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.

Doctrines of the Faith: The Spirit in You

he Holy Spirit is one of the least-known persons of the Holy Trinity. He is not as “visible” in the Scriptures, but He is all over the scenes and people of the Bible. We know He works continually to advance the Kingdom of God in the world. But how does He work in the believer? Here is a very small sampling.

The Spirit enables us to know the truth about God.  1 John 5:6 says, “It is the Spirit who bears witness because the Spirit is truth.”  The Spirit is the conduit of Truth. He imparts truth and opens our hearts and minds to receive it.

The Spirit enables us to serve God. Paul said,  “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.  There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord works all of them in all men” (1 Cor 12:4-6). The good works we do for God are initiated by the Spirit, empowered by the Spirit, and brought to completion by the Spirit. 

The Spirit is the evidence that we belong to Christ.  John declared, “This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God.  If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God.” (1 John 4:2, 15). The Spirit also produces fruit in our lives which is further evidence that we belong to Christ.  “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Gal 5:22-23).  These fruits reflect the character of God and are only possible when we are surrendered to Christ and filled with His Spirit.

The Spirit is our Teacher:  “The Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.” (John 14:26). He instructs us as we study the Scriptures and helps us put into practice what we’ve learned.

The Spirit is our “prayer partner.” He prays for us when we cannot pray for ourselves: “The Spirit helps us in our weakness.  We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express,” (Rom 8:26). I have depended on the Spirit so many times when I couldn’t find the words to express my heart.

The Holy Spirit is vital for the Christian.  In fact, if you do not have the Spirit you are not a Christian (Rom 8:9). Beloved, you can’t do this Christian life without Him. Thankfully you will never have to.

If the Truth Offends . . .

According to Scripture, my job as a Bible teacher is to make you mad. My brothers will tell you I’ve been practicing for this my whole life. The writer of Hebrews said, “Let us spur one another on toward love and good deeds” (10:24). The word “spur” means “to incite, irritate, or provoke” and it comes from a root word that suggests a sharp disagreement. “But wait a minute,” you say, “I thought we were supposed to always get along and be at peace with one another.” We are. But sometimes peace requires confrontation. The church suffers greatly because we are not willing to confront uncomfortable issues like what a Christian should look like. The writer pointed to two specific things: Love and good deeds.
Jesus said that love would be the distinguishing mark of His followers (John 13:35), and His Apostle John went a step further (on someone’s toes) and said if you don’t love fellow believers in Christ, that’s a good indication that you are not in Christ (1 John 2:9-11). Love is non-negotiable for the Christian.
We are also called to do good deeds. Paul said that we are saved by grace through faith, not by works (Ephesians 2:8-9). But James said that faith without works is dead (James 2:17). Who’s right here? Both. Salvation comes by faith in the grace of God and is evidenced by good works. No, you don’t have to go to Calcutta and join Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity to prove that you are a Christian. Simple acts of love, kindness, gentleness, and compassion are good fruit in the believer’s life. Hate, harshness, rudeness, and indifference are evidence that one is not a Christ-follower. If there’s no good fruit there is no root in Christ.
Love and good deeds are the identifying marks of the Christian. If they are absent, then Christ is not present. If that makes you mad then take it up with God – He’s the one who said it first, not me. Also, you might need to re-examine your relationship with Him.
The writer of wisdom said, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another” (Prov 27:17). Sharpening iron involves rubbing it with an abrasive stone to grind the edge. Sometimes we need kind words and other times we need a gritty whetstone. I’m called to give you both, Beloved. I love you too much to not tell you the whole truth – in love – even if it makes you mad.

