Jesus

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THE FOCUS OF LIFE

Last week I wrote about our purpose in life.  Wouldn’t it be different if that purpose, relationship with God, was our focus?  Jesus in Matthew chapter 6 tells us not to worry about our lives, what we will eat or drink, or what we will wear, but to seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness.  He tells us to trust God to take care of food, drink and clothing.  I believe that Jesus is telling us that we can focus on our original purpose and trust his provision for the rest. It sounds like a pretty stress free life with a single focus, God.

Maybe, if we centered our concerns on the relational things like following the Ten Commandments or just follow Jesus’ shorter version, Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul and your neighbor as yourself, we’d find this life more simple and stress free.  We could actually live focused on a loving relationship with God.  However, I must be missing something, for I find it very difficult to keep my eyes on God. It seems every Christian I’ve met has a similar struggle.  What is the problem?

If you answered sin, I’m in full agreement with you.  We still have a sinful nature, and we live in a sinful, fallen world.  Sin separates us from God.  My relationship with him is constantly hindered by the things of this world.  I find it challenging to keep focused on God.  God’s kingdom and his righteousness are surely in my heart, but I’m constantly distracted by other desires and concerns.

I doubt that Jesus expected all striving on the earth to end when he spoke the words found in Matthew chapter 6.  The word “seek” then must be the key.  Ah, this is a quest.  My relationship with God builds as I seek him.  Even though I am haggard by so many distractions, I return time and time again to the ultimate goal, my relationship with him.  Jesus said seek and you will find.  I am therefore encouraged to continue on, not deterred, but ever seeking.  I so much want to overcome and be in constant close relationship with my heavenly father.  I know that he wants a close relationship with me, so I am always sure that I can count on his help.

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THE PURPOSE OF LIFE

When contemplating the meaning of life, I find that it is infinitely complex like the Author of Life.  Still, it can also be boiled down to something quite simple.  The questions: why am I here and what is my purpose can be easily answered.  We are here because God brought forth life in his creation, and He made beings like us in his image.  So we have life because God ordained it.  Our purpose is to have a close loving relationship with him.

Since we acquired, through disobedience, the knowledge of good and evil, that relationship has been complicated.  We now have to seek him, yet he has cleared the way for us to find him through the cross of Jesus.  We just have to accept the way he has provided.  Finding him is not difficult.  However, looking for him through other paths will not lead to him.  There is only one way; His way.

We exist at God’s good pleasure, and he has given us purpose.  As I stated above, our purpose is to have a close loving relationship with him.  Some are confused about our purpose and think that our purpose is to work.  It is important to note that the work I’m referring to is the work of the kingdom, good deeds, as opposed to working for a living.  These works are not our purpose; they are the result of our purpose.  In my loving relationship with God, he has taught me to love others.  Because I love him, and he has taught me to love others, I work to help those around me.  I give of myself.

Throughout my life, I have worked to provide for my family.  This is a requirement in this fallen world.  During this time of sorting out eternity, we have to work for a living.  It is the curse for disobedience (Genesis 3:17-19).  In the midst of our work, we often have the opportunity to do the work of the Kingdom.  However, no matter what type of work we are doing, the only work that has eternal merit is that which is driven by love.  In our relationship with God, he nurtures us with love. From this love, he generates in us the strength to provide for our family and do the work of the kingdom.  Work flows out of the fruit of relationship.  Relationship with God is our purpose.

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AWESOME POWER – GREAT BEAUTY

One of my favorite places on God’s earth is at Monterey Bay here on the California Coast.  At the southern tip of the bay where it meets the open ocean, large waves crash on building size rock formations creating a scene of awesome power.  Near the beach is a smaller formation that receives the partially spent waves but still with a powerful display of water crashing upon rocks. At low tide you can climb onto this smaller formation, and when you reach the top you find there a seat smoothed by the crashing waves.  I love to sit there feeling the waves crash around me.  It’s like being in the midst of great power but protected from the danger.

When I visit this place, I feel very close to God.  The awesome power of these waves reminds me of how God is ultimately powerful.  The peace and security I feel reminds me that I am protected by his love for me.  I feel as if I’m in the shadow of his wings. (see Psalm 17).  I usually don’t want to leave.  I know I have to because high tide is coming, and I must return to the world and its trials.  It seems amazing that a place so filled with chaotic noise and danger would be a place of peace and comfort, but I assure you it is.

Just a few hundred yards north along the beach, the rocks are gone and the waves brake into a rolling foam and crash into the beach.  Facing what promised to be a tough day at work, I left home early to walk along the beach in my favorite place. I needed the Lord to strengthen me.  As I looked out over the ocean, the sun began to rise from behind me.  The hill behind me was covered in a thick mist.  The rays of the sun were refracted by the mist producing a unique phenomenon.  The foam on the rolling waves began to take on the colors of the rainbow.  It was a most beautiful display.  As the sun continued to rise, the colors eventually faded, but I remained until it was finished.

