...and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down... (John 4:6)
I hate being tired. I remember as a kid, sitting in the back seat of automobiles my parents owned. We'd be traveling, which I didn't mind.
But occasionally we'd travel at night which I HATED. And it wasn't the traveling. It was being tired while traveling.
Nighttime was for sleeping. And sleeping was supposed to happen in a BED, not the backseat of a Ford Pinto.
Being tired changes me, if I let it. I place a high priority on a good night's sleep. I hate being tired.
And I wonder, "Can anything good happen when we're bone-tired?"
Of course.
I've never run a marathon, but I can only imagine how exhilarating and exhausting it must be. When you cross the finish line, the mix of life and death, celebration and mourning must be unique.
I've never given birth, but I've watched my wife over twenty-seven months of her life, share her energy and her body with a little, growing person inside. Talk about tiring.
I have been a part of tiring work experiences. Lifting and moving bundles of back-breaking shingles on a blazing, sticky roof, comes to mind. So does digging a trench or a ditch.
I know how cranky I can become when the blood, bruises, sunburn and sweat increase, in opposite proportions to my patience, joy, and wisdom. Ever say or do dumb things when you're tired?
We can snap with a cruel word, a thoughtless act, or a mean-spirited attitude.
We're only human, after all, right?
How many times have you said, "He's just tired" or "She's short on sleep" to excuse some bad behavior?
Mondays are usually a low-energy day for pastors. A lot of my friends take Monday off. It makes sense. The best of Sundays can leave you drained. And the worst...well, leave you feeling like a squashed bug on a windshield, expected to get up and keep moving with a happy face.
So it was with interest that the phrase ...and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down... caught my attention.
Jesus? Tired?
Yes. There are actually a number of occasions in the Bible where he is tired and he tries to get away from the crowds.
(Usually there is someone in a particularly acute situation. They track him down, cut short his time off, and bring him back to help with their need.)
In this instance, a tired Jesus sits down next to a well...the water hose of his day.
You could get water for your camels or other animals from the well.
You could get water to cook.
You could get water to clean.
But here on his journey, Jesus might have been thinking about sitting down and getting something to drink. Who could blame him?
However, the account doesn't end with Jesus filling up his water bottle and moving along. He wasn't only thinking about his own thirst and how tired he was.
Instead, when a woman comes to the well, Jesus has one of the most amazing conversations recorded in scripture. He ignores all kinds of cultural rules (including gender and ethnic), and leaves a town and a woman with a questionable past, changed forever. "He told me everything I've ever done!" the woman exclaims.
She runs back to town and brings all who are willing, to come and meet Jesus. They urge him to stay for awhile and he does stay for a couple of days.
The disciples, who, like all of us, have more questions than answers, need a quick tutorial. Jesus gives it to them. And years later, John is still talking about Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well.
All this comes after ...Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down...
The account of Jesus' temptation in the wilderness ends with, "...the devil...left him until an opportune time (Luke 4:13)."
I don't know when those times occured. I don't know if those times might have been when he was particularly tired, like this time. I don't know if this was one of those times he was tempted.
Tempted to just get something to drink and then move on. Tempted to ignore her, tempted to not ask about her story, tempted to leave well enough alone. Was he? I don't know.
But I do know that ...Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down...and amazing things took place. A conversation. A changed life. A changed village. An enlightened group of disciples.
And I know when I get tired, that might be the exact moment God wants to do something amazing through me.
May we be in tune with the Spirit and not let our weariness cause us to miss out on God's unique opportunities.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Please Go into Debt
Debt.
A lot of people are diving deeper into debt via credit cards. Some may be voluntary. Some may be by necessity.
"People are having to charge basic items like food because it is the only way they can afford them."
It was a quote given by a person testifying in front of a government committee.
The news story went on to splash $8,247 (or some similar number) as the amount of money the average American household has accumulated in credit card debt.
I haven't researched the veracity of the number. And my memory may have moved the numbers around. But the point was clear: Americans have too much debt.
I thought of that story as I read Romans 8:8.
Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for the one who loves their neighbor has fulfilled the law.
My initial reaction was that the debt of love is different than financial debt.
I thought, "We like to pay off credit card debt. But we like to be loved."
Therefore, credit card debt = bad.
Debt of love = good.
And I suppose that's true. But ...
...do we enjoy being "in debt" for love?
Think about it:
When you've been wronged, do you want to act lovingly toward the other person?
When you've been wounded, do you want to make yourself vulnerable again?
When you've been burned, do you want to give that person another chance to burn you?
When you've been clear about your desire are you really ready to be ignored another time?
No. Such thoughts are foolishness. We have probably all heard Jesus' admonition to turn the other cheek or go the second mile. But really. C'mon. He didn't actually mean it, did he?!
Paul tells us he did. Paul tells us to let the debt of loving one another remain outstanding. Continue to owe love to other people. Always be acting, talking, and thinking lovingly towards people.
Then I had this crazy idea.
What if we did the opposite of trying to get out of debt? What if we intentionally went deeper into the debt of love? What if we decided that we'd never be out of the debt of love to other people?
What if we were so determined to love each other that love really did cover a multitude of sins?
What would our community look like if we forgave as we have been forgiven?
I'm guessing that the Chamber of Commerce wouldn't have to do any advertising. People would flock to the area. And not just for the Purple Rose, the Common Grill, or Jiffy Mix. But because there's a place where people would be patient, joyful, and forgiving.
