Desiring God

Have you ever watched people rush to eat a free meal?  It can often sound like a herd of antelope crossing the African Savannah.  This is how strong the urge can be to take advantage of food at a bargain basement price.  I witnessed just such a thing recently while my family and I were on vacation at the Gulf Coast.  

We stayed at a nice resort hotel right on the beach in the panhandle of Florida.  One thing that this particular spot is known for, is a free breakfast to anyone who vacations there.  Around eight-o-clock in the morning, you had better already have a spot in line for food.  If not, then you will need to get out of the way.  All of a sudden, the antelope rush in ... hordes of people clamoring to get in line and grab a plate.  Chivalry must truly be dead, because it wasn't always women and children first!

Even if you are lucky enough to get a plate and silverware before the supply runs short, it's still no guarantee that you will find a table to sit down and eat.  Huddled masses of people line the walls and entry way - first the tables fill up, and then the booths.  Pretty soon, it's standing room only.  

I couldn't help but think to myself, what if people rushed to God in the same way?  What if churches were so full that you couldn't find a place to sit?  What if people had that same look of hunger and desperation for the sermon or the music, as they do for a free breakfast?  What if ...

These questions loomed as I watched the food lines ebb and flow throughout the morning.  One person had pancakes stacked so high on their plate that it looked like a Dr. Seuss illustration from the book 'Green Eggs and Ham.'

Listen to how Psalm 73:25 describes how the human heart should focus on God.  It says, "Whom have I in heaven but you?  And earth has nothing I desire besides you."

Honestly, it's true.  There is nothing here on earth that we can take with us when we pass from this world to the next.  Who else but God should we be seeking?  Why would we want to be anywhere else but His church on Sunday morning?

And again, we read Psalm 119:81 which says, "My soul faints with longing for your salvation, but I have put my hope in your word."

As I watch all the people rushing to the head of the breakfast buffet at the resort, I wonder to myself: what do these folks long for spiritually?  Is it God?  And if so, do they run and seek Him in the same desperate manner?

Nominal Christianity is a big problem today.  If we are to trust those little surveys asking us to check this box or that one, then a good percentage of people are checking the "none" box.  This means that they do not consider themselves Christian, or any other faith.  But rather, their spiritual tradition is simply ... 'none.'  No faith whatsoever.

This of course, doesn't bode well for the twenty-first century church.  Sunday morning is often in stiff competition with sports practices, shopping trips, or the like.  And for many tired people, I suspect it is the only time during the week they get to rest.  

Here is my question for you today.  Do you desire God?  Do you tuck away His word in your heart?  Are you desperate for Him?

Years ago, we went on one of those "free" vacations, where you have to listen to a sales pitch for a time share condominium.  It was on the East Coast that time, and just a short distance from Virginia Beach.  When it came time for my wife and I to visit the sales office, we quickly discovered that our two hour presentation turned into half a day.  A very eager young man was trying to make his commission I think, by selling us a time share package we didn't need.  

At one point, the conversation took an interesting turn as the salesman began to discuss his grandmother's faith.  He said her favorite Scripture was Psalm 91.  My wife and I looked at each other in amazement, as we both realized that only months earlier - she had gone to get a tattoo of this same Biblical passage.  The stars had lined up for us that day I guess, as the Scripture that the young man talked about also graced my wife's left shoulder.

To be exact, it was Psalm 91:1-4.  It says this, "Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say of the Lord, 'He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.'  Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence.  He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart."

We are to trust in God.  He is our refuge and our shield.  And if we need to run anywhere, then run to Him.  

My advice for this generation is to stay desperate for God.  Cultivate that strained look in your eye not for a quick visit to a resort breakfast buffet, but rather to a God that offers the type of water where you will never go thirsty again.  To drink from the spiritual cup of Jesus, and thus stay satiated.  Trust me, this is much more than the world can offer us anyway.

Desire God's word and His presence in your life.  Attend services at His house on Sunday morning; fight the urge to do something else.  How wonderful it would be for God's house here on earth to be standing room only.




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Am I Going to Heaven?

Another great family vacation is in the books.  We traveled to Florida for a week of rest and recreation - one of our favorite destinations.  We decided not to drive this time, as that road trip takes around 20 hours.  With three kids and no guarantee of good weather, I thought it best to fly.  Air travel means airport security of course, and my heart actually goes out to all of the TSA folks that work the gate.  It is their difficult job to assess, search, and double-check each person's luggage and carry-on bag before they can board.

In our situation, we took pains to make certain that anything like liquid or toothpaste was stored in a bag that would be checked in the luggage compartment of the plane.  As we went through the process of taking off our shoes, placing everything we owned in little gray crates on a conveyor belt, and walking through a metal detector ... I noticed that my daughter's bag had been sectioned off for additional hand searching.

She noticed this as well, and immediately began to panic.  She politely pinched the sleeve of my shirt and said, "Ummm Dad, they have my bag."

Sure enough, one of the TSA agents was shuffling through her carry-on.  The item responsible for flagging the X-ray scanner turned out to be a small cylinder of liquid perfume.  This is dangerous for everyone on board the airplane apparently (read into my skepticism here), and so they asked us what we wanted to do.  She could either go back upstairs to the terminal and check the item, or throw it away.  

We told her we would buy her another one when we got home, so the decision was made to discard the perfume.  The agent winged it into the trash can with a loud 'clunk' sound right in front of us.  It was a tense walk to our gate from that point on.

It forced me to think about some things however.  That feeling of wondering whether or not we were 'good enough' to make it through security that day translates well into the spiritual arena I think.  How many people wonder if they are good enough for God?  How many wonder quietly to themselves, "I hope I'm good enough to get into Heaven someday."

It's an honest question for a thoughtful person, and it deserves some attention.  Many groups throughout history have pondered it.  Many have tried to live by what I call the 'Graceless Gospel' for example.  The idea that you must earn your way to heaven based on good works and proper moral living all on your own.  That we have to be continually obedient to God and live relatively good lives, and then God will stamp us with the Approved stamp.

Or how about using grace as fire insurance for salvation?  In other words: I will live however I want to, and then claim the blood of Jesus on my deathbed.  Based on this philosophy, any liar, cheat, or sociopath can be perfectly confident of their salvation - as long as they say the sinner's prayer at the very end, right?  Here there is an overabundance of assurance based on a misunderstanding of how both faith and good works go together.

