Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.  If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.  But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.  That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does. (James 1:2-8)

Pure joy?  That’s a tall order in light of some of the real-world difficulties that we face in life, isn’t it?  Still, I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be thought of by God as a “double-minded woman, unstable in all she does.”  I believe that we all desire stability in our lives.  I think it’s easy, however, to fall into the trap of believing that stability is an external thing ~ that peace and rest and calm continuity come only when our lives are void of any upset.  We long for that imaginary world of If Only.  If Only that driver hadn’t cut me off; If Only I could get a better job; If Only I had more money; If Only… fill in the blank ~ we all have them.

Think about it.  If God had a Facebook page, how many ‘likes’ do you think He’d get after posting the above verses?  How many would ‘unfriend’ him?  “Test ME?!!  I don’t think so!  Delete!”  Seriously, we all will face the inevitable difficulties in life; there is no escaping that reality.  Too often, however, in the midst of our trials we fall into the trap of judging God’s motives.  Life is good = God is good and He loves me.  Life is bad = God is not good or He is angry with me.

The question remains for each of us: Will I simply react to the struggles I am facing or will I respond realistically?  The proper question to ask in the midst of our pain is not, “Why me?”, but “Why not me?”  I think the key lies in humility. Humility removes the assumption that somehow we should be above trouble.  Humility tells us that if we stand, it is only by grace.  Humility tells God, “Whatever it takes to make me useful to your kingdom ~ I’m willing.”  We need to allow Him to take whatever measures are necessary to bring about the righteousness that He desires in us.  This is as true in those minor irritations we face on a daily basis as it is in the major trials of life.  In fact, I believe it is in the minor difficulties that we have the opportunity to exercise our faith and learn to trust.  Those who are faithful in the everyday are much more likely to be found standing firm in the powerful gales that life has to offer.

We need to remember that the act of our salvation is the greatest sign of God’s love and care for us.  All else pivots on that one great act; all sorrows, trouble, and hardships beyond that point ~ and God’s peace that accompanies them ~ are simply confirmations of His continuing faithfulness.

To rejoice in our trials, then, requires our humble submission to God’s often-mysterious plan.  We rest not in what we see, but in the God who sees all; the God who works every situation out for the good of those who trust in Him.  We rejoice in the belief that our Heavenly Father has a plan and a purpose for everything that comes our way  ~ both good and bad.

He is to me so much.  He is to the world more than they know.  He is everything we need in the here and now and forever.  I’m excited about my new series, Jesus Is, because I get to explore more of the depth of who our Savior was back in the day, who He is now, and who He is to come!  I have begun praying every day for a deeper revelation of who He is in my life, and I’ve discovered He is my life.

In days past I made a priority list and of course Jesus was right at the top, underneath Him came my husband, children, family, ministry, job, etc.  I put the Savior neatly in His place and tried to make sure I made time for Him in the morning.  If I didn’t get to Him then, I surely got to Him in the evening after everyone went to bed.  Yes, it was my time alone with Jesus.  The problem with this was that “my time” with Him was never enough time.  I could never get my fill, distractions bombarded me, I didn’t “hear” from the Lord like I wanted.  Where was I going wrong?  After all, this was the spiritual discipline I had been taught all my Christian life and it should be working… right?

One day a friend and I were talking and she told me she wanted to share some truths from God’s Word with me.  At the time I was a Sunday School teacher and wondered what it was she thought she could teach me, but thought I’d hear her out.  She gave me a few CDs and I took them, not sure if I’d listen to them or not.

Weeks later I remembered  the CDs in my car, and I was bored, so I popped one in and the guy teaching spoke about God’s love and grace. His message was life to me.  It was more than what I had known about the Gospel!  It went further than my sins being forgiven, it taught that Jesus was my life ~ right now here on this earth.  He wasn’t just a priority to deal with everyday then set aside; no, He is my life.

Jesus as life is found in Scripture in Colossians 3:2-4 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.  When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.  He isn’t just a piece of the puzzle ~ He is the whole puzzle.  He’s the reason there is a puzzle.  So how does this apply to my life literally?

I can think of several ways:

1. He is in every conversation I have because as I speak I can allow Him to speak through me.
2. He is in every thought I have because I have the mind of Christ if I will only allow Him to flow.
3. He is in every step I take because His Spirit living in me guides me to truth in all things.

