Jesus

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WHAT JESUS DID

A couple of weeks ago my wife was reading to me from Revelations chapter 5. 

It starts:

Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals.  And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?”  But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it.  I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside.  Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep!  See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed.  He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals”

As I listened to these words the significance of what Jesus did on the cross expanded from an occurrence on the earth to a universal, infinite event.  Jesus’ work on the cross is pivotal in God’s plan for his creation, and Jesus alone is worthy to bring about our transition to eternal life.  Jesus’ sacrifice has blossomed in my understanding to something awesome and everlasting.  The cross will forever remain at the center of our existence.

Having this broader understanding has refreshed for me the coming Easter celebration.  Everything for Christians is centered upon Jesus’ death on the cross and his resurrection.  Nothing else can compare with this.  He alone is worthy to bring to us salvation and eternal life.  Everything of eternal significance rests on what Jesus did. 

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REFLECTIONS ON 2015

With just a few hours of 2015 remaining, I am reflecting upon the hours of this year that have passed so quickly.  I am wondering by what standard I should measure these hours spent.  Work, leisure, parties, major events, and quiet moments have all traveled across my mind as I ride this train of memories looking to form a valuation of the year nearly gone.  I have chosen to ask myself this question. What did I give to this year, and what did I receive?  As I contemplated the answer to this question, one word seemed to surface on the lake of my considerations.

This word has surely defined the most notable increase of the year’s activities.  The time I spent with family and friends, on the job, and even my encounters with strangers was affected by this word.  Perhaps the greatest place this increase occurred was in my interactions with God my Father.  I am delighted to find this word so prominent, but I put forth no claim of accomplishment on my own.

The word, as you may have guessed, is love.  I have experienced a greater ability to give and receive love.  Surprisingly, with this greater ability has come peacefulness.  There is indeed a deeper peace in my heart.  I haven’t yet asked those around me if they’ve noticed this.  I may be self-deceived.  I know the peace is there, and I know I feel the love.  I hope it has shown.

This love and peace came about because I asked Jesus.  Looking over the year, I realize he answered my prayer.  I didn’t do anything different.  He worked it in my heart in his gentle, subtle way.  I continued to seek him, and he provided the difference.  I think that recognizing his love for me helped soften my heart.  This provided the larger capacity necessary for the increase.

Well, I certainly haven’t reached the pinnacle.  There is plenty of mountain left to climb, but I now know how it’s done.  Please join me this year in a quest for greater ability to love.  It will greatly please our Heavenly Father, and oh yes, we’ll have deeper peace in our hearts.

I pray God’s blessing for you and yours in 2016.

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CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS

This is a re-post from Christmas 2014.  I hope you enjoy it.

With the advent of Christmas we celebrate the greatest event that ever happened on the earth:  God entering time and taking on human flesh.  He spent time as one of us.  He walked beside us, and with his eventual death and resurrection, brought new and eternal life for all who would receive him.  This is worthy of celebration.  No other event on earth has stirred the hearts of men to such joyous celebration.  People all-over the earth celebrate this wondrous occasion.

Joining in celebration helps us focus on something bigger than our individual lives; something more real than the temporal.  Celebration sets a mood of happiness and oneness.  I remember singing in a community choir at Christmas.  Our hearts were lifted as we performed traditional Christmas music.  We experienced a oneness of joy and delight.

God wants us to enter into this celebration.  The angels celebrated that first night when Jesus was born, and we have ever since celebrated with them.  Let us continue the celebration of Jesus’ birth and the wonder of God’s plan for our salvation begun that glorious night.

 

                   A promise has been fulfilled

                   A reclamation for all the earth

                   A virgin has brought forth child

                   A most miraculous birth

                   A prophesy from ancient times

                   A hope that’s now achieved

                   A salvation realized

                   A redemption for Adam’s seed.

God bless you, and have a Merry Christmas!

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DECEITFULNESS OF WEALTH

When Jesus was explaining the parable of the sower to his disciples (Matthew 13:18-23) he used this phrase, the deceitfulness of wealth, when speaking of those who represent the seeds falling among the thorns.  In Matthew 13:22 Jesus said, “The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word making it unfruitful.”  This phrase caught my attention as I read through the passage, and I thought it worth a more in-depth look.

