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.

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.

Church History: Martyrs (part 1)

Starting with Stephen (Acts 7-8:1), the history of the church tells of the men and women who were martyred for their testimony of Jesus Christ. Over the next few weeks, we will look at some of their stories. Scripture tells us that James was executed by King Herod Agrippa around A.D. 44 (Mark 6:14-29). Ten years later, the Apostle Philip was scourged, imprisoned, and crucified. Legend says that Matthew was killed in A.D. 60 by violent means. Jesus’ brother, James was martyred around A.D. 66. Peter’s brother, Andrew was crucified on an X-shaped cross; Peter was also crucified – but upside-down as he did not consider himself worthy to die in the same position as his Lord. Tradition says Mark was dragged to pieces in Alexandria and Paul was beheaded in A.D. 66.

Even today, in many parts of the eastern world, people are still being killed for their faith. We don’t have the same level of persecution in the U.S., but I have no doubt that it’s coming. If someone were to ever point a gun at my head and demand that I betray my Savior or die, I say I would choose death. But am I betraying Him in my daily life? Will I betray Him with profane words while wearing my “Jesus is Lord” T-shirt? Will I curse someone who cut me off despite the fish symbol on my bumper? Will I walk into church on Sunday morning after walking into an R-rated movie on Saturday night? I say that I will take a bullet for Jesus, but will I take the humble road in a dispute with my neighbor?

What good is my bold declaration of devotion to Jesus if I don’t prove my kinship in the smaller matters of daily life? I don’t think I will ever be confronted with death for the cause of Christ, but every day I must choose to die to myself in the grocery store, my workplace, my home, and on the road.

Harold Chadwick, who updated Foxe’s Book of Martyrs in 1997 wrote these words after pouring over story after story of dauntless and devoted Christians who gladly died for the Name and cause of Christ: “Could we with our soft and self-serving Christianity, follow their examples of such courage and love for Christ that we would suffer being tortured, mutilated, and burned alive rather than recant our faith in Him?”[1] What say ye, Beloved?

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[1] Harold J. Chadwick, Forward to The New Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, Updated through the 21^st Century, (Alachua: Bridge-Logos, 2001), xiv.

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.

Jesus Cares About All of You

Several years ago I came home from work to discover that someone had broken into our apartment. What they took was of little value but the one thing they stole that really mattered was my peace of mind. The next day I told a coworker about our ordeal. He said, “Be grateful no one can steal your salvation.” Honestly, I was annoyed that he dismissed my feelings so flippantly – and so “spiritually.” Of course I was grateful that my salvation was eternally secure, but was my relationship with Jesus only good for the next life? What about the days when my heart is hurting, when my body aches, when my nerves are frazzled, and my load is heavy? Do I face those days and seasons on my own?
Let’s ask the widow of Nain whose only son had died. Jesus encountered his funeral procession and his broken-hearted mother. Luke said, “When the Lord saw her, His heart went out to her and He said, “Don’t cry.” He was moved deeply by this mother’s pain and He touched her heart before He touched the son’s coffin and raised him from the dead (see Luke 7:11-17).
When a great crowd of people stayed and listened to Him teach for several days, He was concerned for them. He told His disciples, “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.” He miraculously stretched a few loaves and fishes to feed more than four thousand people. He cared about their souls, and their empty bellies (see Matthew 15:29-39).
What would the leper say whom Jesus not only healed, but touched with His own holy hand (Matt 8:1-4). Or the centurion who came to Jesus to beg for healing for his servant? The man was made well by Jesus’ spoken word (Matt 8:5-13). How about Peter’s mother-in-law and a house full of sick and demon-possessed people who received healing? Ask the sick little girl and the sick old woman – Jesus ministered to both of them (Mark 5:21-43). All through the Gospels, He healed the physically blind, sick, and lame, comforted the hurting and marginalized, and ministered to the spiritually unwell.
Beloved, Jesus cares about you – all of you – body, soul, and spirit. He came to redeem and restore and He came to heal and comfort. Trust me when I say you can trust Him with your life – now and forever.

It’s okay to have questions

Doubt can be dangerous for Christians. Doubt often causes us to distance ourselves from God. Distance leads to disobedience and soon our faith atrophies. God wants us to believe without wavering. But sometimes that’s hard. If anyone should have believed without wavering, it was John the Baptist. Even in the womb, Jesus’ cousin recognized the Lord, leaping at the sound of Mary’s voice (Luke 1: 41-45). John’s whole life was, “to prepare the way for the Lord” (Luke 3:4). He declared Jesus as “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” How did he know? “The one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen, and I testify that this is the Son of God” (John 1:29-34).
Later John asked a big question, “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?” (Luke 7:20). What changed? John was in a prison cell after speaking out against the Roman king and his adulterous marriage. He had faithfully proclaimed the coming of God’s Kingdom. He had rebuked the religious elite and the irreligious royals. And rather than blessings, his efforts brought down wrath. He did what God asked of Him and the results were harsh. He would lose his head over it. Can you blame the poor fellow? Haven’t you and I questioned God for less?
With all that he knew, John – weary and discouraged – began to doubt. But Jesus didn’t chastise John. He pointed him back to the evidence. “What do you see, John?” “The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor” (Luke 7:22). Look beyond your circumstances, John. You preached the coming of the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 3:1). You spoke of my power (Mark 1: 7). Your own words are being fulfilled in Me. Then He added, “Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me” (Luke 7:23).
My questions made me search for answers. And those answers strengthened my faith. Ask your questions Beloved. He will not chastise you. He will give you answers that will ground and strengthen your faith. Jesus not only has the answers, He is the answer.