This means Jesus gets out of bed with me to greet my family and loves them through me.  He goes to work with me and gives my co-worker a hug because the night before she found out her husband’s having an affair.  He smiles at the cashier at Wal-Mart and gives a kind word because she feels like a failure today. All these things I know nothing about, but He does.  Jesus in me, going with me, being life to me touches people from the minute I get up until the time I lay my head down at night.

Romans 8:5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.  It is when we make an intentional decision to live according to the Spirit that Jesus shows Himself as our life.  It’s then He begins to live His life out loud through us.  The question has been asked, ”Who can live your life for you?” You’d probably answer “Me”.   Next question, “Who can live Jesus’ life for Him?” Of course you’d say, “Only Jesus could live His own life.”  So if Jesus lives in you, and He does if you are a believer, then who could live the life Jesus wants you to live better than Jesus Himself?  No one better at all!  When we rest in Him, He lives in and through us because He really is the LIFE of a believer!  Praise God from whom all blessings flow.  I thank Him for this abundant life, and I mean joy, peace, love, wisdom, truth, kindness, patience, self-control and so much more in the midst of any circumstance.

Recently there was an international day of prayer for the persecuted Church, and at our church we tried to understand a little of what it might be like when the penalty for faith in Jesus can be torture or even death.  We pulled down all the window shades and lowered the lights, because in the persecuted church our brothers and sisters in Christ must meet secretly and must not be seen, or noticed.  We didn’t use our Bibles or hymnbooks because such things are almost non-existent among the little congregations.  To have possession of a Bible is punishable by beatings, jail or worse.  There may be only one Bible or small portions of scripture in a whole village, hidden with great care.  We quietly sang hymns from memory.  Our speaker spoke from the floor, with no electronic assistance, speaking as carefully as he could so he could be heard within, but not outside the room.  After the message we saw pictures of men, women, and children who had been beaten, thrown on fires, or tortured in other ways because they spoke publicly about their faith, or refused to recant their Christianity, or possessed some kind of scripture.  These pictures had been smuggled out of these countries – and thank God for the brave people trying to let the world know what is happening.

It is hard to see how our brethren must go through so much, and yet stay faithful.  Pictures of a severely burned little boy, elderly believers who had been severely beaten, or a beautiful young woman with a huge machete scar across her face were difficult.  However, it is perhaps because of this persecution that the Gospel is spreading quickly in these areas and this, of course, makes those anxious to prohibit God’s Word oven more determined to wipe it out.  It is analogous to the early Church, when the Church under persecution had to know exactly what they believed, and be prepared to stand firm against all those who would seek to silence them.  Under persecution, the Gospel spread like wildfire.

We were a sober congregation when the message was finished, and I could see that many of us were contrasting this kind of faith with the present church in the U.S., where many are chasing self-absorbed promises of health and wealth, or putting their focus on programs for themselves, and neglecting the poor and suffering in the world around us.

If you trust statistics, someone has estimated that as many as 450 believers per day are being killed somewhere in the world for their faith.  The worst threats are in some Far East countries, and also in Middle Eastern areas where Islamic extremists are in power locally. Before I retired, I worked for a ministry to Christians in the Middle East and North Africa, and we regularly received information about the severe risks believers ran in proclaiming their faith.  Many wrote that they had been threatened with death, even from their own families, although they lived in countries where the official policy was supposedly more tolerant toward Christianity.  Even our office was threatened, and authorities took the threats seriously – at one point evacuating a nearby school and the entire business block where the office was located because of a bomb threat.  This kind of thing is real.

In the past few months I have not been able to move past my feelings of angst for the Church, and my frustration that so many have no clue that what they are experiencing as “worship” or the Christian life has no resemblance at all to the scriptural characterizations of worship or spiritual growth, or service.  There are a lot of good things about the Church; there are millions of faithful, conscientious believers living lives which reflect the values and ideals of Christ.  They serve quietly in their communities in countless ways, and humbly do what they are able to do, and try to raise their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.  I am not discounting them.  Yet there is still this rather abrasive and almost ugly element within the Church which is seen by the world, and which they eagerly embrace as an excuse to assume that being a Christian is for fools.  They look at the extremes, and label us as all being the same.  It is unfair and unjust, but it is one of Satan’s greatest tools in trying to quench an effective Church in the world.  It is an infinite comfort to know that in spite of it all, God is still in control and will carry out His own purposes in His own time.