Some have also claimed holiness by association.  In other words, because they have an uncle, parent, or friend who is a pastor or deacon for example ... God's gift of atonement will somehow rub off on them as well.  They don't need to go to church or accept Jesus personally, but rely solely on the relationship with that other person in order to get the spiritual job done.

And finally there exists a fallacy that we will have 'plenty of time' to decide what to do about Jesus.  The idea that I will live out my twenties or thirties happily doing and living however I want to at the time, and then when I am eighty-five years old and in poor health, then I will come to God.  If only we were all lucky enough to live eighty-five years on this planet, that method might work.  But of course, no one knows how much time they really have.

All of these strategies have one thing in common.  They still allow the seed of doubt to sneak in.  "Am I really good enough?"  "Will God really accept me when it's my time?"  They all neglect the personal component of a relationship with Jesus.

Let us examine for a moment, Philippians 2:12.  It says, "Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed - not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence - continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose."

Upon first reading this passage, one might conclude that we should all be scared to death when dealing with God.  But I believe once we rightly divide this Scripture based on other places in the Bible, we can be confident that it really means we ought to simply be mindful and determined when we think about eternal salvation, in a way that shows reverence and awe for God.  Typically in the Bible when Scripture talks about the fear of the Lord, it refers to being respectful and obedient.  Not to be fearful the way that people are afraid of a burglar, or afraid that something bad might happen to them.  

The good news here, is that those sixty-six books in the Bible weave together a poetic story line that shows us exactly how we can have an assurance in our eternal state.  An assurance without having to wonder or be nervous.

Take for example something often known as the Roman Road to Heaven.  It is a simple guide - constructed of short Scripture passages from the book of Romans - that outlines how you and I might become born again.  It goes something like the following.  All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23).  God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ dies for us (Rom 5:8).  The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom 6:23).  [Therefore] if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved (Rom 10:9).  [So then] everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (Rom 10:13).

Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord.

Thanks to the apostle Paul, servant of God, for laying this out so succinctly for us.  It applied to people two-thousand years ago, and it applies to us today.  And it leads us inexorably in my opinion, to this fantastic truth from Romans 8:1-2, "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death."

It appears (gratefully), that God no longer holds our sins against us if we have Jesus in our lives.  In fact, if we have traveled the Roman Road to Heaven, we actually can have assurance.  We need not wonder all the time whether or not we are good enough.  The walk through the TSA airport security station will be a piece of cake.  In fact, we can skip that check all together, and take the narrow side door straight onto the concourse.

Later in our vacation, after we got to our resort to check in, I couldn't help but overhear a conversation between a young couple and the front desk attendant.  Apparently the hotel had no record of their reservation.  The computer system wasn't cooperating that day.  I could see the look of desperation on their faces as the clerk tried to assure them that things would probably be okay.  Who knows how many miles they had traveled to get there.  Did they have to go through airport security also?

I would much rather have my Roman Road reservation intact, with an assurance that in Christ Jesus, there is no longer any condemnation.  To be certain that God is there for me, in ways that I cannot understand or quite yet fathom this side of heaven.  In ways that lead me successfully through the confusion of this world, and into His waiting arms on my last day.  Doesn't this sound like a better way to travel?



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Keeping Pace with God

Everyone loves a good story.  Churches especially love a story about a dramatic religious experience I think.  These types of things often sell books, draw crowds, and make for some compelling testimony.  In certain denominations in fact, people have trouble believing you are born again, unless you can recount something dramatic and noteworthy.  

But what about people who have a far less adventurous story to tell about their faith?  What about those of us who haven't had to face the threat of martyrdom, or the dramatic impact of an immediate conversion?

I would like to discuss two kinds of experiences that I think people have when it comes to an interaction with God.  Many have heard the saying that John or Jane Doe had a 'Road to Damascus' conversion when it came to the faith.  But what does this really mean?  If we look at Acts 9, we see the story of Saul's encounter with the real Jesus.

Acts 9:1-7 says, "Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.  I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”  The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone.  Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus.  For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything."


We see here that Saul (who would later become the apostle Paul) had a miraculous, dramatic encounter with God's son.  Not only did it blind him for three days, but it forced him to re-think everything he thought he knew about being zealous for God's justice.  We know that later, Paul goes on to become one of the pillars of the church - delivering the Good News to the Gentile nation as an ambassador for the true Jesus.  

His story would have made a great sermon.  It would have drawn crowds ... it would have sold books.  Unfortunately, it also eventually landed him in prison.  Sometimes this is what happens.

Moving back a bit now to the Gospel of Luke, we read about two men who had an entirely different experience when it came to knowing the Lord.  Luke 24 recounts the story which has become familiar to us as the account of the 'Walk to Emmaus.'  

Luke 24:13-19 says, "Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him. He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”  They stood still, their faces downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”  “What things?” he asked.  "About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people."


So here we have an example of two people with a long trip ahead of them - the seven mile journey gave them plenty of time to think and talk.  Some translations of the Scriptures say that they 'reasoned together.'  Even after Jesus appears to them on the road, it is by way of a soft, inquisitive pronouncement.  No flashes of lightening or deep, booming voices here.  An entirely different experience than Saul had while traveling to Damascus.

I believe many who have come to God, know Him in this manner.  Perhaps they have studied His ways quietly over decades.  Maybe they were raised in the church since they were children.  Whatever the method, it is clear that God's drastic treatment of Saul is not necessary for everyone.  The faith journey can also be contemplative and reflective as well. 

At this point some may feel a question looming.  "So which way is better" they might wonder.  A strange question really, in terms of its content.  It suggests that God's treatment of one person or group of people may be somehow worse than His treatment of another.  As if it were up to you and I to make a proper judgment here regarding the best way to get saved.

I think it is fairly clear, that either way is edifying.  Whichever type of testimony you have to tell (whether it would sell books or sell hearts) is worth telling.  And the fact of the matter is, if God performed a miracle in your life and delivered you from the surrounding world to set you apart for the faith; He probably wants you to repeat it to other people.

Chances are, you will not end up in prison like Paul, and that is okay.  Someone out there still needs to hear what you have to say.  They need to hear your dramatic conversion, or your walk to Emmaus.  

But the last thing I wish to discuss is more disturbing.  What if your experience with God was neither the flash of lightening or the pleasant walk?  What if you are showing up to church out of obligation only?  What if you can recount every piece of local church history, but you don't really know Jesus?

