The Ultimate Gift

Our family Christmases have evolved over the years.  When our kids were young, our Christmas was packed with toys.  There were so many toys that it took it seemed like three days to open up all of the gifts.  Parents and grandparents showered the kids with gifts.

Now that our kids are all adults, the number of presents have gotten much fewer and they have become much more meaningful.  But the most important thing is the sheer treasure of having everyone together.  We live most of the year as empty-nesters so it is a real treat to have all the girls with us.  We have had that pleasure twice now in the last month.  God has wired us for relationship and the greatest gift are those relationships.  In the Christmas Eve service, they showed the following video. 

I would venture to say that the kids could have cared less about the presents they received.  The true gift was their father.  Is it any wonder that the true gift of Christmas is a person, the Lord Jesus Christ?  He is offered as a free gift to all who believe (Rom 6:23).  But like all gifts, you must accept and open the gift. Imagine if the kids never opened the box.  They would never have appropriated the gift of relationship.  Likewise, if they had offered to pay for the gift, it would not have been a gift.  The kids had no ability to pay for the relationship gift.  It was free and unconditional.  God has offered an unsurpassable gift, Himself. 

Snatched From the Fire

And have mercy on some, who are doubting;
save others, snatching them out of the fire.
Jude 22-23

We just recently re-watched the movie Toy Story 3.  There is a particular scene where the toys are taking to the garbage dump and are on their way to the incinerator.  You can see it here.  This scene is extraordinarily biblical in so many ways.  First, Rex the dinosaur mistakenly thought the fire approaching was light.  Secondly, there was no way that the toys could earn their way out of their predicament.  They were doomed to the fire.  In fact the word for hell in the NT is “Gehenna”, which literally is a fiery trash heap.  As you fixate on this scene, something happens that is extraordinary.  A claw comes down and literally snatches them from the fire (it was those squeaky toys!).  What they could not do on their own was done for them. 

What a picture of Jesus who snatches us from the fires of hell.  He redeems our life from the pit (Psalm 40:2) and puts our feet on solid ground.  We need to remember that hell is a literal place and our sins have destined us to that place.  It is by God’s grace that we are snatched from the fire.  Jude tells us we need to provide others that opportunity by telling them of God’s saving grace.

Come and Follow Me

Charles Barkley a long time ago (while he was still playing) stated “I am not a role model”.  That is because of numerous scrapes with the law and as a way of avoiding responsibility for his actions.  You see because he was a basketball player and many aspire to be basketball players, they saw him as their role model. 

It was uncomfortable for Charles to think people were following him because of who they thought he was.  Because he could never measure up completely to who people might think he was.  So Nike made this commercial. 

Jesus says “Follow me”.  He says “Come”.  He is the perfect role model but more than a role model because he is more than the example, He is the life.  Jesus never asks us to somehow get ourselves straight first.  The disciples were never asked to clean up their act first. Matthew for instance was not asked to quit the tax collecting business to follow Jesus.  Simon the Zealot was not asked to change what he did.  Warts and all, they were asked to come follow Jesus.  The act of sanctification followed the act of regeneration.  I could never clean myself up first.  Self-effort would get me nowhere.  In fact, I have trouble remembering any occurrence where Jesus asked anyone to clean up their own act.  Even Zaccheus was not asked to change anything – it welled up from within after faith.  Yet how contrary to our world which still says that sanctification comes from self effort. 

You want to clean up your act? Come follow Jesus.  

Just Because We Ask

Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble…
Psalm 107

The term “foxhole faith” refers to someone whose life is falling apart around them and in desperation, they cry out to God to save them. The term actually comes from the wartime, when men who have had nothing to do with God or religion suddenly find themselves in a foxhole with the bullets flying past their head and they cry out to God to save them. “If you get me out of here alive, I’ll serve you, God,” might be something they’d pray in the face of death.  This kind of foxhole commitment rarely ever lasts beyond the rescue. Once the person has returned to safety, the promises fade and life without God eventually returns until the next time they face danger.

In Psalm 107, we have four examples of foxhole faith but the issue isn’t circumstances, but it is depravity.  It is clear from Psalm 107 that the individual is crying out because they are at the end of the rope and the circumstances develop in their lives over a period of time.  The reaction is one of the realization of sinfulness caught up in the circumstances of life.  Remember Peter’s reaction to Jesus in walking on the water or in trying to bring in full of the miraculous fish catch.  It is the realization of depravity and of sin.

Psalm 107:5 – Their soul fainted within them.
Psalm 107:11 – Because they had rebelled.
Psalm 107:18 – They drew near to the gates of death.
Psalm 107:26 – Their soul melted away in their misery.

In each case, God did not ask them to clean up their act.  The solution was to ask.  Nothing more.  God does not ask us to ever clean up before approaching him.  Four times it says that God “brought them out of their distresses”.  He “brought them out of darkness”.  We have a delivering God.  There are no strings attached.  We only need to approach the throne for forgiveness.  Have you asked forgiveness today?

Blaming God

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Steve Johnson dropped an easy game-winning touchdown pass on Sunday.  It was a perfect pass, right in his arms.  After the game, he did not dodge the press and clearly was distraught.  He did not blame anyone or anything.