There are many reasons why and how this present state of things has developed.  The question is not if it exists, but how to reverse directions and strip ourselves of all this glitz and glam and hand-holding with the world, and get back to the real purpose why the Church is here.  We could all have been taken immediately to heaven after we became believers if we didn’t have a purpose here. God has made it clear that we are to be light and salt in the world: Light, to illuminate the darkness of man’s innate rebellious nature and to bring the light of the Gospel into the World; Salt to preserve and keep the mind and spirit from the decay that sets in without God.  It is not about our personal happiness.  We are to be Christ’s hands and feet in the world, helping those who cannot help themselves, giving cups of cold water In His name, demonstrating in word and deed the compassion and kindness and humility of Christ.  That is why Christians have been those in the past who started hospitals, orphanages and schools.  The laws of most countries in the world are founded on the basic tenets of the Ten Commandments, given to Israel by God as a ruler by which men must measure themselves. Even the world has recognized that society must have rules and structure; that we cannot go around murdering each other, or stealing from one another, or destroying family life by not respecting our parents or sleeping with our neighbor’s spouse, or being eaten alive with envy of those who have more than we do.  The Law of God has been the only thing which has kept man from total self-destruction in his desire for spiritual autonomy.  It is the foundation of all civility and grace in the world, and the preservative against the moral anarchy of a world ruled by self.

Now, the Church has decided somehow to try to compromise with the world, and buy into its values.  One of Satan’s most effective weapons is to imitate God.  He poses as an angel of light, and uses as much of the truth as possible, twisted cunningly, to lure people in without them seeing the hook in the bait.  In order to avoid this, it is imperative that we really study and know the scripture so that we can confront him and see through his deceptions.  One of the biggest needs in the American Church is the gift of discernment.  We have lost the ability to sort out the real from the unreal, and just gullibly swallow everything that looks and sounds good, not seeing the poison that may be hidden in that delightful looking morsel.

We have a lot to answer for.  I wouldn’t want to see the Church in the U.S. be under the same kind of persecution as those in other parts of the world, but it might not be bad if we were under a little more heat.  It might cause us to strip ourselves of some of our complacency and dig down into the reasons why we call ourselves believers.  What is it that really drives us?  Would we still follow Jesus and stand firm in the face of real persecution?  What would be our priorities then?  How would we respond if we knew that just to own a Bible could put us and our families in jeopardy?  Could we stand up to having our hands literally put into a fire unless we denounce Christ?  These are questions our brethren in the persecuted Church must be able to answer.  They are not fictional, but real people, undergoing real pain.

I would like to ask each of us to pray for the persecuted Church, and look deep within ourselves to see if we have that kind of faith.  May we fervently desire to know Christ and to be like Him, and be willing to deal with the realities of faith, and not just coast along in the fantasy world of the secularism and materialism of the present Church in the U.S.   My prayer is that God will bring a revival to the Church and call us all back again to a faith filled testimony which reflects His holiness, grace and mercy.

The title of my new venture (this series) is “Findings.”  I thought it would be appropriate to start by mentioning how I arrived at that particular word to use as the series name, it did involve a bit of soul searching.

I thought of my life and the paths I have taken; the good influences I absorbed from family, friends, and most generously from a gracious God, through His scripture and any other means He chose to use.  His exquisite touch of mercy and grace has blessed my life since the time His precious Spirit ministered to my —feisty little-girl— spirit and I became aware of my need, then I accepted Jesus into my life by faith, and He became my Savior instantaneously.  Even as He became my Lord, He waited patiently through the time  it took for me to gain a full understanding of all that meant; in fact, I am still learning and letting go of things I didn’t even realize were held hidden in me!

My travels with Him through a long life-time are the foundations for this series. Has it always been a smooth and an easy ride?  No, but He has always been with me, and it certainly has been interesting, as you will see.  So, you understand I had a plethora of ideas for the title, but when it was the time to make up my mind the final choice came to me on its own.  I had searched scripture; bible studies, and rhyming words, nothing; I could not decide.  Some were too cute, some too lofty, some, oh well…  When I quit searching and became busy with the crafting I needed to do, the word just popped into my thoughts, including the reason I needed to use it.  It is not an earth shaking important thing, but I think it was a God thing, a gentle blessing for me, to ease my mind and perhaps to give you insight concerning my writings.

So, here you go.

The word “Findings” has a three-fold (a trinity of) meaning to me.
1. Findings; a term or word that describes the small, odd pieces that are used in jewelry crafting to embellish or unite the main features to the whole design. (“Small things” in one’s physical life or spirit are important to the whole person.)
2. Findings; it connotes precious truths discovered in Christ, throughout scripture, and along life’s pathways. (“Treasures” God strews along our way.)
3. Findings; a judicial term, such as “the result of an inquiry.” (“seeking” that leads to discovery and wise decisions.)