Fruit Inspector

If Christianity isn’t about behavior, why does our behavior matter so much? Paul said, “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious . . .” (Gal 5:19), and he listed several: sexual immorality, impurity, debauchery, idolatry, witchcraft, drunkenness, orgies, and the like. But he also included some we might not expect, like hatred, discord, jealousy, rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, and factions (vs. 19-21). What does that mean?
If you claim to be a Christian, but you indulge in porn, someone will likely question your claim. If you profess to be a Christian, but profanity spews out of your mouth, others are going to doubt you. If you tell your friends that you’re a Christian, but you’re always stirring up arguments, they are going to find it hard to believe you. If you can sing the old hymns or the latest Christian songs, but you lie and deceive, your songs also lie. If you are in church on Sunday morning and are yelling at everyone in your house by Sunday evening, your family will wonder why you bother to go to church at all. If money is your passion and you step on others to climb the ladder, your actions – not your claims – tell the truth about you.
But the converse is also true. If you claim to be a Christian and you are kind and patient with your elderly, grouchy neighbor, your neighbor will tend to believe you. If you say you are a Christian and you strive for peace, your co-workers are more apt to agree. If you go to church on Sunday morning and are still full of joy on Thursday, if moral goodness marks your life, if you’re gentle in word and action, if you bring peace instead of strife wherever you go, if you are loving and faithful to your spouse – your family members will trust you and they will trust what you say about this Jesus you claim to follow.
Paul said our actions reveal our true nature. You either confirm or refute your testimony by how you live. The proof – the fruit as he said in v. 22 – reveals the true condition of your soul. Mind you, I am not judging anyone – that’s not my place. But Jesus said we should be fruit inspectors. And yes, I see some bad apples in my own life. No, this is not about behavior modification, this is about your eternal destiny because Paul also said that “those who live like this [the first paragraph] will not inherit the kingdom of God” (v. 21). Check your fruit. What is true about your life Beloved? What is true about your soul?

The Holy Spirit at Work

When my son was first starting school, he was diagnosed with ADHD and after trying many alternatives, we finally relented and gave him prescribed medication. I opted to homeschool him in middle school and made a very interesting discovery one day. He took his morning meds and we sat down together to work on spelling and vocabulary. As he wrote out the words and definitions, I watched the medication take effect. The first several entries he wrote were sloppy and careless but gradually his writing improved noticeably. He took his time and his handwriting was much neater with no mistakes. It was a dramatic change.

There is something – or rather Someone – that makes a dramatic change in a person. When someone is saved through faith in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, the third member of the Trinity comes to reside in the believer and begin the work of transformation. The changes the Spirit brings start on the inside and work their way out. He is the Spirit of Truth (Jn 16:13), teaching us truth from God’s Word and Truth in the person of Jesus. He is the Spirit of wisdom and revelation (Eph 1:17), taking that truth and making it real in our lives. He is the Spirit of life (Rom 8:10-11). He raised Jesus from the dead and is raising us who were spiritually dead, “giving life to our mortal bodies.” He leads us to “put to death the misdeeds of the body (8:13) and “testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children (8:16).

He is the Spirit of Holiness (Rom 1:4) working within us to transform our hearts and lives so that we will be “conformed to the likeness of [God’s] Son” (Rom 8:29). It is a far more dramatic change than a dose of medication. Paul wrote, “Those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires” and “the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace” (8:5,6).

Granted the transformation isn’t as quick as taking a pill; it is a lifelong process, but even in small steps the work of the Spirit is still evident. The corollary is clear, if there is no fruit of transformation, there is no Spirit, and no Christ (8:9). Beloved, how has the Spirit of Christ worked in you? Can you see the changes He has made in your heart, your habits, words, desires, attitude, reactions, and decisions? Let Him work in you and transform you into the image of Jesus.

Acts: Receive the Holy Spirit

It is a sad truth in our churches; not everyone who claims to be a Christian is a true believer and follower of Christ. Some put up a very good front, and we’ll see an example in a couple of weeks. But some who believe themselves to be Christians are sadly wrong. Case in point: read Acts 19:1-7.

Paul traveled to Ephesus where he encountered twelve disciples – but not disciples of Jesus. A disciple is not a solely Christian concept. Disciples are learners and followers and go back in Scripture to Moses and Joshua, Eli and Samuel, and Elijah and Elisha among many others. The secular version of disciples are apprentices, learning a trade or craft from a master.