The next day however, Johnson tweeted:I PRAISE YOU 24/7!!!!!! AND THIS HOW YOU DO ME!!!!! YOU EXPECT ME TO LEARN FROM THIS??? HOW???!!! ILL NEVER FORGET THIS!! EVER!!! THX THO...

It was almost refreshing in one sense to see a player blaming God.  Certainly enough of them give God credit for sports victories.  I would love to see someone up on the podium thanking God after blowing a pass.  I seriously doubt that God shone an extra ray of sunshine or caused Johnson to take his eye off the ball.  However, who am I to say what God did or didn’t do.  Because whatever God did, he does to further our relationship and trust in him.  It is the mark of a mature faith to see that through and not think of God as this cosmic genie that gives three wishes and takes three away. 

My wife who is the closest human being to know me and love me unconditionally would not intentionally cause me to fail to somehow punish me (even if she was mad at me which does happen occasionally!).  And she has imperfect knowledge.  But if she knew that it would make me better and improve our relationship and trust, she would do it even though it would hurt.  That is why the illustration in Scripture is of a loving father and his children.,  The Father wants his children to grow and mature (Heb 12).

Second, it is a matter of perspective.  You see a game is meaningless to God but the people in the game are meaningful to God.  We take our games seriously and for Steve Johnson it is a profession and serious.  However in the scheme of life, death, and eternity, it is trivial.  I know I am learning much more about perspective in so many ways.  How can I grow from this?  How will God use this in my life?  And as I learn this (sometimes the hard way), the trials and travails of daily living fall into the right perspective.

Hang in there Steve!

Staying Angry

His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime.
Psalm 30:5

A number of years ago our kids were first learning to drive.  Ashley had taken the car out and was returning home in the evening.  A number of us had gone to bed or were in the process when we hear a loud crash coming from the garage.  I was the first to arrive on the scene and my first memory was of Ashley almost hysterically crying “I’m sorry”, “I’m sorry”.  Your brain takes a minute to process and my first reaction was to inspect the damage (my cause effect CPA brain).  You knew something was wrong but you really needed to actually see what it was before you could react any further.  She had taken a chunk out of the garage and had put a decent dent in the car.  I remember for what probably was a 10 or 20 second period where I was percolating up an explosion at her.  “Why couldn’t you have been more careful?”  “Who is going to pay for this?”  But as my mind processed further, I was faced with a truly repentant crying daughter who seemed genuinely sorry for her actions.  My mind in processing the ugly action was abhorred at the result but overwhelmed by love for the young woman in front of me.  All I could do was take her in my embrace and say it was ok. 

Such is but a mere glimpse of how God looks at the repentant sinner.  His anger has to be there.  The prophet Habakkuk says “he cannot look at sin with favor”.  But in the process of hating the sin, he loves the sinner so much that the act of sin is already forgiven and judged almost in an instant.  What we have forever is the love of the Savior.  This does not mean that sin does not have consequences.  Natural law would have to suggest otherwise.  But the deep love of the Father overshadows and dwarfs the action of the sinner.  “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us and cleanse us”.

Give Thanks With a Grateful Heart

Today is Thanksgiving.  A day when people in America stop, pause, reflect and give thanks.  It does not hurt to have the turkey trimmings, the football, and the pleasure of family.  Which reminds me why does Detroit always play football on Thanksgiving?  They are perpetually the worst team in the NFL (Browns have been up there in recent years as well).  Anyway I digress.

I am very thankful for all the blessings that God has bestowed.  I am most thankful for his grace that gives me a relationship with the living God.  In 2010, I can most honestly say that the biggest blessing has come from family and friends.  Seeing Meghan graduate and get married has to be at the top of the list.  Getting to grow closer every year to the wonderful Debsue is also very high on the list.  And you know that people and the word of God are the only two things that really matter.  So despite the challenges of the year, I am really thankful to the Lord for so many things.  Thank you!

Why Guys are not Transparent

I have a friend who is totally transparent. He writes all of his biggest fears, all of his biggest failures.  He lets us know exactly what is going on in his life.  He lets us all know his struggles.  That is so rare among guys.  We tend to tough it out.  People ask us how it is going and we say fine even when things clearly aren’t fine.  I am totally in that camp.  I won’t let you in on my world and my struggles and failures.  God is working on me in that regard.  He has let a few “all things” (Romans 8:28) to come into my life.  He has opened up friendships and a closeness with my wife that I can share much more freely.  But I would be less than honest if I said that I could truly open up.  I am still very reserved.  I know also part of it is that I have been running organizations and there is always the threat of perceived weakness.  We guys have to be resilient, we have to be tough.  Women generally let loose and let go much easier than us guys.  We keep things bottled up. 

What has caused me to open up more (and there is much more room for improvement) and be more vulnerable is age and maturity, but also a deep abiding trust that God has my back no matter what.  One of the hardest things I have recently faced is business failure.  I have never had it although I have come close.  I have had to face investors and tell them that despite my best efforts, I have failed.  In the process, God has given me an incredible sense of his presence.  I can live with the fact that they may think I am a failure.   I hope that maturity continues to grow in me.