So, that’s it, “Findings” and the thoughts behind the decision to use it.

Here is a taste of the things we may explore together:

“My Mother’s Wisdom”
I find it refreshing that as my life continues I am still discovering my Mother’s wisdom, though she has been in heaven many years now.  As her oldest and most unruly child I was the first one to give her reason to practice all of her little biblical idioms.  As time went on, I realized they were meant to give me the desire for obedience and repentance before she sent me to the yard to search for a switch of a certain length and strength.  Of course by the time I had visited with my neighbors and turned handsprings all around the block then finally returned to the house with a puny stick her pressure had been relieved, (by my absence?) and she would put it on top of the refrigerator for later.  When later came (always did) it was gone ~ “here we go again!”

The special delight her long ago words give me ( though they were lovingly stern at the time) are always a pleasant surprise, and in the fact I am still finding them often in scripture.   As I read along I find them everywhere.  Sometimes, it takes a second reading, but there they are.  Yesterday, I found two while reading in Ecclesiastes 10:20.   At times when exercising my red-headed temperament, she would warn me, “Be careful the walls have ears,” and “Remember a little bird will tell on you!”  Usually, either of those would get my attention and divert me from the pressing problem of the moment, perhaps not for the reason she hoped.  My overactive imagination would kick in and visuals would come to life around me.  Walls with ears, birds flying fast and hard to tell on me…

A spanking was a “fait accompli” on some occasions and to cover her tracks, Mother used Proverbs 13:24 “Spare the rod and spoil the child!”  I promise you I never felt spoiled; I just went to get another switch.  Yes, even this verse brings a smile for I used it plenty of times, with a surprising small pleasure.

In fact, though I didn’t accept or comprehend the “correction” verses as intended, as a child, they did make an impression (in many ways) on me for I still remember and recognize and welcome the “Findings” when I stumble upon them.  My Mother was so wise she knew through the years I would read them over and over again.

Yes, Mom, next to Holy Scripture you have the last word, and I finally understand!

I Have A Heart That Would

I lay here it is night and I cannot sleep
I have so many questions burning down deep
I need to see him my heart needs to know,
but what of the others I dare not go
My heart it yearns for what he will say,
I have not heard such love in any other day
Such passion in his words it pierces my heart
I hung on every word I am torn apart
I must know what it means I want to understand
for God holds him in the palm of His hand

If I am seen I could be ripped from the position in the temple or maybe even stoned
These fears inside have left me feeling cold and very, very alone
Strange but I know there is comfort in hearing the sound of his voice
I must go to him come what may for I have decided I have made my choice

The words that he speaks the wonders he performs
He lays his hands and heals the sick and calms the storms
God must be with him for these signs and wonders to come forth

We have long awaited the arrival of the Messiah could he be the Christ?
What if we reject him when he comes to deliver his people from bondage
For God will choose how the Christ will come it is not for us to judge

His ways are different from what we have ever known
He is like a shepherd calling us to be his very own
I am going to search for Him I don’t care whether or not I should…
For if his love is poured out to me I have a heart that would….

Piper Green
©2006

“Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”  Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
   “Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’  The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
Nicodemus said to Him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things? Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony.  If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?  No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man.  As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.”
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.  For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.  He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.  This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.  For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.  But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.” John 3: 1-21 NASB

It is dark as he makes his way through the streets, hoping no one sees or recognizes him.  His heart is beating fast and his palms are sweating.   He wonders to himself what will happen if the Sanhedrin knew what he was about to do.  He could not tell them how he is feeling ~ he would not only be ridiculed, most likely rejected as a Pharisee or worse.

All these thoughts are racing through his mind as he comes to the edge of the city.  He sees the Garden in the distance as he stops to catch his breath.  He takes one more look behind him, scouring the streets to make sure no one has seen him.  His brothers on the Sanhedrin are so full of hate and anger toward Jesus; so jealous.  Nicodemus continues toward Gethsemane.

He has too many questions that cannot remain unanswered, something keeps drawing him to Jesus.  He is drawn to him in a way he cannot understand.  No one would understand.   The power and authority in the words that Jesus speaks, he has never heard anything like it.  In all of his years hearing great men speak the things of God, he has not heard anyone like Jesus.  People listen to Him, hear His words, their hearts changed.  He must confess, the same cannot be said about the Pharisees, or even the high priest.

