What do you want Me to do for you?
How would you answer that question? Think about it in the perspective of today- but also of tomorrow, and of all the unknown beyond tomorrow.
In Matthew 20 Jesus was in Jericho, and two blind men got his attention. Jesus stopped and asked them this question. Hey- they were blind! What answer would you expect from them? “We want to see!”
In Matthew 21 Jesus is talking about prayer, and of praying in faith. He is trying to help us into the place where we resonate totally with the wil of God. God is good. He loves us. Jesus says, Whatever things you qask in prayer, believing, you will receive.
I want a lot of things. I hope and sincerely pray that what I want is not purely selfish. But I ask the salvation of MY family: I KNOW that God loves each of them, and it is His will they come to know and love Him. Can I claim this promise for others, for MY ‘others’? I do!
What do you want Me to do for you?
We can be filled with God’s Spirit, and keep on being filled. But we must ask! And we must we willing to empty ourselves of the ‘stuff’ that might hinder us from coming alive in Christ. Shall we pray?:
Lord, I want You to help me pray powerfully, according to Your good, acceptable, and perfect will (Romans 12) and with the help of Your Holy Spirit (Romans 8.)
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Some things I wish I'd learned sooner...
From "Ecclesiology 101..."
I don’t have a monopoly on either truth or personal piety. People who know and love and follow Jesus wholeheartedly may see some things differently from the way I see them. I do believe that people who know and love Jesus and seek to follow Him wholeheartedly have much more in common than they might at first think. That is why I’m glad I finally learned:
If you begin discussion about the “whats” you probably will disagree along the line. If you begin with the “Who” and invite Him into the conversation He will help you to disagree like brothers and sisters, and to discover new facets in His love for His Bride.
I do have a claim on all the rich history of the Church across the centuries. It is as much “mine” as it is any denomination, ancient or new. At the same time, I do not own these sacred traditions; I must reverence them, even as I seek to apply them, use them, let them use me in the bewildering changes of the culture in which I live.
The sacraments of the church must be reverenced. The scriptures must have a central place in public as well as private worship. The offices of Christ as Prophet, Priest, and King must be reflected in the messages I preach, and model the pastoral role I seek to follow. I must seek to be Trinitarian, letting the full orb of all God reveals to me have access to the whole of my being; my innermost thoughts, my most private moments, all in glad surrender to God’s revealed will.
I don’t have a monopoly on either truth or personal piety. People who know and love and follow Jesus wholeheartedly may see some things differently from the way I see them. I do believe that people who know and love Jesus and seek to follow Him wholeheartedly have much more in common than they might at first think. That is why I’m glad I finally learned:
If you begin discussion about the “whats” you probably will disagree along the line. If you begin with the “Who” and invite Him into the conversation He will help you to disagree like brothers and sisters, and to discover new facets in His love for His Bride.
I do have a claim on all the rich history of the Church across the centuries. It is as much “mine” as it is any denomination, ancient or new. At the same time, I do not own these sacred traditions; I must reverence them, even as I seek to apply them, use them, let them use me in the bewildering changes of the culture in which I live.
The sacraments of the church must be reverenced. The scriptures must have a central place in public as well as private worship. The offices of Christ as Prophet, Priest, and King must be reflected in the messages I preach, and model the pastoral role I seek to follow. I must seek to be Trinitarian, letting the full orb of all God reveals to me have access to the whole of my being; my innermost thoughts, my most private moments, all in glad surrender to God’s revealed will.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
A Golden Chapter
Psalm 107 is a treasure!
Wherever you or I or anyone else may be on our spiritual journey, there is hope and help just a prayer away!
The Psalm begins by declaring that God is GOOD! And then it demands that the redeemed of the Lord tell that glorious fact!
There are four examples of people in trouble in Psalm 107.
First, the people who were lost and wandering and didn’t know where to turn.
When they cried to the Lord, they found a way- they were LED to a dwelling place, a city of hope.
Immediately the refrain of the Psalm
“O that men would give thanks to the Lord for his GOODNESS, and for his wonderful works to the children of men.”
Next the people who rebelled against authority, and specifically the word of God. They were in darkness and despair.
When they CRIED out to the Lord they were set free of the chains and darkness.