This event reminded me of the great beauty of God.  Throughout God’s creation, there is great beauty.  We see his beauty in the sunrise and sunset, the flowers and trees, and in the mountains and the animals that he created.  Every once in a while, we get a special glimpse as I did that morning.  The day went much better than I had anticipated.  Who could have a bad day after that?

Our creator is awesomely powerful and greatly beautiful.  I have learned to look for his attributes each day.  I find abundant comfort in remembering who he is as I walk in the midst of what he has made.

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STRENGTH IN NUMBERS

Years ago, when I was in my late thirties, I had the opportunity to stand with my 5 brothers.  The youngest of them had grown into young adults, and there we stood six men.  I was taken by the sense of strength I felt as we stood there together.  Standing strong alone is admirable, but there is much greater strength when we stand together.  For Christians strength in numbers is both physical and spiritual.

Solomon talked about the physical advantage of working together, Ecclesiastes 4:9 Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work.  My friend and I built a wedding arch for his daughter on Sunday afternoon.  When he came to my shop, he had a design in mind.  As we worked together, the design improved; and we had a great result.  The work also went twice as fast.  In addition to a good outcome for our labor, we had a lot of fun doing it.  If you add in the encouragement of my son and our wives we had a fulfilling experience.

In Matthew 18:19-20, Jesus addressed the spiritual advantage. “Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.  For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.”  I pray, and my wife prays; but when we pray together there is greater strength in our unity.  When we gather together with other believers, God’s presence is felt even more strongly.

I write this blog each week.  What I say is usually clear and well punctuated.  This would not be so without my wife’s exceptional editing skills.  We are better together.  Christians, let us join together and fulfill God’s desire that we love each other and work together in unity.  Not only will we be more successful, but we’ll have a lot of fun.  We really need each other. There is strength in numbers.

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THE HOPE IS STILL ALIVE

A while back I wrote in my diary, “Today I’m 60, but I’m going to live forever so I’m just a kid.”  I haven’t felt much like a kid since I wrote this, but the hope is still alive.  One of my old flippant sayings when confronted by a health conscious (health food nut) person was, “I don’t get my new body till I wear this one out.”  I want you to know I’m doing well with the wearing this one out part.  However it’s not as fun as it once was.  The wearing out is now quite painful, but the new body hope is still alive.

Sunday morning I found myself doing what I used to think was a strange activity that old people did.  I was reading the obituaries in the newspaper.  Not only was I reading them, but I was emotionally involved in reading them.  The short assessment of a person’s life was somehow hauntingly relevant.  As I sense the nearing of life’s end, I think, “What might be written about me?” What in my years was good and what was bad?  Fortunately, most obituaries focus on the good.  The family usually keeps the bad to themselves.  Woo, I say as I contemplate this.

I could get lost in these thoughts, but what I wrote on my 60th birthday is the real truth.  I have the promise of eternal life in Christ Jesus.  I’m going to live forever.  The assessment of this short beginning time is recorded by the eternal God.  He makes the final evaluation.  Praise be to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  The bad is forgiven and forgotten because the most significant act of my years was receiving the great gift Jesus purchased for me on the cross.  The worth of my other acts is in his hands.

Life has seemed long, but when I look back the part that has passed went by rather quickly.  There is still more to come.  I relish what remains.  And, the hope is still alive!

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SALT

Sodium is a highly reactive element that can explode when it contacts water. Chlorine is poisonous to all living organisms.  Yet together in the compound sodium chloride (salt) they are essential for life.  Salt is another of the amazing items in this wondrous world that God created.  This simple compound has greatly affected life on earth and has been used by God to relate to us and to teach us.

In modern America salt is found in great abundance, but in ancient times salt was often worth its weight in gold.  Before refrigeration salt was used to preserve foods.  Many countries used salt to prepare the dead for burial.  It was therefore essential for survival and a part of cultural traditions.  Trade routes were established just for the selling of salt.  Countries went to war over it, and many countries levied taxes on salt.  Salt was highly valued.

For the ancient Hebrews, salt was a sign of their covenant with God.  Salt was added to their offerings to represent their covenant relationship. (See Leviticus 2:13) The salt covenant was also mentioned in relationship to King David’s promised eternal reign. (See 2 Chronicles 13:5)

Jesus used salt as an analogy when he taught, “You are the salt of the earth.  But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?  It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot” (Matthew 5:13).  We are the salt of the earth!  We are the ones who bring flavor to the earth.  This makes sense to us because salt is a part of our daily life.

Salt is a very useful item in God’s world both as a flavor enhancement and a preservative.  Its properties also provided Jesus with a useful analogy to teach us.  So for us who love and follow God, we can enjoy salt and be salt as we walk through God’s world.

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SIBLING RIVALRY

Have you ever felt like God’s favorite?  God has a unique way of making each one of his children feel special.  He knows us intimately and speaks to us individually in a personal specific manner.  No one else knows us this well.  He is never condemning even when correcting us.  Therefore we should rejoice in our close relationship with God, but we should also be aware that this intimate closeness is available to all who will receive him.