Nicodemus enters the garden his eyes searching for Jesus.  He knows the Garden of Gethsemane is where Jesus and his disciples rest.  The sound of his own shoes on the dusty ground below infiltrates seems to be the only sound he hears.  Off in the distance he notices a flicker, which looks like a fire.  He makes his way toward it and is comforted by the sight.  Jesus is the light of the world; where there is darkness, you will always be able to see the light of Jesus to guide you.

“I see Him!” he says to himself.  He stops to rethink one last time what he is about to do.  “What if He does not accept me?  What if He turns me away?  I would not blame Him.  My brothers in the Sanhedrin have not been accepting of Him.  I must go see Him.  I have come so far, I cannot turn away now.”

He continues on and as the fire grows closer, he begins to see the dance of the flames glowing on the faces of the disciples, enabling him to recognize them, one by one.  He approaches Jesus while glancing at the disciples, anticipating their reaction.  Peter, John, and the others look at him.  The disciples are surprised at the arrival of Nicodemus.

The risks Nicodemus took that night should not be lightly considered; he risked losing everything.  His position; his reputation; maybe ostracized from the Jewish community.  Nicodemus is a Pharisee and a leader in Israel for a many years.  He has long awaited the arrival of the promised Messiah, and his heart skips a beat at the thought that Jesus might just be that promised Redeemer.

Nicodemus went hard after Jesus, risking everything to seek Him; knowing full well the cost.  If Nicodemus, who did not have the revelation of Jesus as we do today, chased hard after Him, how much more should we be chasing hard after God~ to seek Jesus though we may lose everything?  Are we willing to lose everything for a moment in the garden?  When Jesus and Nicodemus finish their discussion, he is born again, and Jesus is revealed as the Messiah.

Are you searching hard after God?

In church recently, we sang a new song. Maybe you know it?  The chorus goes…

I am free to run
I am free to dance
I am free to live for you
I am free, I am free

Maybe I am slow on the uptake, but it took me 3 or 4 times through this chorus to realize we were not singing about being physically free.  If we had been, the song wouldn’t make sense…  Because there are children of God who are unable to run and dance.  There are people around the world who are believers and are not free in various ways; their lives are not their own.  They may live in a communist country, are imprisoned, or are bound by slavery… They may be in a painful relationship, or be married to an unbeliever.  They may be stuck in a dead end job, or indebted with no relief in sight.

When it finally hit me that we were actually singing about our spirits… I was overcome with emotion.  In Jesus, our spirits/hearts are free!   Free from condemnation and death for sure, but oh so much more!  No matter what our circumstance, no matter what the limitation, we are free.  No one, no thing, no handicap can hold back what God can do in and through our hearts and lives.

Nothing can interfere with the love affair our hearts can have with our Savior! NOTHING!  Unless we let it…  Unless we take our eyes off of Him, and let our focus on an eternal perspective waver with the distractions of life.  He is always there, always ready, always beckoning our hearts to take hold of the limitless love and freedom only found through Jesus.

If we respond to His call, our hearts can run through the endless wonders that the Lord holds in His Word and in the testimony of His church.  Our hearts can dance before Him in praise and celebration.  We are free to move mountains even if our physical bodies are bound in infirmity. We are free to not only do what is expected or demanded of us, we can do more as unto the Lord.

I am ready to run and dance and LIVE in the freedom of Christ Jesus with a whole new perspective!

Romans 8:38-39 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Galations 5:1  It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.  Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

Ephesians 3:20-21 Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!  Amen.

The Valley of the Shadow is quiet and still, with no breath of wind and no bright and shining sun to illuminate that dim pathway that draws us onward.  It is always twilight here.  The shadows fall deep, distorting our images as we cautiously make our way toward the western horizon.  All is spoken in whispers, knowing that careless words hold the power to cause the cloaks of courage that we wrap ourselves in to fall from our shoulders.

There is no sorrow that does not point in longing to some lost blessing.  This is true, even in the case of dashed dreams — where we find ourselves ever standing on the outside, peering through the window at those who possess those blessings for which we have only dared to dream.  The loss of hope is perhaps the most tragic of all loss.  Hope is a powerful blessing that we often take for granted.  Even when we are in the most difficult and desperate situations, hope remains our ally — spurring us on toward a better day.  How dark is that day when we come to the stark realization that those things we had hoped and lived for will never come to pass!