The Bible is clear that in order to enter the narrow gate and become heaven-bound, we must be born again of water and the spirit.  We must be baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  We must truly know Him ... not just know about Him.  No two conversion experiences are exactly alike, but there must be an experience. 

I am often reminded of John 14:6.  It says, "Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

So simple, isn't it?  There is no other method of atonement offered to humankind except through the Son of God.  You will not find your salvation in Buddha, Mohammad, Oprah, Dr. Oz, or even the Pope.  It is Jesus only who saves.

I love talking to people about their experiences.  I often hear a version of either the Road to Damascus, or the Walk to Emmaus.  But always, God seems to tailor that experience to be exactly what the person needed at the time they needed it.  God is sovereign, that is what He does.

We need not worry so much about keeping pace with our creator; He will find us when it's time.  But I do think we need to listen for Him, and open ourselves up to what He has to say to us.  And this can be a daily regimen.  It means praying, looking, and hearing what the Spirit has to say to our hearts.  

And when Jesus does speak to you ... please listen.  If you hear that knock on the door, let Him in.  We have the choice not to of course, that is our prerogative.  But what a testimony we end up with when we decide to walk together with the Father of Lights.



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The House That God Built

The longer I live, the more I see the necessity for grace.  Not just the need for us to show pardon to each other, but also the various ways in which God's grace works within our personal lives each day.  I see God's hand in the lakes and ponds around the county, in the sky on a placid summer day, in the woods, and most certainly in ourselves.  As author C.S. Lewis once said, "I believe in Christianity as I believe the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else."  And God's good grace must surely be among the things we see by the light of Christ.

According to Wesleyan tradition, there are three kinds of grace.  The first of these is something known as Prevenient grace.  This is the type of God's presence that engulfs us from the very beginning, surrounding us even when we don't realize that we need Him.  It is something that is freely given from the Father, without an expectation that it will be reciprocated.  The way I tend to think of this concept is that it exemplifies a situation where we need help, and God provides.

The second type of grace is called Justifying grace.  This is where we get help.  It is that action from God which allows for the pardon of sin.  It is at this point we are confronted with a choice I think - do we choose to follow God and accept Jesus, or not?  We have the ability to ignore or respond at this point.  If we are wise and accept the gift of Jesus, our sins are nullified, and we have the assurance of salvation and life everlasting.  

The third type of grace is Sanctifying grace.  This is where we are able to give help.  I tend to think of sanctification as a process which extends over a lifetime.  It is that time frame where God works on us in little ways here and there in order to make us more holy, just like Jesus.  It is sometimes a painful process (like when we must actively repent from the hold that sin has on our life).  But it is often a great joy also, as it allows for opportunities where we can use the things that God has done in our lives to help edify and build up other people.  God saved us, now we work to help move others toward an understanding of the Gospel message.  This is no small thing.

I have often heard where people have compared these three types of grace to a house.  The front porch of the house is where a person first arrives.  They may choose to stay on the porch, or to gather up the courage to actually knock on the front door.  You made it this far, right?  Might as well knock.  This is Prevenient grace in action.

The foyer of the house is analogous to a person coming inside to stay a while.  Salutations have been exchanged between the visitor and the homeowner at this point, and it is time to come inside and take your jacket off.  There may be a coat rack, or even a comfortable bench perhaps.  The point is that we made the choice to enter, and the owner has accepted us inside.  Now the real learning can begin.  This is justifying grace.

Finally, as we are given a tour of the house, the new arrival is subject to Sanctifying grace.  Full access has been granted, and we may roam freely.  In this manner we get to know the floor plan really well.  The furniture, the window treatments ... all become familiar territory.  And then the really good news strikes us - if we want, we may seek to invite other people into the home as well.  If we are courageous enough in fact, we will ask them to stay a while.  This is Sanctifying grace in action.

As you can imagine, God's house in this story is well built.  A large open front porch, a spacious entry way and foyer, followed by several master bedrooms and a large living area and kitchen.  It has central heating and cooling of course ... no window air conditioners or space heaters for God's dwelling place.  But if we decide not to enter, we may find ourselves back in a one room studio apartment in no time.  Cold showers and backed up plumbing will be the order of the day.  Hopefully we are invited back to the large house again, and the sooner the better!

As with any metaphor however, there is a way to intellectually cheat.  A way to attempt to 'jump ahead' in the process a bit.  Some may find themselves wanting to stand outside the front porch and speak with Jesus through an open window, for example.  They don't want to come inside, but rather just to kind of hang out in the backyard.  They are screaming their prayers here and there through the window, but making sure never to come too close to Jesus himself.  No, they are perfectly comfortable on the sidelines.  Grace is attractive to these folks, but the open window may be as close as they ever get to God's purpose for their lives.  A sad reality.  They will never know the comfort of taking tea by the fireplace. 

Make no mistake, God wants more from them (and from us) than this type of strained relationship.  In fact, the Bible tells us that God wants our whole heart.  Listen to what Proverbs 23:26 says: "My son, give me your heart and let your eyes delight in my ways..."

This comes from a Biblical excerpt where the wayward person is being warned against having an adulterous affair with someone.  God is making a plea for us to keep our eyes on Him, such that we might avoid pitfalls and snares like this.  Because He wants our whole heart; we are that important to Him.  

C.S. Lewis likewise says this in his book Mere Christianity: "Give me all of you!!! I don’t want so much of your time, so much of your talents and money, and so much of your work. I want YOU!!! ALL OF YOU!! I have not come to torment or frustrate the natural man or woman, but to KILL IT! No half measures will do. I don’t want to only prune a branch here and a branch there; rather I want the whole tree out! Hand it over to me, the whole outfit, all of your desires, all of your wants and wishes and dreams. Turn them ALL over to me, give yourself to me and I will make of you a new self---in my image. Give me yourself and in exchange I will give you Myself. My will, shall become your will. My heart, shall become your heart."

It seems then, that God is interested in us responding to His grace very much.  No one stays 'lost' unless they want to.  No one simply loiters on the front porch forever, or stays content shouting through the backyard window unless they choose to be there.  God invites us in, and we had better seriously consider obeying that request.

We have the freewill to choose otherwise, of that I'm sure.  But we humans are often a bit silly, and full of pride.  We act in peculiar ways.  At times, if it were up to us, I think we would rather run things ourselves.  To stay in the backyard and talk through a window.  In fact, I think we tried that once; I remember an ancient story about a garden, a serpent, and two disobedient people deciding to do something similar.  Look how things turned out for them.  Better to go inside the house I think - don't you?



