Find Strength in the Lord

I love the Psalms because they are raw and real and timeless. David and the other psalmists often wrote of pain and fear, of disappointment, loneliness, and grief. But they also wrote of faith. They turned their thoughts back to what they knew about the Lord God. Like David who returned home from a battle to find that his home and the homes of his men had been destroyed and their wives and children had been taken captive. Those mighty warriors wept and grieved “until they had no strength left to weep” (2 Sam 30:4). David did the only thing he knew to do: “David found strength in the Lord his God” (v. 6).
How do we do that? Psalm 73 is a good answer. This was written by Asaph, a Levite and “worship leader” for Israel. He was dealing with some very strong emotions – anger, envy, and frustration are evident in his words. That sounds familiar. He even confessed, “When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before You” (vv. 21-22). Yep, been there too. Then comes the hinge on which his heart turns:
“Yet, I am always with You; You hold me by my right hand. You guide me with Your counsel, and afterward You will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but You? And earth has nothing I desire besides You” (vv 23-25). Yet. Despite the circumstances, he reminds himself of the Lord’s faithfulness and tenderness towards him. This is an act of his will, just as it is for you and me. You may get tired of hearing me say this, but your thoughts are your choice. You can choose to dwell on misery or anger or hurt or you can choose to focus on the goodness, kindness, and faithfulness of God. I know this one personally.
Here’s the part I want you to see; when he turns his mind to God, his heart soon follows. Listen: “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (v. 26). And that is how we find strength in the Lord our God. “We take captive every thought . . .” (2 Cor 10:5) and we fill our minds with truth (Phil 4:8). Not just once, but every time those negative thoughts and emotions pop up.
It’s a life-long lesson that I’m still trying to master. But if it worked for David and Asaph, it will work for you and me. Beloved, find strength in the Lord – it will change everything.

Satisfied

Oh the sweetness of a mother with her baby – thirty plus years later and I can still vividly remember the quiet love that washed over me like a tidal wave when they placed my son in my arms. But he had only one thing in mind – his craving for nourishment. He wanted to eat! Every mom knows that infants will sound the alarm when the first pangs of hunger hit. Mom fills the baby’s empty tummy, and for a season that is all the child knows of her. She is the one who meets his needs. But children grow and the relationship grows with it. The baby soon discovers that Mom is more than a place to eat.
David wrote, “I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me” (Ps 131:2). This is a picture of the child who is past the craving stage; he no longer sees his mother as just a source of food. She is a person to enjoy, a person who loves him. Now he can be content just being in her presence without making demands of her. He still calls for her when he has a need, and he will frequently glance back at her to make sure she is still there and is satisfied to see her nearby.
Are you content simply being in the Father’s presence? Or do you still regard Him as a means to fill your wants and needs? Those who are most satisfied in their relationship with God are the ones who have learned to enjoy Him for who He is. Yes, they trust Him to meet their needs as they come. But He is so much more than a solution to their problems. More and more the Lord is teaching me to love Him for who He is, not just for what He can do for me.
Can you sit with Him in the quiet and just enjoy the privilege? God is able and willing to meet your needs – and your greatest need is Him. Beloved, won’t you come a sit a while with your Father?

Why Should You Believe the Gospel?

The gospel is the heart, soul, and foundation of Christianity. The gospel says that Man is a sinner, a condition passed down to every human being from Adam and Eve, who rebelled against God and did what God expressly said not to do. The penalty for sin is death and eternal separation from God. But God still loves His Creation and He sent His one and only Son to earth. He lived a perfect, sinless life, and then died on a cross for man’s sin. Three days later, Jesus rose from the grave and returned to heaven, guaranteeing that all who believe in Him have eternal life.
That’s a lot to ask someone to buy into, isn’t it? C.S. Lewis wrote, “If Christianity were something we were making up, of course we would make it easier” (Mere Christianity).
If Christianity were something we were trying to mass-produce wouldn’t we make it more attractive to “sell?” Wouldn’t we create a “hero” who was invincible – who took out His enemies rather than letting them nail him to a cross? If we were making it up, why would we make it so hard to believe? Any fantasy writer knows your story can’t be too far “out there.” There have to be some believable elements to it to be a good story. But truth – they say – is often stranger than fiction.
Could it be that the story we are telling is true? Could it be that it is more than a “story?” Is it possible that this was God’s plan all along? It is not only possible, it is factual. Jesus said that the kingdom of God was prepared for God’s redeemed people “since the creation of the world” (Matt 25:34). Scripture also says that Jesus – the Son of God (Lk 1:35), the Word made flesh (Jn 1:14), the Lamb that takes away the sins of the world (Jn 1:29) – “was slain from the creation of the world” (Rev. 13:8). That means before God called forth the light, the kingdom was ready and waiting and the plan of salvation was already in place.
I can’t make you believe. But I can tell you that the gospel and Christianity are true. I can tell you that if you do not make a conscious choice for Jesus, you are choosing against Him. So choose well, Beloved. The consequences of your decision are eternal.

