what you believe. The doubts and trials and struggles and darkness will come.

Hold onto what is of God. What is of faith. What matters.

Don’t lose sight of what God is doing. Sometimes faith is the ability to see what is not there.  But know that it will be there.

And remember, that God is bigger than all we face.  God is bigger than our doubts, our fears, our hopes, our dreams.  God is bigger than our vision.  God is bigger than our sight. That’s why we walk by faith, not by sight.

We see with the eyes of faith.  We see not just what is there.  We see what will be there. Hope. Trust. Have faith.

God is at work. Today, and always.  Hold onto Him.

Payday

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One of my first real jobs was as a camp counselor during the summers at Twin Lakes, in Florence, MS.  I worked their two summers and some of the best times of my life there. I made friends there that I will treasure forever.

One of the things I remember most, though, about camp, was getting that my first paycheck.  Looking back now, it wasn’t much. But at the time, I thought I’d won the lottery.  I thought I was the richest man I knew.

I’d worked hard for that check. I loved my job, but I’d worked really hard. I’d earned what I had.  And, honestly, if I’d have worked that hard, and the camp had not paid me, when they promised to, I’d have been upset.  You want what’s coming to you!  What you deserve!

Sometimes, I think we tie ourselves in a knot with God.  Just like in our job, be it our first job, or our current job, we feel like we have to earn God’s love. We feel like we have to “do” something to make God love us. Just like at camp I had certain things I had to do as part of my job, as Christians, we sometimes feel like we have to “do” something to make God love us.

Forgive us.

Care for us.

And, here’s the problem. We can’t ever do things just perfect. We mess up. We fall down.  We make mistakes. We sin.  It gets ugly.

And then, because we’ve mess up, we feel like we haven’t earned that love we want.

Today in Roman’s we see Paul talk about Abraham.  He writes this:

1 What then are we to say was gained by Abraham, our ancestor according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.” 4 Now to one who works, wages are not reckoned as a gift but as something due. 5 But to one who without works trusts him who justifies the ungodly, such faith is reckoned as righteousness.

God didn’t love or accept Abraham because he was perfect.  In fact, if we look back it his story, he did some pretty dumb things.

He loved Abraham because He’s God. And that’s what He does. What God wanted from Abraham was this.  Faith.  Trust. Relationship.

We don’t have to earn God’s love. We just have to accept it.  We have have to make God love us. We just have to understand He does.

We don’t have to wait for payday.  Payday is here, today. We just have to have faith.

Today, God loves you. Believe that.  No matter where you or what you’ve done.  God loves you. Have faith. And find that love and acceptance you’ve been seeking.

Check List

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Believe it or not, I’ve always felt like religion was easy.  To be religious can mean, at it’s most simple just a collection of things that we should and shouldn’t do.  Religion, at it’s most simple, is a check list.

That’s what a lot of folks think about faith. And honestly, that’s what a lot of believers think about faith.  If I just do this, do that, don’t do this, don’t do that, than it’s all taken care of.

Today, in Psalm 50, the Psalmist says this

13 Do you think I eat the flesh of bulls, *
or drink the blood of goats?
14 Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving *
and make good your vows to the Most High.
15 Call upon me in the day of trouble; *
I will deliver you, and you shall honor me.”

We are reminded that faith is not, in the end, about what we do, or don’t do.

Now, there are things we are supposed to do and not do. But, it doesn’t start with that.

It starts with that heart for God.  It starts with that relationship.  It starts with a desire to know and be known, to love and be loved.

It’s not about a check list.  It’s not about making God love us.  It’s not about doing what Christians are “supposed” to do.

It’s about understanding that we are loved more than we’ll ever know. That an awesome, holy, and righteous God simply loves us.

And it’s about knowing that we are supposed to love God, and love each other in that same way.

So, if there is a check list, it’s not “religion.”  It’s love.  Love God. Love each other. That’s it, that’s the list.