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Let Your Light Shine

Let me begin by saying that I do not believe Christianity is a silent faith.  God wants us to talk about Him with other people and show the world that Jesus has changed us.  Changed us in ways that 'rub off' on others.  Changed us in ways that we could not accomplish on our own steam.  Indeed, the Bible isn't just another self-help book, like some fad diet where we need to just try really hard to focus our will power, and then we lose some weight.  No, it is much more than that.  It is a religion that does something, that moves inside of us in a way that translates out from the overflow in our hearts to those around us.  

With this idea firmly in view, I want to discuss two Scriptures today.  The first comes to us as part of the famous Sermon on the Mount section of the Gospel of Matthew.  Chapter 5, verses 14-16 says, "You are the light of the world.  A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put  it under a bowl.  Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."

Similarly, in Luke 11:33, we get the curious statement: "No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl.  Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light."

I believe that it can be plainly said, that the light of this world we inhabit comes from Jesus Christ.  But what about the darkness?  What about all of the sin that transpires on our planet every day?  This is a more difficult question to think about.

In order for sin to exist and thrive, it must be kept in the dark.  You may have noticed in your own life, that keeping secrets is a great way to build up animosity.  Nothing deflates trust between two people more than finding out that you have been lied to, or that someone withheld information from you longer than they should have.  It makes it that much harder to trust again.

Keeping sin a secret can erode a marriage, harm a friendship, and destroy your personal integrity.  But knowing all this, why is it still so hard to come clean sometimes?  I believe that when it comes to these difficult situations, there is an almost irresistible temptation to keep sin hidden.  It is embarrassing for others to know about our weaknesses.  We want them to just go away ... to fade into time, and then vanish on their own.  Less fuss that way, or so we think.

The catch, however, comes from the fact that in order to purge ourselves of sin and begin our journey down the path of righteousness - we must bring that thing we regret into the light.  Evil cannot stand or survive in the light, much less the light of Christ.  In this glow, there is only room for confession, repentance, and healing.  Secret keeping goes out the window.  You will note that in this way, the light of Jesus will edge out sin (both yours and mine).   It's painful at first - I'm not saying it isn't - but ultimately it is the only way to permanently kick a bad habit.  There is something about illumination and confession that resets the spirit I think.

In this same way, I am imploring the reader not to hide away your faith.  Resist the urge to shelve away your personal belief system into the darkness.  Do not buy into the way of the nominal Christian, which says you can praise God one day a week at church, and then act like nothing is different Monday through Saturday.  Instead, let others see your faith in plain sight.  Let the light of Jesus shine through you, and because of that, into others as well.  This same light that quenches sin and offers salvation will hold you up when the need arises.   

If we look at the sentence immediately preceding Matthew 5:14, it says "You are the salt of the earth.  But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?  It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot."

There are a handful of different interpretations when it comes to this passage.  One of my favorites is the notion that salt both enhances flavor and preserves food.  In other words, trust in the very spirit of God to enhance the faith which God has given you, and trust also in His ability to uphold and preserve you in times of trouble.  Times where it may seem embarrassing to admit that you go to church, or that you are part of a small group, etc.  Times where it may be downright detrimental to admit your faith publicly.  God will often give you the right words to say.

The Bible tells us to be salt and light.  Allow your faith to shine ... it will be okay.  Don't treat your religion as a forty-hour-per-week job, where you act one way at the office and another way at home.  Christianity asks more than that from us (and we should be grateful for that I think).  Otherwise it would be just another social club or mundane organization.  

Unfortunately, I have been to a number of funerals in my time.  I have been to funerals for both family members and friends.  And I think we can all relate to attending a funeral now and then, where we simply cannot be certain of the deceased person's eternal state.  We hope always that the person is in heaven of course, but we know from the Bible that the 'narrow gate to salvation' is difficult to enter, and there are many who don't make it.  I realize that this idea is very unpopular - maybe even more so today than in the past.  Popular culture tells us that it is okay to do whatever we feel like doing, and okay to live however we see fit.  And so we have to wonder: is this person we loved with God or not?  They never mentioned their faith when they were living; never talked about Jesus.  It's hard to say ... very uncertain.

By grace of God, the funeral for the true believer is an entirely different thing.  Oh there is grieving that occurs, don't get me wrong.  But there is also hope, faith, and a certainty that this person is now with God forever.  We can have assurance of this because they were a light in the world while they were living.  They talked about Jesus, they went to church, and they glorified their Father in heaven on a regular basis.  My grandmother was like this.  No doubt about it - everyone knows that lady is in heaven today.  We miss her of course, but there is an assurance.  She was salt and light.  Anyone she talked to could tell she loved God within the first five minutes of the conversation.  It was never in question.

Jesus is ultimately the judge, and we must be careful also that we don't become arrogant in our spiritual assessment of others.  Someone's eternal salvation isn't secured by what we think of them, but rather by whether or not they are born again.  So often it is human nature to forget that fact, I think. 

And so much more comes from the way in which we live, not just how we die.  Are we living for God now?  Do others around us sense and see our faith?  Does the Spirit preserve us and enhance us like salt?  Do we reflect the light of Christ with our actions, our language, and our hearts?

Christianity is not a silent faith; it is too important for that.  If you are loved by God, and you love God back, then good luck containing the light that abides inside of you!  It will spill out.  If others don't see this light, then it's time to take stock and examine your walk with God.  Don't keep the things that God has done in your life quiet.  And if you boast about it, then boast for His glory, not your own.  For it is Jesus that saves each of us, and who lights the flame which can never be extinguished.



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Cheap Grace

Any one of us could benefit by reading the life and history of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.  It is one of those accounts that often draws forth the gamut of emotions.  Joy, sorrow, envy, frustration; all of these things can result from learning about what he went through.  Bonhoeffer (as some of you may know) was a renowned Christian scholar and philosopher.  His writings still permeate the mindset of many Christians today, in both the academic realm, as well as the secular world.

It must have been difficult not to like him.  At the age of twenty he wrote a book about the Christian faith that impressed even influential theologian Karl Barth.  In 1935 he helped establish an underground church in the middle of Hitler's rise to power in Germany.  In 1941 he become part of a Jewish rescue operation, smuggling people to safety.  And in 1945, he is eventually executed at the hands of the Nazi party in a concentration camp.  

You get the idea ... he did not believe in soft soaking Christianity.