For the Weary Warrior

This year has seen my family shatter and Joy unexpectedly taken several hours away from home. It has been a year of grief, conflict, tension, brokenness, and isolation. It has worn me down. My body is tired of carrying so much tension. My brain is tired of jumping through all the legal hoops. My heart is tired of sorting through the emotional aftermath. My spirit is tired of . . . well, my spirit is just tired. The enemy has been telling me I just need to quit – to shut myself up in a room, lick my wounds, and put it all away. In other words, to give up. I’m not going to lie – it has been tempting.
But the Spirit keeps bringing one verse to mind: Paul wrote, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Gal 6:9). The word “weary” means be so exhausted as to lose courage. Notice it doesn’t say, “don’t admit that you’re tired.” It just says, “don’t give up. Because God is faithful.
I ran across this today in my Facebook memories and it explained so much about the past year and about what I am feeling. It was written by Francis Frangipane of In Christ’s Image Training Ministry. “There are times when we face extended spiritual conflict. We fight, endure, and finally prevail. Yet remember: our enemy is a “thief” (Jn 10:10). You may be so relieved that your main battle is over that you fail to notice your joy is gone. The obvious fight has been won but in your weariness your peace was depleted. Therefore, routinely take inventory of your soul. Wait before the Lord and listen. Make sure the thief hasn’t stolen any of the fruit the Holy Spirit has been cultivating in your heart — that your “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” are all functional and growing in you (Gal 5:22-23).” –www.icitc.org.
Paul and Francis are both right. We can’t give up. But we can rest. There is too much at stake to throw up our hands and throw away our peace and Joy and hope. I’m going to take the summer off from school and I’m going to enjoy every minute I get to spend with my girl. I going to let the Spirit of Christ nurture my spirit. I might even clean up my house. But I will not give up.
Beloved, I don’t know what battles you’ve been fighting, but maybe it’s time to rest a spell. Let the God who loves you heal and refresh you. Just don’t give up.

To Know Him is to Love Him

To know, know, know him is to love, love, love him
Just to see him smile make my life worthwhile
To know, know, know him is to love, love, love him
And I do.

Written by Phil Spector and first recorded by “The Teddy Bears,” this song hit the number-one spot in 1958. Through the years it was covered by many other artists and I bet as you read those lyrics, you were singing the melody. I know I did as I typed them. Do you remember those early days of love, when you just couldn’t get enough of your beloved? You wanted to spend every moment together, learning all you could about one another. What is her favorite flower? What is his favorite song? What makes her happy? What makes him laugh? Her fragrance was intoxicating. You hung on his every word. You became “a student” of the one you love, trying to discover all the wonderful things about them, like hunting for hidden treasures. It seemed that the more you knew about each other, the deeper your affection went.
Do you have the same desire to know and love God? Jesus said, “This is eternal life; that they may know you . . .“ (John 17:3). He also said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matt 22:37). That’s not a casual Sunday-only relationship.
He is the greatest and deepest love you can ever know. Perhaps it never occurred to you that you can know God, but over and over His Word expresses His desire for us to know Him. The apostle Paul said God wants us to “seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him” (Acts 17:27) The same principle in our earthly relationships holds true in our relationship with God.
I have discovered that the more I come to know Him, the more I love Him and the more I love Him the more I want to know Him. Beloved, can there be any better pursuit for your life than to seek to know and love God? Not just know about Him, but know Him. In the Bible, the word “know” implies a level of intimacy that describes a marital relationship. It means there is nothing that comes between the husband and wife. It is deep. Committed. Unbreakable. Everlasting. That is the love God desires from us. “My heart says of You, “Seek His face!” Your face Lord, I will seek” (Psalm 27:8).

