NTNI

Paradox

2009-09-10T08:23:00.000-05:00

Most things are not what they seem on the surface. I love artichokes! Even as a child, I enjoyed them. Mom would pop those green gems into hot water and boil them for about an hour. A little garlic butter or mayonnaise and you’re good to go. My friends and family who don’t like artichokes can’t get past the hard outer leaves. Those outer leaves are very tough and have sharp barbs that need clipped! The outer leaves and barbs protect the inner, tender leaves and heart. You have to peel off six to eight layers before you reach the tender, juicy leaves. Then pure heaven when you get to the heart. What a treat!

Gee, almost sounds like us human beings. Layers. The outer layer that others see. With this layer people makes judgments about us. They think they know us because of the surface layer. But it is tough and contains barbs for our protection. You don’t really get to the good stuff until some layers are peeled off. We are careful who we let in, and that’s as it should be. We need to be careful, people need to prove themselves. But we’re Christians, we should be different, or so they say.

And we are different! We are, or should be, open to be a witness to what Jesus has done in our lives. We are, or should be, open to minister to the needs of others. But it doesn’t mean that we should bare our souls, reveal our innermost core to every Tom, Dick and Harry. Ministry and witnessing are one thing. But our mentor’s, mentee’s and close friends need to be tried, tested before we reveal all. If we bare our souls to the wrong people, we are likely to be eaten by the wolves.

We do need those people with whom we can share everything. People who we hold ourselves accountable to. Our propensity to sin makes this accountability a must! But in the same breath, we need to say that there are people who cannot be trusted. They are too immature to hold a confidence. A person once said to me, “What good is there in knowing something if you can’t tell it.” Not everything needs to be told!

When Jesus was preparing to send the disciples out he said “Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. Be as wary as snakes and harmless as doves” (Matthew 10:16, NLT). Jesus knew that there would be people who wanted to destroy them just as they tried to destroy him. In our lives we need to learn to balance wisdom and vulnerability to accomplish what he has designed, prepared us to do. We are his sheep, we follow the great shepherd.

John 10:9-10 (NLT), “Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. Wherever they go they will find green pastures. The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give life in all its fullness.” Don’t withdraw, go forward. Be gentle and wary. Be open yet guarded. "Be gentle as doves but wary as snakes" Trust and obey - - there really is no other way.

Gentle Care

2009-09-06T10:11:00.000-05:00

The other day, between appointments, I was listening to Alistair Begg on his program Truth for Life. He was speaking of Christ’s gentle care for his sheep. I thought about my daughter and a friend of hers, who are both in the midst of difficult times. One because of the birthday of a loved one who had died and the other the anniversary of the death of a loved one. The heartache and pain are real. None who care for these two ladies, can be untouched by the hurt they feel. Those who love them are “touched with the feelings of their infirmity.” Both of these ladies are working through their grief.

In the message, Rev. Begg said, “All Christ’s sheep are diseased, so He takes gentle care of them.” Many people think He cares for His sheep because they are good or perfect. This is nowhere near the truth. In our personal lives, as well as our church life, we have put up a “false” storefront. That storefront causes people to make assumptions about what is inside. (Perfect, Sound, having no worries or troubles.) When you open the door you see the “real” structure. (Imperfect, diseased, in need of a friend, a savior.) You and I, including the church, are merely imperfect human beings trying to become what Christ intended us to be. As Christ followers, we have the same questions, trials, sufferings and heartaches as those who do not believe. So what’s the difference? The difference is that “He takes gentle care of his sheep.” When we have the heartaches – He is there! When we have the suffering – He is there! When we have the questions and trials – He is there! And just as important, He is there during the joys and victories of our life.

I am not against the Church. I am Pro-Church. What I am against is the perception of what the Church is. It IS NOT a “gathering of the gods”. It IS a “trauma center” for the lost, sick, and suffering whose heartaches are beyond human healing! One time the Pharisees asked Jesus (Luke 5:30, NLT), “Why do you eat and drink with such scum?” His answer is found in verses 31 and 32 “…Healthy people don’t need a doctor – sick people do. I have come to call sinners to turn from their sins, not to spend my time with those who THINK they are already good enough.” (Emphasis mine.)