I'm guessing the realtors in town would always have buyers and very few sellers. The value of your home and mine would go up. Who wouldn't want to live in a place where people were always seeking to pay forward the kindness and generosity of others?
Paul writes, "love is the fulfillment of the law" in Romans 8:10b. If everybody is being like Christ, what else would there be to say? Pastors and priests would spend a lot less time talking, teaching, and preaching. We would spend a lot more time doing, working side-by-side with parishioners and congregants who made paying the debt of love a way of life.
I wonder...
Does such a community exist?
Is there a place where people are actually going deeper into this kind of debt?
If you find it, let me know. I want to be a part of such a place.
Grace & peace
A lot of people are diving deeper into debt via credit cards. Some may be voluntary. Some may be by necessity.
"People are having to charge basic items like food because it is the only way they can afford them."
It was a quote given by a person testifying in front of a government committee.
The news story went on to splash $8,247 (or some similar number) as the amount of money the average American household has accumulated in credit card debt.
I haven't researched the veracity of the number. And my memory may have moved the numbers around. But the point was clear: Americans have too much debt.
I thought of that story as I read Romans 8:8.
Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for the one who loves their neighbor has fulfilled the law.
My initial reaction was that the debt of love is different than financial debt.
I thought, "We like to pay off credit card debt. But we like to be loved."
Therefore, credit card debt = bad.
Debt of love = good.
And I suppose that's true. But ...
...do we enjoy being "in debt" for love?
Think about it:
When you've been wronged, do you want to act lovingly toward the other person?
When you've been wounded, do you want to make yourself vulnerable again?
When you've been burned, do you want to give that person another chance to burn you?
When you've been clear about your desire are you really ready to be ignored another time?
No. Such thoughts are foolishness. We have probably all heard Jesus' admonition to turn the other cheek or go the second mile. But really. C'mon. He didn't actually mean it, did he?!
Paul tells us he did. Paul tells us to let the debt of loving one another remain outstanding. Continue to owe love to other people. Always be acting, talking, and thinking lovingly towards people.
Then I had this crazy idea.
What if we did the opposite of trying to get out of debt? What if we intentionally went deeper into the debt of love? What if we decided that we'd never be out of the debt of love to other people?
What if we were so determined to love each other that love really did cover a multitude of sins?
What would our community look like if we forgave as we have been forgiven?
I'm guessing that the Chamber of Commerce wouldn't have to do any advertising. People would flock to the area. And not just for the Purple Rose, the Common Grill, or Jiffy Mix. But because there's a place where people would be patient, joyful, and forgiving.
I'm guessing the realtors in town would always have buyers and very few sellers. The value of your home and mine would go up. Who wouldn't want to live in a place where people were always seeking to pay forward the kindness and generosity of others?
Paul writes, "love is the fulfillment of the law" in Romans 8:10b. If everybody is being like Christ, what else would there be to say? Pastors and priests would spend a lot less time talking, teaching, and preaching. We would spend a lot more time doing, working side-by-side with parishioners and congregants who made paying the debt of love a way of life.
I wonder...
Does such a community exist?
Is there a place where people are actually going deeper into this kind of debt?
If you find it, let me know. I want to be a part of such a place.
Grace & peace
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Psalm 143
Ever living in the midst of confusion and pain? I recently came across this passage and thought it might be helpful to you next time your facing similar circumstances.
O LORD, hear my prayer,
listen to my cry for mercy;
in your faithfulness and righteousness
come to my relief.
Don't you appreciate the honesty of the Psalmist? I get the feeling he is yelling the preceding verses ("hear my cry"). Or at least he's voicing them with great intensity and emotion.
Do not bring your servant into judgment,
for no one is righteous before you.
Good to be reminded that God is the only One who is truly righteous. Before Him, the best you and I bring are like filthy rags. We sometimes want to paint ourselves as 100% innocent and others as 100% guilty. Usually not the case, is it?
I remember the days of long ago;
I meditate on all your works
and consider what your hands have done.
Good habits to get into, aren't they?
"Remember" times in the past when God has been close to you.
"Consider" all the ways God has blessed your life. Things He has done just for you. Take a minute and list 3 of them right now. See if it doesn't change your disposition.
1.____________
2.____________
3.____________
Answer me quickly, O LORD;
my spirit fails. Do not hide your face from me
or I will be like those who go down to the pit
"Answer me quickly!"
Good luck.
Sometimes He chooses to answer quickly.
Sometimes He decides s-l-o-w-l-y is better.
But I like that you and I aren't the only ones who pray this. (You've prayed it too, haven't you?) The Psalmist does too!
Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,
for I have put my trust in you.
Don't you appreciate that David believes in better days? God may or may not have provided the answer we were looking for today. But David now looks ahead to tomorrow. May "the morning" be the place you meet me, if not today or tonight. What a great statement of faith. He continues to look ahead and believe.
Show me the way I should go;
for to you I lift up my soul.
Always a good prayer to pray. David continues to look for guidance, in the midst of the confusion and trouble. May you and I do the same.
Rescue me from my enemies, O LORD,
for I hide myself in you. (Ps. 143:1-2ff)
This is not the 1st time David has mentioned "enemies". He mentions them in verses 3,9, and 12.
David's enemies were easy to spot. People were trying to kill him! They were probably pretty easy to spot.
But I wonder, how often we "mislabel" our enemies. How often do we name our enemies as people when really our fight is against depression, fear of rejection, a power struggle to have our own way, impatience, or a host of other "enemies"?