Again, the call to thankfulness and praise!
“O that men would give thanks to the Lord for his GOODNESS, and for his wonderful works to the children of men.”
Third were the know-it-all self-saviors, who thought they knew better than the word of God, and ended up in the very gates of death.
But even from therem when they CRIED to the Lord they found healing and deliverance.
“O that men would give thanks to the Lord for his GOODNESS, and for his wonderful works to the children of men.”
The last example is in a different tense. One, two and three are what God has done in the past for those who have been in trouble. But this example is in the present tense. It says that when people run into the storms of life, and they will, they will be challenged to what seems the limit and beyond. The picture is a perfect storm at sea.
But the result is the same again: when they CRY to the Lord, he HEARS them and brings them home!”
I need this Psalm! I believe it! Psalm 107 closes with these words: “Whoever is wise will observe these things, and they will understand the lovingkindness of the LORD.”
Wherever you or I or anyone else may be on our spiritual journey, there is hope and help just a prayer away!
The Psalm begins by declaring that God is GOOD! And then it demands that the redeemed of the Lord tell that glorious fact!
There are four examples of people in trouble in Psalm 107.
First, the people who were lost and wandering and didn’t know where to turn.
When they cried to the Lord, they found a way- they were LED to a dwelling place, a city of hope.
Immediately the refrain of the Psalm
“O that men would give thanks to the Lord for his GOODNESS, and for his wonderful works to the children of men.”
Next the people who rebelled against authority, and specifically the word of God. They were in darkness and despair.
When they CRIED out to the Lord they were set free of the chains and darkness.
Again, the call to thankfulness and praise!
“O that men would give thanks to the Lord for his GOODNESS, and for his wonderful works to the children of men.”
Third were the know-it-all self-saviors, who thought they knew better than the word of God, and ended up in the very gates of death.
But even from therem when they CRIED to the Lord they found healing and deliverance.
“O that men would give thanks to the Lord for his GOODNESS, and for his wonderful works to the children of men.”
The last example is in a different tense. One, two and three are what God has done in the past for those who have been in trouble. But this example is in the present tense. It says that when people run into the storms of life, and they will, they will be challenged to what seems the limit and beyond. The picture is a perfect storm at sea.
But the result is the same again: when they CRY to the Lord, he HEARS them and brings them home!”
I need this Psalm! I believe it! Psalm 107 closes with these words: “Whoever is wise will observe these things, and they will understand the lovingkindness of the LORD.”
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Simplicity beyond Complexity
A passing glance at the business page in the Boston Globe recently mentioned the Dunning-Kruger effect, and piqued my curiosity. I looked it up in Wikipedia and came up with this definition: “The Dunning-Kruger effect is the phenomenon wherein people who have little knowledge think that they know more than others who have much more knowledge.”
Hmmm, I thought-- I know people like that in my field. Wait a minute, was my second thought-- I hope I’m not one of them.
We Christian would-be thinkers deal with mystery at the end of every avenue we pursue. God is beyond comprehension, and yet reveals himself as a loving Father. How? Why? Want me to explain? If I can’t, there are a thousand amateur theologians down the block that have all the answers…
What is going to happen to the billions (with a “b”) that have never once heard the name Jesus Christ? Do you believe no one is saved, or can come to the Father except through Jesus? I do. I do believe. Will they (the billions) all be lost? Ask the guy with the latest prophesy book. You will never lack an opinion, loudly voiced.
I believe in revelation- the communication of truth from God to seeking hearts. I am a seeker after God. I believe God will reach the heart and mind of those who diligently seek him. (Hebrews 11:6) But truth is not democratically decided- truth IS. Is a PERSON, ultimately. It dawns that God loves...ME! (YOU!!) God cares! There is a simplicity of faith beyond the complexities of our formulaic understandings of truth. There is a Reality of covenant with God. I cherish the doctrines I have been taught, have learned- and believe they have opened the way to God. I can’t explain them. I don’t know how or why John 3:16 is true, or why Jesus loved me enough to come and die for me.
I am persuaded that God is good. I truly believe God loves you and me.
Hmmm, I thought-- I know people like that in my field. Wait a minute, was my second thought-- I hope I’m not one of them.