A common tendency is to curse God for what was lost, forgetting that beautiful reminder from Scripture: “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” (James 1:17)  Every breath of life is an amazing gift — if only we could recognize it as such.  If we could just stop in the midst of the craziness of life and look around us with thankful eyes at the magnificence of the creation around us —  to really see and appreciate the light and color and beauty of even the simplest things.  What incredible power there is in the senses given us, and how richly are those senses blessed with the ability to hear the most heavenly chorus, to appreciate the soft, pleasant scent of a rose (no less rivaled by its beauty) or to know the comfort that comes from a gentle caress?  All of these things whisper to us the love of our Creator toward us; the question is: can we hear His voice?

If we give ourselves fully over to the despair of loss, we run the risk of blinding ourselves to the blessings that remain.  I think the greatest challenge in life is to really live with our eyes wide open — not only to the blessings of God that surround us all, but also to the suffering and sorrows that we all share in common.  Where does the courage come from to face head-on the inevitable loss of all that we hold dear, including life itself?  Corrie Ten Boom, in addressing the great suffering she endured in a concentration camp and in the annihilation of her family members, stated the following: “There is no pit so deep that God’s love is not deeper still.”  Truly there is no sorrow so deep — no pit of despondency and despair so abysmal where God’s hand cannot reach.  If we would only reach out to grasp His great, outstretched hand and recognize that He is there to lift us out of our misery — to give us the peace that passes all understanding, and the hope that does not disappoint.

Surely His incredible love and grace is shown in the gifts He has given us — and that same love is also the sustaining power that gives us the courage we need in the day of loss.  What skinned knee was not made more bearable by the loving, comforting and strength-giving arms of a parent?  In that moment of seemingly unbearable pain and fear, our courage was restored as we drew from their strength and wisdom — their words of comfort, which assured us everything was going to be alright.

Suffering is inevitable in this broken world, but God has not left us without resource.  Scripture tells us, “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalms 34:18)  His presence is seen in all of nature and the provision that He makes for each of us on this earth — food and shelter and love that draws us out and helps us to grow.  Likewise, He is there in the dark shadows.  His light illuminates that dimmed path and leads us onward with the courage and determination that come from faith.  We are not left to walk the dark road alone, and those who belong to Christ walk onward through the darkness, clinging to the hope of a never-ending day — where the blessings of life have no end, all tears are wiped away, and death and decay are no more.

All Scripture NIV

Sometimes living a life for Christ is a dilemma.  I want to be a faithful follower of Christ; to live a life which will reflect Him and stay clear of the things that would tempt me towards a worldly point of view.  Yet, I also want to live in the liberty of grace, and not get tangled up in legalism.  What is the line and where do you draw it?

When I first became a believer, there were a lot of legalistic regulations laid on Christian women, particularly in the matter of dress and the way the concept of submission and a woman’s role in the church was interpreted (a whole different article!).  It was not really a grace-filled way to live, and the pendulum subtly began swinging the other way as women in the world became more self-reliant and powerful.  Believing women, accepting these values in varying degrees, began to resist the restrictions.  The pendulum has continued to swing until now you often can’t tell a believing woman from a non-believing woman, by appearance, speech or behaviour.

Today is a very different world than the one I entered as a new Christian over 60 years ago.  The Church has become more secularized, more materialistic and more self-involved.  Not that I want to go back to the way it was, exactly. Legalism is stifling and grace killing, just as secularism removes God from the centrality of our lives.  We can choose to live lives which reflect God’s holiness, grace and love and still be neither legalistic nor worldly, but we may need to accept a new point of view.

Somewhere over the years a line has been crossed, and we have lost the understanding that we are not to love the world, but are to be set apart… not in a way that shuts out possible seekers because they don’t know the language, or may not look or sound like us, but set apart to a life of holiness and faithfulness to God’s right to be the ruler of our lives.  Instead, we often unconsciously embrace the world’s values and misguidedly mimic the world and suppose we can do this without losing something valuable in the process.  Paul tells us we are to be in the world, but not of it.  Instead, many want to give lip service to God, but still remain dedicated to the materialistic values of the world.  They want to hold on to their autonomy and self-determination and have assumed that they can serve God without submitting to the Spirit’s direction toward a radical change of course and focus.