Whom Shall I Fear?

The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear?
Psalm 27:1

Several years ago, I had two blood clots to my lung that resulted in a potentially very serious medical condition.  The doctor told me that there are three types of blood clots; those you don’t even notice, those that will kill you and, and those in between.  I asked him which category this fell into and he told me closer to the one that will kill you.  Throughout this ordeal, I never had a fear of dying and I don’t generally have a fear of dying.  I am assured of eternal life through the shed blood of Jesus so I have no reason to fear death. 

However, I must admit that there are definitely things that give me a dread of fear.  One is a long debilitating illness that is a drain on me and my family.  Another is a fear of failure.  As I have experienced failure, I have found God gives us tremendous grace to encounter these fears head-on.  As I recently have experienced failure, I have learned the power of God’s grace firsthand.  He always provides enough grace that we can handle those trials when they come up.  James says we are to consider it “pure joy”  when we encounter trials which tests our very fears.  In 1st Corinthians 10:13, we learn there is no temptation that has overtaken us and God is faithful and provides the way of escape so we may be able to endure it.  While this applies to temptations, this same word can also apply to trials.  God patiently bears up our fears and failures. 

Light to the Eyes

The commands of the Lord are radiant giving light to the eyes.
Psalm 19:8

A number of years back, I had Lasik surgery.  It was an amazing thing for me because I was incredibly nearsighted most of my life.  In fact, my vision at the time of surgery was 20/2000 which is ten times the legal blind limit.  I had to wear these huge thick lenses if I was wearing glasses or some very high correction contact lenses.  After I had the surgery, I remember thinking initially I was ripped off because I didn’t see all that well (even though they told me it took 24 hours or more to see it truly take effect).  The next morning, I looked at my alarm clock and I could see.  I walked over to the window and could actually see my front lawn clear as a bell.  But the true test was television.  I turned it on and actually watched the clarity of the Flintstones from bed.  it was truly amazing to see again without any assistance. 

Scripture enables us to see the world from a different set of lenses.  No longer are we looking at things from a human perspective but we see things from God’s perspective.  We have illumination that enables us to see the world in clarity.  God’s commands are not seen as punitive, but prescriptive.  Further, the text says they are radiant meaning they shine forth in pure glory into our lives.  The word of God is etched into you soul (see Hebrews 4:12).  It speaks to you, it draws you into fellowship.  It is Lasik for our lives as “I once was blind, but now I see”.

Making Wise the Simple

The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy making wise the simple.
Psalm 19:7

There has been many a tendency over the years to make the Bible harder than it is.  It has been portrayed as a code to crack and we need translators and schooled educators to explain the meaning of the Bible.  Yet, the Bible really is amazingly simple.  An uneducated, unschooled person can understand it quite readily.  We think of the Pharisees response to Peter and the disciples recognizing they were “unschooled, ordinary men”.  This verse goes even further and says that those that read the Bible are actually made wise.  It is not that they are wise – they are made wise.  They are given illumination.

Debsue and I have this thing where if we have to put something together, it has to be a tag team effort.  I simply cannot look at the directions and envision the end result.  I am spatially challenged and simply have a brain blockage that prevents me from understanding the result.  So I get the master translator, Debsue to tell me what to do and I do it.  So it is with the written word which instructs and interprets through the power of the Holy Spirit.  Before I was a Christian, I read the Bible but it did not make complete sense to me.  After I was saved, the pieces fit together.  I was given the understanding.

This passage goes further and states that we can trust what we see.  Sometimes there are hard things that we may not completely see and we think they are hard.  But they are given for our own growth and maturity.  For example, Jesus says you cannot serve God and money.  Everything in my humanness tells me I don’t like that verse, yet God has clearly taught me the truth and the trustworthiness of such a statement and I have lived it out.  God says do not have sex before marriage.  Marriage provides the enjoyment of sex but it is accompanied by intimacy which is how it was ordained.  We think God is a cosmic killjoy, but there is no doubt that if we disobey the command, there are consequences.  On the other hand, if we obey, there is incredible joy.  The author of the word is perfectly trustworthy. 

Reviving the Soul

“The law of the Lord is perfect reviving the soul”
Psalm 19:7

This blog is about reviving the soul.  I have lived over 20 years of my life in darkness before Jesus entered my life.  I know what life is like in darkness.  After knowing Christ, I also know what it is like to have a dark life of the soul.  God never abandons us, but he will let us experience that taste of darkness as part of bringing us back to fullness of relationship.  The world can never provide the deep joy of intimacy that a relationship with the living God brings.  

Where does it start again?  It starts with the Bible.  It starts with seeking that relationship.  I can never will myself into a satisfactory life no matter how hard I try.  God will reveal himself to us progressively through the pages of his word.  What does that look like?  It is not rote.  I know for many years I would go through the motions in daily devotional only to come up empty.  But as I earnestly seek God through prayer, meditation on the word, there is knowledge, intimacy, and joy.  Revival comes from within.  Ruminate on God’s word, commit it to memory.