When Paul questioned the disciples, he realized they did not know fully about Jesus and life in Him. That speaks volumes to the present state of the church. They had no knowledge of the Holy Spirit. They had received “John’s baptism” but John the Baptist baptized for repentance of sins, which is the first step to full conversion to Christ. Another point at which the modern church falls flat. John was beheaded before Jesus’ death and resurrection and before the filling of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Thus, John’s disciples taught what John taught, which was true, but incomplete. Paul brought them up to speed on Jesus and they believed and “were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.” They also received the baptism – or filling – of the Holy Spirit, who comes to every true believer.

Paul would later write to the churches in Rome saying, “If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ” (Rom 8:9). How can we know if we have the Spirit of Christ? “Those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires” (v. 5). They produce the “fruit [or evidence] of the Spirit: love, Joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Gal 5:22-23). They “keep in step with the Spirit” (v. 25), and they live so as not to “grieve the Holy Spirit” (Eph 4:29). The Spirit of Christ is the mark of a true Christian.

When I meet a fellow Christian for the first time, the Holy Spirit in them and the Holy Spirit in me confirms to each of us that we are family in Christ. Beloved, don’t settle for an incomplete faith that cannot save you. Know Jesus. Be all in. And be filled with the Holy Spirit of Christ.

Joy is in the House!

It’s Joy week at our house and it’s evident. Her scooter is parked in the kitchen. The living room is covered with toys, stuffed animals, and baby dolls asleep on the couch – tucked in with blankets. The bathroom contains her bath toys, toothbrush, hair clips (that never last more than a few minutes, and bath supplies. Here in my office, I spy her backpack, a pair of shoes, and lots of coloring pages scattered around. It is obvious Joy is home this week, and I love it!

In Colossians 3:16, Paul said, “Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly,” meaning the Word of Christ should live in us and be evident in every part of our being. Just as my sweet Joy has left her mark all over our house, Jesus’ Words should leave their mark in you and me. How does that look in real life? Check out these verses from Psalm 119:

“I have hidden Your Word in my heart that I might not sin against You” (11).

“With my lips, I recount all the laws that come from Your mouth” (13).

“I meditate on Your precepts and consider Your ways” (15)

“Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in Your law” (18).

“My soul is consumed with longing for Your laws at all times” (20).

“I lift up my hands to Your commands, which I love” (48).

“How sweet are Your Words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth” (103).

“Your Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path” (105).

“May my tongue sing of Your Word, for all Your commands are righteous” (172).

Did you see it? Heart, lips, mind, eyes, soul, hands, mouth, feet, tongue. When the Word of Christ dwells in you and me richly, it shows in every part of us – where we look, what we say, what we think, what we do, and where we go.

When Peter and John were arrested for preaching the Gospel Peter boldly proclaimed the Name of Jesus before the Sanhedrin and “when they saw the courage of Peter and John realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13).

When you spend time with Jesus it shows. When His Word dwells in you it is written all over you. Beloved, let His Word live in you – then live out His Word.

They’ll Know We are Christians . . .

Three times Peter denied Jesus, his friend, his teacher, his Lord. Three times he said, “I don’t know Him.” Three times he could have courageously confessed His allegiance to Jesus, but he did not. Luke said when a rooster crowed, Jesus turned and looked at His disciple and Peter realized what he had done. And it broke the man’s heart. “He went outside and wept bitterly” (Luke 22:51-62).

I have never claimed that I do not know Jesus. But I have denied and disowned Him. I have lied. I have disobeyed. I have been selfish. I have been unkind. I have failed to be compassionate. I have sinned. I have worn a “Jesus” T-shirt and acted like the devil. I have driven my car – the one with a fish on the bumper – while I shook my fist in anger at another motorist. I have snapped at my family and barked at my coworkers. I have harbored ill will towards another. I have turned away from someone in need. All while claiming to be a Christian. Truly, I’m no better than Peter.

So, what am I really saying about my relationship with Jesus? If my actions contradict my claim, what should you believe? James said our actions prove our claims of faith (Jas 2:14-26).  By the same token, they can also disprove them as I have demonstrated often. And lest we forget, Jesus said love is the identifying mark of His followers. “By this, all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (Jn 13:35).