In your unfailing love, silence my enemies, destroy all my foes, for I am your servant.
May God help us to trust in His unfailing love, to wait until He reveals it, and continue to form and shape us into the servants He has called us to be.
Grace & peace
O LORD, hear my prayer,
listen to my cry for mercy;
in your faithfulness and righteousness
come to my relief.
Don't you appreciate the honesty of the Psalmist? I get the feeling he is yelling the preceding verses ("hear my cry"). Or at least he's voicing them with great intensity and emotion.
Do not bring your servant into judgment,
for no one is righteous before you.
Good to be reminded that God is the only One who is truly righteous. Before Him, the best you and I bring are like filthy rags. We sometimes want to paint ourselves as 100% innocent and others as 100% guilty. Usually not the case, is it?
I remember the days of long ago;
I meditate on all your works
and consider what your hands have done.
Good habits to get into, aren't they?
"Remember" times in the past when God has been close to you.
"Consider" all the ways God has blessed your life. Things He has done just for you. Take a minute and list 3 of them right now. See if it doesn't change your disposition.
1.____________
2.____________
3.____________
Answer me quickly, O LORD;
my spirit fails. Do not hide your face from me
or I will be like those who go down to the pit
"Answer me quickly!"
Good luck.
Sometimes He chooses to answer quickly.
Sometimes He decides s-l-o-w-l-y is better.
But I like that you and I aren't the only ones who pray this. (You've prayed it too, haven't you?) The Psalmist does too!
Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,
for I have put my trust in you.
Don't you appreciate that David believes in better days? God may or may not have provided the answer we were looking for today. But David now looks ahead to tomorrow. May "the morning" be the place you meet me, if not today or tonight. What a great statement of faith. He continues to look ahead and believe.
Show me the way I should go;
for to you I lift up my soul.
Always a good prayer to pray. David continues to look for guidance, in the midst of the confusion and trouble. May you and I do the same.
Rescue me from my enemies, O LORD,
for I hide myself in you. (Ps. 143:1-2ff)
This is not the 1st time David has mentioned "enemies". He mentions them in verses 3,9, and 12.
David's enemies were easy to spot. People were trying to kill him! They were probably pretty easy to spot.
But I wonder, how often we "mislabel" our enemies. How often do we name our enemies as people when really our fight is against depression, fear of rejection, a power struggle to have our own way, impatience, or a host of other "enemies"?
In your unfailing love, silence my enemies, destroy all my foes, for I am your servant.
May God help us to trust in His unfailing love, to wait until He reveals it, and continue to form and shape us into the servants He has called us to be.
Grace & peace
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Accidents in Your Life?
"Classical Christian discernment involves certain underlying assumptions: human life is not accidental; it is a gift from a mysterious, loving Source. The purpose of this gift is twofold:
- an end in itself, loving/enjoying/creating, reflecting the nature of our Source
- and a directed loving/bearing/creating, aimed at unfolding that essential lovingness wherever it is closed off in a wounded, partially blind, and hostile nature." (Spiritual Friend by Tilden H. Edwards)
One way to think of it is this:
So God desires to reveal Himself to you.
And
God desires to reveal Himself through you.
Think about how intense His desire is for you and how great His joy is when He is successful. Jesus puts it this way:
"...suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.' In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." (John 15:8-10)
If there are no accidents, if God is actively seeking lost people, then a couple of things are true.
1.) God is at work in the circumstances of your life to bring you to Himself.
2.) God is at work through you to bring people around you to Himself.
What are ways God might want to reveal Himself to you or others today?
Through a card, a note, an e-mail, or a phone call?
Through a walk in the park or a drive in nature?
Through a song, a book, or a movie?
Through a conversation over lunch or coffee?
May He wake us up to His reaching, seeking Spirit. And may He use us to seek for lost people around us.
Grace & peace
- an end in itself, loving/enjoying/creating, reflecting the nature of our Source
- and a directed loving/bearing/creating, aimed at unfolding that essential lovingness wherever it is closed off in a wounded, partially blind, and hostile nature." (Spiritual Friend by Tilden H. Edwards)
One way to think of it is this:
So God desires to reveal Himself to you.
And
God desires to reveal Himself through you.
Think about how intense His desire is for you and how great His joy is when He is successful. Jesus puts it this way:
"...suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.' In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." (John 15:8-10)
If there are no accidents, if God is actively seeking lost people, then a couple of things are true.
1.) God is at work in the circumstances of your life to bring you to Himself.
2.) God is at work through you to bring people around you to Himself.
What are ways God might want to reveal Himself to you or others today?
Through a card, a note, an e-mail, or a phone call?
Through a walk in the park or a drive in nature?
Through a song, a book, or a movie?
Through a conversation over lunch or coffee?
May He wake us up to His reaching, seeking Spirit. And may He use us to seek for lost people around us.
Grace & peace
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Compassion & Gratitude
Blessed is he who has regard for the weak;
the LORD delivers him in times of trouble.
The LORD will protect him and preserve his life;
he will bless him in the land
and not surrender him to the desire of his foes. (Psalm 41:1-2)
"The Word tells us that often Jesus was moved with compassion for the people with whom he came into contact. Our high-tech, fast-paced society forces us to pass hundreds of people each day without ever asking ourselves, much less God, if they could use a compassionate touch." (from Disciplines for the Inner Life by Bob Benson, Sr. & Michael Benson)
We tend to think favorably about the idea of compassion. We know "the weak" need help and we want them to get it. We know those "in trouble" need to be delivered and protected and we like to help in some way. But...