When the Rooster Crows

Have you ever noticed how hard it is to recognize sin in the moment? Peter sat in the courtyard outside of the place where Jesus was being tried, and three times denied his association with the One whom he had sworn just hours before to never abandon. It wasn’t until the rooster crowed that Peter woke out of his sin stupor and realized what he had done. And it broke his heart. Oh, Jesus had tried to help him. He warned him when they stood on the Mount of Olives: “Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times” (Matthew 26:34) and again in the Garden: “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41).
The flesh wants what the flesh wants. It doesn’t care about your spirit when temptation dangles like a carrot on a stick. Or an adult website. Or an attractive coworker. It will rise up in you and me and take control. There’s something about the lure of sin that dulls our spiritual senses and makes it easy for our weak flesh to fall for the bait. In that moment we’re only thinking of pleasure. It’s after we have spent ourselves for sin, that we wake up and realize what we’ve done. Which is what Peter did when he heard the rooster’s call. He suddenly remembered Jesus’ dire prediction and “he went outside and wept bitterly” (v. 75).
It’s no wonder that Peter later wrote, “Be self-controlled and alert” (1 Peter 5:8). He learned the hard way the necessity of being sober and vigilant. The enemy is on the prowl – looking for an opportunity to take you and me down. He knows your vices, he knows my weaknesses and he takes full advantage of them.
Paul, under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, said we must be aware of the devil’s schemes (Eph 6:11) and look for the way out of temptation (1 Cor 10:13) – and there is always a way out. The problem is most of us are looking for the way in. When the Bible says “Flee evil desires” that means you get away from the temptation. You don’t stand there and toy with it. You will fall every time.
I confess I am by no means an expert on resisting sin, but I know Someone who is and His advice is to “Watch and pray.” And run away. Beloved, don’t let the rooster crow on you.

Divine Appointments

“That day when evening came, He said to His disciples, ‘Let us go over to the other side.’” (Mark 4:35).
There was a reason Jesus wanted to cross that lake. “The other side” of the lake was the region of the Gerasenes (or Gadarenes) (Mark 5:1). Verse 2 says: “When Jesus go out of the boat, a man with an evil spirit came from the tombs to meet him.” I get the sense that this was a divinely arranged appointment. Almost like the man knew Jesus was coming. It is certain that Jesus knew the man was waiting for him there.
He was demon-possessed, living in the tombs and the demons had made him so physically strong that he tore through the chains people had used to bind him. “No one was strong enough to subdue him” (v. 4b). The demons had also made him self-destructive: “Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones” (v. 5). People were afraid of him. They ran away from him. But Jesus ran to him.
I’ve never been demon-possessed, but I have a long history of doing some self-destructive and foolish things that caused me a great deal of grief and pain. Things that caused people to turn away from me. I don’t blame them; I would have turned away from me too. Jesus never did. Not only did He not turn away, He pursued me. He came to me, like it was a divinely appointed meeting.
When Jesus and the demonic came together, miraculous healing happened. Mark said that “the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons [was] sitting there dressed and in his right mind” (v. 15). When Jesus came into my life, he did a miraculous healing work in me too. I won’t say I’m “in my right mind,” but I am not the self-destructive woman I was. My heart is full of peace and hope and He has filled my life with Joy. Because when others ran away, Jesus ran to me.
Maybe your mistakes and foolish decisions have left your life in shambles. Others have run away from the chaos and the neediness in your life. Beloved, do not despair. Jesus is running to you with healing and restoration in His hands and unfailing love in His heart. He has a divine appointment. With you.

Doctrines of the Faith: Who is the Holy Spirit?

The greatest life pursuit of man is to know God. But that is not natural to our human, sinful natures. The desire to know God comes from God. He orchestrates it and provides the Teacher: the Holy Spirit. To have the Holy Spirit we must know Jesus Christ (Rom 8:9-11). Here you have the Holy Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, uniquely three in one. It is one of the great mysteries of the faith, pondered by men for thousands of years. No one has been able to fully explain this Holy Oneness. I choose to take the Trinity on faith. In this part of our Doctrines study, we will focus on the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is a person – not an “it,” and He is equal in power, sovereignty, divinity, and all other attributes of God the Father and God the Son. We tend to think of the Holy Spirit as a New Testament entity, but the Bible tells us that He was an active participant in the Creation. Genesis 1:2 says “Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters” (emphasis added). The Holy Spirit was the power that generated all creation into being.
The Holy Spirit was visible in the Old Testament imparting power, strength, and wisdom to those God used to accomplish His sovereign purposes. However, the Spirit’s activity within man was only for the task, leaving the person when God’s work was fulfilled. One example is found in 1 Samuel 10 when “The Spirit of God came upon Saul in power” and he prophesied. Later, the Spirit departed from Saul when David was chosen by God to succeed him on the throne of Israel(1 Sam 16:14).
After Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, the Holy Spirit fell on the believers at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-12), giving them the ability to proclaim “the wonders of God” in previously unfamiliar human languages. He was the driving force behind the birth of the new church. The Holy Spirit now dwells within all who place their faith and trust in Jesus Christ, not coming and going as before, but literally “taking up residence” in the heart of the believer. He is our assurance that we belong to Christ (Rom 8:9).
We will look deeper into the Scriptures concerning the Holy Spirit in the next couple of weeks. For today ask yourself, Beloved, do I know God through His Holy Spirit?