Being special to God does not in any way invoke superiority in comparison to others.  For us humans who carry a sinful nature, this is an important caution.  We want to be special, but in our fallen state, we feel it necessary to prove ourselves superior to others.  I’m better than so-n-so because _______.  It’s easy to fill in the blank because we’ve all been there.  However, Christ died for all of us.  We each get the full power of redemption through his shed blood.  Nobody gets or needs a greater portion.

As the principal of a Christian school, my position had a great deal of responsibility and prestige.  The young man who cleaned the building had a different position.  We were both called of God to fill our respective positions.  Was one job superior?  Not in God’s eyes.  We were both walking in what God had set before us.  With God there is no favoritism. (See Acts 10:34, Romans 2:11, Ephesians 6:9).  We were equally important in God’s kingdom.  Both of us were created and gifted to fulfil our purpose for Him.  We were also equally loved by God.  In God’s eyes we were and are his special children.

God is able to have an infinite number of favorites.  We are each one God’s favorite.  We are all special to him.  In the family of God there is no need for sibling rivalry.  We need only to love one another and trust our Father to provide what we need.  He created us with a special purpose in his kingdom.  As he directs you through your life be content.  You are unique and special in his eyes.

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NO CONDEMNATION

It happens so regularly that it’s predictable.  The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up.  I truly delight in God’s commands, but it’s pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight.  Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge.  I’ve tried everything and nothing helps.  I’m at the end of my rope.  Is there no one who can do anything for me?  Isn’t that the real question?  The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does.  He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different.  With the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah, that fateful dilemma is resolved.  Those who enter into Christ’s being-here-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud.  A new power is in operation.  The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death. (Romans 7:21-8:2 The Message)

What then is our responsibility in regard to sin?  This question reveals the trap that catches many believers.  We often feel that we should now more than ever focus on being sinless, missing the fact that we can’t make ourselves sinless.  We are still flawed by our inherited sinful nature.  Focusing on making ourselves sinless is self-indulgent and actually leads us away from God.  Our focus should be on God.  That is where we find freedom.  Paul calls it living in the Spirit not in the flesh.  All the power to overcome sin is in Christ Jesus.  We have no power in ourselves.  Jesus said, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33)  Our responsibility is to seek God.  He takes care of the rest.  Try sinning while you’re seeking God.

In closing, I’d like to remind you that we are justified through Christ’s blood shed on the cross.  That means we are acceptable in the sight of God.  We are welcome into the presence of God.  The work is finished.  There is no condemnation for us who have received Jesus.  When we are seeking God, he wants, and may I say is excited for, us to find him.  It is his delight for his children to know him.

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DOES GOD REALLY CARE?

A small group stands in the sanctuary near the platform engaged in prayer.  The leader is training the group to seek the Lord’s words for those they pray for.  Suddenly the leader turns to one of the men and says, “She will be with you for a long time.”  The man is immediately convulsed with deep sobs.  He seems thoroughly overwhelmed by these simple words.  No one else knows why these words impact him so deeply, but he does.

I am that man.  About ten years ago my wife was having some health issues, and I began to worry that I was going to lose her.  This worry occupied much of my thought life almost to the point of obsession.  One afternoon as I was driving back to my office, the Lord spoke these words to me, “She will be with you for a long time.”  The prayer training seminar happened several months after this.  When the leader spoke those words to me, I was overwhelmed by God’s personal care for me.  What she spoke to me was word for word what God had spoken that day.  The lady was from out of town, and I had never met her until that day.  I had not shared with anyone what God had spoken to me.  I had never been as deeply touched as I was that day when God confirmed his word to me.

I felt I was being unfaithful by not trusting the lord for my wife, but He didn’t condemn me.  He just comforted me.  God’s love and mercy are truly amazing.  He cares for us.  This is my story of his care.  What has happened in your relationship with God that shows he cares?  Listen for his voice.  He desires an intimate, personal relationship with each of us.  He cares for us.

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VALUABLE INSIGHTS

Situations come upon us from time to time in which prior information would be quite valuable.  Say you come upon a situation where two people are engaged in a quarrel.  What should you do?  If you don’t have much income, but you’re living comfortably, should you still give to the poor? Are you a person who has to have something to say about every subject?  A wealthy but stingy man invites you to dinner, should you go?  At work there’s a group of party animals that go out 3 or 4 times a week.  They spend the next day talking about the great time they had. When they invite you to join them, should you go?

These are just a few of the situation addressed in the Book of Proverbs.  Our God has provided us with a rich source of information for our daily lives.  Proverbs is not outdated wisdom, but it is full of wisdom for all times.  Provers contains 31 chapters.  By reading a chapter a day you can read the whole book in most months.  Try filling your day with rich practical information for your daily decisions.

You can find valuable insights into the situations I mentioned above by looking at these verses:

Proverbs:         26:17,  21:13,  21:23,  23:6-8,   23:20-21        {these are listed in order}