...when we have to pay the price to show compassion, sometimes we take a step back. Showing compassion might mean:
- Getting up at 4:00 in the morning
- Getting ourselves dirty
- Smelling odors that aren't pleasant
- Being hurt by people who are hurting
- Working in places that are scary
- Sleeping in places that are hot and uncomfortable
I recently spoke with some friends of mine who spent time in the Cass Corridor of Detroit. The stories they brought back were like something out of Hollywood movie scripts. If you came across the characters they met in a 2-hour movie, you'd think the screenwriters were going over the top trying to squeeze in all of the drama they could.
But my friends actually met a cast of characters in their several-day-stay. They met people who had been stabbed. They met people who had been arrested. They met people who had been raped. They met people who had lived on the streets. They met people who had faced the worst of addictions and substance abuse. They met people living on the streets with nothing more than the clothes on their backs.
My friends were amazed how thankful these people were for the small amounts they were receiving; furniture you or I would throw away, these folks were grateful to be able to use; carpet you or I would burn, these folks were giddily installing and treating as brand new.
"Blessed is he who has regard for the weak". I'm taking another look at how God expresses compassion through me this week.
I'm taking another look at how God helps me express gratitude for what I do have (instead of focusing upon what I don't have).
May He help you take second looks at those things too.
Grace & peace
the LORD delivers him in times of trouble.
The LORD will protect him and preserve his life;
he will bless him in the land
and not surrender him to the desire of his foes. (Psalm 41:1-2)
"The Word tells us that often Jesus was moved with compassion for the people with whom he came into contact. Our high-tech, fast-paced society forces us to pass hundreds of people each day without ever asking ourselves, much less God, if they could use a compassionate touch." (from Disciplines for the Inner Life by Bob Benson, Sr. & Michael Benson)
We tend to think favorably about the idea of compassion. We know "the weak" need help and we want them to get it. We know those "in trouble" need to be delivered and protected and we like to help in some way. But...
...when we have to pay the price to show compassion, sometimes we take a step back. Showing compassion might mean:
- Getting up at 4:00 in the morning
- Getting ourselves dirty
- Smelling odors that aren't pleasant
- Being hurt by people who are hurting
- Working in places that are scary
- Sleeping in places that are hot and uncomfortable
I recently spoke with some friends of mine who spent time in the Cass Corridor of Detroit. The stories they brought back were like something out of Hollywood movie scripts. If you came across the characters they met in a 2-hour movie, you'd think the screenwriters were going over the top trying to squeeze in all of the drama they could.
But my friends actually met a cast of characters in their several-day-stay. They met people who had been stabbed. They met people who had been arrested. They met people who had been raped. They met people who had lived on the streets. They met people who had faced the worst of addictions and substance abuse. They met people living on the streets with nothing more than the clothes on their backs.
My friends were amazed how thankful these people were for the small amounts they were receiving; furniture you or I would throw away, these folks were grateful to be able to use; carpet you or I would burn, these folks were giddily installing and treating as brand new.
"Blessed is he who has regard for the weak". I'm taking another look at how God expresses compassion through me this week.
I'm taking another look at how God helps me express gratitude for what I do have (instead of focusing upon what I don't have).
May He help you take second looks at those things too.
Grace & peace
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Lighting Up Your Life
Years ago there was a song entitled, "You Light Up My Life" sung by Debby Boone. (Her dad was Pat Boone for those of you gobble up music trivia.)
Part of the song talks about how the singer's life is filled with hope and light by the person to whom she is singing. She finds "hope to carry on" because of the one she loves.
And this question came to my mind: What lights up my life?
- Seeing my children do well in a concert or an athletic competition lights up my life
- Seeing my wife after I've been away from home for a time lights up my life
- Hearing the punchline to a good joke lights up my life
- Knowing that someone is connecting with God, even in some, small way, really lights up my life
You "light up my life". And you can see it in my face. You can see it in my smile. You can see it my eyes.
I thought of that song this morning as I read Matthew 6:22-23.
The eye is the lamp of the body.
If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light.
But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.
If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
Sometimes we're tempted to look to other people and at other places to "light up our life".
We look to promising careers.
We look to anticipated vacations.
We look to friends or family to make us happy.
But ultimately, there is only One who deserves our full gaze because He is the only One who can truly light up our life.
Our life will be full of light if our eyes are "good", if they are on The Good.
"Good eyes" tells me I should be focusing on what matters.
A "good eye" is not simply one that possesses strong muscles or has the best vision. A "good eye" is one that looks at the best things. Desires, believes, hopes for the best. (See 1 Cor. 13 and Philippians 4:8)
In the opposite way, a "bad eye" spends its time looking at the wrong things, or the right things with the wrong intentions. It becomes "green with envy". It becomes so angry that we can't "see straight". Our eyes can really mess us up by what they look at.
And have you ever tried to look at two things at once?? You end up cross-eyed. You end up dizzy. You end up looking weird. (You can't serve 2 masters [Matthew 6:24]).
So look only at One. Look only at The Good.
Jesus said, "There is no one good but God." He is the only One that deserves our undivided staring. If He is the Object of our constant look, our regular glance, our eyes won't be able to help but be "good".
However, if our eyes are habitually looking to things or people other than God to provide safety, security, predictability, "then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!"
Then we're in trouble. Our eyes are "bad".