Are you one of His sheep? If so, religious people may consider you “scum”, but Jesus sees your heartache, pain and disease and is there to “take gentle care of you”. It doesn’t mean he leaves you alone, or doesn’t cause discomfort. He helps clean the wounds – that hurts. He asks, and helps, you change things in your life that need to be changed. His love and care are active not passive. He will not leave us where he found us. He will bring us, at our speed, to the place he has designed for us. We can’t get there by ourselves. He accomplishes it, but we have to be willing to do what He asks.

If you are not one of His sheep, is there any hope for you? Most assuredly! He wants you. Searches for you. Seeks you. Why does he want you and me, the “so called” scum? “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it.” John 3:16-17 (NLT).

He wants you!! Not because of anything you have done but because of what He has done. He wants you to become one of his sheep. All you have to do is ask, and he will begin "caring gently for you".

What about the questions-----

2009-09-02T09:30:00.004-05:00

Recently I was asked a question that took me by surprise. “How and why do you believe in God?” It’s not that I don’t know what I believe and why, it’s more an issue of thinking like a seeker of God. I accepted Christ as my personal savior in 1970. There was a time when I, like the prodigal son, went my own way. Since returning to Him in 1980, I have focused on trying to grow in faith, love and peace. Throughout those years, I’ve done the things I’ve known to do. I was involved in the church . . . teaching – both individuals and Sunday school classes, joining the Hospital Ministry Team and visiting the sick, participating in foreign missions, and as we had the ability, giving to the needy. The problem? I had slipped into the “so heavenly minded no earthly good” category of Christendom. I have always believed that if we live our lives as “Christ-followers”, showing his love, concern and compassion we will be asked by those who are watching us “What about this God you serve?”

In 1970 I was stationed on Crete with the US Air Force. I remember a man, who served at the same base, stopped me one day and asked why I was always so happy and friendly. I didn’t know him but it was a small base so we saw each other often in the mess hall, post office and other places around the base. I had the enthusiasm of the new believer and it spilled out over everyone who came near. That’s as it should be. I wasn’t surprised at his question, because the questions were fresh in my memory.

I have lost sight of the questions. I could blame it on the hardships of life I had to endure, or be religious and say it’s because of the “so called” maturity I have attained. Or we could say, like my toddler granddaughter says, “Grandpa’s Old”. How about being honest? I, like a lot Christians, got comfortable in the Church environment. All our activities are at the church. All our friends are at church. Everything we do is centered on the church. I’m not saying that is bad. We need that fellowship and learning. We need to be around those like-minded people, but there comes a time when we need to around “seekers” also. If we believe Jesus is the only one who can love and save us, we should be around folks who need to know that. How will they know to ask if we don’t display His love in their presence?

I’ve started thinking about the questions and the framework again. While I know the questions, since the dawn of man, have been the same, today’s world has a different context, and framework. In his book The Reason for God, Timothy Keller says in part ”…I had never experienced God’s presence personally. This required not so much knowledge of techniques for prayer, but a process in which I came to grips with my own needs, flaws, and problems. It was painful, and was, as is typical, triggered by disappointments and failures. … but it needs to be said that faith-journeys are never simply intellectual exercises.” I think the questions and answers are part of the process. Viva la process!

A few things in closing. Keep the enthusiasm you had as a new believer, you’ll spill over. Don’t get so caught up in “church life” that you don’t rub shoulders with unbelievers. Show the love and compassion of Jesus in your daily life and you will be so refreshingly different that those around you will be compelled to ask, “What about this God you serve?”

Don’t be surprised with the questions, expect them!

What is the most important Thing?

2009-08-29T15:08:00.002-05:00

I loved my Grandpa. He was the most gentle man I’ve ever known. That’s not to say he was weak. He was a man who stood by his convictions. He worked 15 acres of oranges by himself (except for picking) well into his 70’s. He was a farmer from a family of farmers. He fought in WW I, following the war he worked at a petroleum refinery until he had saved enough to buy the orange orchard. His passion was to see things grow. That included his oranges, garden and honey bees as well as his children and grandchildren.