In God’s Hands

Joy was walking around the living room last night with her eyes closed. “Joy, you need to open your eyes so you don’t trip over something,” I said. “My eyes weren’t closed, Nana,” she insisted, “I was looking through my fringes.” Fringes, in case you didn’t know, are eyelashes. Her eyes were opened just enough to “see” through her lashes, though not enough to look like they were opened. And not enough to actually see where she was going.
Joy’s “fringe vision” made me think of Paul’s words: “For now we see through a glass, darkly; then we shall see face to face” (1 Cor 13:12). Paul was saying we have imperfect knowledge and understanding. This world in which we live often leaves us confused and, let’s be honest, fearful. The more we try to figure things out the more uncertain life seems. I get it. I’ve been living in the “fringes” for the last year plus. Everything has been turned upside-down and inside-out. I thought God and I had a plan – I thought it was a good plan – but God has other ideas.
Job, in the midst of his painful trial, said we all live on the “outer fringe” of God’s works and ways (Job 26:14). The Hebrew translates to the “mere edges.” In other words, because He is so big and so other, we can’t see what God is up to. We don’t have His perspective. We can’t see “the end from the beginning.” But He can (Is 46:10). Not like a fortune teller who can “see” what will happen in the future. This is the sovereign God of the universe who determines the future and sets things in motion to achieve His plan. He said “Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will stand” (Is 14:24).
I trust God’s plan. I trust that everything He purposes will be good because He is good. I trust that nothing – not one single thing – will touch my life that has not been filtered through His loving, gracious, merciful hands. Yes, even the hard things and the unexpected things and the things that break my heart. Because I trust His heart. And I know that the plan is ultimately to conform me to the likeness of Son.
Beloved, you and I may not see everything from the fringes of His hand, but we can trust Him nonetheless because – even at the edges – we are still in His hand.

Doctrines of the Faith: Saved From What?

I remember an evangelist who told the story of being in the Miami, Florida area to do a revival. He and the local pastor were driving around inviting people to the revival and witnessing to anyone who would listen. They found themselves in a very affluent neighborhood with massive houses and expensive cars. They spied a man out in his front yard and stopped to visit. After speaking to him of the need for salvation, the man spread his arms in a grand gesture of all he owned and said, “Saved from what?” Then he dismissed them with a laugh. That man was Jackie Gleason – famed radio, television, and movie star.
I am sure you know John 3:16. It reveals the heart of the gospel: God loves sinners. But Jesus also said: “Whoever does not believe [in Him] stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son” (v. 18). Here’s the rest of the story (nod to Paul Harvey). God sent His Son because all of mankind is condemned because of sin. Not because of our sinful actions, but because sin is the human condition since the fall. We’re not sinners because we sin – we sin because we’re sinners. It’s not just what we do – it’s who we are. The destiny of all people is eternal condemnation – the wrath of God. Unless we believe in Jesus – and then our destiny is eternal life. That is what Paul means when he says: “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).
Hebrews continues the thought saying, “You have come . . . to the spirits of righteous men made perfect” – just as we will one day be. “You have come to Jesus . . .” Just stop right here and rest a moment in that statement. That changes everything. “You have come to Jesus – the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel” (v. 24). The new covenant is a covenant of mercy – of a love that saves through holy blood that was shed, not from jealousy and rage, but from divine providence. Abel’s blood brought about a curse on Cain. Jesus’ blood brings salvation from the curse of sin for everyone who believes.

Tips for Getting Spiritually Healthy

Confession time. I am overweight. I have diabetes and high blood pressure. It’s the bad health trifecta of the south. I gotta deal with this because I want to be here for Joy for the long haul. Recently, my health insurance offered a monitoring and support system for diabetics, and I signed up for it. They sent me a free glucose monitor, blood pressure monitor, and snazzy scale that automatically uploads the results to my cyber-file. They also offer consultants to help and encourage me. All this is great and I intend to utilize it. But they also want me to tell them what I’m eating. Um, that seems a little intrusive. I don’t want to have to admit to some of the stuff I consume. And I sure don’t want to give up my favorite snacks and treats. Sigh.
One of the most direct and practical books of the Bible is James. James (Jesus’ half-brother) was a no-nonsense kind of fellow. He did not believe His brother’s claims until His resurrection, and then he became the leader of the church in Jerusalem. His letter is filled with straightforward truth. He spoke of sin, bringing it right back to our own evil desires. He said, “Get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent . . .” (1:21); “Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. (1:22); “Keep yourself from being polluted by the world” (1:27). Over and over James got to the point of relationships, judgment and love, faith and deeds, taming the tongue, wisdom, submission, humility, arrogance, grumbling (ouch), perseverance, and being trustworthy. He also talked a lot about suffering for the cause of Christ – which he understood well as persecution against Christians started there with the mother church.
And then he said, “confess your sins to each other and pray for each other . . .” (5:16). Here’s the honest truth – there are things about me I don’t want you to know. Not salacious things, but human things – sinner-saved-by-grace things. But you probably deal with them too. And what if we did humbly confess our sins to one another? What if you and a brother or sister committed to prayer over a mutual struggle? James said, “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”
Beloved, I need you and you need me. We need to hold one another accountable and we need to hold each other up. Find someone you can trust to love you through the hard stuff. And love them back.