I want my eyes to be "good", don't you?
May He be the Object of your affections and the One to whom you constantly are glancing.
He'll light up your life.
Grace & peace
Part of the song talks about how the singer's life is filled with hope and light by the person to whom she is singing. She finds "hope to carry on" because of the one she loves.
And this question came to my mind: What lights up my life?
- Seeing my children do well in a concert or an athletic competition lights up my life
- Seeing my wife after I've been away from home for a time lights up my life
- Hearing the punchline to a good joke lights up my life
- Knowing that someone is connecting with God, even in some, small way, really lights up my life
You "light up my life". And you can see it in my face. You can see it in my smile. You can see it my eyes.
I thought of that song this morning as I read Matthew 6:22-23.
The eye is the lamp of the body.
If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light.
But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.
If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
Sometimes we're tempted to look to other people and at other places to "light up our life".
We look to promising careers.
We look to anticipated vacations.
We look to friends or family to make us happy.
But ultimately, there is only One who deserves our full gaze because He is the only One who can truly light up our life.
Our life will be full of light if our eyes are "good", if they are on The Good.
"Good eyes" tells me I should be focusing on what matters.
A "good eye" is not simply one that possesses strong muscles or has the best vision. A "good eye" is one that looks at the best things. Desires, believes, hopes for the best. (See 1 Cor. 13 and Philippians 4:8)
In the opposite way, a "bad eye" spends its time looking at the wrong things, or the right things with the wrong intentions. It becomes "green with envy". It becomes so angry that we can't "see straight". Our eyes can really mess us up by what they look at.
And have you ever tried to look at two things at once?? You end up cross-eyed. You end up dizzy. You end up looking weird. (You can't serve 2 masters [Matthew 6:24]).
So look only at One. Look only at The Good.
Jesus said, "There is no one good but God." He is the only One that deserves our undivided staring. If He is the Object of our constant look, our regular glance, our eyes won't be able to help but be "good".
However, if our eyes are habitually looking to things or people other than God to provide safety, security, predictability, "then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!"
Then we're in trouble. Our eyes are "bad".
I want my eyes to be "good", don't you?
May He be the Object of your affections and the One to whom you constantly are glancing.
He'll light up your life.
Grace & peace
Lighting Up Your Life
Years ago there was a song entitled, "You Light Up My Life" sung by Debby Boone. (Her dad was Pat Boone for those of you gobble up music trivia.)
Part of the song talks about how the singer's life is filled with hope and light by the person to whom she is singing. She finds "hope to carry on" because of the one she loves.
And this question came to my mind: What lights up my life?
- Seeing my children do well in a concert or an athletic competition lights up my life
- Seeing my wife after I've been away from home for a time lights up my life
- Hearing the punchline to a good joke lights up my life
- Knowing that someone is connecting with God, even in some, small way, really lights up my life
You "light up my life". And you can see it in my face. You can see it in my smile. You can see it my eyes.
I thought of that song this morning as I read Matthew 6:22-23.
The eye is the lamp of the body.
If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light.
But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.
If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
Sometimes we're tempted to look to other people and at other places to "light up our life".
We look to promising careers.
We look to anticipated vacations.
We look to friends or family to make us happy.
But ultimately, there is only One who deserves our full gaze because He is the only One who can truly light up our life.
Our life will be full of light if our eyes are "good", if they are on The Good.
"Good eyes" tells me I should be focusing on what matters.
A "good eye" is not simply one that possesses strong muscles or has the best vision. A "good eye" is one that looks at the best things. Desires, believes, hopes for the best. (See 1 Cor. 13 and Philippians 4:8)
In the opposite way, a "bad eye" spends its time looking at the wrong things, or the right things with the wrong intentions. It becomes "green with envy". It becomes so angry that we can't "see straight". Our eyes can really mess us up by what they look at.
And have you ever tried to look at two things at once?? You end up cross-eyed. You end up dizzy. You end up looking weird. (You can't serve 2 masters [Matthew 6:24]).
So look only at One. Look only at The Good.
Jesus said, "There is no one good but God." He is the only One that deserves our undivided staring. If He is the Object of our constant look, our regular glance, our eyes won't be able to help but be "good".
However, if our eyes are habitually looking to things or people other than God to provide safety, security, predictability, "then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!"
Then we're in trouble. Our eyes are "bad".
I want my eyes to be "good", don't you?
May He be the Object of your affections and the One to whom you constantly are glancing.
He'll light up your life.
Grace & peace
Part of the song talks about how the singer's life is filled with hope and light by the person to whom she is singing. She finds "hope to carry on" because of the one she loves.
And this question came to my mind: What lights up my life?
- Seeing my children do well in a concert or an athletic competition lights up my life
- Seeing my wife after I've been away from home for a time lights up my life
- Hearing the punchline to a good joke lights up my life
- Knowing that someone is connecting with God, even in some, small way, really lights up my life
You "light up my life". And you can see it in my face. You can see it in my smile. You can see it my eyes.
I thought of that song this morning as I read Matthew 6:22-23.
The eye is the lamp of the body.
If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light.
But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.
If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
Sometimes we're tempted to look to other people and at other places to "light up our life".
We look to promising careers.
We look to anticipated vacations.
We look to friends or family to make us happy.
But ultimately, there is only One who deserves our full gaze because He is the only One who can truly light up our life.
Our life will be full of light if our eyes are "good", if they are on The Good.
"Good eyes" tells me I should be focusing on what matters.