Almost every summer, until I was old enough to get a job, I stayed several weeks with Grandma & Grandpa. Sometimes I would “help” with the tractor work, spraying weeds, extracting honey and irrigating. I was so proud to be “helping” my Grandpa. As I look back I realize that I really wasn’t much of a help. If the truth be told, he could have gotten his work done in half the time without “my help”. He took the extra time because he loved me and wanted me to become a man both he and I would be proud of. Although he was not perfect he had a good heart, a loving heart, a caring heart. I was proud to be his grandson and wanted to be like him.

Grandpa died 25 years ago yet the lessons he taught are still with me. I recall one time when my father asked me to do something and I botched it really good. Dad got angry but Grandpa said, “Son, you had to learn that too. Take time to teach him.” That was my Grandpa and I loved him. I still miss him today.

I thought about him because 2 weeks ago was his birthday. In the mid 1970’s, when I was stationed with the US Air Force on the island of Crete, he wrote and asked me a question, “What, other than God, who is love, is the most important thing in life?” Typical Grandpa! I was half way around the world and he wanted to teach me something! I contemplated that question for countless hours. No matter what I came up with, it seemed it all boiled down to God, who is love. When I returned to the states, I asked him what the answer was and in typical fashion, he said “Keep thinkin’ on it and you’ll figure it out.” For the last 35 years I’ve been “thinkin’ on it”. I still don’t have an answer! To be honest, I’m not sure there is “one” answer.

I’m 60 now and come from long lived people and expect to be around another 25 or 30 years. Will I ever know the answer or will I still be “thinkin’ on” that question for the next 30 years. Or is it that always looking for truth is what is important. Is it the “seeking with the whole heart” that is the crux of the matter.

Matthew 7:7-8 (NIV) says "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” The tense of the verb indicates continual action and probably could be better translated “ask and keep on asking, seek and keep on seeking, knock and keep on knocking.” Why is this?

I told my daughter awhile back that when we accept Christ we are adopted into the family. We are then His kids, part of His family. From that point on it is a matter of maturity. We don’t learn everything we need to learn when we are babies. At every stage of our development, in both the physical and spiritual, we learn the things we need for that stage. God doesn’t infuse us with all the wisdom and knowledge we need when we are born. He teaches us like my Grandpa taught me, by taking time and teaching us what we need to know. Letting us learn at our own pace and not getting angry while we are trying. It takes time, it takes a lifetime!

Don’t misunderstand, God does get angry. But not at his children who are trying! His anger is toward those who misrepresent Him, His kingdom, and His kids! Are you trying? Then keep on trying. You’ll get there. When (not if) you mess up, even mess up real bad, He has an answer in 1 John 1:9 (NLT) “But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. “ You see, we are His kids and He loves us even more than we love our own kids and grandkids.

Oh by the way, what do you think the most import thing is, other than God, who is Love?

Rights & Responsibilities Restored

2009-08-27T14:48:00.000-05:00

I was thinking about the parable of the prodigal son today (Luke 15). Most of us know the story. There was a man with two sons. One of them got tired of living the life his father wanted. He wanted to do his own thing, go his own way. He exercised his God given right to choose. He asked his father for his share of the inheritance. The father gave it to him. I know it had to break his heart, but the father could not ignore the son’s right to choose.

The son took his share and went to a far off land. Just as a side note, anytime we go anywhere without God we are in a far off land. The son used his money in wild living. The Bible says riotous living. I imagine he had one heck of a party. When the money was gone so were his friends. About that time there was a famine. No one would give him anything. He took a job feeding pigs. Now, to the Jew that was just about as low as you get, pigs were unclean animals. He was starving and soon the pig swill started to look good to him. The Bible says that he finally “came to his senses” and realized that the hired hands at his father’s farm ate better than he did. So he decided that he would return and tell his Dad that he had sinned and wasn’t worthy anymore to be called a son, but could he work as a hired hand. To most of us we would agree that this would be fair. After all he had done all these things so he shouldn’t be restored until he had “paid the penalty”. But what was the Dad’s reaction.