We Christian would-be thinkers deal with mystery at the end of every avenue we pursue. God is beyond comprehension, and yet reveals himself as a loving Father. How? Why? Want me to explain? If I can’t, there are a thousand amateur theologians down the block that have all the answers…
What is going to happen to the billions (with a “b”) that have never once heard the name Jesus Christ? Do you believe no one is saved, or can come to the Father except through Jesus? I do. I do believe. Will they (the billions) all be lost? Ask the guy with the latest prophesy book. You will never lack an opinion, loudly voiced.
I believe in revelation- the communication of truth from God to seeking hearts. I am a seeker after God. I believe God will reach the heart and mind of those who diligently seek him. (Hebrews 11:6) But truth is not democratically decided- truth IS. Is a PERSON, ultimately. It dawns that God loves...ME! (YOU!!) God cares! There is a simplicity of faith beyond the complexities of our formulaic understandings of truth. There is a Reality of covenant with God. I cherish the doctrines I have been taught, have learned- and believe they have opened the way to God. I can’t explain them. I don’t know how or why John 3:16 is true, or why Jesus loved me enough to come and die for me.
I am persuaded that God is good. I truly believe God loves you and me.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
A Pattern for ANY Year
THE LEGACY OF ABRAHAM
Genesis 15:6 "And Abram believed God and it was counted unto him as righteousness."
Abraham is the first three-dimensional character of the Old Testament. Come with me for a brief overview ofthe whole sweep of his magnificent faith walk.
Abraham was
1. A second generation pilgrim. His father, Terah started for Canaan,but settled down in a civilized place and died there. Abraham had theformidable task of respectfully surpassing his own preceding generation. Maybe that is no problem to the hubris of the youth today. It certainly was for me.
Abraham had
2. A trail-blazing obedience. (12:1) Abraham started for Canaan eventhough he had never been there before, nor knew anyone who had. He made his mistakes; he lived in tents; he fled to Egypt. He prospered.But in it all he walked by faith.
Abraham had
3. A self-effacing humility. ( ) He would rather give up things than to stand and fight with friends and loved ones. He said to his nephew"You choose!" And in effect he was saying to God "When it comes to my pathway, YOU choose!"
Abraham displayed
4. A noble faith. (15:6) Abraham was unwilling to accuse God, even though he did not understand why he seemed to be misunderstanding the original promise. "Maybe I need to lower my idea of what you meant?"he seemed to ask.
In reply God took Abraham out under the stars. Sometimes I wishour children could look at the stars more than they do!
It is hard tohear a word from God when all our leisure time is filled withspiritual emptiness at best-- and spiritual garbage at worst.
Perhaps a comment or two on our viewing habits is in order here?I don't think it is totally irrelevant that we are a generation offaith-pygmies and we watch TV, while Abraham was taken out of his tent and under the canopy of the heavens to get a perspective on just how small he really was in comparison to how big God's Creation really is.
I've seen some pretty awesome things on the 19-inch tube, but they're still just images of the real thing.
And some of the things we absorb from that tube positively stunt our possibilities of nobility and growth in faith! In an old Herald of Holiness there was a powerful paragraph written by Paul and Marilyn Turner in their "marriage enrichment"column. Listen:
"We do not arrive at a healthy self-esteem by
absorbing the voyeuristic daytime public confessionals,
erroneously called talk shows. These are strange
programs in self-esteem that reward people for amassing
weird aberrations but dispute others for claiming to be
healthy. If you're healthy you may be accused of being
"in denial." We pay a big price for a pathology that
lessens our inner peace and fills our minds with
trash." [J. Paul & Marilyn Turner in Herald of Holiness, January, 1993 issue.]
This noble faith of Abraham joined with the promise of theEternal God in this seemingly uneventful chapter (15) and became a COVENANT. Perhaps this is the essence of the Bible: God is a covenant making God dealing with believing men and women! "Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness!"
Abraham prayed!
5. Abraham was a major-league intercessor. He saw his nephew delivered even as he saw God's judgment on the evil citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah . It may be that we stand closer to God's wrath than we realize today; perhaps we are more like Lot than we are like Abraham.But we do see the principle that righteous people are somehow a deterrant to judgment day wrath. And we see the powerful influence of one person who has the courage to ask God to spare others!