While there are many problems in the Church today, one of the most insidious is the fact that we have become comfortable with the increasingly indistinct lines between Church and the world.  We have now developed the simplistic three chord “praise music” style for contemporary services to satisfy ears raised on rock and roll, and Christian “performers” imitate the styles of stars of the entertainment world.  Church administrators take classes in marketing and the psychology of motivation instead of relying on the Holy Spirit to move people to give.  Ministries become huge corporations instead of simple congregations of believers and size has become the indicator of a “successful” ministry as opposed to the spiritual maturity of the congregation.  Our secular political persuasion has, in some cases, become a criterion of “faith”.  People now think of God as such a comfortable Presence that they assume He doesn’t care how they come to worship, as long as they come.  That is possibly true, but I am not completely convinced that showing up in torn jeans and unpressed tee shirts is completely respectful.  I find singing beautiful old hymns and Christmas carols in syncopated rhythm with a strong percussion section and a jazzy piano to be a little off-putting, and it reduces something transcendent into just another jingle.  Some music doesn’t need “improving”.

Even as I write this I can hear that I sound uncompromising and politically incorrect.  Yet, there is something disquieting to me about the present culture of the Church.  We no longer talk much about sin, or the need to set ourselves apart for God, or the cost to God of our salvation.  It is all about what we need, and what we want from life, instead of what we owe to God and how we may serve Him.  It is so much more man centered than God centered, and so much more entertainment based than based on genuine worship.  I think we have lost something precious: the awareness of the holiness and power and majesty of God. We have cut Him down to our size, and made Him into a comfortable Grandfather, sitting up in heaven thinking about how He can make us all happy and problem free and answering all our prayers with a “Yes”.  We have lost the God of the scripture, and transformed Him into someone with Whom we think we can bargain or even manipulate.

James M. Boice, in his book, The Doctrines of Grace, quotes from the Cambridge Declaration which says, “As evangelical faith has become secularized, its interests have been blurred with that of the culture.  The result is a loss of absolute values, permissive individualism and a substitution of wholeness for holiness, recovery for repentance, intuition for truth, feeling for belief, chance for providence, and immediate gratification for enduring hope.  Christ and His cross have moved from the center of our vision”.  Later he says, “What has replaced the gospel of grace is a message that is partially biblical but ultimately self-centered.  Like everything else in creation, the human soul abhors a vacuum.  When something essential disappears from our theology and our spirituality, something else rushes in to replace it.  When God Himself disappears, what replaces Him is the self.”

We need to rediscover that a Christ centered life sometimes calls for sacrificial discipleship, and is not intended to reflect the world’s agenda of the pursuit of personal happiness.  How far are we prepared to follow Him even though the path may be difficult and discouraging at times?  I am not always wise but I know that when we pray for wisdom, God responds.  He goes where He is wanted, and if our desire is toward Him, He will answer the call of our hearts.

So, what can I do about this in my own life?  One thing I can do is to make sure I understand more about the kind of person Christ calls me to be.  Not just what I need to do; what I need to be.  I need to open myself to the transforming power of the Holy Spirit and let myself be changed.  I want to be sensitively aware of those around me who don’t know Christ, and be unapologetic yet gentle and polite about sharing my faith.  A Christ centered life involves knowing the scriptures well, not just giving them a quick glance and shutting the Book.  It involves applying even the hard things to my own life.  I can’t cherry-pick the things I will obey and ignore the things that require me to sacrifice my own will. I can’t choose to be obedient only when it is convenient or easy. I can actively study Christ and try to live out the fruit of the spirit as listed in Galatians: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  I can embrace and desire the attributes which Christ taught in His Sermon on the Mount, like being humble in spirit, or hungering and thirsting after righteousness.  I can submit myself willingly to the will of God, respecting His holiness and acknowledging His right to authority over my life.  None of these things is easy, yet all are possible when my will is set aside and instead is submitted to God’s will.

By opening myself to change I may make a difference in my little corner of the world.  I can become more intentional about a more intimate relationship with Christ, depending on Him and taking it one small step at a time.  I need to remember that happiness and comfort in this life are not the goals.  Having a good time of fellowship at church and talking easily about spiritual things without also being willing to submit my life to God in holiness and humility is not God’s ultimate purpose for me.  Thank God, He can supply all I need to stay on course and become the person He wants me to be… but I actively need to pursue Him, and be willing to submit to the rigors of the journey.  As we face a new year, a new beginning, I hope that all of us will reevaluate the values of our faith, and move toward letting our lives be set apart for God, in holiness, grace and love.

It is a new year, again.  2011 is gone and 2012 is ahead, filled with possibilities and potential.  For some, it can be drudgery to enter a new year, and for others it is a brand new, clean slate.  Many make a list of resolutions to ensure a better new year: to be a better person, exercise, even read the Bible through the year.