I frequently like to refer to The Message to expand a passage.  Here’s how verse 22 reads, “The seed cast in the weeds is the person who hears the kingdom news, but weeds of worry and illusions about getting more and wanting everything under the sun strangle what was heard, and nothing comes of it.”  (I love The Message.)  The words deceitfulness and illusions both give indication of something that is not really there.  We are lead to think there’s something there, but it is a deception.  Here in America, I believe the deceitfulness of wealth hinders us from fully participating in God’s kingdom.  Perhaps it is our greatest deception.

I remember, when my youngest daughter returned from a mission’s trip to Mexico, she was deeply impressed by how happy the people were in the village where she stayed.  She said to me, “Dad they live in shacks and have nothing, yet they are always cheerful and happy.”  It was a great experience for her.  She had the opportunity to realize that possessions don’t bring happiness.  It’s a deception.

As we celebrate this Christmas season let us not fall subject to the deception that it’s about getting more.  We already have what we need, Jesus.  We are celebrating God coming to earth, living among us, and giving his life for us.  What else could we need?  JOY TO THE WORLD!  THE LORD HAS COME!

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NO

No is an interesting word.  It is almost universally understood, but it is not our favorite word when spoken in response to a request.  However, no is a very useful word.  For instance, “No, you can’t play in the traffic,” is a valuable use of the word no.  When raising my children I often used no in response to their appeals.  They didn’t like it, but the no answer gave me time to think about the repercussions of their request.  They were delighted when the decision was reversed.

My Heavenly Father has said no to me a number of times.  I recall an incident some 25 years ago.  I had discovered an opportunity to apply for a teaching job on California’s central coast.  I love the central coast, and my wife grew up there.  So I applied for the position.  One night while I was waiting to hear from the school, I had a dream.  In the dream, my wife and I were on a roller-coaster. Before the thrill of the big drop, the tracks took a flat weaving diversion.  We had stopped the car and gotten out to redirect the tracks to go immediately to the drop. When I awoke, I knew this dream was from the Lord.  As I prayed, the Lord showed me that the dream indicated I was rushing ahead of his plan for us.  The next day, I got a call for an interview.  I declined.  I put the tracks back where they belonged and got back in the car.

The Lord had said no, but it was only for a season.  About ten years later, we had the opportunity to move to the central coast and spend a productive five years there.  We had finally reached the big drop.  Who knows what would have happened if I had ignored the Lord’s caution and moved there too soon?  Only he does.  Isn’t it good to know we have an all knowing father that says no?  He knows what is best for us, and we can trust him.  Even when he leads us down a difficult path, he walks beside us.  His path is the best path.  I don’t always like the direction he sends me, but I am always blessed when I follow him.

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BE MERCIFUL

“Be merciful to those who doubt; save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear – hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.”

 Jude 22-23

 

The Church, the Body of Christ, has throughout the ages frequently missed the basic tenet of being merciful.    On the other hand the Church has been an instrument of mercy in society since its beginning.  It’s been a mixed bag.  In Luke 6:35-36 Jesus says,

“But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back.  Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.  Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”

God has shown us mercy, and he desires us to be merciful.  I believe our ability to be merciful depends on our ability to receive mercy.  Humility is the key.

 

To receive mercy, I must first recognize my need for mercy.  When I know that I have sinned against God, there is then the recognition of the debt I owe to God.  Secondly, I need to humble myself and become aware that there is nothing I can do to repay this debt.  God is willing and has made the way to grant me mercy by forgiving my debt.  I don’t have to work for it.  It’s free.  That is hard for me because in my pride I want to do something to earn forgiveness.  However, by holding on to this idea of earning forgiveness, I will never even understand mercy.

 

Now you can see why it’s a mixed bag for the Church.  Our pride often gets in the way.  In Matthew 9:13 Jesus says to the Pharisees, “But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’”  And again in 12:7, “If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.”  The Pharisees were caught up in a ritual of sacrifice that fed their pride allowing them to condemn others rather than show them mercy.  They were trying to pay their debt to God on their own merit.  They were blinded by pride and did not understand mercy.   Therefore, they could not extend mercy.

 

Mercy proceeds from a humble, forgiving heart.  This is God’s nature and his heart toward us.  By surrendering my will to God and allowing myself to be forgiven, I take the first step in understanding mercy.  I feel the burden of gilt lifted and the exhilaration of being free.  But, I must remember that I’m free and not fall prey to the lie that I must do something for this freedom.  That lie feeds my pride.  I must remain humble. Then in humble gratitude, I live under God’s mercy.  A life that is continually bathed in mercy emanates mercy.

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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.