Abraham made mistakes--
6. Abraham tried to help God along, and instead produced forces thateventually became rivals to his own interests. Ishmael should never have been born, although the Arabs believe the other way 'round!
Abraham put God absolutely first!Genesis 15:6 "And Abram believed God and it was counted unto him as righteousness."
Abraham is the first three-dimensional character of the Old Testament. Come with me for a brief overview ofthe whole sweep of his magnificent faith walk.
Abraham was
1. A second generation pilgrim. His father, Terah started for Canaan,but settled down in a civilized place and died there. Abraham had theformidable task of respectfully surpassing his own preceding generation. Maybe that is no problem to the hubris of the youth today. It certainly was for me.
Abraham had
2. A trail-blazing obedience. (12:1) Abraham started for Canaan eventhough he had never been there before, nor knew anyone who had. He made his mistakes; he lived in tents; he fled to Egypt. He prospered.But in it all he walked by faith.
Abraham had
3. A self-effacing humility. ( ) He would rather give up things than to stand and fight with friends and loved ones. He said to his nephew"You choose!" And in effect he was saying to God "When it comes to my pathway, YOU choose!"
Abraham displayed
4. A noble faith. (15:6) Abraham was unwilling to accuse God, even though he did not understand why he seemed to be misunderstanding the original promise. "Maybe I need to lower my idea of what you meant?"he seemed to ask.
In reply God took Abraham out under the stars. Sometimes I wishour children could look at the stars more than they do!
It is hard tohear a word from God when all our leisure time is filled withspiritual emptiness at best-- and spiritual garbage at worst.
Perhaps a comment or two on our viewing habits is in order here?I don't think it is totally irrelevant that we are a generation offaith-pygmies and we watch TV, while Abraham was taken out of his tent and under the canopy of the heavens to get a perspective on just how small he really was in comparison to how big God's Creation really is.
I've seen some pretty awesome things on the 19-inch tube, but they're still just images of the real thing.
And some of the things we absorb from that tube positively stunt our possibilities of nobility and growth in faith! In an old Herald of Holiness there was a powerful paragraph written by Paul and Marilyn Turner in their "marriage enrichment"column. Listen:
"We do not arrive at a healthy self-esteem by
absorbing the voyeuristic daytime public confessionals,
erroneously called talk shows. These are strange
programs in self-esteem that reward people for amassing
weird aberrations but dispute others for claiming to be
healthy. If you're healthy you may be accused of being
"in denial." We pay a big price for a pathology that
lessens our inner peace and fills our minds with
trash." [J. Paul & Marilyn Turner in Herald of Holiness, January, 1993 issue.]
This noble faith of Abraham joined with the promise of theEternal God in this seemingly uneventful chapter (15) and became a COVENANT. Perhaps this is the essence of the Bible: God is a covenant making God dealing with believing men and women! "Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness!"
Abraham prayed!
5. Abraham was a major-league intercessor. He saw his nephew delivered even as he saw God's judgment on the evil citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah . It may be that we stand closer to God's wrath than we realize today; perhaps we are more like Lot than we are like Abraham.But we do see the principle that righteous people are somehow a deterrant to judgment day wrath. And we see the powerful influence of one person who has the courage to ask God to spare others!
Abraham made mistakes--
6. Abraham tried to help God along, and instead produced forces thateventually became rivals to his own interests. Ishmael should never have been born, although the Arabs believe the other way 'round!
7. Abraham gave up his dearest love for the love of God, and in so doing he became actually a living portrait of God the Father in His love for a needy world. (22)
Abraham is remembered- and more--
8. Abraham rates 10 chapters in Genesis, and countless references in the New Testament. In Romans 4, and Galatians 3, and in Hebrews 11 we are reminded again of the "father of faith," Abraham, the man who dared to believe God. James ( 2:21,23) calls Abraham "a friend of God."
We cannot be giants of the same stature as Abraham. But we can have the very same quality of integrity in our dealings with God. We can be honest. We can be obedient. We can give God our most precious gifts in the confidence that He will not waste them...
Bertha Munro said it--"God will notwaste a consecrated life!"
Pray with me: "Where He Leads Me...I will follow!"
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