And this leads us to next discuss one of his most famous books.  'The Cost of Discipleship' was first published by Bonhoeffer in 1937, after his seminary was closed by the Gestapo.  In this book, he writes, "That is what we mean by cheap grace, the grace which amounts to the justification of sin without the justification of the repentant sinner who departs from sin and from whom sin departs.  Cheap grace is not the kind of forgiveness of sin which frees us from the toils of sin.  Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves."

Remember that he was writing these words while watching some of the other churches in Germany sell out and follow Hitler.  A godless sort of national socialism was at hand, and many were too afraid (or apathetic) to stand up against it.  Bonhoeffer was not one of those people.

Cheap grace, in this sense, represents  what we often do to comfort ourselves in the midst of sinning.  "Just a few more times disobeying God," we might think, "God will be okay with it, after all, I'm covered under His grace."

It is true, the born again soul is indeed saved by grace through faith.  But let's look at what Jesus has to say about lukewarm living in the book of Revelation.  Rev 3:15-16 says, "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!  So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth."  

Here, Jesus reminds us not to waste his grace.  Not to accept the gift of salvation, only to turn around and keep it to ourselves ... never taking a chance, never taking a stand for the God we say we love.  

The stakes were real for Bonhoeffer.  His generation saw one of the most powerful political and military forces of our time search out and destroy people who held God sacred.  Repentance was always the work at hand for the true believer, at least in his opinion.  And repentance is the work of you and I also, even now.  It means simply to turn from sin, and choose what God has to offer us instead.  Easy to write about, difficult to do.  

But there is good news.  We need not repent perfectly all the time.  Hopefully your church teaches this truth alongside the others as well.  When it comes to eliminating sin from our lives, we will need God's help.  Even then, we will drop the ball sometimes (okay, maybe a lot of the time)!  I prefer to think of success through repentance as long term trajectory, rather than perfection.  Sanctification is often a painful and imperfect process as well, as opposed to an impressive dossier to look back at with pride or arrogance.  I hope that understanding the difference between being called to a more perfect life versus being perfect helps you.  I know it has for me.

Faithful living is so much more than an academic adherence to a particular set of doctrines or beliefs.  It's a 'heart thing', not just a head thing.  It is more than the place where good works meet up against solid faith; but rather, it is the place between where those two pillars join together.  It is the ability to trust that God will catch you when you fall, and that no one else can possibly love you the way He does.  The born again believer has this special assurance because of Jesus.  

I pray that we do not take God's grace for granted.  I pray that we don't think or say things like, "I can do whatever I want, and then just ask for forgiveness at the very end."  This is salvation as fire insurance I think.  And if you are living that way, ask God to show you those areas you need to change, and then He can help you going forward.  

We are not all meant to be a Bonhoeffer, or to stand up for our beliefs in a way that gets us martyred.  But we are all called to stand up.  If you belong to God, then you are stamped with His image and likeness.  And that image is not to be trifled with or shelved away.  Instead, allow His goodness to overflow from your heart and out into the world.  Live in such a way that other people talk about you (good or bad), and that they can see the light which is in Christ also resides in you.

We will conclude with a rather famous Scripture from 2 Corinthians 5:17.  It says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!"   Be a new creation.  Live up to it, own it.  God's grace is sufficient for you and I; it always has been.  Live into your new freedom in Christ, things go better that way.  It will not always be easy, but it will not be 'cheap.'  Costly grace feels different - and it looks different also.

But don't catch yourself trying to be the perfect penitent, as there was only one of those.  Jesus shows us how to live, we follow Him through the Spirit, and God works it out in the end.  Cheap grace is a waste of time.  God's crucified Son died for so much more than that.  Now go embrace your life as a new creation ... there is nothing "cheap" about you. 




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The Meek and Mild

I enjoy the fact that there is a difference between what the secular world views as leadership, and what the Christian church teaches.  If you ever sign up to attend a leadership seminar for corporate America, you may hear it taught that the successful  supervisor must be strong and powerful, decisive, and an overall 'take charge' kind of person.  

"Get out of my way," they might be heard to say, "... because I'm in charge, and you aren't!"  Or maybe, "Look out and scoot over, I'm going to get things done!"

Is this an exaggeration?  Possibly, but I'm betting that if all of us stopped for a brief moment and considered our past, we can think of at least one person who went through life in this manner.  It is often an effective leadership strategy in the short run, but can result in the need to 'clean up the bodies' at some point down the line.  In other words, the "get it done at any cost" philosophy may not make you many friends in either the business world or your personal life.  

If we consider what happens when the powerful and elite are left unchecked, history seems to often show us that corruption is the result.  Not always, but typically.  Germany had Hitler, Russia had Stalin, and Cambodia had Pol Pot.  Not very nice people.  There are also modern day parallels of course (I will let the reader fill in these blanks on their own).

In the time of Jesus, Palestine had its elitist rulers also.  Leaving aside the New Testament stories of the wicked King Herod for a moment - let's turn to who was running the show relating to all things religion.  People will remember the Pharisees as one very powerful and influential group of religious leaders, known for being venerated publicly, and all but worshipped by their followers.  They were considered the church's elect scholars at that time.  

We remember what the Gospel accounts tell us about these folks when it came to the crucifixion of Jesus.  Mark 15:29-31 says this, "Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, 'So, You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, come down from the cross and save yourself!"  In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves.  'He saved others,' they said, 'but he can't save himself!'"

The Pharisees missed the entire point of Jesus Christ's sacrifice on the cross as an atonement and sin ransom for mankind.  The expectation they had about how God uses power was to say the least ... flawed.  They expected a miracle, a show of force.  Some way in which Jesus might supernaturally leap off the cross and avoid his own death.  God showing up as an act of service through sacrifice seemed foreign to them.  They didn't understand what God was doing at that point in history.  And sometimes, if we are being honest, we may not always understand it either.  

How often do we secretly wonder how great it would be if God above came down and smote our enemies right in front of us?  How much do we want things to go our way sometimes, and no one else's?  'Where is this all-powerful God now' we might wonder to ourselves when life throws us a curve ball.

It is important to note also, that God can often work through the meek and the mild.  He can (and often does) choose to be long suffering and patient, as opposed to wrathful or domineering.  Certainly the Bible recounts stories of pillars of fire and the sending of plagues through entire nations; though typically only after a prophet has been sent to warn them to repent.   And yet, at other times we have this image of Jesus as allowing himself to be baptized by another person, or washing the disciple's feet.  Power and authority turned on it's head, or so it would seem, according to the way the rest of the world works.