A "good eye" is not simply one that possesses strong muscles or has the best vision. A "good eye" is one that looks at the best things. Desires, believes, hopes for the best. (See 1 Cor. 13 and Philippians 4:8)
In the opposite way, a "bad eye" spends its time looking at the wrong things, or the right things with the wrong intentions. It becomes "green with envy". It becomes so angry that we can't "see straight". Our eyes can really mess us up by what they look at.
And have you ever tried to look at two things at once?? You end up cross-eyed. You end up dizzy. You end up looking weird. (You can't serve 2 masters [Matthew 6:24]).
So look only at One. Look only at The Good.
Jesus said, "There is no one good but God." He is the only One that deserves our undivided staring. If He is the Object of our constant look, our regular glance, our eyes won't be able to help but be "good".
However, if our eyes are habitually looking to things or people other than God to provide safety, security, predictability, "then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!"
Then we're in trouble. Our eyes are "bad".
I want my eyes to be "good", don't you?
May He be the Object of your affections and the One to whom you constantly are glancing.
He'll light up your life.
Grace & peace
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Today is garbage day in the City of Chelsea.
If you drive through town you'll see bright orange bags lining the streets. (You have to purchase them or the garbage collectors won't take your garbage.)
In the winter when trash freezes outside, missing garbage day isn't that big of a deal. But in the summer, the stench of food, diapers, and other odors sitting in the garage compels us to faithfully remember garbage day and those bright, orange bags.
Now imagine going along the street and noticing that people were throwing away perfectly good items.
Furniture. Appliances. CD's. Things recently purchased. Or precious mementos like pictures of their children or wedding albums. Brand new books.
If you saw all that in the trash, you'd wonder what was going on.
We expect people to throw away garbage. But items recently acquired on E-Bay or Amazon.com?
Or how 'bout a vehicle that still has a lease you are paying?! You'd have to be nuts!!
I imagine word would get out around town pretty quickly. Neighbors would start to gather, selecting items they thought they could use.
I wonder if that is a little like what Paul was going through in Philippians 3. He writes:
(W)hatever was my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.
What is more, I consider everything a loss
compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord,
for whose sake I have lost all things.
I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him...
All things once with great worth....now worthless.
Everything....now rubbish.
What is profitable in you life?
What has great worth to you?
What do you treasure?
Think about the list for a moment:
computer friends car, house, or boat
music dreams children or grandchildren
reputation getting your own way
Would you really be willing to haul it out to the street today in an orange garbage bag?
There is only one reason to consider everything in that light:
the surpassing greatness of know Christ Jesus my Lord
I want to see everything else in my life through the light of how great following Jesus is.
Somedays I think I'm really headed that direction.
Let's encourage each other down that path.
Grace & peace
If you drive through town you'll see bright orange bags lining the streets. (You have to purchase them or the garbage collectors won't take your garbage.)
In the winter when trash freezes outside, missing garbage day isn't that big of a deal. But in the summer, the stench of food, diapers, and other odors sitting in the garage compels us to faithfully remember garbage day and those bright, orange bags.
Now imagine going along the street and noticing that people were throwing away perfectly good items.
Furniture. Appliances. CD's. Things recently purchased. Or precious mementos like pictures of their children or wedding albums. Brand new books.
If you saw all that in the trash, you'd wonder what was going on.
We expect people to throw away garbage. But items recently acquired on E-Bay or Amazon.com?
Or how 'bout a vehicle that still has a lease you are paying?! You'd have to be nuts!!
I imagine word would get out around town pretty quickly. Neighbors would start to gather, selecting items they thought they could use.
I wonder if that is a little like what Paul was going through in Philippians 3. He writes:
(W)hatever was my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.
What is more, I consider everything a loss
compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord,
for whose sake I have lost all things.
I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him...
All things once with great worth....now worthless.
Everything....now rubbish.
What is profitable in you life?
What has great worth to you?
What do you treasure?
Think about the list for a moment:
computer friends car, house, or boat
music dreams children or grandchildren
reputation getting your own way
Would you really be willing to haul it out to the street today in an orange garbage bag?
There is only one reason to consider everything in that light:
the surpassing greatness of know Christ Jesus my Lord
I want to see everything else in my life through the light of how great following Jesus is.
Somedays I think I'm really headed that direction.
Let's encourage each other down that path.
Grace & peace
Monday, July 7, 2008
Sex & The Lord's Prayer
I stumbled upon a couple of things that got me thinking. The first one was about The Lord's Prayer.
"When we say 'Hallowed be Thy name,' we are praying,
'May the whole of my life be a source of delight to You and may it be an honor to the name which I bear, which is Your name. Hallowed be your name.'
The trouble is that we so frequently know there are great areas of our lives that are not hallowed." (Jesus Teaches on Prayer by Ray C. Stedman)
Throughout the Bible, you will notice that every area of life becomes eligible for being lived God's way, for being hallowed: Work, family, recreation, time, talents, power, government, entertainment, stressful, creative areas, money,...and sex. All of life finds its fulfillment within the intended purposes of the God who created us.
After I read Stedman's words, my mind went back to another thing I had read recently.
In his first letter to the church in Corinth, Paul writes extensively about marriage.
Now, we often use 1 Corinthians 13 at weddings ("Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.")
You've probably heard it. It is a great passage, a poetic passage; a passage I've used at many ceremonies. But it's not the passage I'm talking about.