My one resolution, though I don’t like the connotation of the word, is to seek God more.  Period.  I want to see Him more, hear Him more, and know Him better.  I want 2012 to be full of His presence in my life.  One word that has been echoing in my spirit for the last couple of months is rest.  He has been dealing with me on Sabbatismos; finding rest in God.  This echoing is beyond church on Sunday and more sleep.  It also means more than simply spending more time with Him, though I intend to do just that.

Sabbatismos, to me, is learning to rest in the promises of God.  God has promised me many things; it is not always easy to believe they will come to pass.  Sometimes I question if I am going crazy; or I try to make things happen when they don’t come to pass as I envisioned.  Like Abraham and Sarah, and many others before us, we laugh thinking things impossible; we attempt to bring things about in our own way.  Yet the great cloud of witnesses that went before us, though they did doubt, laugh, manipulate to see God’s promises come to pass, eventually made it into the Hebrews 11 famous Hall of Faith.  How did they?  The Bible says they did not waver in their faith, but we read their stories, we know they questioned God ~ laughed even and attempted to usurp God’s powers for the completion of their promises.

I believe the transition happened when they came to the end of themselves; realizing that only God can fulfill what He puts in our hearts.  The stability in their faith came when they believed what God told them and entered into His rest ~ the rest of God performing His Word.

I want a new year; I want to be faithful.  I want to do what God needs me to do to see His Word performed in my life.  I want God’s voice and presence permeating my life in 2012.  I refuse to have a repeat of 2011—or the previous two decades for that matter.  In order for that to happen, I have to have a vision for the new year ~ I must be able to see myself in the life I want.  This is not flippantly daydreaming, but having vision.  Seek God’s Word and presence ~ for a Word for your year and meditate and pray over that Word; for He is faithful that promised (Hebrews 10:23).

Then the LORD said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over My word to perform it.” Jeremiah 1:12 NASB

“Leave it all behind. Leave it all behind.”

I’m listening to these words from Casting Crowns latest song, The Well.  Singing in my best Mark Hall imitation voice, I revel in Jesus’ willingness to take all my burdens on Himself while replacing them with His love and strength.  Yet… I know I haven’t left it all behind.  I want to.  I try to… and sometimes I actually do it, but then I go back and get it again.

What if I really did leave it all behind?   What if beginning with this New Year I left it all behind me?   What would my life be like without the worry and burden of carrying that heavy load?

Isaiah 41:18 I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs.

I think if I opened my hands and let go those dry desert places in my heart would spring forth like pools of water.  I believe I would overflow with joy, peace, love and faith.  The times in my life when I have released my grip I’ve been the most contented.  Even in midst of trouble my spirit overflowed with God’s grace and love toward others.  Now this would be a great way to kick off the New Year!

And all who thirst will thirst no more, and all who search will find what their souls long for.  The world will try, but it can never fill, so leave it all behind and come to the well.

When I have been parched and dried up from my own selfish ways or from the world’s damage I am left down, depressed, angry and hurting.  Yet when I finally give up and decide I’ve had all the pain I can take, the Father lifts my chin and pours into me everything He knows I need.  My thirst is quenched, color comes back in my cheeks, and life resumes.  It’s then that His love overflows and pours into the lives of those around me.

If I could describe such joy I would, but you just have to experience it yourself.  There is no life like the abundant life that Jesus came to give each of us!  Let’s leave pain, sin, hurt, bitterness, low self-esteem, and old habits behind and come to the well.  Receive the living water Jesus offers freely. John 4:7-14

And now that you’re full of life beyond measure, your joy’s gonna flow like a stream in a desert, soon all the world will see that livin’ water is found in Me ’cause you came to the well.

My recent parched spell left me feeling almost empty because I didn’t go to the well soon enough.  Once I did, Jesus filled me full of His life.  He’s so good that way!  It occurred to me He could have said, “Sorry I’m out of water ’cause you waited too long to come.”  Or maybe, “Come back later, these others were in line before you.”  But I’m His and He is mine and that never changes no matter what.  His supply is limitless and His grace abounds!

Guess what?  The living water Jesus offers gives life, relieves pressure, and NEVER runs out!  You can come now!  Grab your bucket!  Heck, grab two or three!  It doesn’t matter if you haven’t been in a long time, or if you’ve never been, the water’s the same for all!  This water revives, refreshes, and renews the weary and faint of heart.  It’s yours for the taking because Jesus loves you and yes, the Bible does say so.

Leave it all behind, leave it all behind, leave it all behind…

Words in italics are from the Casting Crowns album Come To The Well.

photo copyright 2011 Dean C. Wagner, Sr.