I once had someone tell me that real power is a peaceful demeanor, and not a show of force.  What an interesting way to think about governance and leadership!  What did Jesus show us about how God works?  Wasn't it often through teaching, healing, and love?  Do any of these things involve force or coercion?  Not likely.

I have always been drawn to peaceful people myself.  I much prefer to spend time with a leader who can trust and encourage, than one who feels the need to control and stay in power.  The fruit of those two styles of leadership are so very different.  There are times where a show of force is necessary of course, but I would be willing to argue that it's much less than most would presume.  Think back to your own lives - were you drawn to the bully or to the righteous protector?

And so it forces me to think about the following question, as it pertains to this current generation.  Are we seeking God's power and miracles (His hand), or are we pursuing His counsel and guidance (His face).  It is so very, very easy to continuously ask for miracles and action in our prayer life.  I'm not saying this is wrong mind you; God is sovereign and can answer prayer however He sees fit.  But it does remind me to try to cultivate a desire to seek after His face instead, at least more often than the other.  To have His presence in my life be sufficient, even if He doesn't heal this or that.  Easy to talk about; more difficult to live out.

When dealing with a holy God, it can be easy to desire a supernatural show of force I think ... to want that quick fix miracle.  Probably better, however, to simply be grateful for what He has already given us.  If the miracle did occur, would we really know what to do with it anyway?  Would we be arrogant and boastful about it, or meek and mild?




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Understanding God's Grace

When I was ten years old, I took a shovel and dug up my parents' garden in the backyard behind the garage.  Yes, you heard me correctly.  What can I say?  It seemed like a good idea at the time.  And not only that, but I coerced my best friend into doing it with me.  With a shovel in each hand, we ventured out one pleasant sunny day, and proceeded to turn a 5' x 8' plot of soil into a miniature farm pond.  

I should disclose here that we didn't have my parents' approval.  Did I mention that it sounded like a good idea at the time?

I feel I must bring the reader up to speed at this point, otherwise you may think me a rather undisciplined child.  It all started from engaging in innocent conversation with my uncle about ecosystems and nature.  You see, he was a county conservationist at the time; complete with a city truck and neat patches and badges on his uniform.  It was too much for me to ignore as a ten-year-old child.  I was enamored with all of it!  My uncle may as well have worn a super hero's cape and mask for all I knew.

During one of our discussions, I probed him a bit regarding just how to construct a farm pond.  I had always enjoyed fishing, and this seemed like the perfect way to build my own little hatchery.  I asked him about the materials needed, the length of time, and all the necessary accoutrements.  None of this was his fault you understand.  No, he didn't realize what I was up to.  I was taking mental notes the whole time.  As soon as the opportunity availed itself, it was off to work I went on the garden.

The digging lasted well into late afternoon.  There was much to be done, even for two people!

I can still remember one very curious thing to this day, however.  As the sun began to set on my new half finished farm pond, my mother's car pulled into the driveway.  My young accomplice took off toward home on his bicycle as fast as his feet would pedal.  It was just me standing there with a shovel now.  But to my great surprise, my mother decided to forgive my error in judgment almost immediately.  In fact, she thought the whole debacle rather humorous.  

I thought to myself, "Wow, I got lucky here."  My only penance was to put all the dirt back into the giant hole I had dug only hours earlier.  I did so with a smile on my face.  This was one of my very first experiences with grace.  No doubt I should have been punished.  But instead, my mother simply laughed it off, and set me to work restoring what I had torn up.

And so the question occurs to me: how do we view God's grace in our own lives?  How do we think of His unmerited favor as adults ... or as teenagers?  Is our concept of God benevolent, utilitarian, or something different?  In our eyes, would He have laughed it off, or punished us severely for a similar mistake?

I am often reminded of the story about Simon Peter and Jesus in the Bible.  You may remember that the New Testament records Peter pretending not to know Jesus three times.  Who could blame him really?  It was during the awful kangaroo court trial that the Pharisees subjected Christ to, after capturing him in the garden of Gethsemane.  

People kept coming up to Peter and asking if he knew that prisoner (Jesus).  Peter unceremoniously denied knowing the Son of God three times.  He was scared; his lord and master had been arrested and dragged into court.  Would you and I do any better?  Hard to say.

Later in the Gospels we are given this interesting account of a conversation Jesus had with Peter after the resurrection.  Knowing how guilty Peter must have felt for denying him only days earlier, John 21:15-17 says, "When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, 'Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?'  'Yes, Lord,' he said, 'you know that I love you.'  Jesus said, 'Feed my lambs.'  Again Jesus said, 'Simon son of John, do you love me?'  He answered, 'Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.'  Jesus said, 'Take care of my sheep.'  The third time he said to him, 'Simon son of John, do you love me?'  Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, 'Do you love me?''"

Popular scholarship seems to suggest that Jesus was encouraging Peter in this way by repeating the question three times, in order to reconcile all three of this disciple's earlier denials.  Instead of punishing Simon Peter, Jesus reminded him of his importance to the church, and gave him a job to do.  Feed the sheep (head up the church).  Peter was experiencing grace and favor from God, when he could have easily warranted anger and bitterness instead.

You may also remember another character who helped set the stage as well.  Judas Iscariot can be contrasted to Peter in many ways.  Although both were followers of the Messiah, the two men had very different intentions.  The Gospels tell us that Judas sold Jesus out to the authorities for money.  That he then regretted his decision, but that it was too late.  Accounts tell us that he bought a field with the 'blood money' and later hung himself.  This, by stark contrast to Peter's situation, is an example of remorse without repentance or healing.  Judas did not allow himself to be forgiven, nor did he seek after God.  His story unfolded as so many others do today: sin followed by regret and remorse, without healing or repentance.  Trust me folks, there is a better way.

I would like to say that I firmly believe we have an example here of two different ways of understanding God's grace.  Judas' way points us to what I have called in the past a Grace-less Gospel.  This is a way of understanding Scripture that sets us up to view the Bible as a rule book.  People trapped in a grace-less existence often feel like they are never good enough, or that they can never measure up to God.  Hopelessness and guilt often result.