If you turn back just six chapters in that same letter, you see a very different type of instruction on marriage.
I Corinthians 7 is apparently in response to a letter the Corinthians sent Paul. "Now for the matters you wrote about," is the way Paul begins. And what follows may surprise you. Take a look. Paul's going to talk to us about the birds and the bees.
"The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband." (v4)
Did you hear that? The Apostle is telling the husband and wife that they need to be together. That intimacy is a part of our "marital duty" to our spouse.
Does that shock you? When's the last time you heard the Church instructing people to have sex?
The Church often gets the reputation that we're trying to keep people from being intimate and enjoying each other. Not necessarily. Read on:
"Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer." (v8a)
Think about that for a moment. The only reason Paul lists for not being with our husband or wife on a regular basis is to PRAY. How many couples have been so committed to prayer that they fail to take time to "fulfill their marital duty"?!
I know praying is important but I don't know too many people who want to pray THAT badly!
No, I'm guessing that most of us have other reasons we're not spending time together.
Maybe he's thoughtless.
Maybe she nags.
Maybe we think the other is only interested in selfish desires.
Those problems and a truckload of others keeps us from fulfilling our marital responsibility.
And I don't simply mean the animal, physical act.
I mean the emotional acts of playing, laughing, or hugging.
The social acts of talking and listening.
The affectionate, creative act of finding ways to let your husband or wife know they are THE MOST IMPORTANT PERSON IN THE WORLD TO YOU.
I think all of that is wrapped up in Paul's instructions to "fulfill our marital duty".
How often could we avoid extra-marital affairs if we faithfully, tenderly fulfilled our marital duty?
How many TV's would be turned off or internet sites have to go out of business if there was a healthy, mutually-enjoyed relationship in the marriage?
Ask yourself, "How am I doing at hallowing my marriage?"
You may never say The Lord's Prayer the same way again. I hope you don't.
Grace & peace
"When we say 'Hallowed be Thy name,' we are praying,
'May the whole of my life be a source of delight to You and may it be an honor to the name which I bear, which is Your name. Hallowed be your name.'
The trouble is that we so frequently know there are great areas of our lives that are not hallowed." (Jesus Teaches on Prayer by Ray C. Stedman)
Throughout the Bible, you will notice that every area of life becomes eligible for being lived God's way, for being hallowed: Work, family, recreation, time, talents, power, government, entertainment, stressful, creative areas, money,...and sex. All of life finds its fulfillment within the intended purposes of the God who created us.
After I read Stedman's words, my mind went back to another thing I had read recently.
In his first letter to the church in Corinth, Paul writes extensively about marriage.
Now, we often use 1 Corinthians 13 at weddings ("Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.")
You've probably heard it. It is a great passage, a poetic passage; a passage I've used at many ceremonies. But it's not the passage I'm talking about.
If you turn back just six chapters in that same letter, you see a very different type of instruction on marriage.
I Corinthians 7 is apparently in response to a letter the Corinthians sent Paul. "Now for the matters you wrote about," is the way Paul begins. And what follows may surprise you. Take a look. Paul's going to talk to us about the birds and the bees.
"The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband." (v4)
Did you hear that? The Apostle is telling the husband and wife that they need to be together. That intimacy is a part of our "marital duty" to our spouse.
Does that shock you? When's the last time you heard the Church instructing people to have sex?
The Church often gets the reputation that we're trying to keep people from being intimate and enjoying each other. Not necessarily. Read on:
"Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer." (v8a)
Think about that for a moment. The only reason Paul lists for not being with our husband or wife on a regular basis is to PRAY. How many couples have been so committed to prayer that they fail to take time to "fulfill their marital duty"?!
I know praying is important but I don't know too many people who want to pray THAT badly!
No, I'm guessing that most of us have other reasons we're not spending time together.
Maybe he's thoughtless.
Maybe she nags.
Maybe we think the other is only interested in selfish desires.
Those problems and a truckload of others keeps us from fulfilling our marital responsibility.
And I don't simply mean the animal, physical act.
I mean the emotional acts of playing, laughing, or hugging.
The social acts of talking and listening.
The affectionate, creative act of finding ways to let your husband or wife know they are THE MOST IMPORTANT PERSON IN THE WORLD TO YOU.
I think all of that is wrapped up in Paul's instructions to "fulfill our marital duty".
How often could we avoid extra-marital affairs if we faithfully, tenderly fulfilled our marital duty?
How many TV's would be turned off or internet sites have to go out of business if there was a healthy, mutually-enjoyed relationship in the marriage?
Ask yourself, "How am I doing at hallowing my marriage?"
You may never say The Lord's Prayer the same way again. I hope you don't.
Grace & peace
Thursday, July 3, 2008
You've Got it All
His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. (2 Peter 1:3)
Did you hear that?
We have everything we need for life and godliness.
Staggering, isn't it?
Do you feel ill-equipped?
You have "everything you need".
Do you think the idea of living a Christ-like life is WAY OUT OF YOUR REACH? Only for others?
You have "everything you need".
Do you feel overwhelmed and unable to face the tasks & challenges of the day?
You have "everything you need".
Say that verse again. But this time, put yourself in there.
His divine power has given ME everything I need for life and godliness through MY knowledge of him who called ME by his own glory and goodness.
Maybe you're like me. I need to pause in the midst of the day-to-day struggles in life and be reminded that He has provided all I need.
I have to take a deep breath, step back and be reminded of the gifts He has made available.