I find the father’s response amazing. He had never stopped loving his son. We are told that he saw his son far off coming home. He had been watching for his son, expecting him to return home. Most of us – seeking justice – would have let the son grovel for awhile. He needed to suffer for the pain and heartache he caused. We would have had him start at the bottom of the business to prove his loyalty and love. But that’s not what the father did. When he saw his son far off he ran to him with his forgiveness. Isn’t that just like the heart of a “true” father. The son asked forgiveness. The father called for the signet ring, his sign of authority, the best robes to wear and called for a feast. All because his son who had been lost was now found. His son who had been dead was now alive. The party began.

You see, too often we want justice to be inflicted on the sinner. We want to see them punished as the law requires. We forget that to the man or woman who repents and turns to Jesus, justice has already been served. That is why Jesus died, to take our punishment, to pay the price for our sin. In our zeal for justice, we cast aside the only sacrifice that could ever cover man’s sin. The death and resurrection of Jesus.

In this parable, maybe you are the father, or maybe the son. I know in my life I have been both. Jesus has paid the price for what you have done. However, for his sacrifice to mean anything in your life, you first have to admit your sin and accept his sacrifice. It’s still free will. Once you do, you are restored to full son ship, with all the rights and responsibilities.

It is He

2009-08-26T20:01:00.002-05:00

Nearly 30 years ago, my nine year old daughter, wrote a poem and gave it to me. I’ve kept it and periodically will bring it out to read. That little poem has brought me much comfort over the years. Sometimes it takes a child to remind us why Jesus died and that He loves us.

As children, my sisters and I were allowed to go to Sunday School and Church . . . . if someone would take us. A few doors down lived a Baptist Minister and his family. His kids were about our ages and we were friends. They would take us. So we were “bus kid” before there was officially a “Bus Ministry”. As is typical, in a couple of years, the minister was reassigned. Tragically, no one in that church cared enough about us to pick us up, so when I was 9 (interesting isn’t it) I stopped going to church.

Nearly 20 years later I was living in McAlester, OK. Wonder of wonders, on a Saturday morning another young Baptist Pastor, who had a vision for children, came by and asked to take my kids to Sunday School and Church. So my kids were officially “bus kids”. Several months later I started taking them and in the process I accepted Christ as my personal Savior. Now you can see why this little poem means so much to me.

It’s Jesus Christ

It is Jesus Christ
It is He
Who died for me.
It is He,
He is the one that died for you
And me He loves
You and He will always care
He loves me and you
Jesus Christ Our Lord.

By -------- (age 9)

It was soon after she wrote this that her mother took the kids away. For many years I had no contact with them, I didn’t know where they were a lot of the time and had no idea what their lives were like. I do know that at one point she walked to a church and was told not to come back until she had better clothes.
There were many years that I held Philippians 1: 6 close, “And I am sure that God, who began a good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on that day when Christ Jesus comes back again” (NLT).

I have to admit that I sometimes get frustrated with “The Church”. It seems to me that we focus on the unimportant details and ignore the eternal mission – “Souls”. God loves every child, every adult on every street in America and the world. We want them to change their cloths before we accept them – God accepts them as they are, then begins to change their hearts, minds, and yes sometimes even their clothes.

His admonition was to preach the “Good News” – that Jesus died for our sin. We won’t see any change in people until we show them the “Good News” of His love to man. HE heals, HE cleans and HE makes whole those who accept his sacrifice. Quit trying to change their shirt, show them His Love so their hearts can be changed.

The Toad

2009-08-26T08:14:00.000-05:00

The Toad sat in quiet defiance of the Snake. Not once, but many times, he had seen Snake strike and devour his friends and family. But he was smarter, and more important, faster than any of his friends ever had been. Hadn’t he won this game countless times? He would always win! Each time he would wait a little longer. It was great fun. He would sit alert, tense and just as Snake started to strike, he would flex his muscled legs and soar through the air to escape. Snakes’ fangs would grasp thin air. Ha ha, oh what fun! And the excitement, thrilling.