What we see with Peter is very different.  He didn't allow his regret to stop him from coming back to be with the risen Jesus after the resurrection.  I believe this is an example of the Grace-filled Gospel.  This method of understanding God points us to repentance, and then forgiveness.  Not only did Jesus accept Peter back, but he also told him he was to help 'feed his sheep' and build the church.  It was a completely different outcome this time.  Peter then goes on to be one of the primary leaders in this fledgling first century religion that would eventually change the world.  

As people of God, we have the chance to use grace as our primary currency.  While other secular organizations often fall back on power or money, the Christian church can stand apart and be unique.  We can demonstrate to the outside world the notion of a grace-filled Gospel.  We can forgive each other.  We can repent from sin and be healed.  We can help remind the world that the Bible is so much more than just another rule book. We can be different ... even special. 

My parents have long since moved out of that house I used to live in as a child.  I often wonder if that little garden is still back behind the garage.  Probably not.  For all I know, it could be a concrete patio by now.  No matter - the lesson stuck with me regardless.  Time to pass it on to my own children I suppose.  Spring is just around the corner ... time to decide what to plant in my own garden.  Or maybe build a farm pond instead?




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A Slippery Slope

As I write this, the county I live in has been experiencing the most difficult winter weather we've had in years.  It has been - as they say - a 'real Iowa winter.'  Barely a week goes by where we haven't had some type of ice, sleet, or snow.  Not to mention a few days where apparently (according to the news media) we were colder here than at the North Pole.  As you could imagine, this also means that travel has become increasingly difficult - and I don't mean just driving.  Walking across parking lots and driveways is now treacherous.  My wife and I have both fallen flat on our backs earlier this month while attempting to leave our home, and we both have the bruises to show for it! 

In fact, there are quite a few of us walking around this town with scratches and bruises.  If I adapt this to a spiritual setting, one could ask the question: "why are we all walking around with bruises so often?"  Shouldn't our spiritual walk constitute standing on solid ground, with sure footing?  After all, isn't the Bible here to help the faithful and keep us from falling?

Good questions all around I think.  So why are so many settling for the slippery slope?  Have we become comfortable with our bruises?

If we look at the Gospel of Matthew, there is a section of Scripture where Jesus tells us about the wise and foolish builder.  Chapter 7:24-27 says, "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.  But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."

And crash we surely will, if we don't listen to Jesus.  So many of us are walking around with bruises in this world.  So many of us trying to travel on uncertain ground.

I remember playing the game Jenga with my children when they were younger.  We will still pull it out every once in a while.  You may remember that this game basically consists of wooden blocks that each player stacks on top of each other, such that you end up building a tall edifice several inches high; hoping all the while that it doesn't topple over.  As the tower gets higher and higher, each time a player removes a block from the bottom in order to place it on the top ... things become more anxious.  

Sometimes (quite often actually) someone who wasn't playing the game at all, would simply walk by our table causing a slight bounce in the floor, and the whole thing would come crashing down.  Not stable whatsoever!  The kids would erupt with energetic screams of course, and then the finger pointing would begin as they tried to claim victory over one another.

But why do we fight so hard to keep the tower standing?  What exactly is at stake?  Or more importantly ... what does a house built on rock look like?

To answer what a strong house looks like, I believe we can tackle the set of Scriptures directly ahead of Matthew 7:24.  They discuss concepts like forgiveness, honoring the Golden Rule, and trying not to judge others.  Even the casual Bible reader will note that these things are quite difficult, however.  In fact, if it were up to us alone, I have a feeling there wouldn't be a single Jenga tower left standing anywhere in the world.  

It would appear that once again, we need God's help.  When it comes to repentance, if we attempt to go the distance on our own steam, it often ends up in failure.  The rains come and the wind blows - the house slips down, into a pile on the sand.  Someone need only walk next to the block tower with a bounce in their step, and it comes crashing down.  Fortunately for us, however, God appears to be an expert architect.  

The Wesleyan tradition has in it something known as prevenient grace.  Simply put, this is the idea that God knows we need His help before we do.  I cannot tell you how grateful I am for this notion. If we apply our analogy from above once more, I think it means that we have a higher power in our lives who is gracious and patient enough to sit down with us and help build our little wooden tower ... piece by piece, and step by step.  

Occasionally we will fall (i.e.: the tower will collapse).  Never mind.  Pick yourself back up and keep going.  Repentance from sin may seem like an outdated concept, but it is just as necessary today as it was two thousand years ago when Jesus walked the earth.  We need God's help, and often we need it before we realize it.  Keep going and keep fighting the good fight.  And above all, allow God's grace to carry you, especially if you didn't necessarily build your house with the correct blueprints.

How does your house look now?  Is it on sand or rock?  If we are lucky, we will allow God to teach us to live Biblical lives, to build strong houses and high towers.  Our bruises will eventually heal, especially if we depend on Him to keep us from slipping.  But if we do slip, please don't blame Him.  Look instead at the foundation of your house.  The rain is falling, and the wind is blowing; but God's house it is nice and warm inside.  Care for a game of Jenga anyone?




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A Heartfelt Hope

God’s love is a source of hope for all of us. Is it important to have hope in your life? When we are younger, we select certain things to hang our desires on. As a simple working definition, I am loosely referring here to “hope.” For example, when I used to mention going to church years ago to my 5-year-old, I am almost certain that he paired it up with good donuts and a particular set of toys in the kid’s room. On Fridays, my then 9-year-old daughter would look forward to going to her grandparents’house to see her cousins and to spend the night. She would hold this in the back of her mind all week, and by the time Thursday got here, she was all but chomping at the bit with anticipation. For them, this can represent one sort of entry level aspect of hope. 

But what about grown-ups? As we pass from the age of innocence and into a world often more difficult and less forgiving, we still place our aspirations somewhere. Daily living is usually hard enough, and then from time to time we also experience true suffering. If you haven’t experiencedthis loss or suffering yet, then go into your house, lock the door, and consider yourself lucky! 


During our lulls when things aren’t so bad and we are going through day-to-day life, maybe some of us place our hope in material things like money, entertainment—or if we are a bit wiser—people and relationships. But what happens when things don’t go so well, and we find ourselves driving down the road less traveled, in a speeding car that we don’t want to be in? 


I think that if our hope is misplaced during the quiet lulls, then it is that much harder to find God during the storms, when we really need Him. Why is this? Because often the fulfillment of hope comes from the partnership with God that occurs during the average everyday living, not only during the difficult times. God wants our attention all the time, not just when we are hurting. 