I need to "be still and know that He is God" because life can really mess with me. And if I'm not careful, I forget that I have everything I need for life and godliness.
Instead, I live like I've got nothin'.
So next time you or I feel like life's got us in a chokehold, and we're about to go down for the count, let's remind each other that we've got everything we need because of him who called us.
Grace & peace
Did you hear that?
We have everything we need for life and godliness.
Staggering, isn't it?
Do you feel ill-equipped?
You have "everything you need".
Do you think the idea of living a Christ-like life is WAY OUT OF YOUR REACH? Only for others?
You have "everything you need".
Do you feel overwhelmed and unable to face the tasks & challenges of the day?
You have "everything you need".
Say that verse again. But this time, put yourself in there.
His divine power has given ME everything I need for life and godliness through MY knowledge of him who called ME by his own glory and goodness.
Maybe you're like me. I need to pause in the midst of the day-to-day struggles in life and be reminded that He has provided all I need.
I have to take a deep breath, step back and be reminded of the gifts He has made available.
I need to "be still and know that He is God" because life can really mess with me. And if I'm not careful, I forget that I have everything I need for life and godliness.
Instead, I live like I've got nothin'.
So next time you or I feel like life's got us in a chokehold, and we're about to go down for the count, let's remind each other that we've got everything we need because of him who called us.
Grace & peace
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Psalm 101
I've been living in Psalm 101 this week. It is one of the readings assigned in the book I'm currently using.
A couple of passages have captured my attention.
I will sing of your love and justice;
to you, O LORD, I will sing praise.
I will be careful to lead a blameless life -
when will you come to me? (101:1-2)
These verses just seemed to "sing" to me as I read them out loud this morning at the piano in the sanctuary. So much so that a melody came to my mind.
(We're going to learn these verses in a new song together Sunday for those of you who will be in church.)
Another phrase that caught my attention was, I will set before my eyes no vile thing (v3).
If the Psalmist needed to say that in his day, how much more do we need to be vigilant about what we set before our eyes today?
Isn't this a great prayer for us to pray for our children or our spouses?
"God, help them to set no vile thing before their eyes."
"Vile things" are everywhere.
- Images and thoughts that would twist the good God has created. (Money, sex, power. All can be healthy and God-pleasing. But all can be used to destroy too.)
- Systems and sets of priorities in the world that tell us WE are the center, the beginning, the end, the most important thing; and cause us to neglect God and those around us.
Think about our entertainment, our relationships, our talents, our time. They can be used in "vile" ways. (One synonym for "vile" is "worthless". There are lots of things that are worthless. There are things that tempt us to live worthless lives and spend our energies in worthless ways.
OR we can live in ways that ADD value to life.
Here's another phrase I'm contemplating:
Every morning I will put to silence all the wicked in the land (v8a).
"Every morning".
If the Psalmist had to work hard, consistently, daily, to set his mind right, do I need to do any less?
When we talk about a daily devotional time, this is why.
"Every morning....PUT TO SILENCE..."
Another great prayer starter:
"Every morning put to silence voices that compete for my attention"
"Every morning put to silence noises that would cause me to fear or worry instead of trust"
"God, put to silence things that really aren't that important so I can concentrate on the most important issues"
"Father, put to silence voices that tell me I'm alone or forgotten by You.
What is the Spirit impressing upon you right now that you need to "put to silence"?
My prayer for you today is that the Spirit will use Psalm 101 to help you sing God's praise through the way you live.
Grace & peace
A couple of passages have captured my attention.
I will sing of your love and justice;
to you, O LORD, I will sing praise.
I will be careful to lead a blameless life -
when will you come to me? (101:1-2)
These verses just seemed to "sing" to me as I read them out loud this morning at the piano in the sanctuary. So much so that a melody came to my mind.
(We're going to learn these verses in a new song together Sunday for those of you who will be in church.)
Another phrase that caught my attention was, I will set before my eyes no vile thing (v3).
If the Psalmist needed to say that in his day, how much more do we need to be vigilant about what we set before our eyes today?
Isn't this a great prayer for us to pray for our children or our spouses?
"God, help them to set no vile thing before their eyes."
"Vile things" are everywhere.
- Images and thoughts that would twist the good God has created. (Money, sex, power. All can be healthy and God-pleasing. But all can be used to destroy too.)
- Systems and sets of priorities in the world that tell us WE are the center, the beginning, the end, the most important thing; and cause us to neglect God and those around us.
Think about our entertainment, our relationships, our talents, our time. They can be used in "vile" ways. (One synonym for "vile" is "worthless". There are lots of things that are worthless. There are things that tempt us to live worthless lives and spend our energies in worthless ways.
OR we can live in ways that ADD value to life.
Here's another phrase I'm contemplating:
Every morning I will put to silence all the wicked in the land (v8a).
"Every morning".
If the Psalmist had to work hard, consistently, daily, to set his mind right, do I need to do any less?
When we talk about a daily devotional time, this is why.
"Every morning....PUT TO SILENCE..."
Another great prayer starter:
"Every morning put to silence voices that compete for my attention"
"Every morning put to silence noises that would cause me to fear or worry instead of trust"
"God, put to silence things that really aren't that important so I can concentrate on the most important issues"
"Father, put to silence voices that tell me I'm alone or forgotten by You.
What is the Spirit impressing upon you right now that you need to "put to silence"?
My prayer for you today is that the Spirit will use Psalm 101 to help you sing God's praise through the way you live.
Grace & peace
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