Toads’ friend, “Old Owl”, had tried to tell him he was tempting fate. “Stay away from Snake,” Owl said, “or one day you’ll end up as lunch. Snake is mighty tricky.”

Now, “Old Owl” was the king of the pond. As far as Toad knew, Owl had never been wrong about anything, but there had never been a toad like him before either. Wasn’t he the fastest toad that had ever existed? Wasn’t he the smartest toad that had ever come to the Pond? He was proud of his muscled legs and his deep bass croak. He was the finest of specimens’, and he knew it. He would always win!

Snake moved! Toad was instantly alert. He focused his whole attention on Snake. His timing had to be exact. He tensed his muscles, he was ready to soar. His heart was beating faster, blood rushing through his body. His eyes flashed defiance to Snake. Owl didn't know what he was talking about. He was ready!

Suddenly, a pain shot through his leg. He tried to jump but couldn’t. He looked back and saw Snake’s brother with his fangs buried deep in his leg. Snake was smiling now. As Snake opened his mouth wide for his lunch, Toad remembered what he had heard, “Snake is mighty tricky.”

James 4:7-8, “So humble yourselves before God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you. Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you…”

Comfort and Strength As Close As A Whisper

2009-08-24T08:07:00.000-05:00

If you're like me, there are times when you need comfort, assurance and strength. The daily grind added to the attacks on our souls, seems to wear us down.

We have a tendency to fight our battles with the strength of our own arms. While we do need to go to battle, to fight the good fight, our strength is not sufficient. One person, alone, cannot muster enough strength to win the fight.

Knowing that we are on God's side is enough to help us maintain our stand during adversity. In Isiah 40 verse 1 (NLT) God says " Comfort, comfort my people...Speak tenderly to Jerusalem. Tell her that her sad days are gone and that her sins are pardoned..." They still had 100 years of trouble and 70 years of exile. God didn't say they would escape adversity (and neither will we). He said they were forgiven. Even today we have that same comfort. Going into our personal daily battles with the knowledge that God is with us, can give us the strength to overcome those adversities and trials.

Sounds simple, right? It is simple but not easy. At the end of Chapter 40 God says, " He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint."

"Trust" is not a noun, it is a verb. It is action. So how do we trust in the Lord? By prayer, worship and service to others.

So when (not if) you need His comfort, Strength, and Assurance, "Trust in the Lord" with your worship, prayer and service. He is as close as a whisper.

There Is Always A Plan

2009-08-23T08:53:00.001-05:00

When Israel was in captivity in Babylon, a group of people; calling themselves prophets, encouraged Israel to get comfortable, build houses, and to plant crops. They were to begin their lives in captivity as if it would never end. That's exactly what the enemy of your soul wants you to think, there is no hope so just get comfortable. They were there because of the choices they made not because God was mean. We need to remember they were there because of sin. They had, in essence, thrown out God's plan for their lives and gone their own way. They had exercised the God given right to decide. The travesty is that it not only affected them, but their children and grandchildren.

It's still true today. We can exercise the same God given right to choose and put aside God's plans for us and "do our own thing". We go into "captivity". But we are not captives of Babylon but of Satan. It is still our children and grandchildren who suffer from our rebellion against God.

There is hope for us today, just as there was for Israel. God always has a plan for us. Even when it is sidetracked by our parents or ourselves, there is a way to get back to God's plan.

In Jeremiah 29: 8-14, God gives a warning and a promise. He says, “Do not let your prophets and fortune-tellers who are with you in the land of Babylon trick you. Do not listen to their dreams, because they are telling you lies in my name. I have not sent them,” says the Lord. This is what the Lord says: “You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you,” says the Lord. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.”

The thing I like the best in that is we will find God if we look and He will end our captivity, bring us home, and restore what we lost and fulfill His promises in our lives.

No matter where you are or what you've done, God is waiting for you to "seek" Him so he can bring you home.