Of Doctrine and Demons and Truth

Paul wrote to Timothy, “Watch your life and doctrine closely” (1 Tim 4:16). Doctrine at its root is teaching – imparting information from one person to another. That’s my calling. But I’m not just teaching history or mythology or fantasy – it is truth. It is the Word of God. And it has the power to change lives. That is why I handle it with the utmost care. It is a huge responsibility.
There are a lot of teachers out there who will try to tell you what the Bible says. I’ve sat under some excellent teachers and some not-so-great teachers. Some teach from a classroom or a lectern, and some teach with their lives. Some teach by being godly examples and some teach us by being examples of what not to do or be.
Did you know that the devil has teachers too? Paul also told Timothy, “In later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons” (v. 1). You’d better believe demons are teachers too. But they don’t always teach in direct opposition to the Scriptures. They often teach in shades of truth. They will take just enough of the Scriptures to make it sound right, then twist it to get you off track.
For example, the culture’s favorite verse is “Do not judge” (Matt 7:1). But they do not understand the context. Jesus is speaking in the sense of condemning people – judging them unworthy of God’s grace. But He affirms “judgment” in terms of discernment. Like helping a brother remove the speck of dust in their eye (after clearing out our own). He says we do not throw sacred truth to dogs or pearls to pigs (v. 6). That is a judgment call. A few verses later, He said we are to be “fruit inspectors” (v. 15-120). He is calling us to wise discernment.
They also love verses about loving others. But they don’t understand that the most loving thing we can do is warn them about the coming wrath of God against those who do not believe in His Son. Humans want love, but the culture demands permissiveness in the guise of love. If my granddaughter wants to play in the busy road does love mean I let her go or I protect her from harm?
Do you see why I am such a stickler for careful Bible study and true doctrine? What you believe, what you think you know, affects how you live – and it affects your eternal security. Be wise, Beloved, only the truth will set you free.

True Light

There is a car I meet every morning on my way to work. It is an old police car that the driver probably bought at an auction. The insignia, lights, and siren are gone, but the front push bar is still there. Every time I see him my heart jumps a little and my foot lifts off the accelerator out of instinct. As soon as I realize it is him, I breathe a sigh of relief and motor on. He’s not trying to pretend to be a police officer, but he sure gives the initial impression of one.
Paul warned the Christians in Corinth about false prophets and teachers. He was concerned that they were listening to those who were preaching “a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached to you: (2 Cor 11:4). They were being fooled and falling away from Christ. He said these teachers were “false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostle of Christ” (v. 13). And behind it all was the devil himself: “satan, [who] masquerades as an angel of light” (v. 14).
What is satan’s M.O.? He knows that most people will turn away from total darkness, but they are also afraid to live in the bright, holy light of God. But they will happily live in the “almost” light – as long as they can see what they want to see. The almost light fools people into believing that since they are not in darkness they are good enough. They don’t steal, they don’t kill, they don’t tell big, whopping lies, they don’t (openly) hate their neighbor. They pay their taxes, feed their kids, drive (close to) the speed limit, and let the dog inside when it’s raining. They might even go to church on Easter and Mother’s Day. They are good people. The almost light is good enough.
But the Bible says that being good isn’t good enough. John said “God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all” (1 Jn1:5). Not even a trace. He is pure light. Holy light. The kind of light that hurts your eye if you’re used to the almost light. In fact, Paul said “[God] lives in unapproachable light” (1 Tim 6:16). Unless you are in Christ. Because Christ makes us holy. Christ makes us “sons [and daughters] of the light” (1 Thess 5:5).
Beloved, if you are a believer, if Jesus has brought you out of darkness then you are a child of the true and holy Light. Don’t listen to the fakes and don’t settle for anything less.