Faith – saving, transforming, life-giving faith – is more than a claim and more than thinking profound, ethereal thoughts. It is a change of mind and heart that leads to a change in action. Faith changes our lips and our motivations. It changes our desires and our temperament. It changes the way we act with others – especially the people we see every day. It changes the way we respond to animosity and unfair treatment. Yes, it even changes the way we behave behind the wheel of our car. People should know we are Christians – “little Christs” – before we ever tell them.

God’s purpose for you and me is that we will be “conformed to the likeness of His Son” (Rom 8:29). That we will look like Jesus and walk like Jesus and talk like Jesus and act like Jesus. And above all, that we will love like Jesus.  Beloved, how will the world know that you are a Christian?

Joy and Love

I love Saturday mornings. I am an early riser, and my house is quiet so I get to sit at my desk drinking coffee and reading Scripture. This morning I’m reading through some of the Psalms. That’s my favorite place to hang out. The Psalmists often write what is on my heart. Human nature is pretty much the same from generation to generation. They had burdens and so do I. They needed hope and so do I. I’m pretty sure you do too. This morning two hopeful words stand out as I read: Joy and love.  

Joy stands out to me for obvious reasons; I may have mentioned a time or two that my precious granddaughter’s name is Joy. Everywhere I see her name in the Bible, I mark it. As you can imagine that’s a lot because Joy is one of the most consistent themes in Scripture. Psalm 126 has four “Joys,” The Psalmist is celebrating the return of God’s people from captivity. He said they “are filled with Joy” (v. 3) which comes forth in “songs of Joy” (vs. 2, 5, 6) because “the Lord has done great things for us” (v. 2,3). 

Love is the most frequent expression in the Bible, and the two – Joy and love – are intertwined. The love of God brings us great Joy. Psalm 136 repeats the refrain: “His love endures forever” twenty-six times as the Psalmist praises God for who He is, for His great wonders, for rescuing His people, for fighting on their behalf, for remembering them in their struggles, and for meeting their needs. In all of Israel’s highs and lows, God’s love was with them.

Maybe you don’t feel joyful today. Things in your life are heavy and hard. I get it. And maybe you’re having a difficult time believing God loves you. You’ve made some pretty big messes that you think make you unlovable. I want to assure you, on the authority of God’s Word and my own experience, Joy and love are for you too. This Joy isn’t dependent on your circumstances. It is the by-product of a relationship with God. And the love of God has nothing to do with who you are or how well you behave. God loves you because it’s who He is.

Beloved, if you need a word of hope today, rest your weary heart in this: you are dearly loved and that is cause for Joy.

The Peace of God in the Storms of Life

I need a word from the Lord this morning. I need to hear from the God who watches over little girls who are not where they should be and comforts broken-hearted Nanas. I wanted something like: “Don’t you worry, I’ll fix this.” But that’s not the word I got. The Spirit led me to Philippians 4:4-7: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

Rejoice. You’re kidding, right? No, He’s not. Rejoice. Not just when it’s all good and the sun is shining. Always. Now. When it hurts. When you don’t understand.

Be gentle. Actually, He’s not commanding an act on my part, He is reminding me to bear forth the fruit of His Spirit – gentleness – as I deal with the people and the situation. God knew when He gave me that word at the beginning of the year that I would need it right now.

Don’t be anxious. I need to tell that to my knotted-up stomach and my hammering heart. Literally.

Pray. I like the way The Message says it: “shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns.” And petition Him. “Go boldly to the throne of grace” (Heb 4:16 emphasis added). ASK. “ASK and keep on asking, SEEK and keep on seeking, KNOCK and keep on knocking” (from Mat 7:7).

With thanksgiving. Yes, thanksgiving. Because God has been trustworthy in the past. Because He loves her more than I ever could. Because He can be where I cannot. Because He is still writing this story.

And because He plants four words in the middle of this passage that we often overlook but speak volumes: “The Lord is near.”

Rejoice–because the Lord is near. Be gentle—because the Lord is near. Don’t be anxious–because the Lord is near. Pray with thankfulness–because the Lord is near. I can have the peace of God that is unfathomable–because the Lord is near. My heart and my mind – and my stomach – need God’s peace.

I didn’t exactly write this one for you today, I wrote it for me. But I’ll share it with you because it’s His Word for us all. And because, Beloved, through it all—the Lord is near.