When we pin our dreams and desires to material or natural things only, and these items finally do disappear (whether it be through loss or some other means), we can become lost. But if Jesus is our light all the time, then when the dark of night comes - we have illumination instead of confusion. Notice I didn’t say happiness. Happiness is situationally dependent. If you total your new car, you aren’t going to be happy—no matter if you know God or not. But you can still have Joy. Joy is different. Your hope is now placed correctly in the Creator. Good times or bad, God is still God. Joy means that you can lose something big, but still be content. Joy is the seed that God plants and waters in your soul. Without it, you are dependent upon good fortune to be satisfied. And as we all know, good fortune is fleeting. 


I’m not sure what people do without God in their lives. I don’t say this in a boastful or naive way. I spent much of my own life refusing to look into the deeper truths of the Gospel, and when I finally didaccept a relationship with Jesus, it was a night and day difference. Jesus makes certain promises to us in the Bible. We are told that we are loved no matter what. We are told that our worth is not dependent upon how we look or how we perform for other people. But most of all, the thing that struck me when I began to allow the things that God has to say into my heart, was that I realized I am no longer alone. I don’t have to get through life by myself, on the strength of my own performance, and without any guidance from above. 


What a relief to know that I do not stand or fall on my own account only, but that someone is in my corner all the time. This I think is another facet of hope. This is what anyone can possess. It’s something that no person or event can ever take away from you. I’m not going back to that other life before Jesus; I won’t even consider it. 


Matthew chapter 12 tells us about Christ that “in his name nations will put their hope.” Is this just lip service? I don’t think so. It is my great joy to celebrate God in both the good times (when I am driving around with a full tank of gas and a happy family), as well as the bad times (when sickness or difficulty make their home with me). Is your own hope well placed? Is what you look to for comfort on a good day enough to sustain you on a bad one?


Wherever our heart is pointed, determines where we place our hope for the future. My wish is that your heart points up toward God the Father – in both good times and bad.




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The Dandelion Method

It is difficult to discuss Christianity without thinking about the concept of being re-born.  Now here I am not only referring to the saving grace of God making it possible for the believer to become born again, but something additional above and beyond that.  The idea that when it comes to God showing up in our lives, there is a profound change.  No one meets the real Jesus and stays the same.  

This type of change (or rebirth) is a difficult concept I suppose, because it often has more to do with letting our pride go, than anything else.  The stubborn person who refuses to become teachable is not a lot of help to the kingdom of heaven - much less to you and I.  And so it would seem that this process of changing - or allowing God to change us - requires a degree of humbleness and humility.  Again, this is difficult for us.  It means that before we met God, we may have had a skewed view of the world around us and how things operate.  If Jesus changes us, then we change from the inside out.  And this my friends, can look even stranger to the outside world watching a genuine believer attempt to repent and follow Christ.

One of my favorite Christian teachers is Philip Yancey.  He always manages to weave in the perfect metaphor when it comes to talking about profound Biblical truth.  In his book 'The Jesus I Never Knew', Yancey makes the bold claim that the way we learned about Jesus when we were younger, may in fact be part of this skewed worldview.  He says that some of the things we learned in Sunday School as children may in fact be up for grabs when we stop to look at the context and Gospel accounts that we have in the New Testament as adults.  

Yancey equates it to a dandelion (I told you there would be a metaphor).  When this weed takes on the form of a seed head, many children can be seen plucking it from the ground and blowing on it.  The seeds will then scatter across the open field or yard, only to rest and reproduce somewhere else.  

This process kills the dandelion flower of course, but allows many others to form in its place.  If we stop and think about it, this is exactly what Jesus' ministry did in first century Palestine.  Jesus told his followers that he must die and go to the Father in order for them to do even greater things than him.   Jesus had to be crucified so that salvation could come to the world.  It appears that in Biblical terms, a thing must die first, before it can grow.

If you are confused at this point, don't worry - you are not alone.  There are countless accounts of the disciples listening to what Jesus had to say and then scratching their heads in confusion.  It's a common phenomena when exegeting Biblical truth, I think.   

There is a famous story about a mustard seed in the Gospel of Matthew.  Chapter 13:31-32 says, "He told them another parable: 'The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field.  Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.'"

In order for the kingdom of heaven to grow and mature, the seedling itself must first die.  And see how it does grow!  Scripture says it becomes a tree, large enough that the birds will come and perch in the branches.  A shrub or a bush wouldn't suffice here.  God's plan accomplishes more than that.

The story of the resurrection is central to Christian belief, and it is the story of a dying and rising God, isn't it?  We have someone who came to Earth as a child, grew into a man who began a three-year ministry that would change the world, and then all of a sudden he was crucified and died on a cross.  The Bible goes on to say that Jesus was resurrected on the third day, and then spent a number of weeks moving about the countryside and showing himself to his followers and townspeople.  What an experience this must have been.

He then ascends into heaven, but not before giving his disciples a bit of advice in the form of the Great Commission.  "Baptize all nations" he tells them, "in the name of the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit."

Then in a blink, he was gone.  Yet we are still talking about him 2,000 years later.

And we have now come to the part where we discuss what it means for you and I to 'die to self' such that we can grow also.  Now this is no fun at all sometimes, let me assure you.  You will recall our discussion about being humble a few moments ago.  Dying to self - or letting go of earthly things in order to embrace heavenly things - requires us to be teachable.  That means we are to stop being so stubborn and prideful.  We are to let God in, and admit that He can accomplish more in our lives than we could otherwise do on our own.

I wish there was an easier way, but Jesus tells us in Matthew 16:24 that, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me."  It is part of our religion; a part of our faith walk.  We do not earn our salvation, but change will surely follow this saving grace.  It is the evidence of our spiritual transition. 

Nothing stays the same in this world, does it?   The car wears out and then we need a new one.  The kids grow up and go off to college.  We get older and then retire.  But in the middle of all this change is also beauty.  How much more beautiful if God is at the center?  We ought to consider letting Him in.

I don't believe in a spiritual neutral.  God wants us to keep moving forward, keep changing, and keep improving.  We are not simply to 'hang out' spiritually in one spot for an extended period of time.  This goes for life down here on Earth also, and apparently for life in the kingdom of heaven as well.  

We may use the analogy of a dandelion if it helps; I think Philip Yancey would be proud.  But remember, we are worth far more than a flower to God.  And if we are to change our life, let it be for Him.  

Time to shift the car out of neutral and back into drive.  And while we are at it, allow God to take the wheel.



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